JANEZ MATIČIČ (b.1926): 3 Klavierstücke, PAVEL ŠIVIC (1908-1995): Hommage à Arnold Schönberg, LUBOŠ FIŠER (1935-1999): Piano Sonata No. 5, JURAJ HATRÍK (b.1941): Toccata, BARNABÁS DUKAY (b.1950): The Sun is but a Morning Star - Introitus and Hymnus, CARL VINE (b.1954): 5 Bagatelles, WITOLD LUTOSŁAWSKI (1913-1994): Piano Sonata, LEOŠ JANÁČEK (1854-1928): On an Overgrown Path I, In the Mists, OLIVIER MESSIAEN (1908-1992): Le Baiser de l’Enfant Jésus from Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant Jésus and short pieces by Bach, Bartók and Chopin.

Description: The source of this release was a Bank Austria initiative allowing five young pianists from Austria and the four neighboring countries to the east (the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Slovenia). The up-and-coming musicians Julia Kociuban, Peter Nagel, Tim Jancar, Lukas Klansky und Fülöp Ranki were granted the possibility to perform complete recitals during a one-week concert series at the Bank Austria Salon in Vienna’s Old City Hall. Apparently each pianist included pieces by lesser-known composers from their home countries (although the Slovak included Carl Vine!) and, if you count the early 1934 sonata by Lutosławski which is rarely heard or recorded (a nice neo-classical piece with much Ravel in it), there are 73 minutes of unusual repertoire here. None of the rest are hard to listen to - dissonance is used as an expressive effect rather than a structural device - and Fišer’s seven-and-a-half-minute sonata from 1974 is the most compelling (boy, does Supraphon owe him some studio or reissue time!) 2 CDs. Pianists: Lukáš Klánský, Peter Nágel, Fülöp Ránki, Tim Jančar, Julia Kociuban.