Scharwenka was one of the most beloved of musical figures during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His Concerto No 4 in F minor, written in 1908, was greeted at its premiere with astonishing enthusiasm from an audience ‘which may, without exaggeration, be said to have included almost every pianist – virtuoso, teacher and student – in Berlin’. Two years later Scharwenka was to give his first performance of the work at a concert in New York. The conductor was Gustav Mahler. Emil Von Sauer’s compositions have suffered from an even greater neglect, wholly unjustifiable, than Scharwenka’s. The E minor Concerto had already gone through eight printings by 1908 when he performed it in Chicago: “It was no matter for astonishment that when the pianist-composer had brought the work to its conclusion a storm of genuine enthusiasm should seep the house from gallery to floor … Mr Sauer represents a school of piano-playing that has all but vanished. The pianists who are now moulding the taste of the public are, one and all, engaged in the questionable task of reproducing with their instruments effects that are orchestral … but in the meantime we are in danger of forgetting the joys of pure pianism. To such joys Mr Sauer has awakened us.” Two first recordings, played by one of the greatest virtuoso pianists today. Hyperion
Franz Xaver Scharwenka (1850-1924)
Piano Concerto No 4 in F minor Op 82 [39'18]
Emil von Sauer (1862-1942)
Piano Concerto No 1 in E minor [29'53]
Credits :
Conductor – Lawrence Foster
Leader [City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra] – Peter Thomas
Orchestra – City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Piano – Stephen Hough
16.1.22
SCHARWENKA : Piano Concerto No 4 In F Minor ♦ SAUER : Piano Concerto No 1 In E Minor (Stephen Hough, City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra · Lawrence Foster) (1995) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 11 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless
MENDELSSOHN : Piano Concerto No 1 In G Minor • Piano Concerto No 2 In D Minor • Capriccio Brillant, Op 22 • Rondo Brillant, Op 29 • Serenade And Allegro Giocoso, Op 43 (Stephen Hough · City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra · Lawrence Foster) (1997) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 17 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless
This disc brings together, for the first time to our knowledge, all of Mendelssohn's published works for piano and orchestra. Mendelssohn was regarded as one of the foremost pianists of his day, Clara Schumann describing him as 'the dearest pianist of all'. While his works for the instrument are by no means as numerous as those of, say, Liszt or Chopin, they are models of the nineteenth-century genre and filled with melodious charm.
The First Concerto is actually the earliest work on this disc, despite its opus number, and is the work that Liszt sight-read from a scribbled score to an astonished Mendelssohn when the two composers met in Paris. The Second Concerto saw its premiere— appropriately enough given the orchestra performing on this disc—in Birmingham during the festival of 1837. The remaining three works find Mendelssohn in light-hearted mood, showing off his knack for melody and unaffected charm to the full. Hyperion
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Capriccio Brillant In B Minor Op 22 10:39
Piano Concerto No 1 In G Minor Op 25 (19:30)
Rondo Brillant In E Flat Major Op 29 10:45
Piano Concerto No 2 In D Minor Op 40 (21:02)
Serenade And Allegro Giocoso In B Minor Op 43 12:48
Credits :
Conductor – Lawrence Foster
Leader – Peter Thomas
Orchestra – City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Piano – Stephen Hough
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e.s.t. — Retrospective 'The Very Best Of e.s.t. (2009) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
"Retrospective - The Very Best Of e.s.t." is a retrospective of the unique work of e.s.t. and a tribute to the late mastermind Esb...