Gottschalk: Complete Solo Piano Music – Philip Martin (8 CDs) Hyperion

‘There are some fine Gottschalk albums out there, but Martin’s is the only complete survey of the composer’s works for solo piano. Not only that, he has a unique affinity for this music that shines through in every bar. Rhythm, touch, dynamics and phrasing are exemplary, and he gauges the eclectic mood and manner of each piece to perfection. And while one might expect inspiration to wax and wane, Martin reminds us just how consistently assured and interesting Gottschalk’s keyboard writing really is. Indeed, that’s why I found it so easy to listen to all 109 tracks in a single day. Sensitively planned and lovingly played, this set contains some of the most varied and enchanting piano sounds imaginable. And even though the individual albums were recorded at different times and in several venues, they sound remarkably consistent in terms of balance and character. The tracks that have me reaching for the repeat button include: Le banjo (tr. 1), Le bananier (tr. 13), Pasquinade (tr. 31), the Andante from La nuit des tropiques (tr. 40) and the miraculous Tremolo (tr. 65). Sure to keep my spirits up on that lonely strand; a must-buy for pianophiles and LMG fans alike’ (MusicWeb International)

CD1
1
Le banjo ‘Fantaisie grotesque, an American sketch’ RO22 Op 15[4’06]
2
Le mancenillier ‘La sérénade’ RO142 Op 11[5’26]
3
Minuit à Séville ‘Caprice’ RO170 Op 30[4’59]
4
Romance in E flat RO270[2’57]
5
Chanson du gitano RO35[4’24]
6
Mazurka in F sharp[4’11]
7
Souvenir de Porto Rico ‘Marche des Gibaros’ RO250 Op 31[6’44]
8
Souvenir de la Havane ‘Grand caprice de concert’ RO246 Op 39[6’25]
9
Danza RO66 Op 33[5’45]
10
6ème Ballade RO14 Op 85[6’17]
11
Columbia ‘Caprice américain’ RO61 Op 34[5’49]
12
Ojos criollos ‘Danse cubaine, caprice brillant, contradanza’ RO185 Op 37[2’17]
13
Le bananier ‘Chanson nègre’ RO21 Op 5[2’41]
14
Union ‘Paraphrase de concert on the national airs Star-Spangled Banner, Yankee Doodle, and Hail Columbia’ RO269 Op 48[7’39]

CD2
15
Suis-moi! ‘Contradanza, caprice’ RO253 Op 45[3’28]
16
Berceuse ‘Cradle song’ RO27 Op 47[4’42]
17
La jota aragonesa ‘Caprice espagnol’ RO130 Op 14[2’53]
18
Manchega ‘Étude de concert’ RO143 Op 38[4’16]
19
Marche de nuit RO151 Op 17[4’59]
20
La savane ‘Ballade créole’ RO232 Op 3[6’49]
21
Miserere du Trovatore ‘Paraphrase de concert’ RO171 Op 52[8’56]
22
Souvenirs d’Andalousie ‘Caprice de concert sur la caña, le fandango, et le jeleo de Jerez’ RO242 Op 22[4’12]
23
Polka in A flat RO275[3’01]
24
Ballade in A flat RO271[4’46]
25
Polka in B flat RO273[2’01]
26
Ynés ‘Danza in E flat’ RO277[2’10]
27
Caprice-polka RO44 Op 79[4’36]
28
Scherzo-romantique RO233 Op 73[3’49]
29
Souvenir de Lima ‘Mazurka’ RO247 Op 74[4’27]
30
Grand scherzo RO114 Op 57[5’00]
31
Pasquinade ‘Caprice’ RO189 Op 59[3’43]

CD3
32
Ô ma charmante, épargnez-moi! ‘Caprice’ RO182 Op 44[3’09]
33
Grande fantaisie triomphale sur l’hymne national brésilien RO108 Op 69[9’13]
34
Gottschalk’s melody[2’06]
35
Bamboula ‘Danse de nègres’ RO20 Op 2[8’09]
36
The dying poet ‘Meditation, arpejos de saudade’ RO75[6’35]
37
Hercule ‘Grande étude de concert’ RO116 Op 88[5’20]
38
The last hope ‘Méditation religieuse’ RO133 Op 16[5’11]
39
Murmures éoliens RO176 Op 46[8’53]
40
Andante (Movement 1 of Symphony No 1 ‘La nuit des tropiques’, RO5)[12’51]arr. Artur Napoleão dos Santos (1843-1925)
41
La chute des feuilles ‘Nocturne’ RO55 Op 42[7’32]
42
Tournament galop RO264[3’10]

CD4
43
La colombe ‘Petite polka’ RO60 Op 49[4’02]
44
La moissonneuse ‘Mazurka caractéristique’ RO173 Op 8[2’42]
45
Le songe d’une nuit d’été ‘Caprice élégant’ RO240 Op 9[3’29]
46
Pensée poétique RO194 Op 62[3’44]
47
L’étincelle ‘Mazurka sentimentale’ RO80 Op 20[4’09]
48
Souvenir de Cuba ‘Mazurka’ RO245 Op 75[3’13]
49
La gitanella ‘Caprice caractéristique’ RO103 Op 35[2’27]
50
Morte!! ‘Lamentation’ RO174 Op 60[5’58]
51
Polonia ‘Grand caprice de concert’ RO210 Op 35[7’12]
52
Fantôme de bonheur ‘Illusions perdues, caprice’ RO94 Op 36[5’49]
53
Forest glade polka ‘Polka brillante’ RO98 Op 25[2’56]
Ossian ‘Deux Ballades’ RO187 Op 4[4’54]
54
[untitled][2’38]
55
[untitled][2’16]
56
Ricordati ‘Nocturne, méditation’ RO227 Op 26[3’08]
57
Reflets du passé ‘Rêverie’ RO223 Op 28[5’06]
58
Apothéose ‘Grande marche solennelle’ RO8 Op 29[11’36]

