"In the spring of 1893, parallel to his 6th Symphony, Piotr Tchaikovsky composed his Piano Pieces op. 72 « to earn some money, » as he wrote to his brother. In another message he spoke of « his musical pancakes ». The ideas just flew to him, says another letter. The 18 pieces are really no salon music, but much differentiated, often virtuosic and perfectly composed miniatures.
The 26-year-old German-Uzbek pianist Nuron Mukumi has clearly captured this music and plays it with a wonderful eloquence.
A fine touch, magnificently developed dynamics, the greatest clarity in performance, a piano sound that is always beautiful, and a spontaneous fantasy make these 18 pieces a delight, not least because Mukumi differentiates the individual compositions very well and gives each its own tonal character with a great deal of expressiveness. Mukumi works like a creative jeweler and makes each of the 18 pieces flash like a unique diamond."
