Romantic Discoveries Recordings

Piano Music of Walter Niemann volume 17
Romantic Miniatures, op. 33 • Musical Picture Book after Kate Greenaway, op. 19 • The Garden of Orchids, op. 76 • Two Barcarolles, op. 144 (includes first recordings)
John Kersey, piano
RDR CD127

Total time: 78 minutes 11 seconds

1. Romantische Miniaturen, inspired by poems of Jens Peter Jacobsen, op. 33 (19:33)
i. Yellow Roses ii. Old Roman Pastorale iii. Dreams iv. Silent Love v. Beautiful Autumn Day vi. Butterfly vii. Shadows viii. In the flower garden ix. Death in Springtime x. On the Elves’ Hill

2. Musikalisches Bilderbuch after Kate Greenaway, op. 19 (23:22)
i. The Doll’s Lullaby ii. Christmas Eve iii. The little Soldier iv. The Mill v. Grandma’s Fairy Tales vi. Lisette dances a Minuet vii. Dolly is sick viii. The first time to school ix. A little Tyrolean Ländler x. Mary’s Birthday Bouquet xi. The callow youth xii. A Hunting Piece xiii. The Brooklet in the Forest xiv. The Sleigh Ride xv. The Circus xvi. Mother Hubbard and her Dog

3. Der Orchideengarten, Ten Impressions from the Far East, op. 76 (25:50)
i. Javanese Dance ii. Song of the Malay Fishermen iii. In a green porcelain tea-house iv. Lotus Flower v. Bird of Paradise at a Waterfall vi. Blossoming Liana-Vines vii. The Indian Magician viii. In the Chinese City ix. Moonlight beneath the Palms x. A Rickshaw Ride

4. Zwei Barkarolen, op. 144 (9:39)
i. Poco Allegretto tranquillo (in anmutigem Fliessen) ii. Molto moderato, ma con anima
“There, on a May evening, when his light boat after a hot day glided late under the silent tree vault, from which the moonlight trickled into the water, towards the Alster…” – Rudolf G. Binding (Der Opfergang)

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.