Viktor Kalabis - Kompletní dílo pro klavír - 2 CD

This two-CD set presents the complete works for solo piano by Viktor Kalabis (1923–2006), performed by Ivo Kahánek. It includes his three sonatas, Akcenty, Entrata, aria e toccata, Tři polky, Čtyři skrývačky pro Grahama, Dvě tokáty and Allegro impetuoso. This first complete recording of Kalabis’s piano works, like the earlier album of his three sonatas, was created on the initiative of harpsichordist Zuzana Růžičková, the composer’s lifelong partner and champion of his music. The choice of Ivo Kahánek was essential: he combines exceptional technical ability with a profound understanding of the structure of Kalabis’s music. As Kahánek explains, Kalabis belonged to a group of composers who were not constrained by the traditional laws of piano technique, making some of the music extremely demanding. Although inspired by other masters of the 20th century, Kalabis soon developed his own distinctive and unmistakable musical language, already clearly heard in his early works. The recording traces more than half a century of his output, from the post-war First Sonata to masterful miniatures composed at the end of the millennium, opening further views into his fascinating musical world.