Jürg Löffler

Encouraged by Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Brahms, Kirchner (1823-1903) is recognised as one of the most original composers for piano among the German Romantics. The Five Sonatinas' were written in Leip...

In order to preserve compositions for pedal grand piano for practical use, they had to be arranged. Schumann's Studies for the Pedal Piano op. 56 in particular have always been recognized as special g...

The two scherzos presented here were composed around 30 years apart. The Scherzo op. 8 was published by Rieter-Biedermann in Winterthur in 1857, but was probably composed much earlier, at least in par...

The Romances op. 22 were composed during Kirchner's time in Würzburg, where he directed the local music school from 1873 to 1875. This period was very fruitful for the compositional work of the then f...

The "12 Pieces for Grandchildren" are an alternative version of the Children's Trios op. 58 for violin, cello and piano published by N. Simrock in Berlin in 1882 (new edition: E.D. 30803). The trio ve...

The seemingly tranquil title "Stille Lieder und Tänze" (Silent Songs and Dances) gives little indication that the sixteen piano pieces are among Theodor Kirchner's most harmonically daring composition...

The Preludes for Piano op. 9 were first published in 1859 in two booklets by Rieter-Biedermann in Winterthur and are dedicated to Clara Schumann, with whom Kirchner had been in correspondence since th...

The "Twelve original compositions for pianoforte 4 hands" op. 57 were written during Kirchner's time in Leipzig, where he worked as a freelance composer and arranger from 1876 to 1883. As far as his o...

Adagio quasi Fantasia op. 12 was published in March 1870 by Gebrüder Hug in Zurich after a nine-year break in publication. Alongside the two Scherzi op. 8 and op. 54 (new edition: E.D. 30801), it is t...

Ideale op. 33 were first published by Jakob Rieter-Biedermann in two booklets in 1878 and 1884. The first four pieces are headed with birth dates that suggest the revered "ideals". I. (June 8) is a te...

The Four Elegies for Pianoforte op. 37 were first published in November 1878 by Julius Hainauer in Breslau. They are dedicated to the singer and patron Hedwig von Holstein. Her husband, the composer a...

In order to preserve compositions for pedal grand piano for practical use, they had to be arranged. Schumann's Studies for the Pedal Piano op. 56 in particular have always been recognized as special g...

The Children's Trios op. 58 are an alternative version of the pieces for grandchildren WoO for piano (new edition: E.D. 30805). The compositions were written during Kirchner's years in Leipzig, where...

The Two Terzets op. 97 were composed in 1894 at Kirchner's last residence in Hamburg. The work is dedicated to Mathilde Schlüter (1846-1930), who had been a pupil of Kirchner's since mid-1894 and look...