I got about 10 of these, bought fairly randomly/opportunistically but then stopped after No 27 (Saint-Saëns). Based on those I do have, I'm certain this continues to be a high quality series. So I was wondering, as filling the large number of gaps exceeds expectations, which one do you:
- reckon was your greatest discovery?
- think is the best of the lot?
(and knowing why would be gr8 for both nominations too).
So, to avoid lists, let's confine ourselves to one answer in each category and include reasons...
I, too, have only a smattering of experiences with this series. The Weber is very well done. The Draeseke is by far the better performance of his concerto. A work I rate very highly but that has taken (for me) a longer acquaintance to appreciate fully is the Hiller Third Concerto. I recommend the Hiller disk strongly.
For me the Scharwenka No. 4 Vol. has yet to be topped!
Reasons, please! Otherwise all we end up with is a thoroughly uninteresting exchange of composers' names!
"think is the best of the lot? " Scharwenka Piano Concerto No. 4 - because
1. I am still as amazed with this piece today as when I first heard it.
2. Amazing music.
3. GRAMOPHONE RECORDING OF THE YEAR 1996
CLASSIC CD AWARD WINNER
CLASSIC CD 100 GREATEST DISCS OF THE DECADE.
4. No reasons needed! The music speaks for itself!
"your greatest discovery?" - Stojowski
1. If it wasn't for Hyperion I [many of us...] would have never have heard of him or these gems.
2. Amazing music.
3. Also, Mr. Plowright became one of my fav. pianists.
4. No reasons needed! The music speaks for itself! ;D
... awaiting for these to arrive in concert halls.... ::)
That's not very helpful to anyone who doesn't know the music. What they will want to know is how and why the music is 'amazing' - particularly as the standard reaction to anything that people like these days is to say that it's 'amazing'. So the issue is: what amazes you about the music?
@Alan you are not going to let go if it are you? ;D ;D ;D
reason no. 4 should be enough. Listen to the concertos and find... but if you insist
re Scharwenka No. 4 - It's his pièce de résistance showcasing his full talents as a composer and formidable pianist. The music is very dramatic with a Maestoso sounding Allegro patetico main theme and a contrastingly beautiful second theme [Scharwenka must have especially loved this as he uses it to conclude the concerto!]. The Intermezzo that follows with its pleasant jaunty trills is delightful; both themes from the 1st movement make appearances here. What follows is a very moving Lento which leads nonstop to a hair raising Tarantella finale that will bring down the house! The accompanying Piano Concerto No. Iby Sauer is a beautiful homage to his teacher Liszt, showing how well he assimilated the lessons learned! Curiously the 1st movement is also an Allegro patetico [very different from Scharwenka's]. The heart of the piece is surely the Cavatina; the theme of which is used in the following light rondo finale.
re The Stojowsky concertos - Concerto No. 1 starts with a low string intro, almost morose theme, which builds up to a grand tutti, starts of a dramatic 1st movement, followed by a serene slow movement and a allegro fuoco finale that lives up to its name. Concerto No. 2 starts with a prologue: there is no slow intro rather it starts of rather abruptly with the winds. It written in best romantic tradition including long runs, counterpoint and bravado writing for piano, and lush strings. The intro. is again quoted on the brass which leads into the 2nd movement: Scherzo - brilliant piano writing, accompanied by playful woods and triangle, etc; it lives up to its name ending in a curious trill. The finale, a set of variations on a beautiful theme is handled with Stojowski's genius that we come to appreciate by the time we have reached this movement. The main theme from the Prologue is brought in again and the concerto ends with the piano playing over a series of solo instruments, the serene conclusion I always wanted the Dvorak Cello Concerto to have!
Thanks very much indeed for taking the time to describe why you like these works so much. That's the sort of description that would make me want to go and buy the CDs - if I didn't have them already!
Quote from: Alan Howe on Thursday 18 July 2013, 16:15
Thanks so much for taking the time to describe why you like these works so much. That's the sort of description that would make me want to go and buy the CDs - if I didn't have them already!
They would make wonderful Christmas gifts. :D
Absolutely right!
Quote from: Alan Howe on Thursday 18 July 2013, 16:15
That's the sort of description that would make me want to go and buy the CDs - if I didn't have them already!
