THREE CENTURIES OF RARE KEYBOARD GEMSLaunched in 2012, the Grand Piano label quickly gained a reputation for producing high quality recordings of rare keyboard gems. Dedicated to the

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GRAND PIANOTHE KEY COLLECTION

THREE CENTURIES OFRARE KEYBOARD GEMS

3 CDs

2 23For full album details, including production and image credits, booklet notes and artist biographies, please visit www.GrandPianoRecords.com

Launched in 2012, the Grand Piano label quickly gained a reputation for producing high quality recordings of rare keyboard gems. Dedicated to the exploration of undiscovered piano repertoire, the label specialises in first recordings and complete cycles of piano works by lesser-known composers, whose output might otherwise have remained unknown and unrecorded. Spanning three centuries of music from around the world, the Grand Piano catalogue includes music by past composers such as Leopold Koželuch, Alexander Tcherepnin and Mieczysław Weinberg, as well as works by living composers such as Valentin Silvestrov, Martial Solal and Philip Glass. Grand Piano artists are very often authorities on these less well-known composers and experts on the chosen repertoire, giving their performances a unique stamp of authenticity. Drawing on such a rich resource, the label is able to boast that the majority of its 100-plus releases to date include world première recordings. The Grand Piano catalogue is not only historically comprehensive, but also geographically global in its reach. The Austro-German epicentre of piano music is naturally well represented, but its ripples of influence are also well documented. Grand Piano recordings will take you to France, Eastern Europe, Russia (with music from the 19th century and the Soviet and post-Soviet periods), Armenia, and further afield to Brazil, Venezuela and Mexico. Adding emphasis to Grand Piano’s singularity, the covers of its releases are adorned either with figurative paintings by the award-winning artist Gro Thorsen or atmospheric images by international photographer Tony Price. To mark its fifth anniversary, this special-edition, 3-CD sampler of the Grand Piano catalogue is a comprehensive map that will guide anyone curious for new keyboard experiences through “this treasure island of piano music” (Spiegel Online). Comprising single tracks from complete works, presented in the chronological order of their composition, it constructs a fascinating journey through the history of keyboard music, combining new names, unfamiliar sounds and fresh perspectives.

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( GP715 | H. KHOURY (b. 1967) | Lebanese Piano Music | Tatiana Primak-KhouryPiano Sonata No. 3, ‘Pour un instant perdu…’: III. Quête (2013)The works of Houtaf Khoury encapsulate a plea for a more humane world, as in his Piano Sonata No. 3, a portrait of “life in a country where politics shatter every dream”. The emotional intensity of the work reflects both a unique national temperament and the dramatic times in which it was written.

) GP693 | EKANAYAKA (b. 1977) | Reinventions • Rhapsodies for Piano | Tanya EkanayakaAdahas: Of Wings Of RootsTanya Ekanayaka’s piano compositions, or reinventions, represent a novel, hybrid musical genre. They take a variety of Sri Lankan melodies – ancient, folk and popular – blending them with motifs inspired by the tonal centres of established classical compositions by Bach, Beethoven, Ravel and others.

¡ GP694 | JABERI (b. 1973) | Piano Sonatas and Ballades | Afshin JaberiPiano Sonata No. 1, ‘The Seeker’: I. AllegroIranian composer Afshin Jaberi’s powerful music combines 19th-century western piano traditions with eastern melodic influences. His Sonatas express the horrors of war and the fragility of remote cultures, out of which new hope for reconciliation can emerge.

™ GP692 | GLASS (b. 1937) | Glassworlds, Vol. 4: On Love | Nicolas HorvathThe Hours (arr. M. Riesman and N. Muhly for piano): Choosing LifeThe timeless melancholy of Glass’ BAFTA award-winning music for The Hours forms an organic suite, driven by the film’s three powerful characters. The penultimate movement, Choosing Life, is an expression of mournful self-sacrifice.


% GP681 | MAČEK (1914-2002) | Complete Piano Music | Goran FilipecPrelude and Toccata: Toccata (1987)Ivo Maček occupied a significant place in 20th-century Yugoslavian musical life as a pianist and educator. The Prelude and Toccata finds the composer pursuing an incisive pianism redolent of Bartók and Stravinsky.

^ GP679 | RIOTTE (1928-2011) | Météorite et ses métamorphoses | Thérèse MalengreauMétamorphose II: En oppositions (2001)French composer André Riotte was deeply involved with experiments in avant-garde music, following in the paths of Messiaen, Xenakis and Barraqué. Météorite et ses métamorphoses, one of the composer’s last works, is a milestone in contemporary repertoire.

& GP639 | SILVESTROV (b. 1937) | Piano Works | Elisaveta BluminaTwo Waltzes, Op. 152: No. 2. Allegretto (2009)Piano music is central to Valentin Silvestrov’s output, frequently containing allusions to lingering recollections of the past. In recent years (which the composer calls his ‘Bagatelle’ period) Silvestrov has concentrated his activities on miniatures that display first and foremost his interest in melody.

