STRAVINSKY/SCRIABIN - GWHYNETH CHEN       PRO PIANO RECORDS  PPR224523

The brilliant Taiwan-born pianist Gwhyneth Chen won the Pigorelich International Piano competition in 1994 and has subsequently become a highly successful concert performer around the world. On this recording she plays outstanding early 20th century works: Igor Stravinsky’s Three movements from Petrouchka (Danse russe, Chez Petrouchka and La semaine grasse) and Alexander Scriabin’s irresistible Fantasy in B Minor, as well as his Sonata No.3 in F-sharp Minor. Gwhyneth Chen captures perfectly both Stravinsky’s virtuoso percussiveness and Scriabin’s tender, soulful melancholy.

SANTA BARBARA LISZT ALBUM             EROICA JDT3092.

The brilliant Zeynep Ucbasaran started her music studies at age four at the Istanbul Conservatory and later studied at the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. Awarded second prize at the 1996 Los Angeles Liszt Competition and an honorable mention in the same competition in 2000, she has given piano recitals in many countries and currently lives in Santa Barbara, California, where this outstanding CD was recorded. The works are Les cloches de Genéve, Funérailles, Eroica, Trübe Wolken/Nuages gris, Fantasie und Fuge über das Thema B-A-C-H, and Schubert Lied Transcriptions: Erstarrung, Aufenthalt, Ave Maria and Rhapsodie espagnole. Zeynep Ucbasaran’s playing is particularly fine in the impassioned Funérailles.

LOVE AND THE DEVIL - MORDECAI SHEHORI         CEMBAL D’AMOUR  CD 116.
On this first volume of Liszt’s piano music, titled Love and the Devil, Mordecai Shehori gives virtuoso performances of Cantique d’amour, Scherzo and March, Gretchen (Second movement from the Faust Symphony), Gretchen am Spinnrade (After Schubert), Ständchen von Shakespeare (After Schubert), Réminiscences de Don Juan (After Mozart) and Mephisto Waltz No. 1. ‘Fiery display of music, with poetic undercurrents....explains the lure of Mr Shehori’s playing’ The New York Times.

SPECTRUM: MY LADYE JANE’S BOOKE                NORTH/SOUTH    N/S R 1009.

Harold Schiffman's Spectrum, My Ladye Jane's Booke: Eighteen Fugues And Postludes For Piano was completed on November 22, 1992 in Graham County, North Carolina. The piece is aptly named since it exhibits a broad range of fugal ‘attitudes’ while adhering to the tenets and spirit of procedures springing from the eighteenth century. With its remarkable vision in concept and reach in content, Spectrum is an important and convincing addition to the repertoire of solo piano music.

IVES/COPLAND - JAMES NALLEY             EROICA   JDT 3097.

Winner of many national and international competitions, the gifted pianist James Nalley has performed across the United States, Canada and Europe as an acclaimed solo recitalist. He has also performed for the BBC in England and appeared as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony. He was recently  Artist-in- Residence at the Banff Centre for the Performing Arts in Calgary, Canada, where he recorded this outstanding CD featuring Charles Ives’ Sonata No. 1 and the Aaron Copland Piano Sonata. ‘an exciting performer with powerful emotion’ - Philadelphia Inquirer.

ALEXANDER TSELYAKOV - RUSSIAN ALBUM         GOLOMB GLDC 5701-3.
On this outstanding live recording the award-winning Russian-Canadian pianist Alexander Tselyakov gives impressive performances of works by Russian composers. These include Tchaikovsky (Variations, Op. 19, No. 6), Scriabin, Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev (Sonata, Op. 38/135, No. 5). Tselyakov began his concert career with the Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Orchestra in his native Soviet Union at the age of nine and went on to win many prestigious international competitions. He now lives in Canada and gives concert performances worldwide, demonstarting his virtuosity and breath-taking musicality in the Russian tradition of great pianists.’Phenomenal Pianist...’ Kitzinger Zeitung.

GIANTS IN THE LAND - IAN HOLTHAM           MOVE MD 3239.
Recorded in Melba Hall at the University of Melbourne, this world premiere recording features Melbourne pianist Ian Holtham performing a brilliant cross-section of Australian contemporary piano works, including music by Brenton Broadstock (Giants in the Land), Linda Kouvaras, Stephen Ingham (Long Flat Blues), Stuart Greenbaum (But I want the harmonica), Johanna Selleck (Recantations) and Christine McCombe.

ODILE PIERRE - LA “HASKIL DE L’ORGUE”         TAHRA TAH 463/4.

Odile Pierre studied with Marcel Dupré and Fernando Germani; she also studied musicology, composed, held the Chair of History of Music at the Music academy, and for 11 years was the assigned organist of the Cavaillé-Coll organ at la Madeleine in Paris. A prodigy from her earliest years, she quckly became an internationally renowned artist and gave over 1500 recitals in five continents. This fine double CD release features previously unissued recordings: a recital at la Madeleine in 1977 (recorded by Radio France and including works by J.S. Bach, Saint-Saens and Franck) plus recordings made by RCA on the magnificent Cliquot organ in Poitiers in 1978. Also included is a revealing spoken self-portrait recorded by Odile Pierre, with an English translation in the accompanying booklet.

