Description
Ingolf Wunder: 300 CD
UPC: 0028947900849
MPN: 479 0084
Brand Name: Deutsche Grammophon
Overview
Embark on an extraordinary musical journey spanning three centuries with "300," the captivating recital album by acclaimed Austrian pianist Ingolf Wunder. Released to commemorate his 300th concert appearance, this Deutsche Grammophon recording showcases the artistry of a performer whom critics have hailed as a "young keyboard poet" with "masterly dazzling soul-searching intimacy." Following his acclaimed Chopin debut CD (praised by Diapason as "Flawless... brilliant... profound" and Fanfare as "Individual and imaginative"), Wunder presents a personal selection of classical gems ranging from Baroque master Domenico Scarlatti through Mozart, Chopin, Liszt, Debussy, Rachmaninov, and Scriabin, culminating in contemporary works including Ennio Morricone's "Playing Love" from The Legend of 1900 and John Williams' iconic "Main Title" from Star Wars (arranged by Wunder himself). As the pianist explains, "Each of these pieces is especially close to my heart... they made me want to become a pianist." This deeply personal program demonstrates Wunder's exceptional technical command, poetic sensitivity, and interpretive imagination across diverse musical styles, offering listeners both entertainment and profound musical insight through works that have shaped the piano repertoire over three transformative centuries.
Product Features
- Format: Audio CD, Solo Piano Recital
- Total Runtime: Approximately 67 minutes
- Label: Deutsche Grammophon
- Artist: Ingolf Wunder (piano)
- Release Year: 2012
- Country of Origin: Made in the EU
- Genre: Classical Piano Music
- Style: Solo Piano Recital, Cross-Century Repertoire
- Recording Type: Studio Recording
- Repertoire Span: 300 years of keyboard music (Baroque to Contemporary)
- Special Features: Includes Wunder's own arrangement of John Williams' "Star Wars Main Title"
- Cover Photography: © Patrick Walter
- Commemorative Release: Celebrating Ingolf Wunder's 300th concert appearance
- Distribution: Universal Music Group, Universal Music Kft., 1146 Budapest, Hermina út 17
- Composers Featured: Scarlatti, Mozart, Chopin, Koczalski, Liszt, Debussy, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninov, Scriabin, Moszkowski, Horowitz, Morricone, Williams
Interesting Facts
Ingolf Wunder, born in 1985 in Klagenfurt, Austria, emerged as one of the most exciting pianists of his generation following his second-place finish at the 2010 International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw—one of classical music's most prestigious and rigorous competitions. His performances at that competition captivated audiences and critics with their maturity, technical brilliance, and deeply personal interpretative voice, launching an international career that has taken him to major concert halls worldwide.
The concept of "300" carries multiple meanings in this album: it celebrates Wunder's 300th concert appearance, spans approximately 300 years of keyboard repertoire, and demonstrates the evolution of the piano and its literature from the harpsichord works of Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757) through the cinematic romanticism of contemporary film music. This creative programming choice reflects a growing trend among young classical artists to present music as a living continuum rather than as museum pieces separated by artificial historical boundaries.
The album opens with Scarlatti's Sonata K. 87/L. 33, one of the 555 keyboard sonatas by this Baroque master whose forward-looking harmonic language and technical demands anticipated the Classical and Romantic eras. Mozart's Piano Sonata K. 333 in B-flat major, composed in 1783, represents the apex of Classical-era elegance and structural perfection, requiring supreme balance and clarity from the performer.
The Romantic era is represented by some of the repertoire's most beloved miniatures: Chopin's ethereal "Berceuse" (Cradle Song), Op. 57; Liszt's dramatic "Csárdás macabre," S. 224, inspired by Hungarian folk dances; and Debussy's infinitely tender "Clair de lune" (Moonlight), the third movement of his "Suite bergamasque." The inclusion of Raoul Koczalski's "Valse fantastique" pays tribute to an important but lesser-known composer-pianist (1884-1948) who was one of the last direct links to the Chopin tradition, having studied with a Chopin pupil.
Virtuoso showpieces include Rimsky-Korsakov's breathtaking "Flight of the Bumblebee" (originally from his opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan), Rachmaninov's passionate Prelude in G-sharp minor, Op. 32, No. 12, Scriabin's mystical Étude Op. 23, No. 5, and Moritz Moszkowski's glittering "Étincelles" (Sparks), Op. 36, No. 6. These works demand extraordinary finger velocity, precision, and stamina.
The program includes two works by legendary pianist-composer Vladimir Horowitz (1903-1989): his "Danse excentrique" and his famous paraphrase on Mozart's "Rondo alla turca," which transforms Mozart's familiar Turkish march into a Romantic-era virtuoso tour de force. These pieces represent the grand tradition of pianists creating their own repertoire and arrangements.
The album's conclusion is particularly innovative, featuring Ennio Morricone's hauntingly beautiful "Playing Love" from Giuseppe Tornatore's film The Legend of 1900 (1998)—a film about a pianist who never leaves his ocean liner—and Wunder's own transcription of John Williams' triumphant "Main Title" from Star Wars (1977). This juxtaposition demonstrates that great melody and harmonic richness transcend the boundaries between "serious" classical music and film scores, and showcases Wunder's skills as an arranger capable of translating orchestral textures to the piano.
Deutsche Grammophon, the legendary "yellow label" founded in 1898, continues its tradition of nurturing young artists while maintaining the highest recording standards. The label's support of Wunder following his Chopin competition success exemplifies its ongoing commitment to discovering and developing the next generation of great pianists.
Complete Track Listing:
- Scarlatti: Sonata K. 87/L. 33 in B minor (5:25)
- Mozart: Piano Sonata K. 333 in B-flat major (20:59)
- Chopin: Berceuse in D-flat major, Op. 57 (4:39)
- Koczalski: Valse fantastique (3:04)
- Liszt: Csárdás macabre, S. 224 (7:50)
- Debussy: Clair de lune from Suite bergamasque (5:18)
- Rimsky-Korsakov: Flight of the Bumblebee (1:17)
- Rachmaninov: Prelude in G-sharp minor, Op. 32, No. 12 (3:50)
- Scriabin: Étude in C-sharp minor, Op. 23, No. 5 (2:14)
- Moszkowski: Étincelles (Sparks), Op. 36, No. 6 (2:57)
- Horowitz: Danse excentrique (2:34)
- Horowitz: Paraphrase on Mozart's Rondo "alla turca" (3:42)
- Morricone: Playing Love from The Legend of 1900 (3:04)
- Williams: Main Title from Star Wars (arranged by Ingolf Wunder) (5:50)
Publishers
Label: Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Berlin
Copyright: © 2012 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Berlin
Phonographic Copyright: ℗ 2012 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Berlin
Parent Company: Universal Music Company
Distribution: Universal Music Group
Hungarian Distribution: Universal Music Kft., 1146 Budapest, Hermina út 17, Tel: 801-8300
Manufacturing: Made in the European Union
Artist: Ingolf Wunder (piano)
Cover Photography: © Patrick Walter
Arrangers: John Williams' "Star Wars Main Title" arranged by Ingolf Wunder
Commemorative Context: Released for Ingolf Wunder's 300th concert appearance
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