Kurt Roger, the composer of the Viola Sonata on this album, studied in Vienna with Guido Adler and Karl Weigl, and in class with Arnold Schoenberg, though he did not follow Schoenberg's twelve-tone system.
Composition History
Berlioz's "Harold en Italie" was inspired by Lord Byron's poem "Childe Harold" and was originally conceived after the virtuoso violinist Paganini requested a concerto to showcase his Stradivarius viola.
Composition History
Franz Liszt, who transcribed "Harold en Italie" for viola and piano and composed "Romance oubliée", first tackled the transcription in 1838 and published a definitive version in 1881.
Composer Biography
Hector Berlioz, the composer of "Harold en Italie", initially pursued medical studies at his father's insistence before abandoning them for music in Paris.
Performer Biography
Piers Lane, the pianist on this album, has an extensive discography of over forty CDs, including recordings of rare Romantic piano concertos and complete sets of Etudes by various composers.
Performer Biography
Philip Dukes, the violist on this album, was selected for representation by Young Concert Artists Trust in 1991 and won the European Rising Stars Award in 1997.
Instruments
Liszt's "Romance oubliée" was dedicated to Hermann Ritter, who introduced the viola alta, a larger viola with a length of nineteen inches, to the public in 1876.
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