Liszt Ballade in D flat Major Johansen

David Dubal writes of Gunnar Johansen (1906-1991-Denmark)
"He studied with Victor Schioler and in Berlin with Frederic Lamond. His main influence was his work with Egon Petri. He toured Europe and came to the United States, where he taught and was artist in residence at the University of Wisconsin. He composed throughout his career.

Johansen was a large-spirited musician with a questing nature. He performed in public the complete piano music of Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Schubert, and Chopin. He recorded the whole of Bach's keyboard music in playing that is highly personalized and not convincing to everyone. But it throbs with life and a wealth of detail; especially appealing are the dance movements.

Johansen was dedicated to Liszt. In the past quarter century, he recorded more than fifty albums of Liszt's music. Late in life Johansen recorded all of the music of Ignaz Friedheim on his own label, Artist Direct."