IDAGIO | Tsontakis: Man of Sorrows – Berg: Piano Sonata

Featuring

Andrew Litton
Stephen Hough
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
George Tsontakis
Arnold Schoenberg
Alban Berg

Anton Webern

Did you know?

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Composition History

Alban Berg's Piano Sonata Op 1 is often referred to as a graduation piece, written after he began studies with Arnold Schoenberg in 1904.

Performer Biography

Stephen Hough, the pianist on this recording, is considered one of the most important pianists of his generation and received a MacArthur Fellowship in 2001.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Anton Webern, whose Piano Variations are featured, was intensely focused on expression in his music, to the point where notes became 'almost incidental' carriers of emotion.

Performer Biography

Andrew Litton, who conducts the Dallas Symphony Orchestra on this album, was the first American Principal Conductor of Norway's Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Arnold Schoenberg, whose Six Little Piano Pieces are on this album, famously stated that he always tried to promote the knowledge of what something is, rather than how it was made.

Recording & Production

The recording of George Tsontakis's Man of Sorrows was captured live at the Eugene McDermott Concert Hall in Dallas in September 2005.

Album & Artwork

The cover art for this album, 'Felix Culpa' by Anthony Mastromatteo, was chosen by Stephen Hough and inspired by a quote from Arnold Schoenberg about art being born of 'I must', not 'I can'.