* GP702 | HAMMOND (b. 1951) | Miniatures & Modulations | Michael McHaleOpen the Door Softly (2011-13)At the 1792 Belfast Harp Festival, Edward Bunting was engaged to annotate all the music he heard, producing a treasure trove of bardic tunes. Philip Hammond’s Miniatures and Modulations takes a selection of these and develops them with a complete freedom of style.

CD 1 18TH AND 19TH CENTURIES: THE CLASSICAL AND ROMANTIC ERAS 78:57

1 NEEFE: 12 Keyboard Sonatas: Sonata No. 4 in C minor: III. Presto (1773) 02:252 TÜRK: 12 Keyboard Sonatas, Collection 2: Sonata No. 2 in E flat major: II. Adagio assai (1777) 02:533 KOŽELUCH: Piano Sonata No. 11 in E flat major, Op. 10, No. 1, P. XII:15 - III. (1784) 04:13 4 VAŇHAL: 3 Neue Caprice-Sonaten, Op. 31: No. 2 in G minor, ‘Amoroso’: III. Allegretto (1780s) 03:325 HOFFMEISTER: Keyboard Sonata in A major: III. Presto (1790) 03:316 BEETHOVEN: Sonata in D major for Piano 4 Hands, Op. 6: II. Rondo: Moderato (1797) 03:237 CRAMER: Studio per il pianoforte, Book 1, Op. 30: No. 26 in G sharp minor (1804) 02:078 BUSONI: Eight Etudes after Cramer: No. 5 in C major (1897) 02:029 SZYMANOWSKA: 18 Danses: No. 7. Valse in B flat major (early 1800s) 01:310 VOŘÍŠEK: Piano Sonata in B flat minor, Op. 20: III. Finale (1820s) 04:12! GLINKA: Variations on the Russian folk-song Sredi dolinï rovnïya (1826) 03:01@ HENSELT: 12 Études caractéristiques, Op. 2: No. 6 in F sharp major, “Si oiseau j’étais, à toi je volerais!” (1837-38) 02:03# SAINT-SAËNS: Bagatelles, Op. 3: No. 3: Poco adagio (1855) 03:00$ BALAKIREV: Piano Sonata in B flat minor, Op. 3: IV. Finale (1855) 06:20% RAFF: Fantaisie-polonaise, Op. 106 (1861) 06:58^ GOUVY: Sonata for Piano 4 Hands in C minor, Op. 49: III. Minuetto (1869) 04:16& CARRENO: Souvenirs de mon pays, Op. 10 (1873) 07:14* GRIEG: Piano Concerto in B minor (fragments) (1882-83) 02:34( EVJU: Piano Concerto in B minor (on fragments by E. Grieg): V. Finale 04:17) GODARD: Promenade en Mer, Op. 86 (1884) 03:24¡ SATIE: Allegro (1884) 00:29™ HOFMANN: Mazurka in B minor (1886) 02:11£ VIANA DA MOTA: Cenas portuguesas, Op. 9: No. 2. Chula (1893-1903) 03:22


CD 2 1900 – 1950s: DIVERGENCE IN A NEW CENTURY 71:30

1 CORTOT: Fauré – Dolly Suite, Op. 56: I. Berceuse (1898) 02:302 ROGER-DUCASSE: Six Préludes: No. 2, Très calme (1907) 01:383 SAMAZEUILH: Piano Suite in G minor: II. Française (1902) 02:544 MEDTNER: Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 5: II. Intermezzo (1903) 03:445 LE FLEM: Le chant des genêts: No. 4. Pour bercer (1910) 02:306 SCHMITT: Feuillets de voyage, Book 2, Op. 26: No. 2. Mazurka (1910-1913) 01:327 PONCE: Barcarola mexicana, ‘Xochimilco’ (1914) 02:398 FRIEDMAN: Four Preludes, Op. 61: No. 1. Pensieroso (1915) 01:469 ENESCU: Pièces impromptues, Op. 18: I. Mélodie (1916) 03:160 KOMITAS: Shushiki of Vagharshapat (1916) 03:34! TCHEREPNIN: Ten Bagatelles, Op. 5: No. 6. Allegro con spirito (1918) 01:05@ NIEMANN: Three Compositions for Piano, Op. 7: No. 3. Arabeske (1919) 01:41# SCHULHOFF: Funf Pittoresken, Op. 31: No. 1. Foxtrott (1919) 02:36$ ROSLAVETS: Five Preludes: No. 4 (1919) 01:42% OSWALD: Album, Op. 33: No. 2. Idylle (1920) 02:03^ GERSHWIN: Rhapsody in Blue: II. Andantino moderato (1924) 02:30& KHACHATURIAN: Two Pieces: No. 1. Waltz-Caprice (1926) 02:21* LOURIÉ: Petite Suite in F major: II. --- (1926) 01:12( MOSOLOV: Turkmenian Nights: III. Allegro (1929) 02:21) AUBERT: Feuille d’images: No. 2. Chanson de route: Avec entrain (1930) 02:16¡ NENOV: Etude No. 1 (1931) 01:35™ FROMMEL: Piano Sonata No. 2 in F major, Op. 10: III. Allegro (1935) 04:41£ KAPRÁLOVÁ: Grotesque passacaglia (1935) 02:34¢ GRAINGER: Lincolnshire Posy: IV. The Brisk Young Sailor (1937) 01:46∞ BOWEN: 24 Preludes, Op. 102: No. 4 in C sharp minor (1938) 01:36§ KVANDAL: Lyric pieces for piano, Op. 5, No. 7: Scherzino (1942 & 1946) 02:14¶ SUCCAR: Variations sur un theme oriental (1947) 06:18• NØRGÅRD: Toccata: Fuga (1949) 02:33ª WEINBERG: Piano Sonatina, Op. 49: I. Allegro leggiero (1950-1951) 02:20

