The penultimate volume in Hyperion’s four-part survey of the complete solo piano music of Ernő Dohnányi focuses on music from the period when the composer’s pre-eminent position was being assured. The titles of the largest works here, Ruralia hungarica and the Variations on a Hungarian Folksong, mask in their nationalistic ostentation the skill of a true master of piano composition.
Martin Roscoe inhabits the world of Dohnányi’s music like no other—appraisals of the earlier volumes attest to this—and this new recording is a joy.
Ruralia hungarica Op 32a[28’27]
1 Allegretto, molto tenero[2’14]
2 Presto, ma non tanto[3’48]
3 Andante poco moto, rubato[7’03]
4 Vivace[3’31]
5 Allegro grazioso[2’03]
6 Adagio non troppo[7’19]
7 Molto vivace[2’29]
Variations on a Hungarian Folksong Op 29[11’05]
8 Complete: Theme & Variations 1-10[11’05]
Three Pieces Op 23[12’21]
9 Aria: Con moto[4’37]
10 Valse impromptu[3’59]
11 Capriccio: Vivace[3’45]
12 Gavotte and Musette in B flat[4’41]
13 Naila Waltz[8’01]Léo Delibes (1836-1891), arr. Ernő Dohnányi (1877-1960)
14 Schatzwalzer Op 418[7’43]Johann Strauss (1825-1899), arr. Ernő Dohnányi (1877-1960)
15 Du und Du Op 367[6’48]Johann Strauss (1825-1899), arr. Ernő Dohnányi (1877-1960)