Ghostly Scenes Collection

The Romantic era was marked by a great penchant for the transcendental, the supernatural, the mysterious, indeed, the “ghostly”. All these facets are merged in an exemplary manner in the Geisterszenen (Ghostly Scenes) or Geistererscheinungen (Visions from the Spirit World) composed in 1850 by Anselm Hüttenbrenner, a friend and fellow student of Franz Schubert and a respected pianist himself. These mostly highly virtuoso, fantasy-like Tongemälde (Musical Tableaux) cycle is not only Hüttenbrenner’s most original piano work, but also an outstanding example of cyclical romantic piano music. Thus far only preserved in manuscript, the present first edition of this fascinating piano cycle meets all scientific and music performance practice demands. It provides a clear musical text with special consideration of the appropriate turning points, along with a comprehensive preface and detailed critical remarks, both in German and English.