Mimi Ezust writes:

>Does anyone else know this composer? Have any favorites? This is the first
>piece of his that I have encountered.

A bazillion years ago, when I was about ten, I played a book of
'Bagatelles' by Alexander Tcherepnin.  I remember being impressed that
they were printed in Europe, my first 'foreign' score.  They were mildly
modern, and certainly my introduction to recent piano music.  And great
fun to play.  One of them became my party piece for a while, and it always
got a good hand in spite of its - gasp!  - bitonality.  Alexander's father,
Nicolai, was a noted composer in Russia.  And Alexander's maternal
grandfather was Albert Benois, painter; his great uncle was the more famous
Alexandre Benois, stage designer for people like Diaghilev.  Papa Nicolai
taught Prokofiev.

I later met his?brother, Nicolas, also a composer and heard him play
Alexander's fifth piano concerto.  I remember the concert very well because
in the latter part of the concerto the music was interrupted by a man in
the audience having a heart attack.  They called for a doctor and I
responded, but thank god a REAL doctor also stepped forward; I'm only a
psychiatrist, but I was willing to do what I could.  The unlucky man
survived with the other doctor's attentions.  And I was mightily relieved
to be shouldered out of the way.

Mr Tcherepnin began the last movement again and got a huge ovation at the
finish, I think partly because of his grace under the pressure of the
interruption.  I remember that after the concert he came looking for the
sick man to see how he was doing.

I could be wrong, but I think Ivan Tcherepnin was from the next generation
of the family and was Alexander's son by his wife, Ming, also a pianist.
Ivan died last year.

Scott Morrison