Ernst Rudorff (1840-1916): piano music

[Rainolf]

Ernst Rudorff studied piano with Clara Schumann and Ignaz Moscheles, and worked for four decades (1869–1910) as professor for piano at the Royal Academy of Music in Berlin, were his pupils included Wilhelm Berger, Leo Blech, Paul Juon and Carl Schuricht. While frequently working as a choral and orchestral conductor, he refused to play the piano in public, but was described as a fine pianist by them, who heard him play. As a pedagogue, Rudorff trained his students in thoughtful interpretation and opposed virtuosity for virtuosity's sake. So he was on one line with his friend and headmaster Joseph Joachim.

Rudorff was not a prolific composer, producing only 60 opus numbers in his career, 13 of them for pianoforte. His production of piano music has some similarities with Brahms's. He prefers small scale ternary pieces with densely worked motivic and harmonic devices.

Here is a list of the compositions Ernst Rudorff wrote for the pianoforte:

op. 1 Variations for two Pianos
op. 4 Six Pieces for Piano, four hands
op. 10 Eight Fantasy Pieces
op. 14 Fantasy
op. 29 Two Concert Etudes *
op. 38 18 Waltzes for Children
op. 48 Three Romances *
op. 49 Capriccio appassionato *
op. 51 Impromptu
op. 52 Six Piano Pieces *
op. 54 Four Pieces for Piano, four hands
op. 55 Variazioni capricciose
op. 56 Two Ballades (not published)

* Recorded by Viller Valbonesi, MDG

Imslp has the scores / parts of opp. 1, 4 and 10

The Fantasy in three movements op. 14, Rudorffs largest piano work, was dedicated to Brahms, so its score is presented by the Brahms Institute Lübeck in a gallery of dedication pieces:

http://www.brahms-institut.de/web/bihl_digital/widmungswerke_units/RudorffE_op_014.html

[eschiss1]

Several of these works are on a MDG CD with his string sextet Op.5, btw (Op.29, Opp.48, 49, 52, and his violin and piano romance Op.41 (ok, the violin and piano arrangement of the violin and orchestra romance, rather).)

[Rainolf]

For all who are interested in Rudorff's piano pieces, there is now a volume available which contains for the first time his collected music for solo piano:

op. 10 Eight Fantasy Pieces
op. 14 Fantasy
op. 29 Two Concert Etudes
op. 48 Three Romances
op. 49 Capriccio appassionato
op. 51 Impromptu
op. 52 Six Piano Pieces
op. 55 Variazioni capricciose

https://repertoire-explorer.musikmph.de/en/product/rudorff-ernst-7/

[Mark Thomas]

Great. Thanks for this heads up.