Gade: Piano Sonata op. 28, Aquarellen

Bjørkøe, Christina

CPO 777 628-2

The Copenhagen-born pianist Christina Bjørkøe was awarded the Danish Music Prize for the best solo production of the year for her recording of piano music by Knudåge Riisager in 2005. She also earned critical acclaim for her »always highly vibrant playing, intensive in design and expression« (klassik. com), on our cpo complete recording of Nielsen's piano works, and her new recording featuring piano compositions by Niels Gade matches these high standards. Although Gade never pursued a piano virtuoso's career, he composed for the piano throughout his life; and it is even reported that he made it his habit to conduct his orchestral rehearsals from the piano in order to clarify his ideas and intentions. His Aquarelles are short character pieces relatively easy in technique and certainly intended more for home performance than for the concert hall. Nevertheless, the Aquarelles enjoyed a unique kind of popularity during the composer's lifetime. If the Aquarelles op. 19 tend to bear the imprint of a simple salon style, then while writing his op. 57 Gade greatly and impressively expanded his repertoire of stylistic means in compositional-technical, harmonic, and rhythmic respects.

CD x 1

CPO

8/27/13

761203762828