Nikolai Kapustin - Concert Etudes Op. 40, III. Toccatina

This is from my first faculty recital, as part of the Masterful Keys Virtuoso Piano Concert Series at University of La Verne. I lovingly called the recital "Alotta Toccatas" because I played a lot...of Toccatas.

Recorded 2.17.24

Nicolai Kapustin (1937 - 2020) was a Ukrainian-born composer of Russian-Jewish lineage. He gained popularity as a jazz pianist, blending jazz with classical forms. Kapustin always regarded himself as a composer, rather than a jazz musician. He states:
"I was never a jazz musician. I never tried to be a real jazz pianist, but I had to do it because of the composing. I'm not interested in improvisation -- and what is a jazz musician without improvisation? All my improvisations are written, of course, and they became much better; it improved them."