SELIM PALMGREN (1878-1951): Complete Piano Works, Vol. 2 - Concert Etude in C*, 2 Contrastes, Waltz in a Western Finnish Style*, Spring Haze*, 3 Klavierstücke, Op. 32*, 3 Preludes, Op. 84, 24 Preludes, Op. 17. * - First Recordings.

Description: Palmgren, a student of Busoni, was one of the most prominent Finnish composer-pianists of his time, and his pieces for pedagogical use such as Spring Haze are still popular today. This program reveals Palmgren’s versatility to the full, with the Deux contrastes describing opposite poles of melancholy and joyous playfulness, and the dreamy Prelude-Nocturne of Op. 84 a jazz-tinted reminiscence of 1920s America. Displaying a wide variety of technical and stylistic challenges, Palmgren’s 24 Preludes also features one of the first examples of Impressionism in Nordic piano literature. Jouni Somero (piano).