Do you recommend a PC from one of our unsung composers with an impressive, stunning opening like Brahms 1 or the elegant Hummel PC's op. 85&89? I am thinking of Henselt, including his formidable piano entry.
When I'm restricting myself to 'grand gestures', these spring to mind:
Atterberg Piano Concerto
Bortkiewicz #1 (great crescendo) and #2
Grieg (of course)
Rued Langgaard, Fra Arild
Martucci
Pabst
Palmgren #1 (very delicate)
Pfitzner (!)
Rautavaara #1
Scharwenka #1
Robert Schumann
Stanford #2
Stenhammar #2
Tchaikovsky #2
Well, both of Brahms' Concertos would qualify.
But, in the "unsung' vein - one that stands out for me is the opening of the piano concerto of Henry Holden Huss.
Hi all
I would include the opening of Raff's own concerto. I agree wholeheartedly with Peter1953 about the Pfitzner concerto - the grandiose and portentous opening takes some beating.
Somewhat earlier, the winsome opening of Hummel's op110, along with the fireworks during and after the entry of the soloist, has always had a special appeal - but that may be due to my discovery of the work via a really flamboyant performance by Michael Ponti.
regards
Peter
Um, Peter, Michael Ponti never did the Hummel E Major Concerto. That's Hans Kann you're thinking about (on an old LP coupled with the Kalkbrenner PC 1).
How about Dohnanyi's Variations on a Nursery Theme? Just about as portentous an opening as you could conjure up - it even outdoes Brahms' 1st. Piano Concerto. Of course, what follows isn't quite what you're led to expect by this beginning :D
What about Hiller 2? The Alnaes concerto? For more subdued but equally stunning and effective PC openings the 2nd and 3rd Concertos of Reinecke are favorites of mine. And of course, the Napravnik Concerto Symphonique has a spectacular opening gesture.
My favorite "stunning" piano concerto opening is Kullak's -- a subtle build up and then it just *explodes* into that great theme!
Yavar
The opening of the Castillon PC is very elegant. One of my favourites.
Hi all
Sorry, Jiml, excuse the confusion. You are right, it is Kann. But whatever, Hummel's grand intro is superb.
Re Brahms no 1 - it is a pity he can't be classified as an unknown, because if he was the piano concerto no. 1 (various performances) would carry off the honours. Come to think of it (it is playing now, Hough as soloist), the work does have my favourite opening. But consider also Raff's concerto - Ponti preferred.
Syrelius, am with you. The Castillon concerto is a wonderful work, during and after the tasteful and dreamy opening. I would also give Lalo's piano concerto applause at the starting block. And, to stay with French works, the pseudo-Wagnerian drama of the intro to Cecile Chaminade's Konzertstuck deserves high marks. Pretty surprising, even if tongue in cheek.
regards
Peter
Quote from: peter_conole on Monday 04 May 2009, 15:44
I would also give Lalo's piano concerto applause at the starting block.
Hi Peter,
do you know if the Lalo PC is available on CD? I think the old Vox CD is out of circulation.
Litolff: Concerto Symphonique No. 4 - no question. It's a completely OTT entry for the soloist.
Stunningly beautiful and memorable: Reinecke PC3.
I am with you on the Hummel B minor Concerto, Opus 89. This is one of my favorite concertos of all time, from the mysterious tympani opening, to the way the piano sort of sneaks in.
But to me the greatest piano concerto opening of all is still Herr Beethoven's 4th Concerto in G. Piano calmly and serenely starting by itself in G major, and the orchestra coming in in B major. Nothing quite so lovely in all of music.
In the same vein, I love the piano entrance of the Scriabin Concerto, which is such a beautiful piece all round. Another one where the piano sort of sneaks in. Hmmm...I wonder what this says about me? Sneaky?
Then there is the Busoni, which out-chords the Tchaikovsky #1 to the n-th degree.
I have often thought about how many famous concertos, piano and violin have arresting openings: for instance, what can beat the Mendelssohn E minor violin Concerto start? Now matter how many thousands of times I hear it, it still thrills.
This is a great question, makes me review so many pieces in my memory.
Steven in NYC
Thank you all for your suggestions. Most of us, including myself, think Brahms with the grandiose opening of his PC #1 carries off the honours, like Peter says. And yes, of course, Beethoven #4 but also #5. And Rachmaninoff #2...For our unsung heroes I keep thinking that it's all a matter of personal taste.
Ilja mentions a few Scandinavian (?) composers I have never heard of, but also Scharwenka #1. I love all his 4 PC's but prefer #4, not only for the opening but also the beautiful 2nd movement and the thrilling finale.
Orff, I still haven't heard the whole Huss PC, but listened to the opening on Hyperion's website. Definately an explosive piano entry!
Talking about Hummel, I have his op. 110 played by the London Mozart Players with Howard Shelley, but I find many concertos, how brilliant they are and full of delightful themes, somewhat too classical, except for his op. 85&89, both with very elegant openings. Like I said, it's a matter of taste.
I agree with Yavar. One of my favourites in Hyperion's series of Romantic PC's is Kullak. A subtle opening followed by captivating themes. What a pity that this splendid and brilliant work is the only music of Kullak on CD. He must have been a very interesting and creative composer as well.
I am not yet familiar with the Castillon. Alan, I agree with you on Reinecke's #3, but I prefer his #1. Yes, Litolff #4 features an opening which is hard to forget, just like the story of his adventurous life. And of course, the opening of Raff's PC is delightful. I don't know Ponti's playing, I have the Aronsky. And has anyone heard the catchy opening of Tomášek's PC #1?
In summary, there are a lot of unknown PC's to be explored by me. I'm very much looking forward to the coming release of Benedict's PC's. Hopefully with superb openings...
But so far the Henselt is still my unsung favourite, and not only because of the stunning opening (I like it even more than Rubinstein #4...).
Hi all
Especially Syrelius.
Some good news a la the Lalo piano concerto. It was recorded on the Signum label in 1995. Along with his Symphony in G Minor, Scherzo for Orchestra and Romance-Serenade for violin ad orchestra.
I just checked out Amazon.com. There was one new and about 6 used copies on offer. So it is still around.
regards
Peter
Hey everbody, here are some picks that have not been mentioned before
-Montague Phillips Piano concertos on Dutton@Label
-Bendix Piano Concerto on Danacord@label Danish Piano Concertos Volume 3 I believe
As well as Saint-Saens whom might not be too much of a unsung but here it is anyway 5th "egyptian" Piano Concert 1st movment is delightful also Africa fantasy beautiful tunes.
I think Saint-Saens 1st has a better opening than the 5th, IMO...
As for Lalo, the "old Vox CD", a 2CD set of French piano concerti, is well worth acquiring even with the less-than-great sound. All sorts of unsung goodies on it.
