Virtuoso Strauss Transcriptions

1. Concert Arabesque on Johann Strauss II's "By The Beautiful Blue Danube"
Composed by Andrei Schulz-Evler
with Piers Lane

2. Frühlingsstimmen (Voices of Spring), waltz for orchestra (with voice ad lib), Op. 410 (RV 410)
Composed by Johann II Strauss
with Piers Lane

3. Carnaval de Vienne, Humoresque on themes of Johann Strauss II, for piano
Composed by Moriz Rosenthal
with Piers Lane

4. Nouvelle soirées de Vienne for piano: Valse-Caprice no. 1, "Nachtfalter" (after Strauss Jr., op. 157)
Composed by Carl Tausig
with Piers Lane

5. Nouvelle sirées de Vienne for piano: Valse-Caprice no. 2, "Man lebt nur einmal" (after Strauss Jr., op. 167)
Composed by Carl Tausig
with Piers Lane

6. Nouvelle soirées de Vienne for piano: Valse-Caprice no. 3 "Wahlstimmen" (after Strauss Jr., op. 250)
Composed by Carl Tausig
with Piers Lane

7. Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes from J. Strauss II's "Die Fledermaus, " for piano
Composed by Leopold Godowsky
with Piers Lane

8. Fantasy for piano (on Johann Strauss II's "An der shönen blauen Donau," "Die Fledermaus" & "Freut euch des Lebens")
Composed by Moriz Rosenthal
with Piers Lane

Tracks:

Concert Arabesques
Fruhlinsstimmen
Carnaval De Vienne
Nachtfalter
Man Lebt Nur Einmal
Wahlstimmen
Symphonic Metamorphosis
Fantasy On Johann Strauss

Customer Reviews:

Pretty Piano Music.......2007-04-27

'Virtuoso Strauss Transcriptions' contain music one can perform on a piano in the parlor, drawing room, or salon, where there is not enough room for a full Viennese orchestra. This kind of transcription was very common in the days before mechanical recording techniques permitted one to transport music from even the largest concert stages to your home. The only problem is that listening to an Edison recording was simply not as interesting as listening to cousin Nellie perform 'The Blue Danube' on the family upright, in front of the extended family. In that sense, these recordings are something of a fossil, memories of times past. That means they are more interesting from the point of view of what Friedman and Rosenthal and Tausig and Godowsky and Rosenthal did with Strauss than the musicality of the original tunes, whose reputation in the annal of world music are secure. It also puts much more work on the shoulders of pianist, Piers Lane, as he has no conductor or 100 other pieces with which to share the credit or blame for the interpretation.
After saying all that, I have to say that this is still good listening.

Average customer rating:

Great CD!
A Piano Celebration By and For Piano-Lovers
Original works and original renditions
a disappointment

Virtuoso Piano Transcriptions

Manufacturer: Hmf Classical Exp.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00006I499
Release Date: 2002-11-12

Customer Reviews:

Great CD!.......2006-02-22

The recording by Mr. Chiu is excellent. He has a fluidity, a serenity in his music that satisfies the listener. He plays like a master himself.

A Piano Celebration By and For Piano-Lovers.......2006-01-08

If you love the piano, and better yet, if you play a bit (or a lot) of the instrument, you should run--not walk--to your favorite CD vendor and pick up this great disk! It's excellent, it's delightful, and it's a bargain!

One of the joys of piano-playing, even for a duffer like me, is to try to play a familiar work from orchestral or other literature convincingly on the piano. It's a challenge, but can also be great fun to try to summon up the spirit of a favorite work using only 88 keys, 3 pedals, and as much technique, musicianship, and courage as you can muster. In the case of this CD the challenge is met with smashing success!

All those represented on this CD, with the possible exceptions of Schoenberg, Strauss, and Wagner (about whom I'm not sure), have or had a great love of the piano and a substantial capability to play it. (Bach didn't have a piano, but he loved the organ and other keyboards.) Furthermore, Bach, Busoni, Liszt, and Rachmaninov were genuine virtuosi, and Chiu is, too, with the added advantage of being alive!

