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b u y C D r e c o r d i n g s o n l i n e
The Romantic Discoveries project consists of recordings of over one hundred unknown piano works from the nineteenth-century. Each recording is believed to be the first ever of the work concerned. You can sample some of these recordings by going to the free Mp3s page. The series is ongoing and new releases will be announced here as soon as they are available. Compact discs for sale You can purchase any of the compact discs below by sending an email with your name and address details to this address. All payments should be made out to Marquess Educational Consultants, Ltd. We currently accept credit and debit card payments via PayPal®. We reserve the right to refuse payments from users who do not provide a confirmed address.
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Julius von Beliczay - Original piano works and Hungarian national music by his contemporaries - new release Romantic Discoveries Recordings CD 33. Total time: 68 mins 36 secs 1) Hermann Adolf Wollenhaupt (1827-65): Marche hongroise, op. 66 (4'04'') 2) Beliczay: from Stammbuchblätter, op. 31 (5'52''): 1. Träumerei; 2. Intermezzo 3) Beliczay: Gavotte op. 43 (3'56'') 4) Beliczay: Aquarellen, op. 26 (15'44''): 1. Moderato; 2. Andantino; 3. Allegretto; 4. Andante con moto; 5. Allegretto grazioso "Es lächelt der See"; 6. Vivace; 7. Allegretto vivace 5) Benjamin Egressy (1814-51) arr. Ferdinand Beyer (1803-63): Ungarische Volkshymne no. 61: Szosat (2'17'') 6) Beliczay: Nocturno, op. 24 (5'31'') 7) Beliczay: from Miniaturen, op. 67 (12'36''): 1. Allegretto; 2. Allegro; 3. Moderato; 4. Allegro scherzando; 5. Vivace; 6. Allegretto 8. Adagio rubato - Allegro; 9. Tempo di Valse; 10. Vivace; 11. Andante; 12. Moderato "Égböl szólok" 8) Beliczay: Novellette and Romanze, op. 2 (5'13'') 9) Beliczay: 8 Variations on a Hungarian theme, op. 23 (9'27'') 10) Ferenc Erkel (1810-93) arr. Ferdinand Beyer: Ungarische Volkshymne no. 60: Gott erhalt Ungarn (3'11'') Julius, or Gyula in Hungarian, von Beliczay de Belic was one of the most important of Hungarian composers of the generation after Liszt. He was a composer in almost all the major forms of the day, including songs, chamber music, sacred music, opera, symphonic works (2 symphonies, written in 1888 and 1892 respectively) and a wide variety of piano music. Beliczay was born in Révkomárom and studied piano there. During the 1850s he came into contact with Czerny and Nottebohm and was later a correspondent of Liszt, to whom he dedicated a cadenza. Beliczay was an arch-Romantic and a man of profoundly sensitive disposition. His predominant style was within the Germanic heritage, with Schumann's influence predominant in the works on this disc. Although there are nationalistic elements in his music, Beliczay was in general more drawn to the absolute than the programmatic, with a clear form obvious throughout his work and no piece outstaying its welcome. When the Academy of Music opened at Budapest in 1875, Franz Liszt was its President and Ferenc Erkel its Director. Erkel's famous national hymn "Gott erhalt Ungarn", which is the Hungarian national anthem, concludes this disc. Beliczay was appointed Professor of the Academy and continued in this post until his death. The other contributors to this disc, like Beliczay and Erkel, died prematurely, perhaps accounting for their posthumous neglect. Beyer was chiefly known as a pedagogue, and his exercises are still very popular in piano teaching in South America. Benjamin or Beny Egressy composed the "other" Hungarian national anthem, Szosat (often played at the end of ceremonies while Erkel's anthem is played at the beginning), whose arrangement by Beyer is dramatic and effective. Wollenhaupt was a Leipzig-trained pianist who later pursued a career in New York with great success. His Hungarian March is full of pomp and drama.
