Reminiscence

by Simon Buerki

Overview

The annotations for this Aparte release include a full-throated defense of the common fund of 19th and early 20th century piano music; "censors took a dim view of serving up little pieces bequeathed by the 19th century and the first years of the 20th, because of their 'sentimentality,' their 'virtuosity.' This era is over," writes Alain Lompech. Yet this debut by pianist Simon Buerki, still a student at the Juilliard School when this album was released in 2023, still stands out a bit for its adherence to pure Romantic and post-Romantic favorites. Buerki places works by Rachmaninov, mostly from the Etudes-Tableaux, at the center of his program, delivering confident performances with an attractive bit of restraint. From there, he does indeed move into more sentimental pieces, including Rachmaninov's arrangement of Fritz Kreisler's evergreen violin piece Liebesleid and Liszt's Liebestraeume, a work that would have appeared on countless 19th century recitals but is perhaps a bit less common nowadays. He also includes the somewhat more modern Scriabin, performing him in a lyrical mood that emphasizes his Romantic rather than his experimentalist connections. It is an attractive collection, beautifully recorded at the Gustav Mahler Hall in Dobbiaco, Italy, and it makes one hopeful about future releases from the player. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	06/30/2023
Label:	Aparte
UPC:	5051083190381
Rank:	198925

Tracks

1. Études-Tableaux, Op. 39~No. 1 Allegro agitato in C minor
2. Fantasiestücke, Op. 12: In der Nacht
3. Etudes, Op. 8: No. 11, in B-Flat Minor
4. 6 Pieces, Op. 51~No. 1 Valse de salon
5. Études-Tableaux, Op. 39~No. 8. Allegro moderato in D Minor
6. Études-Tableaux, Op. 39~No. 4. Allegro assai in B Minor
7. The Seasons, Op. 37a~October (Autumn Song)
8. Preludes, Op. 32/12. Allegro in G-sharp minor
9. Études-Tableaux, Op. 39~No. 5. Appassionato in E-Flat Minor
10. Liebesträume, S. 541: No. 3 in A-Flat Major
11. Fantasiestücke, Op. 12: Warum?
12. Liebesleid
13. 14 Romances, Op. 34: No. 14. Vocalise
14. 12 Romances, Op. 21: No. 5 Lilacs
15. Etudes, Op. 42: No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor
16. Preludes, Op. 32: No. 13. Grave in D-Flat Major

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Simon Buerki   Primary Artist,Piano

Technical Credits

Zoltan Kocsis   Arranger,Transcription
Simon Buerki   Liner Notes
Blaise Carpene   Artistic Director,Editing,Engineer
Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky   Composer
Sergey Rachmaninov   Composer
Alexander Scriabin   Composer
Robert Schumann   Composer
Franz Liszt   Composer
Fritz Kreisler   Original Material
Alain Lompech   Liner Notes
Gilbert Bofill   Liner Note Translation
Jiyang Chen   Photography
Peter Bannister   Liner Note Translation
Giulio Passadori   Piano Tuner,Piano Preparation
Little Tribeca   Engineer
Ambroise Helmlinger   Mixing,Editing,Engineer,Mastering