Lourie / Ernst / Ansull - Arthur Lourie: Solo Piano Works - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Beethoven's genius may have had a dominant presence in early 19th-century Vienna, but the 18-year-old Schubert composed a Sonata in E major, D.157 in 1815 that already encapsulated elements of his own genius in the Lied-like perfection of it's second movement. His first true piano masterpiece followed in the Sonata in A major, D.664, with an intimacy, lyricism and perfection of form that set him apart from his contemporaries. Composed five years later, the Sonata in D major, D.850 is marked by extrovert, virtuosic writing, memorable themes and an almost improvisatory flair.

This set of George Enescu's solo piano music traces a fascinating musical arc from his precocious years in Vienna and Paris, where he absorbed Brahmsian and French late-Romantic influences, notably in the Impromptus, to the brilliantly mercurial Piano Sonata No. 3. Whether in the Pieces impromptus, eloquent character pieces, or in the oceanic Piano Sonata No. 1, Enescu remains, in Pablo Casals' words, Inchthe greatest musical phenomenon since Mozart,Inch his unique musical language embracing Bach as well as the abiding vitality, and melancholy, of his native Romanian folk music. As a First Prize winner of the XIII George Enescu International Piano Competition in Bucharest, the XV José Iturbi International Piano Competition and the First European Union Piano Competition, Spanish pianist Josu de Solaun has been invited to perform in distinguished concert series throughout the world, having made notable appearances in Bucharest, Venice, Saint Petersburg, Washington, DC, New York, London, Paris, Leipzig, and all major cities of Spain. He is the only pianist from Spain to win the Enescu and Iturbi competitions in their respective histories, and was recently invited to a private reception with the King and Queen of Spain at the Royal Palace after winning the coveted Bucharest prize.

Lourie / Koukl - Lourie Complete Piano Works 1 [COMPACT DISCS] date 08/12/2016