The Chanson danoise (Danish song) on this album is a first recording and was composed in 1885 for a music anthology requested by the French newspaper Gaulois.
Composition History
Gade's Sonata in E minor, Op. 28, was dedicated to Franz Liszt, who found the sonata beautiful.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Gade's piano music often suggests orchestral sounds, as he would demonstrate his musical wishes for phrasing, dynamics, and tone at the piano during orchestral rehearsals.
Recording & Production
This recording was made in accordance with the new collected edition of Gade's piano works, published in 2015 as part of the Gade Edition, which makes all his piano works available in print for the first time.
Performer Biography
Marianna Shirinyan, the pianist on this album, is Armenian-born and has received several awards, including the Danish Music Critics' Artist Prize in 2009 and the Danish radio's P2 Artist Prize in 2010.
Compositional Technique
The Aquarelles, Op. 19 and Op. 57, are described as 'études poétiques' that focus on various piano technical challenges like articulation, balance, dynamics, and rhythmic stability.
Composer Biography
Niels W. Gade, the composer, was not a piano virtuoso like his German models Mendelssohn and Schumann; his primary instrument was the violin, and he was also an important conductor and organist.
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Mendelssohn: Sonata in B-Flat Major / Fantasies, Op. 16
Schumann, C.: Soirees Musicales / Valses Romantiques / Souvenir De Vienne / Scherzo, Op. 10 / Variations On A Theme by Robert Schumann
