Endless Song - Margaret Fingerhut Plays Encores for Piano Margaret Fingerhut

• John Metcalf (b. 1956): Lieder ohne Worte, Book 2, Op. 30:
• 1 Metcalf: Endless Song 05:26
• Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847): Lieder ohne Worte, Book 2, Op. 30:
• 2 Mendelssohn: Lieder ohne Worte, Book 2, Op. 30: No. 12 in F-Sharp Minor, MWV U110, "Venetianisches Gondedellied" 03:12
• Lieder ohne Worte, Book 1, Op. 19b:
• 3 Mendelssohn: Lieder ohne Worte, Book 1, Op. 19b: No. 3 in A Major, MWV U89, "Jägerlied" 02:21
• Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828): Zwolf Lieder von Schubert, S. 558, R. 243:
• 4 Schubert: Zwolf Lieder von Schubert, S. 558, R. 243: XII. Ave Maria 06:33
• Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856): Widmung, S. 566 (After R. Schumann's Liebeslied):
• 5 Schumann: Widmung, S. 566 (After R. Schumann's Liebeslied) 04:17
• Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849): Six Chants Polonais after F. Chopin, S. 480, R. 145:
• 6 Chopin: Six Chants Polonais after F. Chopin, S. 480, R. 145: I. Madchens Wunsch 04:11
• Josef Suk (1874 - 1935): Six Piano Pieces, Op. 7:
• 7 Suk: Six Piano Pieces, Op. 7: I. Song of Love 06:51
• Francis Poulenc (1899 - 1963): Improvisation No. 15 in C Minor, FP 176, "Hommage a Edith Piaf":
• 8 Poulenc: Improvisation No. 15 in C Minor, FP 176, "Hommage a Edith Piaf" 03:19
• George Gershwin (1898 - 1937): A Gershwin Songbook:
• 9 Gershwin: A Gershwin Songbook: VIII. The Man I Love 02:29
• 10 Gershwin: A Gershwin Songbook: XI. Oh, Lady Be Good 01:04
• 11 Gershwin: A Gershwin Songbook: XVII. The Certain Feeling 01:09
• 12 Gershwin: A Gershwin Songbook: XVI. 'S Wonderful 00:58
• 13 Gershwin: A Gershwin Songbook: III. Do It Again 01:42
• 14 Gershwin: A Gershwin Songbook: XIII. Strike Up the Band 01:07
• Isaac Albéniz (1860 - 1909): Cantos de España, Op. 232:
• 15 Albéniz: Cantos de España, Op. 232: IV. Córdoba 06:20
• Cantos de España, Op. 232:
• 16 Albéniz: Cantos de España, Op. 232: V. Seguidillas 03:13
• Carlos Guastavino (1912 - 2000): 10 Cantilenas Argentinas:
• 17 Guastavino: 10 Cantilenas Argentinas: IV. El Ceibo 03:21
• Bailecito:
• 18 Guastavino: Bailecito 03:39
• Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943): Morceaux de fantasie, Op. 3:
• 19 Rachmaninoff: Morceaux de fantasie, Op. 3: III. Melodie in E Major 05:13
• 14 Romances, Op. 34:
• 20 Rachmaninoff: 14 Romances, Op. 34: XIV. Vocalise in E Minor (Arr. for Piano) (Revised 1915) 06:34
• Total Runtime 01:12:59

Info for Endless Song - Margaret Fingerhut Plays Encores for Piano

Pianist Margaret Fingerhut presents a collection of encore-like pieces that explore the way in which composers have transformed the piano, in essence a percussion instrument, into one that can sing. A highly personal album, it has come about after a recent period of injuries threatened Fingerhut’s own ‘song’ – her ability to play the piano.

The album takes its title from John Metcalf’s beautiful piece of 1999, the most recent work on the programme. Its lilting melody, suggestive of folksong or lullaby, takes us back to Felix Mendelssohn who established the enduring notion of the ‘Song without Words’. He composed eight volumes of such short and simple pieces, two of which are recorded here. Liszt, the master transcriber, took a very different approach in his virtuoso arrangements of songs by Schubert, Schumann, and Chopin. Nodding toward popular music styles, Poulenc paid affectionate tribute to Edith Piaf in his Improvisation No. 15 while Gershwin brought together his own sparkling song transcriptions in George Gershwin’s Song-Book, six of which Fingerhut has selected. Folksong and musical nationalism infuse the evocative works by Suk, Albéniz, and Guastavino recorded here. Two pieces by one of the most celebrated melodists of all, Rachmaninoff, complete the album: ‘Mélodie’, Op. 3 No. 3 and the famous Vocalise, Op. 34 No. 14, originally written for a vocalising singer.

Margaret Fingerhut, piano

Margaret Fingerhut
Margaret Fingerhut is regarded as one of the most poetic pianists of her generation who has captivated audiences in many different countries with her imaginatively designed recital programmes, “A World of Piano Themes”. In these programmes she explores the highways and byways of the piano repertoire, personally introducing the music to the audience from the keyboard. As a concerto soloist she has appeared with the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the London Mozart Players, in major venues such as the Royal Festival Hall, Royal Albert Hall and the Barbican. She is often heard on BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM and many radio stations worldwide. Her film and television appearances include a role in “Testimony”, Tony Palmer's film about Shostakovich.


A Chandos artist, Margaret's extensive and eclectic discography has received worldwide critical acclaim. Her numerous discs reflect her long-standing fascination with exploring lesser-known repertoire, and include works by Bax, Berkeley, Bloch, Dukas, Falla, Grieg, Howells, Leighton, Novak, Stanford and Suk as well as pioneering collections of Russian and French music. Many have been selected as the Gramophone's Critics' Choice, and two of her Bax recordings - the Octet with the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Chamber Ensemble and the Concertante for Piano Left Hand and Orchestra with Vernon Handley and the BBC Philharmonic - were short-listed for Gramophone awards. Her recent disc of solo piano music by the Polish/French composer Alexandre Tansman received the accolade of "Diapason D'Or" in France. She was also the soloist in the world première recording of Percy Young's arrangement of Elgar's sketches for his Piano Concerto slow movement, with the Munich Symphony Orchestra conducted by Douglas Bostock.


Margaret taught piano at the Royal Northern College of Music for a number of years and she is currently a Visiting Tutor at the Birmingham Conservatoire. Summer schools include Chetham's International Summer Achool for Pianists and Dartington International Summer School where her teaching was described by The Spectator magazine as demonstrating "enormous skill and sympathy". She has given masterclasses in the USA, Canada and China and has also been on the jury for many competitions, including the BBC Musician of the Year.. In addition to her performing and teaching, Margaret has written articles for magazines such as Classical Music, Pianist and Piano Professional.

Booklet for Endless Song - Margaret Fingerhut Plays Encores for Piano