Gramophone Magazine
March 2026
Editor’s Choice

Alexander Malofeev (piano)

Glinka: A Farewell to Saint Petersburg: No. 10, The Lark (Transcr. Balakirev)
Glinka: Mazurka in C major
Glinka: Mazurka in C minor
Glinka: Polka in D minor
Glinka: Farewell Waltz
Medtner: Forgotten Melodies I, Op. 38
Medtner: 2 Fairy Tales, Op. 48: No. 2, Tale of the Elves
Rachmaninoff: 5 Morceaux de fantaisie, Op. 3: No. 2, Prélude in C-Sharp Minor
Rachmaninoff: Fragments, Op. posth.
Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 36
Rachmaninoff: 12 Romances, Op. 21: V. Lilacs (Transcr. Rachmaninoff)
Rachmaninoff: 5 Morceaux de fantaisie, Op. 3: No. 1, Élégie in E-Flat Minor
Rachmaninoff: Études-Tableaux, Op. 33: No. 3, 7 & 8
Glazunov: 3 Études for Piano, Op. 31: No. 3, La nuit
Glazunov: Song of the Volga Boatmen, Op. 97
Glazunov: Idylle for piano, Op. 103
Glazunov: 3 Miniatures for Piano, Op. 42: Valse - Allegretto

Widely regarded as one of the most phenomenal talents of the new generation, Alexander Malofeev has moved far beyond the "prodigy" label to become a pianist of profound structural insight and staggering technical command. For his Sony debut, Forgotten Melodies, Malofeev curates a sprawling two-hour journey through the heart of the Russian piano tradition. The program balances the transparent lyricism of Glinka and the salon-style elegance of Glazunov against the architectural complexity of Medtner’s Sonata reminiscenza and the volcanic energy of Rachmaninoff’s Second Sonata. It is a collection that demands both extreme physical stamina and a delicate, poetic touch—qualities that have come to define Malofeev's burgeoning international career.

"For all of Malofeev's outsize dynamics, bombdropping bass accents and pulverising chords, he never bangs... Needless to say, an auspicious debut." — Gramophone Magazine, March 2026