Piano Trio in E Flat Major, Op.101 No.1

What I like most about music, including classical, is that there are always new striking names to discover. I remember how I was fecklessly trying to understand why my mood wasn’t all that great for some period. At some moment I had a brain wave: that’s because I didn’t pay attention to my record library and was tired of listening to the older stuff only.

If you faced something like that, let me introduce to you George Onslow, an Anglo-French composer. Unlike other personas who I was writing about, he only flounders about in the waters of forgetfulness and haven't completely went down: in 1984, during the celebration of Onslow's bicentennial, people rediscovered his amazing works. A pure gem is his Piano Trio in E Flat Major, especially if you like piano trios as much as I do. Download it here: Piano Trio in E Flat Major, Op.101 No.1.

Rhythmic Training for the Fingers for Piano

One needs lots of practice to execute difficult piano passages rapidly and accurately. Camille-Marie Stamaty’s methods may be a good start – in addition to being a composer and pianist he was also a teacher. One of his pupils was Camille Saint-Saëns, and, you know, it’s not just anybody. Stamaty’s etudes and exercises develop techniques which he learned from Friedrich Kalkbenner, principal of a Factory for aspiring virtuosos in Paris who established himself as one of the most cunning European pianists. Stamaty’s method may be downloaded here: Rhythmic Training for the Fingers for Piano, Movement I, Op.36

Piano Concerto No.4 Barcarole by W. Bennett

I remember reading an interview with Joseph Brodsky, where he said that he doesn’t know any writers or poets who were incredibly talented, being unpublished in vivo. That may be correct in regard to composers either. But what is really bad, despite works of many of them were praised for some time, now they are overlooked. This happened to William Sterndale Bennett, one of the most innovative and passionate Romantic composers. Bennett doesn’t have a tenth of fame of his contemporaries, and it’s a real shame – I believe that his Piano Concerto No.4. Barcarole is just amazing. Sheet music of this piece is available for download here: Piano Concerto No.4. Barcarole.

Alpine Flower by Carl Bohm

Born in Germany, Carl Bohm was one of the key German composers. His chamber music and songs were always in demand and indirectly helped Brahms to gain recognition – works of the latter were published in virtue of Bohm’s earnings. Carl Bohm was well-known while alive, and, ironic as it is, while his namesake (Karl Böhm) is regarded as one of the most acknowledged conductors of the previous century, he is unfairly forgotten nowadays.

Bohm's Alpine Flower. Edelweiss is leisurely and mellow solo piano piece, salon music at its finest. It is available for download here: Alpine Flower. Edelweiss, Op.279 No.1.

Kikimora by Anatoly Lyadov

Kikimora is a symphonic poem of Anatoly Lyadov. Russian folkore is naturally a storehouse of curiosities, and many composers borrowed from it: both Lyadov and Mussorgsky have program pieces named after rebarbative old woman, living in a forest (Baba Yaga). Kikimora is another legendary villain, pygmy and meager. She is a wrecker, misanthrope, and exceptional vermin – one may die only seeing it. Kikimora is less reclusive than Baba Yaga, but having never heard of hygiene routines they spot the same fashion: dirty clothes and unkempt hair.

Watch devilishly spellbinding performance of Lyadov's piece below.

Full score is available here: Kikimora, op.63 sheet music.