As to the music, everyone knows the Blue Danube Waltz, but here it's presented as a virtuoso arabesque, replete with intricate filigrees of sound and other ear-catching devices to effect a pianistic transformation of Strauss's dance while preserving the basic musical content. The result is a brilliant showpiece for Mr. Chiu's remarkable dexterity, but which is at the same time quite a lovely, tasteful, and interesting piece of music.

Three movements from Bach's well-known violin partita in E (BWV 1006) jerk us backward a couple of centuries, but delight us no less. The Preludio is played in such a sprightly, pianistic way that we're beguiled into thinking it was originally written for keyboard. (Indeed, it's often reminiscent of the Italian Concerto.) For this, we are indebted to Rachmaninov for his great transcription and to Chiu for his stunning performance. The less vivacious, more stately, Gavotte en Rondeau follows with equal effect. Chiu's neat fingerwork lets the melodic motifs shine through untrammeled by the accompanying chords, etc., and his understanding of the baroque style provides an unfailingly authentic interpretation. The Gigue rounds out the group and restores much of the exhuberance of the first movement, with great eclat.

Next the mood turns toward high sobriety as Busoni's version of Bach's choral prelude "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland" [Come now, Savior of the Heathen] is presented. In this piece Chiu displays his mastery at capturing the yearning inherent in this old hymntune, while demonstrating such skill at contrapuntal execution we are able to follow multiple simultaneous voices flowing independently with absolutely no confusion among them. The result is a deliciously contemplative work of the greatest dignity. The next choral prelude, "Nun freut euch, liebe Christen" [Rejoice now, beloved Christians], is sheer magic! Against a rapid, perpetual motion melody we hear the slow hymntune presented in all its imperturbable simplicity while at the same time we hear the punctuation of a staccato bass. (By now I'm getting suspicious that Chiu has a third hand; how else could he bring all this off?) The third choral prelude is the dearly loved "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" [Wake up, the voice calls to us]. Here Bach's own lovely melody flows over a slow, smooth bass line, while phrases of the hymntune burst in at times. The overall effect is gorgeous! (As one who has attempted the old Myra Hess version of this prelude, I can tell you it isn't all that easy; but here Chiu makes it sound as simple and natural as breathing.)

The Schoenberg "Klavierstuck," transcribed by Busoni, brings us to the 20th century and the world of atonality. It is quite a jump in musical style, but here the interpretation is as convincing as in the older, more familiar works. Though not a Schoenberg fan, I truly enjoyed this performance and found it to be thoroughly intelligible and satisfying.

The mythic world of Teutonic gods and superheroes is next evoked in Liszt's transcription of the "Liebestod" [Love-Death] scene from Wagner's Tristan and Isolde. Here the piano takes on the task of presenting the effect of a large orchestra with singers and all in a mood of high drama. And again we are pleased to find all the grandeur, intimacy, and beauty of the original.

The three Schubert songs which follow offer impressions of voice and piano, as conjured up by Liszt (2) and Rachmaninov (1). Here we can compare the work of these two transcribers, both amply qualified for the job. Next is another song impression by Liszt, this time of Schumann's Fruhlingsnacht [Spring Night]. All these song transcriptions are good enough to stand on their own as piano works, irrespective of their sources.

The final piece is Prokofiev's transcription of a set of Schubert waltzes, which I believe were originally written for piano. Here they are presented in all their original grace, delicacy, nobility, and tunefulness, but dressed up for the ball!

Frederic Chiu is an American (of Chinese immigrant parents) educated at Indiana U. and Juillard who now resides in France, where he made his professional debut. He keeps a busy schedule of performing around the world, as well as teaching in piano master classes. His performances are eagerly attended and have earned him much critical acclaim. Recording exclusively for Harmonia Mundi, he has piled up a discography of over 20 CDs, including a 10-disk series of the complete piano works of Prokofiev. He has earned particular praise for his very wide dynamic range (from thunderous fortissimos to the most delicate pianissimos), for his ability to bring out melodies clearly through complex masses of sound and to keep multiple melodies clearly differentiated, and for his general interpretive sensitivity. His first CD was of piano transcriptions, for which he has a special interest and a genuine flair. He personally wrote the liner notes for this CD, and his piano is a Yamaha.

Probably the greatest danger in virtuoso transcriptions is that of glittering superficiality. Here the stature of the transcribers and artistic depth and integrity of the performer combine to eliminate all traces of that danger!

