Lisztonian: Classical Piano Music

This is my first recording of a piece by Stephen Heller. Heller lived the same life span as Franz Liszt, only offset by two years (Heller was 1813-1888 and Liszt was 1811-1886). Heller, like Liszt, was best known for his piano works and was quite a talented and famous composer for the greater part of his life. However, his reputation had all but dissappeared towards the end of his life. Heller produced an enormous volume of piano music and I enjoyed recording this brief work. This recording was completed at home on my studio upright.

This is my first recording of a work by Isaac Albeniz. Albeniz was a Spanish composer born in 1860 who studied with several famous musicians, including the Great Franz Liszt. This work is from a larger Suite (Suite Espanola - Spanish Suite) which was composed in 1886. I hope you enjoy my recording of Albeniz's Granada.

This is my first recording of any kind of work of Strauss and is a famous polka. This music has been transcribed for various groups and instruments as it is a popular and fun-loving tune. The work was composed in 1858 and is a fun one to play. The recording was made at my home on my studio upright.

This is a re-recording from my first, "Ave Maria" version of this prelude. I decided to record this work again in the original form which omits measure 23 of my previous recording. This false measure found its way into many well-known publications despite the fact that it is not authentic. I discovered this several months ago after purchasing Alfred's wonderful edition of the Well Tempered Clavier (book 1). I realized that my first recording was incorrect and decided that I should eventually remake the recording. Several weeks ago I had an astute listener further convince me when he pointed out that my recording was incorrect. So I have finally buckled down and recorded this beautiful prelude in its original form, but still with my own flair.

This is my first recording of a work by Scriabin. Scriabin's music has a very unique and recognizable style to it. He was a talented pianist and lived an interesting "mystic" life with music at the center. This particular Etude was composed in 1887. The haunting melody is quite simple in that it merely ascends up the minor scale, with a short jump from the fifth to the octave with a quick descent to the sixth. This phrase then repeats throughout the work beginning on a variety of intervals and keys. As each phrase ends with a feeling of incompleteness, it provides the piece with a longing feeling - a need to return to "home" or the tonic. As the larger phrase finally makes its way back to the tonic, the journey there is through a descent back through the minor scale adding to the somber feelings that are stirred through this work. This piece has become a favorite of mine to play during times of reflection and "longing". Sometimes in life we find ourselves simply feeling an incompleteness even we cann

A few days ago I released a recording of Bach's Prelude No 9 in E Major. I also decided to record this alternate interpretation of the prelude. These are two very different ways of playing the same notes of a score and indicate how versatile Bach's music usually is. His music is extremely open to the interpretation of the musician and leaves so much room for play. It is impossible to know for certain how Bach would have preferred his music to be played (despite experts claiming to know), and is even possible that he varied his own interpretation of his works. This leaves his music a mystery to be enjoyed uniquely by each performer. Be sure to listen to this recording along with the alternate recording of the same piece.

This prelude is one of my favorites to play when I need to slow down the pace of life. It is a pastorale as indicated by the 3rds in the melody line and the 12/8 time signature. The slow-moving, yet joyful Cantus Firmus is so beautifully augmented by the counterpoint voice. It is always amazing to me to think of the volume of wonderful music that Bach composed. I hope that you enjoy my interpretation and recording of Bach's Prelude in E Major No. 9.

This is my first recording by Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857). Glinka studied piano with John Field and his influence can be felt in this piece. The work is a Nocturne composed for Glinka's sister, Elizaveta. She was away in St. Petersburg at the time it was composed and thus the title, "The Separation" is quite appropriate. I recorded this piece for my daughter, who recently experience an emotional separation of her own. She suffered the reality of watching her beloved snowman melt away as the temperature went up this last week. When she came back in the house after saying her final "goodbye" I played this piece for her and told her it was a song for her departed snowman. The recording was made at home on my studio upright. I hope you enjoy my interpretation of Glinka's "The Separation".

This is one of Chopin's most famous Waltzes. It was composed sometime between 1846 and 1847. The piece is marked with the term "tempo guisto" - which means "strict time." When I recorded this piece I interpreted that to mean that any rubato should be limited to within a brief scope, probably that of a single bar. While this may be the case, I have since learned that it was more likely intended to indicate that the Waltz should not be played in the Viennese tradition which rushes slightly into the second beat. My studies of this piece are notably rushed and I debated whether or not to release this - obviously I ended up deciding to put it out. Perhaps in the future I will re-record this after having devoted a more appropriate amount of time to learning the piece. For now, however, this will have to do! I hope that you enjoy my recording of Chopin's Waltz in C-sharp Minor!

This Sarabande is an excerpt from Bach's Partita No. 1 in B-flat. I have also recorded the Praeludium previously. I have always loved the serene melody that makes up this Sarabande. I play this piece much slower than is typical in a performance. However, I find it to be so exquisite and sonorous that I can't help but relish in every chord and beat. This is one of those works that I will often pull out at times when I want to reflect or meditate. It is perfect for moments when only music can express the joy and peace that life can and should supply.

One of Bach's most well-known works is this excerpt from his Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach. It is a delightful melody that is simple to learn and easy to appreciate. I hope you enjoy my recording of Bach's famous Minuet in G (sometimes spelled as Menuet in G - both are correct).

I had never heard of this piece until I recently purchased the book Anthology of Romantic Piano Music published by Alfred and edited by Maurice Hinson. I instantly fell in love with the melody. The canon at measures 40-55 is a bit tricky and I should have given it quite a bit more study and practice, but it is what it is :) This recording was completed at my home on my studio upright. I hope you enjoy it.

This waltz was published posthumously (after Chopin had died). The Waltz is often called "The Farewell Waltz" (L'adieu Valse) because of its origins. The work was supposedly written as a farewell piece to Maria Wodzinska, to whom Chopin was once engaged. However, because her father refused to allow her to be married to an impoverished musician, the two never married. In my recording I try to bring out the melancholic feel that would surely accompany such a parting. This recording was made at my home on my studio upright. I hope you enjoy my interpretation of Chopin's famous "Farewell" Waltz in A-flat Major.

John Field (1782-1837) is, unfortunately, not a well-known composer, and yet the world of music owes him a great deal. He was the great creator of the Nocturne form of music, which Frederic Chopin then took to new heights. In fact, when Chopin heard John Field performing his new Nocturne style, Chopin was then inpsired to incorporate this into his own music. The Great Franz Liszt was quoted as saying, "Field was the first to introduce a style in no way derived from the established categories, and in which feeling and melody, freed from the trammels of coercive form, reigned supreme." So we owe much to this lesser-known composer. This particular nocturne has sometimes been titled "Song without Words" although this title did not come from Field. The middle section is supposed to be played a bit faster than I do in this recording, but I did not notice this fact until after I had completed the recording! That is something I should not readily admit because it reveals the fact that I spent very little time

This is perhaps the best known classical piano piece of all time - and, ironically, one of the least popular among many pianists due to its over-popularity. This work was written as a "Bagatelle" which is simply a "trifle" or a short and simple piece. The history behind the work is quite controversial because the title translates to "For Elise" and "Elise" was not a name of any known acquaintance of Beethoven's. This has led many to speculate that he had a secret lover, or that "Elise" was a secret name for another woman, or that "Elise" had other hidden meanings. The speculation can, and most certainly will, go on forever. One of the better theories is that the actual title was "For Therese" but that the individual who discovered the work misread the title. This theory makes more sense because there was a student of Beethoven's named "Therese" who he had proposed to at one point. This recording was completed at my home on my studio upright piano. I hope you enjoy my recording of Beethoven's famous (o

This is a fairly simple work that hides within it Franck's organ technique. Cesar Franck wrote many pieces for the organ and although this is written for piano, the voices within the piece seem reminiscent of an organ work. This is my first recording after a long "break" from music (I broke my foot and was unable to record for several months). I hope that you will enjoy my recording of this piece - which also happens to be my first piece by this composer.

This composition is one of Chopin's most famous, which is why it surprises most people to know it was never published in his lifetime. In fact, he instructed his pupil, Julian Fontana, to destroy the piece. It is not known why, but many speculate that he did not want the piece published for fear that some might say he had plagiarized Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata - this is because a passage in measures 7/8 (and repeated throughout the piece) is identical to a mini cadenza that exists in the third movement of Beethoven's famous work (measure 187). This recording was made at my home on my studio upright piano. I hope you enjoy the recording.

This work is one of the pieces in Mendelssohn's Songs without Words (Lieder ohne Worte) and is considered one of his most beautiful works for piano. This piece is a duet between two voices of the piano, and should be played in a way that makes the voices truly sing. The voices alternate throughout the beginning of the work, combine for a masterful climax, and then come together again at the end for a most beautiful coda. The last several measures are particularly beautiful when played as written. The final A-flat and C in the second to last measure should be played with enough emphasis (with the left hand) that the two notes stand out - as they are the two voices combined for their final harmony. This chord should be held down and switched (without releasing the sound) to the right hand so that the left hand and two fingers of the right hand can play the final two chords. These should not be held for too long as the concluding sound of the piece should be the resonating harmony of the duet's voices (the

This recording is the 2nd movement of Beethoven's popular Sonata Pathetique Op. 13 No. 8. The second movement is Adagio cantabile. "Cantabile" indicates that this movement should be played like a song, or something that has a distinct melody that one could sing along with. This piece was composed in 1798 and published the following year. You can read further commentary on this piece, including a dedicatory note by visiting this page of my piano blog. This selection was recorded at my home on my studio upright piano.

This impromptu is one of four in the set (Opus 90). This is the second of the four impromptus. I have previously recorded Impromptu No. 4 and plan to record the remaining two impromptus in the future. This particular impromptu is quite a popular work by Schubert. It is very common among the piano repertory and frequently played in solo recitals, especially among younger pianists. This impromptu is different from the majority of music from the same period because the piece ends in the tonic minor of the major key it begins in (E-flat). This recording was made in my home on my studio upright.