Romantic Discoveries Recordings

Piano Music of Walter Niemann volume 16
24 Preludes, op. 55 • Im Kinderland, op. 46 • Yule Slumber Lilt, op. 143 (includes first recordings)
John Kersey, piano
RDR CD126

Total time: 74 minutes 18 seconds

1. 24 Preludes, op. 55 (43:15)
Book I:
i. (C major) Off to a Happy Start ii. (A minor) An Evening in Seville (Spanish Dance-Song) iii. (G major) The Brook in the Green iv. (E minor) Shapes in the Fog v. (D major) A Dream vi. (B minor) Brooding and Musing vii. (A major) Silent Happiness viii. (F sharp minor) The Three Shepherds ix. (E major) The Babbling Meadow-Spring x. (C sharp minor) At Robert Schumann’s Grave xi. (B major) Devotion xii. (G sharp minor) Autumnal Thoughts
Book II
xiii. (G flat major) In Festive Splendour xiv. (E flat minor) Funeral Procession at Night xv. (D flat major) In the Gloaming xvi. (B flat minor) Fleeting Shadows xvii. (A flat major) Lassie with thy Locks of Gold xviii. (F minor) Hardened Hearts xix. (E flat major) To Adolph Henselt xx. (C minor) Old Harpsichord Tunes xxi. (B flat major) Dialogue xxii. (G minor) Anger xxiii. (F major) Onward, onward, never resting! xxiv. (D minor) Lament

2. In Children’s Land, nineteen pieces in progressive sequence, op. 46 (20:44)
i. Morning Prayers ii. Christmas-Bells iii. Chinese Lanterns! iv. Prince Suso and Princess Susi dance a minuet v. Schoolmaster Morose with a long nose vi. With a birthday bouquet vii. Very melancholic viii. Little Willy and the Wind ix. The little Mermaid in the shell x. Hans on the ice xi. Cradlesong for Dolly Dora xii. In an aeroplane xiii. Dolly’s Washingday xiv. Falling Flakes xv. The brave hen xvi. Little brother and little sister xvii. The three little chatterboxes xviii. Evening Prayers xix. Dreams

3. Krippenmusik zur Weihnacht, op. 143 (10:14)
i. Snowy Night ii. Come, O ye Shepherds! iii. Pastorella (The Shepherds’ Lay at the Cradle) iv. The Adoration of the Holy Child v. Joyous Dance of Children and Shepherds vi. Wing-dance of Angels

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.