Description

FRITZ AUGUST ERWIN JANK (MUNICH, GERMANY, 26 JANUARY, 1910 – SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL, 8 MARCH, 1960)

 

 

 

 

Fritz August Erwin Jank was a German-born pianist who became an important figure in Brazil’s classical music scene. Born on 26 January 1910, he developed a distinguished career as a concert pianist and teacher after moving to Brazil in 1935. His father, Erwin Jank, was also a pianist and singer, and Fritz made his first public appearance at the age of ten.

After settling in São Paulo, Jank became closely associated with the city’s musical life. In 1941, he achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first pianist in Brazil to perform the complete cycle of Ludwig van Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas, presenting the programme in several Brazilian cities, including Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, and Salvador.

From 1945 until 1970, Jank taught at the Carlos Gomes Conservatory, contributing to the development of piano education in Brazil. He was also a member of the São Paulo Chamber Music Ensemble and performed works by both European classical composers and Brazilian composers. His repertoire included music by Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Heitor Villa-Lobos, and Alexandre Levy. A 1959 recording of Levy’s Tango Brasileiro documents his interest in Brazilian musical traditions alongside the European classical repertoire.

Fritz Jank died on 8 March 1970. Remembered as a dedicated performer and educator, he helped strengthen the tradition of classical piano music in Brazil, combining his German musical background with a lasting commitment to the country’s musical culture.

 

TRACKLIST

 

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770–1827)

Complete Piano Sonatas (32 Sonatas)

Fritz Jank, piano

About the Edition

This is a digital restoration of one of the most monumental and rare landmarks in Latin American recording history. Originally released in 1968 by the legendary Brazilian label Chantecler as a 13-LP box set (Catalog No. CMG-5006), this cycle went down in history as the first complete recording of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas ever made in Brazil.

The Artist

Fritz Jank (1910–1996) was an outstanding German-born pianist whose name is inextricably linked to the golden era of the Brazilian classical music scene in the 20th century. Having received a classical European education, Jank brought the traditions of deep, intellectual reading of German classics to South American soil. His interpretation of Beethoven combines strict academic architecture, flawless balance, and a restrained yet profound inner nobility.

About the Recording

Recording this cycle was an unprecedented challenge for the Brazilian music industry of the late 1960s. Fritz Jank’s work on the 32 sonatas is not just a demonstration of virtuosity, but a grand spiritual journey—from the early, classical opus numbers inspired by Haydn and Mozart, through the dramatic intensity of the “middle period,” to the visionary, philosophical late sonatas.

Thanks to painstaking work in preserving audiovisual heritage, these recordings, which were a rare discographic treasure for a long time, are now given a new life on CDR, preserving the unique spirit of the era and the uncompromising pianism of Fritz Jank.

COMPLETE DETAILED TRACKLIST

Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2, No. 1

1. Allegro
2. Adagio

III. Minuetto: Allegretto

1. Prestissimo

Piano Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 2, No. 2

1. Allegro vivace
2. Largo appassionato

III. Scherzo: Allegretto

1. Rondo: Grazioso

Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major, Op. 2, No. 3

1. Allegro con brio
2. Adagio

III. Scherzo: Allegro

1. Allegro assai

Piano Sonata No. 4 in E-flat major, Op. 7

1. Allegro molto e con brio
2. Largo con gran espressione

III. Allegro

1. Rondo: Poco allegretto e grazioso

Piano Sonata No. 5 in C minor, Op. 10, No. 1

1. Allegro molto e con brio
2. Adagio molto

III. Finale: Prestissimo

Piano Sonata No. 6 in F major, Op. 10, No. 2

1. Allegro
2. Allegretto

III. Presto

Piano Sonata No. 7 in D major, Op. 10, No. 3

1. Presto
2. Largo e mesto

III. Menuetto: Allegro

1. Rondo: Allegro

Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 “Pathétique”

