Herman D. Koppel Edition, Vol. 2: Piano Variations

Featuring

Christian Westergaard
Herman David Koppel

Did you know?

1/7

Composer's Artistic Vision

Herman D. Koppel, the composer, initially disliked Arnold Schoenberg's music, calling it 'unhealthy and degenerate,' but later fully embraced it and performed Schoenberg's complete piano works.

Historical Context

Herman D. Koppel, a Jewish composer, and his family were among the 8,000 Danish Jews who fled to Sweden during World War II.

Compositional Technique

The 15 Miniatures for Piano, Op. 97a, by Herman D. Koppel, feature a free tonality partly inspired by Balinese gamelan music, giving them a floating quality.

Composer Biography

Herman D. Koppel, the composer, taught countless pianists as a professor at the Royal Danish Music Conservatory from 1949 to 1978.

Performer Biography

Christian Westergaard, the pianist on this album, regularly collaborates with internationally renowned vocalists and has performed in prestigious venues like London's Wigmore Hall.

Composition History

The 15 Miniatures for Piano, Op. 97a, were composed by Herman D. Koppel during an extended stay in Australia, where his youngest daughter, opera singer Lone Koppel, lived.