! GP716 | Boris TCHAIKOVSKY (1925-1996) | Piano and Chamber Works | Olga Solovieva • Dmitry KorostelyovSonata for 2 Pianos: III. Etude (1973)The Sonata for Two Pianos is one of Boris Tchaikovsky’s most frequently performed chamber works. It provides a notable example of the mosaic approach to composition which became a hallmark of his mature style.

@ GP717 | LYKKEBO (1937–1984) | Contemporary Danish Piano Music | Carl PeterssonTableaux: No. 1. Couleurs et valses (1969, rev. 1978)Finn Lykkebo’s tonal Tableaux are poetic pearls of precision and economy, marked by an unusual degree of rhythmic complexity, while displaying a hint of poetic sensitivity.

# GP697 | SOLAL (b. 1927) | Works for Piano and Two Pianos | Eric Ferrand-N’Kaoua, with Martial SolalVoyage en Anatolie (1985)European jazz legend Martial Solal is an imaginative and creative thinker for the piano, and one never straight-jacketed by musical genres. Voyage en Anatolie is a kind of survey of Jazz, with 13 brilliantly linked variations.

$ GP717 | BISGAARD (b.1947) | Contemporary Danish Piano Music | Carl PeterssonBarcarole (1986-87)‘Barcarole’ means ‘boating song’ and Lars Aksel’s Bisgaard’s piece is cast in a peacefully flowing tempo. Stylistically, the work is reminiscent of the Romantic barcaroles of Mendelssohn.


6 GP674 | BABADJANIAN (1921-1983) | Complete Original Works for Piano Solo | Hayk Melikyan | Six Pictures: No. 3. Toccatina (1965)One of the former Soviet Union’s leading composers, Arno Babadjanian was admired by musicians such as Shostakovich and Khachaturian. He was one of the first Soviet composers to use twelve-tone compositional technique, as can be heard in his Six Pictures.

7 GP715 | GELALIAN (1927-2011) | Lebanese Piano Music | Tatiana Primak-Khoury | Tre cicli: III. Allegro con furia (1969) Boghos Gelalian was born into an Armenian family that fled to the Mediterranean city of Alexandretta in order to escape the Ottoman genocide. His Armenian heritage can be heard in the turbulent rhythms of his superb Tre Cicli.

8 GP765 | RÄÄTS (b. 1932) | Complete Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1 | Nicolas Horvath | Sonata No. 4, Op. 36 ‘Quasi Beatles’: II. (1969)Rhythmic propulsion and stylistic fragmentation are hallmarks of Estonian composer Jaan Rääts’ music. Mozartian triads, modernist clusters, baroque and folk music motifs, linear polyphony and pop music rhythms all coexist, as this movement from his Piano Sonata No. 4 demonstrates.

9 GP692 | GLASS (b. 1937) | Glassworlds, Vol. 4: On Love | Nicolas Horvath

Music in Fifths (1969)Glass’ iconic Music in Fifths is written entirely in parallel fifths, a cardinal sin in the teaching of traditional harmony. Fellow-minimalist Steve Reich described the work as being “like a freight train”.

0 GP715 | FULEIHAN (1900-1970) | Lebanese Piano Music | Tatiana Primak-Khoury

Piano Sonata No. 9: IV. Presto (1970)The Piano Sonata No. 9 by Anis Fuleihan bristles with percussive energy and virtuosity, combining folk-tinged passages with others reminiscent of a mix of French Impressionism, Bartók and Stravinsky.

