At the beginning of the twenty-first century, the name César Cui is still relatively unknown, despite the unearthing and recording of music by many other, even more obscure, composers. The other members of the Russian "Mighty Handful" vastly overshadowed him. The Grove article about him primarily talks about his few operas, which were only moderately successful productions. However, he also wrote a large body of piano works, which are arguably his better efforts.
Christoph Deluze gives just a small sampling of that work on this disc. Cui admired the work of Schumann, Liszt, and
Chopin, and his piano music reflects this. It is very pianistic, not without technical challenges, and runs the gamut of Romantic emotion. It also experiments with new harmonies, showing its relation to the music of Cui's older contemporary Liszt and, as
Deluze points out, to that of his younger contemporary Scriabin, but never strays too far from tonal centers. The appeal of the music lies in its variety and imaginativeness. The selections from the Preludes, Op. 64, range from the ardent No. 10 to the elegant No. 15 with an irregular meter, to muted No. 16, to a jaunty country scene in No. 21. The Waltzes are only two of three in Opus 31. The first is a lengthy one with gentle outer sections and a brilliant central section, while the second is a brief, impassioned dance. The Suite is somewhat misnamed, as there is no obvious connection between the movements. Its opening Impromptu has a quirky rhythm. "Ténèbres et Lueurs" alternates gloom with brightness, just as its title suggests. The Intermezzo and the Alla Polacca both alternate a main theme with passionate episodic material.
Deluze's playing is not overly refined, but it is by no means careless either. He has an enthusiasm for the music that serves as a fine introduction to these works.
Deluze's brief notes on each piece accompany the disc, but unfortunately for those who only read English, they are only partially, and not very well, translated.