Mr. Angelich explores music by three composers who are quite different in their styles. His album is titled “Dedication”.
The selections are as follows:
Chopin:
Étude Op. 10 No. 10 in A flat major, dedicated to Liszt
Étude Op. 10 No. 12 in C minor ‘Revolutionary’, dedicated to Liszt
Liszt:
Piano Sonata in B minor, S178, dedicated to Robert Schumann
Schumann:
Kreisleriana, Op. 16, dedicated to Frédéric Chopin
Performed by Nicholas Angelich (piano)
In this recording Nicholas Angelich pays tribute to the relationships between three of Romanticism’s greatest composers for the piano. Schumann, Chopin and Liszt were born within 18 months of each other and knew each other personally. Schumann dedicated Kreisleriana to Chopin, who dedicated two of his Op.10 Etudes to Liszt, who, closing the circle, dedicated his B minor Piano Sonata to Schumann.
In the first instance the name ‘La Ronde’ – meaning ‘round dance’ – might evoke the initially controversial play by Arthur Schnitzler (Reigen in German) that was most famously adapted by Max Ophüls for his 1950 French-language film. There is, however, nothing controversial about the programme for Angelich’s recital: uniting four highly contrasted landmarks of the Romantic piano repertoire, it emphasises the mutual respect between the three great pianist-composers: Schumann dedicated Kreisleriana to Chopin; Chopin in turn dedicated two of his Op.10 Etudes to Liszt, and Liszt in turn dedicated his B minor Piano Sonata to Schumann.
Pianist Nicholas Angelich is American-born and French-trained. He is especially admired for his performances of the Central European repertoire of the 19th century.
Here is Mr. Angelich, performing the Traumerei from Schumann’s Kinderszenen:
