In this authoritative parallel edition of the world famous Chaconne we trace the development of the piece from its inception as a student work up to the ground-breaking Romantic arrangement made by the 19C violinist Ferdinand David. Along the way we compare the two works side by side to reveal both the corrections necessary to a proper realisation of the original and the stylistic enhancements that David brought with his arrangement of the work. In addition to a complete critical commentar...

Son of Russian composer and pianist Alexander Skriabin, Julian drowned in the Dnieper River aged just eleven years old but he had already shown great promise as a young composer with these four preludes. Reminiscent of his father's late style, the preludes exploit a freedom of tonality and rhythm of surprising depth and imagination and have become modern classics in their own right. --- Julian Skriabin, der Sohn des russischen Komponisten Alexander Skriabin, ertrank im Dnepr im Alter von n...

Celebrated for a prodigious output as much as for the dramatic range of his works , Raff was for many years the protege of Liszt and the influence on Raffs technique is unmistakable. The Reminiscenzen is one of many salon works that Raff produced during his unhappy years in Cologne from 1844-48, and destined for the domestic market : a nonetheless brilliant adaptation of themes from Don Giovanni. ---- Gefeiert für die grosse Zahl wie auch für den dramatische Vielfalt seiner Werke war Raff ...

The "Elégie harmonique' and Marche funèbre' were composed in memoriam of Jan Ladislav Dussek a Czech piano virtuoso who had befriended Neukomm through their mutual acquaintance of the Prince Talleyrand. The early Romantic style of Neukomm seen here, is in keeping both with the prevailing conventions of the day and the idiomatic writing of Dussek who enjoyed a virtuoso career that would pave the way musically and dramatically for figures such as Liszt, Mendelssohn, Chopin. --- Die 'Elégie H...

Admired throughout much of his short life by an influential group of composers including Rimsky-Korsakov, Asaf'yev and Rakhmaninov the works of Kalinnikov embody the Golden Age of Russian music with impressionist beauty. This Elegy expresses the pathos of the Russian character with exquisite melodies drawn from the soul. ---- Die Werke des während seines kurzen Lebens von einer einflussreichen Gruppe von Komponisten wie Rimski-Korsakow, Asafiev und Rachmaninow bewunderten Kalinnikow verkör...

Born to a family of millers but declining the family business for a profession in music Myslivecek was for a period, one of the most successful symphonists and composers of opera serie living and touring in Italy. His respect for the Italianate models is reflected in this late keyboard sonata destined for beginners and collectors but also in the admiration of Mozart who referred to several of the composer's works for inspiration. Originally categorised as a lesson, the sonata offers a glim...

The Andante mit Variationen for Plano quartet is a rare musical gem of the Romantic period. Prince Louis Ferdinand the composer and pianist and soldier, was held in high esteem by Beethoven who dedicated both the third piano concerto and the Eroica symphony to him. Louis Ferdinand was martyred in the battle of Saalfeld after instigating the Fourth Coalition against Napoleon. --- Das Andante mit Variationen für Piano ist ein seltenes Juwel der romantischen Zeit. Prinz Louis Ferdinand der Ko...

Nicknamed the Berlioz of the piano, composer and pianist Charles Valentin Alkan composed his Trois Morceux in 1837. Strikingly modern in outlook they are a massive undertaking for any contemporary player but hugely rewarding for both musician and audience alike. The first two movements are impassioned and rhapsodic while the final piece of the set includes a quote from the famous Dies Irae. ----- Der Komponist und Pianist Charles Valentin Alkan, auch unter dem Spitznamen Berlioz des Klavie...

Shcherbachyov stands on the periphery of the new Russian style created by Balakirev and his followers but contributed as much to the pre-revolutionary cause with his assimilation of the musical language and mannerisms represented by his contemporaries. This collection of seventeen studies culminates with a tour-de-force of pianistic brilliance that will leave audiences awestruck and eager for more from this most under-rated of Russian composers. Shcherbachyov ist dem weiteren Umfeld des ne...

In the years between 1809 and 1813 Ferdinand Ries had an almost unbroken schedule of concerts and touring and this piece, a polonaise in the brilliant style was one of the works to emerge from this period of success. Composed at a time of great turbulence within the arts the polonaise had rapidly outgrown its earlier processional origins to become one of the most popular light forms of the age. --- In den Jahren zwischen 1809 und 1813 kam Ferdinand Ries einem fast lückenlosen Terminplan vo...

Heller took the popular Rondo from Paganini's Violin Concerto no.1 as the theme for his first composition when just sixteen year old. The work reflects the high technical ability that was required of a young travelling prodigy and the fertile imagination of a gifted improviser. He would later belong to the influential circle of composers that included Schumann, Saint-Saëns, Debussy and Bizet. ---- Gerade sechzehn Jahre alt verarbeitete Heller das populäre Rondo aus Paganini's erstem Violin...

"Back to Life', is a work that is both mercurial and resolute. It transcends the mere form of the four movement sonata with a back-story informed by a biographical reflection upon events in and around the composer's life. It marks a kind of unified spiritual breakthrough, a rebirth and epiphany touched by brilliance making this a unique record of a period of a man's life in purely musical terms. --- "Rückkehr ins Leben' ist ein quirliges und zugleich resolutes Werk. Es transzendiert die re...