Theodor Kirchner: Conversations with the Piano; original works Romantic Discoveries Recordings CD 32. Total time: 66 mins 46 secs. 1) Humoresken, op 48 (12'44'') 1. Allegro non troppo 2. Con moto 3. Allegretto 4. Allegretto 5. Allegretto grazioso 6. Allegretto 2) Romanze, op 45 no 6 (3'00'') 3) Plaudereien am Klavier, op 60 (47'56'') 1. Con moto 2. Allegretto 3. Allegro 4. Nicht zu schnell 5. Poco Allegretto 6. Poco Allegro 7. Mässiges Tempo 8. Con moto 9. Allegretto 10. Allegro 11. Allegretto 12. Poco Andante 13. Con troppo vivace 14. Zart nicht schnell 15. Poco moderato 16. Allegro ma non troppo 17. Comodo 18. Molto moderato 19. Poco animato 20. Comodo 21. Tempo di Gavotta 22. Con fuoco 23. Poco Allegro 24. Allegretto (Gavotten tempo) 25. Andantino 4) Tempo di Valse (2'51'') See below for biographical notes on Kirchner. Here we encounter Kirchner as composer of original works, many written for accomplished women pianists. Kirchner's works demand not merely a sound technique but a poetic imagination. The Plaudereien am Klavier constitute a cycle of wit and subtlety of invention and are as pleasing to play as to listen to. Elsewhere, his Romanze shows a creation of drama within the miniature that foreshadows Grieg. The Humoresken are a particularly attractive set, showing Kirchner's mastery of harmony and sense of humour throughout.
Theodor Kirchner: Robert Schumann transcriptions for solo piano; original works Romantic Discoveries Recordings CD 31. Total time: 71 mins 32 secs. Click here to listen free to Kirchner's Freundliches Erinnern 1) Kirchner: Ein Gedenkblatt: Serenade op 15 (3'47'') 2) Schumann trans. Kirchner: Romanzen und Balladen (40'22''). 1) Der Schatzgräber op 45 no 1 2) Frühlingsfahrt op 45 no 2 3) Abends am Strande op 45 no 3 4) Die Beiden Grenadiere op 49 no 1 5) Die Nonne op 49 no 3 6) Blondel's Lied op 53 no 1 7) Loreley op 53 no 2 8) Der Arme Peter op 53 no 3 9) Die Soldatenbraut op 64 no 1 10) Das verlassene Mägdelein op 64 no 2 11) Tragödie op 64 no 3 3) Kirchner: In stillen Stunden, op 56 Heft IV(6'35'') 1) Klage 2) Freundliches Erinnern 4) Schumann trans. Kirchner: Bilder aus Osten: 6 Impromptus (20'46'') 1) Lebhaft 2) Nicht schnell und sehr gesangvoll zu spielen 3) Im Volkston 4) Nicht schnell 5) Lebhaft 6) Renig, andächtig See below for biographical notes on Kirchner. The transcription of Bilder aus Osten (Pictures from the East) is a particular delight; the original is for piano duet, but Kirchner's version rearranges the work so that it is playable by a single pianist with no loss of effect. His original works are distinctive and full of emotion, particularly "Freundliches Errinern", punningly dedicated to Robert Freund.
Unknown Piano Music of Alkan - Original Works and Transcriptions Romantic Discoveries Recordings CD 30. Total time: 75 mins 6 secs. More about Alkan. This recording, which replaces our previous CD8, consists of new recordings made by John Kersey during 2007. Every work is either new to disc or previously received its first recording with Romantic Discoveries. Please note that these recordings are NOT the same as those which appeared on CD8, benefitting from improved audio quality compared to that release. Handel trans. Alkan: Chœur des Prêtres de Dagon from 'Samson' (3'08''); Alkan: 'Il était un p'tit homme': Rondoletto, op. 3 (7'59''); Weber trans. Alkan: Chœur-Barcarolle d'Obéron (Les filles de la mer) (3'48''); Beethoven trans. Alkan: Chant d'Alliance (Wedding Song) (3'25''); Alkan: Désir, petit fantaisie (4'50''); Alkan: Variations quasi fantaisie sur une barcarolle napolitaine, op. 16 no. 6 (7'47''); Grétry trans. Alkan: Marche et Chœur des Janissaires (4'06''); Alkan: Nocturne no 3 in F sharp major, op. 57 (4'30''); Marcello trans. Alkan: 'I cieli immensi narranno' from Psalm 18 (3'48''); Gluck trans. Alkan: 'Jamais dans ces beaux lieux' from 'Armide' (5'55''); Alkan: Variations on 'La tremenda ultrice spada' from Bellini's 'Montagues and Capulets', op. 16 no. 5 (7'21''); Alkan: Réconciliation: petit caprice mi-partie en forme de zorcico, ou Air de Danse Basque à cinq temps, op. 42 (8'20''); Alkan: Variations on 'Ah! segnata è la mia morte' from Donizetti's 'Anna Bolena', op. 16 no. 4 (6'06''); Anon. trans. Alkan: Rigaudons des petits violons et hautbois de Louis XIV (2'48'') To understand Alkan demands not merely an appreciation of his musical language but also of his other deep passion, theology. A Jewish scholar of both Old and New Testaments, Alkan devoted himself to translation and research during his mature years when not involved in musical composition and performance (he re-emerged on the concert platform late in life, after a long absence). His compositions are shot through with a deep humanity and an unflinching spiritual quality, tempered by an energetic sense of humour. The choice of material for Alkan's partitions is revealing of his tastes in sacred music, from Marcello to Handel's 'Samson', as well as showing adventurous repertoire interests in an obscure Beethoven chorus and the Rigaudons of Louis XIV's violin and oboe band. His early variation sets also show inspiration in the famous operas of the day, though the treatment is authentically Alkanesque in its vigorous pianism. It goes without saying that Alkan's music is highly challenging in both technical and musical terms. However, particularly in the partitions, Alkan's aim is often to create an effect that is extremely difficult to execute but that sounds straightforward. The aim is always a fidelity to the chosen effect rather than that of display for its own ends. And as the pianos of Alkan's day developed in compass and strength, so his writing adapted, with the high and low notes in 'Samson' prefiguring the approach of his admirer Busoni. In his unknown original works, Alkan proves himself to be consistently intriguing. The Nocturne op. 57 is a fast piece, belying the genre, and surprisingly impassioned, with Alkan's trademark harmonic novelties. In the Réconciliation op. 42, Alkan experiments with quintuple time, a subject which fascinated him and which was the subject of theoretical correspondence with Fétis as to whether there could be a 'pure' five-beat bar as opposed to one made up of groupings of two and three beats.
Theodor Kirchner - Robert Schumann: The Song Cycles transcribed for solo piano Romantic Discoveries Recordings CD 29. Total time: 76 mins 56 secs. Click here to listen free to
Schumann trans. Kirchner: Am leuchtenden Sommermorgen Frauenliebe und -Leben, op 42 (22'43''): Seit ich ihn gesehen; Er, der Herrlichste von Allen; Ich kann's nicht fassen, nicht glauben; Du Ring an meinen Finger; Helft mir, ihr Schwestern; Süsser Freund, du blickest; An meinem Herzen, an meiner Brust; Nun hast du mir den ersten Schmerz getan. Liederkreis, op 39 (23'27''): In der Fremde; Intermezzo; Waldesgespräch; Die Stille; Mondnacht; Schöne Fremde; Auf einer Burg; In der Fremde; Wehmuth; Zwielicht; Im Walde; Frühlingsnacht. Dichterliebe, op 48 (30'36''): Im wunderschönen Monat Mai; Aus meinen Thränen spriessen; Die Rose, die Lilie; Wenn ich in deine Augen seh'; Ich will meine Seele tauchen; Im Rhein, im heil'gen Strome; Ich grolle nicht; Und wüssten's die Blume; Das ist ein Flöten und Geigen; Hör' ich das Liedchen klingen; Ein Jüngling liebt ein Mädchen; Am leuchtenden Sommermorgen; Ich hab' im Traum geweinet; Allnächtlich im Traume; Aus alten Märchen winkt es; Die alten bösen Lieder. Fürchtegott Theodor Kirchner, a pupil of Mendelssohn at the newly-founded Leipzig Conservatoire, composed over 1000 original works for piano, most of which are miniatures, but is best known for his arrangements today. He was a master of piano texture and his transcriptions show great craft. Kirchner was recommended by Mendelssohn for the post of organist of Winterthur in Switzerland in 1843, and remained there for the next twenty years. The position gave him the opportunity to travel throughout Germany, and there he came into contact with Brahms and the Schumanns (he had first met Robert Schumann aged fourteen). He appears to have had a brief affair with Clara Schumann in the 1860s. In 1862, Kirchner became director of the subscription concerts in Zurich, but remained there for only three years before returning to freelancing. He was appointed court pianist at Meiningen in 1872 and became director of the conservatoire in Würzburg the following year. However, in 1876, he moved to Leipzig for seven years, before going to Dresden, where he taught score-reading. The year 1890 was a climactic one for him, for he abandoned his wife and family and went to live in Hamburg, where he was looked after by a former pupil. Four years later he suffered the first of two strokes that left himparalysed, and began to go blind. "In his character there is no stability" wrote Clara Schumann. Kirchner's career suffered because of his addiction to gambling and an extravagant lifestyle that was beyond his means, and his musical friends had periodically to bail him out from financial ruin. In 1884 a group including Brahms, Grieg, Gade and von Bülow raised thirty thousand marks to help him pay off his gambling debts. On this disc, Kirchner is shown as far more than a dutiful transcriber, but as an artist with a complete understanding of Schumann's most profound and intimate works. His transcriptions are pianistically inventive while being faithful to the emotional import of the score. One no more misses the voice than in Liszt's more famous transcriptions of Schubert's Lieder. Where Kirchner adds interpretative touches, they are discreet and entirely in keeping with the Romantic freedom that Schumann advocated in performance.
