Search - Stanford, Schumann, Jetter :: Piano Concerto

A better recording exists!

Paul Bunkerr | New London, CT USA | 01/28/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Stanford's Second Piano Concerto is far better than his first effort in this genre, and he admits that he was inspired to write it after hearing Rachmaninoff's Second Concerto, which becomes clear to the listener. However, Stanford's Second abounds with original and beautiful tunes, is well-orchestrated and quite engaging, even on the first hearing. The Fingerhut performance has been available on CD for sometime now, so I was interested in hearing this latest entry into the catalogue.



Sadly, this recording lands short of ideal. The pianist seems to have his part well in hand, but the instrument he plays has a thin and brittle sound. The orchestra plays badly, well below most acceptable standards. In short, stick to the Fingerhut performance, which includes another Stanford work for piano and orchestra: Variations on "Down Among the Dead Men." Don't be turned off by the gruesome title; it is a fine set of variations, if a bit long."