Selim Palmgren: Kevätyö (Night in May) No. 4

The Finnish composer and pianist Selim Palmgren (1878-1951) studied with Liszt’s pupil Conrad Ansorge and with Busoni. Although mainly based in Helsinki, he tought for a time at the Eastman School in New York. His piano music was quite popular in the first half of the 20th century, but, despite some recent CD releases of his piano concertos and solo works, he is now neglacted in the concert hall. This piece comes from a set of seven piano pieces written in 1907, and is one of Palmgren’s most popular works.