Isoldes Liebestod:
(arr. Shimkus)

Fantasie WWV 22
Spinnerlied:
(arr. Liszt)

SiegfriedIdyll:
(arr. Gould)

Richard Wagner’s music was rarely performed and recorded, and so the listeners heard usually piano transcriptions. However, Vestard Shimkus presents not only transcriptions which were simply transferred, but he deals with the music in a creative way. One such treasure – the monumental „Fantasia in Fsharp minor WWV22“– with its countless operatic recitatives and long singing themes – is a welcomed addition.

His own transcription of „Isoldes Liebestod“ was written especially for this album. When creating it, Shimkus listened to an orchestral recording of this piece over and over again and let his imagination be inspired by particular textures of Wagner’s orchestration until he had the definite idea of how to express it on the piano by using the fantastic possibilities offered by a piano of the 21st century.