A new CD of both Stenhammar piano concertos is out on Naxos (8.572259). Niklas Sivelöv is the pianist and he plays the works faster than anyone else. The first concerto, for ex., is 5+ minutes less than on the Chandos recording, and even the shorter second concerto is several minutes less. Some may like that, others not. The orchestra is the Malmö SO conducted by Venzago.
Comparison of timings:
Concerto No. 1: 41:43 (Naxos), 45:50 (BIS), 45:53 (Hyperion), 47:18 (Chandos)
Concerto No. 2: 25:50 (Naxos), 28:43 (BIS), 29:21 (Hyperion)
As far as I can tell, there are no cuts, just faster performances, on the Naxos. Btw, Amazon now has this available for mp3 download.
It sounds as if Sivelöv gives a very personal interpretation of the two works. Interesting!
Hopefully it'll do the reputations of the pieces a power of good to have them on Naxos at budget price.
Like (I'm sure) many of you, I have Stenhammar's PC 1 & 2 on the Hyperion label. Just the other day I had a good listening session and there is a lot of meat in both. E.g. in the first two movements of Concerto 2, the soloist and orchestra play in different keys. However, they do take turns to play most of the time, so it is not as complicated as it may sound. It would really be interesting to hear a faster version. The Hyperion concertos are 15:34 and 29:21 minutes and Seta Tanyel is the pianist.
The first concerto is beautiful, especially the seraphic melody and ending of the finale. Steve
Yes, let's hope this Naxos performance brings Stenhammar a wider audience. With the steep decline in the States of brick-and-mortar enterprises stocking classical discs (the latest casualty being much of the Borders chain), Naxos may not have the visibility -- and influence -- it had 10 years ago.
Regarding performances, it's just an opinion, but for Concerto 2 I keep coming back to the robust and vivid performance by Janos Solyom and the redoubtable Stig Westerberg on EMI.
I asked Klaus Heymann by email, if I remember (and this was some time back and I am not at all sure that I do) if he was considering recording Stenhammar's quartets for Naxos. I think he was considering it but reasons, either performer- or market-related, intervened; don't remember. Even though there's still (I think?) a complete recording out, individual recordings of several occasionally available and others are broadcast (several studio recordings of quartets 2-5 have been broadcast on, I think, P2 Swedish radio, and from there to BBC Euroclassic Notturno aka Through the Night). My interest stems in large part, btw, from the fact which I am sure I have mentioned much too often, that his quartet no.4 is one of my top two or three favorite pieces (full stop). Quartet 3, not far from.
Eric
Quote from: Gerhard Griesel on Wednesday 06 April 2011, 19:52
Like (I'm sure) many of you, I have Stenhammar's PC 1 & 2 on the Hyperion label. Just the other day I had a good listening session and there is a lot of meat in both. E.g. in the first two movements of Concerto 2, the soloist and orchestra play in different keys. However, they do take turns to play most of the time, so it is not as complicated as it may sound. It would really be interesting to hear a faster version. The Hyperion concertos are 15:34 and 29:21 minutes and Seta Tanyel is the pianist.
15:34 for the
first concerto? Maybe you meant 25:34. I don't care how fast you take it, that whole 3 movement concerto isn't going to clock in at under 25 minutes.
29:21 for PC1 seems decidedly fast too!! In fact the Hyperion performance clocks in at over 46 minutes.
Similarly, the Widlund/Rozhdestvensky performance of PC1 on Chandos finishes at 47:18. Surely there are cuts in the Naxos?
Eric, I too find the Stenhammar cycle of quartets one of the most satisfying in this rarified repertoire.
the timings for the Naxos Stenhammar concertos disc can be found here (http://www.classicsonline.com/catalogue/product.aspx?pid=1172775). The 2nd concerto times in at 14:38/4:54/6:29 ; the 4 (no, 3 did not sound right...) movement 1st concerto with 14:10/5:02/10:11/12:24. (41 minutes 57 seconds - which I agree is still significantly faster) . 15'34" is just a little into the second movement of either of the concertos...
By gum! I just broke out my CDs of both concertos, and they're both 4 movement works! Thanks for refreshing my memory.