German Romantic Rarities Romantic Discoveries Recordings CD 28. Total time: 78 mins 42 secs. Gustav Satter (1832-79): Second Legendary Ballade (13'11''); Salamon Jadassohn (1831-1902): Albumleaves, op 63 (19'34''): 1. Lento melancolico 2. Andantino quasi Allegretto non troppo vivo 3. Andante tranquillo (Canone alla Quarta) 4. Allegretto scherzando alla Siciliana (Canone alla Quarta) 5. Andantino quasi Allegretto; Robert Schumann (1810-56) transcribed by Fürchtegott Theodor Kirchner (1823-1903): Andante with Variations op 46 (15'48''); Salamon Jadassohn: from Three Characteristic Pieces, op 12 (6'45''): 1. Scherzino (Vivace, ma non troppo) 2. Valse (Tempo moderato); Johannes Brahms (1833-97) transcribed by Ludwig Stark (1831-84) Variations on a theme of Haydn (St Anthony Chorale) op 56a (23'05'') This recital offers a snapshot of a number of significant musical trends in the German Romantics of the mid-nineteenth-century, and showcases some interesting but little-known figures alongside their more famous contemporaries. Gustav or Gustave Satter, who appears in our cover portrait, was self-taught as both pianist and composer, and developed a highly original style that attracted the enmity of the pre-eminent critic of the day, Eduoard Hanslick. Not to be outdone, Satter turned to criticism himself, and made many enemies with his scathing assessments of his contemporaries. Success in America was followed by a controversial return to Germany, where he was appointed royal music director in Hanover only to be sacked after public protests and riots. In his last years he returned to the Southern States of America. Satter composed in every genre, and as a performer gave the American première of Beethoven's "Emperor" concerto. His Second Legendary Ballade is a rhapsodic work in a rhetorical and dramatic style, with some striking uses of harmony and thematic material. Salamon Jadassohn was best-known as a teacher, counting Busoni, Delius and Karg-Elert among his pupils at the Leipzig Conservatoire. He was a piano student of Liszt and Moscheles and an admirer of the music of Liszt and Wagner. His extensive output of compositions failed to receive public recognition due to the anti-Semitism of contemporary critics and the overshadowing fame of his colleague Carl Reinecke. The Albumleaves op 63 contain two ingenious canons, neither of which sounds in the least bit "academic", and which confirm his reputation as a master of counterpoint. More Jadassohn can be heard on Romantic Discoveries CD27. Theodor Kirchner, a pupil of Mendelssohn, composed a large number of original works for piano but is best known for his arrangements today. He was a master of piano texture and his transcriptions show great craft. He was a friend of Brahms, and appears to have had a brief affair with Clara Schumann in the 1860s. Kirchner's career suffered because of his addiction to gambling, and his musical friends, including Hans von Bülow, had periodically to bail him out from financial ruin. The Schumann Andante and Variations is originally for two pianos, but Kirchner's ingenious transcription renders it playable by a solo pianist. Ludwig Stark taught in Stuttgart, his pupils including Adolf Ruthardt. He was active as a scholar and editor, and a great transcriber of music for solo piano, particularly that of Schubert. His version of Brahms' famous Haydn Variations renders the original two piano version faithfully and with no significant loss of effect, producing a result that is both pianistically effective and musically satisfying.