Quote from: Alan Howe on Monday 04 May 2009, 22:27
Stunningly beautiful and memorable: Reinecke PC3.
It's all a matter of taste, I suppose, but I prefer 1 and 4, though I like 3 better than 2.
Yavar
Reinecke No.3 had established itself as the great PC of that era - presumably until Brahms' PCs became the new standard. No.3 is the stand-out of Reinecke's four PCs - it has a breadth that is quite unlike the Mendelssohn-plus character of the other three. Of course, I like the others too.
Quote from: TerraEpon on Wednesday 06 May 2009, 03:07
I think Saint-Saens 1st has a better opening than the 5th, IMO...
As for Lalo, the "old Vox CD", a 2CD set of French piano concerti, is well worth acquiring even with the less-than-great sound. All sorts of unsung goodies on it.
You can still download it from eMusic, even:
http://www.emusic.com/album/Various-Various-French-Piano-Concertos-MP3-Download/11244060.html
(http://www.emusic.com/album/Various-Various-French-Piano-Concertos-MP3-Download/11244060.html)
Without the notes, but they weren't much to begin with...
Quote from: peter_conole on Tuesday 05 May 2009, 18:25
Hi all
Especially Syrelius.
Some good news a la the Lalo piano concerto. It was recorded on the Signum label in 1995. Along with his Symphony in G Minor, Scherzo for Orchestra and Romance-Serenade for violin ad orchestra.
I just checked out Amazon.com. There was one new and about 6 used copies on offer. So it is still around.
regards
Peter
Thanks for the information, Peter!
I rather like the doom laden entry in Scharwenka's 4th concerto. Marvellous stuff!
Forgot about that one. It's a good one, too! If we expand the thread to cover any and all concertante works for piano, the beginning of the Dreyschock Konzertstuck still raises goosebumps on the back of my neck. Now there's a work that's waaay, waaay overdue for a new recording!
Jim, I have Dreyschock's PC coupled with the Kullak on Hyperion, and although I think Kullak is absolutely superior, Dreyschock's PC is not unpleasant, on the contrary. Then I have a few disks "Romantische Klaviermusik", a series by Michael Krücker on NCA, one of them filled with some of Dreyschock's piano music. Lovely pieces. But I am eager to learn his Konzertstück.
I know another stunning PC opening and that is Friedrich Kuhlau's concerto in C major. The rest of the concerto is great too, but reminds me very much of Beethoven's 1st. A compliment for Kuhlau.
Peter I have the Kullak/Dreyschock CD, and I'm in full agreement with you. It's a pity that Dreyschock didn't compose a more memorable piano concerto, but very little of it sticks in my memory compared with the Konzertstuck (or the Kullak concerto, for that matter.) Unfortunately, the only recording of the Konzertstuck ever made was the old Genesis LP by Frank Cooper, coupled with the Raff Piano Concerto. Neither performance has ever been re-released on CD.
How about a very unsung PC by a very sung composer: Beethoven's piano concerto movement in D-major from 1815 (Hess 15) as finished by Nicholas Cook. Available through Inedita.
Another couple of concerto beginnings that I find stunning are the Napravnik and the Paderewski - both in A Minor, and both premiered by Mme. Anna Essipova.
Jim,
The Paderewski Concerto is one of my top favorite neglected 19th century concertos. A really glorious piece, big tunes, flashy piano part (especially as tarted up by Earl Wild!) and altogether satisfying. Along with the Henselt and the Raff and the Rubinstein #4 I would have to say it's my favorite.
Another concerto that was quite popular back in the day is the Moscheles in g minor, which has a really wonderful sort of tarantella finale.
There are so many lovely piano concertos out there besides the 15-20 that are always performed these days.
Steven - don't get me started on Moscheles. Which actually means do get me started on Moscheles, but do it when I have more time to dissemble. Let's just say the G Minor (3rd) Moscheles Concerto is just the tip of the iceberg. It's 10:40 in the P.M. out here and I'm hittin' the hay. G'night all.
Steven, we have the same favourites! I like to add Rubinstein's 2, 3 and 5 and Scharwenka 4. I have thought to add my favourite Hummel's op. 85&89 as well, but I think Hummel is one of the few former unsung composers who became more or less sung over the past 30 years, although we never hear Hummel performed in concert halls, but not unfrequently on the radio.
That could be an interesting topic: which former unsungs became sung and what are the criteria?
O yes, Paderewski is briljant too. I have it coupled with Moszkowski. But we were talking about openings. And then comes Moscheles 3. But... not only the opening. The whole atmosphere of the PC is catchy, I feel it even as rather melancholic. But full of beautiful themes, one after another.
Not belonging to my favourite composers, but still very pleasant to listen to is piano music by a name which no member has mentioned so far. William Sterndale Bennett. I have his 5 PC's (1, 2, 3 and 5 on Lyrita). I find the openings of both his 4 and 5 quite majestic.
Raffians, what is your opinion of this British romantic composer?
I would say that, in my opinion, Sterndale Bennett's 4th piano concerto is amongst the finest written in the first half of the 19th Century: well up to the standard of his friend and mentor, Mendelssohn. However, I wouldn't class him amongst the great symphonists of that period.
I'd love to hear some of his teacher, Cipriani Potter's, piano concertos: I gather that the Royal of Music in London, where both Potter and Bennett were principals in turn, has the scores of his 3 surviving concertos in it's archive. Maybe Gareth could confirm this.
Okay, getting to stunning PC beginnings by Moscheles, does anything else in his oeuvre beat the opening of the 4th? I also find the start of the 7th pretty effective, although it's rather more spooky than pathetique.
I forgot the Scharwenka #4! I love the finale which is a sort of mad cross between a tarantella and Ben-Hur. I love Hough's recording.
Speaking of Hough, and of Hummel Op 85, I was lucky enough to hear him perform that concerto live at Mostly Mozart some summers back. He poured the virtuosity on in the last pages and had the audience in a frenzy. Proof that if the artists, and what is more important, the orchestra programmers, include such music the public enjoys it immensely.
When I first discovered Hummel, back in my high school days, c.1969-1971, one could only find a few of his pieces on LP, now there is a lot of it available. Same with Alkan. I never thought I would see the day of multiple recordings of the Alkan Concerto!
Heh, if Alkan's so-called solo piano concerto counts...THAT one certainly fits this thread.
Another stunning piano concerto opening I had forgotten to mention is the Medtner #2. I love that concerto. I have tried to get into his other two concertos, but only #2 has endeared itself to me.
And how about the opening of the orginal version of Liszt Totentanz? The one with the church bell chiming and the trombones intoning the Dies irae before the piano erupts like a flight of bats out of hell. Could not be more dramatic or picturesque.
