Features: Pianofortitude
Writing in 1713, an exasperated Couperin said of the harpsichord that he would be grateful to anyone who could 'contrive to render this instrument capable of expression'. He could never have imagined that his wishful thinking would eventually be realised in Bartolomeo Cristofori's invention of the hammer mechanism that paved the way for the modern piano, central to classical music in so many ways. This intriguing musical history has been preserved in the vast range of piano and keyboard recordings available today.
Play now
Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel: 'Ach, die Augen'
This song is just one of the 466 pieces of music composed by Felix Mendelssohn's equally talented sister before her death in 1847. The accompaniment is played on a fortepiano, the ancestor of the modern piano developed by Cristofori. Its thin strings and leather-covered hammers give the instrument a distinctive lightness of tone.
CPE Bach: Concerto for Harpsichord, Piano and Orchestra in E
Despite the rise of the piano the harpsichord continued to be developed and improved, its unique sound offering composers a further option for keyboard composition. In this fine 18th century concerto CPE Bach celebrates this by featuring both instruments.
Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 12 in F
The sonata remains one of the most popular modes of pianistic expression to this day. Mozart is known to have written twenty-two, although four have been lost. Such a prolific composer might have been expected to have written many more, but as he so often improvised or played from memory on the concert platform it is likely that much of his keyboard music never reached manuscript stage.
Chopin: 12 Etudes Op.25
This is Chopin's second set of piano studies, composed in 1836. They are more sophisticated than the first, yet in the hands of a sensitive performer their technical demands never overshadow their emotive capabilities.
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 'Emperor' in E flat
The piano concerto is perfectly exemplified by Beethoven's final contribution to what was one of the great musical forms of the Romantic era. Written in 1909, the work is dedicated to Archduke Rudolf, who was both a patron and pupil of the composer.
Liszt: Piano Sonata in B minor
One of the most significant (and musically formidable) piano works of all time. Massive in scope, the work is in fact constructed from a series of individual themes which are transformed to suit the changing contexts of the piece. It was first performed in 1857 and sounds remarkably modern even today.
Wagner: Wesendonck-Lieder
Liszt also produced many virtuosic piano transcriptions of works by Wagner, but the latter's original writing for piano is perfectly conveyed in the accompaniments to these well-loved songs which he wrote while working primarily on 'Die Walkure'.
John Cage: Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano
Cage effectively re-invented the piano by adding various mutes and resonators to the strings which dramatically transformed their timbre and harmonic capabilities. The gamelan-like sounds of this well-known piece from 1946-48 have made it remarkably popular given its avant-garde origins.