1. Grave – Allegro di molto e con brio
2. Adagio cantabile

III. Rondo: Allegro

Piano Sonata No. 9 in E major, Op. 14, No. 1

1. Allegro
2. Allegretto

III. Rondo: Allegro comodo

Piano Sonata No. 10 in G major, Op. 14, No. 2

1. Allegro
2. Andante

III. Scherzo: Allegro assai

Piano Sonata No. 11 in B-flat major, Op. 22

1. Allegro con brio
2. Adagio con molta espressione

III. Minuetto

1. Rondo: Allegretto

Piano Sonata No. 12 in A-flat major, Op. 26 “Funeral March”

1. Andante con variazioni
2. Scherzo: Allegro molto

III. Marcia funebre sulla morte d’un eroe

1. Allegro

Piano Sonata No. 13 in E-flat major, Op. 27, No. 1 “Quasi una fantasia”

1. Andante – Allegro – Andante
2. Allegro molto e vivace

III. Adagio con espressione

1. Allegro vivace

Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2 “Moonlight”

1. Adagio sostenuto
2. Allegretto

III. Presto agitato

Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major, Op. 28 “Pastorale”

1. Allegro
2. Andante

III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace

1. Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo

Piano Sonata No. 16 in G major, Op. 31, No. 1

1. Allegro vivace
2. Adagio grazioso

III. Rondo: Allegretto

Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31, No. 2 “The Tempest”

1. Largo – Allegro
2. Adagio

III. Allegretto

Piano Sonata No. 18 in E-flat major, Op. 31, No. 3 “The Hunt”

1. Allegro
2. Scherzo: Allegretto vivace

III. Menuetto: Moderato e grazioso

1. Presto con fuoco

Piano Sonata No. 19 in G minor, Op. 49, No. 1

1. Andante
2. Rondo: Allegro

Piano Sonata No. 20 in G major, Op. 49, No. 2

1. Allegro ma non troppo
2. Tempo di menuetto

Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53 “Waldstein”

1. Allegro con brio
2. Introduzione: Adagio molto

III. Rondo: Allegretto moderato – Prestissimo

Piano Sonata No. 22 in F major, Op. 54

1. In tempo d’un menuetto
2. Allegretto – Più allegro

Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 “Appassionata”

1. Allegro assai
2. Andante con moto

III. Allegro ma non troppo – Presto

Piano Sonata No. 24 in F-sharp major, Op. 78 “A Thérèse”

1. Adagio cantabile – Allegro ma non troppo
2. Allegro vivace

Piano Sonata No. 25 in G major, Op. 79 “Cuckoo”

1. Presto alla tedesca
2. Andante

III. Vivace

Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-flat major, Op. 81a “Les Adieux”

1. Das Lebewohl: Adagio – Allegro
2. Abwesenheit: Andante espressivo

III. Das Wiedersehen: Vivacissimamente

Piano Sonata No. 27 in E minor, Op. 90

1. Mit Lebhaftigkeit und durchaus mit Empfindung und Ausdruck
2. Nicht zu geschwind und sehr singbar vorgetragen

Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major, Op. 101

1. Etwas lebhaft, und mit der innigsten Empfindung
2. Lebhaft, marschmäßig. Vivace alla marcia

III. Langsam und sehnsuchtsvoll. Adagio ma non troppo, con affetto

1. Geschwind, doch nicht zu sehr, und mit Entschlossenheit. Allegro

Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat major, Op. 106 “Hammerklavier”

1. Allegro
2. Scherzo: Assai vivace

III. Adagio sostenuto

1. Largo – Allegro risoluto

Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109

1. Vivace ma non troppo – Adagio espressivo
2. Prestissimo

III. Gesangvoll, mit innigster Empfindung. Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo

Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-flat major, Op. 110

1. Moderato cantabile molto espressivo
2. Allegro molto

III. Adagio ma non troppo – Arioso dolente – Fuga: Allegro ma non troppo – L’istesso tempo di Arioso – L’istesso tempo della Fuga

Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111

1. Maestoso – Allegro con brio ed appassionato
2. Arietta: Adagio molto semplice e cantabile