Moriz Rosenthal was from the earliest generation of pianists to have made a significant number of recordings, and he was also one of the more important Liszt pupils, therefore his legacy is of the utmost importance as representative of 19th century style.

In his youth he was renowned as being one of the supreme technicians and, although he began to record only in old-age, this can still be heard in his own two Strauss paraphrases recorded here; still today pinnacles of the most ridiculous virtuosity. But it is for his Chopin above all that Rosenthal should be remembered. In his youth he studied with the composer’s most important student, Karol Mikuli, and his uniquely free lyricism in the Mazurkas and other miniatures must surely be considered close to the composer’s own.

This is the first time all Rosenthal’s recordings have been transfered to CD and two recent discoveries issued only in Argentina and Japan respectively and known only in unique copies are included, as is a beautiful live performance from his 75th birthday concert.