Leschetizky: Piano Works Tobias Bigger

• Theodor Leschetizky (1830 - 1915): Piano Pieces, Op. 38:
• 1 2 Piano Pieces, Op. 38: No. 1, Menuetto capriccioso 07:22
• 2 2 Piano Pieces, Op. 38: No. 2, Mazurka impromptu 07:08
• 4 Piano Pieces, Op. 36:
• 3 4 Piano Pieces, Op. 36: No. 1, Aria 04:00
• 4 4 Piano Pieces, Op. 36: No. 2, Gigue 02:11
• 5 4 Piano Pieces, Op. 36: No. 3, Humoresque 02:12
• 6 4 Piano Pieces, Op. 36: No. 4, La source 03:12
• 2 Piano Pieces, Op. 43:
• 7 2 Piano Pieces, Op. 43: No. 1, Serenata 05:18
• 8 2 Piano Pieces, Op. 43: No. 2, La piccola 02:08
• Pastels, Op. 44:
• 9 Pastels, Op. 44: No. 1, Prélude 02:59
• 10 Pastels, Op. 44: No. 2, Gigue all' antica 01:57
• 11 Pastels, Op. 44: No. 3, Humoresque 04:22
• 12 Pastels, Op. 44: No. 4, Intermezzo en octaves 01:55
• 2 Piano Pieces, Op. 47:
• 13 2 Piano Pieces, Op. 47: No. 1, Nocturne 06:12
• 14 2 Piano Pieces, Op. 47: No. 2, Scherzo 06:24
• Total Runtime 57:20

Info for Leschetizky: Piano Works

Theodor Leschetizky, born 1830, was a pianist and an internationally renowned and sought-after mentor to a large number of pianists. Although Leschetitzky was also active as a composer, his music is largely ignored nowadays, and in his liner notes Tobias Bigger relates how he came across it indirectly, through an interest in Ignaz Friedman, one of Leschetizky's most famous students. Much of Leschetitzky's production consists of character pieces for piano, and a closer study convinced Bigger of the particular qualities of many of them. He was particularly impressed by the fact that even though they convey Leschetitzky's own joy in masterful piano playing and place considerable demands on the performer, there are no displays of empty keyboard acrobatics. For his first disc on BIS, Bigger has selected pieces from Leschetitzky's later production, and primarily those that are not readily available in recorded form.

Tobias Bigger, piano

Tobias Bigger
born in Germany, won a junior state scholarship whilst still at school to study piano performance with Prof. Helmut Weinrebe at the Cologne College of Music. He went on to study with a number of internationally renowned professors, being a student of Prof. Karl-Heinz Kämmerling (Hanover, Salzburg) and attending master classes given by Vitaly Margulis (Leningrad, Freiburg im Breisgau, Los Angeles), Detlef Kraus (Essen, Hamburg) and Bernard Ringeissen (Paris).

Tobias Bigger was a prizewinner at the International Piano Competition in Senigallia, Italy, in 1982.

After practising as a lawyer, he decided to focus exclusively on his work as a pianist in 1998. He proceeded to make appearances as a soloist both in Germany and abroad and has for many years been active as a chamber musician and song accompanist, joining other musicians in various regular partnerships.

The pianist has a special penchant for rarely performed music, particularly virtuosic arrangements. In this field, Bigger has gained renown both in concerts and through his CD recordings, many of which feature works recorded for the first time ever. His discography now includes four solo CDs, recorded for labels in Germany and the USA (Antes, querstand, Brioso Recordings), as well as the duo CD "Old Vienna" released by EMEC in Madrid (together with Bigger’s long-standing duo partner, the violinist Inna Kogan).

Mr. Bigger’s performances have been enthusiastically acclaimed by cri­tics. This is true both for live performances

- “Lively and elegant piano playing with absolutely flawless technique” (Elbmarsch-Post, Bleckede, Germany); “Bigger provided evidence of his stupendous virtuosity… With clear rhythmics and meticulous technique, his playing contains the nuances which are the key to a lively interpretation.” (Augsburger Allgemeine, Germany); “Impressive top-class… perfection at the highest level” (Westfälische Rundschau, Dortmund, Germany); “…could hear a virtuoso who seems sure to have a great career” (LaPresse, Montreux, Switzerland) -

- “Sensitive and energetic interpretations… an excellent pianist” (Piano News, Düsseldorf, Germany); “Refreshing and spirited approach… A fine emotion decorates Kreis­ler/Rach­maninov’s “Love’s Sorrow”, and sparkling vitality shows in the Tchai­kovsky/Grainger “Flower Waltz” “ (Stadt-Anzeiger Cologne, Germany); ”Tobias Bigger... has adapted to the Leschetizky school remarkably well in the performance of all these selections... The idea of this Leschetizky-pupil CD is a novel one and greatly enhances the repertoire of pianists inspired by Leschetizky... Highly recommended.” (The Classical Music Guide, Binghamton, New York, USA); “Excellence in interpretation and rich, beautifully articulated piano playing” (Musica Obscura Editions, Merrimack, New Hampshire, USA); “Magnificent skill at the piano, brilliant and yet extremely cultivated approach to the music” (Westfalenpost, Hagen, Germany); ”Tobias Bigger plays these - technically often very demanding - pieces not only with absolute impeccability, but also possesses that certain charming and sonorous piano tone” (Piano News, Düsseldorf, Germany); “Mr. Bigger’s playing combines strictness in interpretation with touching emotion… The pianist has the comparatively exceptional gift of a tonal expansion which does not result from quantitative forcing of volume, but is “led­”, adap­ting itself to the melo­dic and harmonic inflexions and affecting the attentive listener not only in the ear, but in his whole body. Rachmaninov himself recorded his arrangement of Kreisler’s “Love’s Sorrow” with flexible elegance and charm, but which pianist manages (as Mr. Bigger does) to come up to or surpass Rachmaninov’s pianistic standard on today’s pianos?” (Klassik Heute, Munich, Germany); ”...Tobias Bigger, one of the most enterprising of contemporary German pianists, has come up with the novel (and highly worthwhile) idea to re­present four eminent pupils of Theodor Leschetizky... For this CD, he has selected, with fine discrimination, a programme of original works and transcriptions, almost none of which have been previously recorded. The result is sure to attract curious pianophiles as well as collectors of unusual repertoire... [In his Variations on a Theme by Paganini,] Mark Hambourg throws some major hurdles in the pianist’s path, all of which are easily surmounted by Bigger... Again, Bigger’s commanding pianism does them [i.e. the Zadora transcriptions] full justice... Tobias Bigger is to be commended for his initiative in assembling this unique group of pieces, and his playing presents everything in a highly favourable light... Highly recommended.” (International Record Review, London, England) -.

In January 2005, an article titled “Harmonien de luxe” (deluxe harmonies) in the arts section of Der SPIEGEL magazine focussed entirely on Tobias Bigger and his CD "Exquisite Rarities of Piano Music", which he recorded for Brioso Recordings.

The pianist has furthermore demonstrated his compositional prowess in his transcriptions. Bigger has written numerous arrangements for piano solo and violin-piano duo and has published many of his piano arrangements through the American publisher Musica Obscura Editions, specialised in rare piano works.

Some of his piano transcriptions are recorded on the CD albums "Exquisite Rarities" and "In altem Stil".

Booklet for Leschetizky: Piano Works