Rubinstein: Kamennoi-Ostrov Op. 10 No. 22 'Rêve Angélique'

The Welte piano rolls reproduced on this CD are the first examples of Lhévinne’s playing, made when he was in his mid-thirties and show what it was that so enthused the public. The CD includes works by Rubinstein, Chopin, Liszt and others.

The American pianist Frank Glazer (born 1915) is heard in this highly entertaining collection of short piano compositions- repertoire once standard fare of the day for piano students. These pieces, though fashionable during the latter half of the nineteenth century and early years of the twentieth, are not often performed in concert anymore, despite their great appeal.

English born pianist Harold Bauer originally hoped to make his career as violinist but his piano playing so impressed Paderewski that he subsequntly focussed on that instrument. He had huge success in the USA and as a result became a US citizen in 1917. Bauer was not a crowd-pleasing virtuoso firebrand but rather a true musician; there is always a wonderful poetry to his art and he excelled in miniatures, such as the Grieg presented here, though his legendary recording of the Brahms F minor sonata (still a benchmark) shows he had the requisite virtuosity when needed. These new transfers by Ward Marston are the only ones currently available of Bauer’s legacy.