TRACK LISTING

Liebermann: Gargoyles

I. Presto 1:50
II. Adagio semplice, ma con molto rubato 3:24
III. Allegro moderato 2:39
IV. Presto feroce 2:46

Kabeláč: Preludes, Op. 30
No. 1, Ostinato 2:12
No. 2, Meditation 2:59
No. 3, Dreams 1:34
No. 4, Chorale 4:08
No. 5, Nocturne 4:22
No. 6, Soaring 2:22
No. 7, Aria 3:55
No. 8, Impetuosity 3:46

Liszt: Totentanz, S525 for solo piano 16:12

Liebermann: Apparitions, Op. 17
No. 1, Inquieto, teneramente e fragile. Un poco delirando 2:12
No. 2, Nobile 3:24
No. 3, Affrettando misterioso 3:02
No. 4, Supplichevole 3:42

Schubert: 13 Variations on a theme by Anselm Hüttenbrenner in A minor, D576 15:12

Busoni: Fantasia Contrappuntistica 32:19

Liebermann: Nocturne No. 10, Op. 99

REVIEWS

“The composer and pianist Lowell Liebermann has recorded a demanding, very personal program for Steinway & Sons…Liebermann knows how to make the grand piano sound in very different ways, not just through atmospheric density of breathtaking technical skill - the ‘overall package’ is right. THe variety of moods created can hardly be counted, the identification of the interpreter with the music is immediately noticeable at every moment…The exciting and suspenseful complements of three of Liebermann’s compositions…completes the spectrum in an excellent way…An outstanding double album!” —— Klassik Magazine

“These two exceptional collections from Steinway & Sons make it resoundingly clear, however, that Liebermann’s as formidable a pianist as he is composer…Personal Demons is a dazzling recital that captures the composer meeting virtuosic challenges with immense poise…one is awed by Liebermann’s performance…” —— textura.org

“This outstanding double album, released to mark Liebermann’s 60th birthday, offers an intelligently conceived programme performed with great bravura and interpretative insight.” —Andy Hamilton, International Piano

“On the immensely sonorous Steinway grand, Liebermann succeeds in a fascinatingly virtuosic and demonically urgent interpretation of Liszt’s Totentanz. With Liebermann, the rarely recorded, very difficult solo version becomes downright electrifying.” —Remy Franck, Pizzicato 

”Anyone who has heard Lowell Liebermann’s popular Gargoyles Op. 29, will have realized his formidable pianistic talent…In addition to the latter, there are other large works, Liszt’s Totentanz and Busoni’s Fantasia Contrappuntistica — both performed as brilliantly as one could wish…Another plus is the sound engineering from Sergei Kvitko…He catches the balance between Lisztian scope and inwardness in the program as a whole, and the result is a thoroughly enjoyable two discs of music in a grand tradition.” —allmusic.com

“…Liebermann’s crisp articulation and quicksilver shifts of dynamics in the first piece show off a formidable technique. His singing tone and delicate phrasing in the middle two pieces is exquisite…In these pieces, Liebermann show himself to be adept in interpreting a wide variety of musical idioms, a fine technician, and a sensitive, subtle communicator of emotion. His Schubert expertly combines warmth and nobility, along with an otherworldly, valedictory feeling of the sort he achieves in his own Apparitions. This recording offers a most welcome insight into an important composer’s conception of his own work and of work that has been critical to his development. It is also all-around excellent playing and a joy to hear. I recommend it highly.” —Myron Silberstein, Fanfare

“Liebermann goes at Liszt’s Totentanz hammer and tongs, and does a magnificent job with Busoni’s monumental half-hour-long Fantasia Contrappuntistica…the fact that Liebermann makes one think of Weissenberg is high praise in itself.” —Ted Libbey, The Absolute Sound

“Liebermann’s playing is vivid, expressive and, when required, fleet and ferocious. This is exactly the kind of selection I’d happily hear in concert, and the opportunity to experience not only a composer playing his own music, but also the music which is particularly special to him offers some fascinating insights into Liebermann’s musical influences. This is also music which demands concentrated listening, but it’s well worth the effort.” —Fran Wilson, THe Cross-Eyed Pianist

“A witness statement to five decades of life in music – a glimpse into an artistic practice that consistently hits its creative stride, fueled by flames that still burn bright.” —The Whole Note 

“Though there is nothing new about Lowell Liebermann’s pianistic strengths (as the idiomatic keyboard writing in his compositions will attest), Personal Demons marks his first solo CD in which he is the pianist, and he is outstanding.” —Rorianne Schrade, New York Concert Review

“A release that takes listeners through a virtuoso’s musical journey in which his own compositions reflect, build upon and explore some fascinating works of earlier composers and composer/pianists.” —Infodad

”Lowell Liebermann’s rendering of Busoni’s “Fantasia Contrappuntistica” on his new album Personal Demons transfixed me.” —There Stands The Glass

“Liebermann’s insights into his own compositions make for very attractive listening, and his performances of other composers’ works are first-rate” Want list selection — Fanfare