Kurt Schwertsik - Baumgesange / Herr K Entdeckt Amerika & - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

I have long imagined a recital program dedicated to the opposing themes of heaven and hell, spiritual and corporal, saints and sinners, writes pianist Andrew von Oeyen of his album Angels and Demons. Combining works conceived for solo keyboard with transcriptions of music from the orchestral, operatic and choral repertoires, he takes the 'angelic' route with Bach (transcribed in one instance by Busoni), Debussy, Fauré and Messiaen, and the 'demonic' route with Liszt, Saint-Saëns and Edward MacDowell. As he leads the listener on a journey into the darkest corners of human emotion, but also towards rapture and catharsis,Inch the American-born pianist proves an assured and inspiring guide. After all, in the words of the Chicago Tribune, InchHe leaves you convinced that he can do absolutely anything he likes with a keyboard.Inch AvO

Moritz Benjamin Kolb writes InchWe first placed the sheet music of Purcell´s fantasias on our music stands at a time when we were principally working on Mendelssohn's last quartet, immersed in his dark spiritual mood. We played the first bars of one of the fantasias on a whim, perhaps subconsciously wishing to find a light-hearted contrast to what we were working on. The incredible beauty and clarity of the music took hold of us straight away, in a way that no other music had affected us till then. Our faces brightened up and we knew that these gems would stay with us. From then on, we began each rehearsal with one of the fantasias. This new light was rather like an awakening for us. We began to include the fantasias in our concert programmes. As a result of the enthusiastic audience reaction and our collaboration with the wonderful Richard Gwilt we decided, over time, that we would take possession of these works. As a result, the contrast between light and dark on this recording is something very personal. We are very happy about this and grateful.Inch

Various Artists - Hackbrett Und Zithern in Der S / Various [COMPACT DISCS] date 01/01/2009