Marc-André Hamelin - Godowsky: Johann Strauss Transcriptions & Other Waltzes (2008)
BAND/ARTIST: Marc-André Hamelin
- Title: Godowsky: Johann Strauss Transcriptions & Other Waltzes
- Year Of Release: 2008
- Label: Hyperion
- Genre: Classical Piano
- Quality: flac lossless (tracks) +Booklet
- Total Time: 01:09:07
- Total Size: 175 mb
- WebSite: Album Preview
Tracklist
01. Godowsky: Symphonische Metamorphosen Johann Strauss’scher Themen: I. Künstlerleben (After J. Strauss II, Op. 316)
02. Godowsky: Walzermasken: II. Pastell
03. Godowsky: Walzermasken: XIV. Französisch
04. Godowsky: Walzermasken: XXII. Wienerisch
05. Godowsky: Walzermasken: XXIV. Portrait—Joh. Str.
06. Godowsky: Symphonische Metamorphosen Johann Strauss’scher Themen: II. Die Fledermaus (After J. Strauss II)
07. Godowsky: Triakontameron: IV. Rendezvous
08. Godowsky: Triakontameron: XI. Alt Wien
09. Godowsky: Triakontameron: XIII. Terpsichorean Vindobona
10. Godowsky: Triakontameron: XXI. The Salon
11. Godowsky: Triakontameron: XXV. Memories
12. Godowsky: Symphonische Metamorphosen Johann Strauss’scher Themen: III. Wein, Weib und Gesang (After J. Strauss II, Op. 333)
13. Straus: Die letzte Walzer: Theme. Waltz
Marc-André Hamelin’s programme is mostly devoted to Godowsky’s works based on themes by—or directly inspired by—Johann Strauss II. It is not intended to be a comprehensive survey but is, nevertheless, fully representative of Godowsky’s finest reflections on the Waltz King. In the three great Strauss transcriptions, Godowsky elevated the art of the piano paraphrase to a higher musical and pianistic plane; however their extreme technical difficulty remains a striking feature and places them out of the reach of ordinary pianists. And Marc-André Hamelin is, of course, no ordinary pianist—in fact his playing on a recent disc was compared to that of Alkan and Liszt.
Triakontameron and Walzermasken are rarely performed examples of Godowsky’s original work, and continue the composer’s love-affair with the waltz—they are written entirely in 3/4 time.
The last work on this dazzling disc is an oddity—indeed, a rarity. Sometime prior to 1925, Godowsky made a piano roll of his arrangement of The Last Waltz by Oscar Straus (1870–1954), the Vienna-born composer. The eponymous Waltz is heard throughout the 1920 operetta. The music of Godowsky’s transcription was never published for some unknown reason—it is a uniquely appealing arrangement. In the early 1970s, Gilles Hamelin, the pianophile father of Marc-André, notated, arranged and edited The Last Waltz from Godowsky’s piano roll, which was then published in 1975. Shortly afterwards, a copy of the negative of Godowsky’s manuscript was sent to Gilles Hamelin. It was all but illegible, so Hamelin Snr. made a fair copy in his own hand: in almost every respect it tallied with the version he had transcribed from the piano roll.
01. Godowsky: Symphonische Metamorphosen Johann Strauss’scher Themen: I. Künstlerleben (After J. Strauss II, Op. 316)
02. Godowsky: Walzermasken: II. Pastell
03. Godowsky: Walzermasken: XIV. Französisch
04. Godowsky: Walzermasken: XXII. Wienerisch
05. Godowsky: Walzermasken: XXIV. Portrait—Joh. Str.
06. Godowsky: Symphonische Metamorphosen Johann Strauss’scher Themen: II. Die Fledermaus (After J. Strauss II)
07. Godowsky: Triakontameron: IV. Rendezvous
08. Godowsky: Triakontameron: XI. Alt Wien
09. Godowsky: Triakontameron: XIII. Terpsichorean Vindobona
10. Godowsky: Triakontameron: XXI. The Salon
11. Godowsky: Triakontameron: XXV. Memories
12. Godowsky: Symphonische Metamorphosen Johann Strauss’scher Themen: III. Wein, Weib und Gesang (After J. Strauss II, Op. 333)
13. Straus: Die letzte Walzer: Theme. Waltz
Marc-André Hamelin’s programme is mostly devoted to Godowsky’s works based on themes by—or directly inspired by—Johann Strauss II. It is not intended to be a comprehensive survey but is, nevertheless, fully representative of Godowsky’s finest reflections on the Waltz King. In the three great Strauss transcriptions, Godowsky elevated the art of the piano paraphrase to a higher musical and pianistic plane; however their extreme technical difficulty remains a striking feature and places them out of the reach of ordinary pianists. And Marc-André Hamelin is, of course, no ordinary pianist—in fact his playing on a recent disc was compared to that of Alkan and Liszt.
Triakontameron and Walzermasken are rarely performed examples of Godowsky’s original work, and continue the composer’s love-affair with the waltz—they are written entirely in 3/4 time.
The last work on this dazzling disc is an oddity—indeed, a rarity. Sometime prior to 1925, Godowsky made a piano roll of his arrangement of The Last Waltz by Oscar Straus (1870–1954), the Vienna-born composer. The eponymous Waltz is heard throughout the 1920 operetta. The music of Godowsky’s transcription was never published for some unknown reason—it is a uniquely appealing arrangement. In the early 1970s, Gilles Hamelin, the pianophile father of Marc-André, notated, arranged and edited The Last Waltz from Godowsky’s piano roll, which was then published in 1975. Shortly afterwards, a copy of the negative of Godowsky’s manuscript was sent to Gilles Hamelin. It was all but illegible, so Hamelin Snr. made a fair copy in his own hand: in almost every respect it tallied with the version he had transcribed from the piano roll.
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