FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE (1844-1900): Complete Solo Piano Works - Einleitung, Ermanarich - Symphonische Dichtung, Unserer Altvordern eingedenk, Hymnus an die Freundschaft, Edes titok - Rhapsodisch, Sonatine, Op. 2, Fragment An sich, Sonata in D, Klavierskizze, Sonata in G, Ungarischer Marsch, Albumblatt, Allegro, Skizze (zu Byrons "Foscari"?), Fugue Fragment, Klavierstück fragment.

Description: Although he was, by all accounts, an excellent pianist, Nietzsche never had any formal composition training and these piano pieces, most of which date from 1861-65 (his later school years), are rather like written-out improvisations - the work of a highly talented individual without the tools, so to speak, to build the structure properly. Melody is foremost, influences range from Beethoven and Schumann to Chopin and Liszt (the latter especially in the tone-poem Ermanarich), while the largest piece here, the 1872/75 Hymnus an die Freundschaft is a song-without-words setting of a long poem by Lou von Salomé, with whom Nietzsche was hopelessly in love at the time. Michael Krücker (piano). SACD hybrid.