Interesting piano concertos are passed in review, some of which I have never heard off (e.g. a few on Ilja's list). Although the topic concerns the opening, I suggest we expand the thread to cover stirring con fuoco finales as well.
Which post classical and romantic neglected piano concerto has a "fast and furious" finale?
For me the standard of the sung PC's is Saint-Saëns 2.
Unsung examples are in my opinion – here we go again – Henselt, Moscheles 3 and Scharwenka 4. However, none of these three examples beat the Saint-Saëns, I think. Which "fast & furious" finales do you have in mind?
Yes, Steven and Peter 1953, all the following are stunning overall: openings, slow movements and finales:
Paderewski(plus an exciting finale, with moving chorale and a particuarly helterskelter final krakowiak{I think!} for coda)
Rubinstein 1,3 and 4(the finale of 1 has to be heard to be believed, particuarly the final peroration; the whole movement is as camp, ie over the top, as ... anything you find camp and over the top; but is exhilerating)
Raff
Hiller in F sharp
Moszkowski
Napravnik
Scharwenka 3(cyclic, lovely melodies)
von Bronsart(tarentelle as finale, which is very ingeniously interwoven, at one point, with a mid-Wagnerian- very memorable- theme: and which JUST works, but is immensly silly and again, joyous. I use "silly" advisedly in its Middle English meaning of "sely", ie innocent, guileless
Reinecke no.2. (Well, Peter 1953, how "con fuoco" can a finale be? :))Listen to Ponti's whirlwind adventure!)
Hi, I'm taking the liberty of opening another thread for the 'fast and furious piano concertos codas', if Mark and Alan don't mind.
Most members seem to have liking for the Brahms Piano concerto no. 1 but i prefer the Beethoven No. 4. I know ths not stunning but I love a memorable entree! Glazunov's second concerto is also beautiful.
French composers seem to have a knack for writing quicksiver and catchy openings -
Stanislao Silesu - Piano concerto in E flat
Admiral Jean Cras - Piano concerto
Massenet - Piano concerto.
Saint-Saens - Concerto No. 5
Other stunning PC openings' fav.
Medtner - Concerto no. 2!!!!!
Reynaldo Hahn - concerto
Stanford - Piano concerto No. 2
Bowen - Piano concerto No. 3
Lyapunov No. 2
Ernst Mielck - Concert Piece For Piano & Orchestra
Raff - 'Ode au Printemps'
Manuel Ponce - Piano Concerto.
Berwald - Piano concerto (A peculiar concerto I enjoy listening to!)
......
...which just shows how different people's tastes can be. For me the Reger VC is one of the greats - but it is an immensely serious work on a grand scale. The PC I like rather less, but I would count its slow movement as one of the most profound in the whole repertoire. Chacun à son goût!
Raffians, what is your opinion of the 7 John Field PC's? I think they are most charming. These PC's could have been composed by Hummel (except for the outstanding op. 85&89 because these are far above the level of Field's PC's). Not the virtuoso piano writing which is characteristic for Hummel, but more the similarity of the elegant melodies. I'm especially fond of the sparkling #2 and #7, with the "Hummelian" opening.
Nice is the famous anecdote from 1822. Field heard Hummel perform a brilliant improvisation, and unaware of his identity, is said to have cried out "Either you are the Devil or you are Hummel" (see Eve Barsham's booklet notes belonging to the CD "Hummel: Piano Works", by Howard Shelley on Chandos).
By the way, if you like these late Classical PC's, all Field's PC's and a few other pieces are available in a recent 4 CD set compilation on the Chandos label for less than £15. That's value for money!
John Field PC no. 2 is by far his best. I still haven't heard the no. 7 so don't know about it. I feel its a much-subdued "chopinesque" rather than a "Hummel"
Peter 1953, re Field(deserves own thread!). No. 2 and 3 are both great. Liszt referred to Field's "divine passagework", ie even the linking bits have a beautiful flow, even quite spiritual, I think. Then there are those massive build ups to the returns of the orchestral tuttis; where the piano goes madder and madder, changes direction.... and THEN gets to the tutti... no it doesn't... yet... THEN the tutti.
FBerwald, the Piano Concerto by your namesake is indeed strange; again, lots of mellifluous mad passagework, and crazy melodies, which twist and turn in all odd, unpredictable directions; joy flows through it. Ponti is the best: it bowls along with elan, and though there are mistakes and the orchestra is not brilliant, the sheer joy is compelling(compare Greta Erikkson's dull rendition). Nothing else by Berwald has really affected me. Anything else that is this zany, FB?
Steve
Well... the violin concerto in C#minor by Berwald is NOT Brilliant but is more or less similarly unpredictable. Hyperion had released a CD Peacock Pie - Martin Roscoe, Guildhall Strings. Its a collection of concertinos by the likes of Milford, Gibbs, Rootham, etc. It will really appeal to your zany side! The only zany piano works I can think about now are the Late pieces by Rossini - A collection called "sins of my old age"; I heard a few - simple and quirky and MOST lots of fun!!! There is one more - A waltz for piano by Percy Granger called English waltz. .. starts of simple then goes real Crazzyyyy !
If you're talking Field, don't forget the 4th PC. That one is my particular favorite. True, the opening of the first movement isn't particularly stunning, but that buildup to the 1st movement reprise is exactly what you're talking about, Steve. The siciliana slow movement and the almost children's nursery rhyme-like tune of the final rondo are the quintessence of Field.
FBerwald mentioned the Reynaldo Hahn Concerto. Isn't that a delightful piece? Not particularly flashy, but so witty and urbane, just a fresh and entertaining piece of music.
I was thinking recently of the fate of so many concerted pieces for piano and orchestra, those which are not concertos, and how infrequently they get programmed these days, everything from Mendelssohn's Capriccio Brillante to Franck's Symphonic Variations, to Chopin's La ci darem Variations, to Faure's Ballade, to Paderewski Polish Fantasy, etc, etc, etc. It's a great pity.
Perhaps members would like to list some of their favorites?
Well, among the sung composers you have the rest of Chopin's short concertante works, including the Krakowiak Concert Rondo, the Fantasy on Polish Airs and the Andante spianato and Grand Polonaise in its concert garb (there's also a solo version), the two Schumann Konzertstucke (Introduction and Allegro appassionato and the Concert Allegro), of course, and all those Mendelssohn shorts (Capriccio Brillante, Rondo Brillante, etc.) There are a host of unsung works. All those Konzertstucke, Fantasies and Concert Variations by the likes of Moscheles, Ries, Hummel, Dreyschock, and a heavenly host of others. The problem seems to be that concert formats are different nowadays than they were when these works were composed. You have to play them as encore pieces for a longer work, because nobody wants to pay a soloist to come out and play with an entire orchestra for 10 minutes. Maybe it's something else, but the only way you get to hear works like the Saint-Saens Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso for violin is if you hear the Chausson Poeme or the Ravel Tzigane or a smattering of Sarasate works on the same program. Myself, I'm crazy about the Dreyschock Konzertstuck. That one is due for a re-recording.
