"Bel Canto Concertante". Virtuosos Variations for Piano & Orchestra by Czerny

[Mark Thomas]

Maybe it's a misleading title for this new Naxos recording, but it boasts four substantial sets of variations by Czerny for piano and orchestra on melodies from bel canto operas: Bellini's Norma and Il Pirata, Auber's Fra Diavolo and Pacini's Gli Arabi nelle Gallie. They are all recording premieres, and should be a blast. Richard Bonynge conducts the English Chamber Orchestra, and the hopefully dexterous pianist is Rosemary Tuck. Full details here.

[thalbergmad]

Superb find. I for one will be in heaven when this arrives.

Czerny never fails to cheer me up and the added bonus is that these works would have irritated Schumann.

Thal

[jerfilm]

Fun stuff.  And available for download at both Classics Onine and Amazon.com.....

J

[Mark Thomas]

The music is exactly what you'd expect it to be: tuneful, inventive, never outstays its welcome and in Czerny's "brilliant" style. The four pieces are written very much to the same formula and the ear does get a little tired of all the "tinkling" after an hour, so I think these works are best enjoyed singly, rather than in one binge listen. My only small misgiving is that, without knowing the pieces at all, I was left with the impression that the performances are perhaps a little earth-bound and lacking that last degree of showmanship and brilliance which would show them off to best effect. Other than that, highly recommended for anyone who fancies some occasional enjoyable shallowness as an antidote to all that profundity.