Join us in celebrating the 85th birthday of world renowned pianist Claude Frank with this 2 disc set of new recordings of spectacular piano repertoire by some of the worlds most beloved composers. Though celebrating his 85th year, Frank brings the music to life with all of the passion and vigor of his youth. 

Claude Frank is a German-born American pianist, and his amazing career spans decades as well as continents. Born in Nuremberg, Germany in 1925, he studied at the Paris Conservatoire, and has worked with Artur Schnabel, Maria Curcio and Serge Koussevitzky. He also studied composition and conducting at Columbia University. 

In chamber music, he has appeared with such eminent groups as the Guarneri Quartet, Juilliard Quartet, Cleveland Quartet, Emerson Quartet, American Quartet, Mendelssohn Quartet, Tokyo Quartet, and the London Mozart Players, as well as with Alexander Schneider’s chamber ensembles and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

He has appeared in numerous festivals including Menuhin’s Gstaad Festival in Switzerland, the Midsummer Mozart Festival in California and the Klavier Festival Ruhr, as well as festivals in Portland, Highland Park, Norfolk, Schleswig-Holstein, Verbier, Vancouver, and Marlboro. A frequent performer in New York City’s Mostly Mozart Festival during its formative years and a festival participant in virtually every season thereafter, Claude Frank appeared in its 25th anniversary celebration at Lincoln Center. 

Mr. Frank has repeatedly been a soloist with the great orchestras of ve continents, including the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, National Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, and the orchestras of New Orleans, Toronto, Zurich, Brussels, Hamburg, and Frankfurt, as well as many others. 

A milestone in Claude Frank’s career was RCA’s 1971 release of his recordings of the 32 Beethoven sonatas and his worldwide performances of the cycle. Critical reception of his best-selling recording was unanimous nationwide. Time Magazine proclaimed it as one of the year’s “10 Best,” and High Fidelity and Stereo Review recommended it above other renditions. 

“A student of Artur Schnabel and a prominent interpreter of Beethoven, Claude Frank plays with an understated grandeur. There is a fire in his playing, nobility, inwardness, humor, and humanity. He understands musical architecture and the function of detail, and he invests every phrase with meaning.” —Richard Dyer

Recorded at the American Academy of Arts and Letters in New York in 2008 and 2009 by GRAMMY Award winning producer, Judith Sherman, this 2 disc set will thrill listeners with it’s sonic brilliance which is only surpassed by this brilliant master of the piano.

Track List

DISC 1
1. Schumann: Arabeske in C Major, Op.18 6:26

Schubert: Sonata in B-flat Major (D.960) 35:21 2. I. Molto moderato 14:05
3. II. Andante sostenuto 8:52
4. III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace con delicatezza – Trio 4:23
5. IV. Allegro ma non troppo 8:01

Mozart: Sonata in C Major (K.330) 18:20
6. I. Allegro moderato 6:13
7. II. Andante cantabile 6:14
8. III. Allegretto 5:53

9. Schumann: Warum, from Fantasiestücke, Op.12, No.3 2:42
10. Mozart: Rondo in A minor (K.511) 9:33
11. Schumann: Traümerei, from Kinderszenen, Op.15, No.7 2:36


DISC 2
Beethoven: Sonata No.30 in E major, Op. 109 18:52
1. I. Vivace, ma non troppo 3:48
2. II. Prestissimo 2:27
3. III. Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo 12:31

Beethoven: Sonata No.31 in A-flat major, Op. 110 18:12
4. I. Moderato cantabile molto espressivo 6:07
5. II. Allegro molto 2:11
6. III. Adagio, ma non troppo 9:45

Beethoven: Sonata No.32 in C minor, Op. 111 26:03
7. I. Maestoso -- Allegro con brio ed appassionato 8:46
8. II. Adagio molto semplice e cantabile 17:09

Disc one time: 74:23
Disc two time:63:07
Release date: November 2010
UPC: 053479212221

Also Available From

Apple Music

Spotify

Amazon

ArkivMusic

More from Sono Luminus