Richard Strauss' solo piano music dates from his teen years. Although the style often is derivative (warmed-over Mendelssohn, Weber, and Schumann) you can't deny the...

Richard Strauss' solo piano music dates from his teen years. Although the style often is derivative (warmed-over Mendelssohn, Weber, and Schumann) you can't deny the budding composer's assured, fluent, and utterly professional technique, along with his vibrant musicality and idiomatic keyboard grasp. You rarely encounter these works in concert, yet they're surprisingly well served on disc. Three diversely excellent "complete" cycles from Oleg Marshev (Danacord), Frank Braley (Harmonia Mundi), and Stefan Vladar (Koch Schwann) bear this out, not to mention Glenn Gould's recordings of the Op. 3 pieces and the B minor sonata. Naxos' Stefan Veselka acquits himself very well in such company. For example, his rounded phrasing and plush sonorities in the Op. 3 and Op. 9 cycles contrast to Braley's leaner, more transparent profile (you might say that Veselka is Arrau to Braley's Richter). He matches the robust qualities of Vladar's Sonata with added propulsion in the outer movements and bests Marshev's Scherzo movement for scintillation and suppleness. What's more, Naxos' modest price and fine sonics make this attractive release all the more recommendable.--Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com