EMIL VON SAUER (HAMBURG, GERMANY 8 OCTOBER 1862 – VIENNA,
AUSTRIA 27 APRIL 1942)
He was born in Hamburg, Germany on 8 October 1862 as Emil Georg Conrad
Sauer. He studied with Nikolai Rubinstein at the Moscow Conservatory between
1879 and 1881. On an 1884 visit to Italy he met the Countess von
Sayn-Wittgenstein, who recommended him to her former paramour, Franz Liszt. He
went on to study with Liszt for two years, but did not for some time consider
himself a Liszt pupil. In an 1895 interview, he even denied it: “It is not
correct to regard me as a pupil of Liszt, though I stayed with him for a few
months. He was then very old, and could not teach me much. My chief teacher has
been, undoubtedly, Nicholas Rubinstein.” In his later years, however, Sauer
realized the influence of Liszt on himself and on music in general. From 1882
Sauer made frequent and successful tours as a virtuoso pianist; his performing
career lasted until 1940. He premiered in London in 1894 and New York in 1899.
In 1901 he was appointed head of the Meisterschule für Klavierspiel at the
Vienna Academy. Sauer left this post in April 1907 but returned to it in 1915.
Some of his pupils continued on to successful concert or other significant
music careers. In 1917, Sauer was raised to the peerage by the
Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy, which added the nobiliary particle “von” to his
name. He was also awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Philharmonic Society of
London. Regardless of his own opinion initially, Sauer was considered as
emphasizing the original Liszt approach to pianism as well as a strong Romantic
approach to a musical technique that demanded a total command of the keyboard
in what was known as the Liszt School of piano. Unlike his fellow pupil Moriz
Rosenthal, who could overwhelm the keyboard with orchestral force, von Sauer
was said to caress the piano in a suave, polished manner. His recordings show
him to have been a smooth pianist who was inclined toward relaxed tempos and
exactitude of detail over temperament. While his playing may have sometimes
lacked in breadth, it was always elegant and beautifully finished. Emil von
Sauer was married twice. Angelica Morales (Sauer), his second wife, carried on
his legacy in teaching. Sauer had two sons with Morales — Julio and Franz. He
died in Vienna, Austria on 27 April 1942, aged 79.
TRACKLIST
876 MOZART-LISZT – Fantasia on Themes from “Don Giovanni”
877 LISZT – Transcendental Etudes – No. 4, d Mazeppa
879 CHOPIN – Nocturne, Op. 27, No. 2, Db
880 CHOPIN – Bolero, Op. 19, C
881 CHOPIN – Etude, Op. 25, No. 9, Gb “Butterfly”
882 MENDELSSOHN-LISZT – On Wings of Song (Auf Flügeln des Gesänges)
883 SAUER – Echo de Vienne – Valse de concert, D
885 SAUER – Concert Etude No. 6, b The Aspen Leaf
886 SAUER – Concert Etude No. 7, E Flammes de mer (Glitter of the Sea)
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