Unsung Composers

Can anyone tell me more about this piece?  I understand that it was unpublished, and has been (at some point) reported lost...however, a friend who teaches piano at Juilliard told me this morning that the score exists in Paris (recent discovery?) but the work is early, somewhat uncharacteristic Moszkowski. 

More information, please.

David

hrm. his works opus 1-4 were published in 1875 so I am going to guess that it was composed in that general area of time, and will see if I can possibly find any reviews of a performance, say, but this is the first I'd heard of it... though I see that a list of his works does mention it (another doesn't...) (indeed, the "allmusic.com bio" claims that 1875 was the year the opus 3 concerto was premiered by the composer. there's some disagreement between the few mentions I see as to whether this premiere was a duet with Liszt and without orchestra, or whether it was with orchestra and then followed by another performance of the same work as a duet with Liszt (the allmusic.com bio has the latter, some others the former)- anyways... allegedly premiered 1875, composed by then, as yet unpublished, don't know much else yet- sorry...)
Ah! http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/c.asp?c=C424 (http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/c.asp?c=C424) - Philipp Scharwenka conducts the premiere of Moszkowski's concerto opus 3, then Liszt and Mosz. perform it as a duet. Hrm. Some good things in the bio at the link actually.

That would be quite a find, if true.  The liner notes for the first Hyperion RPC issue (Moszkowski Op. 59 and Paderewski) state quite plainly that this Op. 3 concerto was lost, along with his 2 symphonies.  If the score has been found, that may be a harbinger of good things regarding the symphonies (as well as another Hyperion CD).  ;D

Wow! exciting news. Hope this is not Just another rumor...

yes, intriguing. I wish it was truth and some day ...

I would like to know when Moszkowski's 1st piano concerto was given the label Op3! I know that Op3 is a blank in his opus number listing, but I can only assuume that this a presumption as there are other lost works from this period (early 1870's) unless there is concrete evidence to confirm the composer's intention.

All this may be explained in a new publication, which I understand will be available in early 2012: Moritz Moszkowski Biographie und Werkverzeihniss, by Boyan Assenov (ISBN 978-3-86988-210-9). which is being published by Hainholz.de. They list this publication as having c525 pages, so I presume there has been much research done and hopefully a worthy worklist that may also shed light on other 'lost' works (Symphonies, Overture, Piano Quintet etc). Anyway, my copy is already on pre-order!

It would be great if PC1 does indeed survive, and I know Mike Spring will be more than interested.......

Very interesting stuff.  Actually, I have no authority for the Op.3 label except some mention on the internet...thin evidence, indeed.  The concerto is apparently in A, whether major or minor my source could not remember.  He has promised to get more information...

David

I have now had confirmation via a reliable source (Hyperion Records)  that this piano concerto DOES SURVIVE in its entirety!! Apparently it is in the key of B minor and  the autographed score actually states Op6 (this number was eventually assigned to his Fantasie-Impromptu for publication) - so perhaps an oversight on Moszkowski's part at the time. It would therefore be quite reasonable to fill the missing Op3 listing with this work! Obviously I now look forward to reading what Boyan Assenov has to say about this in his study.

Hopefully we will not have to wait too long to hear it!

Now THAT really is a worthwhile piece of news. Thanks, Martin.

Thanks, Martin.  Great news! (I was unable to change the opus # in the original heading...)

David

This work was unearthed (if that is the correct word) by a friend of mine a few months ago and indeed it is marked Op.6. The nice people at the BNF allowed him to take photos which must have taken some time considering the 450 odd pages.

The last I heard was that it was pretty certain that the BNF would give permission for the manuscript to be typeset and published and that a performance was being scheduled for May next year.

Concertingly.

Thal

This is very exciting news, Thal. Oh, and welcome back!

Quote from: thalbergmad on Monday 05 December 2011, 22:33
...... a performance was being scheduled for May next year.

Concertingly.

Thal

O schöner Mai! Can't come soon enough!

Is there any further news about this concerto.  Did a performance take place last year? Are there any plans to record it?

Oh! Please let it be Hyperion.

It has been revealed by Ludmil Angelov in the last few hours that the premier will be at the National Philharmonic Hall in Warsaw on the 14th June 2014. The orchestra is the Rzeszow Philharmonic conducted by Maestro Vladimir Kiradjiev with the soloist being Ludmil Angelov himself.

A good reason to visit Poland in the winter.

Thal

Thought Poland was north of the Equator and that June 14 would therefore be late Spring, unless something happens.
Anyhow, great news.

Wouldn't it be good if it was recorded and broadcast by our good friends at Polish Radio Dwojka?

oops, I meant January 14th.

Lucky I play Steibelt with greater accuracy.

Thal

We'll compromise: Juneuary!  Which means September???  ::)

Is Mr. Angelov preparing the edition? (One always presumes a work is not being performed from an autograph ms.- and probably not from a copyist's ms even, though those are a little cleaner and perhaps might be a little more performance-ready, though the performance indications are more 19th-century than 20th... (well, nth-century where n is the century the work was copied in, give or take. If it's a 16th-century work copied in the 17th-century, the above is not likely to be strictly number-for-number word-for-etc true. :D )

Oh, it's not at all unusual for works to be performed from copyist's manuscripts, Eric.  Lilian Elkington's wonderful tone poem "Out of the Mist" (recorded on Dutton and performed in 2010 in London by The orion Orchestra at a concert I organized) was actually performed from the autograph score, with copyist's parts. Likewise Walford Davies' "Phantasy - Big Ben Looks On", which the same orchestra played last year.

I know. Copyists' manuscripts were often made precisely in order to have parts ready for performance. My mind got sidetracked off the main point which started occurring to me- that - while while contemporary copyist manuscripts of a ca.1870 work might be acceptable in a pinch (and - hrm - yes, I do keep forgetting, Moszkowski is practically late-Romantic when it comes to this particular thing) -

backtracking several steps and abstracting several steps (to a very general case of what I thought I was talking about here*), I've several times wondered if there were a good, concentrated, comprehensive, in-one-place and one-book modern resource on the history and development of musical notation (1300-2013, say, or even 1300-1920).  I've mentioned before how that sort of thing can irritate or even stymie a would-be editor ... (moreso with earlier scores, though- e.g. the Hiller symphony I'm still working on editing, or especially earlier ones still.)

*since Moszkowski was born 1854 etc., it's not quite as relevant here, but not wholly a tangent... still, yes, I suppose I'll have to take this question elsewhere really... hrm.

Tra Nguyen recorded Raff's Fantaisie WoO.15A (on the first volume of her Grand Piano series) from a photocopy of the newly-discovered autograph score (http://www.raff.org/support/scores/Fantasy%20WoO.15A.pdf), complete with Liszt's performance markings. Mind you, Raff was an unusually precise and clean musical draughtsman.

Thankfully, the original manuscript was in a very neat hand, but the "barrelling" on the photos that were taken i would have though would have made it impossible to play from.

No doubt a performance edition has been made as there were no parts.

Thal

Hi Thal,

To make more precise the news: the first performance of the piece will be on January 9th, 2014 at National Philharmonic Hall of Warsaw, with Rzeszow Philharmonic Orchestra and Vladimir Kiradjiev conducting (myself the soloist). Then the recording will be done in Gdansk, after a performance on June 21, 2014, with Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra. Now we schedule some other performances.

I have no idea about the source from which Hyperion obtained the fact the Concerto has been played with an orchestra by the composer. Assenov in his thesis doesn't mention anything about such performance - that was unknown to him, which he confirmed to myself when we talked. 

The edition is ready, published by Symétrie in Lyon, France and available for hire (full score and parts). I am still working on the 2 pianos reduction.

Ludmil

Excellent news old chap.

Good luck.