Piano Music of Salamon Jadassohn (1831-1902) Romantic Discoveries Recordings CD 27. Total time: 72 mins 13 secs. Click here to listen free to Mouvement de Valse très-animé, op 31 no 3 Sechs Klavierstücke, op 49 (21'46''): 1. Lento 2. Allegretto scherzando 3. Allegretto 4. In tempo moderato 5. Lento espressivo 6. Allegretto, non troppo vivo. Improvisationen, op 48 (13'13''): Andante, non troppo lento 2. Lento 3. Non troppo agitato 4. Allegro vigoroso. Mazurka brilliante, op 19 (3'08''). Suite, op 124 (19'08''): Einleitung - Mesto e patetico 2. Scherzo - Allegretto vivo 3. Andante tranquillo 4. Menuett - Andantino, un poco lento 5. Finale - Allegro di marcia. Vier Phantasiestücke, op 31 (11'33''): Andantino grazioso 2. Quasi Allegretto 3. Mouvement de Valse très-animé 4. Marcato e vigoroso, non troppo Allegro. Valse, op 132 no 3 (3'00'') According to Jadassohn scholar Klaus-Peter Koch, there are two major reasons why the music of Salamon Jadassohn is not better known today. One is that, as a Jew, he was a victim of the anti-Semitism of Wilhelmine Germany, in which critics labelled his music as academic and dry, and the other is that he was overshadowed by his colleague at the Leipzig Conservatoire, Carl Reinecke. As this recording - only the second ever to be devoted to Jadassohn, and the first to include any of his piano music - hopefully shows, Jadassohn was far from dry, instead being a composer of melodic felicity and great harmonic imagination, with his unexpected use of chords at times drawing parallels with Alkan and Jadassohn's own pupil Busoni. There are around 140 works in total, written for every medium from symphonic works to lieder and characteristic pieces for the piano. Jadassohn studied with Moritz Hauptmann and Moscheles at the Leipzig Conservatoire and also for three years (1849-51) with Liszt in Weimar. He admired the music of Liszt and Wagner greatly. In 1893 he was awarded a professorship at the Leipzig Conservatoire, a post which he held until his death. His pupils included Grieg (some of whose Lyric Pieces were surely influenced by the Jadassohn works on this disc), Busoni, Delius and Karg-Elert. He was considered a master of counterpoint. Jadassohn's music is not merely well-crafted, it is highly original. Whether in the grand conception of the Suite, op 124, or the sets of piano pieces (which are here presented as entire groups, as the music appears to intend), there is a subtlety and depth of feeling that mark these works out as worthy of greater attention. This is music that rarely behaves as one might expect.
Franz Schubert (1797-1828): The Transcriptions Romantic Discoveries Recordings CD 26. Total time: 71 mins 45 secs. Click here to listen free to part of the finale of the Schubert-Stark Quintet String Quintet in C major, D.956, transcribed for solo piano by Ludwig Stark (1831-84): 1. Allegro ma non troppo (24'40''); 2: Adagio (15'43''); 3. Scherzo: Presto (11'40''); 4. Allegretto (11'00''). Octet in F major, D.803, transcribed for solo piano by Richard Ehrmann: 2. Andante (8'21'') These recordings are of two interesting transcriptions that on the face of it seem highly unlikely. In the Quintet, however, Stark's careful treatment brings out the drama and orchestral qualities of the piece, while remaining highly faithful to the original score. Ehrmann's version of the Andante from the Octet again recasts the music into sharp relief, making its melodic nature particularly clear.
