Eugen d’Albert (1864-1932) was a Scottish-born pianist and composer who made his career largely in Germany. A pupil of Franz Liszt, he became one of the most celebrated pianists of his generation and later devoted increasing energy to composition.

His output includes operas, piano works, concertos, chamber music and songs. The opera Tiefland remains his best-known stage work, while his piano music reflects the virtuoso and late Romantic traditions in which he was formed.

D’Albert’s musical language is rooted in German Romanticism, with strong debts to Brahms, Wagner and Liszt. As a performer-composer he understood the piano from the inside, giving his keyboard writing both brilliance and weight.

His reputation has long been divided between the legendary pianist and the composer who sought a more permanent place. The best of his music shows a serious, ambitious artist standing at the busy crossroads of late nineteenth-century Europe.