I do not have very many compositions by Eugen d'Albert to share with you, but what I do have should give you a very good idea of the man's worth. He was one of the few musicians well respected by both the Wagnerites and Brahmsians, and in his music for piano is much that can be said to be a continuation of the work of Beethoven, of whose music he was a fervent exponent as a pianist, as well as Bach and Brahms. I will continue to search for examples because there is a Scherzo Op 16 that has remained popular and his chamber music is reported to be first rate.
Of the works for piano you will hear below, the Sonata in F sharp minor Opus 10 is a masterpiece. Why it is not performed is a mystery. The first movement builds on Brahms' piano sonatas. The second gives us an idea of what Beethoven might have done had he had more time. And the final movement is a monumental triple fugue - yes with three subjects that are eventually combined in a contrapuntal tour de force. It could be said to be a tribute to the three pilars of German classical music, Bach, Beethoven and Brahms.
Piano Sonata in F sharp minor Op 10 Piers Lane, piano
i Massig
ii Langsam
iii Einleitung und Fuge
Piano Concerto 2 Op 12 Michael Ponti, piano Pierre Cao conducting the Orchestra of Radio Luxembourg
Part I
Part II
Klavierstücke Op 5 Koji Attwood, piano
Part I
Part II
Haendel/d'Albert Chaconne in G major HWV 435 Annie Fischer, piano
One of d'Albert's Operas, Tiefland (1903), is still very deservedly in the operatic repertoire in Germany. It is a beautiful opera, with lush Orchestration and gorgeous arias, in the post-Wagerian tradition of Hans Pfitzner and Engelbert Humperdinck. I include the orchestral Prelude and a number of the arias from the opera in order to distinguish this composer from the many pianists whose fruit of lesser compositional talent have faded away. This is the work of a serious composer whose music, were we able to hear more of it, might be judged to be of considerably greater import.
All of the following recordings are performed by a cast including Waldemar Kmentt, Eberhard Wächter, Hans Hopf, Paul Schöffler, Gré Brouwenstijn, Oskar Czerwenka with Rudolf Moralt conducting Vienna Symphony Orchestra. The below excerpts are in no particular order and do not represent the musical or dramatic progression of the opera.
Orchestervorspiel
"Oh! Sie ist fort!"
"So kamen wir eines Tages hierher"
"So nimm das Geld, ich schenke es dir"
"Er will kein Stutzer sein"
"Ich will vom Himmel Stärke dir erflehen"
"Das Essen ist da"
"Du hast den Mut nicht mich zu töten"
"Ich soll dich töten, dich, die ich liebe"
"An einem Abend war's, der Mond ging auf"
"Hüll in die Mantilla dich fester ein"
Before abandoning his British roots at the age of seventeen in the pursuit of more Teutonic climes, d'Albert studied for five years at the National Training School for Music (an institution that was eventually to become the Royal College of Music) in London where his teachers included Ebenezer Prout, John Stainer and Arthur Sullivan of Gilbert and Sullivan fame. In the context of what you have just heard, it may be difficult to believe that he is generally given credit for having written the overture to Gilbert and Sullivan's 1881 operetta, Patience. I do not have said overture to offer you, but in order that you might appreciate this most absurd of ironies, here is
"Prithee, Pretty Maiden"
from Patience as sung in the Eastman School of Music 1999 production by Ryan Power as Grosvenor and Marion Russell as Patience.
