Yojo Christen - 2x33 fur Piano - Works by Franz Hummel - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Limited red, white, and blue splatter colored vinyl LP pressing. Benson Boone is quickly soaring to global pop stardom on the heels of a breakout year in 2024. His album American Heart builds upon that success and expands his sonic landscape, creating a project that feels both larger-than-life and sincere at it's core. Boasting lead single InchSorry I'm Here For Someone ElseInch in addition to standout tracks like InchMystical Magical,Inch InchI Wanna Be The One You Call,Inch InchYoung American Heart,Inch and the deeply personal InchMomma Song,Inch American Heart sees Benson hone in on compelling narratives and a rock-tinged, 70s pop sound that delivers a sense of nostalgia while feeling fresh and inventive.

Following Yojo's first CD for TYXart (TXA12001), at the age of 15, for which he received enthusiastic reviews, this CD now presents the 17-year-old with Liszt's monumental B Minor Sonata as the main work.

When Yojo Christen plays the piano, his eyes light up and you realise that for him there is nothing more beautiful, nothing more significant in this world. The love story between the pianist and music started early, because as soon as Yojo could walk, he was drawn to the fascinating black grand piano in his family's living room. Yojo was taught early on by his stepfather, the successful concert pianist and composer Franz Hummel. In his youth, Hummel himself was a student of the famous Mozarteum piano professor Hans Ehlers, who in turn was a grand-disciple of Franz Liszt through his studies with Moriz Rosenthal and placed great value on teaching his students all of Liszt's secrets and playing techniques. Yojo on this CD RecordingInchFor this CD, I have chosen a musical composition that deviates from the usual conventions. George Gershwin's InchRhapsody in BlueInch, a very original homage to early American jazz, is followed by a contemporary work. It is Franz Hummel's second piano concerto with the title, InchWar and PeaceInch, to which he asked me to contribute the finale. From my composition IRINI (Peace), for which I won the second and audience prizes at the International Diabelli Composition Competition in Munich at the age of 18, I created an orchestral version especially for this purpose the third movement of the piano concerto. In 2016, I premiered the work with the Regensburg Philharmonic under Tetsuro Ban, whose recording I may publish here with the orchestra's permission. The musicians masterfully realized the truly difficult score with great dedication and profound skill. As a third stylistic variant, I have given room to my desire for romanticism and recorded the four Impromptus op. 90 by Franz Schubert. I would like to present these natural, naïve-philosophical gems, whose profound simplicity can move one to tears, to Schubert lovers as well as to the pop-