Schubert: Soirees de Vienne Valse Caprices

First published in 1826, Franz Schubert's Soirees de Vienne Valse Caprices, D.734, is a set of eighteen pieces for solo piano: sixteen Ländler (a type of Austrian/German dance) and two Ecossaises (a type of Scottish dance). Franz Liszt's transcription for solo piano is included in his Soirées de Vienne (Evenings in Vienna), S.427.

Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828) was an Austrian composer. He wrote over six hundred lieder (songs), nine symphonies (including the famous Unfinished Symphony), liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, numerous pieces of chamber music, and a large body of solo piano music. Renowned for his magnificent melodies, he was perhaps even more proficient at creating music of extraordinary depth and emotional power. And despite his tragically short life, Franz Schubert is widely considered to be one of the greatest of all composers.

Franz Liszt (1811 – 1886) was a Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher. During the 19th century he was famous throughout Europe for his great skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age and perhaps the greatest pianist of all time. Liszt composed an extensive and diverse body of works, which influenced subsequent composers such as Richard Wagner, Hector Berlioz, Camille Saint-Saëns, Edvard Grieg, and Alexander Borodin.