FRANK BRIDGE : Orchetral Works, Vol. 3 (Howard Shelley · BBC National Orchestra Of Wales · Richard Hickox) (2004) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Tracklist & Credits 

MOSCHELES : Piano Concerto No 2 In E Flat Major • Piano Concerto No 3 In G Minor • Anticipations Of Scotland, Op 75 (Howard Shelley · Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra) (2002) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 29 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

With this 29th volume in the Romantic Piano Concerto series we commence a cycle of three CDs that we hope will include all eight of Moscheles' piano concertos. It also marks the start of our exploration of concertos from the earlier part of the 19th century, which we have so far rather neglected.

Moscheles, though born in Prague, was a truly cosmopolitan figure. He studied in Vienna and then, after a short stay in Paris, settled in London for over 20 years before returning in 1846 to Leipzig where he spent the rest of his life. His musical roots were in the Viennese classics of Mozart and Beethoven and he was one of many pianist composers (other examples being Hummel and Kalkbrenner) who bridged the gap between the classical and the Romantic period but who were forgotten when the next wave of revolutionaries (Chopin, Liszt, Schumann) arrived. His concertos were written in the 1820's and 30's (the last in 1838) and therefore more than half were actually written in England. The first five (including the two here recorded) follow the traditional three movement pattern whereas the last three are shorter more thematically connected works, the third is undoubtedly his most famous and it remained in the repertoire throughout the 19th century.

Anticipations of Scotland is a pot-pourri of Scottish folk tunes that Moscheles wrote for performance in concerts he gave in Edinburgh in 1827.

We are delighted that Hyperion artist of old Howard Shelley has returned to us for this cycle of concertos. The wonderful understanding he has shown of Mozart and Hummel make him the ideal interpreter of this music in which he directs the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, of which he is a regular guest conductor, from the keyboard. Hyperion

Ignaz Moscheles (1794-1870)
        
Piano Concerto No 2 in E flat major Op 56 [30'54]
                    
Piano Concerto No 3 in G minor Op 58 [29'26]
                    
Anticipations of Scotland 'A grand fantasia' Op 75 [14'57]

Credits :
Orchestra – Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Piano, Conductor, Producer – Howard Shelley

MOSCHELES : Piano Concerto No 1, Op 45 • Piano Concerto No 6, Op 90 • Piano Concerto No 7, Op 93 (Howard Shelley · Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra) (2003) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 32 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The continuation of our survey of Moscheles piano concertos brings us to three works which have never been recorded before. The 1st Concerto, written in 1819, is a very Mozartean affair; though the young composer had become a friend of Beethoven it seems the example of that composer's last three concertos hadn't been followed, instead we have a work full of charm, grace and untroubled lyrical melody.

For his final three concertos (6,7 & 8) Moscheles broke away from the traditional three-movement structure and produced works that presage Liszt in their combination of fast and slow movements in one structure. These works, written in London in the 1830s, show that at that time Moscheles, later regarded as a traditionalist, was then at the forefront of the developing Romantic movement in music. The lessons of Beethoven, so absent in his first concerto, are now clearly learned. Howard Shelley has already proved himself the perfect exponent of the repertoire which bridges the classical and romantic period in music. His first Moscheles recording (Concertos 2 & 3 and 'Anticipations of Scotland') has met with universal acclaim and this release will surely follow. Hyperion

Ignaz Moscheles (1794-1870)
                
Piano Concerto No 1 in F major Op 45 [22'11]

Piano Concerto No 6 in B flat major 'Fantastique' Op 90 [16'57]

Piano Concerto No 7 in C minor 'Pathétique' Op 93 [22'10]

Credits :
Orchestra – Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Piano, Conductor, Producer – Howard Shelley

HERZ : Piano Concerto No 1, Op 34 • Piano Concerto No 7, Op 207 • Piano Concerto No 8, Op 218 (Howard Shelley · Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra) (2004) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 35 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Hyperion’s Record of the Month for June sees the thirty-fifth release in our award-winning Romantic Piano Concerto series, and three première recordings of concertos by Henri Herz.

