Friedrich Kuhlau's piano sonatinas, easy-to-play pieces, were commissioned by international music publishers and often used for teaching purposes.
Performer Biography
Erik Fessel, the pianist on this recording, primarily plays and records Danish piano music and has studied with notable pianists such as Paul Badura-Skoda, Jörg Demus, and Alfred Brendel.
Composition History
The three sonatas Op. 60 by Friedrich Kuhlau, composed in 1824, each include a set of variations based on themes from Gioacchino Rossini's opera Armida.
Composer Biography
Friedrich Kuhlau, a Danish composer, was instrumental in introducing Ludwig van Beethoven's music to the conservative Copenhagen musical scene in the early 19th century.
Compositional Technique
A characteristic of Kuhlau's sonatinas is the use of ascending and descending scales and broken triads, which serve as both beginner exercises and figures suggesting virtuosity.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Friedrich Kuhlau's piano sonatinas were created for domestic settings rather than concert halls, possessing an intimacy that relates them to Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales.
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