Schmonzcast #21: To celebrate my parents’ 50th anniversary, and to honor their having shipped me the baby grand I grew up playing, I chose this Medtner piece. The last time I’d prepared a piece under deadline was in high school. This Hymn is one of the “Romantic Sketches For The Young”, but its longer lines, greater directness, and C major tonality (and, sure, the Opus number) reveal it to be one of his later works. Though the recording is impromptu and hastily reassembled, and my performance shows some rough spots, I think you’ll be able to piece together why this is the song I wanted to sing them.