JAN HUGO VOŘÍŠEK (1791-1825)

Complete Works for Piano • 3
12 Rhapsodies

BILJANA URBAN

“This third and last volume of the complete piano works of Jan Hugo Voříšek is devoted to his twelve Rhapsodies (opus 1). These monumental early works explore and extend the form of the scherzo to encompass an immense emotional range and deep poetry. The Rhapsodies were composed mostly in Prague between 1810 and 1813 and reveal a unique Czech composer of pioneering inspiration and undeniable genius. Now, that I have completed the entire Voříšek cycle, I feel that the most praiseworthy thing is to bring great music to life.”” – Biljana Urban

About this Recording

Jan Hugo Voříšek, the ‘prodigy from Prague’, arrived in Vienna at the age of 22 and almost immediately earned the approval and admiration of Beethoven. His works foreshadow Schubert, Chopin and Schumann but he was so individualistic a composer that he resists easy categorisation either as a Classicist or a Romantic. This third and last volume of his complete piano works is devoted to the Twelve Rhapsodies, Op. 1, which extend the form of the scherzo in a lyrical vein reminiscent of Brahms’ Two Rhapsodies, Op. 79.

BILJANA URBAN

Biljana Urban comes from a family with a rich musical tradition. Her Czechborn grandfather, Jan Urban (1875–1952), was a composer and conductor. Biljana Urban received her Ph.D. in Music (Piano Performance) summa cum laude from the Academy of Music in Zagreb, and has an international career, appearing in such venues as the Fresno Concert Hall, California, and taking part in international music festivals. As a chamber musician she has performed with soloists of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Monnaie Orchestra, Brussels, and the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. Her recitals have been broadcast by radio and television companies in France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Croatia, Slovenia and the United States. The first album of Vořišek’s Complete Works for Piano was classed among the best albums of 2014 by Culture Catch.