Oswald and Napoleão Piano Concertos

[Mark Thomas]

I've just given both works a spin and Alan is right, it's the Napoleão which deserves the laurels on this release. It's a real charmer. Thal described it as "Chopin on steriods", and that's certainly an apt description of the long first movement, which boasts an extremely atmospheric, almost spooky, opening orchestral tutti. It's most unusual, but makes a very effective attention grabber. The brief middle movement, a scherzo enclosing a delicious slow section, is very like Saint-Saëns in feel as others have mentioned. The finale is another substantial movement, neither portentous nor trivial, with an unaffected open-air feel to it. For all his clear debt to other composers Napoleão displays imagination and poetry in this very enjoyable work, both things which are less in evidence in the Oswald Concerto. It's not unattractive by any means, but it does take itself rather seriously and doesn't have the generous abundance of melody which graces its companion. It has a rather "over-worked" feel to it, which makes it harder to love than the Napoleão, but it's by no means a bad piece and certainly worth an airing. This is a very attractive release in the RPC series, and one which I thoroughly recommend.

[semloh]

Thanks for that helpful review, Mark. It seems that impressions from Thal regarding Napoleão, and James regarding Oswald, were good indicators.

This does appear to be Napoleão's most substantial composition, and it is a pity that his precocious talent as a pianist and composer was set aside in favour of running a music shop in Brazil. I wonder if he was escaping the pressures and expectations of the European and U.S. promoters and public? He obviously remained active in musical life because I see that he taught the wonderful Chiquinha Gonzaga - a truly remarkable woman, whose life was such a struggle, but whose piano pieces are so charming.

[Gareth Vaughan]

I wonder if they will do Napoleão's Piano Concerto No. 1 & Oswald's Op. 28

I have not seen these works, but I assume they are both attractive and worthwhile. Why not drop Hyperion a line and ask?

[JimL]

At just a cursory inspection of the new release, the Napoleão concerto has several strong resemblances to the 2nd MacDowell concerto, which was composed virtually simultaneously with the two works on this CD.  There are some divergences as well, of course.

[Alan Howe]

Have you heard the whole piece, though, Jim?

[jerfilm]

The short middle movement could have been Saint-Saens or perhaps Litolff.....

J

[JimL]

No, Alan, but the movement scheme of the work - slow, scherzo, fast - is similar (apart from the slow intro to the finale of the MacDowell).  Of course, Saint-Saëns PC 2 isn't far away from either work, although at 19+ minutes, I'd venture to guess that the first movement of the Napoleão concerto is in some kind of sonata form, as is the MacDowell, rather than a ternary form, as in the Saint-Saëns.

[Alan Howe]

What about the idiom, though?

[JimL]

It's difficult to tell from the excerpts, since the only one that has any piano in it for the Napoleão is the second movement, but the general impression I got from what I heard leans heavily towards Gallic, rather than Teutonic influences.

[Alan Howe]

That's obvious, Jim. What you won't have perceived (from excerpts) is the way this works out in practice, especially in the first movement, with its greater-than-usual contrasts. This is what makes the Napoleão PC so unusual, and so entertaining.

[JimL]

Looks like I'll have to hock some jewelry. 

[Alan Howe]

I have no jewellery to hock. Can't even get my wedding ring (for the ex-colonies: band) off my finger...

[eschiss1]

Hrm. We call it a ring in this particular (US) ex-colony. But that is, true, nor here, neither there, ...

[Alan Howe]

Oh, that's a relief, Eric!

Anyway, I can see some similarity to MacDowell PC2 in the structure of Napoleão's PC2 - and especially in the ethereal openings of both pieces; however, the piano writing in the latter is surely more like Chopin, than, say, Liszt. Napoleão's overall style also seems to evince a much greater simplicity, even naïvety of expression in comparison to the greater sophistication of MacDowell.

[JimL]

Well, here's the MWI review: http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2014/Oct14/Oswald_Napoleao_PCs_CDA67984.htm