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Abstract
The lecture recital and accompanying document aim to shed light on the underappreciated composer, Adolf von Henselt (1814-1889). Despite being highly admired by renowned composers such as Robert and Clara Schumann, Liszt and Rachmaninoff, Henselt remains relatively obscure today. As a romantic virtuoso, he exerted significant influence on the development of piano playing in the 19th century, particularly in Russia. He wrote two formidable sets of etudes, wide-ranging in pianistic difficulty and musical material. Relatively unknown nowadays, this lecture-recital will examine technical issues in his etudes with related works by Carl Czerny, Johann Baptist Cramer, Clara Schumann, Felix Mendelssohn, and Frédéric Chopin. The chosen repertoire comprises five pairings; each pairing features one of the Henselt’s etudes alongside a composition from another composer of his era. Through the recital, the author aims to introduce the audiences to this remarkable composer and his contribution to piano literature.