Over the years Herz has had a very bad press, a situation begun through the writings of Robert Schumann and continued ever since, yet in his day—and this was primarily in the early part of his life—his music outsold all rivals, and his tours, particularly as the first major pianist to visit the USA, brought him huge success. This dichotomy is easily explained: Herz never tried to be a ‘great’ artist, though he was often judged against such criteria; he was an entertainer. Of course the concerto lends itself perfectly to this role and his eight concertos are full of charm, almost operatic melody and scintillating virtuosity, their model is Hummel, though in the later works Herz put less emphasis on virtuosity and more on lyricism. If we can accept that music need not be profound to be enjoyed we should welcome this revival of these works, the pop music of their time.

Needless to say Howard Shelley, who has made such exceptional recordings of the concertos of Hummel and Moscheles, is just the man for the job. He will follow up this recording with a second disc of Herz next year. Hyperion

Henri Herz (1803-1888)

Piano Concerto No 1 in A major Op 34 [25'46]

Piano Concerto No 7 in B minor Op 207 [17'50]

Piano Concerto No 8 in A flat major Op 218 [14'14]

Credits :
Orchestra – Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Piano, Conductor – Howard Shelley

MOSCHELES : Piano Concerto No.4 In E Major • Piano Concerto No.5 in C Major • Recollections Of Ireland, Op.69 (Howard Shelley · Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra) (2005) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 36 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Howard Shelley’s third disc in Hyperion’s traversal of the complete extant piano concertos by Ignaz Moscheles brings us triumphant performances of the fourth and fifth concertos which are complemented by a spirited rendition of the Recollections of Ireland, composed almost by way of thanks for divine deliverance from a storm-tossed crossing of the Irish Sea in 1826.

Piano Concerto No 4 represents the culmination of Moscheles’ output in the genre during his years as a touring virtuoso, and the results are every bit as pyrotechnical as this might lead one to expect. A precurser of the Chopin and Schumann concertos, here delicious melody and rumbustious joie de vivre combine (alongside a version of The British Grenadiers) in a work of immediate and lasting appeal.

The fifth concerto is something rather different, its audaciously progressive musical language initially proving something of a turn-off for contemporary audiences expecting ‘more of the same’. However, the work bristles with virtuosic display and strong themes – every bit a tribute to its composer’s idol, Beethoven, whose own C minor concerto provides the opening motif of Moscheles’ closing movement.

Recollections of Ireland is a crowd-pleasing fantasia based on four popular Irish tunes (‘The Groves of Blarney’ being better known today as ‘The Last Rose of Summer’) and provides Moscheles ample scope to indulge his passion for a good tune – and his facility at interweaving several good tunes …

The accompanying booklet gives full details of the works, of course, and also throws down the gauntlet to the interested listener: Hyperion is committed to recording the missing Piano Concerto No 8 – if anyone can shed any light on where the music might be, many years of international searching having so far drawn a blank. Hyperion

Ignaz Moscheles (1794-1870)
                
Piano Concerto No 4 in E major Op 64 [26'01
    
Piano Concerto No 5 in C major Op 87 [30'36]

Recollections of Ireland Op 69 [15'22]

Credits :
Orchestra – Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Conductor, Piano – Howard Shelley

HERZ : Piano Concerto No 3, Op 87 • Piano Concerto No 4, Op 131 • Piano Concerto No 5, Op 180 (Howard Shelley • Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra) (2006) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 40 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Of Heinrich "Henri" Herz, English musicologist George Grove once remarked: "Herz found out what the public liked and what would pay, and this he gave to them." In this, the second volume devoted the Herz's piano concertos in Hyperion's apparently endless The Romantic Piano Concerto series, English virtuoso Howard Shelley turns in performances of the Parisian, neé Viennese, composer's Third, Fourth, and Fifth works in the genre. Shelley certainly gives his considerable all to the works, tearing up and down the keyboard in the Allegros with dazzling runs, racing arpeggios, and flashing double octaves and soaring through the Andantes with a melting tone, a smooth legato, and a discreet pedal. Leading from the keyboard, Shelley also elicits first-class playing from the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, which, with its strong strings, characterful winds, and powerful brass, sounds as fine as the best orchestras from the antipodes. As for the works themselves, imagine Chopin without genius, Liszt without wit, Moscheles without charm, and Thalberg without content and you have a pretty good idea of what to expect. For fans of Hyperion's Romantic Piano Concerto series, Shelley's Herz disc will be another unexpected find. For those whose interest in the genre extends no further than Grieg or Schumann, this disc may be of marginal interest. Hyperion's sound from the Federation Concert Hall in Hobart is not nearly as warm, as full, or as deep as the sound of recordings made in the northern hemisphere. James Leonard  