A few more concerted pieces for piano and orchestra that deserve mentioning -
Robin Milford - Fishing by Moonlight for piano and strings
Jean Françaix - Concertino
Gerald Finzi - Eclogue in F major for piano and string orchestra
Busoni - Indian Fantasy
Raff - 'Ode au Printemps' for piano and orchestra
Rubinstein - Fantaisie Op.84, Concertstück Op.113(marvelous), Caprice Russe
Goedicke - Concertstück
Arensky - Fantasia on Russian folksongs
Saint-Saëns - Wedding Cake
Vianna da Motta - Fantasia Dramática
Lyapunov - Rhapsody on Ukrainian Themes(words can't describe the beauty of this GEM!)
Sterndale Bennett - Caprice in E major(you won't stop smiling)
Ignaz Brüll - Andante and Allegro Op 88
Ernst Mielck - Concert Piece For Piano & Orchestra
....and so on!!!
Its curious that Nobody has mentioned the almost pastoral Piano Concerto in E flat by Sergei Ivanovich Taneyev. Its long, incomplete(only 2 movements), almost monothematic and utterly charming!
Another beautiful concerted piece for piano and orchestra is the Eclogue by Gerald Finzi. Utterly lovely, and very English pastoral. Of course the problem is exactly how concerts are programed these days;the overture, the obligitory piano concerto, interval and the Big Orchestra Piece.
Others that spring to mind are of course Fallas Nights in the Gardens of Spain and d'Indy' Symphony on a French Mountain Air , both of which I am very fond. Thank goodness we can listen to them on recordings.
Love that Lyapunov Ukranian Fantasy! The two concertos are also favorites of mine, too.
Quote from: Steve B on Wednesday 20 May 2009, 20:12
FBerwald, the Piano Concerto by your namesake is indeed strange; again, lots of mellifluous mad passagework, and crazy melodies, which twist and turn in all odd, unpredictable directions; joy flows through it. Ponti is the best: it bowls along with elan, and though there are mistakes and the orchestra is not brilliant, the sheer joy is compelling(compare Greta Erikkson's dull rendition). Nothing else by Berwald has really affected me. Anything else that is this zany, FB?
Steve
Steve,
have you listened to the Sinfonie Singuliere? I would say it also turns in unpredictible directions. If I would only be able to bring along one single piece of music to a desert island it would be that symphony.
I don´t know whether this is just a legend or not, but from what I've heard, Ludvig Norman, the great champion of Berwald's music of the late 19th century, didn't want to conduct the Singuliere, because he feared that it would damage Berwald's reputation as a composer - the audiences might think that he was "nutty". True or not, for some reason Norman never did conduct the Singuliere.
Quote from: FBerwald on Saturday 23 May 2009, 19:41
A few more concerted pieces for piano and orchestra that deserve mentioning -
Robin Milford - Fishing by Moonlight for piano and strings
The Milford disc on Hyperion is a gem. I wish Hyperion would record his symphony as well. Any plans there, Gareth?
FBerwald, I agree with you on the Taneyev concerto. A very charming piece, indeed. Has anyone mentioned the Pierne PC, by the way? Also very charming.
The Hyperion disc of Pierne is top notch -- very lovely unsung French composer all around (there's a couple discs of his music on Timpani worth getting toom including the ballet Cydalise et Le Chevre-Pied).
The PC is also on the VOX French Piano Concerti mentioned on another thread....I think it's there anyway.
Speaking of Robin Milford He did compose a Violin concerto .... hope that's recorded some day... even Renaldo Hahn Composed a Violin concerto..Haven't heard it though!
Quote from: TerraEpon on Sunday 24 May 2009, 18:06The PC is also on the VOX French Piano Concerti mentioned on another thread....I think it's there anyway.
It's there, alright. The original LP, with IIRC, Marylene Dosse as soloist, and Pierre Cao conducting the Orchestre de Radio Luxembourg coupled the Pierne with the Lalo PC. The Pierne is an absolute riot!
Quote from: FBerwald on Sunday 24 May 2009, 19:14
Speaking of Robin Milford He did compose a Violin concerto .... hope that's recorded some day... even Renaldo Hahn Composed a Violin concerto..Haven't heard it though!
The Hahn VC should be towards the top of Hyperion's list of their Romantic Violin Concerto Series prospects.
Should be, but probably isn't. I don't think that whoever is in charge of that series is same guy as the one who is doing the Piano Concerto Series. Gareth would know, I think.
Hahn's VC - hmmm. Probably interesting. But my choices would be Gernsheim (x2), R. Becker (x2) and Brüll first. Especially Gernsheim. Everything I have heard by him suggests an unsung great, or at least near-great. And he wrote a Piano Concerto...
Maybe, Alan, you could prevail upon Hyperion to put you in charge of that series! Just don't forget the Hahn after you've recorded all of the above! ;)
How kind, Jim. Now that would be a challenge - and a pleasure!
Getting back to stunning PC openings, I just played the Kiel PC again. Marvellous opening flourish!
Yes Jim, it's absolutely a fine concerto, but can you really speak of a "stunning" opening? No, you wrote "Marvellous", but is it? There are more appealing examples, I think. Just to mention one, how about Kuhlau's op. 7? Never mind, it's all based on a personal taste, so there is no right or wrong opinion. The opening of the third movement is rather unusual. Quite something different than the thrilling start of Henselt's finale.
What do you think of the Fuchs? I much more like his PC, but that must have something to do with my adoration for Brahms...
Quote from: Peter1953 on Thursday 28 May 2009, 10:01
Yes Jim, it's absolutely a fine concerto, but can you really speak of a "stunning" opening? No, you wrote "Marvellous", but is it?
Oh yes, absolutely! Of course, I'm a big timpani fan! :)
The Fuchs is a fine concerto, but I don't like the opening as much as I do the Kiel.
I'm in Sweden, at the recording sessions for Raff's Suite for Piano & Orchestra. Although I've heard it played live once before (http://www.raff.org/news/reviews/2008/saigon.htm), the orchestra for that performance was enthusuaistic but hardly top flight. Today I've had the pleasure of hearing first class soloist, orchestra and conductor refine this opening over three takes into something which I found quite spine tingling. The way the short tutti builds the tension over just very few bars to announce an electric piano entry should make a genuinely "stunning" beginning to the recording.
Quote from: peter_conole on Tuesday 05 May 2009, 18:25
Hi all
Especially Syrelius.
