GABLENZ : Piano Concerto In D Flat, Op 25 • PADEREWSKI : Polish Fantasy, Op 19 (Jonathan Plowright | Łukasz Borowicz | BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra) (2021) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 83 | FLAC (tracks), lossless

This entry is volume 83 in the Hyperion label's Romantic Piano Concerto series, which shows just how much neglected music is out there. There are several attractions this time around on this recording of Polish piano concertos. One is the presence of the Piano Concerto in D flat major, Op. 25, of Jerzy Gablenz, which is a genuine rarity; Gablenz, booklet readers learn, was preoccupied with his management job at a pickle factory and lacked time to devote to his musical career. The work was not premiered until 1977 in the Dominican Republic. It's an imposing work with a 24-minute opening movement that can't quite cash the structural checks it writes; the Andante cantabile middle movement, with its novel glockenspiel strokes, is more memorable. However, the work certainly belongs in the repertory, and the big virtuosi should take note. They should also note pianist Jonathan Plowright's reading of the Polish Fantasy, Op. 19, of Ignace (Ignacy) Jan Paderewski. The great Paderewski was certainly capable of keyboard heroics, but here, he's about something different, namely an extension of Chopin's experiments with keyboard textures. There's less keyboard pounding than sprightly ornamentation, and Plowright's reading is exceptionally lively; he suggests not only the power but also the spontaneity that must have drawn audiences to the great Pole in his time. With properly circumspect backing from the BBC Scottish Symphony under Lukasz Borowicz and fine idiomatic sound from the Glasgow Town Halls, this is a strong entry in Hyperion's series. James Manheim  
Tracklist :
Piano Concerto in D flat major Op. 25
Jerzy Gablenz
Fantaisie polonaise sur des thèmes originaux Op. 19
Ignace Jan Paderewski
Credits :
Jonathan Plowright - Piano
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Lukasz Borowicz - Conductor