The letter in which Peter Tchaikovsky reports to his brother about the completion of the 18 Piano Pieces Op.72 reads like a dry report, no trace of joy or even pride. The almost classical understatement of the composer becomes even clearer the more one works with the 18 pieces. Tchaikovsky modestly failed to mention that the piano cycle is bursting with poetic luminosity, melodic beauty and a vital variety of moods. The German-Uzbek pianist Nuron Mukumi shows this wonderfully in his recording.
In Moscow, Tchaikovsky's compositions were immediately passed on to Pyotr Jurgenson for printing. Elsewhere, he called them pancakes, of which he baked one every day, again downplaying their importance. These understatements only become clear when one delves into the 18 pieces for piano. Tchaikovsky modestly failed to mention that he had composed highly virtuosic piano music and that its performance requires a considerable 70 minutes of playing time. All in all, a record-breaking genesis, for in the two weeks of their creation, there can hardly have been time to rethink, correct or polish. Tchaikovsky must have composed an average of five minutes of music per day, from the initial idea, to its elaboration, to the legible draft for printing. Usually, the notation alone takes an entire working day. Thus, the individual pieces must have been written down quasi al fresco in one go from the first idea to the finished piece.
"This is a challenge for the pianist", says Nuron Mukumi, from his own concert experiences with the 18 pieces. "Whilst on the one hand, each piece has its own individual character that should be emphasised, simultaneously, one must be careful not to lose the dramaturgical arc of the pieces in concert." In addition, there is the by no means small task of accomplishing the technicalities of the pieces: The hands and fingers must also follow the rapid changes of each character. "It is like playing tennis with fast ball changes in one moment, then having to find the concentration to score a hole-in-one with the golf club in the next."
Perhaps for these reasons, the 18 pieces for piano have unfairly rarely been heard in concert, with usually only individual pieces being singled out. "I hope the listener will feel similar joy as I had in the last three years while discovering, performing and recording these 18 pieces."
