LIZST / GODOWSKY: Piano Transcriptions

Leopold GODOWSKY: Symphonic Metamorphoses on Waltzes and Themes by Johann Strauss:
Die Fledermaus; Wienerisch; Ein Künstlerleben

Franz LISZT: Piano Transcriptions of Schubert Songs:
Die Forelle; Auf dem Wasser zu singen; Ständchen nach Skakespeare "Horch, horch! Die Lerch' im Ätherblau"; Ständchen "Leise flehen meine Lieder"; Aufenthalt; Der Erlkönig

Burkhard Schliessmann (piano)

DIGIPAK INCLUDING BONUS DVD AUDIO

Sound Format: PCM Stereo
Picture Format: 4:3
Region Code: 0 worldwide
Menu Languages: D, F, GB, SP
Running Time: 70 mins DVD + 70 mins DVD Audio
DVD 5/ NTSC
Cat no.:100 455

"Schliessmann is the best pianist I know at entering the world and expressing the awareness of the German romantics." Donald Vroon, American Record Guide

One of the most exciting young performers of the modern era plays Godowsky and Liszt this month, albeit with a basis in works by two other great composers.

Franz Liszt's love of Schubert songs led him to transcribe over fifty for piano. The resulting arrangements are among some of the most difficult pieces for piano, as well as establishing the transcriptions as an art form in their own right. This collection includes two of Schubert's most popular songs, Die Forelle and Erlkönig. Leopold Godowsky also wrote many transcriptions, including those of Schubert songs, and, like Liszt, was also one of the greatest virtuoso pianists of his time. His pieces are often technically challenging yet witty and entertaining, the Symphonic Metamorphoses being a perfect example.

German-born Burkard Schliessmann has received numerous honours for his incisively intelligent yet intuitive interpretations, with a particular empathy for the great Romantic composers. He has been favourably compared with such legendary pianists as Richter and Michelangeli. His first record, intended only as a demo-tape for the Washington Music Festival, received the 1988 Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik, while a second album of Brahms won a Grammy Award.

"... His performance of the Liszt Sonata makes clear his extremely personal approach. Avoiding both the architectural rigor of Pollini and the sheer intensity of Horowitz, Schliessmann offers an unusually inward account of the music … The technique is absolutely secure, but there's no razzle-dazzle. As usual, this interpretative perspective seems to stem from a deeply considered study of the piece in terms of Liszt's own life..." Fanfare Magazine