An die ferne Geliebte

Featuring

Alexander Krichel
Ludwig van Beethoven
Robert Schumann
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Franz Liszt

Did you know?

1/7

Interpretation

Pianist Alexander Krichel chose to perform Beethoven's 'An die ferne Geliebte' in Franz Liszt's piano transcription as a dedication to his recently deceased grandmother.

Recording & Production

This album was recorded at the Erholungshaus in Leverkusen, a venue associated with Bayer Arts & Culture, which supported pianist Alexander Krichel through its stARTacademy program from 2012 to 2015.

Compositional Technique

Franz Liszt's piano transcriptions, such as 'An die ferne Geliebte' and 'Isolde's Liebestod', require the pianist to combine vocal lines with accompaniment or represent an entire orchestra.

Composition History

Robert Schumann's 'Symphonic Etudes' were inspired by a funeral march theme sent to him by Baron Ignaz Ferdinand Freiherr von Fricken, whose adopted daughter Ernestine Schumann was briefly engaged to.

Compositional Technique

The 'Symphonic Etudes' by Robert Schumann, originally published with 12 variations, can be performed in various versions, sometimes incorporating five additional etudes published posthumously by Johannes Brahms.

Composer Biography

Fritz Kreisler, a Viennese violinist, enjoyed misleading critics by attributing his original compositions, like 'Liebesleid' and 'Liebesfreud', to famous composers such as Couperin or Paganini.

Composition History

Beethoven's song cycle 'An die ferne Geliebte' was likely commissioned by his patron Prince Joseph von Lobkowitz as a 'sound epitaph' after the loss of his wife.