When Peter Froundjian conceived a festival devoted exclusively to unknown and rarely played piano music, some might have thought the idea too ambitious or even foolhardy. It proved to be a stroke of genius, and since 1987 the strong support of audiences from many countries has been consistent. It has kept its intimate atmosphere, with a maximum of 130 listeners in the Rittersaal of Husum castle, and 40 more beyond an open door, with a TV screen to keep in touch. Its influence around the world has been considerable, with more ambitious concert programmes in evidence and record companies willing to take on a wider repertoire.

This disc contains a particularly large number of short pieces by fourteen different composers. However, the producers have arranged them thoughtfully into groups and sequences which should make for a coherent listening experience. If these examples encourage listeners to seek out other examples of music by the composers, then they have surely served their purpose. As usual Peter Froundjian made the initial choice of music, with the agreement of the performers. His co-producer Jesper Buhl and the team at Danacord took care of the technical side, including the final order of tracks and the maximum duration to suit most CD players – about 80 minutes these days.

The recordings are all taken from live performances with no editing. If the very occasional “noises off” can be heard, they only serve to show how quiet and concentrated the Husum audiences are most of the time.