Antoine Reicha: Complete Piano Music, Volume Three
The piano music of the Czech-born composer Antoine Reicha (1770–1836) – friend of Haydn and Beethoven, teacher of Berlioz, Liszt, Franck and many others – is one of the best-kept secrets in music. He was an important influence on composers of the next generation but, apart from an innovative set of fugues, his piano works have remained almost unknown since his own day. Encompassing Baroque practices as well as looking forward to the twentieth century, they are full of harmonic and other surprises that show this liveliest of musical minds at work. Reicha’s twenty Études ou Exercices, recorded here for the first time, manage to combine his maverick inventiveness with a considerable degree of charm.
Henrik Löwenmark, piano
Listen To This Recording:
- Rondeau No. 2 in F major (c. 1800)
- No. 1, The twelve major scales Allegro
- No. 2, The twelve minor scales Un poco allegro
- No. 3, Chromatic scale Allegro
- No. 4, Trills Allegretto
- No. 5, Ornaments Largo
- No. 6, Broken chords
- No. 7, Thirds Allegro moderato
- No. 8, Clefs Larghetto
- No. 9, Octaves Allegro
- No. 10, Enharmonic Andante sostenuto
- No. 1, Adagio molto et sostenuto
- No. 2, Allegro poco vivace
- No. 3, Andante un poco adagio
- No. 4, Combined metre Allegro un poco vivace
- No. 5, Andante
- No. 6, Allegretto
- No. 7, Harmony Un poco largo
- No. 8, Allegro
- No. 9, Fugue
- No. 10, Adagio molto
- Fantaisie sur un thème de Girolamo Frescobaldi (c. 1800)
Études ou Exercices, Op. 30: Livre 1 (c. 1800)
Études ou Exercices, Op. 30: Livre 2
FIRST RECORDINGS
MusicWeb International :
‘As an academic, as well as performing pianist, Henrik Löwenmark’s fascinating and absorbing sleeve-notes are especially erudite, and exceedingly thorough […]
this exceedingly well-played and faithfully recorded new issue from the seemingly-indefatigable Toccata Classics label will further enhance Antoine Reicha’s burgeoning reputation as a composer of innovative piano music often well beyond its time.’
—Philip R Buttall, MusicWeb International
Nineteenth-Century Music Review :
‘His piano music is special, however, as this genre best reflects Reicha’s multidisciplinary approach as a music theorist, pedagogue and composer. […]
Löwenmark has published and presented musicological essays about Reicha’s piano music,and he provides very detailed historical and analytical liner notes for this series. This series thus provides a well-balanced platform from which to get acquainted with Reicha’s musical, pedagogical and theoretical thinking. […]
As mentioned before, Löwenmark’s performance is throughout very transparent, almost analytical, without ignoring the expressive beauty of the pieces. With regard to the fugues, it is worth mentioning that his analytical performance style is particularly helpful in carving out thematic lines against countersubjects. Löwenmark’s understanding of Reicha’s compositional techniques becomes obvious with this performance style, articulating hierarchies of voices and their linear juxtaposition.’
—Frank Heidlberger, Nineteenth-Century Music Review