The great Viennese master, Franz Schubert, was overlooked during his lifetime, but has since captured the hearts and minds of classical music lovers the world over. This Sonata, the last to be written by Schubert, is one of the great works ever composed for the piano. It is at once romantic in style and classical in form. Unlike Schubert, Franz Lisztwas wildly acclaimed during his lifetime. You might say he was the Elvis Presley of his day, measured in popularity and fanatic music groupies. Grown men were known to cry and women to swoom and faint in response to his pyrotechnic performances. He was the genuine originator of the flamboyant piano virtuoso. His Ballade in B Minor, just released on the Eroica label, demonstrates many moods, ranging from plantive melodies to majestic, sweeping themes. THE ARTIST The winner of many national and international competitions, James Nalley has performed across the United States, Canada, and Europe as a solo recitalist and he made his New York debut in Carnegie Hall to great acclaim. Other solo appearances have included New Yorkís Merkin Hall, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rockefeller University, and Bostonís Jordan Hall and Tsai Auditorium. He has performed for the Bravo Channel Broadcasts in Canada and on the BBC in England and has appeared as soloist with many orchestras, including the Philadelphia Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony. He is a frequent collaborator with vocalists and instrumentalists for venues in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. As an advocate of New Music, he has premiered many solo and collaborative compositions including the Washington, DC, premiere of Conjuros," a song cycle by Roberto Sierra, and World Premieres of compositions by Jonathan Green. Equally comfortable in chamber music, he has performed at the Aspen Music Festival, the Taos Chamber Music Festival, and with the Maryland String Quartet, Muir String Quartet, as well as performances with the Shanghai String Quartet. James has been a frequent guest artist/teacher and Artist-in-Residence at the University of New Orleans Festival and International Piano Competition. He has presented Master Classes at many institutions, including New Orleans, Tulane, Longwood, Bucknell, Boston, Temple, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. As a lecturer and speaker, he has presented at many MTNA chapter sessions as well as the Springfield MTA. He has also given lecture-recitals on the Charles Ives Sonata No. 1 at the East Coast Conference of the College Music Society at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He recently returned from the 5th World Piano Pedagogy Conference as a speaker on the Pros and Cons of Piano Competitions. Upcoming lectures will be on "The Use of Imagery to Introduce 20th Century Music to Piano Students" at the Piano Wellness Seminar in North Carolina. James was recently the Artist-in-Residence at the Banff Centre for the Performing Arts in Calgary, Canada, where he recorded a CD of the Charles Ives Sonata No. 1 and the Aaron Copland Piano Sonata, and was the Chamber Music Artist at the 2000 Rome Festival in Italy. He is also the pianist for the Washington Opera Summer Program at the Kennedy Center. As an adjudicator, he has judged for international and national competitions, including the Wolf Trap Competition, and for all levels of piano competitions of the MTNA, Federation for Music Clubs and MTA throughout Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, and Washington, DC. His upcoming season includes recitals throughout the east coast, a live radio broadcast performance in Rochester, NY, performances at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, George Mason University, Philadelphia, Toronto, Canada, Georgetown University, the German Embassy Series in Washington, DC, and Limerick, Ireland. James is an Assistant Professor of Music at George Mason University, and is the Director of Keyboard Studies in the Department of Music. He is a graduate of Temple University and the Eastman School of Music where he received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree.