Enigma

The brilliant Nikolai Kapustin wrote music for himself. The tiring sense of having to explain the exact place where the divide between his obvious deep love and influence of Jazz and Classical lies must have left him feeling resentful of ever agreeing to talk about his unique work. Kapustin simply did not wish to put energy into it - compared to the actual act of composition. And that answer is - there is not a divide - so perhaps listening without a divide can put us closer to the magical place from which he operated. A place that could only come from infinitely curious spirit, a famously rigorous Classical training in Russia, and not only an influence but a love and highly developed Jazz talent - combined - but expressed primarily through a Classical means. Melanie Spanswick, composed in February 2019 especially for Japanese pianist Yuki Negishi, is a miniature programmatic work inhabits an atmospheric, dreamy sound world. It employs the full range of the keyboard and seeks to showcase the enigmatic resonance of the instrument.