Thal

Thanks! Excellent news!
Makes me hopeful that something might come of his ms. symphony, too- sometime. 

Could you give us a description of the piece, please?

Who is the recording company, please? And what other pieces are scheduled for the same disk, please?

Responding to the posted questions: it is a large 4 movement work, influenced a lot by Schumann's style, but with typical virtuoso writing of Moszkowski as per his own later works; there is not yet a concrete label with which we have an agreement, only first contacts with some producers of different labels - I will inform about that when an agreement is reached.

Regards,
Ludmil

Thanks, Ludmil.

Yes. Thank you very much. Strongly suggest Hyperion be approached.

I second Gareth!

Any ideas on what would make a good coupling for the Moszkowski? I can't think of any offhand.

Quote from: Gareth Vaughan on Tuesday 24 December 2013, 16:35
Yes. Thank you very much. Strongly suggest Hyperion be approached.

I know they are aware of the project, but never said a word to myself about particular interest from their part ... Most probably they have a list of people with whom they work and I am not amongst those. Sorry if that disappoints you, but so far no news from them.

L.     

That has been my experience with Hyperion; they just aren't interested.

If Hyperion isn't interested, perhaps another label might be approached with the idea of coupling the two concertos.

Quote from: LateRomantic75 on Tuesday 24 December 2013, 19:56
Any ideas on what would make a good coupling for the Moszkowski? I can't think of any offhand.

Although the Op59 would be a logical coupling, I would hope that the Symphony or Joan of Arc Op19 would be among first considerations. Otherwise how about the Felix Borowski, which I know several of us have been enthusiastic about and would surely be relevant!

Borowski would be a good coupling. Then we would have a post Schumann with a post Brahms.

Thal

Since we have at least 4 recordings of the Op. 59, I feel another would be a little otiose and would prefer to see any of the couplings suggested by Martin.

This would be so exciting if the early Moszkowski Piano Concerto were recorded!

Here's evidence of the first performance of Moszkowski's PC1 in B minor:
https://www.facebook.com/events/636803713044818/?ref=22 (https://www.facebook.com/events/636803713044818/?ref=22)

I understand from Ludmil that it is going to be broadcast on Polish Radio 2, but I have not got the date yet.

If I had listened to both works without knowing anything about them, I would have sworn that the Op.6 was the latter work instead of the earlier. It is a long work at over 50 minutes with a clear Mendelssohn/Liszt influence. More melancholic in the earlier stages, but Moszkowski cannot resist a bit of fun which is clearly displayed in the finale. Overall, not a million miles from Melcer 1.

Stunning work and a stunning performance given Ludmil learned it in a month.

Thal

Do keep us informed. And thanks for that additional info.

Thalberg, how/where did u get to listen to the early Moszkowski PC? Thanks, Steve

Can't WAIt to hear it.  I might have to take THREE PCs to that imaginary island discussed elsewhere....

J

You might want to upload those to Forum III (uploads/downloads) instead, which is member-only-viewing &c... (I'm not an admin, just thinking it -sounds- like a good idea. I suspect these two forums, unlike that one, are Google (et cie)-scraped time-to-time.)

OK, thank you. I removed it and now it's waiting for an approval at FORUM III.

Ludmil

I've approved it Ludmil, and thanks so much for this. Great to hear this long-promised piece at last.

Yes, thanks so very much.  I've waited to hear this piecce since the Ponti recording of the E major concerto hit my ears.  Am anxious to give it some intensive listens

Jerry

At first hearing, heavenly stuff. Probably miles too long, but who cares? One of our best-ever uploads: thanks ever so much!

Ooh, thanks. Downloaded. Hrm, may I ask the movement headings at the openings of each of the 4 fore!... identification porpoises?...

