It’s about time for the (re-)discovery of an outstanding pianist of the 20th century! Lili Kraus, born in Hungary, set interpretative milestones with her Haydn and Mozart recordings and is also highly regarded by connoisseurs around the world for her playing of the works of Schubert. In Germany, her perception always stayed in the shadows of an Edwin Fischer or Wilhelm Backhaus, as she represented a completely different, much less monumental style of interpretation. Her subtle interpretive skills were particularly appreciated in France, where most of her recordings were made. Kraus was educated in Budapest by Zoltán Kodály (music theory) and by Béla Bartók (piano), in Berlin she later attended Artur Schnabel’s masterclass. Her career, which began in the 1930s, was rudely interrupted by the rise of National Socialism in Germany. Kraus fled from the persecution of Jews to England and the Netherlands. On her first world tour in 1943 she was arrested in Japan and released after the war in a dreadful mental and physical state. It was not until 1948 that she was able to resume her career.
Lili Kraus’ special love was for chamber music. She played the violin sonatas by
Mozart and Beethoven among other with violinists Szymon Goldberg and Willi
Boskovsky, her favorite chamber music partners. Testimonies of this exquisite
musical collaboration can be heard in this documentation including 10 original
albums from 1934 to 1962 with works by Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert and Bartók.
CD 1
■ MOZART Piano Concertos: No. 12 in
A, No. 18 in B-flat (1954)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 –
1791)
Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major K.
414 / Klavierkonzert A-Dur
1. I. Allegro 9‘22
2. II. Andante 8‘47
3. III. Rondeau: Allegretto 6‘29
Piano Concerto No. 18 in B-Flat Major
K. 456 / Klavierkonzert B-Dur
4. I. Allegro vivace 11‘12
5. II. Andante un poco sostenuto 11‘21
6. III. Allegro vivace 6‘57
Lili Kraus piano / Klavier
Boston Symphony Orchestra
conductor / Dirigent Pierre Monteux
recorded / aufgenommen 1953
Total Time 54‘10
CD 2
■ MOZART Concerto No. 20 en ré
mineur K. 466 / Concerto No. 9 en mi
bémol majeur K. 271 (1961)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 –
1791)
Concerto No. 20 en ré mineur K. 466 / in
D Minor / d-Moll
1. I. Allegro 13‘47
2. II. Romanze 10‘00
3. III. Rondo: Allegro assai 7‘54
Concerto No. 9 en mi bémol majeur K.
271 / in E Flat Major / Es-Dur
4. I. Allegro 9‘28
5. II. Andantino 10‘49
6. III. Rondo minuetto 10‘28
Lili Kraus piano / Klavier
Wiener Konzerthaus Kammerorchester
conductor / Dirigent Willi Boskovsky
recorded / aufgenommen 1955
Total Time 62‘27
CD 3
■ MOZART Sonates pour piano et
violon (1959)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 –
1791)
Sonate en ut majeur K. 403 / in C
Major / C-Dur
1. I. Allegro moderato 5‘13
2. II. Andante. Allegretto 7‘54
Sonate en fa majeur K. 55 / in F Major /
F-Dur
3. I. Vivace 4‘06
4. II. Adagio 4‘33
5. III. Tempo di menuetto 3‘36
Sonate en ut majeur K. 6 / in C Major /
C-Dur
6. I. Allegro 3‘38
7. II. Andante 3‘55
8. III. Menuetto I & II 2‘31
9. IV. Allegro molto 3‘20
Sonate en sol majeur K. 27 / in G Major /
G-Dur
10. I. Andante poco adagio 4‘43
11. II. Allegro 4‘36
Lili Kraus piano / Klavier Willi Boskovsky
violin / Violine
recorded / aufgenommen 1955 (3-11)
1957 (1-2)
■ BONUS
Béla Bartók (1881 – 1945)
12. Six Rumanian Folk Dances Sz. 56
4‘44
Three Rondos on Folk-Tunes Sz. 84
13. I. Andante 2‘50
14. II. Vivacissimo 2‘26
15. III. Allegro molto 2‘48
Lili Kraus piano / Klavier
recorded / aufgenommen 1938
Total Time 60‘55
CD 4
■ MOZART Sonata in B Flat Major, K.
