Viktor Ullmann, the composer, was born in Teschen, Austrian Silesia, in 1898 and was killed in the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1944.
Composition History
Ullmann's last three piano sonatas were composed in Theresienstadt, with the fifth and seventh sonatas remaining in a provisional, sketchy state, suggesting he intended further revisions.
Historical Context
Ullmann was deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp in 1942, where he was active in organizing leisure activities as a composer, conductor, pianist, impresario, pedagogue, and critic.
Cultural Impact
Ullmann's opera 'Der Kaiser von Atlantis oder die Tod-Verweigerung', premiered in 1975, made him world-famous, overshadowing his piano sonatas for a long time.
Composition History
Ullmann's piano sonatas were written in quick succession between 1936 and 1944, during critical periods in his biographical and artistic development.
Performer Biography
Michael Tsalka, the pianist on this recording, is a versatile musician who performs on modern piano, harpsichord, fortepiano, clavichord, and chamber organ, covering repertoire from early Baroque to contemporary works.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Ullmann developed a highly personal style, which he described as exploring 'new harmonic functions under a tonality that one might call polytonality,' aiming to bridge romantic and atonal harmonies.
You might also enjoy...
Herman D. Koppel Edition, Vol. 1: Piano Sonatas
C.A. Landini: Sonate per pianoforte n. 1 e n. 2
Berg, Barraqué, Boulez: Piano sonatas
Early Piano Works of Ernst Krenek
American Piano Sonatas
Frommel: Piano Sonatas Nos. 1-3
American Classics: Piano Sonatas Vol.2
Ives: Piano Sonata No. 2 'Concord, Mass., 1840–1860’; Three-page Sonata
American Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1: Copland, Barber, Carter & Ives
American Classics: Piano Sonatas Vol.1
Frommel: Piano Sonatas Nos. 4-7
Maves, D.: Piano Sonatas Nos. 1-4
Gál: Piano Sonata, Op. 28 - Preludes - Piano Sonatinas, Op. 58
American Piano Sonatas, Vol. 2: Griffes, Sessions & Ives
