Search - Schnabel, Koehlem :: Piano Piece in 7 Movements

If you have the essentials of 20th-century music in your collection, this disc, containing two works for piano by the legendary pianist Artur Schnabel, might be of interest to you. The works, dating from 1923 and 1936, are remarkably fluid in their incorporation of dissonance and 12-tone composition. Schnabel's music remains quite distinct despite the strong influence of his friend and contemporary Ferruccio Busoni, as well as that of the 2nd Viennese School. Schnabel always intended to return to composition and claimed to enjoy composing more than performing. However, there are only a handful of compositions in his output, few of them published in his lifetime. With sensitive and thoughtful performances by Benedikt Koehlen, as well as informative liner notes, this is a fascinating disc for those who are familiar with 20th-century music. --Kirk Noreen