CD 3 1960s – TODAY: LATTER-DAY TRENDS 69:50

1 KAZHLAEV: Welcome Overture (1961) 02:592 ABRAMIAN: 24 Preludes: No. 1 in E flat major (1958) 01:223 BAGDASARIAN: 24 Preludes: No. 3 in G major (1958) 00:404 BAZ: Esquisses: VII. Une soirée libanaise (1959) 02:075 ARUTIUNIAN: Three Musical Pictures: Sassoun Dance (1963) 02:306 BABADJANIAN: Six Pictures: No. 3. Toccatina (1965) 01:537 GELALIAN: Tre cicli: III. Allegro con furia (1969) 02:468 RÄÄTS: Sonata No. 4, Op. 36 ‘Quasi Beatles’: II. (1969) 02:319 GLASS: Music in Fifths (1969) 05:470 FULEIHAN: Piano Sonata No. 9: IV. Presto (1970) 03:45! B. TCHAIKOVSKY: Sonata for 2 Pianos: III. Etude (1973) 02:50@ LYKKEBO: Tableaux: No. 1. Couleurs et valses (1969, rev. 1978) 02:10# SOLAL: Voyage en Anatolie (1985) 05:34$ BISGAARD: Barcarole (1986-87) 03:14% MAČEK: Prelude and Toccata: Toccata (1987) 02:51^ RIOTTE: Métamorphose II: En oppositions (2001) 01:25& SILVESTROV: Two Waltzes, Op. 153: No. 2 Allegretto (2009) 02:31* HAMMOND: Miniatures and Modulations: Open the Door Softly (2011-13) 02:24( H. KHOURY: Piano Sonata No. 3, ‘Pour un instant perdu…’: III. Quête (2013) 06:17) EKANAYAKA: Adahas: Of Wings Of Roots 04:18¡ JABERI: Piano Sonata No. 1, ‘The Seeker’: I. Allegro 06:08™ GLASS: The Hours (arr. M. Riesman and N. Muhly for piano): Choosing Life 03:48


1 GP615-16 | NEEFE (1748-1798) | Twelve Sonatas | Susan Kagan12 Keyboard Sonatas: Sonata No. 4 in C minor: III. Presto (1773)Christian Gottlob Neefe flourished as the Baroque was giving way to the Classical period and his Twelve Sonatas represent important steps in this transition. Neefe is remembered today as Beethoven’s first teacher of influence.

2 GP627-28 | TÜRK (1750-1813) | Keyboard Sonatas: Collections I and II | Michael Tsalka12 Keyboard Sonatas, Collection 2: Sonata No. 2 in E flat major: II. Adagio assai (1777)Daniel Gottlob Türk is best known for his influential pedagogical treatise Klavierschule (1789) and the 12 sonatas encompassed in Collections I and II, recorded here on historical instruments, show his sensitive, at times dramatic, oratorical style.

3 GP644 | KOŽELUCH (1747-1818) | Complete Keyboard Sonatas, Vol. 3 | Kemp EnglishPiano Sonata No. 11 in E flat major, Op. 10, No. 1, P. XII:15 - III. Allegretto (1784)Mozart’s esteemed contemporary and rival, Leopold Koželuch, was an early champion of the fortepiano. His keyboard sonatas are a treasure trove of late 18th-century Viennese style, representing perfection of form, and foreshadowing Beethoven and Schubert.

4 GP680 | VAŇHAL (1739-1813) | Keyboard Capriccios | Michael Tsalka3 Neue Caprice-Sonaten, Op. 31: No. 2 in G minor, ‘Amoroso’: III. Allegretto (1780s)Johann Baptist Vaňhal played a vital role in the development of Viennese music between 1750 and 1780, composing prolifically in many genres. His keyboard Capriccios are some of the most creative examples of the Viennese Classical style.

18TH AND 19TH CENTURIES: THE CLASSICAL AND ROMANTIC ERASCD 1 2 GP665 | ABRAMIAN (1923-1986) | 24 Preludes for Piano | Mikael Ayrapetyan24 Preludes: No. 1 in E flat major (1958)Eduard Aslanovich Abramian was one of the most significant and respected figures in the development of modern Armenian music. His impressive 24 Preludes follow a seemingly spontaneous tonal scheme, principally to meet the need for dramatic contrasts of mood and colour.

3 GP664 | BAGDASARIAN (1922-1987) | Piano and Violin Music | Mikael Ayrapetyan24 Preludes: No. 3 in G major (1958)Eduard Ivanovich Bagdasarian’s widely varied 24 Preludes encompass all of the major and minor keys, with the added colour of Armenian modes; they also demonstrate the composer’s mastery of writing in miniature form.

4 GP715 | BAZ (1926-2012) | Lebanese Piano Music | Tatiana Primak-KhouryEsquisses: VII. Une soirée libanaise (1959)Georges Baz modestly described his compositional style as a “commemoration of Impressionism, enriched by small personal discoveries”. Esquisses is a set of seven delicate miniatures, the last of which evokes the effervescent joie de vivre of a Lebanese festival.

5 GP718 | ARUTIUNIAN (1920-2012) | Piano Works | Hayk MelikyanThree Musical Pictures: Sassoun Dance (1963)Alexander Arutiunian, a prominent composer during the time of the Soviet Union, created virtuoso piano works that are rooted in Armenian folk traditions. They also express, in the words of Hayk Melikyan, “a rich palette of emotions reflecting both his time and the history of his nation”.


