Henry Litolff: Piano Music, Volume One

Catalogue No: TOCC0666
EAN/UPC: 5060113446664
Release Date: 2023-02-03
Composer: Henry Litolff
Artists: Tingyue Jiang

The British-born Henry Litolff (1818–91) maintains a toehold on the repertoire thanks to the enduring popularity of the Scherzo of his Concerto symphonique No. 4 for piano and orchestra. Litolff’s substantial output of music for solo piano – mostly virtuoso salon miniatures – has entirely slipped from sight, even though in his prime as composer and pianist he was often compared with Liszt, a personal friend. This first album devoted to Litolff’s piano music reveals a fondness for atmospheric character pieces and vigorous dances, not least the polka, mazurka and waltz.

Tingyue Jiang, piano

Listen To This Recording:

    6 Arabesken, Op. 65 (publ. 1854)

  1. No. 1 Heimgedenken
  2. No. 2 Polen
  3. No. 3 Sehnsucht
  4. No. 4 Der Gondolier
  5. No. 5 Erwartung
  6. No. 6 Frohes Wiedersehn
  7. 6 Opuscules, Op. 25 (publ. 1846)

  8. No. 1 Tarantelle calabraise
  9. No. 2, 2 Vagabondes Polkas: I
  10. No. 2, 2 Vagabondes Polkas: II
  11. No. 3 La Mazourka
  12. No. 4 Valse styrienne
  13. No. 5 Polonaise brillante
  14. No. 6 Bolero
  15. Invitation à la Polka, Op. 31 (publ. 1846)
  16. La Mazurka, Op. 109 (1861)
  17. Valse élégante, Op. 107 (publ. 1861)
  18. Une fleur du bal, Op. 77 (publ. 1853)
  19. Scherzo, Op. 115 (publ. 1862)
 

FIRST RECORDINGS

1 review for Henry Litolff: Piano Music, Volume One

  1. :

    ‘This is a lovely recording; the works are nicely varied and the programme is intelligently put together. It also shows that Litolff is deserving of being remembered for being so much more than being just a “one hit wonder”. Ms Jiang makes a very good case for all the music here and does not put a finger wrong. She is a talented and evocative player who gives real character to these pieces and certainly seems to enjoy performing these works. The cover notes by William Melton are extremely detailed and contain a wealth of information about the composer and his life and times -he certainly had what could be described as an “interesting” life. I warmly recommend this disc to anyone who wants to hear something a little off the beaten track. I shall be listening to it often and am looking forward to volume 2.’

    —Jonathan Welsh, MusicWeb International

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