Christopher Guild – Van Dieren: Complete Music for Piano Solo (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

The most comprehensive survey ever made on record of the piano output by a highly individual figure on the Dutch and English music scenes of the early 20th century, featuring two world-premiere recordings.

Bernard van Dieren (1887-1936) was born and raised in Rotterdam of a Dutch father and a Dutch-French mother. He moved to London in the autumn of 1909 and married a fellow-Rotterdamer, Frida Kindler, a superb pianist, a favourite pupil of Busoni, and the Italian master had a profound influence on them both. In 1911 van Dieren was present at the Liszt Centenary Concerts that Busoni gave in Berlin. In Busoni’s Berlin apartment he heard a private performance of Schoenberg’s Pierrot lunaire conducted by the composer, which made a deep impression on him, and inspired some of his early works. The influence of Busoni and Schoenberg was strong on the young composer, however he developed his own uniquely personal style, harmonically chromatic, rhythmically fluid and freely polyphonic, tonally anarchic rather than atonal and often notated without bar lines. At the same time melody, particularly the importance of the singing line, is central in his works.

Tracklist:
1-1. Christopher Guild – 6 Sketches, Op. 4a: I. Moderato assai (07:31)
1-2. Christopher Guild – 6 Sketches, Op. 4a: II. Quasi andante (03:34)
1-3. Christopher Guild – 6 Sketches, Op. 4a: III. Allegro, rullante. Gracile ma distinto (02:54)
1-4. Christopher Guild – 6 Sketches, Op. 4a: IV. Allegramente (03:14)
1-5. Christopher Guild – 6 Sketches, Op. 4a: V. Poco lento (04:32)
1-6. Christopher Guild – 6 Sketches, Op. 4a: VI. Poco più lento che pezza I. (07:59)
1-7. Christopher Guild – Toccata (13:01)
1-8. Christopher Guild – Tema con variazione: Tema. Sostenuto (00:45)
1-9. Christopher Guild – Tema con variazione: I. (00:34)
1-10. Christopher Guild – Tema con variazione: II. (00:22)
1-11. Christopher Guild – Tema con variazione: III. Molto sostenuto e quasi pesante (00:47)
1-12. Christopher Guild – Tema con variazione: IV. Risoluto (00:19)
1-13. Christopher Guild – Tema con variazione: V. Molto più lento (00:39)
1-14. Christopher Guild – Tema con variazione: VI. (00:21)
1-15. Christopher Guild – Tema con variazione: VII. Legato (01:36)
1-16. Christopher Guild – Tema con variazione: VIII. Martellato, assai veloce (00:34)
1-17. Christopher Guild – Tema con variazione: IX. Molto robusto (00:46)
1-18. Christopher Guild – Tema con variazione: X. Ugalmente (00:42)
1-19. Christopher Guild – Tema con variazione: XI. Dolce e distante (01:09)
1-20. Christopher Guild – Tema con variazione: XII. Presto. Giocoso (00:30)
1-21. Christopher Guild – Tema con variazione: XIII. Adagio molto (00:49)
1-22. Christopher Guild – Tema con variazione: XIV. Con ultimo rapidita e brilliantemente (01:19)
1-23. Christopher Guild – 3 Studies: I. Assai andante ma con dignità (06:39)
1-24. Christopher Guild – 3 Studies: II. Sostenuto, romanticamente (05:20)
1-25. Christopher Guild – 3 Studies: III. Presto (07:40)
1-26. Christopher Guild – Netherlands Melodies: I. Andantino (01:43)
1-27. Christopher Guild – Netherlands Melodies: II. Semplice ma con solennità (01:17)
1-28. Christopher Guild – Netherlands Melodies: III. Sostenuto, con mesto (01:16)
1-29. Christopher Guild – Netherlands Melodies: IV. Leggiero, giocoso (00:49)
1-30. Christopher Guild – Netherlands Melodies: V. Gaio, fresco (“Ic stont op hoghe berghen”) (00:36)
1-31. Christopher Guild – Netherlands Melodies: V(a). Maestoso-chiaro-semplice (00:56)
1-32. Christopher Guild – Netherlands Melodies: VI. Poco vivo, dolce (“Daar was laatst een meisje loos”) (00:33)
1-33. Christopher Guild – Netherlands Melodies: VII. Andante con moto (01:01)
1-34. Christopher Guild – Netherlands Melodies: VIII. Semplice e tenere tempo comodo (“Vroeg op”) (01:12)
1-35. Christopher Guild – Netherlands Melodies: IX. Allegro vivace (“Als ik groot ben”) (00:25)
1-36. Christopher Guild – Netherlands Melodies: X. Assai secco. Diabelliescamente (00:54)
1-37. Christopher Guild – Netherlands Melodies: XI. Alacramente gagliardo (“Des winters als het reghent”) (00:48)
1-38. Christopher Guild – Netherlands Melodies: XII. Non troppo lento. Pesante (02:45)
1-39. Christopher Guild – Piccolo pralinudettino fridato (03:44)
1-40. Christopher Guild – Ballad de Villon (09:51)