Aloys Schmitt - Concertino in C minor (synthesized)

[promusician]

I have been researching this composer after Howard Shelley's Hyperion recordings (PC #1 and #2), and also after Darrel's digital realization of his "3rd" Piano Concerto.

For this Concertino, there is some resemblance to Beethoven's Piano Concerto No.3, using the same key C minor, some material being re-used in his later concertos too. According to RISM, it was composed between 1800 - 1810 (also the years Beethoven composed his 3rd concerto) scored for pf, strings, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns and trumpets, timpani.

The 3 movements are:
I) Allegro serioso
II) Adagio
III) Con moto e vivo

Again, myself is working with Darrel on the digital realization, already completed 1st movement.
According to Darrel, it will be few more weeks before we can finalize the score and generate a digital simulation.

I have made a simulation of the orchestral opening, to let you all have a rough idea how it sounds like.

[Gareth Vaughan]

What an impressive sounding opening. Well done again, and thank you. Looking forward very much to hearing the whole work.

[Alan Howe]

I agree - very impressive indeed.

[Mark Thomas]

Make that three votes for the opening.

[JanOscar]

Make it four!

[pianoconcerto]

Darrel Hoffman's version of the complete work is now on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIFaC-3_NSg

He labels it a Concerto rather than a Concertino.

[promusician]

Darrel Hoffman's version of the complete work is now on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIFaC-3_NSg

He labels it a Concerto rather than a Concertino.

I acquired the copyist manuscript from Goethe Institute, it states concertino

[Darrel Hoffman]

There was no title page in the manuscript this time, so I wasn't sure what to call it.  One thing I have found (and confirmed through testing) is that I get far fewer hits on works that don't have the words "Piano Concerto" in the title of the video, so now even when it's something else like "Concerto Symphonique" or the like, I lie a little bit about the title to get more views.  I'll add a correction in the description, but I think I'll leave the video title the same to please the Algorithm.

The other factor was that my previous release of the Op.76 concerto was also labeled a "Concertino", and in fact the suggested runtime of the piece in the score was under 12 minutes for the whole thing, a suggestion which I found to be completely wrong.  It sounds impossibly fast when played at that speed.  (My rendition clocks in at over 32 minutes.)  I'm relatively certain that this suggested runtime was incorrectly copied from another piece.  I think there's just some overall confusion over naming in the Schmitt catalogue.

[eschiss1]

Is this Le retour à Francfort? Several Worldcat sources refer to it as a Concertino, for what it's worth, but also as -Op.75- rather than Op.76. One catalog entry says  "T.-p. wanting; title from Hofmeister's catalogue". Published by J. André around 1830. That may be a different work? There -is- a Schmitt Op.76  @ IMSLP, solo piano part only, but:
it's a concerto, it's in E-flat major not C minor, published in 1834.

[eschiss1]

"He labels it a Concerto rather than a Concertino." and explains why: "Note the Goethe Institute which provided the manuscript labels this a "Concertino" rather than a "Concerto".  I lied a little bit in the title because I get fewer views when the words "Piano Concerto" do not appear in the title"

[Darrel Hoffman]

Yes, I just added that disclaimer in response to the question here.  I don't know if this is the "Francfort" piece.  It might make sense for this to be the Op.75, since a theme from it was borrowed and reused in the Op.76, which I did a few months ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnO9XcpLcxY
But if this one was indeed unpublished, it might not have any official opus number.

[eschiss1]

"Le Retour à Francfort. Concertino brillant pour pianoforté, accompagné de 2 violons, alto, violoncelle et basse, 2 flûtes, 2 hautbois, 2 clarinettes, 2 bassons, 2 cors ... 1 trombonne basse, 2 trompettes et timbales ... Oeuvre 75. 5me oeuvre des concerts. Édition d'après le manuscrit original, etc" - suggests that it's Schmitt's 5th concerto, Op.75.

[Darrel Hoffman]

Yes, "Le Retour à Francfort" is indeed Op.75, that agrees with my notes.  But the question remains: Is that this piece?  That I don't know.  No key is given for the Op.75 so we can't use that for comparison.  The instrumentation is the same but that's true of all of his concerti.

And what, if anything, is the mysterious <12 minute piece mistakenly conflated with the Op.76?  I'm pretty sure that's not this piece either, as my rendition came out to almost 19 minutes, and I don't think speeding it up to play in under 12 would sound at all good.

[promusician]

I am pretty sure Le retour Francfort is a different piece which again, I have the score with parts, it labels concertino also, as the 5th concerto in catalog. There is another 3rd concerto aka concertino no.3 without opus but published by Gombart. Manuscripts in Goethe institute all are unpublished, some are earlier versions to his published works.

[Darrel Hoffman]

I also have a Concerto No.3 Op.54 (1823) listed with no key given.  I don't have the score for that, but  it is not the same as the Op.60 A minor concerto (1824-25) I did last year (the one with "God Save the King" in the 2nd and 3rd movements) which was also labeled "Concerto No.3".  As I said, the numbering of these is very confusing.