Henry Litolff: Piano Music, Volume One
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:
- No. 1 Heimgedenken
- No. 2 Polen
- No. 3 Sehnsucht
- No. 4 Der Gondolier
- No. 5 Erwartung
- No. 6 Frohes Wiedersehn
- No. 1 Tarantelle calabraise
- No. 2, 2 Vagabondes Polkas: I
- No. 2, 2 Vagabondes Polkas: II
- No. 3 La Mazourka
- No. 4 Valse styrienne
- No. 5 Polonaise brillante
- No. 6 Bolero
- Invitation à la Polka, Op. 31 (publ. 1846)
- La Mazurka, Op. 109 (1861)
- Valse élégante, Op. 107 (publ. 1861)
- Une fleur du bal, Op. 77 (publ. 1853)
- Scherzo, Op. 115 (publ. 1862)
6 Arabesken, Op. 65 (publ. 1854)
6 Opuscules, Op. 25 (publ. 1846)
FIRST RECORDINGS
MusicWeb International :
‘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
Gramophone :
‘So without hearing a note, it’s hats off to the young Tibetan pianist Tingyue Jiang (b1996), pupil of Jerome Rose and the late Joseph Banowetz, to whose memory this recording is dedicated. Her fleet fingers and stylish empathy are just what are required in this type of repertoire. […]
Well-recorded, with a comprehensive 20-page booklet’
—Jeremy Nicholas, Gramophone
WTJU :
‘Pianist Tingyue Jiang makes her debut with an album of world recording premieres. I love it. Jiang has the technique to play anything Litolff composed. And some of these piano works are quite challenging.
But she also has the musicianship to make sense of it all. It turns out that Litolff had a gift for melody. Each of these piano miniatures is beautifully composed. The melodies are lyrical and attractive to the ear. […]
Jiang makes each piece shine. There’s never a question about what’s foreground and what’s background material. And she lovingly shapes each phrase. It maximizes the emotional impact of each melody. And that makes this release a joy to listen to from start to finish.
[…] . I’m definitely looking forward to volume two. Litnolff has a unique compositional voice. It’s one that bears reexamining.
—Ralph Graves, WTJU