Arte Nova has issued several volumes of CDs which it calls 'Russian
Futurism' that are devoted to the works of little known early Soviet
composers.  I picked up vol 3 the other day which has some orchestral and
chamber pieces by Michail Gnesin and string quartets by Alexander Mossolov,
Nikolai Roslavets, and Lev Knipper.  I found the Gnesin to be pleasant
enough but rather bland, but I very much enjoyed the quartets of the other
three composers.  They were generally dark and edgy pieces but also quite
accessible, just the sort of thing I love in 20th century music.  Is anyone
familiar with the works of any of the latter three composers? Any other
chamber works? Orchestral works? The liner notes mention that Knipper wrote
14 symphonies but I haven't checked to see if there are any recordings out
there yet.

And what about other Soviet composers from the pre-Terror years? Is anyone
familiar with this music? This is a period that particularly intrigues me
and my interest is as much historical as it is musical.

John Parker
Tucson, Arizona