Search - Sauer, Scharwenka, Hough :: Piano Concertos

Excellent performances of neglected works

Michael Whincop | GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY, QLD AUSTRALIA | 12/16/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This disk has garnered a great deal of critical praise across both sides of the Atlantic. While the listener can therefore be reasonably sure of getting superb performances, what manner of works are these? The Scharwenka is perhaps most closely akin to the Brahms Second - it is a long work in four reasonably orthodox movements (a transitionary passage links third and fourth movements), which is united by a rising motivic theme of seven notes announced by the orchestra at the start of the work. The Brahms analogy is reinforced by the ensuing cadenza passage for the piano, followed by an orchestral exposition. I don't want to push the analogy too far - Scharwenka lacks the better known composer's harmonic subtlety, rhythmic complexity or contrapuntal flair, but compensates with an exciting and impetuous concerto. This is the first recording of the work, although there are recordings of other concertos by the composer. Comparing Seta Tanyel's excellent accounts of the Second and Third (on Collins) reveals this Fourth as both a greater and more demanding work. I don't find the Sauer as interesting. His work lies closer to the formal organisation of Liszt's concerto - Liszt taught Sauer - a work without explicit breaks but several specific sections. Stephen Hough does everything he can for these works, showing real flair, dash and tenderness in all the right places. The orchestra is in good touch throughout, the conducting is fine, and the sound is excellent. I enthusiastically recommend this disk to all lovers of musical romanticism."

Magical

Ryan Richards | Midland, MI United States | 12/14/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The combination of Stephen Hough and the City of Birmingham Symphony is a magical one, one of those soloist/orchestra partnerships that gels seamlessly. Both of these concerti are monster works that take amazing talent to get through at all, let alone to play well--but as always, Hough has the pianistic chops to make them sound brilliant. The Scharwenka is sweepingly grandiose, with many passages that sound more than a little like Brahms. The massive first movement is rich in late Romantic-era complexity and sonorities, pervaded throughout with sharp accents and a fatalistic tone--in fact, it sounds a lot like the corresponding movement of Tchaikovsky's Fourth symphony, although it dissolves into brightness at the end of the movement. This gives way to a graceful intermezzo and a richly colored, deeply melancholy Lento. But it's the finale that really sings--a quirky and utterly enticing combination of march and tarantella that finishes with a bang. The Sauer is much more cyclical, with one overriding motif that pervades the work in different guises. It does indeed sound a lot like Liszt--and Litolff too, particularly in the sparkling Scherzo. Conversely, the Cavatina is cast in a tenderly beautiful language all Sauer's own. Unlike the bold triumph of its companion on this disc, the Sauer concerto finishes with a short, lighthearted romp of a last movement: rather than triumph over darkness, it has sidestepped it and laughed. Hough powers his way through both concerti, changing his tone from graceful to wistful to angry to triumphant as the situation demands. Foster and the BSO never get in Hough's way, but when it's their time to shine, they pull out all the stops. Even in Hyperion's distinguished Romantic Piano Concerto series, this CD stands out as the very best of the best; the performances are flawless, and both Hough and the orchestra sound like they achieve this perfection with the greatest of ease. This CD is an absolute winner, and if you're a lover of Romantic piano music, it's a must-have for your collection."