More than just loose sheets

Local interpreters do not seem to be very interested in the Romanticism in Switzerland, which was mainly imported from Germany, or in the works of the late Romantics born here. Theodor Kirchner's piano works from the Swiss period were recorded by Irene Barbuceanu; the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra championed the symphonist Joachim Raff, who was born in Lachen (SZ). The main orchestral works by Hans Huber were recorded by the Stuttgart Philharmonic, those by Fritz Brun are available in recordings with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra. The first complete recording of Hermann Suter's three string quartets was made by the Beethoven Quartet, which was founded in Bonn. So it is hardly surprising that it was a German pianist, Christof Keymer, who came to prominence with the first complete recording of the solo piano works by Hermann Goetz (1840-1876), most of which were composed in Winterthur and Zurich.

His interpretations are all the better off on the German label cpo, as they fit in well with the often unusual repertoire of this producer who loves discovery. These are indeed discoveries, as they include not only the Loose leaves op. 7 and the two Sonatinas op. 8, which are occasionally heard in recital exercises, there are several rarities on the two CDs. Christof Keymer had already published the first editions of four pieces from the estate with Amadeus-Verlag in Winterthur in 2013: the early Alwinen Polka from his student days in Königsberg, a stormy Fantasy in D minor, a work peppered with staccati Scherzo in F major and the one in sonata form Forest fairy tale in B minor (BP 1497).

Of particular interest is the three-part Scherzo. Composed while still studying with Hans von Bülow in Berlin in 1862, the piece gives rise to the assumption that Goetz took the etude, notated only one tone lower, from the Vingt exercices et préludes of the Polish Chopin precursor Maria Szymanowska-Wołowska (1789-1831).

Keymer creates all of these works, a sonata movement in G major and smaller pieces with great attention to tonal detail in order to create a lyrical atmosphere in the lyrical parts of the Loose leaves with warm espressivo and wonderful composure.