Abstract
Nikolai Karlovich Medtner (1880-1951) was a Russian pianist, composer, and pedagogue. Although he was highly regarded by some as one of the most brilliant successors of the Russian piano school, his complex compositional style did not attract much popularity from the general public during his lifetime, and scholarship on his life and works has been limited over the years since his death in 1951. While his Piano Sonatas, Skazka, and Piano Concertos have attracted a certain amount of attention from researchers, no paper has discussed his Second Improvisation, Op. 47, which is unquestionably one of his most complex and significant works. This essay aims to develop a practical approach to interpreting and performing Medtner's Second Improvisation. Through analyses on style, compositional technique, and literary background, this paper will provide knowledge and suggestions on interpretive approaches to this music. This paper includes a transcript of notes compiled by Medtner's pupil, Edna Iles, an annotated score to assist the reader in following the motivic analysis, and a recording of the work performed by the author.