Wieniawski: Piano Works

Józef Wieniawski, the younger brother of Henryk, was a prolific Polish composer and piano virtuoso who was renowned throughout Europe. After his studies in Paris, he spent two years in Weimar, where he studied with Franz Liszt and absorbed his compositional style. Wieniawski's work combines the pianistic flair and poetic intensity of both Liszt and his compatriot Frédéric Chopin. All these qualities are expressed in his virtuosic polonaises and the tragic ballade, as well as in the Piano Sonata in B minor – the highlight of Józef Wieniawski's numerous piano works. The "Romantic Piano" series began in September 2025 with works by Julius Benedict. With numerous world premiere recordings, this series explores and promotes little-known composers and unusual repertoire, such as albums featuring rarely performed music by Charles Gounod, Friedrich Kiel, and Wilhelm Taubert. The present album presents several works that have never been commercially recorded, as well as some for which there are only a handful of recent recordings. Pianist and composer Andrew Cannestra first came to prominence as the winner of the 2021 Aeolian Classics Emerging Artist Competition. In 2024, he was awarded the bronze medal at the Seattle International Piano Competition. His debut album, "Mystic Pool," was released in 2022 and contains one of his own compositions alongside works by William Grant Still, Alexander Scriabin, Frédéric Chopin, and Henri Dutilleux. Recently, he performed the Oregon premiere of Amy Beach's Piano Concerto with the University of Oregon Symphony Orchestra, as well as the world premiere of Ryan Johnston's Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Boston-based Horizon Ensemble.