For Artur Schnabel

For Artur Schnabel

$15.99

Artist: Jenny Lin

Composers: Dan Tepfer, Timo Andres, Greg Anderson, Nicolas Namoradze, Sir Stephen Hough, Marc-André Hamelin, David Plylar

Format: 1 CD

SLE-70052

Release Date: 11/20/2026

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Artur Schnabel’s legacy is often described through the great pillars of the classical canon: Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, and Mozart. His recordings and writings helped shape a modern understanding of musical depth, structural clarity, and the performer’s relationship to the score. He was one of the great pianists of the twentieth century, but also a composer, teacher, writer, and restless musical mind—an artist deeply engaged with the questions of his own time.

This project was created in memory of Schnabel during the 75th anniversary year of his passing. At its heart is a clear purpose: to honor Schnabel not only by looking back at what he achieved, but by inviting new music into the world in his name. I am deeply grateful to the Schnabel Music Foundation for making this commissioning and recording project possible, and for supporting a broader recognition of Schnabel as a composer. His legacy as a pianist is firmly established; his music deserves to be heard, studied, and understood with the same care.

The recording brings together newly commissioned solo piano works by Dan Tepfer, Timo Andres, Greg Anderson, Nicolas Namoradze, Sir Stephen Hough, Marc-André Hamelin, and David Plylar. Most of these artists are composer-pianists—musicians who know the instrument from the inside. David Plylar holds a distinct place in the project as a composer and scholar at the Library of Congress, and as a devoted steward of Schnabel’s musical legacy.

The commissioned works do not attempt to imitate Schnabel. They honor him through different paths. Some draw inspiration from Schnabel’s own compositions; others respond to Schnabel the pianist — his recordings, repertoire, and sound. The result is not a single kind of tribute, but a collection of personal responses, each shaped by a different encounter with Schnabel’s life and work.

The following composer notes offer personal introductions to each of the commissioned works. In their own words, the composers describe the ideas and influences that shaped their pieces, allowing each work to be heard not only as a tribute to Schnabel, but as a living response to the piano tradition he helped define.

— Jenny Lin

1. A Fragment of Collective Memory 5:21

Dan Tepfer - May 2026

2. Fullness of Harmony 3:15

Timo Andres - March 2026

3. Chorale Prelude on “Vom Tode” 4:02

Greg Anderson - March 2026

4. Etude VII: Arpeggios 2:42

Nicolas Namoradze - February 2026

5. 33 Fragments from LvB (homage to Artur Schnabel) 1:53

Sir Stephen Hough - November 2025

6. Zwischenspiel 3:28