Light Music Beautifully Played
J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 02/18/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The idea for this CD is an interesting one. Janice Weber, a very fine pianist not well-enough known, has chosen 22 short works which mention roses in their titles. Understandably, to come up with this list she has had to choose some real trifles along with the worthwhile pieces. Along with the trifles are fine pieces of the superior salon music type along with popular songs. The booklet not only tells us something about each selection, it also includes appropriate poetry or lyrics from many of the pieces. As Amazon has not listed the works on the CD, it might be best if I list them:
1. Joseph Ascher: The Cascade of Roses
2. Heino Kaski: Das Mädchen im Rosengarten
3. Walter Niemann: Rosen am Gartenhaus
4. Walter Niemann: Gelbe Rosen
5. Adolf Jensen: Weisse Rose
6. Ede Poldini: Beauty of the Prairies (a variety of rose)
7. Ethelbert Nevin: Mighty Lak' a Rose
8. Marie Trautmann Jaëll: Roses flétres (Faded Roses)
9. Scott Joplin: Rose Leaf Rag
10. Harvey Loomis: Rose of Yesteryear
11. Julius Zarembski: Les Roses et Les Épines (The Rose and The Thorns)
12. Edward MacDowell: To a Wild Rose
13. Elliott Griffis: Yellow Rose
14. Ernest Dale: Damask Rose
15. John Wesley Work: Big Bunch of Roses
16. Haydn Wood: Roses of Picardy
17. Billy Mayerl: Evening Primrose
18. Frederick D'Erlanger: Midnight Rose Waltz
19. Reynaldo Hahn: La Rose de Bilda
20. Walter Giesen: Roses from the South
21. Schubert/Liszt: Die Rose
22. Ernest de Regge: The Last Rose of Summer
It is probably best not to listen to the whole disc at one sitting, lest one's blood sugar rise to diabetic levels, but taken a few at a time, this is a charming and enjoyable issue.
Scott Morrison
"