Topics

www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/max-meyer-olbersleben-jens-hoffmann-virtuose-salonmusik-des-kreises-um-franz-liszt/hnum/2674713

Just saw this listed on JPC - I don't know the pianist at all but the programme certainly looks interesting. I only one of these works in my collection (the von Bulow op27) and I'm not entirely sure that any of the others have been recorded before.

Here is a list of the contents:
Meyer-Olbersleben: Ballade op. 9
+Bendel: Dornröschen; Improvisation über das Wiegenlied von Johannes Brahms op. 141
+Klindworth: Polonaise-Fantaisie
+Reubke: Scherzo op. 3
+Bülow: Impromptu op. 27 "Lacerta"
+Bronsart: Fantasie op. 6
+Raff: Introduktion & Allegro scherzoso op. 87

Rob

Three sets of variations released here

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=PMR0065

Grand piano are releasing a collection of Friedman works that have mostly not been previously recorded.

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=GP711.

Gunnar Johansen recorded op27, op61/4, a couple of op71 and all the Viennese dances but these are hard to obtain and the sound is dismal. Coincidentally the op61 Preludes are also on a CD soon to be released on Toccata and played by Glebov (see Levitzki, Gabrilovitsch and Friedman post of March 28th).

http://www.mdt.co.uk/levitzki-mischa-complete-works-for-piano-margarita-glebov-toccata-classics.html

Noticed this lovely little number on MDT. OK Levitski is salon music but classy and entertaining salon music and two of these pieces haven't been recorded before (op3 and op8).

Gabrilowitsch has three unrecorded items: op1 and op2/1 and 3 (the Gavotte op2/2 was recorded back in 1925) and Friedman has 3 otherwise unrecorded transcriptions and the op61 Preludes and a selection of the op63 Etudes.

Gunnar Johansen did record the Etudes and the first of the Preludes (on his Artist Direct label) but the sound isn't great, there is masses of reverb (just lots...) and they are now very difficult recordings to get hold of.

Hopefully more Friedman (and indeed Gabrilowitsch) will appear on Toccata.

Rob

Have just noticed this on Naxos recording sessions videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tO52m2NGG8

Tuck plays various concertante works including the Grand Concerto in A minor.

Rob

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=GP661

Some new repertoire here - good release.
Rob

With the info about Boyle and Hill we have covered 3 future releases in this series:

Boyle and Hill concertos - Piers Lane
Beach, Chaminade (?) and Hopekirk - ?
Rozycki 2 concertos and Ballade - Jonathan Plowright.

Has news of anything else seeped through?

Don't think I've seen this little gem mentioned yet: piano music of Mana-Zucca.

http://www.albanyrecords.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=TROY1580

Ok not an unsung composer but I see that Stephen Hough has recorded the Dvorak Concerto for Hyperion. It doesn't say if this is for the RPC series but if it is does anyone know what the coupling is likely to be?
There's the Novak - lovely piece that I only know from an old radio broadcast. I can think of other Czech piano concertos (Navratil and Novacek come to mind) but I can't think what Stephen would play nowadays. Of course it may not be in the series in which case there could be any coupling.
Rob

Hot on the heels of Naxos' piano concertante disc I noticed this on the jpc site

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/czerny-48-preludes-and-fugues-op-856/hnum/6863034

I have to be honest - I didn't even know he'd written 48 Preludes and Fugues.
Rob

I see that Nadejda Vlaeva is recording a CD of Bortkiewicz piano music for Hyperion! The only piece I know is definitely on it is the Mazurka op64-1 which apparently was only discovered very recently - I have no info on how or where but that's what Nadejda says. There is a video of her E-G performance here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0PIgjKGtj0

In the introduction to this performance she says it was found gathering dust in a publisher's archive, a manuscript that SB had sent with the hope of it being published in Germany but the resources shortage following World War II got in the way. One hopes that other solos by SB marked "this score is still missing" were in the same location.
These missing items, according to Bortkiewicz.com are:

Op 49 Zwei Klavierstücke
Op 58 Jugoslawische Suite "Adria"
Op 61 Fantasiestücke
Op 64 3 Mazurkas
Op 66 Six Préludes 2, 4-6
Op 68 Tom Sawyer's Abenteuer

A CD with all these on would be wonderful but if the only new item is this precious little Mazurka I'll still be a happy man.
Rob

Some upcoming light relief from Czerny:

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.573254

I'm not aware that any have been recorded before but I'm prepared to be corrected.

