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Sheer coincidence that I checked earlier today to try and find Palmgren's concertos. The Finlandia label seems to be available, but is just too expensive. The Finlandia version does fit in all five concertos and even adds some orchestral music. I assume this new recording is a single disc presentation, which makes it a bit expensive as well.

Thank you Alan! I remember the topic (Over-the-top PCs) but somehow it did not show up when I searched.

I have been searching UC for info on all composers named Richter. This lead me to discover Paul Richter, about whom there does not seem to be a thread yet. On YouTube I found a recording of his piano concerto, which is a stunning, melodious work, well constructed, even though the sound quality is not too hot. An internet search lead to a brief biography in Romanian on Wikipedia. Recordings of his works seem to be difficult to find. Can anyone assist with more information, and perhaps also help me with other composers called Richter?

As a result of a recent UC mention I have discovered Djabadary on YouTube, to my utter delight. I see that the link to mikehopf's download of more Djabadary works on UC is inactive. Could someone revitalise the link or add a new download please?

A YouTube search produced one item, a song called Kom!, apparently by the same Josef Johnsson.

Lovely music! Unfortunately, the existing CDs are priced right out of range for ordinary humans. Let's hope Plowright comes in cheaper.

Any hope that it would be made available as a download?

Thank you to Wheest for that valuable hint.

I am listening to the Youtube version, and it is delightful music. The prominent, robust brass is a characteristic of the first movement. I see the same version is available as a CD on Amazon - unfortunately at a price, when shipped to South Africa, is equal to two to three days' wages for most people.

I have just found several Bortkiewicz items on YouTube and heard them for the first time. What a super special unsung composer! It seems that PC 3 finale ends with organ and bells, but I cannot be sure of the organ. Could anyone shed some light on this beautiful but unusual orchestration?

I like Maazel's brisk pace in some recordings. I have, e.g., a 13 minutes Boléro. He does a 10 minutes Boléro on Youtube, which is perhaps a bit too fast.

When years ago I heard the Busoni PC (the Hamelin recording) for the first time it caught me. I have not yet listened to any other version, maybe because I am afraid of being disappointed. I can see Mark's point that one may not like it. It is so different from everything else. To me it is the most beautiful PC I have heard up till now. The piano comes across as a percussion instrument, which is very unusual for this genre but adds to the excitement. The choral ending, I agree with e.g. Gareth, is technically maybe not well handled, yet it just adds flavour. I was unaware of the meaning of the words, which Gareth elucidates for us. One is used to nonsensical texts in classical music, though - just think of Mahler's 8 and Grieg's Discovery of Land. I hope that I may also one day have an opportunity to attend a live performance like Steven.

I subsequently bought more Busoni music, but it was not the same as the PC.

A brief search of the UC board shows that Ildebrando Pizzetti's lovely piano concerto has so far been mentioned only briefly. I bought the Marco Polo CD some years ago, and as I have done before, I did not listen to it properly and relegated it to the backwater of my little collection. This week's listening enabled me to discover some wonderful music. In particular, I was thrilled by the last few minutes of the final movement. Listen to the magnificent timpani score. There is a version available on YouTube.

From my side, a hearty thank you to Ludmil and all others who were involved in resurrecting this work. To perform any good piano concerto is a service to an audience; but to revive a lost concerto and perform it is a service to mankind. All credit to them. Well done!

This thread has prompted me to listen to bits of BS' symphonies on YouTube, and I agree with the positive comments. To buy from Amazon is out of the question, as their shipping cost to South Africa raises the cost of a CD to up to two days' wages. The downloads I could find seem to be copies of the commercial recordings found on Amazon. Does anyone know of legal downloads of BS' symphonies that may be available?

The Busoni PC has already been mentioned in this thread. I regard it as the ultimate piano concerto. Apart from the reasons already mentioned, for me it is the superb build-up of tension leading to climaxes in many places in the concerto, the sheer length, and especially the fact that the piano is treated to a large extent as the ultimate percussion instrument.