Gottlieb Wallisch Releases Second Album Completing Wilhelm Grosz's Piano Music Collection

Austrian pianist Gottlieb Wallisch has issued a second volume of recordings featuring piano compositions by Wilhelm Grosz, marking the first complete documentation of the composer's surviving solo piano works. The album includes several world premiere recordings and presents Grosz's entire accessible piano repertoire. Some early pieces, such as Opus 1, remain lost. Grosz (1894–1939) was known for his artistic versatility and engagement with musical trends of his era, ranging from late Romantic expression to jazz-inflected cabaret styles, and from orchestral grandeur to delicate miniatures. The new release highlights this range through works like the 'Kleine Sonate, op. 16,' which combines concision with depth and reflects biographical elements of Grosz's relationship with Olga Schnitzler in its fourth movement. The 'Symphonische Variationen über ein eigenes Thema, op. 9' evokes an orchestral sound world influenced by Franz Schreker and Viennese modernism, with a finale that mirrors post-World War I instability. A notable discovery is the 'Three Pieces for Piano, op. 33,' rarely heard and nearly lost, which showcase Grosz's adaptability through jazz-inspired scherzos, nostalgic Viennese elegies, and virtuosic passages. The album also features two arrangements of Johann Strauss waltzes from 1934, created during Grosz's London exile, demonstrating his skill as an arranger who blended fine irony and elegance while crossing musical boundaries. Wallisch continues his project of uncovering musical treasures from the early 20th century, supported by musicologist Dr. Thomas Gayda, tracing Grosz's life across Vienna, Berlin, London, and American exile—a journey marked by ruptures, successes, and bittersweet melancholy. This series goes beyond historical reconstruction to portray an artist whose voice remains strikingly modern today, with music that resonates through its ambiguity, wit, and emotional depth. The album invites listeners to rediscover a chapter of music history that has long been distant, now revived for contemporary audiences. Released on the Grand Piano label and distributed by Naxos Deutschland, the CD features first recordings of several works.