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I say this although I disagree with the enthusiastic Pierre d'Alheim whose book first made me acquainted with the Russian's art and disagree, too, with Colvocoressi, whose study is likely to remain the definitive one. I've played the piano music and found it banal in form and idea, far less individual than the piano pieces of Cui, Liadow, Stcherbatchef, Arensky, or Rachmaninof.
In an equally broad spirit does he introduce to his students the works of the ultra modern school, Debussy, Rachmaninoff, Florent Schmitt, Reger, Liadow, Poldini and others.
Wagner's name only appears once, in a transcription of the Venusberg for the pianoforte; and Richard Strauss's name figures only against his Quartette. Grieg had his hour of popularity there about 1887, as well as the Russians Moussorgski, Borodine, Rimsky-Korsakow, Liadow, and Glazounow whom M. Debussy has perhaps helped to make known to us.
I rank Rachmaninoff very highly, and of course use his Preludes, not only the well-known ones the C and G minor but the set of thirteen in one opus number; they are most interesting. I use a good deal of Russian music; Liadow has composed some beautiful things; but Tschaikowsky, in his piano music, is too complaining and morbid, as a rule, though he is occasionally in a more cheerful mood.
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