Auletta, Giovanni
Wilhelm Kempff: Piano Music
Wilhelm Kempff, who had begun his musical career as an acclaimed organist, later became one of the greatest and most admired pianists of the twentieth century. His recordings of Schuberts Piano Sonatas were epoch-making, and he worked with such musicians as Yehudi Menuhin, Pierre Fournier, or Mstislav Rostropovic. Wilhelm Kempff's activity as a composer is relatively obscure, although he considered it one of the most important means to exercise his creativity. In fact, his first teacher, Robert Kahn, suggested to the young student to dedicate himself exclusively to composition, but Kempff chose not to follow his advice. Giovanni Auletta, the performing pianist in his Da Vinci Classics CD, delved for several years into the heritage of Wilhelm Kempff, discovering true gems within his manuscripts. Kempff's compositional activity, far from being marginal, permeated his entire existence, representing a constant deepening of musical ideas. This album includes Kempffs Rhapsodisches Praeludium, Suite Ischia op. 68, Sonata op. 47, and three transcriptions after Bach.