Frommel really is discovery, he is competent in any composition technique. He astounds us with the unpredictable, music not yet heard, full of juxtapositions. Still, Frommel's dreamlike musical language is based on a clear form. It was a great pleasure to face the artistic challenge of expressing this symbiosis of sound and to interpret music that stretches the limits for what is expected. – Tatjana Blome

" ... Tatjana Blome, who unleashed a virtuoso firework of musical emotions with her instrument and who imitated a complete orchestra ... was just a marvel" –Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung

Gerhard Frommel rejected vapid pre-war Nationalism and Schoenberg's dodecaphony, finding his voice in individuality and tradition. Being part of that generation which falls between the Late Romantic and full-blown Modernism, Gerhard Frommel's work was considered unfashionable in the 1950s and he remains neglected today.

As with all of his piano sonatas, each of the first three is 'unique stylistically and technically', amounting to a program filled with surprise and contrast.  Rooted in Romanticism, these sonatas are allied to the expressive plasticity of Stravinsky and Hindemith, articulated with vitality and tenderness in No. 1, sparseness and clownish grotesquerie in No. 2, and the sensual impressionism of No. 3.

This superb Radio Berlin recording is a unique addition to our Grand Piano series. Tatjana Blome is a logical choice for this repertoire, having already appeared with Frommel's Concerto Op. 9 and Piano Sonata No. 6 on the Deutsche Grammophon label's 'Club 100' release; being favorably compared with Martha Argerich (Klassikakzente) who appears on the same disc.

1 PIANO SONATA No. 3 IN E MAJOR, OP. 15 "SISINA" – SONATA QUASI UNA FANTASIE
"EIN TRAUM" (1940/41, rev.1962/1980) 18:47

PIANO SONATA NO. 2 IN F MAJOR, OP. 10 (1935) 18:40
2 Allegro 08:27
3 Andante cantabile 05:35
4 Allegro 04:38

PIANO SONATA No. 1 IN F SHARP MINOR, OP. 6 (1931) 27:32
5 Allegro moderato, poco rubato 10:06
6 Langsam und träumerisch 09:31
7 Allegro giocoso (Finale) 07:55

TOTAL TIME: 65:01

Tatjana Blome won first prize at the Steinway Competition at the age of twelve and gave her first full-length piano recital a year later. She studied with Josef-Matthias Blome, Renate Kretschmar-Fischer, Heidrun Holtmann, Aribert Reimann and Gerhard Oppitz, and as a student also devoted her time to German literature and theology. She made her début in the Berlin Philharmonic concert hall in 1995 with Johannes Brahms's First Piano Concerto. In addition to solo recordings for broadcasts she has recorded a series of chamber music works with the saxophonist Frank Lunte and several Lieder cycles. In 2007 Deutsche Grammophon released her first solo recording. She is a regular member of Kammerensemble Classic der Deutschen Oper Berlin and has worked closely with such renowned artists as Gerd Albrecht, Jürgen Bruns, Claudia Barainsky and George Tabori. Concert tours have taken her throughout Europe, and since 2006 she has enjoyed a close working relationship with the Kammersymphonie Berlin.

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"...Tatjana Blome, who unleashed a virtuoso firework of musical emotions with her instrument and who imitated a complete orchestra…. was just a marvel" – Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung