Steinway & Sons to release 2021 American Pianists Awards winner Kenny Broberg’s first recording on label

Steinway & Sons releases 2021 American Pianists Awards winner Kenny Broberg’s Sonatas by Medtner, Rachmaninov, Scriabin on January 6, 2023. Known for his inventive, intelligent and intense performances, Broberg conquers Sergei Rachmaninov’s Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 36; Alexander Scriabin’s Sonata No. 5, Op. 53; and Nikolai Medtner’s Sonata in E minor, Op. 25 No. 2 “Night Wind;” and Danza festiva, Op. 38 No. 3. 

“Rachmaninov, Scriabin, and Medtner have a rich history between them,” Broberg said. “The album gives listeners insight into that history, through these four challenging and exciting pieces.” 

The album opens with Rachmaninov’s Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 36, composed in 1913. Rachmaninov began writing the sonata in Rome, but a family illness led him to complete the piece in his Ivanovka country estate. The piece premiered in Kursk and has since undergone multiple revisions. The sonata develops into three parts, with a great deal of tonal instability and changing key centers.  

In the second piece, Scriabin’s Sonata No. 5, Op. 53, listeners are met with a slow introduction that leads into the sonata movement. Scriabin drew inspiration for this piece from the orchestral “Poem of Ecstasy.” The text accompanying Scriabin’s sonata reads:  

“I call you to life, mysterious forces! Drowned in the obscure depths of the creative spirit, timid Embryos of life, to you I bring audacity! —a vivid description of the release of material from the unconscious mind necessary for the creation of such a complex and innovative work in such a short space of time.” 

Scriabin did compose this work in a short period of time, like the poem states. He wrote the sonata in three or four days in 1907. Sonata No. 5 is often considered one of the hardest pieces ever written for piano, which further enticed Broberg to include it on his album.  

“Scriabin was a revolutionary composer,” Broberg said. “He charted his own path and created unique works like Sonata No. 5 that I wanted to showcase on this album.” 

Broberg then transitions to Medtner’s Sonata in E minor, Op. 25 No. 2 “Night Wind.” The piece is lauded by some as the greatest piano sonata of the 20th century and a perfect complement to Rachmaninov’s Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor. Sonata in E minor explores the ever-lingering element of chaos, with two allegro movements, which will surprise and entertain listeners. 

The album closes with Danza festiva, Op. 38 No. 3, part of Medtner’s eight “Forgotten Melodies.” The celebratory piece paints a vivid picture of a village festival, with the opening bars imitating ringing church bells. Danza festiva creates a cheerful feeling that listeners will relish.  

"These three composers’ lives are all inextricably linked together,” Broberg said. “They befriended each other, they challenged each other, and they inspired each other. Bringing their compositions together on this album is something I will cherish for years to come.”  

 

About the artist 

During his auspicious career before winning the 2021 American Pianists Awards and Christel DeHaan Classical Fellowship, Kenny Broberg captured the silver medal at the 2017 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and a bronze medal at the 2019 International Tchaikovsky Competition as well as prizes at the Hastings, Sydney, Seattle and New Orleans International Piano Competitions, becoming one of the most decorated and internationally renowned pianists of his generation. Broberg is lauded for his inventive, intelligent and intense performances.  

Crediting his first exposure to classical music to his Italian grandfather’s love of The Three Tenors, Broberg began piano lessons on his family’s upright piano at age 6. During his childhood in Minneapolis, he began studying piano with Dr. Joseph Zins at Crocus Hill Studios in Saint Paul. Throughout high school, he balanced his musical lessons with playing baseball and hockey. He remains an avid fan of both the Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Wild and checks their scores while on breaks during his practice.  

Broberg earned a Bachelor of Music degree in 2016 at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music, studying under Nancy Weems. He continued his studies at Park University in Parkville, Missouri, under the direction of Stanislav Ioudenitch, the gold medalist at the 2001 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. In Fall 2022, Broberg joined the Reina Sofía School of Music in Madrid as Deputy Professor of the Fundación Banco Santander Piano Chair led by Ioudenitch. 

Performing on stages and in concert halls across Europe, Asia, Australia, and North America, Broberg has worked with some of the world’s most respected conductors, including Ludovic Morlot, Kent Nagano, Leonard Slatkin, Vasily Petrenko, Nicholas Milton, John Storgårds, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Gerard Schwarz, and Stilian Kirov. He has collaborated with the Royal Philharmonic and the Minnesota, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Sydney, Seattle and Fort Worth Symphonies, among others.  

He has been featured on WQXR, Performance Today, Minnesota Public Radio and ABC (Australia) radio, and presented his original composition “Barcarolle” on NPR in March 2021. 

 

About Steinway & Sons label 

 
The STEINWAY & SONS music label produces exceptional albums of solo piano music across all genres. The label — a division of STEINWAY & SONS, maker of the world’s finest pianos — is a perfect vessel for producing the finest quality recordings by some of the most talented pianists in the world. 

 

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