Images from Slovakia

When Eugen Suchoň set out to compose an educational work for young pianists, he conceived it on an unusually broad scale. Entitled Pictures from Slovakia, the collection comprises twenty-two pieces arranged into six cycles: I Am Little, When the Wolves Gathered, The Falcon Flew By, Sonatina, Highland Suite, and Sonata rustica. Some of the pieces are charming miniatures, while others are substantial concert works. The composer carefully graduated their technical demands, progressing from the simplest pieces to works of considerable complexity.

The opening cycle, I Am Little, is truly intended for the youngest pianists. By the time they reach The Falcon Flew By, however, their fingers must glide across the keyboard like fledgling birds taking flight. Even the shortest and easiest pieces are genuine works of art, worthy of concert performance, while the most demanding compositions remain readily accessible to listeners without formal musical training. That quality is called communicativeness. (Daniel Hevier)

Pictures from Slovakia is now also available on CD, released by Hudobné centrum and performed by Zuzana Štiasna-Paulechová.