Clara Schumann (1819-96) - Complete transcriptions of Lieder by Robert Schumann (1810-56) Romantic Discoveries Recordings CD 25. Total time: 67 mins 58 secs. Click here to listen free to Der Nussbaum Widmung (Devotion), op 25 no 1 (2'30''); Freisinn (Forward), op 25 no 2 (1'27''); Schöne Fremde (Far away in happy land), op 39 no 6 (1'43''); Dein Angesicht (Thy lovely face), op 127 no 2 (1'40''); Ich wand're nicht (The joys of home), op 51 no 3 (1'05''); Märzveilchen (March violets), op 40 no 1 (1'30''); Berg' und Burgen (Mountains and castles), op 24 no 7 (1'58''); Mondnacht (Moonlight), op 39 no 5 (3'12''); Er ist's (The return of spring), op 79 no 19 (1'48''); An den Sonnenschein (O sunny beam), op 36 no 4 (1'47''); Mit Myrthen und Rosen (With myrtles and roses), op 24 no 9 (3'58''); Die Stille (Emotion), op 39 no 4 (1'52''); Geständniss (Ever thine), op 74 no 7 (2'25''); Der Nussbaum (The walnut tree), op 25 no 3 (2'55''); Rose, Meer und Sonne (Rose, sea and sun), op 37 no 9 (3'47''); Philinen's Lied (Philine's song), op 98 no 7 (2'13''); Volksliedchen (The hat of green), op 51 no 2 (1'27''); Nichts Schöneres (Nothing fairer), op 36 no 3 (2'31''); Du bist wie eine Blume (A floweret thou resemblest), op 25 no 24 (1'13''); Er, der Herrlichste (The noblest), op 42 no 2 (3'06''); Intermezzo (Dein Bildniss) (Thy image), op 39 no 2 (1'55''); Dem rothen Röslein (A red, red rose), op 27 no 2 (1'24''); Der Knabe mit dem Wunderhorn (The youth with the enchanted horn), op 30 no 1 (2'06''); Die Lotosblume (The lotos flower), op 25 no 7 (1'43''); Sehnsucht (Longing), op 51 no 1 (2'24''); Sonntags am Rhein (A holiday on the Rhine), op 36 no 1 (2'54''); In der Fremde (Far from home), op 39 no 1 (1'46''); Frühlingsnacht (A spring night), op 39 no 12 (version 1) (1'32''); Helft mir, ihr Schwestern (The bride's toilet), op 42 no 5 (1'46''); Ständchen (Serenade), op 36 no 2 (1'31''); Frühlingsnacht (A spring night), op 39 no 12 (version 2) (1'35'') The transcriptions of Clara Schumann are intimate portraits of her husband's original songs, and capture the intense lyricism and emotion of this music. Although a "complete" recording of her piano music was issued some years ago, it included none of these transcriptions. Cord Garben's recording for Arte Nova made good some of this omission through its collection of twenty-eight of these pieces. Now on this release they are presented for the first time complete, also including both versions of "Frühlingsnacht". The recording marks the 150th anniversary of Robert Schumann's death.
Piano Music of Sydney Smith (1839-89) Romantic Discoveries Recordings CD 24. Total time: 64 mins 2 secs. Click here to listen free to the first movement of the Mendelssohn-Smith Violin Concerto Reminiscence de
Bruges (Le Carillon) - Esquisse, op 55 (6'15'') We are grateful to the Sydney Smith Archive for the supply of scores and other information. Edward Sydney
Smith was one of the most celebrated English pianist-composers of his day. He studied with
Moscheles and Reitz in Leipzig and after returning to England in 1858 built a highly
successful concert career. Smith's concerts were almost all sold-out events. He would
begin a concert with works of Beethoven, Liszt or Chopin, then introduce his latest
compositions, and conclude with his established favourites as demanded by the audience.
Romantic Discoveries in search of Adventure Romantic Discoveries Recordings CD 23. Total time: 75 mins 13 secs. Click here to listen free to Godard's Guitarella Ignace Xavier Joseph
Leÿbach (1817-91): Fantaisie on "Un ballo in maschera" (Giuseppe Verdi), op 56
(9'12'') More information on "The Chieftain", including the complete opera in MIDI files, can be found here. Henry Brinley
Richards (1819-65): The Danube River (3'50'') The colour and adventure of nineteenth-century piano music are to the fore in this recital, with composers creating atmosphere and drama on both large and small canvasses. Although this music is only now re-emerging to public notice with these first recordings, it was highly regarded in its own time, with Oesten considered by some of his contemporaries the finest German composer since Beethoven. British rarities are provided by Welshman Brinley Richards and England-based Wilhelm Kuhe, whose fantasia on one of Sullivan's operas to a libretto not by Gilbert captures the best moments of a colourful work set in Spain.