Rob

Sorry to distract from the important stuff but I seem to remember that when the Romantic Piano Concerto Somervell and Cowen Cd came out there was some discussion about Cowen's unusual name (Sir Frederic Hymen Cowan) and someone posted a link to old census records that had some decidedly odd names (Raspberry Tufts was just one example)
Does anyone remember or know the link? I can't find it (though it may have been on pianophilia - will try there too).
Thanks,
Rob

[Moor]

With the (quiet) announcement that Emmanuel Moor's Cm Piano concerto is to be released I would like to start a little wish-list for 2015 concertos if that's OK.

The Moor Piano concertos have been on my list for a while - big-boned virtuosic concertos from the late 19th and early 20th century. I see he wrote 2 Concertstucke, a rhapsodie and a suite, all for piano and orchestra in addition to his 4 concerti.
Abram Chasins - I believe he wrote 2 piano concertos. If they have anything of the marvellous writing of his preludes or transcriptions they will be winners.
Henri Ravina - potentially just facile note-spinners but there is plenty of variety in his etudes so could be worth an outing.
Louis Brassin - I want to hear what the writer of the Wagner transcriptions sounds like without the famous name preceding his. The Wagner/Brassin Magic Fire music is inspired but then so are the Pabst transcriptions and his Concerto is empty bombast (the Pabst I was so looking forward to hearing and was massively disappointed).
There are other names I want to hear but I'll leave it at that for the moment.

I'm curious to hear what's on others wish lists,

Rob

I have just read on facebook that Jonathan Plowright is recording both Rozycki Piano Concertos and the Ballade in Glasgow soon. I feel obliged to say "Yeeaaahhh!", Rob

Sorry I posted this in the wrong place originally

Just noticed this:

http://www.markandersonpianist.com/news/anderson-to-record-solo-piano-works-by-dutch-composer-julius-rontgen-in-may-2014/

No details as yet but something to look forward to.
Rob

Does anyone know anything about this female (I'm assured) pianist/composer? A friend is playing some piano pieces by her and can find no information at all. All I can see is that she played Paderewski's Polish fantasy (4 times) and Rubinstein's 4th concerto (twice) at several proms concerts between 1909 and 1921. Several pianists biogs note that they won the "Christian Carpenter recital prize" or "CC accompaniment prize" at the RAM or RCM but can find no mention amongst past allumi or professors at those institutions.
Amazon has a few of her scores but again, no info.
Thanks,
Rob

According to the biography of Friedman by Allan Evans these are his non-piano solo or songs:

op32 Romance pour violon (ou violoncelle)  et piano (published by Piwarski, ded. Kochanski)
op50 Melody Slave, Valse lente for cello and piano (Universal)
Quintet for piano and strings (Hansen, 1918)

I do keep checking but the only recording of the quintet that I know is the one by Gunnar Johansen and the Pro Arte quintet. Like all Johansen's Friedman recordings (and there are quite a few) the sound quality is iffy.

This is a commercial recording on Johansen's own Artist Direct label so I don't think I will be able to post it even though I'm not sure how one gets hold of it otherwise - maybe contacting Gordon Rumson at http://www.gunnarjohansen.org/. I hope that someone eventually makes decent restorations of these recordings to CD. I'm sure there must be software that can correct at least some of the excessive reverberation and occasional pitch fluctuations that abound.

Of course what would be even more welcome would be a modern traversal of his output as opposed to the bits a pieces here and there that occasionally appear.
Rob

http://www.mdt.co.uk/lewin-michael-piano-phantoms-sono-luminus.html

This is an interesting looking compilation of goblins. Even after 35 years of collecting rare piano music I will have many new works here. The Tausig and Liapunov will be the only ones I have in multiple recordings and there are composers here I've not heard of - Troyer, Kaski, Florence Price. Really nice to have a piece by Julie Rive-King; I'm not aware of any other recordings of her music or transcriptions - of course I'm very happy if someone can correct me on that score!
Rob

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/futurereleases.php?composer=&work=&performer=moog&medium=all&label=&cat=

This looks fun! I only know Gieseking's own music from his entertaining Schorschi-Batschi (foxtrot) played by Hamelin at Husum in 1994 (Danacord DACOCD429) so can't imagine what this will be like but looking forward to finding out. If nothing else this CD gives us the Scarlatti/Tausig and Scarlatti/Friedman that have (to my knowledge) never been recorded. The Tausig Pastorale and Capriccio were endlessly recorded once upon a time but the other three sonatas he transcribed have languished as have the two Friedman.
On that matter I wish there was someone who would record the complete Friedman transcriptions - they're so well written, vastly entertaining, occasionally OTT (I know some don't like this but I love it) and extremely imaginative. They have appeared piecemeal over the years in performances from excellent to dodgy (either performance or sound quality - what a shame Gunnar Johansen's recordings are in such poor sound) but several have still not been brought to light. My own poor fingers are no match for Friedman's intricate and virtuoso writing unfortunately.
Rob