¶ GP715 | SUCCAR (b. 1922) | Lebanese Piano Music | Tatiana Primak-KhouryVariations sur un thème oriental (1947)Toufic Succar’s Variations bear the hallmark of reconciliation between the East and the West. His Variations builds upon an oriental theme of a song popular in Palestine, and is a perfect example of the harmonious balance between Lebanon’s oriental identity with Western classical music.

• GP717 | NØRGÅRD (b.1932) | Contemporary Danish Piano Music | Carl PeterssonToccata: Fuga (1949)Per Nørgård is regarded as the most important contemporary Danish composers. The youthful, joyous bravura that can be heard in Toccata, written when he was only 17, places significant demands upon the pianist both technically and musically.

ª GP607 | WEINBERG (1919-1996) | Complete Piano Music, Vol. 2 | Allison Brewster FranzettiPiano Sonatina, Op. 49: I. Allegro leggiero (1950-1951)Polish by birth, Mieczysław Weinberg escaped to the Soviet Union in 1939 and became a close friend of Shostakovich. Piano music formed an important part of his prolific output, reflecting his life in its blend of optimism, tragedy and bitter-sweet humour.

1 GP688 | KAZHLAEV (b. 1931) | Piano Music | Chisato KusunokiPicture Pieces: Welcome Overture (1961)The Dagestani composer, teacher and conductor Murad Kazhlaev writes for the piano with idiomatic flair. His nonchalant wit can be savoured in Picture Pieces: the breezy second movement, Welcome Overture, was dedicated to the celebrated Avar poet Rasul Gamzatov (1923–2003).

1960s – TODAY: LATTER-DAY TRENDSCD 3

5 GP666 | HOFFMEISTER (1754–1812) | Sonatas for Piano, Vol. 1 | Biliana TzinlikovaKeyboard Sonata in A major: III. Presto (1790)Franz Anton Hoffmeister’s keyboard Sonatas are models of 18th-century craftsmanship, combining the wit and display demanded by contemporary audiences with elements of operatic drama and poignancy.

6 GP619-20 | BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) | Complete Piano Duets | Amy and Sara HamannSonata in D major for Piano 4 Hands, Op. 6: II. Rondo: Moderato (1797)Beethoven’s Sonata in D major, Op. 6 for piano duet was presumably intended for his pupils. It has a forthright first movement, followed by a simple Rondo with the expected contrasting episodes.

7 GP613-14 | CRAMER (1771-1858) | Studio per il pianoforte | Alessandro DeljavanStudio per il pianoforte, Book 1, Op. 30: No. 26 in G sharp minor (1804)Johann Baptist Cramer’s formidable reputation as a pianist of sensitivity and singing tone is exemplified in his Études, their musical interest recalling Bach and Scarlatti. They were favourites with Beethoven and Schumann in their day, and later with Busoni.

8 GP613-14 | BUSONI (1866-1924) | Eight Etudes after Cramer | Gianluca LuisiKlavierübung, Book 7: No. 5 in C major (1897)The composer-pianist Ferruccio Busoni produced an edited version of sixty of Cramer’s Études, and his own version of eight of them appear in his Klavierübung (1918-1922). Four deal with problems of legato playing, and four are devoted to staccato.


9 GP685 | SZYMANOWSKA (1789-1831) | Complete dances for Solo Piano | Alexander Kostritsa18 Danses: No. 7. Valse in B flat major (early 1800s)Displaying exceptional musical precocity, the young pianist Maria Szymanowska proved a sensation in the salons of Warsaw and Paris. She was admired by her contemporaries, including Beethoven and Cherubini. Her keyboard dances are pleasing and light, yet always inventive.

0 GP670 | VOŘÍŠEK (1791–1825) | Complete Works for Piano, Vol. 1 | Biljana UrbanPiano Sonata in B flat minor, Op. 20, “Quasi una fantasia”: III. Finale: Allegro con brio (1820s)The Bohemian-born composer Jan Hugo Voříšek eventually settled in Vienna. His Sonata Op. 20 is a masterpiece to rival the sonatas of Beethoven. Thematic links between sections provide a structural underpinning to the work, with all of the important thematic ideas unfolding in five-bar phrases.

! GP741 | GLINKA (1804-1857) | Variations | Inga FioliaVariations on the Russian folk-song Sredi dolinï rovnïya (In the Shallow Valley) (1826) Glinka is regarded as the father of Russian classical music. He composed a number of piano variations on themes from operas and, in 1826, he wrote a set of variations on the Russian folksong ‘In the Shallow Valley’, which was published 13 years later.

@ GP661 | HENSELT (1814-1889) | Piano Works | Sergio Gallo12 Études caractéristiques, Op. 2: No. 6 in F sharp major, “Si oiseau j’étais, à toi je volerais!” (1837-38)Bavarian-born Adolf von Henselt was one of a galaxy of star pianist-composers of a similar age that included Chopin, Schumann and Liszt. His piano works embrace ferocious technical studies as well as romantic salon pieces, leading Schumann to dub him ‘the Chopin of the North’.