VARIATIONS - BARTLETT/MARCHAND                 CBC  MVCD 1151

During the early nineteenth century, the piano became very popular for concerts as well as domestic music making. Many new works for two keyboards were composed and there were even more transcriptions and arrangements. This highly enjoyable CD features several of these: Johannes Brahms' Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Camille Saint-Saëns' Variations on a Theme by Beethoven and Max Reger's Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Mozart. The CD also includes Mozart's Andante with Variations, which the composer originally intended for two pianos but which was published as a four-hands duet in order to sell more copies! The excellent pianists on this recording are the Canadians Dale Bartlett and Jean Marchand.

STEFAN WOLPE - COMPOSITIONS FOR PIANO               BRIDGE 9116.

In celebration of the Wolpe centenary (1902-2002) David Holzman plays a selection of compositions written for the piano (1920-1952). These are Sonata No. 1 ‘Stehende Musik’ (1925), Battle Piece (1943-47), The Good Spirit of a Right Cause (1942), Adagio. Gesang, weil ich etwas Teures verlassen muss (1920), Tango (1927), Waltz for Merle (1952) and Zemach Suite (1939). These are expressive and thoughtful performances of mostly unfamiliar works.

MORDECAI SHEHORI, PIANIST           CEMBAL D’AMOUR CD 101.

The distinguished pianist Mordecai Shehori plays an inspired selection of pieces by J. S. Bach-Alexander Siloti (Prelude in B minor), George Frederic Handel (Chaconne in G major), Ludwig van Beethoven (Sonata Op. 31, No. 2 in D minor, "The Tempest"), Frederic Chopin (Barcarolle; Polonaise in F-sharp minor), Franz Schubert-Liszt (Serenade, Atlas, To Be Sung on the Water), Franz Liszt (Saint Francis of Paula Walking on the Water). ‘Poetry in Music’ - The Washington Post.

BLACK BABY - SCOTT JOPLIN         KHA003.

The beautiful and gifted Italian pianist Alessandra Celletti plays works by American Scott Joplin - ‘The King of Ragtime’. His compositions featured here include Original Rags, Swipesy, The Chrisanthemum (written for Freddie Alexander), Pleasant Moments, The Entertainer, Solace, Weeping Willow, Bethena, Sugar Cane, A Real Slow Drag, Magnetic Rag, Palm Leaf Rag, When Your Hair Is Like Snow, Maple Leaf Rag and Little Black Baby. These are excellent performances of wonderfully entertaining music.

PIANO MUSIC - HERBERT HENCK                           ECM 1726   CD 465 829-2.
The first-class pianist Herbert Henck performs fascinating modern works by Conlon Nancarrow (Three 2-part Studies, Prelude, Blue) and George Antheil (Sonatina fur Radio, Second Sonatina ‘The Airplane’, mechanisms, A Machine, Sonatina - Death of the Machines, Jazz Sonata, Sonata Sauvage and Little Shimmy). Stimulating and exciting music.

THE WALTZ ALBUM - CLELIA IRUZUN               INTIM MUSIK IMCD 077.
The outstanding Brazilian pianist Clélia Iruzun gives scintillating performances of waltz music by Carl Maria von Weber, Chopin (Grande Valse Brillante, Valse Op. 69), Liszt (Mephisto-Waltzer No. 1), Brahms (Waltzer Op. 39), Johann Strauss Jr/Adolf Shultz-Evler (Arabesques on the Blue Danube Waltz), Mischa Levitsky, Leopold Godowsky, Enrique Granados, Francisco Mignone, Lorenzo Fernandez and Heitor Villa-Lobos. Clélia Iruzun’s playing is technically brilliant yet always natural and splendidly idiomatic. ‘The Mephisto Waltz sounded as if the composer himself was playing it’ - O GLOBO, Rio de Janeiro.

DVORAK - WORKS FOR PIANO DUO       BERLIN CLASSICS  0017402BC.
On this delightful recording the internationally famous Kolner Klavier Duo (consisting of Elzbieta Kalvelage and Michael Krucker) perform diverse music for four hands written by Antonin Dvorak. Some of these masterly works are well-known whereas others are much rarer, but all share a richness of tone and melodic inspiration. The pieces include Scherzo capriccioso, Polonaise in E Flat, Silhouetten, Festival March and Slavonic Rhapsody.

ANDREI GAVRILOV PLAYS CHOPIN                   K&K ISBN 3-930643-65-0.

In this atmospheric recording from the beautiful medeaeval Maulbronn monastery Andrei Gavrilov plays a selection of delightful piano works by Fréderic Chopin. These include his consummate Klaviersonate Nr. 2 b-Moll op. 35, Étuden op. 10 and Balladen.