Henri Herz (1803-1888)

Piano Concerto No 3 In D Minor Op 87    (30:21)

Piano Concerto No 4 In E Major Op 131    (22:40)

Piano Concerto No 5 In F Minor Op 180    (15:59)

Credits :
Orchestra – Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Piano, Conductor – Howard Shelley

KALKBRENNER : Piano Concerto No 1, Op 61 • Piano Concerto No 4, Op 127 (Howard Shelley · Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra) (2005) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 41 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

This release is part of a large series devoted to forgotten concertos of the Romantic era by British pianist Howard Shelley and the unheralded but very strong Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. Friedrich Kalkbrenner was the top dog among Parisian pianists until Chopin and Liszt came along. He overestimated his own importance in relation to Chopin and Mendelssohn, and as a result he has suffered from a case of bad press in the history books. But Chopin, it should be remembered, continued to admire him, and Shelley makes a good case for his revival here. The chief attraction of the Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 85 (1826), and Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 107 (1829), is that they effectively integrate deep virtuosity into a passable early Beethoven concerto structure. They are not like Chopin's concertos where the orchestra serves mostly to lay down a few chords and turn the piano part loose. Perhaps the more successful is the Piano Concerto No. 3, with its ambitious opening movement that sets up the piano exposition with a nifty solo cello melody; distinctly less so is the Adagio and Allegro di bravura, Op. 102, the very essence of empty display. One feels that Shelley, with his seemingly effortless facility, is just the right pianist for this music, which will certainly interest anyone wondering what kind of music Chopin heard when he arrived in Paris. James Manheim

Friedrich Kalkbrenner (1785-1849)

Piano Concerto No 1 In D Minor    (30:39)

Piano Concerto No 4 In A Flat Major Op 127    (28:17)

Credits :
Orchestra – Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Piano, Conductor – Howard Shelley

STERNDALE BENNETT : Piano Concerto No 4, Op 19 • Caprice In E Major, Op 22 ♦ BACHE : Piano Concerto In E Major, Op 18 (First Recording) (Howard Shelley · BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra) (2007) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 43 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The Romantic Piano Concerto series returns to England, and explores further fascinating and little-known repertoire. Indeed, the concerto by Francis Edward Bache (1833–1858) has perhaps never been performed. The composer, a pupil of Sterndale Bennett, and acclaimed at a young age by contemporaries all over Europe as a prodigious talent of whom great things were expected, died of TB at the age of 25, leaving the manuscript of his Piano Concerto in the library of the Royal Academy of Music, where it has languished until this recording. This enchanting work is a great discovery. Also on the disc are two accomplished works by the composer-pianist Sterndale Bennett. The indefatigable Howard Shelley directs the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra from the piano. Hyperion

Sir William Sterndale Bennett (1816-1875)
                
Piano Concerto No 4 in F minor Op 19[27'23]

Francis Edward Bache (1833-1858)

Piano Concerto in E major Op 18[24'40]

Sir William Sterndale Bennett (1816-1875)

Caprice In E Major Op 22 (12:49)

Credits :
Orchestra – BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Piano, Conductor – Howard Shelley

HILLER : Piano Concerto No 1, Op 5 (First Recording) • Piano Concerto No 2, Op 69 • Piano Concerto No 3, Op 170 (First Recording) (Howard Shelley · Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra) (2008) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 45 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The Romantic Piano Concerto series continues to bring undiscovered works to the listening public, performed by the greatest piano virtuosos of today. The composer Hiller was admired by Schumann, who described him as the exemplar of ‘how to combine orchestra and piano in brilliant fashion’. One of the most imposing musical personalities of the nineteenth century, close friends with the likes of Rossini, Liszt, Berlioz and particularly Mendelssohn, Hiller was nevertheless largely forgotten less than twenty years after his death as musical fashion changed. The Second Concerto is a genuine forgotten masterpiece, and Hyperion has been looking for the right opportunity to record it for many years. The First and Third concertos are both first recordings, and indeed the Third was never published. A combination of the appealing and the unknown makes this a classic RPC disc. Howard Shelley is a veteran of the Romantic Piano Concerto series. He conducts the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra here from the piano. Hyperion

