This eighth and final volume of the complete Tcherepnin piano music series is devoted to music for children. It ranges from the optimistic Sunny Day from 1915, which the composer found and copied out on the day he died, and the vibrant Episodes, which he brought with him to Paris when exiled from Russia, to the devotional beauties of Histoire de la Petite Thérèse. Alternating the wistful with the highly energetic, the three Suites, Op. 51 explore the possibilities offered by Chinese musical tradition.

Listen to
Episodes (Priskaski): X. Petite Gavotte

POUR PETITS ET GRANDS
(FOR YOUNG AND OLD),
OP. 65 (1940) * (13:17)
1 I. La Diligente (01:06)
2 II. Le Farceur (00:39)
3 III. La Mélodieuse (00:39)
4 IV. Les Contrastes (00:49)
5 V. Les Cloches tristes (01:44)
6 VI. La Babillarde (00:34)
7 VII. L’Affligée (01:39)
8 VIII. L’Ibérienne (00:45)
9 IX. La Persévérante (01:10)
10 X. La Dévouée (01:30)
11 XI. Les Plaisirs du Toutou (01:10)
12 XII. La Belle au Bois Dormant (01:32)

HISTOIRE DE LA PETITE THÉRÈSE DE L’ENFANT-JÉSUS (THE STORY OF LITTLE THERESA OF THE INFANT JESUS), OP. 36B (1925) * (09:35)
13 I. Naissance (00:30)
14 II. Baptême (00:27)
15 III. Sourire de la Sainte Vierge (00:37)
16 IV. Première Communion (00:44)
17 V. Confirmation (00:42)
18 VI. Conversion (00:49)
19 VII. Audience de Léon XII (00:43)
20 VIII. Entrée au Carmel (00:52)
21 IX. Notre Grande Richesse (00:51)
22 X. Prise d’Habit (01:11)
23 XI. Profession (00:50)
24 XII. Prise de Voile (00:23)
25 Offrande de Moi-même (00:56)

EPISODES (PRISKASKI) (1912-20) * (10:27)
26 I. Chanson (00:41)
27 II. Moment musical (00:43)
28 III. Humoresque (00:37)
29 IV. Feuillet d’Album (00:45)
30 V. Scherzando (00:54)
31 VI. Berceuse géorgienne (00:44)
32 VII. Danse lente arménienne (01:11)
33 VIII. Papillon (00:43)
34 IX. Jeux (01:09)
35 X. Petite Gavotte (01:31)
36 XI. Fantoche (00:24)
37 XII. Capriccio (01:05)

ÉTUDE DU PIANO SUR LA GAMME PENTATONIQUE: PREMIÈRE SUITE (PIANO STUDY ON THE PENTATONIC SCALE: SUITE NO. 1), OP. 51, NO. 1 (1934) * (02:23)
38 I. Mélodie (00:20)
39 II. Valse (00:17)
40 III. Chanson des Marins (00:13)
41 IV. Fox-trot (00:22)
42 V. Chanson sans Paroles (00:18)
43 VI. Procession des Moines (00:32)
44 VII. Kermesse villageoise (00:21)

ÉTUDE DU PIANO SUR LA GAMME PENTATONIQUE: DEUXIÈME SUITE (PIANO STUDY ON THE PENTATONIC SCALE: SUITE NO. 2), OP. 51, NO. 2 (1934) * (04:06)
45 I. Vivace (01:13)
46 II. Moderato (00:24)
47 III. Allegro molto (00:24)

ÉTUDE DU PIANO SUR LA GAMME PENTATONIQUE: 12 BAGATELLES CHINOISES (PIANO STUDY ON THE PENTATONIC SCALE: CHINESE BAGATELLES), OP. 51, NO. 3 (1935) * (09:52)
52 I. Allegro (00:49)
53 II. Allegro moderato (00:49)
54 III. Allegro marciale (00:36)
55 IV. Allegro non troppo (00:33)
56 V. Animato (00:25)
57 VI. Lento (01:33)
58 VII. Allegretto (00:40)
59 VIII. Andantino (01:12)

60 IX. Moderato (00:42)
61 X. Vivace (00:46)
62 XI. Allegro (00:31)
63 XII. Moderato (01:16)

17 PIANO PIECES FOR BEGINNERS (1957) * (08:55)
64 No. 1. March (00:21)
65 No. 2. Joy and Tears (00:24)
66 No. 3. Relays (00:16)
67 No. 4. Melody (00:19)
68 No. 5. To and Fro (00:23)
69 No. 6. Chimes (00:30)
70 No. 7. Prelude (00:38)
71 No. 8. The Clock (00:22)
72 No. 9. Hide and Seek (00:17)
73 No. 10. Valse (00:45)
74 No. 11. Merry-go-round (00:41)
75 No. 12. Old Tale (00:52)
76 No. 13. Escapade (00:27)

TWO PIECES FOR CHILDREN *
81 CELEBRATION (1976) (00:24)
82 INDIAN TRAIL (1976) (00:26)

83 SUNNY DAY 'FORGOTTEN BAGATELLE' (1915) (01:05)

TOTAL TIME: 60:37

Giorgio Koukl is a pianist/harpsichordist and composer, and is considered one of the world's leading interpreters of Martinů's piano music, having recorded that composer's complete solo piano music, together with two discs of Martinů's vocal music and two discs of his piano concertos. As a logical continuation of this work, and a nod to his own maternal Russian ancestry, Koukl has now tackled the complete solo piano works of Alexander Tcherepnin, a Russian composer who belonged to the same Parisian group of composers as Martinů, along with Arthur Honegger, Tibor Harsányi, Marcel Mihalovici and Théodore Beck.