BRAHMS PIANO MUSIC, VOL. 2                         MERIDIAN  CDE 84319.

In the second volume of this hugely enjoyable Meridian series, Paul Berkowitz plays another well-chosen selection of piano masterpieces by the great Johannes Brahms. These include his exceptional Klavierstucke (Op. 119), Klavierstucke (Op. 76) and Walzer (Op. 39).

CIRCLES OF FIRE - GEORGE ROCHBERG             GASPARO  GSCD-343.

This is the first recording of the celebrated George Rochberg's Circles of Fire for two pianos, written for Sally Pinkas and Evan Hirsch and played here by the Hirsch-Pinkas Duo. This intriguing work was greatly anticipated in a New York Times article honoring the composer's 80th birthday and this CD, recorded at Spaulding Auditorium, Dartmouth College in December 1998, offers a stunning performance of the 70- minute piece. The invaluable and informative liner notes are by Evan Hirsch.

RACHMANINOFF - PRELUDES                       KLEOS  KL 5115.
The thrilling Korean born pianist Jung-Ja Kim plays two series of Preludes by Rachmaninoff (Op. 23 and Op 32). Jung-Ja Kim has won critical acclaim for pianistic brilliance and rare insight, and her infallible sense of nuance and variety of tonal qualities makes her recorded performance of these Preludes a most welcome addition to the Rachmaninoff discography.

HUMMEL PIANO WORKS, VOL. 3                         DYNAMIC SERIES 2000   S-2038.
In the third of this illuminating series Giuliana Corni plays more remarkable piano pieces written by Johann Nepomuk Hummel. One of them is the Sonata in F sharp minor Op. 81, the sixth of his seven piano sonatas and widely considered to be among the Hummel’s masterpieces. The other striking works on this recording are his Capriccio and Sonata Op. 92a, both of which are first recordings.

ALBENIZ - RECUERDOS DE VIAJE                     ENSAYO  ENY-CD-9740.

The brilliant pianist Esteban Sanchez plays works by the Spanish composer Isaac Albeniz, including his Sonata No. 5 and Recuerdos de viaje (Memories of a journey). The latter is a wonderfully evocative series of postcards in sound. These impressions of landscapes and people predate his more famous Iberia, and the dramatic music with its sweeping rhythms and melodies is explored to splendid effect on this new recording.

PAT THOMAS - NUR         EMANEM  4046.

London-born pianist and composer Pat Thomas plays four completely improvised pieces in this digital concert recording in the chapel at Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education. The works are called Nur (an Arabic word meaning ‘light’), Mubarak (Arabic for ‘a very blessed person’), Variation on Two Themes and The Analogy (reflecting the performer’s debt to the music of jazz genius Thelonius Monk).

EARL WILD PLAYS LISZT - THE 1985 SESSIONS         IVORY CLASSICS  72001.

This double CD collection celebrates the 85th birthday of the remarkable Earl Wild's with a fine display of virtuosity and musicality. Ivory Classics has gathered together some of his most admired performances of Franz Liszt’s masterpieces, including the Dante Sonata, Ballade No. 2 in B minor, Un Sospiro, Mephisto Polka, as well as Liszt’s transcriptions of works by Bach and Chopin. ‘One of the great Romantic pianists of our age’ - Amazon.com.

DVORAK - COMPLETE WORKS FOR SOLO PIANO, VOL 1       ESS.A.Y CD1059.

On this first volume of a fine series devoted to the piano works of Anton Dvorak, the Kiev-based pianist Inna Poroshina gives gives masterful accounts of his Theme and Variations in A-flat major, Polka in E major, Silhouettes, two Minuets and the folkloric Dumka in D minor (‘dumka’ deriving from Czech word meaning ‘to ponder’).

BEETHOVEN - PIANO SONATAS              DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 4534572.

The superb, internationally-renowned pianist Maria Joao Pires performs Beethoven’s Sonatas Nos. 13 (‘quasi una fantasia’), 14 (‘Moonlight’) and 30, all with great sensitivity and a true understanding of the profound beauty in these masterpieces. The recordings were made in her own cultural centre of Belgais in Portugal and must be among the finest ever produced. ‘...a pianist without a trace of narcissism...among the most eloquent master-musicians of our time’ Gramophone.

CHOPIN - RONALD SMITH             APR 5567.

The formidable technique of Ronald Smith is shown to be undiminished in these recordings made to celebrate his imminent 80th birthday. The Chopin piano pieces chosen are the Nocturne No. 8 in D flat, 12 Etudes Opus 10, 3 Nouvelles Etudes Opus posth and 12 Etudes Opus 25. Ronald Smith’s interpretations are, as always, never flashy and serve the composer admirably.

CLAUDIO ARRAU - IN CONCERT 2       APR 5632.
These recordings from the 1970s show the great pianist Claudio Arrau in magnificent form as he plays major sonatas by Brahms (the great F minor) and Beethoven (his brilliant and virtuosic Third). Arrau’s superb interpretation of the Brahms sonata was memorably recorded on the pianist’s 75th birthday in New York.

