This is a studio recording from 2012 for the BBC film 'Loving Miss Hatto'. A biopic penned by the British comedian Victoria Wood about pianist Joyce Hatto.

The character piece is like the art song's fun-loving cousin who always shows up to the party with a bottle of emotional perfume. It's perfect for those intimate gatherings or solo rendezvous with your piano. Thanks to the piano's rise to fame in the 1800s, character pieces were popping up everywhere, and composers were flaunting their creations at the hottest recital events of the time. Basically, character pieces were the 19th century's version of a hot new single. If you thought Franz Liszt's music was boring, think again! This guy was all about giving his character pieces creative and whimsical titles, like "Sposalizio" and "Vallée d'Obermann". But don't worry, he didn't forget about those of us who like our music titles to be a little more straightforward - he also composed plenty of works with no-nonsense names like "Album Leaves" and "Klavierstücke". With his "Consolations" (a.k.a. "Six Poetic Thoughts"), Liszt took a page out of Chopin's book and delved into the world of nocturnes. And let me tell you, the third Consolation in D-flat major is pure Chopin - even the key is pianist-friendly, unlike those pesky "easy" keys like C major. Looks like Liszt knew a thing or two about pleasing his audience! If you're a Chopin fan, you're gonna love Liszt's "Consolation No. 3"! I mean, talk about a tribute - this piece is basically a carbon copy of Chopin's Opus 27, no. 1. And while it might not have the same flashy piano solos that Liszt is known for, it more than makes up for it with its dreamy, slow-moving melodies. Plus, it's in the same key as Chopin's original, so you know it's gotta be good.

Despite the unusual title, the Consolations were inspired by both poetry and religious contemplation, just like Harmonies Poétiques et Religieuses. Some say the title comes from an 1830 poetry collection by Sainte-Beuve, while others think it's based on a poem by Lamartine called A Tear (or Consolation). Either way, it seems like Liszt was in a pretty contemplative mood when he wrote these pieces. But don't worry, Liszt didn't completely forget his roots - he snuck in a little Hungarian folk song as the primary theme, which he later used in his "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 1". So even though this piece might not match the wild, hair-flailing image we have of Liszt, it's still got a little bit of that old-school flavor. Liszt's "Consolation No. 3" wasn't just a musical masterpiece - it was also a major turning point in the composer's life. And let me tell you, Liszt's early life was a doozy - it was basically one big, crazy party. But don't take my word for it, just ask his first mistress (and mother of his three children) Marie d'Agoult, who wrote all about it under the pen name Daniel Stern. And if you're feeling really adventurous, you can even watch the 1975 film "Lisztomania" for all the juicy details. Talk about living the dream! Liszt's life was like something out of a Hollywood movie - seriously, this guy was breaking class barriers and performing like a superstar. But as he got older, he decided to trade in the limelight for a little bit of privacy. He started conducting orchestras and composing more, and even started teaching aspiring pianists from around the world. I guess you could say he was the original piano man!

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Official Website: http://www.archiechen.com
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Teaching Website: http://www.pianoacademy.ie

Piano: Yamaha C7
Piano Technician: Martin Walsh
Recorded at Cauldron Studios, Dublin
Recording Engineers: Ciarán Byrne & Michael Manning
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Franz Liszt Consolation no. 3 in D flat Major, S. 172

A recording of J.S. Bach's 'Preludie in C' played by Neil Balfour.

When J.S. Bach began working on his epic Well-Tempered Clavier in 1722, chances are he wasn't thinking that it would become one of the defining musical texts in keyboard history. But, somehow, it has - and the Prelude No. 1 in C Major is where it all starts.

The Well-Tempered Clavier (there are two volumes of it, each containing a prelude and a fugue in each musical key) kicks off in C Major, the most 'natural' musical key, so he obviously made sure that the first entry is a good one. Few pieces of keyboard music sound so delicate and fragile, but there's a very Bach-ian stability to it as well. 

It's a strikingly simple piece to begin with, gently phasing through different chords and registers, but it's one of those pieces that demands to be tinkered with. Consequently, you'll hear plenty of different interpretations of this much-loved work.

Prelude No. 1 In C Major | Bach

Prelude No. 1 In C Major, BWV 846, From The Well - Tempered Clavier By Johann Sebastian Bach.

The Fall

First Loves
Tim Fain, violin
Robert Koenig, piano

First Loves is a collection of quintessential violin masterpieces which first inspired me to be a violinist. Includes showpieces by Rachmaninoff, Sarasate, Wieniawski, and more, plus “Swan Remix,” my own arrangement of themes from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.
As a kid, I was surrounded by classical, pop, rock, jazz, film and contemporary concert music – finding a balance of old and new music is still very important to me. Many of the works on First Loves are the ones that drew me in as a child – Rachmaninoff, Sarasate, and Wieniawski, arrangements by Heifetz, and Kreisler – and remain profoundly relevant today. I’ve also included “Swan Remix,” my own arrangement of themes from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, which I made after my work on-camera and on the soundtrack of the film Black Swan. Each track is dedicated to someone who inspired me or made it possible for me to be the person and the artist that I am today. My hope is that First Loves will inspire others, young and old, to fall in love with the violin as I did.

First Loves

Buy on BandCamp

Praeludium And Allegro - Fritz Kreisler

A Trip to Prague

Serenade for Strings in E Major II. Waltz Op. 22

Performer: 't Muziek Frascati, May 14th, 2009, Concert Hall Leuven 
Conductor: Kris Stroobants

http://www.tmuziekfrascati.be/concert/5

--

"Prince Igor is an opera in four acts with a prologue. It was composed by Alexander Borodin. The composer adapted the libretto from the East Slavic epic The Lay of Igor's Host, which recounts the campaign of Russian prince Igor Svyatoslavich against the invading Polovtsian tribes in 1185. The opera was left unfinished upon the composer's death in 1887 and was edited and completed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Glazunov. It was first performed in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1890." (source: Wikipedia)

'Polovtsian Dances' from 'Prince Igor' (Alexander Borodin)

Johannes Brahms - Waltz in A Flat Major Op.39, No.15

Prelude Op. 28, No. 15, by Frédéric Chopin, known as the "Raindrop" prelude. Recorded in March 2001

Chopin - Raindrop Prelude

Franz Liszt-Liebestraum No. 3 in A-Flat Major

Piano Solo - Minna Liu
Accompaniment - Bian Zhong

Recorded Live: Minna Liu Piano Recital, Oct 2011

Prelude No. 1 In C Major, BWV 846, From The Well - Tempered Clavier By Johann Sebastian Bach.

rafaelfigini