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Track(s) taken from SIGCD388

Albumblatt 'in das Album der Fürstin M.'

composer
Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
1861

Llŷr Williams (piano)
Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
CD-Quality:
Studio Master:
CD-Quality:
Studio Master:
Recording details: March 2014
Wyastone Recording Studio, Monmouth, United Kingdom
Produced by Judith Sherman
Engineered by Andrew Mellor & Mike Hatch
Release date: September 2014
Total duration: 2 minutes 55 seconds

Cover artwork: Photograph by Benjamin Ealovega.
 

Other recordings available for download

Leslie Howard (piano)

Reviews

'The Welsh virtuoso's idea of juxtaposing a selection of Wagner's uneven piano works with transcriptions is pianophile catnip. Wagner's 'long-winded' Fantasy, written at 19, and his effusive Sonata for his Tristan muse, Mathilde Wesendonck, are the most substantial original items, surpassed by Liszt's elaborations of extracts from Tristan, Tannhauser and Rienzi. Williams's reduction of Glenn Gould's four-hand Meistersinger Overture and his own Parsifal arrangements are highlights. An uplifting disc.’ (The Sunday Times)
Only the deafest of Wagnerians would try to make much of a case for the quite appalling quality of most of his piano music. But one or two of the late, short pieces are very attractive—and they are all dedicated to attractive titled ladies. This Album Leaf is fully titled In das Album der Fürstin M.—the Princess Metternich—and dates from 1861, two years after Tristan but much more conservative in idiom.

from notes by Leslie Howard © 2004

Seuls les wagnériens les plus sourds s’essaieraient à défendre la qualité absolument effroyable de la plupart des œuvres pour piano de Wagner. Cependant, une ou deux pièces brèves tardives s’avèrent fort séduisantes – dédiées, d’ailleurs, à de fort séduisantes dames titrées. La présente Feuille d’album, dont le titre exact est In das Album der Fürstin M. (la princesse Metternich), date de 1861, soit deux ans après Tristan, d’un idiome pourtant moins conservateur.

extrait des notes rédigées par Leslie Howard © 2004
Français: Hypérion

Nur die schwerhörigsten Wagnerianer würden versuchen, der ziemlich fürchterlichen Qualität eines Großteils von Wagners Klaviermusik etwas Positives abzugewinnen. Aber ein oder zwei der späten, kurzen Stücke sind äußerst reizvoll – und sie sind alle reizvollen adligen Damen gewidmet. Der vollständige Titel dieses Albumblatts lautet „In das Album der Fürstin M.“ – gemeint ist die Fürstin Metternich – und entstand 1861, zwei Jahre nach Tristan, ist jedoch vom Idiom her wesentlich konservativer.

aus dem Begleittext von Leslie Howard © 2004
Deutsch: Anne Steeb/Bernd Müller

Other albums featuring this work

Rare Piano Encores
Leslie Howard (piano)
CDH55109Download only

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