HINDEMITH : Music for Viola and Orchestra (Lawrence Power · BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra · David Atherton) (2010) Serie The Complete Hindemith Viola Music – 3 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Vol. 3 of Lawrence Power's survey of the complete Hindemith work for viola features a cluster of works written for viola and orchestra in the short time between 1927 and 1930. Though Hindemith did not write a traditional concerto in the classical sense, the Op. 48 Konzertmusik, Kammermusik No. 5, and Der Schwanendreher each put the viola's abilities at the forefront of the orchestra. His personal knowledge of the instrument's technical, lyrical, and emotive abilities become quickly apparent as the viola is made to scurry around as nimbly as a violin in Konzertmusik, as emotionally rich as a cello in Trauermusik, or as colorful and evocative as a piano in Der Schwanendreher. All of these many moods are captured effortlessly by Power. His playing balances the clarity needed to execute agile passagework with the richness and depth needed for more lyrical sections. What's more, Power never gives the appearance of trying to make the viola sound like a violin; instead, he celebrates the viola's idiosyncrasies and transforms them into a rich, satisfying tapestry of sound. Joined by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under David Atherton, Vol. 3 of Power's hefty undertaking is just as worthwhile and engaging as the previous two and is certainly worth checking out. Mike D. Brownell

Paul Hindemith (1895-1963)

1-5.    Konzertmusik Op 48    (19:51)
6-8.    Der Schwanendreher - Concerto After Old Folksongs, For Viola And Small Orchestra    (26:29
9.    I Langsam - II Ruhig Bewegt - III Lebhaft - IV Choral 'Vor Deinen Thron Tret Ich Hiermit'    7:46
10-13.    Kammermusik No 5 Op 36 No 4    (18:44)

Conductor – David Atherton
Illustration [Front: Broken Forms] – Franz Marc
Leader, Violin – Elizabeth Layton
Orchestra – BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Viola – Lawrence Power

KULLAK : Piano Concerto In C Minor, Op 55 (First Recording) ♦ DREYSCHOCK : Piano Concerto In D Minor, Op 137 (First Recording) (Piers Lane · BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra · Niklas Willén) (1999) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 21 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

 Dreyschock and Kullak are today only footnotes in the biographies of those who emerged from the nineteenth century as giants of the musical world, but in their time both artists were very significant indeed.

Both were pianists (and born in the same year) but had very different careers. Dreyschock seems to have been a bit of a showman and played loud and fast, he made a speciality of his left hand work and was one of the first to compose for this esoteric medium. His large output of compositions seem never to have made much impression and it is now purely as a performer that he is remembered. His only concerto (not to be confused with his Concertstück once recorded on LP) is rather Mendelssohnian and has a particularly energetic finale.

Although by all accounts also a superb virtuoso Kullak gravitated towards teaching and became perhaps the most prolific teacher of the nineteenth century century; he eventually founded his own Academy in Berlin which had a roll of around 1000 piano students at its peak.

His only concerto was published in 1855 and is quite conservative for its time, though it may have been written earlier. It clearly derives from the tradition of Hummel and contains much brilliant finger work interspersed with a lyricism very reminiscent of Chopin. It may not be profound, but it is both beautiful and entertaining and must surely be one of the most enjoyable 'lost' concertos around. Hyperion

Theodor Kullak (1818-1882)
                    
Piano Concerto in C minor Op 55 [34'47]

Alexander Dreyschock (1818-1869)     Piano Concerto in D minor Op 137 [24'19]

Credits :
Conductor – Niklas Willén
Leader – Elizabeth Layton
Orchestra – BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Piano – Piers Lane

LITOLFF : Concerto Symphonique No 3 In E Flat Major • Concerto Symphonique No 5 In C Minor (First Recording) (Peter Donohoe · BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra · Andrew Litton) (2001) The Romantic Piano Concerto – 26 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

This recording is the companion to Donohoe and Litton's earlier recording of Litolff's Concerto Symphoniques 2 & 4 (CDA66889) and completes our survey of the composer's works for piano and orchestra (Litolff's first concerto was never published and is lost).

Both works owe the 'Symphonique' title to their four-movement structure (all Litolff's concertos contain a Scherzo in addition to the three conventional movements), and the importance of the orchestra in their thematic development. The Third Concerto was (along with the Fourth) the most popular in Litolff's lifetime and was written for performance in the Netherlands. It uses two popular Dutch melodies which no doubt explains it early success. The Fifth Concerto is the most obscure of the four extant works yet it is the most ambitious in scale with a particularly imposing orchestral exposition. Unfortunately by the time the work was composed (1867) Litolff had faded from the public eye and the work received few, if any, performances. It's Scherzo, obviously modelled on the equivalent 'hit' piece from the Fourth Concerto, has the potential to be almost as popular, though it's virtuosic leaping octave passages are likely to deter all but the most muscular of pianists. Hyperion

Henry Charles Litolff (1818-1891)
                
Concerto symphonique No 3 in E flat 'National Hollandais' Op 45[30'47]
                        
Concerto symphonique No 5 in C minor Op 123[35'08]

Credits :
Conductor – Andrew Litton
Leader – Elisabeth Layton
Orchestra – BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Piano – Peter Donohoe

FUCHS : Piano Concerto In B Flat, Op 27 ♦ KIEL : Piano Concerto In B Flat, Op 30 (Martin Roscoe · BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra · Martyn Brabbins) (2001) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 31 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Music in Germany in the later 19th century found itself divided into two camps; the modernists, led by Liszt and Wagner, and the traditionalists who took Brahms as their model and who upheld the values of the classical period and Beethoven in particular. Fuchs and Kiel are very much in the later camp and both spent their lives in academic posts, as so often befits such establishment figures. They each wrote only one piano concerto and, as one might expect, these are not vehicles for empty virtuoso display but rather 'symphonic' concertos, both written in the traditional three movements, the first of which is a weighty sonata form allegro. The influence of Beethoven can be heard in each and the later Fuchs piece also shows a debt to Brahms. Interestingly Kiel taught Stanford while he studied in Germany and indeed these composers are very much the German equivalent of Stanford or Parry.

Martin Roscoe, who did such a fine job with the similar Brüll concertos (CDA67069), is our soloist and Martyn Brabbins and the BBCSSO give their usual inspired accompaniment.

Both works are premiere recordings. Hyperion

Robert Fuchs (1847-1927)

Piano Concerto in B flat minor Op 27 [36'19]

Friedrich Kiel (1821-1885)

Piano Concerto in B flat major Op 30 [27'12]

Credits :
Conductor – Martyn Brabbins
Orchestra – BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Piano – Martin Roscoe
Violin [Orchestra Leader] – Elizabeth Layton

NÁPRAVNIK : Concerto Symphonique, Op 27 • Fantaisie Russe, Op 39 ♦ BLUMENFELD : Allegro De Concert, Op 7, (Evgeny Soifertis · BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra · Alexander Titov) (2005) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 37 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

With this, the 37th volume in Hyperion's The Romantic Piano Concerto series, it might be time to stop. Although the series has given listeners many marvelous performances and many wonderful premieres, with these recordings of works by Eduard Nápravnik and Felix Blumenfeld, it could be time to call it quits. All the performances here by pianist Evgeny Soifertis with Alexander Titov leading the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra are first-rate, but it doesn't help. Soifertis has a massively powerful virtuoso technique and a tremendous amount of interpretive flair. Titov has absolute command of the music and complete sympathy with Soifertis' interpretation. The Scottish BBC plays with more passionate dedication than professional courtesy. But the music defies revivification: brilliant but shallow, emotive but empty, grand but meaningless, the notes roll off Soifertis' fingers and are immediately forgotten -- forgotten, that is, except for Nápravnik's unfortunately unforgettable Fantaisie russe that opens with the most vulgar setting of the Song of the Volga Boatman ever unleashed on the ears of an unsuspecting humanity. Hyperion's sound is as warm and clear as ever. James Leonard