Some good news a la the Lalo piano concerto. It was recorded on the Signum label in 1995. Along with his Symphony in G Minor, Scherzo for Orchestra and Romance-Serenade for violin ad orchestra.
I just checked out Amazon.com. There was one new and about 6 used copies on offer. So it is still around.
regards
Peter
Hi Peter,
I managed to get hold of a copy of the Lalo PC. It is on their low-budget label Christoforus nowadays. :)
I agree with you about the concerto - it's really a find, especially the opening.
Sorry guys, I've never been particularly impressed by the Lalo PC. It just strikes me as rather four-square and overblown. Plus, it's supposed to be in F Minor, but in the first movement, at least, it only spends around a minute there, preferring to hang out around A-flat Major or F Major the rest of the time.
Quote from: Mark Thomas on Monday 15 June 2009, 20:46
I'm in Sweden, at the recording sessions for Raff's Suite for Piano & Orchestra.
Mark, attending the recording of this Raff jewel must be an exciting happening! I'm very much looking forward to the release of the CD. Another present from Santa Claus or can we expect it perhaps already in the (late) autumn?
Santa Claus should just about be able to deliver it, if the current schedule doesn't slip...
I'm sure every Raffian has something exciting to look out for! I've just listened to the 5 audio excerpts on the Raff website again (from what year is this recording?). How sparkling the Gavotte sounds and what a most beautiful Largetto...
It's a very special piece which I have loved for years. Sitting in on the recording and hearing it over and over again played by intelligent and very capable musicians has meant that I have found so much more in it than I had heard over the last 8 years of listening to the same flat Swiss radio broadcast.
I don't think that anybody buying the CD when it's available will be disappointed with either the music or its execution.
I'm very glad to hear about the excellent progress being made with the recording. And thanks for the updates!
I too am very excited to hear Mark's news of the sessions for Raff's Suite for piano and orchestra. This work, his Op. 200, is not only one of his most splendid compositions but it is a major work in the concertante piano repertoire and IMHO a true masterpiece. It's utter neglect until very recently is simply staggering. I look forward to purchasing the CD in due course - what a treat that will be!
The Suite is now "in the bag" and we are now on to recording the overtures and preludes which will fill out the CD.
Since we are talking about Stunning piano concerto openings any opinion on the Tchaikovski Piano concerto no 2 ??
Also the Poulenc Piano concerto 1st movement (NOT the 2-piano concerto)!
Has anyone tried Julius Röntgen's PC2 on Donemus? A stunningly beautiful opening to a truly marvellous work.
How about a recent acquisition? The opening of the Bortkiewicz #2 (for the left hand) is the epitome of thrilling. How can you beat an Allegro drammatico? :)
Quote from: JimL on Thursday 07 May 2009, 00:25
If we expand the thread to cover any and all concertante works for piano, the beginning of the Dreyschock Konzertstuck still raises goosebumps on the back of my neck. Now there's a work that's waaay, waaay overdue for a new recording!
Completely agree with this, but would add it gives me cramped forearms as well.
There is also the Salut a Vienne - Rondo Brilliant Op.32, which is in a similar mold but perhaps not as effective.
Thal
Well, I have a set of orchestral parts for the Dreyschock Concert Piece and a copy of the full MS score of the Salut a Vienne if anyone wants to record them. Great fun pieces, both.
How about the quasi-waltz opening of Anton Rubinstein's Piano concerto no. 3 in G major?
Nice, but hardly what I'd call stunning.
Quote from: Gareth Vaughan on Friday 18 September 2009, 00:36
Well, I have a set of orchestral parts for the Dreyschock Concert Piece and a copy of the full MS score of the Salut a Vienne if anyone wants to record them. Great fun pieces, both.
I did suggest these to Mike Spring at Hyperion, but I do not recall he was greatly interested.
Mind you, I did suggest about 50 others as well so i think he is fed up with me ;D
Thal
The arresting opening of Bax's underated 'Winter Legends',although not really
a piano concerto. I used to play it over and over again as a teenager.
No, Mike is not impressed with Dreyschock - apart from the PC, of course. You can look forward to the 2 Taubert concertos +Rosenhain in early 2010.
I am looking forward to the Taubert x 2. The existing recording of the Op.189 is unsatisfactory albeit it is more than sufficient to whet the appetite.
I take it the Op.18 is a much earlier work and i do not recall ever hearing a recording.
Thal
Quote from: Gareth Vaughan on Friday 18 September 2009, 15:31
No, Mike is not impressed with Dreyschock - apart from the PC, of course. You can look forward to the 2 Taubert concertos +Rosenhain in early 2010.
What about Pixis?
The Pixis concerto is on the schedule to be recorded - just don't know when... but soon.
It's funny that Mike Spring would be more interested in the Dreyschock PC than in the Konzertstuck. IMHO, melodically speaking, the Konzertstuck is far superior.
I completely agree, Jim. I found the Piano Concerto to be chock full of dull noodling, whereas the Konzertstuck is a stunner - melodic, exciting ad instantly memorable. What a shame that Genesis haven't reissued their recording on CD.
Mark, do you really mean that you think Dreyschock's PC is chock full of dull noodling? Is that fair? Well, compared with Kullak's PC it's just a PC, nothing more. But dull noodling? Piers Lane wrote "...this too is great fun to play." I cannot play the Dreyschock PC, but I think it's great fun to hear. But then, I've never heard the Konzertstück.
I've heard worse Romantic PC's, for example all 3 Hiller's (yes, including #2). I will come back to Hiller in another thread.
I'll go into battle for Hiller PC3: a lovely, expansive work in the Mendelssohnian tradition. Of course, it's not a spectacular piece, but at least it was written by a proper composer...
Oops, my prejudice is showing!
Sorry Peter, but to me at least the Dreyschock Piano Concerto was probably the biggest disappointment of the Hyperion Piano Concerto series. All due respect to both you and Piers Lane but just because he thinks it's "...great fun to play" doesn't make it great fun to listen to, never mind great music.
As always, this trenchant defence comes with the caveat that it's only my opinion :-)
When the Dreyschock first came out, I must admit my anticipation turned into disappointment. Althought i liked it, I was just expecting something spectacular. When i first heard the Concertstuck i thought it by far the superior work.
I look forward the Pixis. Perhaps an all Pixis disk with Les Trois Clochettes or the Grand Rondeau Hongrois.
I guess with a series as big as the Hyperion one, there are always going to be disappointments and what i do not like might well appeal to others. I won't go through the ones that did not appeal to me, but one was by a French composer.
Thal
I'll go to bat for Hiller 3 as well. The 2nd is a fine work, but I actually consider the Espressivo to be a superior piece in many ways, and certainly, IMHO both late Hiller concertos surpass the Dreyschock Concerto in every respect. Maybe even Hiller 1 too.
