Stephen Heller (1813-1888), firmly established in European music history due to his acquaintance with Chopin, Liszt, Berlioz and Schumann, is one of the most important representatives of the Romantic character piece. Born in Budapest, the pianist and piano teacher wrote compositions almost exclusively for his instrument. His entire oeuvre comprises more than 150 works, including sonatas, preludes, dances, variations, étude collections, arrangements, numerous cycles and individual pieces. His rather simple, yet varied and imaginative piano setting is typical of 19th-century virtuoso and moderately difficult salon music. The selection 'Ausgewählte Werke' now available again is a compilation of his most popular performance pieces - including the famous Tarantelle Op. 85 - which are particularly suitable for music teaching.