In the year 1828, Franz Schubert stared down his impending death from syphilis and produced an astonishing amount of music. In his desperation, with the clock running out, he achieved some of his greatest art (see my post about his B-flat sonata). Thankfully, he also left most of it in a finished state, but the... Continue Reading →
Johannes Brahms loved variation form. This is clear from the number of standalone variation sets he composed, as well as the numerous times he turned to variation form for a movement of a sonata or other work. All of these pieces are quite fine, but there’s something about Op. 21, No. 1 that I keep... Continue Reading →
When you hear the name Muzio Clementi, what comes to mind? Those six charming little sonatinas that have been and will be played by young pianists for perpetuity? Gradus ad Parnassum? Introduction to the Art of Playing the Pianoforte? Unfortunately, Clementi’s legacy as a pedagogue has completely overshadowed his other, considerable contributions to the art... Continue Reading →
Béla Bartók’s music is a hearty stew (a goulash, if you will) of folk influences and crunchy harmonies, held together by counterpoint and symmetry. I first fell in love with his string quartets, but only became familiar with his piano music when I worked on a new Boosey & Hawkes anthology a couple years ago.... Continue Reading →
Beethoven’s late period works never get old for me. The Op. 111 sonata, the Ninth Symphony, the Grosse Fuge…it’s a nonstop journey of dramatic intensity, revelations, deep introspection, and reassurance in the face of chaos. My first listening sessions of the late piano sonatas and late quartets in middle school remain some of my most... Continue Reading →
Federico Mompou (1893-1987) was an exceptionally reclusive composer with an output of exceptionally introspective music. Though influenced by Chopin, his miniatures bear an unmistakable personal stamp and Spanish style. He frequently employed sounds of his native Barcelona: church bells tolling and gulls crying. I’ve played my way through much of Mompou’s piano music and encountered,... Continue Reading →
I view Alexander Scriabin (1871-1915) as one of the true successors to Chopin as a composer of preludes, as he emulated both the brevity and poetry of those works. Despite having written eighty-three individual preludes, he gets less recognition than Chopin or even Rachmaninoff. Granted, some of these pieces are quite brief, and are dispersed... Continue Reading →