MOZART - IAN HOLTHAM               MOVE   MD 3246.

Ian Hotham has won justified critical acclaim as one of Australia’s modt exciting pianists. On this CD he explores the virtuoso piano repertoire further with music exclusively by Mozart. The works include two late sonatas and two rondos as well as two delightful sets of variations (Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman - better known as Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star - and La belle Francaise).

BEETHOVEN MOONLIGHT - RONALD FARREN-PRICE       MOVE MD 3247.

The Australian pianist Ronald Farren-Price gives sensitive performances of some of Beethoven’s finest works. These include the Sonata No. 14 in D major, better known as the ‘Moonlight Sonata’ and the much less often heard Polonaise in C. This CD also features two other sonatas, the early D major and the late Sonata No. 30 in E Major, with its brilliant set of theme and variations. ‘The gossamer touch of pianist Ronald Farren-Price breathes new life into the classics...’ - The Star.

BEETHOVEN AND HIS PUPILS - SUSAN KAGAN         KOCH   KIC CD 7521.

The fine pianist and musicologist Susan Kagan performs Beethoven’s delightful Eleven Bagatelles, along with interesting music by his only two acknowledged pupils, Ferdinand Ries (Le Songe) and Archduke Rudolph (Forty Variations on a Theme by Beethoven). The latter was the youngest brother of the Hapsburg Emperor Franz 1 and Beethoven dedicated several compositions to him, including the ‘Archduke’ Trio and the Missa Solemnis. Susan Kagan’s performances are full of intelligence and understanding for the period.

DEBUSSY - MUSIC FOR PIANO                 HELICON HE 1029.

On this double CD collection the brilliant pianist Gregory Haimovsky plays works by Debussy. These include his Preludes (Books 1 and 2), Images (Book 1) and the delightful Children’s Corner (Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum, Jimbo’s Lullaby, Serenade for the Doll, The Snow is Dancing, The Little Shepherd, Golliwog’s Cake-walk).

EARL WILD - BEETHOVEN SONATAS             IVORY CLASSICS 70905.

Earl Wild, the living dean of American pianists, has been performing Beethoven's music for 75 years. These interpretations of sonatas No. 7 and 23 (Appassionata) abound in vitality and graceful phrasing. and the recital also includes Franz Liszt’s wonderful piano transcription of Beethoven's First Symphony. ‘...effortless virtuosity...a wonderful and unique Beethoven recital - Fanfare.

PULSE - MATTI HIRVONEN                     DAPHNE 1012.
The piano holds its own with a steady pulse, even if its position that we have taken for granted as the home instrument is threatened by various kinds of electronic novelties. The nine interesting works on this recording were created during the last two decades of the 20th century by nine European composers, including Werner Wolf Glaser, Mats Larsson Gothe, Bo Nilsson and Jan Sandstrom Matti Hirvonen is a fine interpreter of contemporary music and the pieces he has chosen here display the richness and variety of the repertoire with which he has worked in recent years.

MORDECAI SHEHORI PLAYS SCARLATTI           CEMBAL D’AMOUR  CD 103.
The hugely gifted Israeli-born pianist Mordecai Shehori plays 21 splendid Keyboard Sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti. Skilled musicianship is combined with flair and an obvious sympathy for the music to produce a wholly satisfying experience that brings a true freshness to these beautiful works. ‘Shehori is rock solid and deeply musical, thoughtful and insightful’ - BBC Music Magazine. ‘Poetic inwardness and rapturous intensity in his playing’ - New York Times.

MORDECAI SHEHORI PLAYS RAMEAU           CEMBAL D’AMOUR  CD 104.

Mordecai Shehori gives exciting and thought-provoking performances of 19 Pieces de Clavecin by Jean Philippe Rameau. These include Allemande in A minor, La Dauphine, LesTourbillons, La Triomphante, Tambourin, L’Egyptienne, Les Cyclopes, L’Entretien des Muses, Les Sauvages and Le Rappel des Oiseaux. ‘Shehori makes the most of their strong contrasts, integrates their elaborate ornamentation nicely into the musical flow, and again his skillful phrasing and rhythmic zest are very engaging. These performances will infuriate the purists, but they are likely to please anyone who cares about excellent piano playing and lovely music’ - American Record Guide.

PIANO MUSIC OF THE UNKNOWN IMPRESSIONISTS FLEUR DE SON FDS 57939

The gifted American pianist David Reeves plays music by composers mostly belonging to the generation which followed Debusy and Ravel. They include the American Charles Tomlinson Griffes (Three Tone Pictures, Roman Sketches), Finnish Selim Palmgren, Hilda Dedrich (Moonlight Through the Cedar Tree), Alfred Bachelet (Berceuse) and Italian, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. ‘...unfailing eloquence...sensitive and stylistically impeccable’ - New Jersey Star Ledger.

