GLEB AKSELROD (1923-2003)
Russian-Soviet pianist

Gleb Akselrod in a pianist about whom I have been able to find out almost nothing about.  I know that he was born in Moscow and died in Hannover, Germany, and that he was a disciple of Grigory Ginzburg. That he won 4th prize at the 1955 Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud Competition and that he won 2nd prize in the first Vianna da Motta Competition in 1957.  And that he was a professor at the Moscow Conservatory.

My ears tell me that he has exquisite control and a pristine, crystalline touch.  His Scarlatti is wonderful.  His Beethoven lovely, But the more technically challenging the music, the more extraordinary his playing.  The Liszt 2nd Rhapsody, the Medner, the Bartók, all leave me swooning at the image of this man, Gleb Akselrod, completely relaxed at the piano, dashing off music that will take me eons to learn to play badly.

Scarlatti  Sonatas

in D minor, K 1 Allegro
2:18 ➢ in D minor, K 9 Allegro
6:24 ➢ in C minor, K 11 Allegro
9:23 ➢ in B minor, K 27 Allegro
12:59 ➢ in F minor, K 69
17:07 ➢ in D major, K 96 Allegrissimo
22:09 ➢ in G major, K 125 Vivo
24:30 ➢ in G major, K 146
27:28 ➢ in E minor, K 147
30:25 ➢ in C major, K 159 Allegro
32:47 ➢ in E major, K 162 Andante - Allegro
38:23 ➢ in E major, K 380 Andante comodo
43:49 ➢ in A major, K 429 Allegro
47:08 ➢ in D major, K 430 Non presto ma a tempo di ballo
50:02 ➢ in C major, K 514 Allegro