Romantic Piano Concerto series

[pianobaba]

I can't recall the Alnaes specifically, I will give it a listen to tonight.

[LateRomantic75]

Another vote for Alnaes. On both counts. What a magnificent, romantic melodist. Stong themes and great orchestration. The performances are crystal clear and very committed. The symphonies are also quite marvelous. He just didn't write much and died way too young.

I wholeheartedly agree with you about the Alnaes. This is the way late-romantic piano concertos should be written! I also highly enjoy his rather Tchaikovskian (and none the worse for that!)  symphonies recorded by Sterling. A shame he died so young! Another concerto I really enjoyed in the series which is in a similar vein as the Alnaes is the Haydn Wood PC, which boasts some lush, memorable tunes. And, of course, the exquisite Wiklund PCs, which seem to out-Rachmaninoff Rachmaninoff in places! I'm not going to repeat myself about my slight disappointment with the recent installments in the series focusing on early/mid-romantic repertoire, but I'm just saying that I don't return to the volumes which include pieces from this time period as much, though I did like the Kullak PC quite a bit. I digress.....

[FBerwald]

@LateRomantic75 I agree that there has been a lot of early/mid-romantic releases from hyperion lately but the present Vol. No. 60 - Dubois is strictly in the Plush Romantic period! Its simply a delicious CD and my newest favorite addition.

for Alan... why I like it sooo much 

The Concerto-capriccio, although an early piece is charming inspite of being a mainly virtuoso piece. This one movement piece starts out with a cadenza. A Maestoso first theme is offset by a charming second theme. The passage work leading to the central [slow movement] section is laden with pianistic displays. This very brief movement is shadowed by the spirit of Beethovan's brief slow movement of the 4th Concerto [I could be wrong!]. The first theme is recapitulated to start off the Finale section. Predominant pianistic flashes, over the first section recap on strings, brings this justly titled brief concerto to a close.

The second Piano Concerto is a real surprise. Time and again the series brings a concerto that deserves to be on the repertoire. This gem is one of them. An amazing first movement begins with a frenzied orchestral introduction. The piano presents a beautiful 1st theme. The Chopinesque 2nd theme provides a stellar counter melody [this movement especially has to be heard to be believed] The second movement, a "Adagio con sentimento profondissimo" lives up to its name! Get ready to feel like you have plopped down on a favorite armchair [very comfortable and plush] on a very lazy afternoon with nary a care in the world. The third movement is a very french scherzo. Its very brief, brilliante and most of all DOESN'T sound like a Saent-Saens immitation. The finale is peculiar. Its starts of with a piano solo that goes on for nearly half the movement, playing a cadenza that recapitulates all the prior movement themes. The orchestra then enters in a similar fashion to the beginning of this amazing concerto. This movement is a tour de force of pianistic displays [... a sort of downplayed virtuosity as I feel the composer is more concerned with the Symphonic-Concerto aspect but I imagine that the piano part is sufficiently difficult... perhaps someone who has looked at the score can shed some light on this]. There is a brief countrapuntal Orchestral interlude before the rondo returns. A slight change in tempo signals that the coda has arrived and Concerto ends on a cheeky note.

The Suite in F minor starts with an austere sounding theme but that illusion is quickly dispelled. [very similar to way Arensky treated the theme of the 1st movement Le Savant (The Scholar) of his Suite No. 2 the Silhouettes in C minor, Op. 23] The way the themes and counter melodies in this [and all other movements] are tackled is a testament to the then 80 year old composers faculties. Watch out for the coda where the composer delights us with some amazing harmonic shifts that effectively end this movement. The Scherzo [placed second!] is very unlike the scherzo in the grand Second Concerto. Its more of a cerebral scherzo than a tongue-n-cheek one. The following Andante is in the similar vein as the 2nd concerto slow movement but is a bit more impassioned. Highlights include a very beautiful violin solo and varied piano and strings dialogue. The Finale has many charming classical sounding passages. I read in the booklet that this suite anticipated Poulenc in places. If this is even remotely true then it is certainly in this movement. The coda with with mock-mozart feel will surely coax a smile from you. 

[petershott@btinternet.com]

Wonderfully detailed - thank you!

I liked the reference to Arensky - that was suggestive and I think illuminating. (But I don't really get the booklet's reference to Poulenc. Of course, everything has some comparison with everything else....but that's hardly significant).

How things change - just a few years ago I guess not many were familiar with Dubois, and now we have a major label recording him. I discovered Dubois through those three chamber music discs on Atma - some really lovely works there.

I shall be staring at my post box in the morning - MDT has just mailed me telling me that the new Dohler & Dreyschock CD in the RPC series has been dispatched. Hope it is a cracker!

Postscript: the provision of 'reasons' for a view isn't just to keep Alan happy (though I suppose that is a good thing). It is surely an expectation in any forum populated by thinking people.

Postscript II: the listening to music in plush comfortable armchairs isn't conducive to serious listening.

[FBerwald]

.. I don't mind keeping Alan happy!    and I just wanted to say that listening to the Andante was very very relaxing. Believe you me!
  It seems that Dubois wrote 3 Symphonies. I waiting for someone to record them!

[jonah]

Hyperion are currently offering volumes 24 (Vianna da Motta) and 34 (Pierne) at a knock down price of £5.60 each in their Please Someone Buy Me section. The offer is changing every few days during August, so if they are missing from your collection, hurry!

[pianobaba]

I have been listening to the Alnaes, I don't think I've listened to it before, and yes, I agree it is a wonderful piece! I love how the orchestra just leaps out and continues in a full throated way with some gorgeous melodies along the way.

Hyperion are currently offering volumes 24 (Vianna da Motta) and 34 (Pierne) at a knock down price of £5.60 each in their Please Someone Buy Me section. The offer is changing every few days during August, so if they are missing from your collection, hurry!

Speaking of vol. 24, the Vianna da Motta was a very pleasant discovery for me, not so much his A major concerto, but the Fantasia Dramatica is worth the price of the disc, and the solo piano ballada included is a very welcome addition.

[pianobaba]

I shall be staring at my post box in the morning - MDT has just mailed me telling me that the new Dohler & Dreyschock CD in the RPC series has been dispatched. Hope it is a cracker!

I am not sure if this new volume is available in Canada (where I am) yet, though I am looking forward to it for the Dreyschock "Morceau de concert", it apparently makes several references to pieces by Beethoven, particularly the appassionata, though sadly musical quotations are frowned upon by some corners of classical music, I tend to be very fond of pieces which make use of them.

[eschiss1]

Re Vianna da Motta: For myself I enjoyed both- and hope someone will make his rather good symphony available on a label with wider distribution (two recordings on Portugalsom- well- two recordings is still better than none or one, though I've only heard one of them!)

Just saying.