DUBOIS : Concerto-capriccioso • Concerto No 2 • Suite for piano & string orchestra (Cédric Tiberghien · BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra · Andrew Manze) (2013) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 60 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

This release is the 60th in an ongoing series, with no end in sight, devoted to the Romantic piano concerto. Hyperion has uncovered lots of music that can shake up the repertory of the same dozen concertos that get played and recorded repeatedly, and this outing contains music that's at least diverting and often more. Théodore Dubois was an established composer of his time, and thus was discarded when modernist orthodoxy required narratives of progress. But he was far from merely academic. The three works here span 40 years, and each treats inherited forms with an attractive freedom. The opening Concerto capriccioso in C minor of 1876 is the most conservative of the group, but its wandering slow introduction is languidly pleasant. The Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, from 1897, is in the Saint-Saëns orbit, but its four-movement form, with a fantasia rather than a triumphal flourish for its finale, is novel. Still more interesting is the Suite for piano and string orchestra, written in 1917 when Dubois was 80. It is quite a modern work, not harmonically but formally, breaking up the opposition between piano and orchestra in a series of small lyrical moments that bring to mind Milhaud or Poulenc. Would that every composer were so open to new influences at that age! French pianist Cédric Tiberghien gets the virtuosity level right (high, but never showy), and conductor Andrew Manze, stepping out of his Baroque field of specialty, gets properly clean, restrained results from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. A fine offbeat find for lovers of French music, although except in the final work Dubois is more Germanic than French. James Manheim  
Tracklist :
Concerto-Capriccioso In C Minor (1876)    16:18
Composed By – Théodore Dubois

Piano Concerto No 2 In F Minor (1897)    (27:59)
Composed By – Théodore Dubois

Suite For Piano And String Orchestra In F Minor (1917)    (21:05)
Composed By – Théodore Dubois
Credits :
Conductor – Andrew Manze
Leader – Laura Samuel
Orchestra – BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Piano – Cédric Tiberghien

ALBÉNIZ : Concierto Fantástico, Op 78 • Rapsodia Española, Op 70 ♦ GRANADOS : Concerto In C Minor 'Patético' (Melani Mestre · BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra · Martyn Brabbins) (2015) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 65 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

With this release, Hyperion's series of Romantic piano concertos reaches its 65th album, and even faithful buyers may suspect, given the presence of a nonexistent Piano Concerto in C minor ("Patético") by Enrique Granados, that the bottom of the barrel is near. That work consists of some sketches for one movement for a concerto that was abandoned for unknown reasons. The completion of that movement, by Catalan pianist Melani Mestre, is by no means implied by the existing material, and the other two movements of the traditional three-movement form are simply adapted from other Granados compositions. There's little here to make listeners sit up and take notice. Neither is the Piano Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 78 ("Concierto fantástico"), of Isaac Albéniz an essential work of that composer, but the serious Albéniz fan will find something to chew on in its pairing with the Rapsodia española, Op. 70, here in an orchestration by the composer himself that has generally been considered inferior. (The concerto is presented in a later orchestration by Tomás Bretón.) It's striking that these two works were composed within a few years of each other: the Rapsodia, true to its name, is brimming with Spanish influences, while the A minor concerto could pass for Schumann. What's interesting is that the concerto, although not much heard these days, was hailed as a masterpiece after its premiere, both in Spain and in France. It's the sparkling scherzo, not especially Spanish but rhythmically distinctive, that listeners found intriguing, and Mestre gives an attractive performance that helps put the listener in the frame of mind of those who were hearing the young Albéniz for the first time. The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Martyn Brabbins does its usual solid job in varied material. James Manheim  
Tracklist :
Piano Concerto No 1 In A Minor Op 78 'Concierto Fantástico'(27:49)
Composed By – Isaac Albéniz
Orchestrated By – Tomás Bretón

Rapsodia Española Op 70 (San Sebastián Version) 13:14
Composed By – Isaac Albéniz

Piano Concerto In C Minor 'Patético'(35:53)
Composed By – Enrique Granados

Lento Grave E Quasi Recitativo - Allegro Grave Non Molto Lento 18:36
Arranged By [Reconstructed By] – Melani Mestre

Allegretto (After Danza Española No 2: Orientale & Capricho Español) 8:33
Adapted By [For Piano And Orchestra] – Melani Mestre

Molto Allegro (After Allegro De Concierto) 8:45
Adapted By [For Piano And Orchestra] – Melani Mestre
Credits :
Conductor – Martyn Brabbins
Leader – Laura Samuel
Orchestra – BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Piano – Melani Mestre