I too enjoyed the Dreyschock Concert Piece. It's melodically memorable and does not outstay its welcome, which the finale of the PC can be accused of doing. Incidentally, Frank Cooper (the pianist on the Genesis CD) took some entirely justifiable liberties with the Concert Piece (I think Dreyschock would have approved) and made it better than it is. He allocated a phrase on the piano to the clarinets at one point so that the two sets of instruments (piano and woodwind) have a little dialogue. He added some piano figurations to a tutti passage and the final cascade of broken octaves is entirely his - and entirely Dreyschockian. It makes me smile every time I hear it.
As to Pixis, it is likely that the concertino will accompany the Grand Concerto, but there will need to be something else as well to fill up the CD. I suspect Mike is thinking of the Hartknoch 2nd PC (No. 1 is lost) - if only we can find the full score or a set of parts.
Now I must stand up for Hiller, particularly the Concerto espressivo, since I located the score. A really beautiful and individual work, in my opinion. Not as flashy as Op, 69, but then it's not meant to be. I was a little underwhelmed when I saw the score first, but it has its own distinctive voice and grew on me very quickly - more so in Shelley's sensitive performance. Since I was also instrumental in finding the orchestral parts for No. 1, I have to say that I enjoy that work too, while not making any great claims for it.
Poor Alexander Dreyschock... But I like his opus 137. At this very moment I'm listening to his concerto again, and I really like it. Nice themes, some virtuoso passages, but not very profound, that's for sure (although the 2nd movement is absolutely lovely). However, coupled on a disc with Kullak's PC makes the Dreyschock concerto quite trivial, but then I consider the Kullak PC as one of the four best of the Hyperion series.
How lovely Dreyschock's Konzertstück must be! Maybe I feel sorry for Dreyschock because of all the criticism he received in his days, and later. I have the CD of Dreyschock's "Romantic piano music" by Michael Krücker (on the NCA label), which proves that Dreyschock is a fine composer.
Pixis? I'm very much looking forward to the release of any of his concertos. That must be quite something. See the thread on Johann Peter Pixis.
Ferdinand Hiller? I'm not that impressed, but I know I have to listen to his concertos 1 and 3 more often. I've just heard the double disc of piano music by Adrian Ruiz. But that's for another thread.
____________
Gareth, I'm very happy Hiller's 1st and 3rd PC are now recorded! His piano concertos are surely an important addition to the Romantic PC repertoire, and in my collection as well. Tomorrow I'll give the disc another spin.
I can imagine the Hartknoch 2nd along with the Pixis. Nice cantabile moments and a brilliant rondo.
Thal
Quote from: Peter1953 on Saturday 19 September 2009, 21:13
Maybe I feel sorry for Dreyschock because of all the criticism he received in his days, and later. I have the CD of Dreyschock's "Romantic piano music" by Michael Krücker (on the NCA label), which proves that Dreyschock is a fine composer.
I feel sorry for him too. Regretfully, most people will only remember his name because of his mechanical stunts, but a study of his works reveal anything but a mindless mechanicus.
Thal
I agree. Dreyschock definitely deserves a better press. But it's the same old thing - prejudice. And then people sneer at him who have never heard a note of his music! Michael Krucker's CD is most enjoyable. I think, if one is to be fair, what weakend the PC is the lack of a sense of argument (by which I mean exchange of views) between the solo piano and the orchestra. The same criticism could be levelled at both the Concert Piece and the Rondo - Salut a Vienne. But Maurice Hinson thought that in the hands of the right pianist the PC would become "a minor masterpiece".
One does come across a lot of prejudice on piano forums (i have been guilty myself). I don't mind people who criticise composers as long as they have at least listened to half a dozen of their works.
I will never forget someone who once claimed "Czerny wrote nothing but boring etudes" who had actually not listened to or played a single work.
Anyway, just finished listening the the Schytte concerto which has put me in a rather good mood. Stunning piece.
Thal
Yeah, and I'm sure many people absolutely "hate Pachelbel's music", even though they've heard exactly one piece in arrangements unrelated to the original...
Or on the flip side love everything by x, when all they've heard are the popular pieces and not the other 400 pieces...
People are weird.
Hi all
Especially thalbergmad. A warm welcome. I share your passion for romantic concertos - piano, violin, cello...and yea, down to the euphonium and accordion when the crunch comes. Note: two accordion concertos were composed by W.B.Molique, an unsung to end all unsungs.
Re the original topic, I still find the openings of both the Brahms concertos hard to beat. Heard no 2 at a concert last night (Hamelin as pianist) and it confirmed a long held view. Among the unsungs, the opening of Raff's concerto is very striking. And as confessed in an earlier posting on this thread, I am very fond of have the winsome beginning of Hummel's late classical op 110.
One topic which has never really been considered in depth is what seems to have been the romantic piano concerto explosion of the 1830s, which I guess really began in Weber's hey-day, the 1820s. A lot of 'piano paganinis' seem to have been around. Why? Separate topic, I think.
regards
Peter
Well Hyperion is releasing Vol 48. Stenhammer Piano concertos in Nov. I Think the opening of the 1st in B-flat minor is very good. I already have a version on bis . Wonder what Vol. 50 will be ???!!!???
Allow me to plug the heck out of Eduard Kunneke's Piano Concerto No. 1 in A flat Major, op.36. Especially its opening, which is a thundering display for the soloist, only lightly punctuated by the orchestra. Heck, here's its first two minutes to whet your appetite. Tiny Wirtz is the pianist with the German Southwest Radio Orchestra under Wlodzmierz Kamirski on this KOCH disc.
http://jimmosk1.home.comcast.net/KunnekePCopening.mp3 (http://jimmosk1.home.comcast.net/KunnekePCopening.mp3)
-J
--
Jim Moskowitz
The Unknown Composers Page: http://kith.org/jimmosk/TOC.html
My latest list of unusual classical CDs for auction: http://tinyurl.com/527t7
Yes, the Kunneke is a superb work. But does anyone know his 2nd PC? I don't.
I don't think Künneke ever composed a 2nd piano concerto. It's interesting statement that Künneke, as a typical composer of opera's, operetta's and theatre music, also composed a few other works in a different genre. Why did he do that? Just for fun? An assignment? For a musical friend who likes to play a showpiece in a concert hall? Künneke obviously knew very well how to write for the piano, because it sounds anything but predictable, easy and boring.
Massenet immediately comes to my mind as another example, although less explicit than Künneke. Maybe something for another topic?
Hello jimmosk/Gareth/Peter1953
Read with interest your comments on Kunneke PC. Listened to audio extracts. Very much liked what I heard. Decided to buy cd. Only source I found Amazon(co.uk/com/ca) but price absolutely ridiculous!!!! Seems cd no longer generally available - very disappointing! Will keep an eye out for the cd when I next visit some of the second hand shops in London. Thanks for alerting me to an interesting composer.
