14 famous themes from music history, from Bach to Offenbach, each with its own jazzy interpretation - just as in Vol. 1. This edition shows that 'classical music' and jazz are not that distant from one another after all. Just imagine Grieg's Piano Concerto played on a bandoneon - and you have got the perfect tango! Brahms' Hungarian Dance No. 1 is also ideal as a salsa ('Hungarian Salsa No.1'). Schubert's trout suffers a terrible fate, here it may continue to live in a lively ragtime ('Fish Rag'). With Mozart, the night is merry and friendly. but 'A Black Night Music' shows its dark side. The accompanying CD provides examples and suggestions as to how all of these pieces can be interpreted.

24 Pieces For Piano. Par WOLF PETER E.. Péter Wolf (a doctoral graduate of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest) has composed a number of large-scale compositions in recent years which have had success at the hands of distinguished performers: these include two piano concertos as well as concertos for oboe, clarinet, and violin. By entitling his newest set of pieces for piano Wolf-temperiertes Klavier, the composer was able to simultaneously indulge in wordplay based upon his surname and give a tip of the hat to German baroque master Johann Sebastian Bach. The work's likeness to Bach is not limited to its title - the manner in which a piece has been written in both major and minor keys for each tone of the chromatic scale is blatantly inspired by Bach. In the preface to this publication, Wolf offers the following insights: ''I think I managed to find expressive titles. The first piece, Epiclesis (a prayer for inspiration, patience, and support), was heard from above: I was able to work continuously and without inhibitions. The works could be born in every key, until the last one, the Epilogue, was completed. When I finally finished inscribing the pitches of Bach's name, I admit, a little shiver went through me.'' Of the character pieces, all were completely new with the exceptions of one being previously written and another whose theme Wolf borrowed from one of his own stage works. Wolf-temperiertes Klavier is recommended for advanced pianists who wish to push the boundaries between musical genres, as well as classical musicians interested in the harmonic language of jazz. / Niveau : Intermédiaire à Avancé / Musique contemporaine / Répertoire / Piano

This short piece (which also exists in versions for violin or bassoon and piano) was created for the 'Blues' project of the Dutch pianist Marcel Worms. The title maybe alludes to the fact that such a busy artist has to spend a lot of time on the road between performances. However, the composition is, by no means, melancholy. It rather is a lively piece playing with thirds mainly in a high register. Bitonality and jazz harmony contradict the musical-box-like character in a fascinating way. Marcel Worms recorded Economy Class Blues on his CD 'A Can of Blues' which has been released by the label Vermes Records. / Piano