Serenade - Piano Works by Amy Beach, Agathe Backer Grøndahl, Rebecca Clarke Benjamin Engeli

• Richard Strauss (1864 - 1949): 6 Lieder, Op. 17:
• 1 Strauss: 6 Lieder, Op. 17: No. 2, Ständchen (Arr. for Piano by Amy Beach) 03:40
• Amy Beach (1867 - 1944): Nocturne, Op. 107:
• 2 Beach: Nocturne, Op. 107 03:53
• Cradle Song of the Lonely Mother, Op. 108:
• 3 Beach: Cradle Song of the Lonely Mother, Op. 108 03:59
• By the Still Waters, Op. 114:
• 4 Beach: By the Still Waters, Op. 114 03:02
• Ballade, Op. 6:
• 5 Beach: Ballade, Op. 6 09:39
• Agathe Backer Grøndahl (1847 - 1907): Serenade, Op. 37:
• 6 Grøndahl: Serenade, Op. 37 02:47
• 2 Piano Pieces, Op. 68:
• 7 Grøndahl: 2 Piano Pieces, Op. 68: No. 1, Taagedans 03:03
• 8 Grøndahl: 2 Piano Pieces, Op. 68: No. 2, Valse capricieuse 02:28
• 5 Fantasy Pieces, Op. 45:
• 9 Grøndahl: 5 Fantasy Pieces, Op. 45: No. 1, Umdongssang 01:21
• 10 Grøndahl: 5 Fantasy Pieces, Op. 45: No. 2, Zephyr 02:50
• 11 Grøndahl: 5 Fantasy Pieces, Op. 45: No. 3, Sommervise 02:12
• 12 Grøndahl: 5 Fantasy Pieces, Op. 45: No. 4, Gyngende 02:49
• 13 Grøndahl: 5 Fantasy Pieces, Op. 45: No. 5, Valse caprice 03:39
• Huldreslaat:
• 14 Grøndahl: Huldreslaat 01:08
• Rebecca Clarke (1886 - 1979): Theme and Variations:
• 15 Clarke: Theme and Variations 21:29
• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750): Magnificat in D Major, BWV 243:
• 16 Bach: Magnificat in D Major, BWV 243: No. 8, Aria. Esurientes implevit (Arr. for Piano by Rebecca Clarke) 03:29
• Total Runtime 01:11:28

Info for Serenade - Piano Works by Amy Beach, Agathe Backer Grøndahl, Rebecca Clarke

With his new solo album ‘Serenade’, Swiss pianist Benjamin Engeli pays tribute to the chamber music treasures of three extraordinary composers: Agathe Backer-Grøndahl, Amy Beach and Rebecca Clarke. In a finely crafted programme, Engeli presents lyrical miniatures, poetic soundscapes and expressive character pieces – works that impressively demonstrate the musical depth and emotional diversity of these often underrated artists.

The selection of works spans three countries – Norway, the USA and Great Britain – as well as more than half a century of music history. What all three composers have in common is a deep understanding of the piano as a means of expressing inner worlds and a voice that makes itself heard with impressive independence – despite or perhaps because of the social hurdles they faced as artists of their time.

Benjamin Engeli, piano

Benjamin Engeli
Each week Benjamin Engeli commutes around 1000 kilometers by train for his many concerts, his teaching job at Zürcher Hochschule der Künste, his various Jury engagements and his commitment for his family. His versatility is also reflected in his impressive piano repertoire. As a soloist he appears with renowned orchestras such as the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra Moscow and the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich.

Benjamin is also a gifted chamber musician: as a member of the Tecchler Trio he won the 2007 ARD Music Competition, and is now appearing with the Ensemble Kandinsky and other musical partners in venues including the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Konzerthaus Berlin, Wigmore Hall London, Teatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro, Shanghai Oriental Art Center and the Vienna Musikverein. As member of the Gershwin Piano Quartet he likes to cross musical borders and is also active as an arranger of music by many different composers, ranging from Johann Sebastian Bach to Michael Jackson. Engeli hails from a musical family and started his musical education on various instruments at an early age. He studied horn at first before eventually concentrating on his principal instrument, studying with Adrian Oetiker at the Musik-Akademie Basel. He undertook further studies with Homero Francesch, Lazar Berman, Andrzej Jasinski, Maurizio Pollini and Andràs Schiff.

Booklet for Serenade - Piano Works by Amy Beach, Agathe Backer Grøndahl, Rebecca Clarke