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Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809-1847)

Piano Sonatas Vol. 1

Sonata G minor op. 105, Sonata E major op. 6, Sonata Bb major op. 106, Piano Piece "As time runs" G minor, without op.

SST 31160 (1 CD)
  • "... it's absolutely a merit of Sontraud Speidel's art of playing that the beauty of this spring-like music suddenly can be perceived. She creates each movement as an entire world, applying her great sympathetic understanding, and her warm and gleaming piano sound: A world where already the spirit of Romanticism ruled. Finally, she plays an almost unknown piano piece, nicely named 'As time goes by', in which, however, time seems to stop running. Sontraud Speidel plays at her top condition." (PianoNews)
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Die sechs Partiten (Gesamtaufnahme)

SST 31114 (2 CDs)
  • "... masterly plazing with unusual stilistic clarity. Glenn Gould shows how to play Bach the quickest, the slowest, or most elegantly. Sontraud Speidel provides the most balanced and sophisticated recording," (Audio)
  • "On both CD's, she is convincing – although this is no surprise for her – by her immensely thrilling, precisely articulated playing with wisely arranged dynamics, giving each note its own weight without losing the entire coherence... " (Hassia Radio)
  • "... for me, Sontraud Speidel's interpretations of the Partitas are completely valid alternatives to Walcha or Richter, because they show a consequent mirror of Bach, an unobstrusive mastership, which makes forget the effort and labor that was necessary for the realization ..." (Stereo-Magazin)
  • "... Sontraud Speidel ... released the most balanced and sophisticated recording. Her CD box must be recommended emphatically, because she plays all repetitions, and renders the score most clearly and unaffectedly." (Audio-Magazin)
  • "Perfect technics, alive musically, highest rating" (Luiter, Amsterdam)
  • "... in an interpretation that fulfills the highest demands for me ... excellent ... I listen with never-ending pleasure." (Hassia Radio)
  • "A superior pianist that completely meets the inexhaustible richness of Johann Sebastian Bach in its entire diversity, and in the special musical character of each one of the Six Partitas." (Die Harke, Ninenburg)
Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837): Sonata F# minor, op. 81

Johann Ladislaus Dussek (1760-1812): Sonata Eb Major op. 44 "The Farewell"

SST 31151
  • "Sontraud Speidel is in any case a match for the high technical standard especially of Hummel's sonata. In both compositions, she shows her special talent to organize developments ..." (MUSICA)
Fanny Hensel Née Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1805-1847)

Piano works (partly first recordings)

SST 30179 (released in the USA by BRIOSO)
  • "In formal perfection and sophisticated emotion" (Hassia Radio)
  • "A meritorious enterprise" (Northern German Radio)
  • "Brilliant recording, which merits best praise for technique and interpretation." (Zeitung fuer Musikpaedagogik)
  • "... that is intelligent music in a perfect interpretation of the pianist Sontraud Speidel ..." (EP Music, Oslo, Norway)
  • "... released selected piano works from Fanny Hensel, which have been mostly not available. With Sontraud Speidel, they found a performer with empathy and commitment." (Darmstaedter Echo)
  • "The exact description of the nature and the work of Fanny Hensel, and also of Sontraud Speidel's artistic development and her astonishing career, would fill books. However, listening to this recording gives one the impression that two women similar in character reveal each other: The pianist's skills of Sontraud Speidel do not need to be mentioned. She plays Fanny Hensel and herself... " (Pforzheimer Zeitung)
  • "Interesting discovery that enables Speidel to release a very nice CD recording" (Diapason)
  • "Sontraud Speidel is nimble and flowing and has distinct affinity for this repertoire." (American Record Guide)
  • “The music is interpreted by Ms. Speidel with clarity, competence and care.” (International Alliance for Women in Music)
  • "A first rank recording regarding the quality of the compositions and the interpretation" (Zeitschrift fuer Musikpaedagogik)
Piano Works From Female Composers From Three Centuries

Works from Margarethe Danzi, Maria Szymanowska, Fanny Hensel, Clara Schumann, Pauline Viardot, Marfa Sabinina, Anna Weiss, Ilse Fromm-Michaels, Germaine Tailleferre, and Marcelle Soulage. Mostly first recordings.

