Mendelssohn: Rondo capriccioso in E major, Op. 14

Jorge Bolet was an avowed Romantic, happy to relax once the serious business of his recital is over. Like Moiseiwitsch, he could be mischievously enterprising, challenging his audience to guess the composer of this or that rare poetic jewel or confection - or, like Rubinstein, he could affectionately confirm and recreate their favourites.

With delightful old world charm, fleet of finger, yet ever conscious of the singing line, Bolet weaves pure magic in this collection of encores. After a long absence from the catalogue, this disc returns, now at budget price.

Cyril Huvé is a disciple of Claudio Arrau and pioneer in the rediscovery of nineteenth century keyboards and their expressive possibilities. He sees these instruments as a means to affirm the values of the Romantic tradition of piano performance which his mentors passed on to him. This recording, performed on a Broadwood 1840, is testament to his dedication and skill.

From the mid 1970’s until his death, Cuban born Jorge Bolet emerged as one of the world’s truly great pianists and one of the last representatives, along with the likes of Cherkassky, Horowitz and Earl Wild, of the great Romantic tradition of pianism. His pedigree was marvellous - a student of Godowsky-disciple David Saperton at the Curtis Institute, there he was also able to play for Godowsky himself and Josef Hofmann. He won the Naumburg competition in 1937 and looked set for a great career, but the war interrupted the flow of things and he struggled through the 1950s & 60s, mainly playing in the USA and not quite making the international ‘big-time’. His big break came with an RCA contract and the release on LP of a stunning live Carnegie Hall concert in 1974. Shortly after, he was signed to Decca and went on to make many award winning discs. But what of the early years? There’s not much, but here, for the first time on CD, we have the four LPs he made in the 1950s. His very first disc was of Latin-American repertoire that he was never to record again. Here also is the first ever recording of Prokofiev’s Second Piano Concerto in a performance that is still up there with the best.

These almost unknown discs are sure to fascinate, and fill an important gap in the mystery of Bolet’s early career.

Annie Fischer’s (July 5, 1914 - April 10, 1995) main teacher was Ernst von Dohnányi at the Budapest Music Academy. In 1933 she won the first prize at the International Liszt Competition and soon established an illustrious solo concert career. She was regularly invited to perform throughout Europe by the likes of Otto Klemperer, Ferenc Fricsay, Igor Markevich, Antal Dorati, Walfganf Sawalisch, Adrian Boult. and considered one of the most admired pianists of the 20th century. Her great qualities were the poetic, passionate and magically beautiful performances that created a special communication with the audience.

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-47) was one of the most gifted of all composers. A child prodigy born to a wealthy banking family in Berlin, he matured musically at an incredible rate – and was composing music in his ‘mature’ style by the age of 15 – something not even Mozart achieved. Like Beethoven, Chopin and Liszt, he was a formidable pianist, and his style as a pianist was influenced by composers such as Hummel, Thalberg, Moscheles and Weber. His two mature piano concertos ( a third has just been discovered), are brilliant compositions for the instrument, and novel in structure, with the 3 movements linked.

His music for solo piano contains some remarkable music, especially the Op. 54 Variations, his greatest work for solo piano – it is brilliantly conceived and executed, highly virtuosic, harmonically and thematically daring piece. The other works on this CD illustrate both the virtuosic and the more reflective facets of Mendelssohn’s writing for piano. The capriccios reflect the popular taste at the time for works with a slow romantic introduction followed by a dashing finale. Op.72 Kinderstücke are very different from Schumann’s Kinderszenen. These are idyllic, gentle pieces, and have a fairy-tale quality to them.

Includes gems composed by Mendelssohn’s sister Fanny played by Tobias Koch on a 200 year old concert grand.

2009 is the 200th anniversary of Mendelssohn’s birth, and he will be the focus of many radio and TV programmes, plus concerts worldwide.

New recording: one of a series of releases from Brilliant Classics featuring outstanding young artists who have won the principal prizes at the Young Pianist Foundation’s National Piano Competition.

Pieter-Jelle de Boer was born in the Netherlands in 1978, and started playing the piano at the age of five. A student of Jan Wijn, Murray Perahia and Emanuel Ax, he took the second prize at the 2001 YPF National Piano Competition. At the Paris Conservatoire, he studied conducting with Peter Eötvös and John Carewe. He has a busy recital and concert schedule.

For this Mendelssohn recital, de Boer has chosen some of the composer’s most brilliant and virtuosic works. The Variations sérieuses Op.54 are generally considered to be among his most successful works for solo piano. As a virtuoso pianist Mendelssohn composed manyhighly demanding works for his instrument. The early Sonata Op.6 shows the unmistakable influence of Beethoven and Mozart, but the Rondo capriccioso Op.14 is a wonderful example of the technical wizardry Mendelssohn was capable of. He was very friendly with the composer and pianist Ignaz Moscheles (a friend in turn of both Beethoven and Hummel), and the older man’s influence upon the young Mendelssohn’s keyboard-writing should not be underestimated.

This disc offers a good opportunity to sample some of Mendelssohn’s piano-writing outside of the famous Songs without Words sets that tend to overshadow his works for piano.