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CDA67495


View sleeve notes/artwork (PDF)
Recording details: May 2004
Henry Wood Hall, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Ates Orga
Engineered by Ben Connellan
Release date: January 2005
Total duration: 77 minutes 11 seconds

'Piers Lane and Hyperion deserve praise for bringing this unjustly neglected genius to our attention with such a delightful recording' (Classic FM Magazine)

'Lane's committment to, and affection for these difficult works is abundantly clear, and his playing is simply marvellous, bringing a kaleidoscopic range of colour and an utter solidity of technique that makes even the most taxing passages sound easy' (International Record Review)

'As in his recent CD of Moscheles for the same label, Lane has all the executive answers to these constantly - and sometimes extravangantly - demanding pieces, thoroughly characterising every idea, pianistic or musical' (International Piano)

'Piers Lane plays Henselt with the exceptional tact that marks his previous endeavours. There's no lack of acrobatic thrill; but even in the most bravura numbers, he manages to draw out the musical substance as well. His ability to separate lines - to coax the melodic core from all the ornamentation and elaboration - is especially welcome in some of the potentially heavy-breathing etudes here, works that can readily turn to clatter in less dexterous hands. Add to this Davis's scrupulous notes and Hyperion's unimpeachable sound, and you have a strong release. Warmly recommended' (Fanfare, USA)

Adolph von Henselt (1814-1889)
Études
Piers Lane (piano)
LISTEN TO ALL EXTRACTS
Douze études caractéristiques de concert, Op 2
1
No 01 in D minor: Orage, tu ne saurais m'abattre. Alegro molto agitato  [2'20]
2
No 02 in D flat major: Pensez un peu à moi, qui pense toujours à vous. Allegro moderato  [2'43]
3
No 03 in B minor: Exauce mes vœux. Tempo giusto  [2'54]
4
No 04 in B flat major: Repos d'amour. Allegretto sostenuto  [2'02]
5
No 05 in C sharp minor: Vie orageuse. Tempo giusto  [2'03]
6
No 06 in F sharp major: Si oiseau j'étais, à toi je volerais. Allegro  [2'19]
7
No 07 in D major: C'est la jeunesse qui a des ailes dorées. Presto animoso  [2'22]
8
No 08 in E flat minor: Tu m'attires, m'entraînes, m'engloutis. Allegro agitato ed appassionato  [2'08]
9
No 09 in F major: Jeuness d'amour, plaisir céleste …. Allegro  [3'00]
10
No 10 in E minor: Comme le ruisseau dans la mer …. Moderato  [1'58]
11
No 11 in E flat major: Dors tu, ma vie?. Allegretto sostenuto ed amoroso  [3'38]
12
No 12 in B flat minor: Plain de soupirs, de souvenirs …. Moderato ma con moto, con afflizione  [3'00]
13
Poème d'amour 'Andante et étude concertante in B major', Op 3  [7'26]
Douze études de salon, Op 5
14
Suite 1. No 1 in C minor: Eroica. Moderato – Presto agitato ed appassionato  [4'03]
15
Suite 1. No 2 in G major: Allegro brillante  [1'51]
16
Suite 1. No 3 in A minor: Hexentanz. Allegro con brio e feroce  [1'30]
17
Suite 1. No 4 in E major: Ave Maria. Andante  [2'43]
18
Suite 1. No 5 in F sharp minor: Verlorene Heimat. Con moto appassionato e dolorosa  [4'24]
19
Suite 1. No 6 in A flat major: Danklied nach Sturm. Lento sostenuto  [8'54]
20
Suite 2. No 07 in C major: Elfenreigen. Molto vivace  [1'17]
21
Suite 2. No 08 in G minor: Romanze mit Chor-Refrain. Andante arioso  [2'43]
22
Suite 2. No 09 in A major: Allegro con leggerezza  [1'44]
23
Suite 2. No 10 in F minor: Entschwundenes Glück. Allegro non tropp, con passione dolorosa  [5'19]
24
Suite 2. No 11 in B major: Liebeslied. Allegretto sostenuto ed amoroso  [2'49]
25
Suite 2. No 12 in G sharp minor: Nächtlicher Geisterzug. Allegro tempestoso  [2'01]

Adolf von Henselt was one of the greatest virtuosi of the nineteenth century. His trail-blazing études – at once impossibly challenging for the performer and ardently lyrical for the listener – were to influence a generation of composers, especially in Russia where Henselt settled.

Having studied with Hummel in Weimar, the ‘Henselt piano technique’ is now regarded as the link between that of the older composer and that to be developed by Franz Liszt. Notorious for his ability to play unfeasibly wide-spreading chords while maintaining a miraculous legato line, Henselt’s fanatical devotion to technical pianistic exercises should come as no surprise. The two sets of études represent the codification of his diligence, yet their worth today derives as much from their musical value as their technical complexity.

Piers Lane, whose impressive discography reveals him to be something of an étude-ist himself, more than rises to the challenge.