Romantic Discoveries Recordings

Piano Music of Walter Niemann volume 20
Ancient Idylls, op. 99 • Merry Prelude, op. 85 • Dreams of Autumn, op. 63 • Rimsky-Korsakov transcr. Niemann: Hymn to the Sun • Theme and Variations inspired by Camoens’ Lusiaden, op. 25 • Arabeske, op. 52 • For the House, op. 34 (includes first recordings)
John Kersey, piano
RDR CD130

Total time: 77 minutes 7 seconds

1. Antike Idyllen, after poems by Elsa Bergmann, op. 99 (18:37)
i. Pompeja ii. Lalage iii. Telemachos iv. Odysseus v. Paesta vi. Erinna

2. Fröhliches Präludium, op. 85 (4:04)

3. Herbstträumereien, op. 63 or 64 (14:16)
i. Andante teneramente ii. Moderato e teneramente, con intimissimo sentimento iii. Molto moderato, un poco malinconico iv. Andante mosso v. Allegro leggierissimo ed amabile

4. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) Hymn to the Sun from The Golden Cockerel, transcribed for piano by Walter Niemann (4:48)

5. Theme and Variations inspired by Camões’ Os Lusíadas, op. 25 (17:53)

6. Arabeske, op. 52 (3:24)

7. Fürs Haus, eight little lyric pieces after words by Johann Hinrich Faers, op. 34 (13:51)
i. Little snowbells ii. Colourful butterfly iii. Restlessness iv. Remembering you v. Dried flowers vi. At Christmas time vii. Bad mood viii. An old hunting-piece

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.