Piano Music of Heinrich Hofmann (1842-1902) - Double CD set at special price EU - £19.99, ex-EU - £23.99 Volume 1 - Romantic Discoveries Recordings CD 21. Total time: 67 mins 45 secs Click here to listen free to Confession, op 52 no 3 The Trumpeter of
Säkkingen: Six Characteristic Pieces, op 52 Volume 2 - Romantic Discoveries Recordings CD 22. Total time: 69 mins 9 secs Flying Leaves: Five
Little Pieces, op 85 Johann Heinrich Hofmann was born into poverty in Berlin, and first came to notice through his beautiful treble voice, singing in the cathedral choir and then the opera chorus. After his voice broke, he took up the piano and composition. His first major success, the Hungarian Suite, op 16, for orchestra, received over 100 performances in 1873. He wrote operas, orchestral and instrumental works in all genres, and enjoyed remarkable and continued success including state honours, becoming a wealthy man. However, in the years before his death, the critical tide turned, with Hofmann's conservative style being seen as no longer fashionable in a world dominated by Wagnerianism. This brought about a neglect from which his music has never recovered to this day, with one modern publisher of his work even going so far as to dismiss his compositional career as a "mistake" on his part. In these two discs, it will be shown that Hofmann's career is far from worthy of this assessment, with works ranging from early to late. We meet Hofmann the miniaturist and recognise at once a missing link between Mendelssohn, Schumann and Reger in his chosen world. Hofmann is a poet at heart, highly skilled at creating atmosphere in a few bars and in melodic invention and contrast. Above all his music radiates happiness and contentment; occasionally virtuosic, but always written with a careful eye to texture and pianistic effectiveness. The suite "The Trumpeter of Säkkingen" shows him at his best, responding to a tale of romantic love set during and just after the Thirty Years' War. This was also to form the subject of an 1884 popular opera by Victor Nessler. The "Norwegian Songs and Dances", transcriptions by Stark of the original duets, pay homage to Grieg while showing a number of individual touches.
Romantic Discoveries at the Opera and Beyond Romantic Discoveries Recordings CD 20 Click here to listen free to part of the Fantasie brilliante on Norma by Leÿbach Ludvig Schytte
(1848-1909): Polonaise from Mignon (Ambroise Thomas) (5'37'') Although the names of Czerny and Wagner may seem at first sight incongruous, these works were written in 1844 and may even have been commissioned by Wagner himself. C.A. Caspar: Un
Fragment de Mendelssohn (2'47'') Leÿbach's two paraphrases on "Norma" are complimentary, with the Fantasie a much larger-scale work. The Fantasie was recorded on piano rolls in the early years of the twentieth-century by Felix Gerdts (Ampico 5592) and Robert Armbruster (Duo-Art 70619). Neither roll has been issued on LP or CD and so we take the opportunity to present one of Leÿbach's finest operatic reminiscences to a new audience. Joachim Raff (1822-82) transcribed by Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Humoresque en forme de Valse (op. 159) (11'22'') This charming and harmonically adventurous work has the distinction of not only being a première recording of a Raff work but also of Debussy's only transcription for piano solo of music by another composer. Debussy undertook this transcription in 1893 (it is missing from many catalogues of his works) and it was published by J. Hamelle in Paris. The Raff original is for piano duet, and Debussy's ingenious version maintains the original textures while rendering them playable by a single player. Although there have been "complete" recorded editions of the Debussy piano music none has included this work; it has only been heard publically in recent years in a broadcast for Radio France by Christian Ivaldi.
