Piano Music of Walter Niemann volume 24
Tchaikovsky Symphony no. 6 in B minor, op. 74, transcribed by Walter Niemann • The Abode of Happiness, op. 163 (includes first recordings)
John Kersey, piano
RDR CD134
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Total time: 78 minutes 35 seconds
1. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-93): Symphony no. 6 in B minor, op. 74 “Pathetique”, transcribed for solo piano by Walter Niemann (49:10)
I. Adagio – Allegro non troppo
2. Allegro con grazia
3. Allegro molto vivace
4. Finale. Adagio lamentoso – Andante
2. Die Wohnung des Glücks, op. 163 (13:06)
In grateful memory of his sister Elisabeth (1866-1942), with whom he had lived all his life.
i. Home
ii. Summerland
iii. A Birthday
iv Grief and Consolation
v. Epilogue
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.
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