Ferdinand Hiller (1811-1885)
Piano Concerto No 1 In F Minor Op 5     (24:22)

Piano Concerto No 2 In F Sharp Minor Op 69     (19:55)

Piano Concerto No 3 In A Flat Major 'Concerto Espressivo' Op 170     (31:39)

Credits :
Orchestra – Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Piano, Conductor – Howard Shelley

BENEDICT : Concerto In C Minor, Op 45 • Concerto In E Flat Major Op 89 ♦ MACFARREN : Concertstück (Howard Shelley · Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra) (2009) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 48 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

With Volume 48 of our groundbreaking Romantic Piano Concerto series we reach very uncharted territory indeed. Sir Julius Benedict has been all but forgotten today but he is yet another composer who gives the lie to the idea that Britain was ‘a land without music’ in the nineteenth century. Though born in Germany, Benedict settled in London in 1835, having already established a career as composer and pianist on the continent. He arrived in a city which had been the pianistic centre of Europe for the previous thirty years (though that role was shortly thereafter lost to Paris and the new generation of Romantic composers we remember today) and was soon performing his two concertinos in A flat and E flat, the latter work later being expanded into the E flat concerto recorded here. The C minor concerto was to follow in 1850. Both works are very much in the tradition of Hummel, of whom Benedict was a pupil, and combine brilliant virtuosity with an easy lyricism.

The even-more-forgotten Walter Macfarren was the brother of better-known George, an early Principal of the Royal Academy of Music. Walter was for many years a piano professor there, his pupils including Matthay and Henry Wood. His music is very much in the style of Mendelssohn and his Concertstück proves to be a very attractive work which could easily pass as one by the greater master. Hyperion

Julius Benedict (1804-1885)
Piano Concerto In C Minor Op 45    (26:15)

Piano Concerto In E Flat Major Op 89    (32:59)

Walter Macfarren (1826-1905)
Concertstück In E Minor    11:36

Credits :
Orchestra – Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Conductor, Piano [Steinway & Sons] – Howard Shelley

TAUBERT : Piano Concerto No 1, Op 18 • Piano Concerto No 2, Op 189 (First Recording) ♦ ROSENHAIN : Piano Concerto In D Minor, Op 73 (First Recordings) (Howard Shelley · Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra) (2010) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 51 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The Romantic Piano Concerto series continues to surprise and delight with a 51st disc of 19th-century pianistic splendour. This new release includes the two piano concertos by Wilhelm Taubert, as well as one of the two works for piano and orchestra by Jacob Rosenhain. Both composers were near exact contemporaries with Mendelssohn (born 1809), Chopin and Schumann (both 1810), Liszt (1811) and Wagner and Verdi (1813).

Taubert’s A major Concerto was described by Schumann as ‘one of the best’ – he also noted the parallels between it and Mendelssohn’s Op 25. But these similarities, however, do not negate the marvellous and distinctive music contained within Taubert’s Concerto. Nearly half a century separates Taubert’s first concerto and his Piano Concerto No 2 in A major Op 189 (c1874), and the second concerto reflects developments in the areas of harmonic expansion, cyclic development, and, of course, increased virtuosity.

Rosenhain wrote two concerted for works for piano and orchestra, an the A minor Concertino Op 30 (probably written in the 1840s, though published later), and the work included on this disc, the Piano Concerto in D minor Op 73. This work is fairly conservative in its form, offering little that had not been heard before. Still, there is much gorgeous and masterful music within its traditional three-movement form.

