The Alexander Siloti Collection
"Alexander Siloti (1863-1945), one of Russia's prize pianists, studied with Tchaikovsky, Nikolai, Rubinstein, and Liszt; and he taught Rachmaninoff. As a conductor, accompanist, impresario, and mentor, Siloti led a musical generation in St. Petersburg, discovering such talents as Casals, Sibelius, Hofmann, Scriabin, Glazunov, Ysaye, and others. The introductory notes by Charles Barber state that Siloti created a vast collection of transcriptions and arrangements for keyboard in the 19th-century Romantic tradition. His transcriptions of Bach are notable and range from 'Prelude in B Minor' from Clavier Buchlein fur Wilhelm and Friedemann Bach, 'Chaconne in D Minor,' 'Andante' from Sonata for Violin Solo in A Minor, "Siciliano" from Sonata for Flute and Keyboard in Eb Major, and the "Organ Prelude in G Minor." Additional composers represented include Mozart, Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Rimsky-Korsakov, Liadov, Strauss, and others. This collection would be a good addition to any teaching library." --Clavier, October 2004