Moritz MOSZKOWSKI (1854-1925)

Piano Concerto in B minor Op.3 (1874)
I. Con spirito - Allegro
II. Adagio
III. Scherzo: Molto vivace
IV. L'istesso tempo - Allegro con spirito
Rzeszow Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Kiradjiev
Ludmil Angelov, piano

Yes, an absolute feast for any lover of romantic piano concertos. What a  find. We owe everyone involved a real debt. I'd usually think that, at over 50 minutes, it is way too long, but Moszkowski's inventiveness never flags and so for once I'm not complaining about it.

I agree with Alan... heavenly stuff!! The Scherzo was unbelievably beautiful and the finale, astonishing! I sincerely hope Hyperion releases this.

Utterly delightful, with so many beautiful passages and emotional depth, like in the Adagio. Definitely a trouvaille... Thanks very much for the upload, Ludmil Angelov.

What a brilliant piece!  Very many thanks for uploading this, so nice to have some more cheerful, sunny Moszkowski on a wet miserable afternoon in Yorkshire!

er, didn't we say early in this thread that it was probably his Op.6, not Op.3? Is it now Op.3 again?... *confuzzled* and thanks again!

(quoting Thalbergmad- with apologies...
post from 5 December 2011 (http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,1933.msg24767.html#msg24767)

"This work was unearthed (if that is the correct word) by a friend of mine a few months ago and indeed it is marked Op.6. The nice people at the BNF allowed him to take photos which must have taken some time considering the 450 odd pages.")

On the question of Op.3 v Op.6, I was going by Bojan Assenov's magnificent biography and catalogue of Moszkowski: download it here (http://opus4.kobv.de/opus4-tuberlin/files/2090/assenov_bojan.pdf). The section on Piano Concerto Op.3 begins on page 361.

For those of us less fluent in German, can anyone provide either (i) a translation of the relevant bit or (ii) at least a file of the text that could then be put into Google's auto-translater??

A first listen revealed a delightful piece, as endorsed by comments above, but the notes might well add to that enjoyment, so any help in being able to access them in English much appreciated.

Richard

Download the PDF via the link I gave, select the text you want (it begins on p.361), and copy and paste it into Google Translate...

Many thanks Ludmil - and congratulations. What an enjoyable concerto.

Mark,

Tks for the 'copy' tip - I didn't realise you could copy from PDF (I'd thought it was 'protected' or something)

Cheers

Richard

I know there's a debate to be had about what constitutes a masterpiece, but this concerto is really something else...

I would like to join with others here to acknowledge and extend the warmest of thanks to all involved in making this concerto 'live' again! It is perhaps not what one might have expected from a young Moszkowski - a work more serious in intention for the most part which, IMHO is most successful! There are obviously glimpses of his later trademark style, especially in the 3rd & 4th movements, but this early work is indeed remarkable for its assuredness of construction and content - I have absolutely no qualms whatsoever about overall length and indeed, ended all  too quickly for me! A resounding success which must surely provide impetus for the examination and performance of his other works on a larger scale - imagine The D minor Symphony coupled with Joan of Arc Op19 for example........

Hear! Hear! What an impressive piece. The strength of this work of a 20 year old makes the most persuasive case possible for a serious look at the two major works that closely preceded it, the D minor Symphony of 1873 (which looks to be more modest in scale than this Concerto), and followed it, the four-movement symphonic poem Joan of Arc of 1875/6.

Isn't Joan of Arc already published and available online, unlike the symphony which is still in manuscript?

The piano four-hands reduction of Joan of Arc is available at IMSLP here (http://imslp.org/wiki/Johanna_d'Arc,_Op.19_(Moszkowski,_Moritz)). I can't find an online source for the orchestral original.

The score and parts are in Fleisher. I understand they began to digitise their holdings some years ago but how far they have got with this task I do not know. None of the items of which Cameo borrowed parts for recordings made in the last three years was available other than in hard copy.

I love the exoticism, the so-called "oriental" influence, that colored much in music of that era.

Is there any more information available concerning this radio broadcast? What is the orchestra? Who is the soloist?

See my post earlier in this thread here (http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,1933.msg52657.html#msg52657).

