Our review:

Amazon.com:
This disc does a little too good a job of presenting a cross-section of Gottschalk's music. Pieces that retain their interest, flavorful folk-influenced works like Le Banjo, Pasquinade, and the delicious Civil War piece Union (which Gottschalk probably played at the White House for President Lincoln) are included. But so are sentimental drawing-room twaddle like The Last Hope and The Dying Poet, which Gottschalk may have had to write but we are entitled to forget. Alan Marks plays with flair, but the recording is so resonant it blurs detail and removes some of the flavor from the performances. --Leslie Gerber

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Disc 1:

1. Souvenirs d'Andalousie: Caprice de Conc sur La Cana, Le Fandango et Le Jaleo de Jerez
2. Le Banjo: Grotesque Fant, Caprice Americain
3. Grand Scherzo
4. Pasquinade Caprice
5. Berceuse: Cradle Song
6. Tournament Galop
7. Mazurk
8. 'Union': Paraphrase de Conc on the Nat Airs The Star Spangled Banner, Yankee Doodle...
9. The Last Hope: Religious Meditation
10. Scherzo Romantique
11. Le Mancenillier: West Indian Ser
12. The Dying Poet: Meditation

Buyer's review: - Full of Charm and Panache
Why not I said to myself, I know little of Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1820-1869) and never heard of Alan Marks. No, Louis Moreau is not a German or Frenchman, he was a Creole, born in New Orleans. He picked up the slave culture and its tunes and rhythms along with American folk music which worked their way into his compositions. He came from a well-to-do background and was 12 years old when he arrived in Paris to study musical composition. He became an accomplished pianist and extensively toured Europe where he did very well financially. He was elegant, talented and a womanizer. This combination resulted in him eventually fleeing his homeland to Brazil where he died at the tender age of 40. Fortunately, he kept a diary and there are several good biographies on him.

His music, while on the light side, is a pleasure to listen to and contains many familiar tunes which are brilliantly played by Alan Marks. The Nimbus recording is well done and brings out Marks' deft touch and clean playing. Much enjoyment is to derived from this full hour recording which was made in 1984.