Howard Shelley directs the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra from the piano; a partnership that has garnered the highest praise for their previous Hyperion recordings. Hyperion

Wilhelm Taubert (1811-1891)
Piano Concerto No 1 In E Major Op 18     (22:45)
Piano Concerto No 2 In A Major Op 189     (23:38)

Jacob Rosenhain (1813-1894)
Piano Concerto In D Minor Op 73     (24:54)

Credits :
Orchestra – Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Piano, Conductor – Howard Shelley

KALKBRENNER : Piano Concerto No 2, Op 85 • Piano Concerto No 3, Op 107 • Adagio & Allegro Di Bravura, Op 102 (First Recordings) (Howard Shelley · Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra) (2012) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 56 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

This release is part of a large series devoted to forgotten concertos of the Romantic era by British pianist Howard Shelley and the unheralded but very strong Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. Friedrich Kalkbrenner was the top dog among Parisian pianists until Chopin and Liszt came along. He overestimated his own importance in relation to Chopin and Mendelssohn, and as a result he has suffered from a case of bad press in the history books. But Chopin, it should be remembered, continued to admire him, and Shelley makes a good case for his revival here. The chief attraction of the Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 85 (1826), and Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 107 (1829), is that they effectively integrate deep virtuosity into a passable early Beethoven concerto structure. They are not like Chopin's concertos where the orchestra serves mostly to lay down a few chords and turn the piano part loose. Perhaps the more successful is the Piano Concerto No. 3, with its ambitious opening movement that sets up the piano exposition with a nifty solo cello melody; distinctly less so is the Adagio and Allegro di bravura, Op. 102, the very essence of empty display. One feels that Shelley, with his seemingly effortless facility, is just the right pianist for this music, which will certainly interest anyone wondering what kind of music Chopin heard when he arrived in Paris. James Manheim  
Tracklist :
Piano Concerto No 2 In E Minor Op 85    (32:58)
Composed By – Friedrich Kalkbrenner

Piano Concerto No 3 In A Minor Op 107    (24:11)
Composed By – Friedrich Kalkbrenner

Adagio Ed Allegro Di Bravura Op 102    11:03
Composed By – Friedrich Kalkbrenner
Credits :
Leader – Jun Yi Ma
Orchestra – Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Piano, Conductor – Howard Shelley

PIXIS : Concerto In C Major, Op 100 • Concertino In E Flat Major, Op 68 ♦ THALBERG : Concerto In F Minor, Op 5 (Howard Shelley · Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra) (2012) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 58 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

This entry in pianist Howard Shelley's survey of neglected Romantic-era piano literature offers music by composers who are almost completely unknown. The name of Sigismund Thalberg figures in biographies of Liszt; he was considered Liszt's equal as a pianist in the 1840s and once faced off against him in a musical battle (the results were inconclusive). His music is comparable to Liszt's in terms of virtuosity, although nowhere near as formally innovative. The youthful Piano Concerto in F minor, Op. 5, heard here is not really representative of what he could do, although it's full of difficult passagework. Shelley, leading the little-heralded but clean and bright Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, tears through this work but can't seem to work up much enthusiasm for it. More interesting are the two works by the obscure Johann Peter Pixis, a composer-pianist born in Mannheim and active for much of his career in Paris, where he contributed a piece to Liszt's collaborative Hexaméron. The piano writing in his Piano Concerto in C major, Op. 100 (1829), is less spectacular than in the Thalberg concerto, but Pixis seems to have been aware of the emerging Field-Chopin musical strain and to have attempted to incorporate it into a loose post-Romantic concerto structure. After he's been going for awhile, he allows the piano to introduce totally new nocturne-like material. It doesn't exactly hang together, but it's novel, and the slow movement of the C major concerto would also have been quite fresh and lyrical in 1829. The earlier Concertino in E flat major, Op. 68, is more compact and quite charming, even if less original. The whole is circumspectly played, and it's not going to rewrite any history books, but those trying to imagine the Paris into which Liszt and Chopin plunged will find it useful. James Manheim
Tracklist :
Piano Concerto In C Major Op 100    (26:12)
Johann Peter Pixis

Piano Concertino In E Flat Major Op 68    (18:17)
Johann Peter Pixis

Piano Concerto In F Minor Op 5    (25:37)
Sigismond Thalberg
Credits :
Conductor, Piano – Howard Shelley
Leader – Jun Yi Ma
Orchestra – Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra

DÖHLER : Concerto In A Major, Op 7 ♦ DREYSCHOCK : Morceau De Concert, Op 27 • Salut À Vienne, Op 32 (Howard Shelley · Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra) (2013) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 61 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

