H. Winterberg: Complete Piano Sonatas

Featuring

Jonathan Powell
Hans Winterberg

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Composition History

Winterberg composed his five piano sonatas, a genre often considered the 'supreme genre' of piano music, within a relatively short period of just fourteen years, between 1936 and 1950.

Composer Biography

Hans Winterberg, the composer, was a pupil of Alexander von Zemlinsky and a 'grand-pupil' of Franz Schreker, placing him within the broader influence of the Second Viennese School.

Critical Reception

Winterberg's piano sonatas were likely not performed publicly during his lifetime, with this recording and recent recitals by Brigitte Helbig and Jonathan Powell marking their first public performances.

Performer Biography

Jonathan Powell, the pianist on this recording, is a renowned virtuoso known for performing challenging piano cycles and is considered the leading advocate for Hans Winterberg's piano music.

Composer Biography

Winterberg's life was marked by significant political upheaval; he was born in Prague, held Austrian and Czechoslovak citizenship, became stateless due to his Jewish ancestry in 1939, was interned in Theresienstadt, and later became a German citizen.

Compositional Technique

Across his five sonatas, Winterberg's compositional style evolved from a modernist approach of the 1920s and 30s, characterized by complexity and atonality, to a post-World War II language emphasizing clarity and post-tonal harmony.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Winterberg described himself as an autodidact and a 'mediator between cultures and times,' believing his music formed a bridge between Western and Eastern European cultures.