Schumann: Abegg Variations, Op. 1

Uhlig’s playing is marked by curiosity for all facets of music. His previous Schumann CD (HAEN 98603) was very well received; “Florian Uhlig fairly bristles with musicianship” BBC Music Magazine.

Alexandra Dariescu makes her debut recording for Champs Hill Records in a recital of Schumann, Chopin and Liszt. A hugely popular communicator, Alexandra is a former YCAT

artist, a Laureate of the Verbier Academy and has been awarded the Romanian Ambassador’s prize All three composers on this album contributed to the foundations and development of Romantic piano composition, and this set of works forms one of Alexandra’s most popular piano recital programmes.

Schumann published his Opus 1, Variations on the name Abegg at just 20 years old, playfully translating the last name of the dedicatee - Mademoiselle Pauline Comtesse d’Abegg - into musical pitches [A-Bb-E-G-G] from which his theme begins. Of the three composers here, Liszt became the most idolized pianist-composer of the nineteenth century. His Ballade No. 2 in B minor recalls works by Chopin and Schubert, while his transcription from Wagner’s opera Tristan und Isolde, demonstrates his influence by the composers he admired.

Chopin’s Grande Polonaise was originally written for piano and orchestra and was premiered coupled with the opening Andante Spianato: but two years later Chopin re-arranged the work for piano solo, which we hear here. Also featured on the disc is Chopin’s Ballade No. 4, Op. 52, one of his most profound compositions. Chopin wrote this melancholy masterpiece at a time when he was in a state of precarious health.

This season, Alexandra made her Carnegie Hall debut in New York and appears in London with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra playing both Rachmaninov and Greig concertos.

Born in Romania, Alexandra subsequently studied at the Royal Northern College of Music, completing further studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where was made a Piano Fellow.

‘The most exciting young pianist to come to Montreal in years. She has a personal magnetism that belongs only to a certain type of virtuoso performer, one who succeeds in hypnotizing you no matter how what he or she is playing… Miss Biret is one of the finest natural Schumann players I have ever come across. In fact I cannot recall ever hearing a better all round performance of Schumann’s Fantasiestücke in any concert hall in this city.’ – The Montreal Star, Canada

This series is a complete recording of the piano works of Schumann, and includes pieces which have never been available before on LP or CD.

Miki Yumihari was born in Japan and started playing the piano at the age of 3. She is a winner of the Artists International Piano award and gave her New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall in the 1996/97 season to great critical acclaim. This recital includes Schumann’s Kinderszenen Op.15 and Fantasie in C Major Op.17.

A special atmosphere conveys a central theme throughout this CD which includes pieces by Schumann, Franz Schubert, Claude Debussy, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, and two compositions by Franz Vorraber; the pianist himself.

This CD provides a short survey of the development of piano variations, beginning with Mozart’s Duport Variations. The collection also includes works by Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn and Chopin. Alejandro Picó-Leonis was born in Alicante and studied in Madrid and New York. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2002.