ERICH ITOR KAHN (1905-1956): 6 Bagatelles, 8 inventions, Ciaccona dei tempi di guerra, Short Piano Piece, 5 Bagatelles.

Description: Kahn was a formidable pianist with a large repertoire; compositionally a follower of Schoenberg, at least in part, his piano works (all collected here apart from a piece of juvenilia) are firmly rooted in readily apparent homage to Bachian polyphony, interpreted through a strict modern vocabulary, and with accretions from the expressive bravura piano tradition that occurred in between. Despite the short duration of individual pieces or movement, all carry significant weight of argument in a precisely formulated structural context. Tonal centers (rather than extended tonality as such) abound, as do Baroque formal devices, providing the clearest possible structural framework for the pieces. The remarkable Chaconne, at 15 minutes Kahn's most extended piano work, is an astonishingly inventive compendium of contrapuntal devices and variety of textural variation, at times eerily suggestive of Sorabji's teeming invention in similar variation-form movements. An unusually substantial discovery in the history of lesser-known 20th century piano music. Thomas Günther (piano). SACD hybrid.