LYUPANOV - LOUIS KENTNER           APR 5620.
On this historic recording, the wonderfully assured pianist Louis Kentner performs 12 Etudes d’Execution Transcendante by the little-known Russian composer Sergey Lyapunov, who was a pupil of Balakirev. His music was influenced by Tchaikovsky and Sergey Taneyev, and these 12 Etudes, written between 1897 and 1905, also show the influence of Liszt and Balakirev. This splendid Russian-flavoured music is vivid, melodic and often delicately beautiful.

RAVEL - VALERIE TRYON             APR 5593.

Valerie Tryon performs exquisite piano works by Maurice Ravel, revealing with exceptional clarity the remarkable refinement and subtlety of his unique sound world. This excellent CD includes two masterpieces (Miroirs and Gaspard de la Nuit) as well as several popular early works (Sonatine, Pavane pour une infante defunte and Jeux d’eau).

SCARLATTI/BEETHOVEN/BRAHMS           CEMBAL D’AMOUR  CD 99.

Domenico Scarlatti’s Six Sonatas, Beethoven’s Sonata No. 3 in C major and Brahms’s Variations on a Theme by Paganini (Books 1 & 2) are given exemplary treatment by the virtuoso pianist Mordecai Shehori. This recording wonderfully captures the depth and sonority of the music and shows why the performer has become something of a cult in live performance.‘Poetry in music’ - Washington Post.

EARL WILD - 85TH BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE         IVORY CLASSICS 71005.

In this fine tribute to his 85th birthday the remarkable Earl Wild, whose career has spanned over 70 years, plays four 20th and 21st century piano sonatas by Samuel Barber, Igor Stravinsky and Paul Hindemoth, as well as a world premiere of one composed by himself. Earl Wild states: ‘I had a personal friendship with all four composers on this disc, although one of the relationships has been a little more intimate.’ His own sonata was completed in April 2000 and is an eclectic work that incorporates Civil War tunes, echoes of popular music of the 1920s and, in the finale, a distinctive Latin American influence. ‘This release is one of the finest recordings in Earl Wild's long, individual career, and cannot be recommended too highly’ - Classics Today.

SHOSTAKOVICH - PRELUDES AND FUGUES DYNAMIC SERIES 2000  S 2039/1-3.
On this triple CD the brilliant Russian pianist Boris Petrushansky plays 24 Preludes and Fugues by Dmitri Shostakovich, written between late 1950 and early 1951 in the last years of the infamous Stalin regime. The first performance of the entire cycle was given on two evenings in December 1952 in Leningrad, played by the winner of the first ever Leipzig Bach Competition, Tatyana Nikolayeva. With its independent character, the work was attacked for its “formalist” tendencies, though these pieces represent a genuine milestone, demonstrating the composer’s mastery of the medium as well as his courage and creativity. Boris Petrushansky’s accomplished performances show an extraordinary control and understanding of the music.

ANDOR FOLDES - THE TONO RECORDINGS               APR 5580.

In these historic recordings dating from 1950-51 the great Hungarian pianist Andor Foldes plays Beethoven’s Sonata No.8 in C minor (the “Pathétique”), Sonata No.24 in F sharp major and Sonata No.25 in G major. The other works performed here in dazzling style are by Schumann (Abegg Variations, Papillons and Aufschwung “Fantaisestücke”), Brahms (Rhapsody in G minor, Intermezzo In E flat) and Chopin (Waltz No.2 in A flat, Polonaise No.3 in A). The accompanying booklet gives helpful introductory notes to this valuable release.

ALFRED CORTOT - THE LATE RECORDINGS             APR 5571.

These late recordings (Volume 1 of a projected series) by Alfred Cortot feature piano works by Schumann (Kinderszenen, or “Scenes from Childhood”), Chopin (Nocturne No.15, two versions of Nocturne No. 16, Trois Nouvelles études, Prelude No. 25 in C sharp minor and Polonaise No.7 in A flat, or “Polonaise- Fantaisie”) and Debussy (Children’s Corner and La Cathedrale engloutie). Five of these recordings, expertly transferred, have never been published before, making this an album for collectors as well as for anyone simply interested in masterful and lyrical piano playing.

BENNO MOISEWITSCH PLAYS BEETHOVEN, VOL. 2     APR 5610.
These historic recordings by the brilliant Benno Moisewitsch feature inspired performances of piano works by Beethoven. They include the Andante in F (Andante favouri), Violin Sonata No.9 in A (the “Kreutzer”, with the legendary Jascha Heifetz on violin and previously unpublished) and the wonderful Concerto No.3 in C minor (with the immaculate Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent). A pleasure throughout, fully revealing Moisewitsch’s genius.

SERGIO FIORENTINO - THE EARLY RECORDINGS, VOL 4   APR 5584.