Original works and original renditions.......2005-07-22

This is another great cd by Frederic Chiu with a large variety of works, really interesting and marvellously performed. The Blue Danube transcription is gracefully played, different from Hamelin's but still virtuosic. Mr. Chiu is a great pianist!

a disappointment.......2002-12-26

this is a total disappointment. it lacks the expressive maturity that we have come to expect and wastes everyone's time. although there are no "wrong" notes it is just absolutely boring to listen to

Earl Wild: Virtuoso Piano Transcriptions

Average customer rating:

Magnificent panorama of transcriptions
Outstanding Grammy winning CD

Earl Wild: Virtuoso Piano Transcriptions

Manufacturer: Ivory Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Improvisation | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

The Virtuosity of Earl Wild
Earl Wild at 88
Earl Wild - Living History 'At 90'
Earl Wild Plays Johannes Brahms
Earl Wild's Legendary Rachmaninoff Song Transcriptions

ASIN: B00001XDQM
Release Date: 2000-07-18

Tracks:

Saint-Sa/Earl Wild: Le Rouet d'Omphale, Op.31
Handel/Earl Wild: Air and Variations - The Harmonious Blacksmith
Chopin/Earl Wild: Larghetto, from Piano Concerto No.2 in F minor, Op.21
Rachmaninov/Earl Wild: Midsummer Nights Op.14, No.5
Tchaikovsky/Pabst: Paraphrase on 'Sleeping Beauty'
Faurarl Wild: Improvisation on 'Aprun r'
Bach/Earl Wild: Hommage oulenc
Mozart/Backhaus: Serenade from 'Don Giovanni'
Churchill/Earl Wild: Reminiscences of 'Snow White' Whistle While You Work - I'm Wishing - One Song - Heigh Ho - Someday My Prince Will Come
Tchaikovsky/Earl Wild: At the Ball
Tchaikovsky/Earl Wild: Dance of the Four Swans from 'Swan Lake'
Johann Strauss, Jr./Tausig: One Lives but Once
Kreisler/Rachmaninov: Liebesleid

Album Description

This exceptional recording is largely devoted to Earl Wild's own dazzling piano transcriptions. Mr. Wild received a Grammy® Award in 1997 for this disc of Thirteen Virtuoso Piano Transcriptions. It is being re-released on Ivory Classics® in honor of Earl Wild's 84th birthday! Praised by critics and music lovers around the world as a "stunning document of musical sensitivity and virtuosity" and "a tribute to America's greatest pianistic treasure" - this CD is now available in its original 24-bit HDCD state-of-the-art audiophile sound.

Customer Reviews:

Magnificent panorama of transcriptions.......2007-03-08

Is there any other pianist like Earl Wild? For over 60 years he has proven to be a performing giant, making critics swoon and audiences enthralled. His recording output is even more epoch-making; his preference for peppering some odd obscurities into such recordings is a blessing. But his discography is not as significant as his phenomenal interpretations of what he plays. His ability to render Thalberg, Godowsky, Beethoven, Chopin and Rachmaninov with absolute poise, ravishing passion or thrilling bravura is what makes his recordings such a treasure. So I was enthusiastic when I first saw this particular recording, piano transcriptions that I knew would be given the best artistic treatment.

While there are a few common pieces here (Kreisler-Rach's Liebesleid and Strauss-Tausig's Valse Caprice No. 2), most of these are Wild's own piano transcriptions. His selection of pieces to transcribe is both perplexing and exciting at once: Saint-Saens, Handel, Tchaikovsky, Faure, Rachmaninov, Bach and Chopin. Throughout the entire disc, Wild is spiritually absorbed and technically brilliant. There isn't a single piece here that seems lackluster after Wild's poetic phrasing and refined virtuosity operate together.

I think the most notable works here are the Saint-Saens, Handel, Chopin, Pabst and Rachmaninov. Although I've never heard Saint-Saens's Le Rouet d'Omphale symphonic poem, Wild's engrossing and virtuosic transcription conjures exorbitant drama and lyricism. The central section is rather simplistic for its repetitive theme taken through different keys, but it is still gorgeous and powerful. I found a comment in the liner-notes most interesting regarding this transcription: "As a model Earl Wild does not use Saint-Saens' own rather spare piano version, but returns to the original orchestral score, incorporating many orchestral effects into his 1995 transcription."

