Genari Korganov: Valse (brillante) op. 20 No. 3 - Schirmer's Anthology Russian Piano Music 1902

Performed by Christian Dillig (piano)

This waltz from Genary Korganov (1858 - 1890) is part of the 68-part anthology of Russian piano compositions that the German-American piano teacher Louis Oesterle compiled for an American audience on behalf of the G. Schirmer publishing house in New York and published in three volumes. If one were to use this 68-part anthology to try to determine how important Korganov was for Russian music, one would have to conclude from the number of pieces that appear in it (namely five) that Korganov was the fourth most important composer of his time after Anatoly Liadov, Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Arseny Koreshchenko. With this work, I would like to present another work from this anthology (see below).

However, Korganov's music has largely fallen into oblivion and most music encyclopaedias no longer even mention him - unfortunately, it has to be said. The pieces presented in the book are impeccable and composed with inspiration and give the composer his own profile. Many of his pieces are influenced by Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakoff and Chopin. Korganov was Armenian, first studied in Tbilisi, later went to Leipzig and studied piano and composition there (with Carl Reinecke, among others). He died very young at the age of 31 and could probably have become much more famous. His great and also forgotten merit is the foundation of Georgian and Armenian classical music. In addition, however, he was obviously keen to make the folklore of his homeland accessible for the piano using classical compositional techniques. Unfortunately, the pieces have apparently not yet been recorded or, as far as I can see, are at least not available on YouTube.

This piece, the Waltz op. 20 No. 3, originally comes from a cycle "Album lyrique" with 12 character pieces. Although the waltz is simply called Waltz, it would probably have been called Valse brillante according to Chopin's category. It has lyrical and brilliant passages including a virtuoso middle section. The coquetry reminds me very much of waltzes by Johann Strauss II. In fact, the waltz could be described as something like a successful hybrid of a Chopin waltz and a Strauss waltz. It is well known that Tchaikovsky also honoured Johann Strauss II. Gustav Mahler, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Igor Stravinsky were also admirers of Strauss. This waltz should be better known, and with it its creator.


As I've said the Waltz is part of an anthology of Russian piano music edited by Louis Oesterle and published by Schirmer New York in 1902. I have written an introduction to this anthology below the recording of the first piece (the Mazurka of Rebikov). The following pieces of it I have just recorded:

W. Rebikov: Mazurka op. 8 No. 8 (with introduction to the anthology)    • Vladimir Rebikov: Mazurka op. 8 No. 8 - op...  
A. Scriabin: Etude op. 2 No. 1    • Alexander Skriabin (15 years old): Etude o...  
A. Scriabin: Prelude op. 2 No. 2    • Alexander Skriabin (17 years old): Prelude...  
P. Tchaikovsky: Reverie Interrompue op. 40 No. 12    • Pyotr Tchaikovsky: Reverie interrompue op....  
G. Korganov: Valse op. 20 No. 3    • Genari Korganov: Valse (brillante) op. 20 ...  
H. Pachulski: Chant sans paroles /   • Видео  
A. Ilyinski: Berceuse op. 13 No. 7    • Alexander Ilyinsky: Berceuse op. 13 No. 7,...  
S. Yuferov Élégie op. 1 No. 3    • Sergei Yuferov:  Élégie in F major op. 1 N...  

You find this pieces also in my playlist of best-of-editions an anthologies of Russian piano music:
   • Best-of editions and anthologies of Russia...