Jensen Adolf Jensen: Piano Music, Vol. 2
Adolf Jensen (1837–79) is one of the major figures of German Romanticism, the composer of a large corpus of songs and piano music. Jensen’s musical language fuses the heritage of Schumann, Chopin and Liszt into an individual style distinguished by its melodic and lyrical appeal, and yet he has been almost entirely forgotten. This second in a series of recordings of his music hopes to restore his name to circulation. Erling Ragnar Eriksen was, until recently, professor of piano in the Department of Music and Dance at the University of Stavanger. This is his fourth album for Toccata Classics. Of the first, a recital of Alnæs piano music (TOCC0067) Peter Burwasser wrote in Fanfare: ‘Eriksen plays it with great panache and affection’; and in The Guardian Tim Ashley commented on the second, a recital of Alnæs songs (TOCC 0124): ‘They’re exquisitely performed by ultra-refined mezzo Ann-Beth Solvang and pianist Erling R. Eriksen’. In recent years Eriksen has given master-classes in Guangzhou, Nanjing, Paris, Pescara, Rome, Stockholm and Weimar. In 2000 was awarded the Grieg Prize for services to Edvard Grieg and his music.