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Piano Music

Sergei Rachmaninoff
(1873-1943)

Earl Wild's Legendary Rachmaninoff Song Transcriptions

Earl Wild, pianist
Ivory Classics 74001 77:55

These song transcriptions are perfect for people who love Rachmaninoff's melodies but don't want to hear the singing.

Transcriptions for piano solo are a tradition of the greatest pianists, including Rachmaninoff himself. Earl Wild is a formidable pianist, and he has taken these beautiful vocal settings and made complete piano solo pieces. Rachmaninoff songs are excellent material for this... I have often wished to hear more of the accompaniment and less of the vocal lines because the music Rachmaninoff wrote for the piano part is so complicated and gorgeous.

Earl Wild brings his superb technique and emotional power to these recordings. You will still hear with clarity the song-lines, but you will also hear the equal weight of the original piano lines. This is perfection.

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[ Sheet music available at Ivory Classics ]

Joseph Marx
(1882-1964)

Six Pieces for Piano (1916)
Herbst-Legende (Adagio)
Carneval (Nachtstück)
Die Flur der Engel

Tonya Lemoh, piano
Chandos CHAN10479 54:38

Most of this CD is taken up with the Six Pieces. If you've investigated any of Marx's other works – e.g., the orchestral songs, concertos, and string quartets are reviewed here at Classical Net – the style here is essentially similar, with recollections of Rachmaninov's and Scriabin's piano music to the fore. A very useful resource is the Joseph Marx web site with a wealth of information including a discography, recording projects, and a great deal else.

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[ Sheet music by this composer: Sheet Music Plus - Musicnotes.com ]

Johannes Brahms
(1833-1897)

String Sextet #1 in B Flat Major, Op. 18 (1860)
String Sextet #2 in G Major, Op. 36 (1865)

Silke-Thora Matthies & Christian Köhn, piano four-hands
Naxos 8.554817 74:35

This is Volume 13 of the Naxos series of releases of Brahms' arrangements for either piano four-hands or for two pianos. So far the traversal has covered many of his works including the symphonies, the concertos, the chamber music for four or more players, and the German Requiem, and a few works by other composers, notably Schumann's Piano Quintet. All are performed by these two fine players: there are 17 CDs in all, of which this is a representative sample.

There are some music lovers who find arrangements of any kind something to avoid, usually citing the composer's intentions. The difference in this case is that the arrangements are by the composer, for the usual reason, to make them accessible to a wider audience. Hearing these familiar works in this guise points up details not always noticed from the originals and refreshes one's interest in the works generally. The whole series is very recommendable indeed.

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Ludwig Van Beethoven
(1770-1827)

The Nine Symphonies arranged for
Solo Piano by Franz Liszt (1811-1886)

Cyprien Katsaris, piano
Warner Classics 2564-60865-2

This collection is a triple treat. Not only are the Beethoven Symphonies and the Liszt transcriptions superb, but they are performed superbly. Here is a brief quotation from the excellent liner notes by Liszt scholar Wolfgang Döming:

"Liszt made it quite clear right from the start that he was not concerned with the writing of piano reductions; he insisted on the idea of a 'partition de piano' as he called it, a 'piano score'. In other words a recreation of the orchestral score for the piano... a representation of the whole. The piano reduction is and always has been a makeshift, but Liszt raised the piano score to the level of a form of composition."

Katsaris's nuanced interpretations are totally satisfying. His control of the piano is amazing. His virtuosity is always in the good service of the music. Even if you are a purist and have insisted upon hearing only the orchestral versions of Beethoven's symphonies, it is almost guaranteed that you will discover new things to appreciate if you listen to these Liszt transcriptions.

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[ Sheet music for these works: Sheet Music Plus - Musicnotes.com ]

Joaquin Turina
(1882-1949)

Piano Music I
Danzas fantásticas, Op. 22
Danzas andaluzas, Op. 8
Danzas gitanas, Op. 55
Danzas gitanas, Op. 84
Bailete, Op. 79
Danzas sobre temas populares españoles, Op. 41

Jordi Masó, Piano
Naxos 8.557150

Turina was encouraged by his teacher, Albéniz, to turn to Spanish folk music for inspiration.

