SELIM PALMGREN (1878⁠–⁠1951)

COMPLETE PIANO WORKS • 6


JOUNI SOMERO

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‘Of the pieces presented in this latest volume, my favourites include the Festive Prelude, as well as the Prelude funèbre, which was played at the composer’s funeral in 1951. It is a truly powerful work where the tension is released only at the end of the piece – in its final chord.

Palmgren’s The Isle of Shadows, Op. 28 No. 2 was written already in 1908 – two years before Debussy’s first book of Preludes! This piece includes such fine Impressionistic pianism that one could imagine Debussy having used this piece as a model when writing his preludes.

The final piece on the album, Ein Mephistowalzer, shows Palmgren’s skills in writing ‘devilish’ piano virtuosity.’ – Jouni Somero

Listen to an excerpt from Ungdom, Op. 28 (‘Youth’): No. 2. Skuggornas ö (‘The Isle of Shadows’)
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