Cheers
Dennis
I've just visited an informative website: www.piano-concertos.org (http://www.piano-concertos.org)
Many names and concertos I've never heard of, but one of our favourite unsungs is missing: Johann Rufinatscha
Heard snippets of the opening of the Kunneke concerto. I'm looking forward to hearing it on my home computer because my girlfriend stubbornly refuses to get high speed internet, and her AOL dial-up has to constantly stop and rebuffer every two seconds! I, too liked what I heard. This brings up an interesting point. Usually, if a work is referred to as "No. 1", is it not implicit that there is a "No. 2" out there somewhere? If it was Kunneke's only work in the form, would we not be calling it simply "Kunneke Piano Concerto in A-Flat Major, Op. 36"? Which brings me to another stunning PC opening: Brull #2. Somewhat derivative of Beethoven's 4th, but I like the dialogue with the timpani and the buildup to the first big tutti pronouncement of the theme.
Quote from: Peter1953 on Saturday 03 October 2009, 12:28
I've just visited an informative website: www.piano-concertos.org (http://www.piano-concertos.org)
Many names and concertos I've never heard of, but one of our favourite unsungs is missing: Johann Rufinatscha
There is also this one as well:
http://20th-century-piano-concertos.org/
Indeed there are some missing, but an excellent resource to give one some ideas.
Thal
Quote from: JimL on Saturday 03 October 2009, 15:54
I'm looking forward to hearing it on my home computer because my girlfriend stubbornly refuses to get high speed internet, and her AOL dial-up has to constantly stop and rebuffer every two seconds! I, too liked what I heard. This brings up an interesting point. Usually, if a work is referred to as "No. 1", is it not implicit that there is a "No. 2" out there somewhere?
Very inconvenient, Jim. Maybe you can ask your girlfriend to move in, or get another girlfriend? ;D
De German version of Wikipedia only speaks of the Piano Concerto in A flat major, view at http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduard_K%C3%BCnneke#Werke (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduard_K%C3%BCnneke#Werke)
I can't find any information on a 2nd PC by Kunneke, so it may well be that it was published as No. 1, but he never got round to writing another. A similar thing happened with the Choral Symphony by Holst - it was published as "First Choral Symphony, Op. 41", but the work had no successor.
Quote from: Peter1953 on Sunday 04 October 2009, 08:48
Very inconvenient, Jim. Maybe you can ask your girlfriend to move in, or get another girlfriend? ;D
I think it likelier that I'll move in with her within the next couple of months and bring my computer with me. Then I'll pay her for Time-Warner Roadrunner, and let her keep her Winky-Dink little AOL for herself. She's more comfortable with that anyway. She's kind of a Luddite when it comes to matters technological. ;)
Here is a legal download of the Künneke- Concerto. It is a Radio Broadcast and a Radio- Production and so abolutely legal. By the way: It is far better played.......
http://rs92gc.rapidshare.com/files/294183474/K__nneke.zip
Hello Michael Schlechtriem
Thank you for the link to downloading the Kunneke PC. However when I input the link you gave, the following message came up :
Error- the file could not be found. Please check the download link.
Can you tell me what I should do to download the PC.
Kind regards
Dennis
It worked for me Dennis, so i am not sure what is wrong.
Re-listened to the Stavenhagen concerto this morning and that has a rather stunning opening. In fact, it has a rather stunning everything IMO.
Brahms can go hang himself.
Thal
Hello Dennis,
there is nothing wrong with the link, maybe you just did not copy and paste it correct.
Best,
Michael
Hello Michael
You are absolutely right, I did not copy and paste correctly! Have successfully downloaded the pc and am looking forward to listening to it later this morning. Many thanks for the link.
Cheers
Dennis
Lots of fun reading all of your responses. Following up on Steven Eldredge's post, those who haven't heard the Beethoven 4th with Serkin and Schneider at Marlboro are in for a treat. It may be the most spiritually deep recording ever of the B4 opening. Credit is due to all involved, Wow is all I can say.
Historically, the "concerto problem" (how to do something with the concerto form other than an update on what Mozart did) was big news in the 1840s. Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto is probably the most famous solution. For the piano concerto, Hiller seems to have been the man who figured out a way to thoroughly integrate piano and orchestra, going well beyond the introductory flourishes of Beethoven's Emperor. That's why Schumann was so impressed by Hiller's second and adopted its tactics it in his own Concerto (dedicated to Hiller). At least in its time, the opening of Hiller's second concerto was arresting. Later, of course, Grieg used Schumann as a template. The rest, including Tchaikovsky, is history. Hiller's Konzertstueck is, following Weber's, an alternative response to the "concerto problem," and currently my favorite of his concertos. Entirely sunny, though, unlike Brahms 1. (Vox has a decent performance with Jerome Rose.)
One thing the best 19th-century concerto composers strove for was purity of taste -- freedom from banality, sentimentality, and anything insincere. The problem (for other composers!) with Brahms's first is that it goes so far beyond taste. How many previous concertos had originally been conceived as symphonies?
Welcome, chill! Interesting to note the temporal relationship of the Hiller F-sharp Minor PC to the Mendelssohn E Minor VC - I believe the Hiller antedates it by a couple of years. Mozart, of course, experimented with early solo entry in his K. 271 Jeunhomme Concerto, but not until Beethoven 4 was the idea of having the solo start first ever considered in the Classical era. I wonder if Baroque concertos were still being performed in public? There are numerous examples of early solo entry and starting with the soloists in that repertoire (e.g. the Vivaldi Concerto for 4 Violins in B Minor which Bach transcribed and transposed for 4 harpsichords.) Most Baroque music that I can think of died out in terms of public performance until Mendelssohn's revival of Bach's St. Matthew Passion in 1829.
Indeed, welcome to the forum, chill319!
Quote from: FBerwald on Saturday 23 May 2009, 19:41
A few more concerted pieces for piano and orchestra that deserve mentioning -
Robin Milford - Fishing by Moonlight for piano and strings
Jean Françaix - Concertino
Gerald Finzi - Eclogue in F major for piano and string orchestra
Busoni - Indian Fantasy
Raff - 'Ode au Printemps' for piano and orchestra
Rubinstein - Fantaisie Op.84, Concertstück Op.113(marvelous), Caprice Russe
Goedicke - Concertstück
Arensky - Fantasia on Russian folksongs
I just got the new recording on Naxos of works of Lyapunov and I've fallen in love with the Rhapsody on Ukranian Themes. Yet another composer to explore.
