Unsung Composers

The Music => Recordings & Broadcasts => Topic started by: Alan Howe on Saturday 16 May 2020, 21:51

Title: Oscar Straus Piano Concerto (1893)
Post by: Alan Howe on Saturday 16 May 2020, 21:51
...forthcoming from cpo, with the intrepid Oliver Triendl:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/oscar-straus-klavierkonzert/hnum/8992779 (https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/oscar-straus-klavierkonzert/hnum/8992779)
Title: Re: Oscar Straus Piano Concerto (1893)
Post by: Gareth Vaughan on Saturday 16 May 2020, 23:43
I am really looking forward to this. I was told the score and parts of the PC were in the archives of Austrian Radio, but they declined to reply to any of my enquiries - and an Austrian friend of mine received a similar silence when he approached them. This was about 3 years ago. If this recording was in the offing then it might explain their unwillingness to be helpful.
Title: Re: Oscar Straus Piano Concerto (1893)
Post by: TerraEpon on Sunday 17 May 2020, 01:31
Veeeeeerrry interesting. I wonder if it's light and tuneful like he's known for (no relation to the Strauss family, obviously, but he's often put in the same general sphere as them and a number of other composers.
Title: Re: Oscar Straus Piano Concerto (1893)
Post by: eschiss1 on Sunday 17 May 2020, 03:13
The serenade for strings op.35 in G minor (score at IMSLP; published (edit) in 1899) is also on the CD as is a brief opera (edit: "Tanzspiel"), I see. Neat.
Title: Re: Oscar Straus Piano Concerto (1893)
Post by: semloh on Sunday 17 May 2020, 05:23
I see we still have a link to an old performance of this concerto, in the UC downloads section:
http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,4410.msg47175.html#msg47175 (http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,4410.msg47175.html#msg47175)

I am looking forward to hearing the new recording!
Title: Re: Oscar Straus Piano Concerto (1893)
Post by: Gareth Vaughan on Sunday 17 May 2020, 09:57
That performance is also on YouTube where it is labelled with the wrong key (A minor, instead of B minor).
Title: Re: Oscar Straus Piano Concerto (1893)
Post by: Alan Howe on Sunday 17 May 2020, 12:08
Correct. It's definitely in B minor.
Title: Re: Oscar Straus Piano Concerto (1893)
Post by: Alan Howe on Wednesday 10 June 2020, 22:36
And it's great fun - an unapologetically tuneful and attractive display work, right up Hyperion's street, I'd've thought. Except that this is Triendl on cpo and what a great job he does. This could well become a hit. If you've ordered this, you're going to be in for a treat. It's hyper-romantic, naturally, with some arresting brass writing, à la Liszt, maybe, and a 'big tune' just before the coda in the finale.
Title: Re: Oscar Straus Piano Concerto (1893)
Post by: Wheesht on Friday 07 August 2020, 07:11
John Groves has just published an enthusiastic, detailed review (http://operetta-research-center.org/oscar-straus-piano-concerto-and-rare-orchestra-pieces/) of the entire CD on the Operetta Research Center website.