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CRAMER, JOHANN BAPTIST (1771–1858)

Studio per Il Pianoforte (84 Études in Four Books)

Busoni: Eight Études after Cramer


  • Alessandro Deljavan, piano
  • Gianluca Luisi, piano
  • Giampaolo Stuani, piano

Johann Baptist Cramer’s formidable reputation as a pianist of sensitivity and singing tone at the keyboard is transferred into his Études, the musical interest in these pieces including echoes of Bach and Scarlatti. This made them favourites with Beethoven and Schumann in their day, their influence resonating through pianistic history. Perhaps even more than Clementi’s contemporaneous Gradus ad Parnassum, Cramer’s Études established a keyboard style and tradition which can be traced through to Chopin, Busoni and beyond. This recording of essential piano repertoire brings together a strong trio of pianists, including Gianluca Luisi, whose Liszt recording for Naxos stunned Fanfare by being filled “with so much joy, as well as so much musical integrity”. The artists on this recording of the complete Etudes bring us historically significant and musically satisfying repertoire which is virtually unknown on recordings.

This recording was made on a modern instrument: Steinway, Model D

Tracklist

Disc 1
Cramer, Johann Baptist
 
Studio per il pianoforte, Book 1, Op. 30 (1804) (00:54:00 )
1
No. 1 in C Major (00:00:47)
2
No. 2 in E Minor (00:00:41)
3
No. 3 in D Major (00:01:18)
4
No. 4 in C Minor (00:01:10)
5
No. 5 in C Major (00:00:43)
6
No. 6 in A Minor (00:00:42)
7
No. 7 in B-Flat Major (00:01:22)
8
No. 8 in G Minor (00:01:01)
9
No. 9 in G Major (00:00:59)
10
No. 10 in B Minor (00:01:15)
11
No. 11 in B Major (00:01:37)
12
No. 12 in A Minor (00:01:00)
13
No. 13 in A Major (00:00:47)
14
No. 14 in D Minor (00:01:18)
15
No. 15 in E-Flat Major (00:01:29)
16
No. 16 in F Minor (00:01:07)
17
No. 17 in F Major (00:01:18)
18
No. 18 in D Minor (00:01:19)
19
No. 19 in D Major (00:01:06)
20
No. 20 in E Minor (00:01:13)
21
No. 21 in G Major (00:01:19)
22
No. 22 in F-Sharp Minor (00:01:04)
23
No. 23 in A Major (00:01:16)
24
No. 24 in D Minor (00:01:27)
25
No. 25 in F Major (00:01:42)
26
No. 26 in G-Sharp Minor (00:02:04)
27
No. 27 in A-Flat Major (00:01:21)
28
No. 28 in C Minor (00:01:07)
29
No. 29 in C Major (00:01:05)
30
No. 30 in B-Flat Minor (00:02:11)
31
No. 31 in B-Flat Major (00:01:17)
32
No. 32 in D Minor (00:01:08)
33
No. 33 in D Major (00:00:46)
34
No. 34 in F Minor (00:01:15)
35
No. 35 in F Major (00:00:59)
36
No. 36 in G Minor (00:01:13)
37
No. 37 in B-Flat Major (00:01:16)
38
No. 38 in E-Flat Minor (00:01:21)
39
No. 39 in E-Flat Major (00:01:16)
40
No. 40 in E Minor (00:01:53)
41
No. 41 in E Major, "Aria" (00:03:20)
42
No. 42 in C Minor (00:01:52)
Busoni, Ferruccio
 
Klavierübung in 10 Büchern (second edition, 1923-24), Book VII: 8 Etudes after Cramer (1922) (00:18:30 )
43
No. 1 in C Minor (00:01:22)
44
No. 2 in B-Flat Major (00:02:47)
45
No. 3 in D Major (00:02:11)
46
No. 4 in D Major (00:02:39)
47
No. 5 in C Major (00:01:59)
48
No. 6 in A Major (00:01:52)
49
No. 7 in G Major (00:02:49)
50
No. 8 in A-Flat Major (00:02:53)
Disc 2
Cramer, Johann Baptist
 
