Pfitzner Piano Concerto

[Alan Howe]

This late, late romantic work was included in a 2-CD set including music by Busoni (Nocturne Symphonique) and Reger (Romantic Suite), magnificently performed by Tzimon Barto (piano) and the great Dresden Staatskapelle, conducted by Christian Thielemann on the Profil label:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Busoni-Nocturne-Symphony/hnum/3431913
The Pfitzner has a quite wonderful slow movement in the great German tradition; for the most part very slow, very gentle, it reminds me a bit of the equally lovely slow movement of Reger's PC. It helps, of course, that this unsung repertoire is performed by such magnificent artists. Has anyone else come across this release?

[mikehopf]

Apparently, the recording was released in November, 2013. It is also available on Qobuz.

[Alan Howe]

It's been around for a while, yes. I'd advise purchase before it disappears, if the repertoire appeals ...

[mikehopf]

By coincidence, I just got a new VMS release featuring Ulrich Urban playing both the Reger and the Pfitzner piano concertos with the Leipzig RSO & the Berlin RSO respectively.
Sounds good to me but I'm no expert.

[adriano]

Tzimon Barto is a great pianist. His recording (Capriccio) of Brahms' two Concertos is splendid. In his younger years I went to almost all of his Zurich recitals.
And the Pfitzer Concerto with Volker Banfield (cpo, 1982), conducted by Werner Andreas Albert, is also very good!

[Ilja]

Unfortunately the sonics of the Profil release aren't that great, and the recording has some balancing issues - at least my copy. Still prefer the Banfield / Albert combo.

[Alan Howe]

Oh, I find the Profil release perfectly satisfactory - and the quality of the performance extremely high. It was the fact that such high-profile performers were involved that drew me to the release in the first place; of course Banfield/Albert are excellent too.

[Alan Howe]

On the contrary: I bought the set when it came out, but am only now commenting on it - prompted by being bowled over anew by the slow movement of Pfitzner's PC.

Thanks for the reminder about the existence of the download; in view of the subsequent commercial release of the same recording, I have duly deleted it in line with website policy.

[Revilod]

I have to say that I am not a big fan of the Pfitzner Piano Concerto. It's not in the same league as the great violin concerto. Barto's performance can be heard complete on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sii20jrC0tk

I do think that he makes very heavy weather of it. It's so slow. Much of the music just falls apart. I agree that he does distil a potent atmosphere in the slow movement though.

As regards Barto's recordings of the Brahms concertos,  they are extremely wayward. His entry in the D minor concerto is just astonishing. What would Brahms have said?! Perhaps Barto is a great genius and not just a maverick but I'm not a fan. In my view he should stick to bodybuilding!

[adriano]

@Revilod: As far as Barto is concerned, I also like such kind of pianists, I call the "titanic". Another case was, in my opinion, John Odgon. And I wish quite a few other pianists would have been doing some bodybuilding :-)

[Alan Howe]

I personally find the VC a very odd work. Why no violin in the slow movement, for example? Very, very odd indeed.

[adriano]

A somehow strange work, but very interesting. Apropos the second movement (a superb piece!): I think Pfitzner wanted to try out something new - and to give some more work to the oboe :-)
This movement sounds quite modern - it has harmonies already à la Prokofiev. Why not let the soloists pause and create a movement like an intermezzo? There are also sony cycles with orchestra having purely intrumental movements in-between (Chausson's "Poème de l'amour et de la mer", among others).

[Alan Howe]

No reason why not at all. Purely my personal prejudice, I'm afraid. Could he have heard Prokofiev at all, or is this just coincidence - a bit like Draeseke's 4th Symphony and neo-classicism?

[eschiss1]

There's a new (2016) Pfitzner biography out (in German), maybe it mentions something about what concerts he attended, music he performed (was he at least an amateur pianist or other, himself? I forget...), mentioned in his correspondence, etc.?

[Revilod]

@Revilod: As far as Barto is concerned, I also like such kind of pianists, I call the "titanic". Another case was, in my opinion, John Odgon. And I wish quite a few other pianists would have been doing some bodybuilding :-)

Well...yes, Hadrianus...and we all know what happened to the "Titanic"!  (Sorry!)