Swan Hennessy is a real discovery for lovers of impressionistic piano music from France. Swan Hennessy was born in Rockford, Illinois, of Irish origin and grew up in Chicago. Swan Hennessy's music before 1900 was heavily influenced by his conservative education and his teachers' predilection for the music of Robert Schumann. Around the time of his move to Paris, he also been an admirer of Max Reger. Although his later music shows the influence of several contemporary stylistic directions, he never shook off this profound influence of the German Romantics. During the period 1907 to 1913, Hennessy wrote increasingly in an Impressionist style, with a prolific series of piano works and art songs in a descriptive and programmatic style inspired by sounds in his environment including nature, traffic, and industry. He also excelled in humoristic and satirical pieces, similar to but independent from Satie. One contemporary critic wrote, "Il fut un humoriste d'une verve drue don't la drÃ´lerie Ã©tait faite Ã la fois d'observation et d'invention, de fantaisie et depsychologie." ("He was a humorist of great verve whose humor derived from observation and invention, fantasy and psychology").

Tracklist:

Croquis de femmes, Op. 33~Au Couvent
Croquis de femmes, Op. 33~Bavardes
Croquis de femmes, Op. 33~La Vieille tante
Croquis de femmes, Op. 33~Mondaine
Croquis de femmes, Op. 33~Jeunes anglaises
Croquis de femmes, Op. 33~Charmeuse de serpents
Au bord de la forÃªt, Op. 21
FÃªtes. Deux Morceaux descriptifs, Op. 36~FÃªte de village au XVIIIme siÃ¨cle
FÃªtes. Deux Morceaux descriptifs, Op. 36~FÃªte populaire dans la banlieue de Paris au XXme siÃ¨cle
En passant... (Ã‰tudes d'aprÃ¨s nature), Op. 40~Petit ptre sur les hauts pturages
En passant... (Ã‰tudes d'aprÃ¨s nature), Op. 40~Dans une petite ville flamande le dimanche
En passant... (Ã‰tudes d'aprÃ¨s nature), Op. 40~CÃ®mes neigeuses
En passant... (Ã‰tudes d'aprÃ¨s nature), Op. 40~Sieste en chemin de fer
Valses caprices, Op. 41~Valse rustique
Valses caprices, Op. 41~Valse canaille
Valses caprices, Op. 41~Valse distraite
Valses caprices, Op. 41~Valse boÃ®teuse
Valses caprices, Op. 41~A la Reger
Valses caprices, Op. 41~Encore une valse
Sonatine, Op. 43~I. Allegro appassionato
Sonatine, Op. 43~II. Tempo di menuetto
Sonatine, Op. 43~III. Vivace ma non troppo
PiÃ¨ces celtiques, Op. 45~I. Assez lent - Beaucoup plus vite - Premier mouvement
Croquis parisiens, Op. 47~Promenade matinale au Jardin du Luxembourg
Croquis parisiens, Op. 47~Dans un atelier de couturiers
Banlieues. Six Petites piÃ¨ces, Op. 69~Clamart
Banlieues. Six Petites piÃ¨ces, Op. 69~Aubervilliers
Banlieues. Six Petites piÃ¨ces, Op. 69~Meudon
Banlieues. Six Petites piÃ¨ces, Op. 69~Robinson
Banlieues. Six Petites piÃ¨ces, Op. 69~VerriÃ¨res
Banlieues. Six Petites piÃ¨ces, Op. 69~Bourg-la-Reine
A la maniÃ¨re de... (selections)~...Alexandre Borodine
A la maniÃ¨re de... (selections)~...Emmanuel Chabrier
A la maniÃ¨re de... (selections)~...Claude Debussy - Benjamin Godard
A la maniÃ¨re de... (selections)~...Maurice Ravel

UPC: 719279933871
Label: Perfect Noise
Release Date: 2.5.21
Format: CD

Hennessy / Ernst - Selected Works for Piano (CD)