Wild's transcription of the Larghetto from Chopin's PC No. 2 enables the piano to exhibit all of the nuances of the orchestral version. But upon hearing it, one forgets that an orchestra was even involved in the first place. It sounds like an original Chopin work, even with the noticeable difference in the agitated central section which once relied on orchestral tremolos. It would be an understatement to say Wild translates the music marvelously to solo piano. In Handel's Harmonious Blacksmith variations, Wild showcases a meticulous pianistic reproduction and doubly impresses with his exuberant performance. The Rachmaninov song "Midsummer Nights" is a rousing and passionate piece that sounds like an original piano work from the Russian master. But Pabst's Tchaikovsky paraphrase is the main blockbuster, full of beautiful intensity and exquisite reinventions of Tchaikovsky's grand themes from Sleeping Beauty. The last piece I'll remark on is Wild's own Reminiscences of Snow White, a peculiar endeavor that leaves me with mixed feelings. It wasn't my favorite piece because it sounded rather banal at times; one might even use the stereotype "elevator music." But relistening to it many times at least reveals to me that Wild superbly unifies Churchill's Disney themes. And he is in his prime when he embellishes the themes with dazzling flights in the style of a 19th century virtuoso. While the rest of these pieces deserve commentary, I think they pretty much speak for themselves.

Bottom line: This repertoire may not look interesting at a first glance, but I implore the reader to sample this. You'll not only find hidden gems (Mozart-Backhaus, Strauss-Tausig and Pabst) but also some glorious transcriptions from Wild's pen (Saint-Saens, Handel and Chopin).

Outstanding Grammy winning CD.......1999-12-03

This CD is a reissue of the 1996 SONY disc which won a Grammy (Wild's 80th birthday album). The Grammy awards do not always select the best CDs, but in this case, they really picked a winner. These is one of the finest piano discs in years, and will likely become a classic. Wild's own transcriptions dominate the disc, and they show true originality and charm. I hope Wild records a follow-up to this album with Ivory Records, which has produced a large number of classic piano discs recently. A must have for anyone who enjoys the piano, or the lost art of transcription.

Johann Strauss: Virtuoso Piano Transcriptions

Average customer rating:

Old Magicians at large

Johann Strauss: Virtuoso Piano Transcriptions

Manufacturer: Video Artists Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Piano Transcriptions of works by Johann Strauss II

ASIN: B000003LIS
Release Date: 1995-04-08

Tracks:

Strauss- Grunfeld: Soire De Vienne
Strauss-Grunfeld: Fruhlingstimmen
Strauss-Schulz-Evler: Arabesques on Themes from 'The Beautiful Blue Danube'
Strauss-Dohnanyi: Schatz Waltz
Strauss-Dohnanyi: Du und Du Waltz
Strauss-Tausig: Man Lebt Nur Einmal
Strauss-Tausig: Nachtfalter
Strauss-Godowsky: Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes from 'Die Fledermaus'
Strauss-Godowsky: Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes from 'Kunstleben'
Strauss-Rosenthal: The Beautiful Blue Danube
Strauss-Schulz-Evler: Arabesques on Themes from 'The Beautiful Blue Danube'

Customer Reviews:

Old Magicians at large.......1999-09-02

This is a fun CD. These repertoires have become more "politically incorrect" among musicians today, but I had one of the most enchanting hour from listening to these old pianistic magicians. It is a similar feeling to eating all the delicious desserts full of "unhealthy" things. One should never look for sublime intellectualism in these pieces. They don't pretend to be a masterwork and why not? The world will be a terribly boring place if only the greatest masterworks are to be played. Fortunately, these great pianists thought so too, and they are "cooking" some delicious desserts with their enormous talents. And how colorful and different they are! Even aristocratic Rachmaninoff and Lhevine are having fun here. And cheers to those wonderful transcribers as well. The recorded sound is pretty old (with the exception of the Bolet track), but exhilarant quality of performances wins over the quality of recording. People who loves great pianists of the past should grab this CD while it is around!