The Romantic Piano Concerto, Vol. 58 – Pixis & Thalberg

[Mark Thomas]

Hyperion have announced the November release of the latest in the RPC series, the very welcome coupling of Pixis' Piano Concerto op.100 and Piano Concertino op.68 with Thalberg's Piano Concerto op.5. Howard Shelley and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra once again do the honours. Full details and audio extracts here. For those who can't wait (like me), I see that it can be downloaded now.

[jerfilm]

Thanks.   Am listening to my downloaded copy as I write.  Nice stuff.  Yay, Hyperion!! 

Jerry

[Mark Thomas]

First impressions on the music itself - the performances, needless to say, are absolutely impeccable. For me the stand out piece is the very brief but wonderfully atmospheric slow movement of Pixis' Concerto. It's opening breathes the same air as Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream music - quite magical. It's the essence of early romanticism. Pixis sustains the delicate mood throughout its four minutes to great effect. The equivalent (and longer) movement in his shorter Concertino is just as effective but lacks the atmospheric orchestral introduction to set the scene. The outer movements of both pieces are not quite so much to my own taste being in the brilliant style so recently heard in Kalkbrenner's concerti, although Pixis' music generally has a lot more substance to it. Both works are effectively, if generally lightly, orchestrated and Pixis is generous with his melodies, many of which are quite delightful. I'm already familiar with Thalberg's enjoyable Concerto from Mogrelia's performance for Naxos, although I don't know that well enough to make a comparison between it and Shelley's just yet. That said, I find it difficult to believe that a more convincing performance than this latest one is possible. Although written around the same time as Pixis' Concerto, Thalberg's is clearly from a younger generation of composer (he was in his teens when he wrote it), the orchestral tutti are markedly fuller and the piano writing, whilst still dazzling, is noticeably more romantic in character. It's all great fun.

[mbhaub]

From the samples, this sounds like another winner from Hyperion. What an era it must have been when these composers were active -- so much interest in the piano, so much new music, and so much enjoyable, fun, beautiful music. I keep thinking that there's nothing left for Hyperion's Romantic Concerto edition, but they just keep coming up with more long-forgotten, neglected music. I still don't understand why they won't do the Raff!

[JimL]

It is indeed a shame that Thalberg didn't return to the form after he had established his mature piano style.  Henselt, in his piano concerto showed what could be done with Thalberg's "sound effects" in the middle of the first movement.

[Peter1953]

Of course, this latest volume of the popular RPC series is a winner. Some 70 minutes enjoyable music, no question about that. However, I'm a little bit disappointed. Not because the music fails to please me, definitely not, but because my expectations of Pixis were too high. The only other orchestral work I'm familiar with is Pixis's 22:30 minutes lasting Concerto for Piano, Violin and String Orchestra which is a most wonderful concerto, full of sparkling grandeur. I guess I thought his PC's were on the same level. But these works are just like the many similar piano concertos by composers like Herz, Kalkbrenner, Taubert and others. The short adagio cantabile in his op. 100 is a tender, melodious piece and IMO the most beautiful movement.
The Thalberg is a familiar concerto and I have a few of them (Ponti, Nicolosi). Thalberg obviously needed a show piece and that is what it is. But I much more like Thalberg's solo piano pieces (and the wonderful Piano Trio, op. 69).
Having said that, I'm happy to add this disc to my collection.

[JimL]

If you look at earlier threads about the Double Concerto with String Orchestra, Peter, there is some thought that is was an arrangement by the soloists of a Piano Sextet.

[Alan Howe]

kolaboy writes:

"Pixis Hyperion"... sounds a bit like a Dickens character...

... but I'm referring to the recent release of the concerti - paired with the Thalberg concerto. I would have preferred an ENTIRE Pixis disc, but there's the whole "looking a gift horse in the mouth" scenerio.
Anyway, is anyone else as enamored as I am? I'm hoping a disc of the solo piano works will turn up sometime, as well. Stranger things have happened...

[petershott@btinternet.com]

In my case this new disc was only shod of its cellophane last night, and I'm saving Pixis up for the weekend. I've listened to the Thalberg, and yes, it is easily the best performance of the piece I've heard. But I confess that if and when I ever get to heaven (a most improbable event) I won't mind too much leaving the Thalberg concerto behind. Rather an empty, predictable, and barnstorming thing - but I won't mind being told I'm wrong! I'm always rather struck by the conspicuous discrepancy between contemporary profiles of Thalberg and the reception of his music in his own time and the actual reality of the stuff as we (or rather I) hear it today.

[kolaboy]

At the risk of physical harm I must say that of all Thalberg's works I've heard (and I've heard everything recorded thus far) the concerto is the weakest of the lot - in my humble opinion. Many of his solo pieces I wholeheartedly appreciate; the concerto just seems ... uninspired.

[eschiss1]

Well, I'm sure there are some things left for them to do. I'm curious what the August Alexander Klengel piano concerto @BSB (and IMSLP) sounds like (at the earlier end of the Romantic era) or Dupont's concerto, say (toward the other end). ...

[thalbergmad]

At the risk of physical harm I must say that of all Thalberg's works I've heard (and I've heard everything recorded thus far) the concerto is the weakest of the lot - in my humble opinion.

Well, it is not bad for a 17 year old. I love Thalberg, but would have to admit that he was at his best with the art of transcription.

Thal

[Martin Eastick]

Of his not inconsiderable number of original works (as opposed to transcriptions/fantasies etc), surely the Grande Sonate Op56 is worthy of a first-rate performance & recording. If this were to happen, the task must be undertaken by one of the accepted experts in this type of repertoire to do justice to what I consider to be one Thalberg's most accomplished works!