Harald Weiss - Arche - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

César Franck's great Violin Sonata in A, arranged for piano by Alfred Cortot, forms the focus on our new solo album featuring the gifted and successful pianist Michael Korstick. InchThe version without disturbing scratching noises does indeed have it's appeal,Inch Korstick ironically opines and then explains, InchI know that I'm now making myself extremely unpopular with all violinists, but some things come across even better in the version for piano alone. One doesn't miss the violin.Inch This is of course a controversial statement, especially since it refers to the embodiment of the sensuous romantic violin sonata. InchThe fact is that Franck almost always thinks starting from the organ,Inch thus Korstick's argument continues, Inchand Cortot so genially distributed the voices of the octaves that the polyphonic structure becomes clearer.Inch The audience at it's premiere in Paris in 1885 was immediately enthused, and most pianists continue to be so even today. Michael Korstick regards this work as Franck's Inchmost important, central solo piece,Inch and the Franck expert Jörg Demus views the Prélude, Aria et Final as one of the few InchlucidInch compositions of the late romantic period and pardons it for it's difficulty in playing technique InchBut what do difficulties mean when the emotional content compensates one for it in such a rich way!

In Ade, a work for musical theater, Harald Weiss combines elements of classical music with folk, rock, and minimal music to create the style typical of his work, which escapes any possible classification. The music leaves behind a sense of astonishment that can perceived as a lasting, inherent style.

These ten original pieces are honed down to the details, in an highly intelligent and ironically witty style that makes it possible to hear patterns of behavior, of language, and of thought. Harald Weiss speaks, sings, and plays all the percussion instruments, including many strange ones, all by himself - new, delightful surprises constantly result.