With this release, Hyperion's series of forgotten Romantic piano concertos reaches its 61st volume. Heinrich Heine reported of one of the composers here, Theodor Döhler, that "some say he is among the last of the second-class pianists, others that he is the first among third-class pianists," and you might be forgiven for wondering whether the series was reaching the bottom of the barrel. Certainly Döhler, a German-born Italian, is almost unknown today, and the other composer, Alexander Dreyschock, is remembered primarily for an episode in which he played the left hand of Chopin's "Revolutionary" étude in octaves. Still, the point of the series is completeness, and those specializing in the period will find points of interest here. The sheer difficulty of the piano writing is chief among them, especially in the Döhler Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 7; one sees that what Liszt contributed to the piano literature during this period (the Döhler work was written in 1835, the two by Dreyschock about a decade later) was not purely technical display but the harnessing of it to charisma. Döhler's opening movement sets up some not very interesting thematic material and then unleashes a barrage of passagework in parallel that taxes the skills even of Shelley, a Rachmaninov specialist. He doesn't let you seem him sweat, though, and pianists may pick up some moves here; at least those who have studied the works of Czerny will have something new to think about. The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, as usual in this series, provides spirited support; Shelley serves as both pianist and conductor. James Manheim  
Tracklist :
Piano Concerto In A Major Op 7 (1836)    (28:27)
Composed By – Theodor Döhler

Morceau De Concert In C Minor Op. 27 (1845)    16:42
Composed By – Alexander Dreyschock

Salut À Vienne: Rondo Brilliant Op. 32 (1846)    (10:55)
Composed By – Alexander Dreyschock
Credits :
Leader – Jun Yi Ma
Orchestra – Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Piano, Conductor – Howard Shelley

GOUNOD : The Complete Works For Pedal Piano & Orchestra (Roberto Prosseda · Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana · Howard Shelley) (2013) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 62 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The Hyperion label's massive series devoted to the Romantic piano concerto (this is volume 62 and counting) has had a few entries of dubious value. But the purpose of a comprehensive series is to uncover some lost gems by sheer force of numbers, and that's just what happens here. The pedal piano is an almost-forgotten relic of the 19th century, but it was fairly popular in its own time, and even as august a work as Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466, may have been composed with one in mind. It's worth a revival, and Italian pianist Roberto Prosseda had to cobble one together here: no original instrument was readily at hand. As the name suggests, it is essentially a piano with an organ keyboard. Charles Gounod, who is a composer too much known for just a few big hits, wrote four works for the instrument, all in the late 1880s, and they're delightful. There are two four-movement concertos, one of them denoted a Suite concertante in A major. The Concerto for pedal piano in E flat major is a bit more idiomatic to the instrument, and its slow movement, with a nifty hunting motif in its second-movement scherzo is most enjoyable. The two concerto slow movements are fine examples of Gounod's melodic idiom. The two shorter works at the end of the program are less distinctive melodically, but they would have been showpieces for the instrumentalist for whom they were written, and at the very least they fill in a gap in our knowledge of French music. Prosseda gets able support from the series' instigator, Howard Shelley, here conducting the Orchestra della Svizzera Italia. by James Manheim  
Tracklist :
Suite Concertante In A Major    (22:59)
Composed By – Charles Gounod

Concerto For Pedal Piano In E Flat Major    (19:47)
Composed By – Charles Gounod

Fantaisie Sur L'Hymne National Russe    8:36
Composed By – Charles Gounod

Danse Roumaine    4:32
Composed By – Charles Gounod
Credits :
Conductor – Howard Shelley
Orchestra – Orchestra Della Svizzera Italiana
Piano – Roberto Prosseda

