The Forgotten Light of Romanticism – The World of Josef Filtsch

Josef Filtsch — the elder brother who supported the prodigy Karl Filtsch
Chiyo Hagiwara, a leading figure in Filtsch scholarship, brings these little-known works to disc

Josef Filtsch (1813–1894), a composer and pianist, was the elder brother—seventeen years Karl’s senior—of Karl Filtsch, Chopin’s beloved pupil and celebrated child prodigy. Deeply imbued with the styles and techniques of Viennese music of the period, Josef Filtsch left a legacy of fifteen piano pieces, including Nocturne, Elegy, Song of the Exile, Two Salon Études, Romance without Words, Village Bells, and Lullaby.
Among them, the Mazurka, Op. 13 stands as one of his most representative works.

Josef Filtsch (1813-1894)

• [1]　La résignation Elégie, op.14
• Mélodies hongroises, op.1
  
  • [2]　No.1
  • [3]　No.2
  • [4]　No.3
  • [5]　No.4
  • [6]　No.5
• [7]　Chant de berceau, op.11
• [8]　Rêverie musicale, op.15
• Mazurka, op.13
  
  • [9]　No.1
  • [10]　No.2
  • [11]　No.3
• Deux études de salon, op.5
  
  • [12]　No.1 L’Alouette
  • [13]　No.2 L’Hirondelle
• Romances sans paroles, op.12
  
  • [14]　Vivace
  • [15]　Andantino
  • [16]　Agitato
• [17]　La clochette du village, op.10

Chiyo Hagiwara, piano

Recording Location: Biserica Evanghelică Sebeș, on 29-30 May 2025
Recording Engineer: Florin Barbu
Mixing & Mastering: Florin Barbu, at Snog Studio Sibiu
Piano Tuning: Andrei Dragomir
Notes: Nadia-Diana Arsin, Boldizsár Csíky, Hitoshi Kobayashi, Radu Totoianu, Chiyo Hagiwara
Cover Art: Shiro Yamazaki
Cover Picture: Joseph and Carl Filtsch, (ca. 1830, private collection, unknown painter) ©Siebenbürgisches Museum Gundelsheim, inv. 4603.
Cover Design: Hisahito Kiriya, Nori Watabe (kjkb.jp)
Booklet Editing: Chiyo Hagiwara
Translation: Rodica Frentiu, Ciliana Tudorica, Maria Totoianu, Edith Bradford
Sponsorship: Centrul Cultural “Lucian Blaga” Sebeș
Special Thanks: Maria Bojan, Fumito Shimizu, Tatsuo Kitagawa, Eduard Schneider, Carmen Popescu, Kojima Recordings