First Recordings of Beethoven: Piano Sonata in D, Biamonti 213 (original, incomplete version), fragments and sketches Romantic Discoveries Recordings CD 19 Click here to listen free to Beethoven's Piano Sonata in E flat major, Biamonti 98 "A great
feast for the Beethoven connoisseur" "Not one but
two recordings of the Piano Sonata Biamonti 213 have recently been released as a result of
this site publicizing their existence. The Master's original sketch, as he left it, is
performed by UK pianist John Kersey on Romantic Discoveries Recordings CD 19. This CD also
includes an amazing 35 additional Unheard pieces, almost all of which have never before
been recorded. It's a treasure trove for those fascinated by the minutiae of Beethoven's
catalogues. The recording of our own Willem's completion of the sonata is performed by
Steven Beck on Monument Records, accompanied
by other piano fantasias by Beethoven." More about this recording, including full notes on the recorded works. Sonata in D, Biamonti 213 (original, incomplete version); miniatures, fragments and sketches; Tulip Waltz and Spirit Waltz (doubtful authenticity). Piano Exercise in B flat major and minor, Hess 58. Adagio in G major, Hess 70. Adagio in G major, Hess 71. Melodie in C minor, Hess 324. Piece (Allegro) in D, Hess 325. March in C minor, Hess 330. Minuet in B flat major, Hess 331. Anglaise in G, Biamonti 48 (two versions). Adagio and Allegro, Biamonti 96. Sketch for Sonata in E flat, Biamonti 98. Allegretto in A, with other sketches, Biamonti 99. Intermezzo for Sonata op 10 no 1, Biamonti 191. Fragment in A major producing effect of Horns, Biamonti 268. Andante molto in E flat major, Biamonti 269. Fragment in F, Biamonti 270. Fragment in E flat, Biamonti 271. Andante in B flat, Biamonti 272. Draft in F, Biamonti 273. Drafts in C and G, Biamonti 276. Succession of Chords, Biamonti 278. Allegro in C, Biamonti 279. Passage in B, Biamonti 280. (Finale) in G, Biamonti 282. Andante in D flat (Bagatelle), Biamonti 283. Allegro in A flat and A, Biamonti 284. Notation in E flat, Biamonti 317. Sketches for a Sonata in A minor, Biamonti 318. Sketches for the finale to the Eroica Variations, op 35, Biamonti 319. Pastorale in C, Biamonti 622. Fragment in G, Biamonti 720. Minuet in D minor, Gardi 10. Instrumental Draft, Biamonti 849.
Piano Music of Sir Frederic Cowen (1852-1935) Romantic Discoveries Recordings CD 18 Click here to listen free to Columbine from The Language of the Flowers More about Cowen La Coquette - Scherzo
(1873) (4'57'') The Language of the
Flowers: suite (1880) Frederic Hymen Cowen (whose name was anglicised from Cohen) was known as "the English Schubert" in recognition of his contribution to English song. Also a composer of symphonic music, his work inhabits the world of fantasy and charm that characterises the high art of the Edwardian period. Born in Jamaica in 1852, he studied piano under Benedict, composition under Goss, and pursued further studies in Leipzig under Moscheles, Reinecke and others. After early success as a pianist, his subsequent career centred on composition and conducting, becoming principal conductor of the London Philharmonic, Hallé and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestras.. He received doctorates from Cambridge and Edinburgh, and was knighted in 1911. In 1918 he received a professorship at the Guildhall School of Music. The 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica says "Cowen is never so happy as when treating of fantastic or fairy subjects", and this may be seen clearly in the present selection of his piano music (the first such on disc). Elegant, melodically refined and not without some experimental moments, it is utterly of its time and a thoroughgoing pleasure.
Romantic Discoveries: Rosenfeld Romantic Discoveries Recordings CD 17. Total time 55 mins 57 secs. Click here to listen free to Farvel, op 47 no 13 Leopold Rosenfeld (1849-1909): Lyriske fantasistykker, op 47 book 1 and book 2 nos 1-15. Book 1: 1. Humoreske 2. Legende 3. Cracovienne 4. Bondedans 5. Sylfelet 6. Valse érotique 7. Scherzino. Book 2: 1. Hilsen 2. Stille Tider 3. Alene 4. Foraarsmorgen 5. Af et Digt 6. Vekselsang 7. I Dag 8. Hilsen 9. Til Afsked 10. Hvorfor? 11. Forsilde 12. Øde 13. Farvel 14. Langfredag 15. Et Gravmæle From the Jewish
Encyclopedia, article by Isidore Singer and Frank Cramer, Rosenthal's op 47 is an intriguing set of works indeed. Book 1 is both charming and characterfully written for the piano, with a style that recalls Rosenfeld's contemporary Grieg. However, it is Book 2 that is the real find. In a series of mostly dark, reflective pieces, Rosenfeld explores an intense and personal language that foreshadows the world of Sibelius. The last piece in the set (Book 2 no 16) has been omitted from the recording because it has proven impossible to source a score; once one is located it will be added to this release.
Romantic Discoveries: Pauer and Operatic Discoveries Romantic Discoveries Recordings CD 16A. Total time: 75 mins 30 secs. Click here to listen free to Pauer's Dump from op 75 Ernst Pauer
(1826-1905): Suite of Pieces in the form of Ancient Dances, op 75 (42'43'') From http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/1999/03/pppauer.htm
See also http://www.cph.rcm.ac.uk/Tour/Pages/Pauer.htm © 2007, Marquess Educational Consultants Ltd. |
