Romantic Discoveries Recordings

Piano Music of Walter Niemann volume 5
Piano Sonata no. 3 “Elegiac”, op. 83 • From Watteau’s Era, op. 18 • The House with the Golden Scales, op. 145 • Summer night on the river, op. 45 • Messplatz – At the Fair, op. 127 (includes first recordings)
John Kersey, piano
RDR CD115

Total time: 63 minutes 45 seconds

1. Piano Sonata no. 3 in D minor, op. 83 “Elegische” (28:25)
i. Moderato e serioso ii. Scherzo fantastico – Allegro marcato iii. Aria – Un poco sostenuto e doloroso – Larghetto languido iv. Un poco Allegro, ma non troppo

2. Aus Watteau’s Zeit – Rococo-Gavotte, op. 18 (5:59)

3. Das Haus zur goldenen Waage – 1618. Miniature Suite in the olden style for piano or harpsichord, op. 145 (11:38)
i. Allemande -Poco Andantino ii. Courante – Allegro scherzando iii. Sarabande – Andante molto espressivo e tenuto iv. Gigue – Vivace
“As escort:
‘The House of the Golden Scales’ stands near the Dom in old Frankfurt and its magic fascination leads us straight back to the 17th century and shows us the dwelling house and business premises of a wealthy Dutch merchant. Such a house, indeed, may be seen in all old German towns, as symbolic of a time in which side by side with the bitter affliction of the thirty years’ war in Germany the highest mental and artistic productiveness flourished.” – Walter Niemann (The House with the Golden Scales was destroyed by Allied bombing on 22 March 1944.)

4. Sommernacht am Flusse (Barkarole), op. 45 (5:07)

5. Messplatz – At the Fair, op. 127 (12:25)
i. Bavarian Highlanders ii. The Dutch Waffle Stall iii. Sylvia, the Fortune-Teller iv. Hot Little Sausages! v. The Viennese Pony School vi. The Car Merry-Go-Round vii. Hippodrome viii. The Black Savages ix. The Palace of Illusions x. The Punch and Judy Show xi. The Silhouette Photographer xii. The Flying American Devil

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.