Eugen d'Albert: Solo Piano Music

D'Albert's Mature Piano Sonata and Attractive Salon Pieces

Eugen d'Albert (1864-1932) is generally recognized as one of the great piano virtuosi of the late 19th-century, ranking with Bülow, Anton Rubinstein, and Busoni. He was a pupil of Liszt and also a friend of Brahms. Despite his concert pianist career, d'Albert found time to be a composer of twenty-one operas, four concerti, and orchestral, choral, vocal, and piano works. Of course, nothing of his with the exception of the Bach-d'Albert "Passacaglia in C minor" reaches most audiences today. It is unlikely d'Albert's piano music will ever be removed from total obscurity. D'Albert's two piano concerti are respected occasionally, his opera Tiefland is recorded, but the piano music has been forgotten and deemed "epigonic" by critics. This Hyperion release proves, however, that many good things and one great thing from d'Albert's piano output have been unjustifiably left behind.

Pianophiles everywhere should consider d'Albert's distinctive Piano Sonata in F sharp minor. In his Sonata Since Beethoven volume, William Newman says d'Albert's Piano Sonata is "closer to the style of Brahms--in fact, so close at times as to be almost indistinguishable from it." Published in 1893, the sonata is clearly a product of late German Romanticism, but is still fresh, inventive, and compelling. A few virtuosic passages indicate Liszt's influence, but as a whole, this 27-minute three-movement sonata owes more to late Beethoven and Brahms. The first movement is passionate and beautifully crafted; each theme is memorable and the language similar to Brahms's Piano Sonata Op. 2 (also in F-sharp minor). The second movement of d'Albert's sonata, simply marked "Langsam," is utterly sublime. Here d'Albert makes an undeniable departure from late Beethoven and evokes a sound world similar to the slow movements from the last five sonatas, which d'Albert was renowned for playing collectively in a single concert. In the triple fugue finale, d'Albert employs majestic Brahmsian phrases with noble Mendelssohnian fugal writing. The entire sonata is a successful whole and deserves to be acknowledged, especially for the profound second movement.

The other pieces on this disc are appealing but admittedly lighter than the sonata. The Eight Piano Pieces Op. 5 (1884) is a diverse set of attractive and hefty miniatures (most around 3-4 minutes). Each piece shows d'Albert favoring both expression and virtuosity. The E-flat major and minor (No. 5 and 6) are packed with emotion and potency while the two C-sharp minor pieces (No. 1 and 8) conjure the grandiose piano-writing of Brahms and Liszt. Naturally, the frisky "Scherzo" from Op. 16 is a wonderful salon piece in the manner of Liszt's "Gnomenreigen." D'Albert's Capriolen Op. 32 consists of five short pieces that are stylistically different than the preceding piano music. The first piece titled "Butterfly singed its wings" reminds me of Liszt's "Bagatelle without tonality"; indeed, Piers Lane says the piece is "as near to Schoenberg as d'Albert was ever likely to get." The fourth "Missie-Massa" suggests Americana with its extroverted rendition of the famous tune from Emmett's "Dixie Land." D'Albert apparently also laments the African-American in the moving central section.

Bottom line: D'Albert's works may not be first-tier material, but they are still significant and exhibit many qualities any classical music listener would appreciate. Without a doubt, the Piano Sonata is a tremendous creation and enough of a reason to buy this disc. Piers Lane was the first to record d'Albert's B minor piano concerto (d'Albert: Piano Concertos) and is the inimitable champion of this forgotten composer. Lane's executions reveal a level of artistry and technical aplomb which only enhance d'Albert's already-fine piano music. September 20, 2008

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