The music on this Naxos disc draws on the Andalusian and Spanish Gypsy dances and melodies, but with virtuoso pianistic flair. There is excitement in the rhythms and colors of this music, and it is played with sensitivity and clarity by Jordi Masó. Naxos has brought out four volumes of the piano music of Turina as part of their excellent series of "Spanish Classics".

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[ Sheet music by this composer: Sheet Music Plus - Musicnotes.com ]

Agathe Backer Grøndahl
(1847-1907)

Complete Piano Music Vol. IV

Natalia Strelehenko, Piano
Arena AR07015

A concert artist, wife, mother, sufragette, and prolific composer, Grøndahl wrote over 190 songs, approximately 120 piano pieces, collections of Norwegian folksongs, some choral works, and some student orchestral works. Grieg was so impressed by her piano playing that he asked her to perform his piano concerto in concert. She was called "another Clara Schumann" … high praise!

This lovely and melodious piano music most reminds me of the Lyric Pieces of Grieg. It is easy to listen to and difficult to forget.

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[ Sheet music by this composer: Sheet Music Plus - Musicnotes.com ]

Déodat de Séverac
(1872-1921)

Le chant de la terre (1899-1900)
En Languedoc (1903-04)
Les Naïdes et le faune indiscret (1908-19)
Baigneuses au soleil (1908)

Izumi Tateno, piano
Apex 60625-2 72:21

Apart from a period of musical training in Paris with Magnard and d'Indy, Séverac spent his life in the south of France which provided inspiration for his piano compositions. He counted Albéniz and Ravel among his friends, and their influence – and that of Debussy – is evident in these very attractive works.

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[ Sheet music by this composer: Sheet Music Plus – Musicnotes.com ]

Joseph Wölfl
(1773-1812)

Piano Sonata in C minor, Op. 25
Piano Sonata in C Major, Op. 33 #1
Piano Sonata in D minor, Op. 33 #2
Piano Sonata in E Major, Op. 33 #3

Jon Nakamatsu, piano
Harmonia Mundi HMU907324 69:49

A native of Salzburg and apparently friendly rival of Beethoven, Wölfl wrote prolifically during his short life. These sonatas show the influence of Beethoven, Haydn, and Bach. The American pianist Jon Nakamatsu makes an excellent case for the music of one of the less familiar names of the early nineteenth century.

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[ Sheet music by this composer: Sheet Music Plus - Musicnotes.com ]

Jan Václav Voríšek
(1791-1825)

Impromptus, Op. 7
Fantasie, Op. 12
Variations, Op. 19
Piano Sonata in B Flat minor

Radoslav Kvapil, piano
Regis RRC1224 71:56

Voríšek is credited with giving Schubert the idea for his famous impromptus: the two were good friends in Vienna. The impromptus, which take up about half the CD, are strongly reminiscent of Schubert and Beethoven. The Fantasie and the Variations are somewhat more Romantic, and the sonata, which lacks a slow movement, reminds me of the controlled energy of Beethoven's Piano Sonata #18.

Further listening:
Voríšek's best-known composition is his only symphony of which there are a number of recordings.

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[ Also available from some sources as Unicorn-Kanchana DKP(CD)9145 of which the Regis CD is a reissue:
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[ Sheet music by this composer: Sheet Music Plus - Musicnotes.com ]

Nikolai Medtner
(1880-1951)

Skazki Op. 8
Skazki Op. 9
Skazki Op. 14
Skazki Op. 20
Skazki Op. 26
Skazka Op. 31 #3
Skazki Op. 34
Skazki Op. 35
Skazki Op. 42
Skazki Op. 48
Skazki Op. 51
Romantic Sketches for the Young Op. 54
Skazka (1915)

Hamish Milne, piano
Hyperion CDA67491/2 156:59

The rough translation of "skazka" as "tale" is not really adequate for these varied pieces that are somewhat akin to Fibich's moods and reminiscences. The music sounds variously like Sergei Rachmaninoff, Piotr Ilyitch Tchaikovsky and occasionally Francis Poulenc. These CDs are unusually well-filled and Milne's playing is a delight.

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[ Buy the sheet music: Sheet Music Plus ]