£ GP708 | KAPRÁLOVÁ (1915-1940) | Piano Works | Giorgio KouklGrotesque passacaglia (1935) Despite her tragically brief life, Vítězslava Kaprálová is now considered the most important female Czech composer of the 20th century, with a prolific output that abounds with fresh ideas. The Grotesque passacaglia is one of several bold, contemporaneous exercises in Baroque forms she wrote whilst a student at the Prague Conservatory.

¢ GP633 | GRAINGER (1882-1961) | Folk-inspired works for piano duet and duo | Caroline Weichert • Clemens RaveLincolnshire Posy: IV. The Brisk Young Sailor (1937)The essence of Percy Grainger’s music is most evident in his piano pieces. He created works of ingenious variation, textures and moods and his sparkling genius can be heard throughout.

∞ GP637 | BOWEN (1884-1961) | 24 Preludes • Suite Mignonne • Berceuse | Cristina Ortiz24 Preludes, Op. 102: No. 4 in C sharp minor (1938)York Bowen was described by Saint-Saëns as ‘the most remarkable of the young British composers’. His 24 Preludes form a sequence of concise, richly expressive and directly communicative studies.

§ GP739 | KVANDAL (1919-1999) | Piano Works | Joachim KnophLyric pieces for piano, Op. 5, No. 7: Scherzino. Allegro scherzando (1942 & 1946)Norwegian composer Johan Kvandal frequently fused elements of folk music with classical form to produce a wide variety of enduringly attractive scores.


( GP703-04 | MOSOLOV (1900-1973) | Complete Works for Solo Piano | Olga AndryushchenkoTurkmenian Nights: III. Allegro (1929)Alexander Vasilyevich Mosolov was one of the most prominent Soviet experimentalist composers of the 1920s, famed for his futurist orchestral piece The Iron Foundry. In his piano works, Mosolov shows himself to be one of the boldest Russian composers of his time.

) GP648 | AUBERT (1877-1968) | Sillages • Violin Sonata • Habanera • Feuille d’images | Jean-Pierre Armengaud • Olivier ChauzuFeuille d’images: No. 2. Chanson de route: Avec entrain (1930)A pupil of Fauré, Louis Aubert was considered in his day to be one of the most original French composers. The distinctive Feuille d’images is a varied collection of educational pieces.

¡ GP652 | NENOV (1902-1953) | Piano Music | Viktor ValkovEtude No. 1 (1931)Dimitar Nenov was a leading figure of early 20th-century Bulgarian classical music. A brilliant pianist, composer and architect, he provided a crucial influence for the generation of composers that formed the Bulgarian avant-garde of the 1950s and 1960s.

™ GP606 | FROMMEL (1906-1984) | Piano Sonatas Nos. 1–3 | Tatjana Blome Piano Sonata No. 2 in F major, Op. 10: III. Allegro (1935)Gerhard Frommel found his voice in individuality and tradition. His highly contrasting Piano Sonatas are rooted in a blend of romanticism and the rhythmic propulsion of Stravinsky, articulated with clownish grotesquery in his Piano Sonata No. 2.

# GP609 | SAINT-SAËNS (1835-1921) | Complete Piano Works, Vol. 3 | Geoffrey BurlesonBagatelles, Op. 3: No. 3: Poco adagio (1855)A seminal figure of French Romantic music, Camille Saint-Saëns was also a keyboard prodigy. His vivid and characterful Six Bagatelles, Op. 3, written when he was only 20, are a unified set of character pieces.

$ GP636 | BALAKIREV (1837-1910) | Complete Piano Works, Vol. 1 | Nicholas WalkerPiano Sonata in B flat minor, Op. 3 ‘Grande Sonate’: IV. Finale: Allegro grazioso (1855)The Grande Sonate, Op. 3 was effectively the first version of the 1905 Sonata in B flat minor, a highly original and moving work that fulfils Balakirev’s desire to create a work that would express the entire history of Russia – her peoples, landscape and culture.

% GP634 | RAFF (1822-1882) | Piano Works, Vol. 3 | Tra NguyenFantaisie-polonaise, Op. 106 (1861)Although Joachim Raff is remembered primarily as one of the foremost symphonists of his day, his largest output was for the piano. The Fantaisie-polonaise is a bravura work in which he progressively embellishes the opening theme with his customary inventiveness.

^ GP676 | GOUVY (1819-1898) | Sonatas for Piano Four Hands | Emile Naoumoff • Yau ChengSonata for Piano 4 Hands in C minor, Op. 49: III. Minuetto: Moderato (1869)An eminent member the French musical establishment during the 1870s and 1880s, Louis Théodore Gouvy wrote a large amount of piano music, much of it for four hands. His Sonatas reveal his considerable technical command as well as a flowing elegance.


& GP660 | CARREÑO (1853-1917) | Rêverie | Alexandra OehlerSouvenirs de mon pays, Op. 10 (1873)The Venezuelan pianist Teresa Carreño was one of the most virtuosic artists of her age, giving sold-out concerts throughout America, Europe and Australasia. Her piano compositions reveal exacting technical demands allied to a strikingly expressive palette.