Thhomas
Saint-Saëns - Wedding Cake
Vianna da Motta - Fantasia Dramática
Lyapunov - Rhapsody on Ukrainian Themes(words can't describe the beauty of this GEM!)
Sterndale Bennett - Caprice in E major(you won't stop smiling)
Ignaz Brüll - Andante and Allegro Op 88
Ernst Mielck - Concert Piece For Piano & Orchestra
....and so on!!!
Its curious that Nobody has mentioned the almost pastoral Piano Concerto in E flat by Sergei Ivanovich Taneyev. Its long, incomplete(only 2 movements), almost monothematic and utterly charming!
Quote from: Michael Schlechtriem on Saturday 17 October 2009, 13:35
Here is a legal download of the Künneke- Concerto. It is a Radio Broadcast and a Radio- Production and so abolutely legal. By the way: It is far better played.......
http://rs92gc.rapidshare.com/files/294183474/K__nneke.zip
Hi, I am having the same problem that Dennis had - I have tried typing the link and I have tried cutting and pasting the link but I get the same result each time - ERROR - file not found or link not found.
Can you help at all,
thanks
Rob
Try this:
http://www.rapidshare.com/files/294183474/K__nneke.zip (http://www.rapidshare.com/files/294183474/K__nneke.zip)
Thanks so much - I love this concerto. It's a shame that it doesn't appear to have a companion.
Rob
hello, I am from Italy and new on this forum (great!!)
About stunning opening of PC, I'd like to mention Brull 2nd...and Somervell's Highlands PC
best regards
Andrea
While these composers are not of the romantic era, to miss these magnificent openers would be a tragedy.
Alexander Tcherepnin Op. 12 CONCERTO NO. 1 (1919–20)
Sergei Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-flat, Op. 10 (1911–12)
(I know, I digress)
Thanks for mentioning the Prokofiev, though.
Martucci (I guess 1 and 2 qualify, especially 2) already were mentioned - on page 1...
(I am guessing some of these were inspired by another grand, chromatic, striking opening outside our bailiwick on the other end -- of Mozart K491, one of my favorites among -his- works... )
I find the opening of Scharwenka 3 more memorable personally- ... maybe because it keeps reminding me of an important motive from the Death and the Maiden Quartet first movement. (It's also beautiful, but ok, I agree it's perhaps not quite stunning/grand-gestured enough. What belongs here- hrm. There's a -very- stunning piano concerto opening - or is it a finale-opening?... - on the tip of my mind but even if it hasn't been mentioned in 10 pages here, it may not be unsung, either... hrm.)
(Likewise the opening of the Draeseke concerto probably appeals so much to me - "music does not lie to the heart" (?) and I find myself humming that opening quite a bit - anyhow, more for subjective reasons than for anything having to do with this thread, though ah, I'll nominate it :) )
The Draeseke is especially effective in the Hyperion recording - much better than the MDG with its clattery piano.
Acquire the Hyperion CD of the Draeseke (stunning well beyond its opening, and stunningly well performed) and, fortunate purchaser, and you also acquire the two Jadassohn piano concertos. Not so obviously impressive as the Draeseke (which to my mind is a masterwork that should be regularly performed in our concert halls) - but stick with them and their considerable merits will steadily grow on you.
Absolutely right, Peter!
The Albeniz Piano Concerto - 'Concerto Fantastico' - has a rather impressive opening. :)
Quote from: petershott@btinternet.com on Monday 03 September 2012, 10:13
Acquire the Hyperion CD of the Draeseke (stunning well beyond its opening, and stunningly well performed) and, fortunate purchaser, and you also acquire the two Jadassohn piano concertos. Not so obviously impressive as the Draeseke (which to my mind is a masterwork that should be regularly performed in our concert halls) - but stick with them and their considerable merits will steadily grow on you.
The opening of Jadassohn PC 2 sure sticks with me!
Gade's 5th Symphony/Piano Concerto does it for me. Beautiful opening theme, and a few unexpected melodic turns here and there as the piece developes...
But then, I'm quite conservative :)
Nothing wrong with that!
I am not sure if the PC by Paderewski with enetgetic opening or his Polish Phantasy have been mentioned
Lyapunov Piano concerto No. 2 .... The muted string intro is quite beautiful.
Did anybody mention the Rufinatscha concerto?
... I think I remember the concerto whose opening was running through my head- not unsung at all, but the opening of Mendelssohn's G minor.
Maybe already listed, maybe not (well, not everything that -is- listed on page 1 is unsung either...), but that brief rushing-tremolo crescendo preceding the piano entrance - etc. - yes, I can see why when I was thinking about ear-catching openings, that leapt to my - inner ear - even if I managed typically for me, to forget for a few days, who wrote it.
I do absolutely Agree with the beauty of the lyapunov Rhapsody – do you agree that the beginning is exactly the same as a melody in some Rachmaninov Concerto (i think second concerto)? I think that even the orchestration is very similar – it's only a few bars, but that's the stunning thing about this piece: the beautiful Rachmaninow melody that everyone knows, but composed quite some years earlier as far as I know.
ewk
No. There is nothing in the Rach 2 that was lifted from the Lyapunov Rhapsody. Remember that Lyapunov used 3 Ukrainian folk songs as the basis for his work.
I'm sorry, I was writing the previous post without research, only from memory – and you're right, there is no Rach 2 in Lyapunov's Rhapsody or vice vers.
But however, there is a little bit of Rach 3 in it! It is only one melody and the end is different, and the orchestration is not at all similar, that was just wrong:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzR-c4ELTOs#t=0m40 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzR-c4ELTOs#t=0m40) (lyapunov)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lusMu2LGIUM&feature=related#t=12m40 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lusMu2LGIUM&feature=related#t=12m40) (rachmaninov)
So it's not the big parallel as i promised in my last post but still, when first listening to the Rhapsody (I bougth the reprint of the vox box with michael ponti some months ago), the first thing to cross my mind was "wow, that's like rachmaninov!
But this is not the only reason to love this piece!
ewk
Well, it's really easy to take a snippet here and a snippet there and find a resemblance. Maybe especially with Russian music. Has anybody pointed out to you the parallels to be found between the middle section of the slow movement of Henselt's Piano Concerto and Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C-sharp minor, Op. 3 No. 2?
Well, if you want a resemblance, try the opening of the slow movement of Medtner's Sonata-skazka (1910?) and that of the "big tune" of the E-flat major variation of Rachmaninoff's Paganini Rhapsody (1934). Same key, same notes, different rhythm (only for 5 notes, admittedly.) (Ok, I repeat myself there...)
Are you talking about the 18th Variation? The one in D-flat, where the theme is in augmented inversion?
I expect you're right. Sorry, I need to look at scores of these things. In the Medtner, Bfl G Afl Bfl Efl (though the continuation is different.) (In German, B G As B Es)