Description
Ernst von Dohnányi was one of the most versatile and influential musicians of his time, but his works are now seldom played. Capriccio has sought to fill that gap and this is the fifth album to feature his sensual, late romantic music, deeply rooted in the Austro-German classical tradition. The programme opens with the overture to the one-act opera Tanta Simona, which has plenty of the Italian flair that runs through the opera’s plot. Following its premiere in 1910, the Suite in F sharp minor, Op. 19 became one of Dohnányi’s most performed works, whereas the American Rhapsody, Op. 47, which contains quotations from numerous American folk melodies, was his last orchestral work; it was premiered in 1954 at Ohio University. The programme concludes with the Serenade in F minor (1906) by Leó Weiner, who was eight years younger than Dohnányi. This early composition is filled with typical Hungarian colours and rhythms, alongside the particular influences of German and Austrian romantic composers.