Walter Niemann privately condemned the rising National Socialists, expressing repulsion at their 'hooliganism' and fear of their 'racial psychosis' impacting German art.
Performer Biography
The pianist on this album, Tomasz Kamieniak, has performed all of Liszt's Wagner transcriptions on Liszt's own 1876 piano at the Steingraeber Haus in Bayreuth.
Composer Biography
Walter Niemann studied composition with Engelbert Humperdinck, the composer of the opera Hänsel und Gretel, who had previously apprenticed with Richard Wagner in Bayreuth.
Composer Biography
Walter Niemann's father, Rudolph Niemann, was a concert pianist who toured extensively across Europe and even visited the Sultan's Court in Constantinople.
Composer Biography
Niemann lost his home and life's collections in Leipzig during an air raid in 1944, saving only a fraction of his papers and scores.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Niemann's piano music is characterized by a blend of 'nordic' feeling and 'southern' color and sound, reflecting his North German heritage and broader influences.
Critical Reception
During his lifetime, Walter Niemann's compositions were widely popular in Germany, with critics noting their 'impressionistic Neo-Romanticism' and suitability for the 'educated, musical middle class'.
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Works for piano
Sigtenhorst Meyer: Piano Music
Igor Shamo: Complete Piano Music
Ihor Shamo: Piano Music
Schulz-Beuthen: Drei, Vier Und Fünf Clavierstücke, Stimmungsbilder in Freier Walzerform, Abschieds-Klänge
