Today’s piece, the next in my #respite series is an arrangement for solo piano by Korean Pianist Huei Song Kim of “Nocturne, Op.20”, originally for piano and jazz orchestra, by Russian composer Nikolai Kapustin (1937 – 2020). If you’re curious how the versions compare, you can check out a performance of the original one here:
From what I have read of his biography, Kapustin was something of a prodigy composing his first sonata at the age of 13. He went on to study with one of Vladimir Horowitz’ teachers, went to conservatory, and “discovered jazz” around age 17, an interest that would influence his work deeply. Wikipedia informs us that: “During the 1950s, Kapustin acquired a reputation as a jazz pianist, arranger and composer. He had his own quintet, which performed at an "upscale restaurant" monthly. He played as a member of Yury Saulsky's big band and later in the Oleg Lundstrem Orchestra. In his compositions, he fused the traditions of both classical piano repertoire and improvisational jazz, combining jazz idioms and classical music structures.
According to Martin Anderson writing in Fanfare in September 2000, “Kapustin regarded himself as a composer rather than a jazz musician: ‘I was never a jazz musician. I never tried to be a real jazz pianist, but I had to do it because of the composing. I'm not interested in improvisation – and what is a jazz musician without improvisation? All my improvisations are written, of course, and they became much better; it improved them’”.
Like Kapustin, I am interested in improvisation, but I don’t consider it a strength. That said, I believe that I have successfully “loosened up” from the strictures of my “classically trained” musical upbringing to be able to play music like Kapustin’s for you. I hope you enjoy listening to the piece as much as I have enjoyed preparing, playing and recording it for you.
Please help me grow my audience and support my work at no cost to you by liking this video and subscribing to my YouTube channel. If you’d like to help moreplease “buy me a coffee” by using this link: https://buymeacoffee.com/andrewkraus.pianist.
I also encourage you to support Huei Song Kim and his outstanding work. You can help grow his audience and support his work at no cost to you by subscribing to his YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/hesangasong. If you are able to help him further, Kim is delighted to accept your financial support through Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/hesangasong.
For those interested in the technology involved in the recording, the main video was captured with an Olympus OM-5 with the M Zuiko Digital 14-42mm 1:3.5-5.6 lens. Keyboard was captured with a Lenovo FHD Webcam. Audio was captured with a kit-built microphone from JLI Electronics – the Endora. You can read more about the technology inside it on the JLI Electronics website here: https://www.jlielectronics.com/diy-microphone-kits/endora-microphone-kit/. This dual capsule microphone was created by Jules Ruykebusch, and you can hear how it can sound and the many ways it can be used on this recording here:
Video was routed via USB into my workstation; audio was routed through XLR to an old, but still functional RME Fireface 800. Both were then routed to OBS for real-time synchronization. Minimal audio post-processing was done in Adobe Audition and video trimming in Premiere Pro.
#respite #Kapustin #Kapustin Nocturne #Endora #Huei Song Kim #Jules Ruykebusch