Różycki : Piano Concerto No 1, Op 43 • Piano Concerto No 2 • Ballade, Op 18 (Jonathan Plowright · BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra · Łukasz Borowicz) (2016) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 67 | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Hyperion's large Romantic Piano Concertoseries (this is the 67th volume) has yielded a lot of fair-to-middling music and a few gems. This release of music by Ludomir Rózycki, unknown outside his native Poland, fits into the latter category. Yes, it's true that the Ballade in G minor, Op. 18, is harmonically conservative for 1904, to say nothing of the Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 43, of 1917-1918 and the World War II-era Piano Concerto No. 2. All these pieces are essentially late Romantic in style. But none is derivative or stale. The Ballade is a student work, but already captures the essence of Rózycki's style, which infuses great spontaneity into traditional forms. Note especially the delightfully understated conclusion to this work. The first movement of the Piano Concerto No. 1 (track two) makes a good place to start when sampling the album. It has a slow introduction of a sort, but with an unusual conversational quality that seems organically linked to the explosive "Allegro" that follows with syncopated figures. The second movement of this concerto is as close as Rózycki comes to straight Romantic melody, but even here he offers unexpected divagations. The Piano Concerto No. 2 is a more personal work, quoting some of the composer's own songs; the booklet notes are useful in understanding what's happening, but in general this work too has a feeling of total freedom in the use of conventional forms. The level of virtuosity is very high but poses no problems for pianist Jonathan Plowright, and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Lukasz Borowicz gets the spontaneous quality of the music. An entirely satisfying album of music that ought to inspire further performances of these pieces in concert. James Manheim
Tracklist :
Ballade In G Major Op 18    10:35
Composed By – Ludomir Różycki

Piano Concerto No 1 In G Minor Op 43    (31:43)
Composed By – Ludomir Różycki

Piano Concerto No 2    (20:52)
Composed By – Ludomir Różycki
Credits :
Conductor – Łukasz Borowicz
Leader – Laura Samuel
Orchestra – BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Piano – Jonathan Plowright

MOSZKOWSKI : Piano Concerto In B Minor, Op 3 (First Recording) SCHULZ-EVLER : Russian Rhapsody (First Recording) (Ludmil Angelov · BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra · Vladimir Kiradjiev) (2016) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 68 | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Hyperion's series devoted to the Romantic piano concerto reached its 68th volume with this release in 2016, its 25th year. The series has naturally been uneven, but many releases have achieved not only critical, but even commercial success, testifying to how ready audiences have been for a broadening of the repertory. This album, devoted to piano concerto works by Moritz Moszkowski and Adolf Schulz-Evler, is one of the more successful of the bunch. The Moszkowski concerto recorded here is not the Piano Concerto No. 2 in E major, Op. 59, of 1897, which has been recorded before, but a work of Moszkowski's youth, sometimes known as the Piano Concerto No. 1 in B minor, Op. 3. Moszkowski disowned the work in later years and even declined to send a copy to someone who had inquired about it because, he said, he needed it to raise the seating on his piano bench. Although Liszt liked the concerto, it disappeared and was not rediscovered until 2008; this album marks its recorded premiere. What Moszkowski disliked is easy to see: the finale is too long, is blankly sectional, and is in general not of a piece with the first three movements. Within those, however, is some marvelous music, most of all in the "Adagio" slow movement, which in its combination of harmonic sophistication (two adjacent sections juxtapose E flat major and E major without stress) and bright French melody sounds entirely unlike anything else that had been written. Moszkowski's piano style was noted for grace and smoothness rather than for athleticism, and the piano writing is a pleasure in both the Moszkowski concerto and in the shorter Russian Rhapsody of Adolf Schulz-Evler, which treads some of the some territory as the large (53-minute) Moszkowski work. The performances by pianist Ludmil Angelov and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Vladimir Kiradjiev are fully competent, but many parts of the Moszkowski concerto are strong enough to make you wish for a pianist with star power, and for its addition to the regular performing repertory. James Manheim  
Tracklist :
Piano Concerto In B Minor Op 3 (53:59)
Composed By – Moritz Moszkowski

Russian Rhapsody Op 14 (11:08)
Composed By – Andrey Schulz-Evler
Credits :
Conductor – Vladimir Kiradjiev
Leader – Laura Samuel
Orchestra – BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Piano – Ludmil Angelov 

