Among the most enigmatic figures of the twentieth century, Medtner was an apostle of conscience. He placed a premium on baroque polyphony, on classical structure, on a manner of thematic integration and cyclic metamorphosis romantic in legacy. He celebrated, he developed, he concentrated the sonata ideal. He was a resolute tonalist, a poetic melodist of the old guard. His most complex work does not clarify easily. Let this not deter us. Creatively the equal of his two most famous emigré compatriots Rachmaninov and Stravinsky, metaphorically like an Arthurian knight of old impassioned by his lady, Medtner was an artist in love with the beauty of his muse. He played for beauty’s sake. He composed for beauty’s sake.