Transcriptions & Paraphrases

Until the early 19th century, the practical quality of the transcriptions through simplifications in the technique of a piece were often more crucial than the artistic aspect.

Composers like Beethoven successfully called for higher aspirations in the transcriptions. At the same time, the growing orchestra apparatus and the complicated makes of many pieces made it increasingly difficult to produce good excerpts without compromising the original.

It was Franz Liszt who broke new ground with his so-called piano scores. He also criticized the common transcriptions for adapting original works ‘without any consideration of the instrumentation and the specific nuances in the sound of an orchestra’. His powerful and virtuous transcriptions are marked by their precise orientation along the original. This interest in integrity, in ideally projecting all voices and color of sound of the orchestra unto the piano, was in good part made possible by the well developed piano technology.

The adaptation of works is, in the end, always subjective and bound by personal opinions of what is important and what is not. Florian Noack devoted his album to the works of famous – and less famous – Russian composers and transferred them to piano. – From the booklet notes by Daniel Knaack

ECHO Klassik Award ‘Emerging Artist of the Year 2015’
International Classical Music Award nomination