SCHUMANN

Fantasie, Kreisleriana, Arabeske

 

1-3) Fantasie in C major Op.17

i.  Durchaus phantastisch und leidenschaftlich vorzutragen

ii. Mässig: Durchaus energisch

iii.Langsam getragen: Durchaus leise zu halten

4-10) Kreisleriana Op.16

i.  Äusserst bewegt

ii. Sehr innig und nicht zu rasch - Intermezzo I (Sehr lebhaft) - Tempo I - Intermezzo II (Etwas bewegter) - Tempo I

iii.Sehr aufgeregt

iv.Sehr langsam

v.Sehr lebhaft

vi.Sehr langsam

vii. Sehr rasch

viii.Schnell und spielend                     

11) Arabeske in C Op.18

Leicht und zart - Minore I.Etwas langsamer - Minore II Etwas langsamer - Zum Schluss (Coda). Langsamer

 

Jonathan Biss, piano

 

“...every note and every phrase came sheathed in a light cushion of sound…lyrical, invigorating musicianship of the sort that only the greatest artists can muster.”

San Francisco Chronicle, September 2005

 

Young American pianist Jonathan Biss is already recognised as an exceptional and highly accomplished musician. He has a flourishing international career established through his orchestral and recital performances in America and Europe and has worked with some of the world’s greatest conductors including Daniel Barenboim, Charles Dutoit, Lorin Maazel and Sir Neville Marriner.

 

Jonathan has won numerous awards and is the only American to date to have been selected for the prestigious BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist scheme which led to the co-production of his EMI Classics Debut disc in 2004 (Alison Balsom is also a past beneficiary of this scheme).

 

His Debut release included the Beethoven Appassionata Sonata along with his first exploration of the works of Robert Schumann on disc, with an “especially stimulating” (Fanfare) rendition of the character pieces Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6.

 

This disc sees Jonathan’s first EMI Classics main label release and is an all-Schumann programme comprising three contrasting works by the master of the Romantic piano repertoire: Kreisleriana Op.16 (8 Fantasies), Fantasie Op.17, and Arabeske Op.18.

 

(EMI Debut Series release, 2004)

“Here in EMI’s Debut series his performances are superbly bold, confrontational and brightly lit. Most enterprisingly, he chooses Beethoven’s Op 77 for his curtain-raiser, revelling in its explosive whimsy, in every scalding scale and abrupt change of direction. There is a suitably raw energy, too, in his Appassionata Sonata”

Bryce Morrison, Gramophone, July 2004

 

“[What] makes Biss stand out from the competition is his quicksilver response to the shifting demands of the musical landscape… His Schumann is especially stimulating. Davidsbündlertänze is a manic cycle structured around unexpected turns - and Biss gives every swerve and every jolt an imaginative stamp.”

Peter J. Rabinowitz, Fanfare Magazine, Sept/Oct 2004

 

“Biss employs all the elements of keyboard magic to vividly realize these character pieces [Schumann’s Davidsbündlertänze] His wonderful touch and sensitive pacing make simple music exquisite…Biss justifies his courage in closing his debut recital disc with Beethoven’s Appassionata Sonata with a performance worthy to be ranked with the best of past masters.”

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, May 2004                                                      

 

EMI 3653912