These early Liszt recordings show Sergio Fiorentino’s exceptional musicianship and remarkable affinity with the composer. The works performed here are Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz No.1, Five Ungarische Volkslieder, Ab irato, Spozalizio, his Piano Concerto No.2 in A major and Weber Polonaise brillante. The CD also includes Chopin’s Fantasia on Polish Airs. Several recordings feature the excellent Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Vernon Handley.

SCHUMANN - ETUDES SYMPHONIQUES           IVORY CLASSICS  71001.

Eral Wild performs three great piano works by Robert Scumann, the master of Romantic piano music. The compositions are his Fantasia in C Major, Opus 17, the Etudes Symphoniques, Opus 13 (complete with five posthumous variations) and the demanding virtuoso piece Toccata, Opus 7, which was was taken from a live performance. ‘Everything on this disc is played with Earl Wild's customary brilliance and pace - its all very exciting. There is always an infectious zest to Wild's playing and it is evident and enjoyable here’ - American Record Guide.

‘GOYESCAS’ - GRANADOS                           IVORY CLASSICS  72007.

The excellent Milwaukee-born pianist Ralph Votapek, winner of the Gold Medal at the first Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 1962, has a special affinity for Spanish music. On this CD he gives a vibrant performance of the wonderful ‘Goyescas’ piano suite by Enrique Granados. He also gives fine interpretations of Manuel de Falla’s early composition, Pièces espagnoles (Four Spanish Pieces), enthused with Spanish nationalism.

SCHUMANN - ANDREAS SCHIFF IN CONCERT ECM NEW SERIES ECM 1806/07.

In this entrancing live performance by András Schiff he plays compositions by Robert Schumann, recorded at the Tonhalle, Zürich, in 1999. Schiff  shows an astonishing empathy with Schumann and his music that is uncanny, making the composer his own. Great technique and artistry are used to reveal the poetry and profundity of the compositions, yet while the pianist faithfully conveys the musical intimacy and lyricism he does not shrink from the composer's more turbulent emotions. The works included on this exciting double CD are Humoreske, Novelletten, the Piano Sonata F minor and Nachtstücke.

MUSIC FOR TWO PIANOS, VOL. 1 - ABBOTT/WILLIAMS   EROICA JDT 3016.
The American pianists Peggy Abbott, who studied with Nadia Boulanger's and Clifford Curzon, and Patrice Williams, who studied in St Louis with Leo Sirota, perform a fine selection of music for two pianos. their interpretation of Aaron Copland’s Danzon Cubano brilliantly demonstrates the composer’s  percussive sonorities and there are other works by Manuel Infante (his graceful Sentimiento), Bela Bartok (six Mikrokosmos pieces), Sergei Rachmaninov (Waltz and Romance from Suite No. 2) and the English composer Richard Rodney Bennett (the contemporary sounding Dance Suite, dedicated to Andre Previn).

BRONIKA KUSHKULEY - IN CONCERT           EROICA JDT 3058.

The gifted young American pianist Bronika Kushkuley made this live recording in the Orvis Hall of the University of Hawaii when she was only twelve years old. She shows remarkable maturity in her performances of works by J S Bach (French Suite No. 6 in E Major), Prokofiev (Fugitive Visions), Beethoven (Sonata No.8 in C Minor), Debussy (Preludes Book 1), Chopin, Rimsky-Korsakov (The flight of the bumble bee) and Bach (Prelude No.1 in C-Major).

BRONIKA KUSHKULEY - PIANO                   EROICA  JDT 3051.

Bronika Kushkuley was born 1987 and began studying piano when she was six. Since 1999, she has been a student of Wha Kyun Byun of the New England Conservatory and has been the first prize winner of three international competitions, including the International Young Pianists Competition in Senigallia, Italy. She has performed the J S Bach Concerto in D Minor with the New England Philharmonic Orchestra and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the NEC Youth Symphony Orchestra, and has given numerous piano recitals in the United States and Europe, including performances at Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center. Her immensely promising talent is already evident in this recording made when she was just 10 years of age.

CORNELIUS CARDEW - WE SING FOR THE FUTURE! NEW ALBION  NA116.

The avant-garde music of Cornelius Cardew still provokes controversy, even amongst his admirers, but his works are always full of interest and ideas. We Sing For The Future is a 12 minute piano piece based on a song for youth, who the composer considered faced bleak prospects in a world dominated by imperialism. The Thalmann Variations (Cardew’s other composition on this disc) date from 1974 and marked the 30th anniversary of the death of Ernst Thalmann, a former Secretary of the German Communist Party who was imprisoned by the Nazis and in 1944 was executed in Buchenwald concentration camp. The pianist Frederic Rzewski's interpretations of these both these works are brilliant, compelling and revelatory.

CLASSICAL IMPROVISATIONS - NICHOLAS MCNAIR   EROICA JDT3006.

The ten classical improviations on this recording are played by the accomplished pianist Nicholas McNair. He brings no preconceived material with him but plays what he has heard (perhaps just a chord or a half-bar) then allows his hands to take over. In his own words: ‘Improvisation helps to encourage the recognition of music as an ever-present living source - open to all and the possession of nobody’. The results are impressive with a performer this talented and imaginative. ‘A truly great musician’ - Anglo-Portuguese News.

