Hyperion RPC series: Bronsart & Urspruch

[ken]

The Bronsart & Urspruch Hyperion CD can now be pre-ordered from MDT with a release date of September 28, 2018.

https://www.mdt.co.uk/bronsart-urspruch-piano-concertos-hyperion-romantic-piano-concerto-77.html

[semloh]

Thanks, Ken.

[Alan Howe]

I can foresee the problem with this release: the already expansive Uspruch PC has been dragged out to 45 minutes here. That won't do the work any favours. Can't comment on the Bronsart, except that it'll surely be worth the price of the CD on its own - which is just as well...

[Ilja]

Relatively, those three minutes won't make much of a difference I guess. The Triendl/Fritsch recording is still 42 minutes, but is also very good indeed, so Despax/Zigane have something to live up to. We'll have to wait and see; only five more days to go!

[Alan Howe]

I disagree - mildly. It's worth comparing this with the cpo - there the opening has a sense of momentum; here it's distinctly sticky.
Hyperion:  https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/piano-concertos/hnum/8717740  (track 4)
cpo: https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/anton-urspruch-klavierkonzert/hnum/7971898   (track 1)

[Ilja]

Oh, I do see your point, as I similarly had a mild sense of foreboding after listening to the audio samples. But I try not to infer too much from those, so I'll defer judgment until I've listened to the whole thing.

[Revilod]

Yes. I see that Despax takes two minutes longer than Ponti for the first movement of the Bronsart. That may not be bad news, though, since Ponti, as we all know, is inclined to rush.  Overall, he takes 27 mins 7 secs and Despax 30 mins 21 secs. Still, there can be no cruder measure of a performance than how long it takes. I have high hopes of the Hyperion disc.

[Mark Thomas]

Others love it, I know, but I find Urspruch's Concerto, like his Symphony, overlong and self-indulgent. Prolonging it, even by three minutes, does not bode well in my book.

[Revilod]

It's just arrived. As we predicted this is a more expansive performance of the first movement of Bronsart's concerto than Ponti's; it may seem a little laboured at first. There is much more ebb and flow. The slow movement is beautifully done, the debt to Brahms clearer than ever though, overall, the concerto belongs more to the Liszt school of course.  Despax can't quite match Ponti's spirit in the finale but tempi are similar and Despax is the more polished player. The recording is good though a little congested. Some detail is lost. I noticed this in the development section of the first movement in particular. So, an impressive disc which should do a lot to promote this magnificent concerto.
I haven't heard the Urspruch yet.

[Mark Thomas]

Not needing another performance of the Urspruch, I only downloaded the Bronsart this morning, and was delighted with the bonus of the finale being a free download. My impressions of Despax's performance are very similar to Revilod's. Being so used to Ponti's madcap dash, I really appreciated Despax's broader approach to the first movement, he gives it much more light and shade but it never really dawdles. It's simply a tad slower than the only other performance we've been listening to for the last forty-odd years, and rather the better for it IMHO. The slow movement is meltingly gorgeous and the finale is altogether lighter and less frenetic in the Hyperion recording. All in all, it was a huge relief to hear this splendid favourite receive such a persuasive modern performance. 

[Jonathan]

My copy arrived today, I should have time to play it early next week.  Especially looking forward to the Urspruch as I'm very fond of Ana-Marija Markovina's discs of this composers solo piano music so I'm looking forward to seeing how he writes for the piano along with the orchestra!  I've not heard the CPO recording yet either.

[FBerwald]

I believe Markovina plans to record the Urspruch Piano Concerto as well.

[Alan Howe]

Well, that was flagged on the Urspruch website some time ago, but there's been no news since.

[eschiss1]

Markovina- I think she was busy with another even larger project, or maybe that _was_ busy and that's finished now. (As in, a competing and now almost/completely done recording of CPE Bach solo keyboard works on piano instead of harpsichord/tangent/whatevers.) Thought her name looked familiar...

[Ilja]

I've listened to the Bronsart twice now, and my feelings are mixed. The extra three minutes or so Despax invests mainly manifest themselves in the opening movement, which gets shape much more satisfyingly than with Ponti; the slow movement is likewise beautifully played and much more lively somehow. Unfortunately, for me at least, much of that positive feeling evaporates in the finale, which loses most of its Lisztian fluidity and even becomes cumbersome and "square" here and there. And in concertos of this kind, the show of virtuosity in the finale is an important element - it has to be frenetic to some extent. Of course, the orchestra is much better than in the old recording, as is the sound (nicely balanced although, as Revilod indicated, a tad too full). Now on to the Urspruch.

Edit: as for the Urspruch, contrary to my fears there is really very little in it between Despax and Triendl. The sound sample featured the lacklustre beginning of the first movement, which is immediately where the Despax recording -relatively- slightly goes off the rails. But after that, most of it is fine. Of course, this is the most problematic movement of the concerto, and I have to agree with Mark that it is somewhat self-indulgent and overly long. Not in a a Franz Lachner "we can merrily continue this for another four hours" sort of way, but more in an Anton Rubinstein-esque "let's throw everything at it, see what sticks and not give it another thought" mode.

Surprisingly Despax pulls off the middle slow movement much more ably than Triendl (normally the better pianist in this repertoire) does, and the way both approach the finale is very similar and therefore, very good. I had reservations about this one, but Despax/Tzigane's interpretation holds up quite well next to the one on CPO. Sound is better than on the muffled (but also much older) CPO recording, although I prefer the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie's sound and Fritzsch's direction slightly than that the BBC Scots/Tzigane combo.


First thoughts, but still pleasantly surprised by the Urspruch, not as satisfied by the Bronsart as I hoped I'd be.