Karl-Andreas Kolly - Mendelssohn inspired by Bach (2025)

Tracklist

01. Seven Character Pieces, Op. 7: No. 1, Sanft, mit Empfindung
02. Prelude and Fugue No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 35: I. Prelude
03. Prelude and Fugue No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 35: II. Fugue
04. Organ Sonata No. 3 in A Major, Op. 65: I. Con moto maestoso (arr. for Piano by Karl-Andreas Kolly)
05. Organ Sonata No. 3 in A Major, Op. 65: II. Andante tranquillo (arr. for Piano by Karl-Andreas Kolly)
06. Prelude and Fugue No. 2 in D Major, Op. 35: I. Prelude
07. Prelude and Fugue No. 2 in D Major, Op. 35: II. Fugue
08. Organ Sonata No. 4 in B-Flat Major, Op. 65: I. Allegro con brio (arr. for Piano by Karl-Andreas Kolly)
09. Organ Sonata No. 4 in B-Flat Major, Op. 65: II. Andante religioso (arr. for Piano by Karl-Andreas Kolly)
10. Organ Sonata No. 4 in B-Flat Major, Op. 65: III. Allegretto (arr. for Piano by Karl-Andreas Kolly)
11. Organ Sonata No. 4 in B-Flat Major, Op. 65: IV. Allegro maestoso e vivace (arr. for Piano by Karl-Andreas Kolly)
12. Prelude and Fugue No. 4 in A-Flat Major, Op. 35: I. Prelude
13. Prelude and Fugue No. 4 in A-Flat Major, Op. 35: II. Fugue
14. Seven Character Pieces, Op. 7: No. 6, Sehnsüchtig
15. Organ Sonata No. 6 in D Minor, Op. 65: I. Choral and Variations (arr. for Piano by Karl-Andreas Kolly)
16. Organ Sonata No. 6 in D Minor, Op. 65: II. Fugue. Sostenuto e legato (arr. for Piano by Karl-Andreas Kolly)
17. Organ Sonata No. 6 in D Minor, Op. 65: III. Finale. Andante (arr. for Piano by Karl-Andreas Kolly)

Inspired by the spirit of Bach, Karl-Andreas Kolly explores traces of Bach in Mendelssohn's piano works and discovers Mendelssohn's deep connection with Bach in his Organ Sonatas, which through Kolly's transcriptions of astonishingly pianistic effect show the great composer in a completely new light.

Mendelssohn's Preludes and Fugues arereminiscent of Bach from the title alone. These rarely heard piano works are complemented by two genuinely Romantic character pieces from Op.7, the first of which, Sehnsuchtig (Longing), quite obviously paraphrases a sarabande from Bach's French Suites - further evidence of the closeness of these otherwise so different musical epochs.

The dynamic flexibility and precision of the articulation ensure an airy sound that allows the polyphonic structures to emerge vividly. The great variations on Luther's chorale Our Father in the Kingdom of Heaven gain a haunting intensity in the first movement of the sixth sonata.

With octave doublings and skilful voice leading, Kolly succeeds in creating a great richness of overtones with a simultaneously full depth on the rich sound of the Steinway concert grand piano "Manfred Burki" from 1901.

DOWNLOAD ALBUM [flac]