JOSEF SCHELB (1894-1977): Kleine Sonata for Piano Four Hands, Sehnsuchtstanz der Lau: 3 Klavierstücke from the Ballet Die schöne Lau, 10 kleine Klavierstücke, 3 Klavierstücke, Op. 6, Dance Suite for 2 Pianos from the Ballet Notturno.

Description: Another composer who worked through the Third Reich although he appears to have avoided any actual taint of collaboration since his career continued as usual after 1945. Schelb had three periods: late Romantic, neo-classical and atonal/dodecaphonic. All these works come from the first two periods: the Regerian/Pfitznerian Op. 6 Klavierstücke from 1917, mostly dark and severe, and the remaining pieces from 1940, 1941, 1946 and 1949. The kleine Klaviestücke are music about, not for, children, in the Schumann tradition but bright and neo-classically brittle. The two sets of transcriptions of ballet music are probably the best of these latter period pieces, bright, colorful, melodic and spiky in rhythm; you might think the Notturno pieces were written by a Frenchman or a Russian composer living in Paris. Sontraud Speidel (piano), Ira Maria Witoschynskyj (Kleine Sonate), Ruben Meliksetian (Dance Suite). 2013 release.