Me 2 !
I have the entire series up to vol. 60 which was just released. I'll have to look through them and think about it, the whole series is really worthy, with only a couple more interesting for curiosity's sake. I do second the Scharwenka mentioned above. All 4 concertos are wonderful and each one is progressively better with the 4th being truly a magnificent piece of music. I would say off of the top of my head the Scharwenka and Litolff were likely the most rewarding discoveries, I will look through the series more and come up with a more detailed response.
Greatest discovery - Lyapunov. What glorious and intersting music. I have since acquired numerous discs of his and continue to explore his output.
Best of the lot - Alnaes. This probably gets the most listening from me (followed by that Sauer/Scharwenka disc already mentioned). It's very reminiscent of Rachmaninov. It's big and tuneful, and why it's not played more I cannot fathom. It's got an opening of a big fat piano right from the start, with that orchestra right there with it. The second movement is gorgeous. I love how the orchestra and piano play so big as it goes along, but not always the same tune/line. The pianist has a lot runs and such throughout the piece. The Sinding is not bad either! :)
Honorable mention: Arensky/Bortkiewicz. Both are very fine. Bortkiewicz, in general, is quite tuneful (and can be recommended for his symphonies as well - the same for Arensky).
Another vote for Alnaes. On both counts. What a magnificent, romantic melodist. Stong themes and great orchestration. The performances are crystal clear and very committed. The symphonies are also quite marvelous. He just didn't write much and died way too young.
I can't recall the Alnaes specifically, I will give it a listen to tonight.
Quote from: Tapiola on Tuesday 27 August 2013, 20:37
Another vote for Alnaes. On both counts. What a magnificent, romantic melodist. Stong themes and great orchestration. The performances are crystal clear and very committed. The symphonies are also quite marvelous. He just didn't write much and died way too young.
I wholeheartedly agree with you about the Alnaes. This is the way late-romantic piano concertos should be written! I also highly enjoy his rather Tchaikovskian (and none the worse for that!) symphonies recorded by Sterling. A shame he died so young! Another concerto I really enjoyed in the series which is in a similar vein as the Alnaes is the Haydn Wood PC, which boasts some lush, memorable tunes. And, of course, the exquisite Wiklund PCs, which seem to out-Rachmaninoff Rachmaninoff in places! I'm not going to repeat myself about my slight disappointment with the recent installments in the series focusing on early/mid-romantic repertoire, but I'm just saying that I don't return to the volumes which include pieces from this time period as much, though I did like the Kullak PC quite a bit. I digress.....
@LateRomantic75 I agree that there has been a lot of early/mid-romantic releases from hyperion lately but the present Vol. No. 60 - Dubois is strictly in the Plush Romantic period! Its simply a delicious CD and my newest favorite addition.
;) for Alan... why I like it sooo much ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
The Concerto-capriccio, although an early piece is charming inspite of being a mainly virtuoso piece. This one movement piece starts out with a cadenza. A Maestoso first theme is offset by a charming second theme. The passage work leading to the central [slow movement] section is laden with pianistic displays. This very brief movement is shadowed by the spirit of Beethovan's brief slow movement of the 4th Concerto [I could be wrong!]. The first theme is recapitulated to start off the Finale section. Predominant pianistic flashes, over the first section recap on strings, brings this justly titled brief concerto to a close.
The second Piano Concerto is a real surprise. Time and again the series brings a concerto that deserves to be on the repertoire. This gem is one of them. An amazing first movement begins with a frenzied orchestral introduction. The piano presents a beautiful 1st theme. The Chopinesque 2nd theme provides a stellar counter melody [this movement especially has to be heard to be believed] The second movement, a "Adagio con sentimento profondissimo" lives up to its name! Get ready to feel like you have plopped down on a favorite armchair [very comfortable and plush] on a very lazy afternoon with nary a care in the world. The third movement is a very french scherzo. Its very brief, brilliante and most of all DOESN'T sound like a Saent-Saens immitation. The finale is peculiar. Its starts of with a piano solo that goes on for nearly half the movement, playing a cadenza that recapitulates all the prior movement themes. The orchestra then enters in a similar fashion to the beginning of this amazing concerto. This movement is a tour de force of pianistic displays [... a sort of downplayed virtuosity as I feel the composer is more concerned with the Symphonic-Concerto aspect but I imagine that the piano part is sufficiently difficult... perhaps someone who has looked at the score can shed some light on this]. There is a brief countrapuntal Orchestral interlude before the rondo returns. A slight change in tempo signals that the coda has arrived and Concerto ends on a cheeky note.