Eduard Nápravník (1839-1916)                        
Concerto symphonique in A minor Op 27 [31'12]

Felix Blumenfeld (1863-1931)    
                    
Allegro de concert in A major Op 7 [13'54]

Eduard Nápravník (1839-1916)                    
Fantaisie russe in B minor Op 39 [12'19]

Credits :
Conductor – Alexander Titov
Leader [Of Orchestra] – Elizabeth Layton
Orchestra – BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Piano – Evgeny Soifertis

BOWEN : Concerto No. 3 (Fantasia), Op. 23 • Concerto No. 4 Op. 88 (Danny Driver · BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra · Martyn Brabbins) (2008) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 46 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Hyperion’s virtually single-handed rehabilitation of the music of York Bowen (known in his time as ‘The English Rachmaninov’), continues apace with this recording of the third and fourth piano concertos. Piano Concerto No 3 is a vigorous one-movement work with three well-defined sections of varying tempos in Fantasia style. Bowen’s sparkling performances of it drew plaudits from contemporary critics, who hailed it as his best composition thus far.

The Piano Concerto No 4 (said by Sorabji to be the greatest work for piano and orchestra ever written by an Englishman) is a large-scale Romantic, virtuoso work, impressionistic solo passages alternating freely with Straussian orchestral textures throughout. It was written for a BBC broadcast, and for the composer himself to perform; Bowen considered the work his best composition for the piano and an important addition to the concerto literature. It has not been given a studio recording until now.

The young British pianist Danny Driver, a Bowen specialist, gives a virtuoso performance with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Martyn Brabbins. Hyperion

York Bowen (1884-1961)
Piano Concerto No 3 In G Minor (Fantasia) Op 23    (17:47)

Piano Concerto No 4 In A Minor Op 88    (42:53)

Credits :
Conductor – Martyn Brabbins
Leader – Elizabeth Layton
Orchestra – BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Piano – Danny Driver

GOETZ : Piano Concerto In B Flat, Op 18 ♦ WIENIAWSKI : Piano Concerto In G Minor, Op 20 (Hamish Milne · BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra · Michał Dworzynski) (2010) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 52 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Hamish Milne makes a welcome return to the Romantic Piano Concerto series with two recherché delights from the nineteenth century.

Józef, ‘the other Wieniawski’ is the brother of the more famous violinist, Henryk. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire and had a wide-ranging and successful performing and composing career. His highly attractive Piano Concerto in G minor is in the mould of those by Chopin and Liszt, with the piano very much in the foreground. The Rondo finale demands a spectacular display of technique, living proof of Wieniawski’s own brand of virtuosity.

Goetz’s music, although full of melodic gift and mastery of form, was rarely performed after the end of his short life. His piano concerto proved to be the most successful of his orchestral works played during his lifetime, and was praised by the local press as ‘evidence of his outstanding talent, crafted, melodious, fiery and reflective, with a brilliant piano part. It is effective without playing to the gallery, often has quite new combinations of scoring in the orchestral accompaniment, and is, in the best sense of the word, modern’. Hyperion

Hermann Goetz (1840-1876)
Piano Concerto In B Flat Major Op 18 (40:48)

Józef Wieniawski (1837-1912)
Piano Concerto In G Minor Op 20 (28:42)

Credits :
Conductor – Michał Dworzynski
Leader – Elizabeth Layton
Orchestra – BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Piano – Hamish Milne

The Romantic Piano Concerto • 21 : Kullak, Dreyschock (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 
 

The Romantic Piano Concerto • 26 - Litolff : Concerti Symphonique (2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 
 

The Romantic Piano Concerto • 28 - Stojowski : Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless