Christmas Piano Music with pianist Peter Froundjian

[Lance]

Back in 2017, the German branch of Sony Classical issued a CD entitled "Christmas Piano Music" [38016]. Among the 33 tracks are world premiere recordings including a Noel and Pastorale by pianist/composer Ignazy Friedman (1882-1948), and tracks 9 through 11 of music by JPE Hartmann (1805-1900), Alfred Tofft (1865-1931) and Gustav Helsted (1857-1924). Anybody interested in piano music from any of those composers listed would naturally be very curious, especially when the music pertains to the Christmas season. The pianist is Peter Froundjian, whom most people will know as founder and director of Piano Music at Festival Husum. The recordings are well known on the Danacord label on which Mr. Froundjian sometimes performs.

Froundjian has also issued an Etcetera CD [1117] of piano music by Ignazy Friedman. Let it be said that other composers appearing on the German Sony CD include Selim Palmgren, Ferruccio Busoni, Sergei Liapunov, Franciszek Brzezinski, Carl Nielsen, Charles Koechlin, André Jolievet, Arnold Bax, and Désiré-Emile Inghelbrecht.

In preparing radio programs about music composed for the Christmas season, this CD recording was especially appealing to me when I first heard about it. I found very little that I thought would appropriately capture the season, perhaps the charming Palmgren piece being one.

I am more curious to learn whether other CMGers have heard this recording and what their thoughts are about it. How did it affect you? Any takers on this one?