About this Release
MOZART, FRANZ XAVER (1791–1844)
Piano Sonata in G Major • Variations • Fantasy and a Krakowiak
- Robert Markham, piano
Franz Xaver Mozart, who studied with Salieri and Hummel, was a composer-pianist like his father, Wolfgang Amadeus, but inevitably laboured under the weight of huge expectation. This album contains his largest work for solo piano, the Piano Sonata in G major – an assured, distinctive piece that balances dance with drive. His most virtuosic work is the exuberant Fantasy on a Russian Song and a Krakowiak, while his mischievous Variations on a Russian Theme and the variations on his father’s Don Giovanni illustrate Franz Xaver’s great gifts for elaboration and playfulness. Robert Markham, who has conducted research into the life and music of Franz Xaver Mozart, has been hailed as a performer of ‘astonishing lucidity and coherence’ by Musical Opinion.
Tracklist
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Piano Sonata in G Major, Op. 10 (1808) (00:18:00 )
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1
I. Allegro moderato (00:13:00)
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2
II. Largo (00:02:57)
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3
III. Minuetto - Trio (00:06:47)
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4
IV. Rondo: Allegretto (00:05:41)
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5
Fantasy on the Russian Song Tchem tebya ya ogortshila and a Krakowiak in A Major, FXWM VII:30 (1815) (00:15:03)
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6
Variations on a Minuet from the First Finale of W.A. Mozart's Don Giovanni in F Major, Op. 2 () (00:09:36)
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7
Variations on a Russian Theme in G Minor, Op. 20 () (00:07:58)
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The Artist(s)
Acclaimed as a performer of ‘astonishing lucidity and coherence’ (Musical Opinion) and ‘true musicianship’ (International Piano), British pianist ROBERT MARKHAM was a finalist at the Internati onal Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. Markham regularly appears as a concerto soloist in the UK and abroad, and has performed with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, London Mozart Players and Israel Chamber Orchestra. He studied with Heather Slade-Lipkin at Chetham’s School of Music and Oxana Yablonskaya at The Juilliard School, from where he holds a Doctorate. He currently serves as senior tutor in solo and collaborative piano at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire where, as a staff researcher, he has conducted research into the life and works of Franz Xaver Mozart. The Composer(s)
Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart was the youngest of six children born to Wolfgang Amadeus and his wife Constanze. Franz Xaver’s style was early Romantic, with compositions that were highly regarded by his contemporaries Schubert and Schumann. 
Grand Piano has gained a reputation for producing high quality recordings of rare keyboard gems. Dedicated to the exploration of undiscovered piano repertoire, the label specialises in complete cycles of piano works by many lesser-known composers, whose output might otherwise have remained unknown and unrecorded.
- info@grandpianorecords.com
