August Stradal

August Stradal (17 May 1860, Teplice, Bohemia – 13 March 1930, Krásná Lípa) was a Bohemian virtuoso pianist, arranger and music teacher. A diverse piano arranger, Stradal arranged music from Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Buxtehude, Liszt, Mozart, Paganini, Purcell, Reubke, Strauss, Wagner and Vivaldi. A student of Anton Bruckner, he made solo piano arrangements of that composer's symphonies 1, 2, 5, 6, and 8. His pianistic credentials included studies with both Theodor Leschetizky and Franz Liszt, with whom he studied from late 1884, appearing in the latter's master classes in Weimar, Rome, and Pest, where he played some of Liszt's most difficult works. He arranged Liszt's 13 Symphonic Poems. He received the Czechoslovak State Award in 1928.