Thanks Mark. Not sure how I overlooked that.

What strikes me first re this wonderful concerto is how Moszkowski's style was already quite well formed at the age of 20; the finale, in particular, has his usual bittersweet insouciance: that kind of slightly forced happiness, despite everything; beautiful melodies;the aforementioned orientalism in the opening. But there is a slight difference: I detect a slightly greater grandeur, a greater majesterialness than the later , more famous(relatively!) PC. I still fail to see why this composer, who writes so idiomatically for piano AND orchestra, is so little known and sometimes maligned(slightly, anyway: Mark:P) for superficial or sugary emotion; I find his music some of the most moving ever; it has a resignation about it;almost an existentialist feel of "lets get on with it and have fun; life is so short and absurd". I know that is my (relativistic) opinion!Anyway, I DO hope the Symphony and Joan of Arc opera are recorded!Thanks so much to the excellent pianist who uploaded this :). Btw, I also recommend the Toccata in homage to Schumann for piano, the solo piano music generally and the great Violin Concerto, with its Elgarian (?pre) echo in the slow movement, the melody of which is ineffably beautiful, and I would put up there with the canonic Violin Concerti, as well as all the Bruch and the Goldmark!Just listening now to the very end of the early PC, and it has a section quoted at (I think)  the end of the later PC, of the shrugging your shoulders in resignation/stoicism variety.Steve

QuoteI DO hope the Symphony and Joan of Arc opera are recorded!

Joan of Arc is a 4 movt. Symphonic Poem, not an opera. Though I agree, of course, that it would be marvellous to have these works on disk.

Oops , Gareth:)Am i thinking of "Boabdil"?Steve

That's right, Steve. Boabdil is his opera.

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!

Quote...it's not at all unusual for works to be performed from copyist's manuscripts...

Indeed, I once participated in a performance of Hindemith's Metamorphoses where the conductor's score was a copyist's manuscript previously marked up by Toscanini.

A little late but I too would like to thank Ludmil for this absolutely wonderful PC. It truly is a romantic gem and I fully concur with all the other comments made by members of this forum. In the last two weeks, I have listened several times to the PC and get more out of the music each time I listen to it. What I find remarkable is the writing of this piece, with both the piano soloist and also the orchestra getting many moments to really shine, both individually and together: marvellous, indeed heavenly music - and the 50+ minutes simply fly by with no longueurs whatsoever! Many thanks again.

I so agree Dennis; the slow movement is growing on me;no-one can ever mistake Moszkowski for anyone else, even at this tender age!I see a lineage from his solo piano writing to Sgambati(Spada playing)and Godard to, significantly,Faure; a sort of intensified, limpid salon music; the similarities with some of Godard's piano music(Philip Martin on Marco Polo) and Sgambati's are striking. That process started with Moszkowski's effortless but not weightless flow of, again, limpid inspiration.And what a good orchestrator as u say! Steve

Has anyone talked to Mike Spring about this concerto recently? 

That's great, Ludmil. I'm sure a CD release would be a big-seller...

I just happen to be listening to this again right now. Would love to buy it officially.

What happened to the download of this(:?

I seem to have lost my download of this PC. Can anyone let me have a copy, please?

You can download it here:

www.mediafire.com/download/e4085qn5vqzq4yo/Moszkowski_Piano_Concerto_Op.3.zip (http://www.mediafire.com/download/e4085qn5vqzq4yo/Moszkowski_Piano_Concerto_Op.3.zip).

Thanks, Mark. Incidentally, do we have any more news about a CD release of this fine work?

I believe it will appear on Hyperion's Romantic Piano Concerto series, but not sure what volume number or proposed date of release [it has been recorded to my knowledge].

Malcolm

Does anyone know what's become of this recording? I've listened to it a lot, really good piece and wonderfully played by Ludmil Angelov. In my opinion Mr. Angelov should record it in a studio with a better orchestra. Probably won't happen though. Shame because it is worthy of it.