GODARD : Piano Concerto No 1, Op 31 • Piano Concerto No 2, Op 148 • Introduction And Allegro, Op 49 (Howard Shelley · Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra) (2014) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 63 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The massive survey of Romantic piano concertos carried out by British pianist-conductor Howard Shelley -- 63 CDs and counting -- has certainly had its ups and downs, but this entry is one of the stronger in the series. French composer Benjamin Godard was prolific indeed over his 45 years, but remains known mostly for a single berceuse from the opera Jocelyn, known in English as Angels Guard Thee. Shelley makes a strong case for the recovery of the three piano-and-orchestra works included here. Godard avoided the influence of Wagner, and there are certainly many respects in which he took Brahms for a model. But he is most interesting in the places where he departs from that model, such as in the Scherzo and Andante of the Piano Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 31 (1875), which develop the drama only suggested by the sonata-form first movement, or the organically developing and initially quite ominous opening movement of the Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 148 (1893). The four-movement structure of each concerto is novel, and Shelley handles the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra well from the keyboard, an impressive feat given the difficulty of the piano parts. The final Introduction and Allegro, Op. 49, seems to suggest Beethovenian seriousness in its Lento introduction (track 9) but turns into something different, a joyous bravura romp. Recommended for anyone interested in the virtuoso scene of the late 19th century. James Manheim 
Tracklist :
Piano Concerto No 1 In A Minor Op 31    (29:53)
Composed By – Benjamin Godard

Piano Concerto No 2 In G Minor Op 148    (28:35)
Composed By – Benjamin Godard

Introduction And Allegro Op 49    (11:43)
Composed By – Benjamin Godard
Credits :
Leader – Jun Yi Ma
Orchestra – Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Piano, Conductor – Howard Shelley

HERZ : Piano Concerto No 2, Op 74 • Grande Polonaise Brillante, Op 30 • Fantaisie Et Variations Sur La Marche D'Otello De Rossini, Op 67 • Grande Fantaisie Militaire Sur La Fille Du Régiment, Op 163 (Howard Shelley · Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra) (2015) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 66 | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Austrian-French virtuoso Henri Herz has already appeared twice in the Hyperion label's giant series devoted to the Romantic piano concerto, and that's as it should be. Although Schumann disparaged Herz, he was a famous figure at the time, touring the world and even writing a book about his experiences in the U.S. (it's available in English for those who want to hunt for it). His eight piano concertos seem to absorb the structural tuition of Beethoven as they go along; the later ones are quite concise and elegantly developed. This third album is a bit less desirable, with the self-consciously Beethovenian Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 74, as the only piano concerto. There is nothing objectionable about any of the music here, but the rest of the album consists of opera paraphrase music that was primarily designed, in the absence of recordings, to transmit catchy melodies to audiences in a flashy package. As usual, pianist Howard Shelley, leading the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, enters into the spirit of the music, and the engineering in Hobart's Federation Concert Hall is very strong. James Manheim  
Tracklist :
Piano Concerto No 2 In C Minor Op 74    (22:24)
Composed By – Henri Herz

Grande Fantaisie Militaire Sur La Fille Du Régiment Op 163    12:55
Composed By – Henri Herz

Fantaisie Et Variations Sur La Marche D'Otello De Rossini Op 67    15:45
Composed By – Henri Herz

Grande Polonaise Brillante Op 30    14:02
Composed By – Henri Herz
Credits :
Leader – Jun Yi Ma
Orchestra – Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Piano, Conductor – Howard Shelley

CZERNY : Piano Concerto In F Major · Piano Concerto In A Major · Rondo Brilliant (Howard Shelley • Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra) (2017) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 71 | FLAC (tracks), lossless

The sheer volume of works by the Czech-Austrian composer Carl Czerny has made appreciation difficult, and most pianists know him only through his School of Velocity piano exercises, still in common use. Howard Shelley here turns to Czerny in his magisterial series of Romantic piano concertos, which reaches its 71st volume with this release. The highlight is probably the Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 214 (sample the first movement), where Shelley nails the brilliant passagework at the top of the keyboard. This kind of thing is what kept pianists playing Czerny throughout the first half of the 19th century, even as more progressive composers came on the scene, and Shelley's performance is entirely idiomatic. The expansive Piano Concerto in F major, Op. 28, was designated in the 1830s as an arrangement of a guitar concerto by Mauro Giuliani, a fact mentioned in Hyperion's online notes for the album, but not in its printed booklet. It's not certain who the original author was, but the unusually variegated first movement sounds more like Giuliani than Czerny. There is a concluding Rondo brillant, Op. 233, with an adagio introduction, that has a slam-bang finale that's pure Czerny. Throughout these works (other than the Op. 28), there is a tendency toward square phrase structures that make you long for some kind of disruption, but Shelley makes you realize why Czerny was so successful. Part of his success is due to his conducting the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra from the keyboard; the musicians hang together nicely in some high-speed tempi. Recommended for those interested in the Beethoven orbit and the period immediately after. James Manheim
Tracklist :
Piano Concerto In F Major Op. 28    (27:04)
Composed By – Carl Czerny

