In February the Da Vinci Classic record label released a CD consisting of the Piano music of the Danish composer Niels Gade. Consisting of smaller character pieces, and what many consider to his masterpiece for the piano, his Piano Sonata in E minor; this CD sheds new light on an unjustly overlooked composer who was considered an equal by his contemporaries, notably Schumann and Mendelssohn.
The Pianist on this CD is the renowned Italian Pianist Michele Tozzetti. Tozzetti has performed with chamber ensembles and orchestras throughout Italy, and has now recorded three CDs. In 2019 he recorded a CD consisting of the complete solo piano music of Leonard Bernstein.
With this latest recording of Gade’s piano music, Tozzetti wanted to take a look at music by a composer who was not from the traditional, mainstream German tradition. As Tozzetti explains, “I wanted to look for new music…a little bit less known music. I found these pieces by Gade and I fell in love with them. I wanted to record them, and luckily Da Vinci was interested in the project.”
Gade is very much from the nationalist tradition of Scandinavian composers. Other composers who fit into this category would include Edvard Grieg, Jean Sibelius and Johan Halvorsen. “When you listen to his music [Gade] you can hear influences from traditional music. It is also mixed with more romantic music because he was such a fan of Schumann and Mendelssohn. They were friends and respected each other’s music…so you can hear the mix of these two genres,” says Tozzetti.
A good portion of the music on this CD consists of piano miniatures meant for the salons of Denmark. Tozzetti has recorded Gade’s Op. 19 and Op. 57 Aquarelles as well as his Op. 31 Phantasiestücke. All of these pieces are written in the style of Mendelssohn’s Songs without Words, or Schumann’s piano miniatures, with the four Phantasiestücke pieces showing a very clear influence of Scandinavian folk dances.
Tozzetti is quick to point out that this is not Gade imitating Mendelssohn or Schumann. The three of them moved in the same circles and they influenced each other. “I think they influenced each other…That’s the problem with forgetting these minor composers. If you listen to their music, you understand much more, the music of composers such as Mendelsohn and Schumann. If we forget these lesser known composers, it’s like we miss a piece of the puzzle. I’m really happy I have found this piece of the puzzle,” states Tozzetti.
The centre piece of the CD is Gade’s E minor piano Sonata. It took Gade fifteen years to complete this sonata. He had heard Liszt’s B minor sonata and wanted his own piano Sonata to attain the same musical heights as Liszt’s B sonata. As Tozzetti explains, “Gade was never really satisfied with that sonata. He was always looking for something different. Gade wanted to create something as beautiful and big as Liszt’s sonata.”
All of the music on this CD is beautifully played by Tozzetti. One of the things that helps create a mood of an intimate private performance that this music was meant for, is that Tozzetti performs on a C. Bechstein Model B piano from 1899. On this recording you really feel like this music is being performed just for you.
Michele Tozzetti has created a recording that well worth listening to, and uncovered some real jewels for the piano. In this chaotic, and frenetic world that we live in, why not sit and discover the missing piece of the puzzle with Michele Tozzetti. Gade’s piano music completes the picture beautifully.