CD5
59
Sospiro ‘Valse poétique’ RO241 Op 24[2’54]
60
Marguerite ‘Grande valse brillante, valse sentimentale’ RO158 Op 76[4’16]
61
Bataille ‘Étude de concert’ RO25 Op 64[8’27]
62
Réponds-moi ‘Danse cubaine, caprice brillant’ RO226 Op 50[3’17]arr. C Wachtmann (fl1868-1868)
63
Solitude RO239 Op 65[4’28]
64
8ème Ballade RO16 Op 90[10’34]
65
Tremolo ‘Grande étude de concert’ RO265 Op 58[6’05]
66
Orfa ‘Grande polka’ RO186 Op 71[2’57]
67
El cocoyé ‘Grand caprice cubain de bravura’ RO57 Op 80[7’00]
68
Polka de salon RO207 Op 1[3’30]
69
Rayons d’azur ‘Polka de salon’ RO220 Op 77[3’35]
70
La chasse du jeune Henri ‘Morceau de concert’ RO54 Op 10[9’35]

CD6
71
Le carnaval de Venise ‘Grand caprice et variations’ RO45 Op 89[12’21]
72
Marche funèbre RO147 Op 61[5’05]
73
Vision ‘Étude’ RO295 Op posth.[3’33]
74
Printemps d’amour ‘Mazurka, caprice de concert’ RO214 Op 40[4’53]
75
Caprice élégiaque RO38 Op 56[5’00]
Colliers d’or ‘Deux mazurkas’ RO58/9 Op 6[4’13]
76
RO58[2’16]
77
RO59[1’57]
78
Danse ossianique RO64 Op 12[3’40]
79
Jeunesse ‘Mazurka brillante’ RO129 Op 70[2’22]
80
Danse des sylphes ‘Caprice de concert’ RO65 Op 86[8’58]Félix Godefroid (1818-1897), arr. Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1829-1869)
81
The maiden’s blush ‘Grande valse de concert’ RO141[3’11]
82
Impromptu RO122 Op 54[6’06]
83
La favorita ‘Grande fantaisie de concert’ RO95 Op 68[16’20]Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)

CD7
84
The water sprite ‘Polka de salon’ RO296 Op 27[4’29]
85
Forget me not ‘Mazurka caprice’ RO99[4’35]
86
Second banjo RO24 Op 82[5’18]
87
Souvenir des Ardennes ‘Mazurka de salon’ RO243[4’24]
88
Battle cry of freedom ‘Caprice héroïque, grand caprice de concert’ RO62 Op 55[6’33]
89
Fairy land ‘Schottische de concert’ RO91[3’58]
90
Hurrah galop ‘Galop de concert, pas redoublé, caprice de concert’ RO118[2’33]
91
Chant du soldat ‘Grand caprice de concert’ RO51 Op 23[10’17]
92
Love and chivalry ‘Caprice élégant en forme de schottisch’ RO135[4’35]
93
La brise ‘Valse de concert’ RO30[3’29]
94
Madeleine ‘Étude’ RO140[4’34]
95
7ème Ballade RO15 Op 87[5’40]
96
La gallina ‘Danse cubaine’ RO100 Op 53[2’46]
97
The dying swan ‘Romance poétique’ RO76 Op 100[4’51]
98
God save the Queen ‘Morceau de concert’ RO106 Op 41[4’37]

CD8
99
Home, sweet home ‘Caprice’ RO117 Op 51[6’48]Sir Henry Bishop (1786-1855)
100
Chant de guerre RO48 Op 78[5’06]
101
Pensive ‘Polka-rédowa’ RO196 Op 68[4’16]
102
Le chant du martyr ‘Grand caprice religieux’ RO49[7’41]
103
Ses yeux ‘Polka de concert’ RO235 Op 66[6’19]arr. Artur Napoleão dos Santos (1843-1925)
104
Pastorella e cavalliere RO190 Op 32[7’42]
105
Radieuse ‘Grande valse de concert’ RO218 Op 72[5’37]arr. Henry Maylath (1827-1883)
106
Dernier amour ‘Étude de concert’ RO73 Op 62[6’41]
107
Variations de concert sur l’hymne portugais RO290 Op 91[11’42]arr. Artur Napoleão dos Santos (1843-1925)
108
La mélancolie ‘Étude caractéristique d’après F Godefroid’ RO167[5’23]Félix Godefroid (1818-1897)
109
Jerusalem ‘Grande fantaisie triomphale’ RO126 Op 13[9’57]Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

With his idiomatic and graceful style, pianist Philip Martin has established himself as the foremost exponent of Gottschalk. Much of his music is by no means easy to play; it requires an impeccable technique matched with élan and joie de vivre for its most effective execution.

Although not essentially a ‘great composer’, Louis Moreau Gottschalk had a unique spontaneity and individuality which Martin’s performances bring vividly to the fore. The composer’s music was hugely popular during his lifetime and his works display a real melodic charm and a great sense of fun.

Each of the eight discs in Martin’s extensive Gottschalk series has received wide acclaim and left pianophiles eagerly awaiting the next issue. The complete set is now available elegantly packaged for a special price.