Rachmaninow:
Sonata No. 1 Op. 28

Shostakovich:
Sonata No. 2 Op. 61

Kabalevsky:
Sonata No. 3 Op. 46

Although the three selected piano sonatas were all composed in the first half of the 20th century, they convey very different musical impressions thanks to three composers, each with their own distinctive compositional styles. The common genre of the piano sonata provides an insight into the musical and cultural development of Russia between 1908 and 1946.