CHOPIN - IMAGES OF A HOMELAND                   PATRIA  KIE 2000.
On his debut recording, the American pianist Marjan Kiepura plays both rare and familiar works by Frederic Chopin, focusing especially on the Polish characteristics of his music.As well as such familiar pieces as the A major Polonaise and the D flat major ‘Raindrop’ Prelude, this excellent CD includes several rarities, such as Chopin’s early Mazurkas, which are the prime focus of the disc. Two rare and evocative paintings of Polish scenes by Zofia Stryienska are reproduced in the generous informative booklet that accompanies the CD.

ROMANTIC PIANO - DAVID BARELA             DGB RECORDS  DGB1219.

The gifted pianist David Barela gives sensitive performances of some of the most exquisite romantic  music from the piano repertoire. This recording features charming works by, among others, Claude Debussy (Ballade, The Sunken Cathedral), Enrique Granados (The Maiden and the Nightingale), Liszt (Liebestraum, Un Sospiro, Sonetto 104 del Petrarca), Rachmaninoff (Moment Musicale No. 5), Samuel Barber (Hesitation Tango, Nocturne) and Chopin (Nocturne Op. 72 No. 1). With playing of a high order, this music is a sensuous and passionate delight.

J.S BACH - THE WELL TEMPERED CLAVIER, VOL.2       MERIDIAN  CDE 84472/3-2

In 1722, the year after Johann Sebastian Bach completed his first set of twenty-four Preludes and Fugues, The Well-Tempered Clavier, he left the court of Anhalt-Cöthen to become Kantor of the  Thomaskirche in Leipzig. During succeeding years he wrote a vast amount of music, including cantatas, motets, masses, passions and oratorios, as well as the ‘Goldberg’ Variations and another set of twenty-four Preludes and Fugues.  He left no definitive copy of what is now known as Book II of ‘the 48’ and it wasn’t until 1801 that a complete edition was published. The Preludes in the second book are on a much larger scale than in Book I and hints of the ‘sonata form’ can be heard in many of them. Book I may have more familiar pieces but the composer’s maturity and genius are more evident in the final volume. Pablo Casals called The Well-Tempered Clavier ‘the foundation of all music’ and no compositions can have influenced other composers quite so much as ‘the 48’. Mozart arranged the fugues for chamber groups and Beethoven grew up playing the complete collection. On this new recording they are played with effortless grace by Julia Cload, who was born in London and studied with Hilda Bor at the Royal College of Music and Lajos Hernadi at the Liszt Academy in Budapest. She has performed with many major British orchestras and worked with conductors such as Sir Adrian Boult and Bernard Haitink. On this double CD set she gives intimate, elegant readings of some of the greatest keyboard music ever written. The new CD is a worthy sequel to Julia Cload’s earlier and much acclaimed J.S Bach - The Well Tempered Clavier, Vol 1 (Meridian  CDE 84384/5-2), also highly recommended.

GIANNEO - PIANO SONATAS       MARCO POLO  8.225205.

Dora De Marinis, Alejandro Cremaschi and Fernando Viani perform demanding piano pieces by the remarkable Luis Gianneo. These include his ambitious, folk-music influenced Sonata No. 2 and Suite, the neo-classical Sonatina, the sorrowful Sonata No. 3, Six Bagatelles (written between in the late 1950s) and Improvisation, a nostalgic evocation of the city of Tucaman. Gianneo’s works reflected many of the influences of the twentieth century and these intelligent performances should bring him to the wider audience he deserves.

BARTOK - SOLO PIANO WORKS, VOL. 1      EROICA JDT3000.

The internationally acclaimed Hungarian-American pianist June de Toth has promoted the exciting piano music of Bela Bartok throughout her concert career and has set herself the daunting task of recording all of Bela Bartok’s solo piano works (the first woman ever to have done so). Volume I of a projected six CDs series makes a fine start with spare yet insightful interpretations of his Seven Sketches, Sonata 1926, Fifteen Hungarian Peasant Songs and Dances, Four Dirges and one of his most popular compositions, Allegro Barbaro. These are definitive versions of fascinating pieces by a composer who deserves to be better known and June de Toth is a true champion. ‘An excellent manifestation of the composer's imagination’ - Classical Net.

MUSSORGSKY - PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION   BERLIN CLASSICS 0094642BC.

This recording of Modest Mussorgsky’s masterpiece is by one of east Germany’s finest pianists and is available now for the first time on CD. Peter Rosel’s admirably clear playing style reveals the depths and contrasts of the work, avoiding the sort of cheap showmanship into which other performers have been known to fall. Rosel is a master at skilfully accentuating the various characters while also audibly bringing out the overall context. The CD also includes five more piano pieces from various creative phases in the composer’s life.

