Sinding: Piano Works

Christian Sinding was considered one of the most important Norwegian composers of his generation during his lifetime and was frequently regarded as Edvard Grieg's successor. However, unlike Grieg, he made little use of Norwegian folk music; his musical language was more strongly oriented toward Central European High Romanticism, particularly Liszt and Wagner.

The piano works presented here were composed between 1898 and 1914. The Sonata in B-flat major, Op. 91, is characterized above all by Sinding's distinctive melodic inventiveness and, like the "15 Caprices," Op. 44, shows influences from Brahms. The five "Fantasies," Op. 118, from Sinding's later output complete the program. This recording thus brings a part of his oeuvre to the fore that, unlike his orchestral works and the Violin Concerto, has rarely been recorded to date.

The soloist is the Chinese pianist Yanfeng Tony Bai, winner of several international competitions and founding member of the Trio Azura. He has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in North America, Europe, Oceania, and Asia and is currently Chamber Musician-in-Residence at the Colburn Conservatory of Music.