Thomas Hecht
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the Recordings
Three recordings have been made of Thomas Hecht's work, most notably 
"Piano Masterworks from America & New Zealand" 
which includes a previously unrecorded work by one of New Zealand's foundational composers, Douglas Lilburn,
 alongside core repertoire from from American composers, Barber and Copland. 
To download tracks, listen online or purchase physical recordings, please use the links provided.

iTunes
Naxos
Buy USA
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Atoll NZ
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Piano Masterworks 
from America and New Zealand
Barber - Lilburn - Copland

Label: Atoll Catalog # ACD 205
Composers: Samuel Barber, Douglas Lilburn, Aaron Copland
Performer: Thomas Hecht (Piano)

Works on this Recording

1. Sonata for Piano Op. 26 - Samuel Barber
2. Chaconne for Piano - Douglas Lilburn
3. Piano Sonata (1939-41) - Aaron Copland

This CD shows Hecht at his powerful and poetic best in three great mid-20th century works for solo piano. The two cornerstone American piano sonatas sandwich a milestone of the New Zealand repertoire: Douglas Lilburn’s mighty "Chaconne" of 1946, available here on CD for the first time.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Marbeck's NZ 
CD Reviews
“Hecht obviously believes in this music, and plays it with loving care and commitment. He is more of a poet than a showman, a quality he brings to the Copland and especially Barber Sonata as well. In the latter he reveals a tempered, lyrical approach far removed from the aggressive pyrotechnics of Horowitz but equally engaging in its own right. The recorded sound is exceptionally full, clear and clean without sounding metallic or clinical. 
Highly recommended on all counts.
Opus CD Magazine

“The American pianist penetrates the Barber Sonata to its emotional core, with the Finale’s fugue bolting across the keyboard like a muscled Paul Cadmus athelete.  Hecht’s magesterial performance inspires.”             
New Zealand Herald
“Hecht’s very polished reading [of the Copland Sonata] brings out its extremes in contrast—discordant harmonies, jazzy riffs and deep contemplation in the finale. This is as fine as the legendary 1951 William Kappell performance at the Frick Collection, but served with far better sound.”                                                   
Straits Times, Singapore

Members of the New York Philharmonic
with
Hecht & Shapiro, duo pianists

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Robert Schumann: 
Complete Works For Winds And Piano

Label:  Elysium   Catalog #: 709   
Composer:  Robert Schumann 
Performers:  Thomas Hecht (Piano), 
Joseph Robinson (Oboe) 
Stanley Drucker (Clarinet)
Dorian Rence (Viola)
Alan Stepansky (Cello)
Gerald Appleman (Cello)   
William Kuyper (French Horn)
Thomas Hecht (Piano)
Sandra Shapiro (Piano)

Works on This Recording
1. Andante and Variations for 2 Pianos, 2 Cellos and Horn 
in B flat major, Op. 46 
Notes: This is the original version of Schumann's opus 46, more popularly known in its two piano rendition. 
2. Adagio and Allegro for Horn and Piano in A flat major, Op. 70 
3. Phantasiestücke (3) for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 73 
4. Romances (3) for Oboe and Piano, Op. 94
5. Märchenerzählungen for Clarinet, Viola and Piano, Op. 132

Hecht & Shapiro

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"Sentimiento" 

Label:  Azica Catalog #: 71201   Code: DDD 
Composers:  Manuel Infante, 
Sergei Rachmaninov, Franz Liszt
Performers:  
Thomas Hecht & Sandra Shapiro
Steinway Piano

Works on This Recording
1. Andalusian Dances  by Manuel Infante 
2. Duets: Six Pieces for Piano four Hands, Op. 11 by Sergei Rachmaninov 
3. Reminiscences of Mozart's "Don Giovanni" S 656 by Franz Liszt 


Hecht and Shapiro made big news ..... when they won the Munich International Duo-Piano Competition... [They] maintain remarkable rapport, answering one another with heightened communicative skills and often sounding like one massive instrument capable of dazzling feats of dexterity... The performance is gloriously etched, with virtuosity and taste merging into a pianistic earful. Hecht & Shapiro take chances, travel to the edge and come up victorious.
Cleveland Plain Dealer
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