Various Artists - Integrale-Piano Works / Various - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Honggi Kim, winner of the 2018 Jaen Prize International Piano Competition, has chosen a fascinating recital programme for his Naxos recording debut. Both Scarbo and Los requiebros are pillars of the piano repertoire, brimming with expressive and technical challenges for any performer, as is Carl Vine's beautifully written but rarely heard Piano Sonata No. 1. Sanchez-Verdu's Jardin de espejos ('Garden of Mirrors') is influenced by the multiple layers in Islamic art, the 'mirrors' of the title lending shape to a tradition of listening, silence and echoes. The programme concludes with Schumann's Piano Quintet in E flat major, an outstanding work in the chamber-music literature.

This album includes the complete piano works of Anton von Webern, as well as a series of contemporary works for piano that are inspired by Webern's piano works. Anis Mercer is an American composer/pianist living in San Francisco. Her musical activities as composer, and pianist are closely interwoven. As a solo pianist and accompanist, Ms. Mercer has a keen interest in the music of the Second Viennese School but also performs music by living composers and commissions solo and chamber works. She has performed music by such diverse composers as Anthony Braxton, Anton Webern, Bela Bartók, Leos Janacek, Brian Belét, Pablo Furman, Paul Rudy and Sever Tipei, and has commissioned works from Zack Browning, Erik Lund, and Donivan Johnson, among others.

Founded in 1987 the annual Rarities of Piano Music Festival in the North German town of Husum is a major event. Danacord is proud to the recording from the 32nd Festival in 2018 featuring again rare piano music played by some of the leading pianists of today. Among the highlights you will find the truly remarkable pianist Antonio Pompa-Baldi and very rare piano works by Vierne and Nicode. Many of the works are first ever album recordings, and as usual all are unedited live performances. All lovers of piano music will want this , not only because of the first class pianism from truly outstanding performers, but also because the quality of the often unknown and rare mostly romantic piano music is of such invaluable substance. Critics are raving about the piano sound and the long and informative booklet.