August Stradal

August Stradal was a Czech virtuoso pianist, arranger, composer, author and music teacher.

Career

Stradal was born on 17 May 1860 in Teplice, Bohemia, Austrian Empire. He attended the grammar school in Litoměřice and then the Music and Arts University of [the City of Vienna|Vienna Conservatory], where he studied piano with Anton Door. He also became a composition student of Anton Bruckner and studied piano further with Theodor Leschetizky and with Franz Liszt, appearing in the latter's master classes in Weimar, Rome, and Pest, where he played some of Liszt's most difficult works.
After returning to Teplice, Stradal was active as a teacher until 1890. For some years he travelled widely as a recitalist on the Continent and in London, particularly admired as a Liszt interpreter. He married Rosa Zweigelt from Krásná Lípa. Then he devoted himself to making piano transcriptions. He arranged music from Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner |1], 2 |2], 5 |5], 6 |6], and Symphony No. 8, [Buxtehude, Handel, Liszt, Mozart, Paganini, Purcell, Reubke, Strauss, Wagner and Vivaldi.
Stradal also composed some original works, including piano pieces and songs. He received the Czechoslovak State Award in 1928. The following year he published his Reminiscences of Liszt. Stradal died in Krásná Lípa on 13 March 1930, aged 69.

Bach – Organ sonata in E minor
Bach – Second Organ Concerto
Bach – Brandenburg Concertos nos.3 and 4
Bach – Piano Concerto in F major
Bach W.F. – Fantasy and Fugue in A minor
Beethoven – String Quartet, Op.131
Brahms – 3 Caprices after the Waltzes, Op.39
Bruckner – String Quintet in F major
Buxtehude – Passacaglia in D minor
Buxtehude – Prelude and fugue in A minor
Buxtehude – Prelude and fugue in D minor
Buxtehude – Prelude and fugue in E minor
Buxtehude – Prelude and fugue in F major
Buxtehude – Prelude and fugue in F♯ minor
Buxtehude – Prelude and fugue in G minor
Buxtehude – Prelude in E minor
Liszt – Dante Symphony
Transcriptions of all 13 of Liszt's Symphonic Poems
Liszt – Faust Symphony
Liszt – Es muss ein Wunderbares sein
Mozart – Symphony no.40
Mozart – Canzone on The Marriage of Figaro
Paganini – Bravoure Study on Caprices
Purcell – Chaconne
Reubke – Sonata on the 94th Psalm
Stradal – Abenddämmerung
Strauss J – Concert paraphrase on the waltz "Dorfschwalben aus Österreich"
Wagner – Winterstürme wichen dem Wonnemond ; Der Ritt der Walküren ; Schluss des letzten Aufzuges Waldweben ; Rheinfahrt aus dem Vorspiel ; Trauermusik aus dem letzten Aufzug ; Wesendonck-Lieder.
Vivaldi / J.S. Bach – Organ Concerto in D minor