Röntgen: Piano Music Vol. 5, Music for 2 Pianos

Featuring

Mark Anderson
Michelle Mares
Julius Röntgen
Carl Reinecke
Johannes Brahms

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Cultural Impact

Brahms' Variations on a Theme by Haydn created a genre that significantly influenced 20th-century composers like Arnold Schoenberg and Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Album & Artwork

This recording presents an interconnected view of romantic and post-romantic repertoire for two pianos, much of which was previously unknown or unpublished.

Composition History

The album features two previously unpublished works by Julius Röntgen, a composer whose debut in the two-piano medium is presented here.

Performer Biography

Pianists Mark Anderson and Michelle Mares, who began performing together in 2014, specialize in late 18th and early 19th-century European two-piano music.

Compositional Technique

Brahms' Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op. 56b, is the first example of independent variations for orchestra in music history, though it was first drafted for two pianos.

Recording & Production

Neither of Julius Röntgen's 'Variations on a Theme of César Franck' nor his 'Variations on a Theme of Beethoven' were ever published, but Mark Anderson created a modern edition for this recording project.

Composer Biography

The composers on this album, including Julius Röntgen and Carl Reinecke, had deep connections, with their lives and music intersecting in a rich musical era.