* GP689 | GRIEG (1843–1907) | Piano Concerto in A minor | Carl PeterssonPiano Concerto in B minor (fragments) (1882-83)Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor is one of the most popular works of classical music. In 1882-83, Grieg worked on a second concerto in B minor. It was never completed and only fragments survived.

( GP689 | EVJU (b. 1942) | Piano concerto in B minor | Carl Petersson, Prague Radio Symphony, Kerry StrattonPiano Concerto in B minor (On fragments by E. Grieg): V. FinaleNorwegian composer Helge Evju has composed a new concerto based on these sketches, creating a Romantic and beautiful companion.

) GP683 | GODARD (1849-1895) | Piano Works, Vol. 1 | Eliane ReyesPromenade en Mer, Op. 86 (1884)Benjamin Godard was regarded as one of the most promising French composers of the second half of the 19th century. His piano works are delightful character pieces or miniatures, although he also wrote two powerful sonatas.

¡ GP761 | SATIE (1866-1925) | Complete Piano Music, Vol. 1 | Nicolas Horvath

Allegro (1884)Dating from 1884, Satie’s miniature Allegro was his first composition. Redolent of Chopin, and written when he was eighteen, it’s performed here on the 1881 Érard piano that belonged to Cosima Wagner.

% GP682 | OSWALD (1852-1931) | Piano Works | Sergio MonteiroAlbum, Op. 33: No. 2. Idylle (1920)Henrique Oswald was one of the most important South American composers of the late-19th and early-20th centuries. His music is an eclectic mixture of traditional and modern styles including French impressionism and the established idioms of Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Brahms, Buonamici and Saint-Saëns.

^ GP696 | GERSHWIN (1898-1937) | Stravinsky, Ravel, Gershwin: Transcriptions and Original Piano Works | Eric Ferrand-N’KaouaRhapsody in Blue: II. Andantino moderato (1924)Gershwin wrote Rhapsody in Blue in barely five weeks, noting down the piano solo part and the elements to be allotted to the orchestral instruments, but leaving the task of orchestrating it to Ferde Grofé. This recording is based on Gershwin’s original score, rediscovered in New York a few years ago.

& GP673 | KHACHATURIAN (1903-1978) | Original Piano Works and Transcriptions | Kariné PoghosyanTwo Pieces: No. 1. Waltz-Caprice (1926)Although Khachaturian is today renowned for his great ballet scores, and his transcriptions of them for piano, his other piano works have been relatively neglected. The Waltz-Caprice unfolds as a rather reluctant waltz, gaining emotional ardour as it heads to a more demonstrative culmination.

* GP737 | LOURIÉ (1891-1966) | Complete Piano Works, Vol. 1 | Giorgio KouklPetite Suite in F major: II. --- (1926)Arthur-Vincent Lourié was lauded – and derided – as a pioneering Futurist, and was both a radical and a conservative. His post-revolutionary writing in France embraced a nostalgic neo-Classicism, as represented by the Petite Suite en Fa.


! GP608 | TCHEREPNIN (1899-1977) | Complete Piano Music, Vol. 1 | Giorgio KouklTen Bagatelles, Op. 5: No. 6. Allegro con spirito (1918)Russian-born Alexander Tcherepnin was a master of both the miniature and the monumental. His Bagatelles, Op. 5 were written between 1912 and 1918, while he was still a teenager. They are now staples for young pianists venturing into early 20th-century classical music.

@ GP662 | NIEMANN (1876-1953) | Piano Music | Bing Bing LiThree Compositions for Piano, Op. 7: No. 3. Arabeske: Vivace e leggiero (1919)Highly respected in his day as a scholar, composer and pianist, Walter Niemann fell out of favour after World War II. His prolific output for piano is mainly Romantic and reflective in style, yet with an underlying passion. The Arabeske from his 3 Compositions for Piano, Op. 7 unfolds over a lilting, barcarole-like accompaniment.

# GP631 | SCHULHOFF (1894-1942) | Piano Works, Vol. 2 | Caroline WeichertFunf Pittoresken, Op. 31: No. 1. Foxtrott (1919)During his short life, the Czech composer Erwin Schulhoff absorbed a wide range of musical styles and assimilated the influence of Jazz with genuinely distinctive results. The Fünf Pittoresken are a reflection of both Dada and Scott Joplin.

$ GP743-44 | ROSLAVETS (1881-1944) | Complete Piano Works | Olga AndryushchenkoFive Preludes: No. 4 (1919)Nikolay Andreyevich Roslavets, hailed by Stravinsky as “the most interesting Russian composer of the 20th century”, experimented with both miniatures and large-scale sonata form in his piano works. A certain simplification of his complex style appeared in the 1920s, which can be heard in his Cinq préludes.

