Schumann's C-major Fantasy quotes Beethoven's song cycle 'An die ferne Geliebte' at the end of its first movement, directly referencing Schumann's personal struggles.
Compositional Technique
César Franck's 'Prélude, Chorale et Fugue' combines historical Baroque forms like prelude and fugue with impressionistic elements, particularly in the central Chorale.
Composition History
Robert Schumann wrote his C-major Fantasy op. 17 in 1836 during his difficult courtship of Clara Wieck, whose father tried to keep them apart.
Instruments
Two different Steinway D concert grand pianos were used for this recording: a 2005 model for the Franck pieces and a 1993 model for the Kalabis and Schumann works.
Performer Biography
Gerhard Vielhaber has won numerous awards, including a soloist fellowship from the Deutsche Musikwettbewerb Berlin in 2005 and first prizes at 'Jugend musiziert' in 1996 and 1999.
Performer Biography
Gerhard Vielhaber, the pianist on this album, began piano lessons with his father and later studied with Professor Karl-Heinz Kämmerling and Professor Jacques Rouvier.
Recording & Production
The 'Akcenty' by Viktor Kalabis on this album is a first recording.
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