Monument Records: Catalog

Franz Berwald: Piano Works

In the early nineteenth century musical forces were taking shape in Sweden that saw tremendous growth of opportunities for local musicians and composers. In this atmosphere the young Franz Berwald (1796-1868) emerged; he succeeded admirably in meeting this challenge, both in quality and quantity. In his Fantasie No. 1 pour la Melodique, the first movement is as singable as its title promises, the second is as vivacious and ceremonial as an old-fashioned dance, and the third is sparkling and almost humorous. The proportions of the Fantasie No. 3 pour la Melodique are similar to those of the first although it starts off more slowly with a Larghetto that climbs a good way up the keyboard, but overall it remains calm and restful. The Fantisies were written around 1815-16 for the melodique, which was an idiophonic friction instrument with a keyboard invented around 1800. The inquisitive and exuberant twenty-year-old Berwald immediately set about writing for the instrument. In this recording the two Fantasies are separated by a pleasing Rondeau Bagatelle from 1820. The following five pieces also combine brevity with expression: the Andantino, the Andante-Allegretto and the Waltz are all short, the Two Themes with Variations expressive.

These fascinating and delightful works are rendered with great skill on the piano by Giugi Caruso Pesce.

Price :	US$18.00
Order No.:	PI 2012
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Lao Silesu: Muse Champetre - Piano Concerto

The music of Lao Silesu (1883-1953) is not well known. He was Sardinian by birth but Parisian by adoption. All three works presented on this CD are World Premieres. The works, Muse Champetre Suite for Orchestra, Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in E-flat major and Feuilles eparses (Ten Short Pieces for Piano) all showcase his range and talent for piano and orchestral writing.

The remarkable talents of Roberto Piana on the piano and the Sassari Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Alberto Peyretti bring this music to life.

Price :	US$18.00
Order No.:	PI 2419
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Kuhlau: Tre Grandi Soli for Flute and Piano, Op. 57

The works of Friedrich Kuhlau (1786-1832) have long been neglected, the chamber works especially so. This CD brings to the public's attention three brilliant works for flute and piano. In world premiere records admirably perfomed by Maurizio Bignardelli on the flute and Gian Rosario Presutti on the piano. The Tre Grandi Soli, Op. 57 were composed in Copenhagen in 1823 and represent a drawing room condesation of virtuosity which will define the constant relation between Kuhlau and some of the greatest virtuosi of the flute of his age. The fromal subdivision of the Tre Grandi Soli into three concenated movements, the first and the last having a brilliant character and the middle one a relaxing cantable, allowed the solist to show the proto-romantic character of his virtuosity. During the Biedermeier period works like these succeeded in enriching the pianistic literature within a specifidc chamber sphere in which the flute is bound to a dialogue with the piano and repeatedly expressed in a language more properly violinistic.

Price :	US$18.00
Order No.:	PI 2008
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Beethoven Rarities, Vol. 3

This remarkable new recording features the world premiere of Beethoven's Macbeth Overture, Biamonti 454 in a completion by the noted Dutch musicologist and composer A. Willem Holsbergen. The completion was painstakingly done using Beethoven's surviving sketches and notes and faithfully follows his intentions. The Overture had its world premiere performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC by the National Symphony Orchestra in 2001. This recording was made under the able direction of Roberto Diem Tigani and the Sassari Symphony Orchestra for the Italian premiere. The Rondo for Piano and Orchestra in B-flat major, WoO 6 from a new critical edition and the Piano Concerto in D major, Op. 61a are brilliantly performed by Maurizio Paciariello at the piano and and the Sassari Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Tigani. The new critical edition used for the Rondo gives much needed historical accuracy to the sparkling performance.

Price :	US$18.00
Order No.:	PI 2346
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Masters of the Classical Keyboard

This is a collection of rare gems by some famous, and some not so famous, composers of the Classical period. It contains the first recording of 12 Ecosaises, WoO 16 published under Beethoven's name that had been lost for nearly two centuries. Other works include an Adagio by Steibelt, a Rondo by Diabelli and a marvelous two movement Sonata by Dussek. There are works by Haydn, Albrechtsberger and Neefe, who were all teachers of Beethoven. This wonderful recording was done by the master pianist Steven Beck on a reproduction 1795 fortepiano from the Beethoven Center in California.

Price :	US$18.00
Order No.:	01.06.04
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Beethoven: Military Music for Piano

This entire CD was recorded on the 1827 Jakesch Forte-piano in the collection of the Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies in San Jose, California. This remarkable piano has both a Bassoon pedal and a Turkish pedal. Historically, the Turkish pedal was developed to play Military Music giving the performance the added dimension of tambourines, drums and bells. The featured work is Beethoven's own piano version of Wellingtons Seig, Hess 97. Included on the CD is a march from the Ruins of Athens. Also included on this CD are performances of two sets of variations that Beethoven wrote on: God Save the King, WoO 78 and Rule Britannia, WoO 79. Of the 12 works on this CD, 7 are world premiere recordings.

This recording is given added luster by the impeccable talents of Steven Beck.

Price :	US$18.00
Order No.:	04.05.03
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