Adolf von Henselt belongs firmly in the realm of 19th-century composer-pianists such as Chopin, Schumann and Liszt. He was influential in establishing a true Russian school of pianism and held in high esteem by Rachmaninov. Henselt's virtuoso technique was admired for it's cantabile qualities but his performing career was cut short by extreme stage fright. Dating from early in his career, the etudes blend technical demands with clarity of vision and a lyrical poetic expressiveness often reflected in colourful descriptive titles.

Classical Music

The Schwabach-born composer Adolph Henselt is mostly known as father of the Russian piano elite, being trained at conservatories all over Russia. However, this virtuoso was also a fantastic composer. On this CD from pianist Stefan Burkhardt, Henselt’s romantic chamber music has been rediscovered. Henselt appears as a composer who challenged the technical and aesthetic possibilities of his time, albeit with a pleasing gesture! This CD includes ten remarkable first recordings; the Duo, Op. 14 has been recorded and published before in the version for piano and French horn.