Piano Concerto In A Minor Op. 214    (31:11)
Composed By – Carl Czerny

Rondo Brilliant In B Flat Major Op. 233    (14:54)
Composed By – Carl Czerny
Credits :
Conductor, Piano – Howard Shelley
Leader – Emma McGrath
Orchestra – Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra

POTTER : Piano Concerto No. 2 In D Minor · Piano Concerto No. 4 In E Major · Variazioni di Bravura On A Theme By Rossini (Howard Shelley • Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra) (2017) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 72 | FLAC (tracks), lossless

In this 72nd volume of his exhaustive exploration of the Romantic piano concerto, pianist Howard Shelley and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra have found works that are almost completely obscure -- all were pulled out of archives and recorded here for the first time -- and well worth revival. Cipriani Potter, charmingly nicknamed Chip, was an English composer who traveled to Vienna to meet Beethoven. The master did not take him on as a student, recommending someone else, but the encounter left a strong impression. The Piano Concerto No. 2 in D minor shares a key with the Mozart Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466, and in many ways, notably the relationship of the solos to the tutti, it's clearly derived from the earlier work. The biggest find here, however, is the very attractive slow movement (sample track 2), which is in a pastoral, quartal-flavored voice of Potter's own. The Piano Concerto No. 4 in E major is in a more Beethovenian vein; the nearly 15-minute opening movement covers a lot of harmonic territory and takes unusual routes to do so. The concluding Variazioni di bravura on a theme by Rossini are more than a virtuoso showpiece; they are tightly constructed. Shelley, conducting the Tasmanian Symphony himself, has by now developed strong instincts for bringing out what's distinctive in unknown music, and he does so here. Highly recommended for those interested in the early Romantic scene. James Manheim  
Tracklist :
Piano Concerto No. 2 In D Minor (1832)    (28:40)
Composed By – Cipriani Potter

Piano Concerto No. 4 In E Major (1835)    (30:12)
Composed By – Cipriani Potter

Variazoni di Bravura On A Theme By Rossini (1829)    (15:03)
Composed By – Cipriani Potter
Credits :
Conductor, Piano – Howard Shelley
Orchestra – Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra

STERNDALE BENNETT : Piano Concertos 1, 2, & 3 (Howard Shelley · BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra) (2018) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 74 | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Sir William Sterndale Bennett wrote six piano concertos and two other works for piano and orchestra, but the three works here were composed in succession in the 1830s, while Sterndale Bennett was still in his teens. They have been likened to works by Mozart, Mendelssohn, and (in the annotations here), various English composers, but the most accurate contention may be that of Rosemary Firman that Sterndale Bennett had a style uniquely his own. It's notable that at this point his style was developing fast; the Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 9, shows a sustained effort to deal with the example of Beethoven that is not present in the two earlier works. Sterndale Bennett's music has an impersonal flavor that is as far as one can imagine from Schumann, yet Schumann admired his early works. From Mozart he inarguably got a strong sense of form. Sample the finale of the Piano Concerto in D minor, Op. 1, which expertly unfolds the implications of the unusual alternation of orchestra and piano at the beginning. As usual throughout Hyperion's Romantic Piano Concerto series, Howard Shelley produces vivacious readings at the keyboard and also at the head of the orchestra, in this case the BBC Scottish Symphony. An enjoyable look at some fresh music by a British composer whose conservatism later doomed his reputation. James Manheim  
Tracklist :    
Piano Concerto No 1 In D Minor Op 1    (23:33)
Composed By – William Sterndale Bennett

Piano Concerto No 2 In E Flat Major Op 4    (26:49)
Composed By – William Sterndale Bennett

Piano Concerto No 3 In C Minor Op 9    (29:08)
Composed By – William Sterndale Bennett
Credits :
Conductor, Piano – Howard Shelley
Leader – Laura Samuel
Orchestra – BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra