Rarities of Piano Music at Schloss vor Husum from the August 2023 Festival

This CD gets off to an interesting start with William Sterndale Bennett’s Three Pieces, op.28, dating from 1846-49, played by Daniel Grimwood. It opens with a quiet, hymn like Introduction followed by a Pastorale dance. The second piece features a frolicsome Rondino. Finally, the Capriccio is a lively galop through the countryside. It is conventional to say that he is an English Mendelssohn. Although superficially correct, Bennett did look to Mozart and the London Piano School for inspiration. These included composers such as Cramer and Clementi, two men often overlooked by British music enthusiasts.

The longest work in this selection from the Husum Festival is Franz Liszt’s Grosses Konzertsolo (1849-50). This is better known in its revision as the Concerto pathètique for two pianos. The liner notes explain that the lyrical episodes “plunge us into a turbulent realm shared by Wagner’s early operas.” It also exhibits much virtuosic pianism and involved chromatic harmonies. Formally, it is neither a Sonata nor a character study, although Stephen Hough has suggested that it may be good preparation for the soloist who wishes to tackle Liszt’s B minor sonata!

I had not heard of Sophie Menter. She was a pianist primarily, playing duos with Liszt throughout Germany and Russia. Sadly, there are only a few surviving compositions. The Romance, op.5 (1907) was outmoded by the time it was published, yet it remains a good example of a well-wrought and attractive lullaby or nocturne. The liner notes are correct in stating that it deserves a place in the “encore repertoire of many pianists.” This final offering by Daniel Grimwood is played with true affection.

There is little information about Juliette Dillon. She was a “prodigy” who acceded to the post of organist at Meaux Cathedral whilst still a teenager. Sadly, she died from cholera, aged only 31 years. Jean-Frédéric Neuburger gave the “belated German premiere” of her 10 Contes fantastiques de Hoffmann completed in 1847. We hear Le Violon de Crémone, which is the first number of the set. The progress of the piece does not try to reproduce the sound of the violin, or singing, but gives an impression of the mood of Hoffmann’s strange tale. Stylistically, she nods toward Chopin and Liszt. It is to be hoped that Mr Neuberger will release an album of the full set.

Alfonso Soldano, for his recital, made a remarkable transcription of Sergei Rachmaninov’s song, Night is Sorrowful, op.26, no.12. The original majors on the traveller walking a lonely path across the vast steppe, seeing a distant light, but the singers dream, like the night is sad.

Composer and pianist, Sergei Bortkiewicz was very much not a child of his time. He left a legacy of richly Romantic music, often reminiscent of Chopin and Liszt with influences from Rachmaninov, Scriabin, and Tchaikovsky. This included symphonic works, three wonderfully extravagant piano concertos and many solos. Soldano plays here the Nocturne, from Trois Morceaux, op.24 no.1, subtitled Diana. This is an evocation of the hunter-goddess in her incarnation as the divinity of the moon. The harmonies are luxurious, and shimmering. The other two numbers of the set, (not given here) evoke the Satyre and Eros.

Alexander von Zemlinsky is recalled for his massive Lyric Symphony (1922-23) and his orchestral symphonic poem Die Seejungfrau (The Mermaid) (1902-03) based on Hans Christian Andersen’s timeless story. His Fantasien über Gedichte von Richard Dehmel, op.9 (1898-1900) belongs to a small collection of piano music. These were inspired by the eponymous fin-de-siecle poet. They are a little bit of a stylistic pot-pourri. The first, Evening Voice has echoes of Brahms, whilst the following Woodland Rapture was inspired by a lieder written by Richard Strauss. Equally romantic is Liebe, dedicated to love. The finale is the Song of the May Beetle, which looks back to Felix Mendelssohn. Andrey Gugnin gives an imaginative and absorbing account.

Edvard Grieg’s Lyric Pieces Book 7, Bächlein, op.60, no.4 is always a delight to hear. As the title suggests, this is a charming evocation of a little brook on a hillside in Norway.

Leopold Godowsky was a legendary Russian-born American virtuoso pianist and composer. His “fantastical keyboard imagination” seems to have been forgotten in our day. Yet, his exceptional piano technique once dazzled audiences. His legacy resonates through his transcriptions and major influence on pianistic technique. During the festival, Vadym Kholodenko played four extracts from Godowsky’s “outrageous elaborations” of Chopin’s Studies. Two are presented here. First up is No.4 on op.10, No.2 “Ignis Fatuus” which, for a long time, was regarded as unplayable. “Ignis Fatuus” means “will-o-the-wisp.” The left-hand plays Chopin’s original Etude, whilst the right hand indulges in a sequence of “light, staccato, double note triplets.” The second was No.13 (liner notes say No.6) on op.10, No.6, for the left hand only. Chopin’s original for two hands looks difficult enough! Both are given stunning performances.

Tanya Gabrielian begins her contribution to this CD with another work by Godowsky: his Meditation dating from 1930. This lacks the overblown virtuosity of the Chopin Studies, providing instead a quietly reflective piece that is bittersweet, but lives up to its title.

Her second offering, Christoph Willibald Gluck’s Melody from Orfeo and Euridice as arranged by Alexander Siloti is one of my Desert Island Discs. Not only does the opera set one of my treasured Greek myths, but the present tune is a timeless reminder of the human condition of love, loss, and lack of faith. It brings this remarkable recital to a poignant close.

Once again, Danacord have issued a superb selection from last year’s (2023) Husum Festival. It is full of rarities - as it says on the CD cover. The performances are excellent, and the liner notes are helpful without being prolix. The recording is complimentary to the playing. The listener is left wishing for more. Further exploration of these composers is called for. And there is next year’s disc to look forward to...

Track Listing:
William Sterndale Bennett (1816-75)
Three Pieces, op.28 (1846-49)
Franz Liszt (1811-86)
Grosses Konzertsolo (1849-50)
Sophie Menter (1846-1918)
Romance, op.5 (1907)
Daniel Grimwood (piano)
Juliette Dillon (1823-54)
Le Violon de Crémone, No.1 of 10 Contes fantastiques de Hoffmann (1847)
Jean-Frédéric Neuburger (piano)
Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943), arr. Alfonso Soldano (b.1986)
Night is sorrowful, op.26, no.12 (1906/?)
Sergei Bortkiewicz (1877-1952)
Trois Morceaux, op.24, no.1 Nocturne “Diana” (1922)
Alfonso Soldano (piano)
Alexander von Zemlinsky (1871-1942)
Fantasien über Gedichte von Richard Dehmel, op.9 (1898-1900)
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Lyric Pieces Book 7, Bächlein, op.62, no.4 (1895)
Andrey Gugnin (piano)
Frederic Chopin (1810-49)/Leopold Godowsky (1870-1938)
Studies on Chopin’s Etudes: No.4 on op.10, No.2 “Ignis Fatuus;” No.13 on op.10, No.6 (for the left hand) (1903-14)
Vadym Kholodenko (piano)
Leopold Godowsky
Meditation (pub. 1930)
Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-87), arr. Alexander Siloti (1863-1945)
Melody from Orfeo ed Euridice (1926)
Tanya Gabrielian (piano)