Below is an excerpt from a review of by Gene Gaudette on an new release by Susanne Kessel in honor of Robert Schumann's 200th anniversary.
Susanne is also my partner in our duo, my "Pianowaves".
I contributed a new piece based on the Kreisleriana, Op.16, number 5 called
Fantasie Electroacoustic I for R.S. and S.K.
An interesting CD of new music came my way a couple of weeks ago. Pianist Susanne Kessel has made a name for herself as a champion of living composers, and I've been impressed by a number of her recordings, particularly California Concert on Oehms Classics. Her newest, An Robert Schumann, brings together 12 diverse short works by contemporary composers paying homage in various ways to Schumann, the centerpiece being Kreisleriana 2010, an eight-composer, eight-movement suite that is a modern complement to Schumann's op.16. Every one of the works on this disc is worth a listen, with particularly outstanding contributionsd by composers Alex Shapiro, Leon Milo, and that underrated early godfather of minimalism, the amazing Alvin Lucier. If you have any interest in contemporary music or just plain terrific piano playing, you won't be disappointed!
Robert Schumann: Complete Piano Music, Volumes 1-5
Peter Frankl, piano
VOX ED-5185 to -89 (digital download only; Amazon: Volume 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 — iTunes: Volume 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5)
An Robert Schumann
Ulrike Haage: Fantasmagorie (Version abregée) / Christoph Israel: Milonga para acunar / Kreisleriana 2010 (Michael Denhoff: An R. Sch. – für Susanne / Sascha Janko Dragicevic: Aus nächster Ferne / Ivan Sokolov: Intermezzo / Alex Shapiro: Slowly, searching / Leon Milo: Fantaisie Electroacoustique I pour R.S. and S.K. / Moritz Eggert: Kreislerianana [aus: Hämmerklavier XXII] — II. Etwas bewegter / Alvin Lucier: SK 7 / Manfred Niehaus: 1 2 3 4 7) / Mike Lang: “… in blooming shimmer“ / Torben Maiwald: „Es wehet ein Schatten darin.“
