Penulis: Stephen Begley

Noch heute bekannt durch die Widmung in Beethovens Violin-Sonate op.47 war Kreutzer ein führender Vertreter der französischen Geiger-Schule. Seine Sammlung von Violin-Etüden, die’42 Etudes ou Caprice …

Fodor made his reputation as a touring violin virtuoso but in spite of his star status he mainly composed duets for violin. Of the few solo works that exist, the caprices in this edition illustrate a …

Composed to commemorate the birth of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert this setting for four part choir and organ takes verses from ‘Genesis’ and ‘Deuteronomy’ as the …

These six traditional zither tunes were arranged for easy piano by Duke Maximilian of Bavaria. The zither was an instrument the Duke was responsible for elevating to the status of National Instrument …

A student of Hiller and Salieri. Charles Blum left a significant collection of works for the guitar, flute the violin trio in the genial High Classical style but the Serenade is the only duet for gui …

Entitled L’infortunée by the composer, the Sonata in F min. Op.26, was written at a time when Ries found himself living in desperate straits in Paris and it is thought to be self-referential. Rejecte …

The virtuoso pianist and pedagogue Carl Czerny remembered for his incendiary technical prowess chose the path towards becoming a fully fledged composer early on, turning his back on the glamour of th …

A child prodigy who received some of his earliest lessons from Mozart and today regarded as one of Europe’s finest pianists, Hummel undertook several international tours as a youth and gained a reput …

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 Reminiscenze …

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 prelu …

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 t …

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 p …

In this edition we present all of the 12 Caprices for Solo Violin the first time in a landmark publication which stands as testament to Hoffmeister’s genius for the instrument. Hoffmeister wrote prol …

Pierné style freely adapts the fashions of his time to incorporate all the latest trends for popular effect. Charming, light, humourous and refined, his luminous compositions leave a tune in the ear …

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 Talleyra …

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 tou …

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 dedic …

Wranitzky has left us a large body of works which remain to be discovered in the present day. A contemporary associate of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, Wranitzky deserves reappraisal as a major compos …

Portuguese composer Francisco António de Almeida is remembered today for a small but significant collection of secular and sacred vocal works and the ‘Sinfonia No.1’ belongs to latter part of Almeida …

Raff wrote this picturesque study in reminiscence of the Giessbach falls in Switzerland. A prodigious talent who for many years worked for Franz Liszt as a musical assistant and secretary this piece …

A composer with a vastand varied catalogue of works Raff is celebrated as much for his prodigious originality as for his technical accomplishments. A former protégé of Liszt, Raff’s Ungarische Rhapso …

Based on the terzetto ‘Pria ch’io l’impegno’ of Joseph Wiegl’s light opera ‘L’Amor Marinaro’, Woelfl’s theme and nine variations were composed to meet the insatiable public demand for popular works. …

The Charmes de Hambourg takes the form of a brilliant Rondo prefaced by a lyrical introduction in the Viennese style. Composed before Heller turned sixteen it was part of the programme he took on the …

The E maj. Sonata is the firstin a set of two dedicated to his patron, Gustav III king of Sweden. The sonatas were written towards the end of Kraus’ life and the maturity of his writing practically l …

Composed towards the end of his life, the two sonatas from which the E maj, sonata was extracted were dedicated to Gustav III king of Sweden. A brilliant musical offering to a respected musical patro …

Stephen Heller wrote many works for piano during his compositional life. Erlkönig is a work based upon Schubert’s lied known by the names of ‘Die Erikonig’ and Roi Des Aufnes’, which is, in turn, bas …

This Elegy was the first piece Neukomm recorded in his journal after returning from an idyllic five year residency in Rio de Janeiro in 1821. In it he commemorates the life and the death of the Duche …

Nicknamed the German Orpheus, Gluck was a revolutionary figure who influenced a whole generation of composers including Mozart, Berlioz and Wagner, the latter of whom made a modern edition of the sou …

The ‘Grand Variations on ‘Rule, Britannia!”are a pianistic tour de force which is sure to leave audiences breathless for more from this little known composer who served his apprenticeship under both …

The ‘Marche funèbre’ was originally written for fortepiano and placed after the elegy of the ‘Elégie harmonique’ as a salute to Jan Ladislav Dussek, the Czech piano virtuoso whose talents would prefi …

Raff lived an eventful life of ups and down but remained a prolific composer throughout. Towards the end of his life, he had earned a reputation as a respected and important composer and his works we …

Making the artistic leap from ‘Bach’s Well-Tempered Klavier’ via Beethoven, Liszt and Wagner, the nine preludes and fugues of Salomon Jadassohn set a new benchmark for the form at a time when the Rom …

Composed when he was just eighteen years old, this violin concerto from the Polish composer Emil Mlynarski is a masterpiece of Romantic feeling and form. Destined to become a cornerstone piece of the …

The Deux Elégies were composed in 1868 during a period of great stability in Raff’s life. After years spent under apprenticeship to his mentor and friend, Franz Liszt, Raff had struck out on his own …

Rebikov’s music was the subject of controversy among his contemporaries and many of his groundbreaking ideas on exotic tonal reforms were coupled with a dramatic intensity for which the music was bot …

A prodigious musical talent as a child who grew up to be regarded as one of the most loved of Classical composers, Hummel was already a seasoned international concert artist when he composed these th …

A composer of over 2000 works, this symphony newly restored from the original manuscript, was completed in 1817 during Neukomm’s five year stay in Rio de Janeiro and reflects something of the magical …

‘The Isles of Fingal conceived on Mendelssohn’s Grand Tour of 1829-1832 provided the prototype for this remarkable arrangement for piano duet, memorialising forever the eventful journey the composer …

German composer Johann Friedrich Reichardt spent many years travelling as a youth and was an accomplished keyboard player. The Cembalokonzert in the Old Style, is one of his first compositions writte …

Considered a Romantic ahead of his time, the works of Dussek are a worthy addition to the piano repertoire and this piece, a characteristic sonata which commemorates the great naval battle of Camperd …

With a gift for original melodies the multitalented composer, performer Charles Blum exploited the rich possibilities offered by the guitar, violin and flute ensemble. The ‘Three Nights in Naples’ ev …

Reminiscent of the earliest examples of the chaconne form, this work by Jadassohn is replete with the kind of inventiveness and treatment of harmonic forces that came to characterise the works of the …

Reichardt’s fortunes rose and fell all within his own lifetime but after a difficult early education he was commonly accepted as gifted composer with a talent for the lyric style. Astyle he was to cu …

The mazurka started life in the17C as a Polish dance of rustic regional origins and is said to have borrowed its distinctive accent on the weak beat of a measure from the Polish language itself. When …

The only piano concerto from this influential Italian composer, it is one characterised by the highest ideals of artistic merit. A substantial work in three movements it is a work of broad themes and …

Overdue for modern reappraisal, the works of Ferdinand Ries represent a treasure trove of pieces that easily stand alongside his illustrious predecessor and former teacher, Beethoven. A serious conce …

Overdue for modern reappraisal, the works of Ferdinand Ries represent a treasure trove of pieces that easily stand alongside his illustrious predecessor and former teacher, Beethoven. A serious conce …

A child prodigy who received some of his earliest lessons from Mozart and today regarded as one of Europe’s finest pianists, Hummel undertook several international tours as a youth and gained a reput …

Based on Icelandic folk tunes these two short pieces for string orchestra are among some of the finest examples of Svendsen’s occupation with the theme of national identity in music and are a testame …

This is a rather special and full-bodied theme and set of ten variations in a serious style from the German composer Jadassohn. The rich and plummy theme suffuses through the entirety of the work pro …