Georgy Catoire (1861-1926) is a wonderfully attractive Russian pianist-composer who has been neglected far too long. Discouraged by his family to enter the difficult music profession, Catoire focused for a time on mathematics, but he continued to pursue his love of musical composition. Tchaikovsky pronounced it a crime for him not to pursue such an exceptional musical talent. Eventually Catoire did study composition with Lyadov, but received only mixed support in the profession, and was largely denied fame in his lifetime. Nevertheless he managed to produce a body of piano music that is satisfying to play, and powerfully Romantic both in its pianism and in its emotional spirit. These Four Preludes op. 17 offer marvelous glimpses of Romantic styles, seeming to recall Scriabin (especially in the first), Grieg (in the second) and Rachmaninoff (in the third). The fourth and final, achingly beautiful prelude is a strong expression of nostalgia. The pieces are profiled in my series Exploring Repertoire at https://youtu.be/sZdlLAzBNXo?si=W7WiWyxQmgdUxDdc.