Liszt: Vallée d'Obermann (Années de pèlerinage I, S. 160 No. 6)

Born in 1978 in Vienna, the pianist and conductor Florian Krumpöck is the music director and principal conductor of the North German Philharmonic Orchestra and the municipal theatre in Rostock. He gave a highly acclaimed solo debut at the Vienna Musikverein in 2008, playing two complete cycles of 32 piano sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven for the first time.

Enrico Pace has a special affinity to Liszt: First Prize winner of the first International Liszt Competition 1989 in Utrecht he dazzled both jury and audience with playing of immense power of imagination, subtlety and devilry (here his own appearance worked to his advantage..).

This event marked the beginning of an impressive international career, with concerts in the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, La Scala Milan, Wigmore Hall London, and Festivals such as Verbier, Roque d’Anthéron and Lucerne. Equally enjoying playing chamber music he has a partnership with the violinists Frank Peter Zimmermann and Leonidas Kavakos. For a long time Enrico Pace preferred the inspiration and excitement of a live concert, to recordings and it is with particular joy and pride that Piano Classics is allowed to issue his first ever CD, containing works near to Pace’s heart, may it touch the hearts of his many admirers and fans!

Recorded in the splendid acoustics of the Auditorium Pedrotti in the Rossini Conservatory in Pesaro, Italy, where Pace studied in his youth, 29-31 August 2011.

"Franz Liszt is a key Romantic figure. My idea was to draw his portrait… in music. I wanted to bring out the richness and complexity of Liszt through his different sources of inspiration. ... Franz Liszt was perfectly familiar with the ideas of his time: those of philosophers such as Lamennais and Saint-Simon, of writers such as Senancour, Sainte-Beuve, Byron, Victor Hugo. He took inspiration from them for many of his pieces: 'Vallée d’Obermann', for instance, or the 'Consolations'. And like all his contemporaries he was fascinated by the Faust myth, which was to haunt him until his very last works, such as the 'Bagatelle ohne Tonart', his final vision of Mephisto and music looking to the future…"

In his latest release, Nightbreak, acclaimed pianist Bruce Levingston has recorded an album of works that display the light and dark of the human soul. From the dramatic sound-portraits of Franz Liszt’s powerful and moving “Vallée d’Obermann” and Brahms anguished “Edward” Ballade to the world premiere recording of Philip Glass’s brilliant and thrilling “Dracula Suite”, Levingston’s virtuosic and deeply searching performance on this CD captures a panoramic range of colors and emotions.

The second release in a triptych by Mr. Levingston for Sono Luminus, Nightbreak also contains Mr. Levingston’s signature creative programming with elegant and poetic interpretations of nocturnes and waltzes by Liszt, Brahms and Wolfgang Rihm. In addition, he has recorded Liszt’s magnificent, impressionistic “Les jeux d’eaux à la Villa d’Este”, a tour de force of color and chiaroscuro in sound. Bruce Levingston is one of the leading figures on the contemporary music scene. Many of the country’s most important composers have written works for him and his Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center world premiere performances of their works have won notable critical acclaim. The New York Times calls him “ [ one ] of “today’s most adventurous musicians “ and describes his performances as “graceful,” “dreamy” and “hauntingly serene”; The New Yorker describes him as “a poetic pianist who has a gift for inventive—and glamorous—programming.” Following a recent performance in the historic Coolidge Auditorium at The Library of Congress, The Washington Post praised his “ wonderfully even touch” and “transparency and timeless reverie, which Levingston projected beautifully.”

Levingston’s last CD for Sono Luminus, Heart Shadow (DSL92137), was comprised of three major piano works inspired by literature of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It received high critical acclaim and was named “Album of the Week” by New York City’s WQXR. Zachery Lewis of The Cleveland Pain Dealer called Levingston’s account of Schumann’s “Kreisleriana” “vivid and richly expressive, a notable reading” and Levingston’s world premiere recording of Bielawa and Wuorinen “a gripping, dynamic performance”. In February 2012, the final album in this three-part series, Still Sound (Pärt, Satie, Gross, Schubert, Chopin, Bolcom) will contain intimate works featuring world premiere recordings of Pulitzer Prize-winner William Bolcom’s “New York Lights” written for Bruce Levingston, and Augusta Gross’ new works inspired by Satie and Pärt.

This 2CD set performed by the highly rated Korean pianist Seung-Yeun Huh features all three suites that make up Franz Liszt’s great piano masterpiece Années de pèlerinage (Years of Pilgrimage).

Born in Seoul, South Korea, acclaimed pianist Seung-Yeun Huh has lived in Europe since the age of sixteen. After winning the Artists’ International Competition in New York, she was a great success when she made her debut at the Carnegie Hall. Since then she has performed with many great orchestras including the Baltimore Symphony and Austro-

Hungarian Haydn Philharmonic and conductors David Zinman and Adam Fischer. She has previously recorded a complete cycle of Mozart’s solo piano pieces for Ars Musici.

Années de pèlerinage (Years of Pilgrimage) (S.160, S.161, S.163) is a set of three suites by Franz Liszt for solo piano. The composer's complete musical style is evident in this masterwork, which ranges from virtuosic fireworks to sincerely moving emotional statements. His musical maturity can be seen evolving through his experience and travel.

The third volume is especially notable as an example of his later style. It was composed well after the first two volumes and displays less showy virtuosity and more harmonic experimentation.

Simone Pedroni has chosen works of very different character for this collection, but all are variations or a metamorphosis of a single theme. Simone is one of the most brilliant Italian pianists and has performed throughout the world, including a recital and masterclass in Beijing. He has performed as a soloist in Rome with Vladimir Ashkenazy conducting.