organo phon CD 90113, Online Order
  • "Claptrap is not her business ... always perfect technique that enables her to play most complicated phrases without the stopgap of disguising pedal use. Her playing sounds always transparent ..." (DIE RHEINPFALZ)
  • "The CD recording contains piano works from female composers from three centuries and catches the interest two-fold: at first, the rich musical substance of the pieces, and second Sontraud Speidel's subtle playing with empathy, which fulfills highest demands." (Badische Neueste Nachrichten)
  • FonoForum: Interpretation: very good
  • "The quality and the pianistic level are conspicously high" (Piano NEWS)
Romantic Piano Music
  • Theodor Kirchner (1823-1903): Ten Piano Pieces op. 2
  • Carl Reinecke (1824-1910): 2 Ballades (first recording)

SST 30216
  • " With subtle expression, good articulation, highest ranking" (Luister, Amsterdam)
  • "Brilliant and with empathy at the same time" (Hassia Radio)
  • "Brilliance and sovereignty" (Die Harke)
  • "Hidden pearls of the Romantics ... Both composers could not have found a better advocate of their piano works as Sontraud Speidel, pianist from Karlsruhe. She proves the hitherto underestimated rank of the two romantic composers with highest pianistic competence, combining clarity with salient colors, and subtle cultivation of touch with masterly assurance." (Badische Neueste Nachrichten)
Rarities of Piano Music at Schloss vor Husum 1991

Werke von Eduard Erdmann

DACOCD 389
  • “The CD finishes off with two lighter hearted pieces by the German pianist and composer Eduard Erdman … His Foxtrot (1923), so well played by Sontraud Speidel, is in the vein of lighter music by Poulenc, Milhaud and Stravinsky. Just one of those pieces that is fun to listen to and, I imagine fun to play as well. The last piece is a small ‘academic’ fugue (1915) that was dedicated to his tomcat, Prptilpus (sic).’ Two great little numbers to conclude this excellent recital.” (John France, MUSICWEB)
Music From Baden-Wuerttemberg: Otto Dessoff

Piano Sonata op. 3 (Sontraud Speidel)
String Quintet op. 10 (Stuttgarter Streichquintett)
String Quartet op. 11 (Abert-Quartett Stuttgart)

Fantasia Classics FCL 56801
  • "The CD recording benefits from the high competence of its performers, ... from the pianistic brilliance and sensitivity of Sontraud Speidel (Piano Sonata by Otto Dessoff)." (Badische Neueste Nachrichten)
Piano Music by Composers From Karlsruhe

Works from Schmittbaur, Danzi, Kalliwoda, Lachner, Dessoff, Faisst, Mottl, Cassimir, Schmid, Schweikert, Mantel, Kusterer, Apostel, Schelb, Grosse, Velte (first recordings)

Antes Edition BM-CD 14.9001 (SDR) (2 CD's)
  • "The pianist Sontraud Speidel was a stroke of luck for this project ... As an artist with clear approach, technical precision and carefully arranged interpretation, ... she played a small, but thrilling recital of piano music from Karlsruhe." (Badische Neueste Nachrichten)
  • "... Sontraud Speidel proposes an interesting raid through the music history of Karlsruhe ... Sontraud Speidel is an exquisite pianist, and her interpretation is on the highest level. The performer knows how to play the pieces of the court or common parlors with much sensitivity and delicacy. She also performs the piano orgies of late Romantisicm as Heinrich Cassimir's 'Tumult of the Night' very suggestively, and gives the modern piano pieces of the Viennese School much clarity and clear structure. The two piano pieces by Eugen Werner Velte ... filled with great intensity of expression." (DIE RHEINPFALZ)
  • "... played in a clearly and accurately phrased manner, with perfect sound control and transparency" (FonoForum)
Josef Schelb (1894-1977)

Piano Music No. 2, Fifteen small pieces for piano, Four Piano Pieces; Partita Ritmica for 2 pianos (with Ruben Meliksetian)

Antes Edition BM-CD 31.9188
  • "Brilliantly interpreted portrait of the composer" (PianoNEWS)
  • "This new CD recording is one of those that can be recommended completely. Thrilling interpretation by Sontraud Speidel" (Badische Zeitung)
  • "Very fine release ... superb, idiomatic performances." (Classic at Music Web)