Dodgson / Karolos - Chamber Music with Harp & Guitar - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Schumann wrote 26 songs and called them InchMyrten,Inch which means InchMyrtles,Inch as a wedding gift to Clara Wieck. Schumann, who grew up between piles of books in his father's bookstore, had developed a diverse taste in literature, and in Myrten his choice of poetry is not only adventurous, but above all remarkable. All texts of the cycle are in German, but three of the poets are English, Scottish or Irish Lord Byron, Robert Burns, and Thomas Moore. Most English texts Schumann used for his Myrten were translated by Wilhelm Gerhard, a German salesman and poet, who lived in Leipzig and was friendly with many leading poets and composers. The other poems are written by Goethe, Ruckert and Heine, who are each represented in several songs. Only one text, which inspired Schumann to write one of his most beloved songs, was written by Julius Mosen Der Nussbaum.

From the pen of the fifteen-year-old Beethoven, these three piano quartets are among the earliest examples of a chamber music genre that would not reach full maturity until the time of Brahms.

Acclaimed pianist Inna Faliks breaks new ground with REIMAGINED on Navona Records, an homage to Beethoven and Ravel which manages to do the impossible be breathtakingly innovative while remaining respectful to the source material. Nine contemporary composers, including Richard Danielpour, Paola Prestini, Billy Childs, and Timo Andres, were commissioned to craft responses to Ludwig van Beethoven's Bagatelles, op. 126 (incidentally, the master's favorite) as well as Maurice Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit. The results are exhilarating, not least owing to Faliks's stunningly precise and sensitive pianistic interpretation the Ukrainian-born American pianist ties together Classical, Romantic and modern pieces with disarming nonchalance and rock-solid technical skill. Defying the challenge of uniting three centuries of musical styles and social commentary, as well as producing an album during a global pandemic with the help of Yamaha's Disklavier technology, REIMAGINED proudly raises a monument not only to the genius of Beethoven and Ravel, but also to the perseverance and verve of some of today's most exciting and important composers.