Vers la flamme: Works by Beethoven, Messiaen, Scriabin, Strauss Severin von Eckardstein

• Alexander Scriabin (1872 - 1915): Vers la flamme, Op. 72:
• 1 Scriabin: Vers la flamme, Op. 72 05:54
• Richard Strauss (1864 - 1949): Tod und Verklärung, Op.24, TrV 158 (Arr. Eckardstein for Piano):
• 2 Strauss: Tod und Verklärung, Op.24, TrV 158 (Arr. Eckardstein for Piano) 24:51
• Olivier Messiaen (1908 - 1992): Vingt regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus:
• 3 Messiaen: Vingt regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus: No. 20, Regard de l'Église d'amour 14:25
• Severin von Eckardstein (b. 1978): Improvisation
• 4 von Eckardstein: Improvisation 03:26
• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827): Piano Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, Op. 111:
• 5 van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, Op. 111: I. Maestoso - Allegro con brio ed appassionato 09:27
• 6 van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, Op. 111: II. Arietta. Adagio molto semplice cantabile 18:02
• Andante favori, WoO 57:
• 7 van Beethoven: Andante favori, WoO 57 08:29
• Total Runtime 01:24:34

Info for Vers la flamme: Works by Beethoven, Messiaen, Scriabin, Strauss

"The starting point was Beethoven's Sonata op. 111, but this little piece 'Vers la flamme' by Scriabin exemplifies an idea, and the title is ideal for the whole album. The idea is a journey from the earthly to the light, it is about the question of how life and death are connected. Now you can say that it is generally a function of music that it catapults you into a new level of consciousness. But I think the four works on this album do that in a special way, they radiate a tremendous power. They reflect different worlds of life, were written at different times and spring from different genres and sound ideas, and yet they all have a similar function.

Strauss is about a terminally ill person who suffers, but at the end of his life ascends into new spheres and finds redemption. Beethoven, too, is initially concerned with something threatening, earthly, but he views it more philosophically. Beethoven does not reveal much of himself directly, everything is subjected to a strict, architectural form, and therefore his music seems to be set in stone. But in his last piano sonata he crosses a boundary, one senses the jagged world he is divining, here he has finally stretched the form so far that he can ascend to new spheres." (Excerpt from the booklet Interview with S. von Eckardstein)

Severin von Eckardstein, piano

Severin von Eckardstein
one of the leading German pianists of his generation, has an already lengthy record of solo concerts and concerto performances on major stages around the world.

He has delighted the public with many highly acclaimed concerts, for example in Berlin, Munich, Moscow, London, Paris, New York, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul. His talent could be enjoyed at great music festivals, including Klavier-Festival Ruhr, in Aldeburgh/UK, the Gilmore Festival in Michigan/USA, the renowned festival in La Roque d’Anthéron, France, the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival and the Miami International Piano Festival, where he played the opening concert in 2009. He has performed with conductors such as Valery Gergiev, Philippe Herreweghe, Lothar Zagrosek and Marek Janowski, and made important debuts, for example with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Beethoven Piano Concerto Nr. 5) under Paavo Järvi in 2007 and most recently – in spring 2012 – with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra (Prokofiev Piano Concerto Nr. 3) conducted by Jaap van Zweden. Many of Von Eckardstein’s concerts have been recorded and broadcasted by major broadcasting corporations. As a repeat guest in the concert series “Meesterpianisten” in the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, von Eckardstein opened the gala concert celebrating the series’ 25th anniversary. He has been invited to reappear in 2017.

Born in Duesseldorf, Germany in 1978, the pianist has won prizes at numerous noteworthy international competitions, e.g. “Ferruccio Busoni” in Bozen (1998), the “Leeds International Piano Competition” (2000) and “José Iturbi” in Valencia (2002), as well as winner of the ARD-Competition in Munich (1999) and the “Grand Prix International Reine Elisabeth” in Brussels (2003). On several occasions he has been awarded special prizes for the “Best Interpretation of Contemporary Music.”

Several foundations and societies, including the Mozart Society and the highly regarded German National Merit Foundation, have honored him with scholarships. In 2002 he received the “European Culture Prize” and in 2003 the “Echo Classic Prize.”

Von Eckardstein’s education in the musical arts was predominately shaped by his teachers Prof. Barbara Szczepanska, Prof. Karl-Heinz Kämmerling and Prof. Klaus Hellwig, University of Arts, Berlin, where he also successfully completed his concert exams. In an additional course of study at the International Piano Academy Lake Como, Italy, he profited from further instruction and inspiration. He took private lessons from teachers such as Alfred Brendel and participated in master classes instructed by Vitalij Margulis, Karl Ulrich Schnabel, Alicia de Larrocha, Leon Fleisher and Menahem Pressler, to name only a few. He himself has served as master class instructor in South Korea and Finland.

Chamber music also plays a significant role in his repertoire with performances at festivals such as the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, Finland, and the Risør Chamber Music Festival, Norway, where he appeared with the cellist Heinrich Schiff. He has often given concerts with young but highly renowned musicians, for example Andrej Bielov, Barnabasz Kelemen, Franziska Hölscher, Judith Ermert, Danjulo Ishizaka and Nicolas Altstaedt. Together with Franziska Hölscher he recently founded a new series of chamber concerts named “Klangbrücken” in Berlin (Konzerthaus).

Von Eckardstein‘s comprehensive repertoire spans the baroque period up through music of the 21st century. As such, he has premiered the works of modern-day composers, in particular the American Sidney Corbett. One of his special focuses is the demanding late romantic piano music of some less known composers, especially Nicolai Medtner.

His CD recordings with compositions by Medtner, Skrjabin, Wagner, Schubert and others aroused great interest. A Schumann CD is being under preparation and will be published in 2016.

This album contains no booklet.