Three Pieces, Op. 31

The Three Pieces, Op. 31 were composed in 1914 and occupy a unique place in Medtner's output. Written during the same period as the Piano Concerto No. 1 and the Piano Sonata Op. 30 ("War Sonata"), these works reflect a more introspective and elegiac side of his personality. The set is dedicated to the memory of the gifted Russian composer-pianist Alexei Stanchinsky, whose untimely death deeply affected Medtner.