BEACH : Piano Concerto, Op. 45 ♦ CHAMINADE : Concertstück In C Sharp Minor, Op. 40 ♦ HOWELL : Piano Concerto In D Minor (Danny Driver · BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra · Rebecca Miller) (2017) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 70 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Hyperion's Romantic Piano Concerto series reaches its 70th album with this program of three concertos by women. The ongoing success of the series suggests that audiences are ready and waiting for wider repertoire, and pianist Danny Driver and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Rebecca Miller deliver a real find here. The Piano Concerto in C sharp minor, Op. 45, of American composer Amy Beach has been performed and recorded, but it's been in search of a recording that captures the autobiographical quality of the work, well sketched out in the booklet notes by Nigel Simeone. Essentially, Beach faced creative repression from her religious mother and to a lesser extent from her husband, who allowed her to compose, but only rarely to perform. These experiences, it may be said, poured out in this towering Brahmsian, four-movement piano concerto, which sets up an unusual quality of struggle between soloists and orchestra. It's this dynamic that's so well captured by Driver and Miller (who happen to be married to each other). Sample the opening movement, which has lacked this quality in earlier performances. Also worthwhile is the Concertstück in C sharp minor, Op. 40, of French composer Cécile Chaminade, now rarely represented on programs, but at one time so popular in the U.S. that there were more than 200 Chaminade Clubs there. Driver also gets the light, zippy quality of this work, which endeared Chaminade to audiences, if not to critics, for many years. The opening Piano Concerto in D minor of Britain's Dorothy Howell is less obviously in need of revival, but this recording is worth the time and money for the Beach performance alone. James Manheim  
Tracklist :
Piano Concerto In D Minor (19:33)
Composed By – Dorothy Howell

Piano Concerto In C Sharp Minor Op 45 (34:51)
Composed By – Amy Beach

Concertstück In C Sharp Minor Op 40 (15:07)
Composed By – Cécile Chaminade
Credits :
Conductor – Rebecca Miller
Leader [Of Orchestra] – Laura Samuel
Orchestra – BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Piano – Danny Driver

ROGER SACHEVERELL COKE : Piano Concerto No 3, Op 30 • Piano Concerto No 4, Op 38 • Piano Concerto No 5, Op 57 (Simon Callaghan · BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra · Martyn Brabbins) (2017) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 73 | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

British pianist Simon Callaghan has specialized in neglected 20th century piano music, and with this 2017 release, part of the Hyperion label's successful and ongoing Romantic Piano Concerto series, he has turned to the almost completely forgotten Roger Sacheverell Coke, a composer and pianist who bankrolled much of his career out of his hereditary Derbyshire estate and numbered Rachmaninov among his admirers. The three piano concertos here certainly show the influence of Rachmaninov, but Coke seems at times to toy with the listener's expectation of getting retreaded Russian Romanticism: sample the opening of the Piano Concerto No. 4 in C sharp minor, which sounds like pure Rachmaninov only to depart into less heroic gestures almost immediately. That concerto and especially the fragmentary Piano Concerto No. 5 in D minor (Coke was given to destroying some of his own finished works) combine the Rachmaninov idiom with darker, perhaps more personal moods and with variance in the relationship between piano and orchestra; the Piano Concerto No. 5 might have been the concerto that Sibelius never wrote. The recording by Callaghan with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Martyn Brabbins does the work full justice. A commendable revival of work dug out of archives by the pianist himself. James Manheim
Tracklist :
Piano Concerto No 3 In E Flat Major    (30:13)
Composed By – Roger Sacheverell Coke

Piano Concerto No 4 In C Sharp Minor    (29:58)
Composed By – Roger Sacheverell Coke

Piano Concerto No 5 In D Minor    (8:56)
Composed By – Roger Sacheverell Coke
Credits :
Conductor – Martyn Brabbins
Leader [Of Orchestra] – Laura Samuel
Orchestra – BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Piano – Simon Callaghan 

STERNDALE BENNETT : Piano Concertos 1, 2, & 3 (Howard Shelley · BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra) (2018) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 74 | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Sir William Sterndale Bennett wrote six piano concertos and two other works for piano and orchestra, but the three works here were composed in succession in the 1830s, while Sterndale Bennett was still in his teens. They have been likened to works by Mozart, Mendelssohn, and (in the annotations here), various English composers, but the most accurate contention may be that of Rosemary Firman that Sterndale Bennett had a style uniquely his own. It's notable that at this point his style was developing fast; the Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 9, shows a sustained effort to deal with the example of Beethoven that is not present in the two earlier works. Sterndale Bennett's music has an impersonal flavor that is as far as one can imagine from Schumann, yet Schumann admired his early works. From Mozart he inarguably got a strong sense of form. Sample the finale of the Piano Concerto in D minor, Op. 1, which expertly unfolds the implications of the unusual alternation of orchestra and piano at the beginning. As usual throughout Hyperion's Romantic Piano Concerto series, Howard Shelley produces vivacious readings at the keyboard and also at the head of the orchestra, in this case the BBC Scottish Symphony. An enjoyable look at some fresh music by a British composer whose conservatism later doomed his reputation. James Manheim  
Tracklist :    
Piano Concerto No 1 In D Minor Op 1    (23:33)
Composed By – William Sterndale Bennett

Piano Concerto No 2 In E Flat Major Op 4    (26:49)
Composed By – William Sterndale Bennett

Piano Concerto No 3 In C Minor Op 9    (29:08)
Composed By – William Sterndale Bennett
Credits :
Conductor, Piano – Howard Shelley
Leader – Laura Samuel
Orchestra – BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra