Today I didn't want to upload a video.... but then I stumbled across this Nocturne. First of all, I am really surprised again, that it seems like literally no recording exists at all of this magnificient piece. No results on YouTube at least. I just don't understand.. hopefully my little contribution will make this brillant composer a little more known.

To the piece: Composed in 1900, in my opinion this is a great example of a dark and hopeless russian Fin de siècle setting. A nocturne of the mellow dreamy quality. It is a very long Nocturne, I think the longest I have ever seen or played (please don't cite me for that, maybe I am just forgetting a 180 Minutes Sorabji Nocturne or such, lol).
Difficult to perform is the explicitly NOT written tempo change when the pace really goes forward in the middle part. I deleted several attempts because I got so fast in this segment.
Also I obviously like the melting and wonderfully connecting harmonies with those many alteration notes. Some parts reminded me of Arthur Lourié, namely his Phoenix Park Nocturne, another great composition, but later and more of the russian Avant Garde.

Kalafati himself (1869-1942) was a russian composer and teacher, whose parents were greek migrants, therefore probably his name. His teacher at the conservatory was Rimsky-Korsakov.

His scholars were: Skriabin, Strawinsky, Eller and more. He was killed in the german siege in Leningrad. I am honestly very surprised that this is a composer I never heard of or saw anything anywhere given that he had so many influential scholars.

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