Godowsky: Johann Strauss Transcriptions & Other Waltzes
10/27/2023, 13 Tracks, 1:09:07
Featuring
Marc-André Hamelin
Leopold Godowsky
Oscar Straus
Did you know?
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Composer Biography
Leopold Godowsky, a Polish-born pianist and composer, became an American citizen in 1891 and made Vienna his home from 1908 until World War I.
Composition History
Godowsky was appointed director of the Piano School at Vienna's Kaiserliche Akademie für Musik in 1908, a prestigious post that made him the highest-paid artist-teacher in Europe.
Compositional Technique
Godowsky's Walzermasken are a cycle of 24 'tone poems in triple time' inspired by Schumann's masked musical balls, with some pieces masking famous composers.
Composer Biography
Godowsky's 1900 Berlin debut was sensational, elevating him to an elite group of pianists and earning him columns of eulogies in newspapers.
Recording & Production
This album features Marc-André Hamelin playing all three of Godowsky's Symphonic Metamorphoses without cuts, a rarity as this is only the fifth time all three have appeared on the same disc.
Compositional Technique
Godowsky's Symphonic Metamorphoses on Strauss themes are not mere potpourris; they are symphonic transformations that include elements like a parody of Richard Strauss.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Godowsky aimed to elevate the piano paraphrase to a higher musical and pianistic plane, developing everything from Strauss's music through theme inversion, development, and rich counterpoint.
