Rare, Pretty, romantic melodies, from the piano's golden age of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.

24 MP3 Songs in this album (77:33) !
Related styles: Classical: Keyboard Music, Classical: Romantic Era, Featuring Piano

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On this, my second CD, I'm including a few tried and true classics, along with my usual variety of pieces no one has ever heard of. Grieg never wears out his welcome in any program. Greensleeves is a traditional melody I have always loved. Rubinstein's Romance, and Sibelius's Valse Triste, are popular standards and deservedly so, but the rest of the selections fall into that category of forgotten gems or rarely heard pieces, which I have been lucky enough to come across. In my mind, I'm on the ballroom floor with Madame Bovary when I play this haunting waltz from 1949. Ok, so it was written a little later than the others. Your ear shouldn't mind. Edward Schutt, in my humble opinion, is one of the most underrated and unjustly forgotten composers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. His music sings, and dances, sparkles, and touches my heart all at the same time. Arensky, not unlike Moszkowski, and Poldini were all masters at having the most to say in the shortest form, and doing it with polish and inspiration. Chabrier, Albeniz, and Sinding have composed a wealth of music I hope to learn more of in the future. Before I found this Valse Lente by Oscar Straus, I had no idea this beloved Viennese operetta composer ever wrote a piano solo, but this little waltz is quite well written and quite a charmer. I can find no information on A. Merowitsch or G. Posca, both of whom have made valuable contributions here. It makes me wonder what else they wrote, or even what nationality they were. I really love the mazurka here by Strelezki, who must have been Russian. The Caprice from M. Regor is a fun piece from this fascinating composer. These pieces have become my friends, and I hope they become yours. Happy listening! Lew Waner January 1, 2010