333; Sonata in C Major, K. 545;
Variations in E Flat Major “La Belle
Française,” K. 353 (1955)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 –
1791)
Sonata in B Flat Major K. 333 / B-Dur
1. I. Allegro 6‘34
2. II. Andante cantabile 7‘19
3. III. Allegretto grazioso 6‘12
Sonata in C Major K. 545 / C-Dur
4. I. Allegro 2‘53
5. II. Andante 5‘03
6. III. Rondo: Allegretto 1‘50
7. 12 Variations on „La Belle Française“
15‘22
in E Flat Major K. 353 / Es-Dur
Lili Kraus piano / Klavier recorded /
aufgenommen 1954
■ BONUS
Robert Schumann (1810 – 1856)
Piano Concerto in A Minor Op. 54 /
Klavierkonzert a-Moll
8. I. Allegro affetuoso 15‘18
9. II.Intermezzo 5‘34
10. III. Allegro vivace 10‘14
Lili Kraus piano / Klavier Orchester der
Wiener Staatsoper
conductor / Dirigent Victor Desarzens
recorded / aufgenommen c. 1960
Total Time 76’22
CD 5
■ MOZART Six Sonatas for Piano and
Violin (1950)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 –
1791)
Sonata in C Major K. 296 / C-Dur
1. I. Allegro vivace 5‘42
2. II. Andante sostenuto 5‘22
3. III. Rondeau: Allegro 4‘06
Sonata in F Major K. 377 / F-Dur
4. I. Allegro 3‘51
5. II. Tema con variazioni. Andante 8‘25
6. III. Tempo di menuetto 4‘46
Sonata in B Flat Major K. 378 / B-Dur
7. I. Allegro moderato 8‘22
8. II. Andantino sostenuto e cantabile
7‘28
9. III. Rondeau: Allegro 4‘17
Sonata in G Major K. 379 / G-Dur
10. I. Adagio. Allegro 6‘55
11. II. Tema con variazioni. Andante
cantabile 8‘26
Lili Kraus piano / Klavier Szymon
Goldberg violin / Violine
recorded / aufgenommen 1934 (1-3,
10-11) 1938 (4-9)
Total Time 67‘43
CD 6
■ MOZART Six Sonatas for Piano and
Violin (1950)
(continued / Fortsetzung)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 –
1791)
Sonata in E Flat Major K. 380 / Es-Dur
1. I. Allegro 6‘25
2. II. Andante con moto 9‘21
3. III. Rondo: Allegro 4‘09
Sonata in E Flat Major K. 481/ Es-Dur
4. I. Molto allegro 6‘21
5. II. Adagio 7‘47
6. III. Tema con variazioni. Allegretto
7‘47
Lili Kraus piano / Klavier Szymon
Goldberg violin / Violine
recorded / aufgenommen 1936/37
■ BONUS
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827)
7. Variations in E Flat Op. 35 “Eroica”
7‘29
Eroica-Variationen Es-Dur
Lili Kraus piano / Klavier
recorded / aufgenommen 1953
Total Time 64‘52
CD 7
■ BEETHOVEN Sonata en mi majeur
Op. 109 /
Sonata en ut majeur „Waldstein“ (1955)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827)
Piano Sonata in E Major Op. 109 /
Klaviersonate E-Dur
1. I. Vivace ma non troppo. Adagio
espressivo 3‘55
2. II. Prestissimo 2‘14
3. III. Andante molto cantabile ed
espressivo 13‘07
Piano Sonata in C Major Op. 53
„Waldstein“ / Klaviersonate C-Dur
4. I. Allegro con brio 10‘39
5. II. Introduzione: Molto adagio 3‘44
6. III. Rondo: Allegretto moderato 9‘14
Lili Kraus piano / Klavier recorded /
aufgenommen 1953
■ BONUS
Franz Schubert (1797 – 1828)
Sonata in A Minor D. 784 / a-Moll
7. I. Allegro giusto 8‘27
8. II. Andante 4‘25
9. III. Allegro vivace 5‘17
Lili Kraus piano / Klavier recorded /
aufgenommen 1937
Total Time 61‘03
CD 8
■ BEETHOVEN Concerto de piano No.
3 en ut mineur Op. 37 /
Fantaisie en ut mineur Op. 80 (1962)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827)
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor Op.
37 / Klavierkonzert c-Moll
1. I. Allegro con brio 15‘34
2. II. Largo 9‘09
3. III. Rondo: Allegro 9‘13
4. Choral Fantasy in C Minor Op. 80 /
Chorfantasie c-Moll 20‘17
Lili Kraus piano / Klavier
Chorus and Orchestra of the Amsterdam
Philharmonic Society
conductor / Dirigent Gianfranco Rivoli
recorded / aufgenommen unknown /
unbekannt
Total Time 54‘16
CD 9
■ SCHUBERT Divertissement à la
hongroise Op. 54 /
Variations Op. 82, No. 2 / Polonaises
Op. 61 (1958)
Franz Schubert (1797 – 1828)
Divertissement à la hongroise in G Minor
Op. 54 D. 818 / g-Moll
1. I. Andante 11‘51
2. II. Marcia: Andante con moto 4‘17
3. III. Allegretto 13‘19
4. Variations in B Flat Major Op. 82 No.
2 D. 603 / 11‘49
B-Dur, Polonaises Op. 61 D. 824
5. No. 1 in D Minor / d-Moll 4‘24
6. No. 2 in B Flat Major / B-Dur 6‘42
7. No. 3 in D major / D-Dur 7‘14
Lili Kraus & Homero de Magalhães
piano / Klavier
recorded / aufgenommen 1956
Total Time 59‘38
CD 10
■ HAYDN Sonatas in G HOB XVI/44, in A
Flat HOB XVI/46,
in E Flat HOB XVI/52 (1957)
Joseph Haydn (1732 – 1809)
Sonata in G Minor Hob. XVI/44 / g-Moll
1. I. Moderato 7‘54
2. II. Allegretto 4‘11
Sonata in A Flat Major Hob. XVI/46 /
As-Dur
3. I. Allegretto moderato 8‘04
4. II. Adagio 7‘11
5. III. Finale: Presto 2‘35
Sonata in E Flat Major Hob. XVI/52 /
Es-Dur
6. I. Allegro moderato 8‘26
7. II. Adagio 5‘53
8. III. Finale: Presto 5‘34
Lili Kraus piano / Klavier recorded /
aufgenommen 1955 (6-8) 1956 (1-5)
■ BONUS
Franz Schubert (1797 – 1828)
Sonatina for Violin and Piano in D Major
Op. 137 No. 1 D. 384 /
Sonate für Violine und Klavier D-Dur
9. I. Allegro molto 4‘28
10. II. Andante 4‘34
11. III. Allegro vivace 4‘15
Lili Kraus piano / Klavier Willi Boskovsky
violin / Violin
recorded / aufgenommen 1937
Total Time 63‘07