Piano Music by Edward MacDowell (2005)

A pupil of Liszt and schooled in the Romanticism of Chopin, Schumann, and Brahms, Edward MacDowell was celebrated internationally as both a virtuoso pianist and composer, one of the first American artists so widely recognized. While MacDowell's reputation lasted for a considerable time after his premature death in 1908, his output gradually became obscure except for the perennial To a Wild Rose, which contributed to a false impression that MacDowell wrote only sentimental miniatures and nothing more ambitious. One hearing ... Read More

A pupil of Liszt and schooled in the Romanticism of Chopin, Schumann, and Brahms, Edward MacDowell was celebrated internationally as both a virtuoso pianist and composer, one of the first American artists so widely recognized. While MacDowell's reputation lasted for a considerable time after his premature death in 1908, his output gradually became obscure except for the perennial To a Wild Rose, which contributed to a false impression that MacDowell wrote only sentimental miniatures and nothing more ambitious. One hearing of the truly grand Sonata Eroica, Op. 50, or even the grandiose Suite in E minor, Op. 10, will change that notion, and make a convincing case for his ambition and ingenuity. While there is still plenty of gushing passion, flamboyance, and bombast in MacDowell's larger pieces -- in fairness, what was expected of a Lisztian -- there are some surprises, most notably the Grieg-like sprightliness in the Suite's Intermezzo, the clever Fugue in the same piece, and the fluttering grace notes... Read Less