Dvořák: Kompletní Klavírní Dílo - CD

Ivo Kahánek: Dvořák: Kompletní Klavírní Dílo version on 4CD in Standard edition. This particular edition was published in Czech Republic in publishing company Supraphon on 5. November 2021.

In Antonín Dvořák's instrumental output, the piano works stand rather in the shadows compared to the symphonic works, the three solo concertos and the chamber music. In fact, the great Bohemian wrote for the piano only occasionally and mostly at the instigation of others. However, he himself was so proficient with the keyboard instrument that he was able to handle the not-so-easy piano parts in some of his chamber works. Dvořák was not, however, a virtuoso like his compatriot Bedřich Smetana or his contemporary Johannes Brahms. His piano pieces lack virtuoso showmanship, they seem almost sympathetic, but instead have a very personal and intimate character. On the other hand, they impress with melodic inventiveness, introverted lyricism and, last but not least, the compositional care that the composer devotes to the miniatures. This music is undoubtedly not intended for large concert halls, but rather for intimate music-making. Moreover, he seems to be quite consciously avoiding the classical supreme discipline of the sonata. The last two points in particular, despite the undeniable qualities of the works, have proved rather detrimental to their relevance on the concert stage and even on recordings to this day. After the highly acclaimed recording of the Piano Concerto on the SUPRAPHON label (SU 4236), the young Czech pianist Ivo Kahánek is a master of Dvořák's piano music and has decided with full conviction to record the whole of it. He proves to be an ideal advocate of this hitherto little-known aspect of the composer's work. Prepare yourself for discoveries and numerous pleasant surprises. Dvořák's piano music is worth exploring!

Album spans genres Classical, Modernism, Contemporary classical and Czechoslovakian classics.