CLARA HASKIL                                 TAHRA  TAH 430-432

On these rare historic recordings the great pianist Clara Haskil plays works by Bach, Schumann, Haydn and Schubert (recorded at the Casino de Hilversum:  February1952), Bach, Scarlatti, Beethoven, Schumann, Debussy and Ravel (recorded in the Chateau at Ludwigsburg: April 1953), and Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert (recorded at the Edinburgh Festival: August 1957). The recording quality is understandably variable but the performances are superb throughout, making this is a most valuable addition to Clara Haskil’s discography.

RUTH CRAWFORD - NINE PRELUDES               NEW ALBION NA114.

On this excellent new recording the pianist Sarah Cahill performs the transcendental Nine Preludes of Ruth Crawford (1901-1953) as well as the same composer’s brilliant Piano Study in Mixed Accents. The CD also includes premiere recordings of the experimental Dissonant Counterpoint and Gebrauchs-musik - two pieces by Johanna Beyer (1888-1944), a revolutionary but tragically neglected figure in American modernism.

BEVERLY SERRA-BROOKS - FROM THE MUSICAL TREE   EROICA JDT 3039.

American pianist Beverly Serra-Brooks gives sensitive and exciting performances of works by J S Bach (Chromatic Fantasie & Fugue), Beethoven (his ‘Appassionata’ Sonata), Liszt (Un Sospiro), Debussy (Images) and Ravel (Jeux d’Eau). She is particularly effective at evoking the sensitivity and passion of the Ravel and Debussy pieces. ‘Admirable technique, immense fortitude and flair’ - Santa Barbara News- Press

HIDDEN SOURCES - GURDJIEFF/DE HARTMANN         KHA 001

The young Italian pianist Alessandra Celletti gives magical performances of joint works by G I Gurdjieff (born in 1866 on the border between Armenia and Turkey) and T de Hartmann (born in Ucrainia in 1886). They met and worked together in St Petersburg, creating these pieces inspired by sacred music and traditional oriental melodies. ‘...vital melancholy expressed by the sounds and the performer, an extraordinary light and vibration’ - L’Unita.

GIESEKING PLAYS BEETHOVEN                   TAHRA TAH 394-400.

On this very fine box set, Walter Gieseking plays 27 Beethoven’s 32 Sonatas for piano (those missing are Nos. 4, 5, 7, 20 and 22). These sublime sonatas were recorded at Radio Saarbrücken in 1949-50 and reveal Walter Gieseking at his most expressive in performances of the Pathetique, Waldstein, Appassionata and Hammerklavier. Anyone who understands and loves Beethoven will find these recordings are of much more than historic interest.

BRAHMS - FRANCISCA SKOOGH                             NYTORP 5.

The brilliant young Swedish pianist Francisca Skoogh was the 1998 winner of the prestigious Soloist’s Prize, sponsored by the Royal Swedish Music Academy and American Express, and in 2000 she won Second Prize at the International Michelangeli Competition in Milan, Italy. On this fine recording she performs three piano peces by Johannes Brahms and G.F. Händel’s Suite No.1. The performances are delightful and accesiible while showing true musical intelligence.

ESOTERIK SATIE             KHA 002.

Alessandra Celletti brings her delicate touch to piano works by the idiosyncratic French composer Erik Satie. The pieces include his well-known Trois Gymnopedies, Pieces Froides, Sarabande, Ogive and Petite Ouverture a Danser. Alessandra Celletti’s performances are a delight throughout.

BARTOK - SOLO PIANO WORKS, VOL. 2       EROICA JDT3002.

June de Toth continues her exploration of Bartok’s neglected piano masterpieces with his Suite, Opus 14, For Children ‘42 Hungarian Folk Songs’ and Three Burlesques, Opus 8c. The spitited and tuneful Hungarian Folk Songs are especially fine in their wonderful liveliness and spare beauty, demonstarting the composer's fascination with the rich heritage of folk music in his native country. ‘A great place to start your exploration of that intricate Hungarian Mastermind’ - Musical Planet.

BARTOK - SOLO PIANO WORKS, VOL. 3       EROICA  JDT3014.

The works here include Bartok’s Six Roumanian Folk Dances, Ten Easy Piano Pieces, Fourteen Bagatelles, op. 6, Three Rondos on Folk Tunes, Sonatina and Roumanian Dance No. 1, op. 8a. All are played with great flair June de Toth, her piano technique being supple yet full of energy and strength. ‘These are urbane, honest, eminently intelligible interpretations that will draw the uninitiated into the texts of this extraordinarily rich music’ - American Record Guide.

MUSIC FOR ONE & TWO PIANOS - ABBOTT/WILLIAMS   EROICA JDT 3059.

The excellent Peggy Abbott and Patrice Williams play works by the little known Octavio Pinto (Scenas Infantis, for two pianos), Claude Debussy (Petite Suite), Georges Bizet (Six Jeux d'Enfants), Mozart (Sonata in C Major) and Joaquin Rodrigo (Cinco Piezas Infantiles, for two pianos)

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