Emil von Sauer - Suite Moderne; Galop de Concert (Oleg Marshev)

Information

Composer: Emil von Sauer

• Suite moderne
• Aus lichten Tagen
• 3 Konzertetüden
• Galop de Concert in E flat minor

Oleg Marshev, piano

Date: 2003

Label: Danacord

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Review

Oleg Marshev seems born to play music of this ilk. Emil von Sauer comes in at the end of the great Romantic composer-pianist tradition (he was a pupil of Liszt) – collectors may also wish to investigate Hyperion’s ‘The Romantic Piano Concerto, Volume 11’, which couples Sauer’s First Concerto with Scharwenka’s Fourth (Stephen Hough is accompanied by the CBSO under Lawrence Foster, CDA66790). Sauer himself left a fair number of 78rpm discs to posterity.

Danacord here present two first recordings – the Suite and the Galop de concert. Suite moderne, dedicated to Sgambati, is fairly typical Romantic fare, the initial ‘Prélude passioné’ exemplifying this perfectly, gestural in its essence (although a cynic may refer to clichés …). The only reservation comes with the recorded sound, which seems a little lacking in depth, a suspicion confirmed in the ensuing ‘Air lugubre’. Marshev’s evident belief in his charge sees the music through though, dragging one in after a while (at 9’57 duration it could so easily seem over-languorous). The third movement ‘Scherzo grotesque’ does not begin as such, rather easing into its malevolent cheekiness (and how Marshev seems to enjoy this!).

In his notes, Farhan Malik refers to the fourth movement Gavotte as ‘somewhat reminiscent of Glazunov’, although the connection does not seem overly pronounced to this reviewer. The finale is the most clearly Schumannesque movement.

Aus lichten Tagen is subtitled ‘Five Miniatures’. This is straight out of the salon. Marshev plays when appropriate in a light, throwaway style, yet displays superb tonal variety in the final ‘Capricietto’. His virtuosity is breathtaking in ‘Am Spinnraden’ (‘At the Spinning Wheel’, the fourth movement).

Sauer’s 29 Concert Etudes were recorded by Marshev earlier in this series. The Three Concert Etudes presented here are not in fact intended as a supplement to this - rather their character is truer to the essence of the ‘etude’. Marshev does his best to shape the first (a cripplingly difficult study in thirds). Similarly, his Etude-Caprice (No. 2) is full of laughter, and the final ‘Moto perpetuo in Octaves’ sparkles delightfully.

Finally, the Galop de Concert in E flat minor. This begins almost as a Lisztian parody – it is an effective encore piece, with its contrastive elements and Marshev in teasing mode around 5’38. But the piece is over-long at six and a half minutes.

A thoroughly enjoyable disc. Marshev’s flair and seemingly limitless technique sees the project through in high style.

-- Colin Clarke, MusicWeb International

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Emil von Sauer (8 October 1862 – 27 April 1942) was a notable German composer, pianist, score editor, and music (piano) teacher. He studied with Nikolai Rubinstein at the Moscow Conservatory between 1879 and 1881, then went on to study with Franz Liszt for two years. From 1882, Sauer made frequent and successful tours as a virtuoso pianist; his performing career lasted until 1940. Along with editing the complete piano works of Johannes Brahms and a number of academic works by Pischna, Plaidy and Kullak, Sauer wrote piano concertos, piano sonatas, concert études, piano pieces, and lieder.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emil_von_Sauer

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Oleg Marshev (born 1961 in Baku, Azerbaijan) is a Soviet and Russian pianist and now a resident of Italy. He studied at the Moscow Conservatory with Mikhail Voskresensky, graduating in 1988 with a Performance Doctorate. Marshev's first recording project was the complete original works for solo piano by Prokofiev (5 CDs) for Danacord Records. He has since recorded over 30 CDs for the same label, featuring works by Schubert, Brahms, Strauss, Rubinstein, Rachmaninov and others. Marshev became the first pianist to perform the entirety of Emil von Sauer’s piano music, making up 6 volumes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oleg_Marshev

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