Following the success of his Odradek debut, 'Abschied' (keyboard works by C.P.E. Bach), pianist Vittorio Forte pays tribute to one of his musical heroes, Earl Wild, whose transcriptions are, in Forte's words, "a revelation".

Earl Wild was a prodigiously talented American pianist who became as famous for his transcriptions as for his dazzling performances, representing a vital link with 19th-century exponents of the pianist-composer tradition such as Liszt, Rachmaninov and Busoni. Wild died in 2010, and this release represents a tribute to the great musician on the tenth anniversary of his death.

For Vittorio Forte, "Earl Wild was the perfect example of a marvellous blend between academism and modernity in an ever-changing world", a combination audible in the array of works chosen for this recital. We hear Wild's transcriptions of two elegant Baroque pieces: Handel's 'Harmonious Blacksmith' and the 'Adagio' from Marcello's Oboe Concerto, contrasted with the Russian passion of Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov. Then to 20th-century America with Wild's breathtaking 'Seven Virtuoso Etudes' on songs by George Gershwin and his 'Improvisation in the form of a Theme and Three Variations on Someone To Watch Over Me'. The release concludes with one of Forte's own transcriptions, of the 'Solfeggietto' by C.P.E. Bach.

​

​

G.F. Handel

Air And Variations On 'The Harmonious Blacksmith'

A. Marcello
Adagio From The Oboe Concerto In D Minor SF935

S. Rachmaninov
Dreams, Op. 38, No. 5

Where Beauty Dwells Op. 21, No. 7

The Muse, Op. 34, No. 1

Floods Of Spring, Op. 14, No. 11

Do Not Grieve, Op.14, No. 8

Sorrow In Springtime, Op. 21, No. 12

On The Death Of A Linnet, Op. 21, No. 8

P. I Tchaikovsky

Dance Of The Four Swans (from Swan Lake, Op. 20)

At The Ball, Op. 38, No. 3

G. Gershwin

Seven Virtuoso Etudes On Popular Songs:

Liza, Somebody Loves Me, The Man I Love, Embraceable You, Oh, Lady Be Good!,

I Got Rhythm, Fascinating Rhythm

Improvisation In The Form Of A Theme And Three Variations On Someone To Watch Over Me

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach  

Solfeggietto In The Form Of An Improvisation (transc. V. Forte)