Just checking if there are any updates on the recording of this amazing work...!

Roughly 2 weeks ago Ludmil posted on fb that he was off to Glasgow to record the work for Hyperion. That's the only info I have. I would love to know what the coupling is going to be. With a concerto running time of 50 minutes there is space for solo works (unlikely) or hopefully some other concertante work. Schulz-Evler Russian Rhapsodie? Probably not but one can hope.
Rob

With CDs able to hold 90 minutes of music, it is highly likely they will find another Polish piano concerto.  Even at 51 minutes, that still leaves 39 to spare.  Plenty of yet unrecorded Romantic period Polish concertos can fill that out.

...very few CDs are released with much more than 80 mins of music, though. Neverthless, there's room for a piece lasting approx. half an hour. That, I think, is more realistic.

The published score is now available and even at some libraries, btw, I notice (as of 2013 or 2015, not sure...)

This Concerto is really beautiful. In a way, it anticipates the majestic - or patriotic - gesture" of Paderewski's Piano Concerto... And it is not yet Brahms-influenced like op. 59.
For Hyperion it would be the occasion to issue their first BluRay Pure Audio CD, so there would be no problems with timings, it they want to couple it with op. 59 :-)

They won't do the Op. 59 again. It was the first in the RPC series.

I know that, but many "older" recordings are being re-issued on BR anway, so that would make a reissue with a new bonus :-)

It'd be nice. But Hyperion don't seem to work that way. Anyway, what we want is a commercial recording...

In any case, Alan :-)

Just to repeat, this is the info which was released some while back about the recording by Ludmil Angelov:

In June 2015 he will record the world-premiere recording of the recently discovered early Piano Concerto of Moritz Moszkowski for Hyperion.
http://www.lespritdeladiva.org/ludmilAngelov (http://www.lespritdeladiva.org/ludmilAngelov)

That the recording was indeed made is confirmed here:

In June 2015 he recorded the world-premiere recording of the recently discovered early Piano Concerto of Moritz Moszkowski with Scottish BBC Orchestra for the label Hyperion.
http://www.emiliaromagnafestival.it/angelov-ludmil/?lang=en (http://www.emiliaromagnafestival.it/angelov-ludmil/?lang=en) (with spellings corrected!!)

The score was published by Symétrie of Lyon(s), France:
https://symetrie.com/fr/titres/concerto-pour-piano (https://symetrie.com/fr/titres/concerto-pour-piano)

This is indeed very good news. Just wonder when it will be released though.

You could try contacting Hyperion...

Ah, what a revelation it is to find this thread (and forum).
I just signed up because I found this forum via google after listening to the Mozkowski op.6 on youtube - one of my favourite piano concertos ever, I have to say.

I also want to thank Mr. Angelov for his outstanding performance and for resurrecting this fantastic piece!

I have fruitlessly searched the web for any information concerning a recording and a commercial release of this work, and am pleased to read here in this thread that Hyperion has recorded the work with Mr. Angelov. Has anybody already contacted Hyperion and inquired about a potential release date?

Regards,
Florian

This page (https://itunes.apple.com/th/album/moszkowski-piano-concerto/id1094647828?l=th) on the iTunes website appears to show the upcoming release of the long-awaited Hyperion recording of this wonderful concerto, coupled with the Schulz-Evler Russian Rhapsody, as no.68 in their RPC series. Opening the link in iTunes itself reveals an anticipated release date of 1st July this year. Comparing the movement times, both the slow movement and the finale take about a minute longer than in the radio broadcast recording we already have.

I can confirm this:

The early Moszkowski Piano Concerto—its score long presumed lost, its very existence known only to a few—makes volume 68 of our Romantic Piano Concerto series an especially desirable acquisition for all pianophiles. Ludmil Angelov and Vladimir Kiradjiev (the soloist and conductor responsible for the work's first performance in modern times) here make their Hyperion debuts, joining the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in this premiere recording.
http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/ym.asp?ym=2016_07 (http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/ym.asp?ym=2016_07)

Oh frabjous day!

Wonderful news... I do have a feeling that this will not be the cover image!

Thanks for the confirmation, Alan. By chance I was listening to the piece this morning. Apart from an over-long finale, it really is a stonking work.

www.hyperion-records.co.uk/notes/68109-B.pdf (http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/notes/68109-B.pdf)

Here is the digital booklet. No picture of Schulz-Evler - I can't imagine they'll be changing it now. It does say in the booklet that biographical detail on S-E is scarce. Evidently images are in even shorter supply.

Thanks, Rob. I'm afraid that Jeremy Nicholas' assessment of Shulz-Evler's Russian Rhapsody in the booklet isn't exactly mouth-watering.

Fascinating, thanks!

Is it possible to have a look at the  Schulz-Evler Russian Rhapsody score? Online scores and details about this composer is next to nothing.

I have it in the back of my mind that Ludmil produced a digitalized version, so perhaps PM him.

However, i am not certain and regretfully, i dot not keep very accurate records.

Thal

Hyperion's booklet thanks the Fleisher collection for the loan of the performance material for the Schulz-Evler. Here is the link to the library record in the collection: https://know.freelibrary.org/Record/955440 (https://know.freelibrary.org/Record/955440)

The CD is out now - wonderful!

It's a 1st July release in the UK, but do let us know your reactions to the CD...

It's just released today over here, I have it in my hands. Unfortunatley the booklet shows these frequent "reader's kinks" which I noticed on this label since quite some time. All are of a similar kind, so it must be the printing machine. In the (Zurich) shop we opened 6 more copies, and all had them. Sorry for being such a perfectionist, but, since their booklets are highly qualified, they should be qualified in the manufacturing as well...
The recordings is super, will let you know more after a second listening.
I've noticed lately similar kinks on some Warner issued as well - but worst of all are Melodyia's. Their kinks are of different (and often very drastic) kind: they must be caused by clumsy packer's fingers rather than from machines.

Ggreat news! Moszkowski's early concerto we know for few years but the piece by Schultz-Evler is a really discovery. I await for it with great expectations.

Downloaded this shortly after midnight and spent a few hours with it this morning. It is a superb recording: detailed, not too reverberant, fine orchestra, excellent playing. Of course, considering that it's the same soloist and conductor it doesn't stray very far from the radio recording we know (also from Youtube). It is slightly (even) more expansive, though. It's the sort of thing you would play if you want to show people how good unsung music can be. Contrary to the booklet, I don't find the "overlong final movement [...] not wholly convincing" at all - in my view it sustains itself very well.


Here's the thing, though. The BBC Scottish is a better orchestra than the Reszow Phil, I think, and the recording is superior to the Polish one too. But because of that lack of detail and orchestral finesse, I feel that they actually make it sound like a better piece than the Hyperion recording does. It is an early work of course, and this recording relentlessly exposes some less polished aspects, particularly in the orchestration.

There's no doubt that this is a very fine release indeed, both from the point of view of the music (the Moszkowski) and the performance. The fact that the recording is also so utterly natural makes this into an unmissable package for fans of romantic-era music.

The Moszkowski is a wonder: a monster (54-minute) piano concerto that had lain undiscovered for more than a century in the National Library of France in Paris before being found in 2008. When compositions as fine as this are finally performed, it makes one wonder what's still out there. In particular, mention is made in the booklet of the composer's Symphony in D minor. Now I wonder what that's like...? (see this thread: http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,3132.90.html (http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,3132.90.html)).

I've been very impressed by this work too especially once you're past the first movement which is, I think,  a little weaker than the rest. Perhaps the concerto sprawls a bit but that's almost a strength.  It is full of attractive melodic invention and the way it extends the usual structures, while retaining their outline, so that you're never quite sure what's coming next means it keeps you listening. It's very much a young man's work.