Romantic Discoveries Recordings

Piano Music of Walter Niemann volume 3
Hamburg, op. 107 • Variations on a Sarabande by Froberger, op. 168 • Fantasies in the Bremen Ratskeller, op. 113 (includes first recordings)
John Kersey, piano
RDR CD113

Total time: 73 minutes 43 seconds

1. Hamburg – a cycle of thirteen character-pieces, op. 107 (34:55)
i. The Harbour – Forging in the Dockyard ii. Ghosts – Night on the Fleet iii. The Old Home – Once upon a time… iv. A Dispute – between three stockbrokers v. Sailors – Norwegians weighing anchor vi. A.D. 1600 – The Pavan of His Reverence the Senator vii. Brahms – The house where he was born viii. Old Michael – St. Michael’s Church ix. A Barrel Organ – grotesquely out of tune x. The Lantern – Childrens’ dance xi. St. Pauli – Tango xii. Moonlight – on the Alster xiii. Hymn – Outlook
“This work is not only intended to appeal to people born and bred in Hamburg, nor to those well acquainted with the place, but also to any others who can appreciate an attempt at a “Characteristic Picture” of a large City, such as Hamburg, through the medium of a musical composition. The term “Characteristic Picture” describes at once the design and form of the work, which consists of a series of pieces chosen with an eye to their suitability to express, as nearly as is possible in music, the character of Hamburg’s manifold beauties, its great historic and artistic past, and some of its artistic features, or as we used to say: with a view to topography, history and folklore. The Composer’s aim was to produce as homogeneous a musical portrayal of Hamburg life as possible, and he hopes that, since love for his native city guided his pen, he may to some extent have succeeded in his purpose.” – Walter Niemann, Foreword

2. Variations on a Sarabande by Johann Jacob Froberger (1616-67), op. 168 (11:42)

3. Phantasien im Bremer Ratskeller, a cycle after Wilhelm Hauff, op 113 (27:01)
i. Ill Humour ii. Rainy Night iii. Bacchus’ Procession iv. Old Rose’s Saraband (about 1600) v. Roland the Giant vi. Old Song (about 1500) vii. The Twelve Apostles viii. How the Devil takes the Old Cellarer ix. The Morning (The Awakening – It is striking six – Finale)

Our thanks go to Nicolo Figowy and Steffen Herrmann for their generous loan of scores.

Walter Niemann was regarded in 1927 as “the most important living piano composer who knows how to make music from the piano in a subtle and colorful way, although he often enters the field of salon music” (H. Abert, Illustrated Music Lexicon). This most sensitive and introverted master of the piano devoted his life to composition and musical scholarship, also performing his music in concerts and radio broadcasts. Niemann’s vast output for the piano is only now starting to become more widely known. Although his style is generally unashamedly conservative, he was one of the very few German composers to explore Impressionism in music, and this also reflected a fascination with the Far East. Elsewhere, Niemann’s imagination takes us from much Baroque recreation to large-scale epic sonatas, Schumannesque miniatures and even the exploration of early jazz styles. His understanding of the capabilities of the piano was complete, and his works include both collections for young pianists and mature works that exploit the full range of pianistic effect and make significant demands on the performer.