Aargau piano music

A conspicuous number of composers with roots or residence in Aargau contributed to the development of Swiss piano music in the 20th century. In addition to Werner Wehrli, Emil Frey and Peter Mieg, these included Robert Blum, Walther Geiser, Hermann Haller, Walter Lang, Walter Müller von Kulm and Heinrich Sutermeister as well as Roberto Gerhard, Heinz Holliger, János Tamás, Alfred Wälchli and Ernst Widmer.

The American Jason Paul Peterson, who taught at the cantonal school in Baden, united the first three into a triad that was strengthened by personal relationships. Werner Wehrli (1892-1944) from Aarau was friends with Emil Frey (1889-1946) from Baden, whose private pupils included Peter Mieg (1906-1990) from Lenzburg. While Frey and Mieg worked on the promising Swiss Piano Masterworks CD with one sonata each, for which such a classification is only partially applicable, Wehrli's masterfully concentrated miniatures deserve a special mention. From a hike op. 17 receives special attention.

The musical and humorous ideas (Rast, On the railroad), delicate sound poetry (At the source, The mysterious fish) or elemental force (Bad boy dance) with pedagogical intentions, audibly inspires the pianist's joy of playing.

Despite an impressive mastery of the overloaded, incredibly difficult piano writing, Emil Frey's 2nd Sonata in A flat major op. 36, a rather bizarre two-movement work, is not convincing. On the other hand, Frey's highly expressive Fantasia on the chorale, written in the war year 1914, proves to be a finally rediscovered masterpiece. O head full of blood and wounds op. 33.

Peter Mieg's 4th Sonata (1975) in four movements, with a brilliant Presto (2nd movement), has neo-romantic traits. Children's music op. 65 by Prokofiev is astounding.