Studio per il pianoforte, Book 2, Op. 40 (1808) (01:06:39 )
1
No. 43 in C Major (00:01:05)
2
No. 44 in C Minor (00:00:59)
3
No. 45 in E-Flat Major (00:01:51)
4
No. 46 in A Minor (00:01:18)
5
No. 47 in A Major (00:02:19)
6
No. 48 in F Major (00:01:34)
7
No. 49 in D Minor (00:01:18)
8
No. 50 in B-Flat Major (00:01:26)
9
No. 51 in F Minor (00:01:02)
10
No. 52 in F Major (00:02:09)
11
No. 53 in A Minor (00:01:08)
12
No. 54 in C Major (00:01:26)
13
No. 55 in B Minor (00:01:20)
14
No. 56 in D Major (00:01:19)
15
No. 57 in G Minor (00:01:40)
16
No. 58 in G Major (00:01:05)
17
No. 59 in C Minor (00:01:24)
18
No. 60 in C Major (00:01:21)
19
No. 61 in F-Sharp Minor (00:01:31)
20
No. 62 in A Major (00:01:00)
21
No. 63 in G Minor (00:01:06)
22
No. 64 in B-Flat Major (00:01:20)
23
No. 65 in E Minor (00:01:04)
24
No. 66 in E Major (00:02:49)
25
No. 67 in F Minor (00:01:07)
26
No. 68 in F Major (00:01:36)
27
No. 69 in D Minor (00:01:23)
28
No. 70 in B-Flat Major (00:01:50)
29
No. 71 in C-Sharp Minor (00:01:43)
30
No. 72 in A-Flat Major (00:02:25)
31
No. 73 in B-Flat Major (00:01:28)
32
No. 74 in G Minor (00:02:03)
33
No. 75 in G Major (00:01:37)
34
No. 76 in A Minor (00:01:41)
35
No. 77 in D Major (00:02:19)
36
No. 78 in G Major (00:01:51)
37
No. 79 in C Major (00:02:00)
38
No. 80 in B-Flat Minor (00:02:09)
39
No. 81 in F-Sharp Major (00:01:57)
40
No. 82 in E-Flat Minor (00:02:33)
41
No. 83 in E-Flat Major (00:01:02)
42
No. 84 in C Major (00:01:25)
Total Time: 02:19:39

The Artist(s)

Alessandro Deljavan

Hailed by critics as one of the most accomplished and charismatic musicians of his generation, Deljavan—a Cliburn semifinalist—won the first John Giordano Jury Discretionary award. He recorded his first CD at the age of 15 for the Stradivarius label, and while still a teenager took top prizes at several national and international competitions. He has performed extensively at piano and music festivals around the world, both as a recitalist and with chamber music ensembles, including the Takács Quartet, the Sine Nomine Quartet, and the Orchestra Sinfonica Verdi.

Gianluca Luisi has won many national and international piano competitions, including the Casella International Competition in Italy, and first prize at the Fourth J.S. Bach International Piano Competition in Saarbrücken. He has performed in leading international music festivals and appeared in some of the world’s greatest concert venues, including the Carnegie Hall, New York, and the Musikverein, Vienna. Mr Luisi has been featured on a number of recordings.

Giampaolo Stuani was awarded first prize at the Scottish International Piano Competition, International Alfredo Casella Piano Competition, International Rina Sala Gallo Piano Competition in Monza, the International V. Bellini Piano Competition at Caltanissetta and the National A. Speranza Piano Competition, Taranto. He also won major prizes in the Busoni, Ciani, Pozzoli, Viotti, Bachauer, Kapell, Cleveland, Pretoria, Hamamatsu and Epinal International Piano Competitions. He has given numerous recitals in Italy and abroad, and appeared as a soloist with major orchestras. Mr Stuani has recorded for the Dynamic, Olympia, OnClassical, Azzurra music and Fontec labels.

The Composer(s)

The son of an Italian musician father and a German pianist mother, Ferruccio Busoni represented a remarkable synthesis of two differing attitudes to music, while winning an outstanding reputation as a piano virtuoso.
Johann Baptist Cramer established a formidable reputation as a pianist. He made his first appearance as an infant prodigy at the age of 10 and three years later, in 1784, joined Muzio Clementi, briefly his teacher, in a sonata for two pianos. In 1788 Cramer embarked on his first European tour, which took him to Paris and to Berlin, while in London he made his name as one of the leading pianists of the day and as a successful teacher. As a composer he had been prolific, and he had also been involved in music publishing and in the sale of pianos, his name continuing its commercial connection in London well into the twentieth century.

Reviews

Musica

“...a survey of remarkable unity of purpose and achievement, measured but not severe, marked throughout by high-class craftsmanship.” – Musica

“The performances are uniformly virtuosic and the sound is fine.” – American Record Guide

“…I am sure that this double-CD will appeal strongly to all piano music enthusiasts. Whatever their usual fare, these Études represent a major stage in the development of piano technique as we have come to understand it in the music of Chopin, Liszt and other romantic pianists.” – MusicWeb International