The piano music of Bedrich Smetana is less well known than his orchestral and operatic masterpieces, although he was obviously a fearsome pianist and wrote more for the piano than for anything else. His genius was pictorial and dramatic. When writing for the piano he turned to dance music, and the polka (originally a Czech dance, not Polish) plays a role in his music analogous to that of the mazurka in Chopin's output. But Smetana never quite achieves the loosey-goosey disconnection from dance rhythms that Chopin does.All ...
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The piano music of Bedrich Smetana is less well known than his orchestral and operatic masterpieces, although he was obviously a fearsome pianist and wrote more for the piano than for anything else. His genius was pictorial and dramatic. When writing for the piano he turned to dance music, and the polka (originally a Czech dance, not Polish) plays a role in his music analogous to that of the mazurka in Chopin's output. But Smetana never quite achieves the loosey-goosey disconnection from dance rhythms that Chopin does.All that said, there's a lot of music on this nice overview that ought to show up on piano recitals more often than it does. The large Souvenirs de Bohčme en forme de polkas look not to Chopin but to Schumann, with varied textures and threads of memory all but overshadowing the basic polka material. Perhaps most effective here are three virtuoso showpieces: a transcription of Schubert's song Der Neugierige, the Concert Etude in C major, and the final Fantasie Concertante on Czech Folk...
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Add this copy of Smetana: Piano Works - Macbeth, On the Seashore, to cart. $19.69, new condition, Sold by Importcds rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Sunrise, FL, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Supraphon.
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Bedrich Smetana; Franz Schubert. New. New in new packaging. USA Orders only! Brand New product! please allow delivery times of 3-7 business days within the USA. US orders only please.
Add this copy of Piano Works: Macbeth & Witches Der Neugierige to cart. $26.56, new condition, Sold by newtownvideo rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from huntingdon valley, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Supraphon.
Add this copy of Smetana Piano Works Vol1 to cart. $30.45, new condition, Sold by Revaluation Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Exeter, DEVON, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2006 by SUPRAPHON.
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