The Suite in F minor starts with an austere sounding theme but that illusion is quickly dispelled. [very similar to way Arensky treated the theme of the 1st movement Le Savant (The Scholar) of his Suite No. 2 the Silhouettes in C minor, Op. 23] The way the themes and counter melodies in this [and all other movements] are tackled is a testament to the then 80 year old composers faculties. Watch out for the coda where the composer delights us with some amazing harmonic shifts that effectively end this movement. The Scherzo [placed second!] is very unlike the scherzo in the grand Second Concerto. Its more of a cerebral scherzo than a tongue-n-cheek one. The following Andante is in the similar vein as the 2nd concerto slow movement but is a bit more impassioned. Highlights include a very beautiful violin solo and varied piano and strings dialogue. The Finale has many charming classical sounding passages. I read in the booklet that this suite anticipated Poulenc in places. If this is even remotely true then it is certainly in this movement. The coda with with mock-mozart feel will surely coax a smile from you.
Wonderfully detailed - thank you!
I liked the reference to Arensky - that was suggestive and I think illuminating. (But I don't really get the booklet's reference to Poulenc. Of course, everything has some comparison with everything else....but that's hardly significant).
How things change - just a few years ago I guess not many were familiar with Dubois, and now we have a major label recording him. I discovered Dubois through those three chamber music discs on Atma - some really lovely works there.
I shall be staring at my post box in the morning - MDT has just mailed me telling me that the new Dohler & Dreyschock CD in the RPC series has been dispatched. Hope it is a cracker!
Postscript: the provision of 'reasons' for a view isn't just to keep Alan happy (though I suppose that is a good thing). It is surely an expectation in any forum populated by thinking people.
Postscript II: the listening to music in plush comfortable armchairs isn't conducive to serious listening.
.. I don't mind keeping Alan happy! ;D ;D ;D and I just wanted to say that listening to the Andante was very very relaxing. Believe you me! :)
It seems that Dubois wrote 3 Symphonies. I waiting for someone to record them!
Hyperion are currently offering volumes 24 (Vianna da Motta) and 34 (Pierne) at a knock down price of £5.60 each in their Please Someone Buy Me section. The offer is changing every few days during August, so if they are missing from your collection, hurry!
I have been listening to the Alnaes, I don't think I've listened to it before, and yes, I agree it is a wonderful piece! I love how the orchestra just leaps out and continues in a full throated way with some gorgeous melodies along the way.
Quote from: jonah on Friday 30 August 2013, 16:23
Hyperion are currently offering volumes 24 (Vianna da Motta) and 34 (Pierne) at a knock down price of £5.60 each in their Please Someone Buy Me section. The offer is changing every few days during August, so if they are missing from your collection, hurry!
Speaking of vol. 24, the Vianna da Motta was a very pleasant discovery for me, not so much his A major concerto, but the Fantasia Dramatica is worth the price of the disc, and the solo piano ballada included is a very welcome addition.
Quote from: petershott@btinternet.com on Friday 30 August 2013, 12:48
I shall be staring at my post box in the morning - MDT has just mailed me telling me that the new Dohler & Dreyschock CD in the RPC series has been dispatched. Hope it is a cracker!
I am not sure if this new volume is available in Canada (where I am) yet, though I am looking forward to it for the Dreyschock "Morceau de concert", it apparently makes several references to pieces by Beethoven, particularly the appassionata, though sadly musical quotations are frowned upon by some corners of classical music, I tend to be very fond of pieces which make use of them.
Re Vianna da Motta: For myself I enjoyed both- and hope someone will make his rather good symphony available on a label with wider distribution (two recordings on Portugalsom- well- two recordings is still better than none or one, though I've only heard one of them!)
Just saying. :)