Bengt Forsberg, one of Sweden's most outstanding pianists, renowned for his many CDs and awards, releases a sensational solo album with music of composers that most people have never heard of. Why? Because the composers were women, who often had to step back for the men. Their works, however, are brilliant and deserve a better destiny than to be covered with dust in the archives. A few recordings of some composers such as Beach, Tailleferre, Bacewicz and Carwithen do already exist, however in the case of Aulin and Almén their works are world premiere recordings.

Reviews

Forsberg has long been a master programme planner – how could he be otherwise, having spent so many years sharing a concert platform with the inimitable Anne Sofie von Otter? This is no exception. We begin with Vítězslava Kaprálová, one of the great ‘what ifs’, who died in 1940 at just 25 from TB. She was a pupil of Martinů and shares his rhythmic verve in the four April Preludes. What’s also striking is her sureness of voice, the pieces by turn folk-imbued, punchy and wistful, ending with a rhythmically inventive, incisive Vivo. ... Grażyna Bacewicz is one of the better-known figures here and the ‘Oberek’ that concludes her Sonatina is infectiously brilliant – and sits surprisingly comfortably alongside the Tailleferre D major Pastorale that follows it. The disc ends with Ruth Crawford Seeger’s splendidly craggy Sixth Prelude, a work of great power in spite of its brief duration. With a recording as fine as the pianism, this is a terrific disc, heartily recommended. Harriet Smith

Gramophone June 2016