The first recording of Stenhammar First PC was released by Sterling on LP in 1976 (Sterling S-1004).
Irène Manheimer pianist, Charles Dutoit cond., Goteborg Symph.Orch.
Timings 16'05" - 5' 00" - 13' 20" - 14' 05".
It is the only version I have (while, much loving the second PC, I bought Solyom in LP, but later also Ortìz in CD).
I'll certainly buy the Naxos.
Quote from: alberto on Saturday 09 April 2011, 18:02
The first recording of Stenhammar First PC was released by Sterling on LP in 1976 (Sterling S-1004).
Irène Manheimer pianist, Charles Dutoit cond., Goteborg Symph.Orch.
Timings 16'05" - 5' 00" - 13' 20" - 14' 05".
It is the only version I have (while, much loving the second PC, I bought Solyom in LP, but later also Ortìz in CD).
I'll certainly buy the Naxos.
That first recording was with Atterberg's orchestration, not Stenhammar's own which has since been found again. In fact I rather like what Atterberg did - it has become a bit more mellow because of the 'impressionistic' touches to it.
I put my CDs back in my collection, but I remember that the 1st is on BIS and the 2nd is coupled with the Tor Aulin 3rd VC. I think that's on Sterling, but don't hold me to it.
Quote from: JimL on Saturday 09 April 2011, 22:43
I put my CDs back in my collection, but I remember that the 1st is on BIS and the 2nd is coupled with the Tor Aulin 3rd VC. I think that's on Sterling, but don't hold me to it.
I'm surprised that nobody has espoused the Jarvi recordings on BIS -
Concerto No.1 (Love Derwinger, piano/ Malmo SO/ Paavo Jarvi) -
15'25, 4'43, 11'27, 13'51
Concerto No.2 (Cristina Ortiz, piano/ Gothenburg SO/ Neeme Jarvi) -
9'28, 6'42, 5'50, 6'42
Excellent performances which are included in the comprehensive four-disc Stenhammar survey that is CD-714/716
(http://www.mdt.co.uk/public/pictures/products/standard/BISCD714-6.jpg)
:)
Personally, I wouldn't opt for the BIS survey. The performances of the symphonies in particular aren't as good as those on the DG recordings made with the same forces. Just an opinion, but...
Yes, truly excellent performances. And worth saying that all the performances here are also excellently recorded. They were first issued in the early to mid 1990s, and in those relatively early days of the CD medium BIS seemed to have no difficulty in arranging first class recordings - unlike some then major companies whose recordings often seemed harsh and somehow artificial. End of slight excursion on 'hi fi', and apologies for it since UC is about far more important matters than the reproduction of sound important though that may be!
Indeed! ;)
I actually have a CD with Love Derwinger, but the other works on the CD are the two Sentimental Romances for violin and orchestra and the ballad Florez and Blanzeflor for baritone and orchestra. I have the other CD in my hand, also. It's a Musica Sveciae release with Greta Erikson on piano and the Radiosymfonikerna conducted by Svetlanov.
I thank Ilja for reply 14, useful to me .
Indeed the Sterling LP of 1976 states that the orchestration was by Atterberg and about the loss of the original orchestral parts: and I didn't know the follow up. Belonging to a begone era, that LP had, on the cover, notes only in Swedish, with a very short page in English (as "typed" from a typewriter) inserted inside.
The Derwinger, IIRC, was the world premiere recording of the original Stenhammar orchestration.
iirc they found the orchestral parts in the Library of Congress- another case, as with Raff's 1st violin concerto, of a European work's lost score or parts making a transatlantic voyage. (I wonder if in the case of the Raff Joseph Kaspar asked for a copy by mail?... Rochester isn't that near Owego, but... ah well. never mind)
Eric
15:34 for the first concerto? Maybe you meant 25:34. I don't care how fast you take it, that whole 3 movement concerto isn't going to clock in at under 25 minutes.
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Sorry Jim and others! I inadvertently qouted the length of the first movement. In fact, on the Hyperion version PC 1 is 45:53 and 2 is 29:21
Finally this recording will be released on CD.
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572259 (http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572259)
Available at amazon 31st of October and jpc 21st of November.
Morten