™ GP675 | HOFMANN (1876–1957) | Piano Works | Artem YasynskyyMazurka in B minor (1886)Józef (Josef) Hofmann was one of the greatest Romantic virtuosi of his age, a towering technician and a poet of the keyboard. The Mazurka in B minor was written when he was only ten years old.

£ GP725 | VIANA DA MOTA (1868-1948) | Portuguese Piano Music | Sofia LourençoCenas portuguesas, Op. 9: No. 2. Chula (1893-1903)José Viana da Mota became one of the great keyboard virtuosi of his time. As a composer, his works fused international styles with nationalist elements inspired by Portuguese songs and dances.

1 GP641 | CORTOT (1877-1962) | Piano Arrangements | He YueFauré – Dolly Suite, Op. 56: I. Berceuse (1898)Legendary pianist Alfred Cortot’s distinguished reputation as an educator is demonstrated in his magnificent arrangements of chamber music for solo piano. They cover every aspect of technique and expression, from Bach’s demanding Toccata and Fugue in D minor to Fauré’s delectable Dolly Suite.

2 GP724 | ROGER-DUCASSE (1873-1954) | Piano Works | Joel HastingsSix Préludes: No. 2, Très calme (1907)Jean Roger-Ducasse was a close friend of Debussy and a composer of considerable reputation in his day. One critic declared that “all the best qualities of the French musician are combined in him – an abundantly rich imagination, clear and deep thought …. and unerring taste.”

1900 – 1950s: DIVERGENCE IN A NEW CENTURYCD 2


7 GP638 | PONCE (1882-1948) | Complete Piano Works, Vol. 1 | Álvaro CendoyaBarcarola mexicana, ‘Xochimilco’ (1914)Manuel Ponce was the founder of Mexican musical nationalism, often incorporating the melodies of harmonised folk-songs into his music. Widely travelled – he studied in Bologna and with Dukas in Paris – Ponce assimilated a wide range of styles and influences.

8 GP711 | FRIEDMAN (1882–1948) | Original Piano Compositions | Joseph BanowetzFour Preludes, Op. 61: No. 1. Pensieroso (1915)Virtuoso pianist Ignaz Friedman’s compositions have long been neglected but they possess great melodic beauty and harmonic inventiveness. Grouped into sets of character pieces, they exude haunting melodies of late-Romanticism.

9 GP705 | ENESCU (1881-1955) | Complete Works for Solo Piano, Vol. 1 | Josu de SolaunPièces impromptues, Op. 18: I. Mélodie (1916)In the Eastern European diaspora of 20th-century music, few composers can claim the audacity and originality of George Enescu. His Pièces impromptues, Op. 18 are independent, character pieces that illuminate Enescu’s fascination with the indigenous music of Romania.

0 GP720 | KOMITAS (1869-1935) | Piano Works | Mikael Ayrapetyan7 Folk dances: Shushiki of Vagharshapat (1916)Komitas, the pioneering “saviour of Armenian music”, composed and performed his 7 Folk Dances in Paris. Each dance is linked to its place of origin and evokes the specific timbres of Armenian instruments. Skillfully arranged, the tunes are vividly rich in sonority.

3 GP669 | SAMAZEUILH (1877-1967) | Complete Piano Works | Olivier ChauzuPiano Suite in G minor: II. Française (1902)A pupil of Dukas and a lifelong friend of Ravel, the composer, pianist and critic Gustave Samazeuilh was a central figure in Parisian musical life over many decades. His Suite in G is one of a number of modern works inspired by the rediscovery of Classical French composers.

4 GP617 | MEDTNER (1880-1951) | Complete Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1 | Paul StewartSonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 5: II. Intermezzo: Allegro. Moderato-Andante (1903)Like his near-contemporary Rachmaninov, who called him ‘the greatest composer of our time’, Nikolay Medtner was a composer, pianist and an exile from Russia. The Sonata No. 1, Op. 5, his first large-scale work, is both intense and spiritually charged.

5 GP695 | LE FLEM (1881-1984) | Complete Piano Works | Giorgio KouklLe chant des genêts: No. 4. Pour bercer (1910)Paul Le Flem belonged to the Parisian circle of Martinů, Tcherepnin and Tansman. He summed up his own music as a fusion of three influences: his native Brittany, Debussy, and Vincent d’Indy. The intense poetry of his works ranges from the lighthearted to the disquieting.

6 GP623 | SCHMITT (1870-1958) | Complete Original Works for Piano Duet and Duo, Vol. 3 | The Invencia Piano DuoFeuillets de voyage, Book 2, Op. 26: No. 2. Mazurka (1910-1913)Florent Schmitt remains one of the most influential French composers of the twentieth century. He was a formidable pianist and his writing for the instrument is colourful, bold and harmonically dexterous. Schmitt was also an inveterate traveller and this permeates his poetic Feuillets de voyage (Travel Pages).

Documents

THREE CENTURIES OF RARE KEYBOARD GEMSLaunched in 2012, the Grand Piano label quickly gained a reputation for producing high quality recordings of rare keyboard gems. Dedicated to the