Leopold Godowsky, a self-taught pianist of Polish-Jewish heritage, displayed prodigious talent from a young age and toured Europe and America, even coming under the patronage of Saint-Saëns.
Compositional Technique
Godowsky's studies are vastly more complex, highly colored, and sturdily constructed than Chopin's originals, featuring late Romanticism with whimsical chromaticism and sumptuously colored harmonies.
Cultural Impact
Godowsky was partially responsible for a whole generation of Russian virtuosi, including Emil Gilels and Sviatoslav Richter, through his student Heinrich Neuhaus, who studied with him in Berlin and Vienna.
Performer Biography
Konstantin Scherbakov, the pianist on this recording, is a Swiss-Russian artist with a discography of some 50 recordings, including the complete solo piano works of Godowsky, Shostakovich, and Respighi.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in October 2022 at Wyastone Concert Hall, Monmouth, UK, and features a Steinway, Model D piano.
Composition History
Leopold Godowsky composed his entire 53 Studies on the Chopin Études between 1894 and 1914, a period during which he taught in the United States, Berlin, and Vienna.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Godowsky's Studies on the Chopin Études represent the pinnacle of his views on desirable pianistic performance attributes, extending Chopin's arpeggiated flow across the entire keyboard with additional structures for more weight and depth.
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