Ignaz Brüll - Concertstück for piano and orchestra (1895)

[promusician]

This is a synthesized performance using an edition kindly provided by Michael Laus (who also restored Ignaz Brüll's Violin Concerto), full credits to him for the score.

[terry martyn]

I found it very enjoyable.

There is a rather odd reference to the restoration of Brull's Violin Concerto, a CD of which has been in my collection for a number of years,and ,from memory,the booklet for that recording was written by Gareth. I think we need to know more about this.

[eschiss1]

The IMSLP page for that concerto contains a full score typeset by and donated by the restorer, btw.

[terry martyn]

Interesting!   I wonder whether that differs to any material extent from the CD.

[eschiss1]

As far as I know, it's the exact same score. The person who did the realization chose to upload it under CC.

[Ilja]

It's great that we can now listen to all of Brüll's works for piano and orchestra. This one's great as well; the guy certainly knew how to spin a tune.

[terry martyn]

I hadn't realised that we now have them all.  Ever since I made my first Genesis purchase - which happened to be Brull's Second Piano Concerto, I have been a big fan. There are so many magical moments of childlike innocence.

[Ilja]

To my knowledge:

• Piano Concerto in F major, Op. 10 (1861) - Martin Roscoe / BBC Scottish SO - Martyn Brabbins
• Piano Concerto in C major, Op. 24 (1868) - Martin Roscoe / BBC Scottish SO - Martyn Brabbins
• Rhapsodie for Piano and Orchestra in D minor, Op. 65 (1902) - Unsung Masterworks Channel (ProMusician)
• Konzertstück No. 1 in B♭ major, WoO. (1895)- Unsung Masterworks Channel (ProMusician)
• Konzertstück No. 2 in A minor, Op. 88 (1902) - Martin Roscoe / BBC Scottish SO - Martyn Brabbins

Frank Cooper's version of the C major with the Nürnberger Symphoniker under Zsolt Déaky on Genesis/VoxBox is no longer available, although it can be found on YouTube.

Childlike?... that was never my impression. It can be quite intricate music, but it is very ... fluid, I'd say, for want of a better description; melodies have a self-evidence that few composers can match, and things do keep moving: if Bruckner "couldn't write a scherzo to save his life", the same can be said about Brüll and adagios; it rarely gets very evidently introspective. That may also be Brüll's biggest weakness, since it can leave behind an impression of superficiality. I can't agree with that though; it's not all jolliness, but the thoughtful moments are interwoven with more rhapsodic passages. A good example is the development section of the first theme of the A minor Konzertstück.

[terry martyn]

The poet, William Blake, was similarly childlike in his Songs of Innocence, .  Being childlike is not synonymous with  being jejune, and it's not easy to pull off.  I have never thought Brull to be in any way superficial and, to my mind, he purveys optimism with  all the freshness of a mountain spring. His works for piano and orchestra have been described as minor masterpieces.  Hear ! Hear!

[Ilja]

I can go along with describing them as optimistic. And they're absolutely masterful, not a note in the wrong place. I do think the Rhapsody doesn't quite measure up to the rest despite its brevity, but it's still a very skillful piece.