Search - Sergei Lyapunov, Martyn Brabbins, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra :: Piano Concerto 1 & 2; Rhapsody on Ukranian Themes (The Romantic Piano Concerto, Vol. 30)

Compelling Renditions of Lyapunov's Appealing Oeuvres.

David A. Hollingsworth | Washington, DC USA | 01/04/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hyperion continues with it highly valuable yet somewhat uneven "Romantic Piano Concerto" series with the release of Lyapunov's works for piano and orchestra. It mentions that the First Piano Concerto is a premiere recording. A shocking claim, perhaps, for Melodiya was too enterprising to pass this compelling piece of music by, and it's possible that there may be a recording or two of the music in archives (imagine if the Russian Revelation label continues to operate today). Besides, Lyapunov piano music was held too much in high esteem especially by the turn of the 20th Century for even prominent musicians to ignore (but then again I'm reminded that even pianists could be very selective, ignoring even the most memorable of piano music of, say Glazunov, Medtner Catoire, Arensky, to some extent Tchaikovsky, Rubinstein, and even Lyapunov himself). And Lyapunov's First Concerto is a compelling piece of music, rather as ambitious as the First Symphony written two years before, in 1888. And where the piano bravura is more or less in the mode of Lizst and Balakirev, the thematic invention and rhetoric are very much Lyapunov's own. Not to say that the composition is of its upmost originality, but the ideas and handling of them show why Lyapunov is a major point of reference when studying and analyzing Russian music. Listen to the piano entry at 1'42", how poetic yet noble the writing becomes (thanks in part to Milne's highly charged yet imaginative delivery here). There's something heroic within that recalls Balakirev (especially in his First Concerto). But the writing remains lucid, and in the second and fourth movements, beautiful and tranquil. The third movement is heroic, much in the manner of Liszt (his First Concerto-first movement), but in convincingly Russian in temperament, as in the finale, which rarely flags. A major accomplishment no doubt.Lyapunov's Rhapsody on Ukrainian Themes (1907) is in a rondo form, with the first theme (andante pastorale) announced by the cor anglais then by the woodwinds. It's a beautiful yet an innocent theme, recalling a bit of Balakirev and Rimsky- Korsakov, though in a Lyapunovian sense of lucidity. The piano entry is likewise beautiful yet poetic - like leaves blossoming in early Spring. And this theme truly blossom into something more expressive as it goes along, with the theme more emphatic at the finale bars. The second theme (allegro scherzando) is dancelike and flamboyant as in the orchestration. But the third theme (andante pastorale) returns to these same leaves still blossoming in great beauty & nobleness in character. It leads itself purposefully to the final theme (allegro giocoso), which is a kazachok (an Ukrainian folkdance). This theme, rather exuberant yet charming, become more Lizstian at the final minute of the work (listen to 3'05"-ff on track 9) but never devoid of Lyapunov's individualism. The Second Concerto (1909) is likewise a substantial affair, not as heroic as the First, but easy-going in its' noble, romantic way. In six continuous movements, the piece is rewardingly concise and, like the First Concerto & the Rhapsody, richly varied. The opening movement (lento ma non troppo) is indeed beautiful and lovely-a fantasia tranquil yet exotic. Whereas the second and fourth movements (allegro molto ed appasionato & allegro molto respectively) offer some vivacity, the third movement and fifth movements (allegro moderato & lento ma non troppo) has a compelling lightness of touch, rendered beautifully here by Milne (with a charmingly support of Brabbins & the BBC Scottish Symphony). But the poetic yet heroic moments of the finale are hardly banal, with the closing convincingly majestic that would have done Borodin proud (for a moment I thought of Prince Igor). The renditions here are fully ideal. After giving high praise in Hamish Milne's survey of Alexandrov's piano music (under the Hyperion label), Milne comes up huge here. His vivacious and imaginative playing are never in doubt, and his virtuosity in the First Concerto and in the Rhapsody adds to the compelling nature of the works. But the beauty and the dignity Milne brings in the slow movements of the works are worthy of everlasting praise. The same shall be said of the BBC Scottish Symphony, which has this Russian sonority that reminds me the Russian Federation Orchestra under the late Svetlanov (and I tend to forget, going along memory lane, that it is the BBC Scottish Symphony among the main features here). Brabbins' approach incidentally reminds me of Svetlanov, placing great emphasis on organic growth. While he's not as overindulgent as Svetlanov can sometimes be, he is as decisive as this late, great Russian maestro (listen to Brabbins' renditions of Bortkiewicz' symphonies). Edward Garden's booklet essay is of high quality, along with the recording, with its warmth and somewhat bright incandescence.No doubt a great yet important release which will raise Lyapunov status as Russia's important composer significantly. The blossoming of the leaves well worth waking up for, with this CD album in one's deep yet searching subconsciousness."

Unjustly neglected music well worth hearing

Mr. Ian C. Kemp | 12/27/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If this were music by a more famous composer such as Liszt, Schumann, Borodin, Tchaikovsky or Rachmaninov, it would surely be in the regular repertory (it has affinities with all of them). I only came across it because I had by chance encountered Lyapunov's First Piano Concerto many years ago, and have been looking in vain ever since for a recording. Hamish Milne, Martin Brabbins and the BBC Scottish SO make a very persuasive case for the music and show that it was worth waiting for. I equally enjoyed the Second Piano Concerto and Ukrainian Rhapsody, which were new to me. All the music has clear themes, memorable tunes and is well crafted - it knows where it's going. Think of Liszt's piano concertos with tunes in the Russian folksong-derived style of the "Mighty Handful" and you have a fair idea what to expect. The influences are clear, but Lyapunov has his own voice - this is not merely derivative. Edward Garden's comment on No.1 in his excellent notes in the booklet sums it up for me; "This is altogether much too good a concerto to have been neglected for so long". No hesitation in recommending both the performance and the recording if you want to try this music for yourself.Incidentally, it was queried whether this was the first ever recording. It is certainly the first easily available commercially. In 1989, having been unable to find one, I wrote to the BBC to ask for it to be played on air. They too were unable to track down any recording. However, they took it as a challenge and produced a studio recording, again with Hamish Milne but accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra. Sadly, they never released it commercially, but the new CD at last fills the gap, even more impressively. Thanks Hyperion!"

The Wonders of Lyapunov's Music for Piano and Orch. Revealed

R. C. Walker | Encinitas CA, United States | 09/11/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The French and the Russians generally write the gaudiest and most exhilarating piano concerti of all. (I've long suspected Mendelssohn and Liszt of being secretly French). The release of a recording of Russian concerti is always (well, almost always) a cause for rejoicing.Hyperion has taken up where Vox left off, issuing a whole series of Romantic piano concerti - but at single CD prices that are even higher than the old Vox double-CD prices. Since these recordings duplicate a lot of the Vox repertoire, you can to some extent buy Vox instead of Hyperion - IF you can find the Vox. Still, the newer recordings are always first-rate, both in performance and in sound, and I don't hesitate to buy them if they have material I don't already have.Sergei Lyapunov isn't exactly a household name. But then, in some households, neither is Rachmaninov, so go figure. He was part of the Russian nationalist movement in composition, which means that his music is exotic, exciting, and full of Volga passion. Yummy. (It's thus no accident that his music sounds a good deal like Borodin's.) Lyapunov is well represented on Vox and 2 of the pieces on this CD (Piano Concerto #2 and the Rhapsody on Ukrainian Themes) are in 2 of the Vox collections. What makes this CD a must-buy for me is the first recording of Piano Concerto #1.The soloist in all 3 pieces is Hamish Milne, a superlative pianist whose day job is being a Professor at the London Academy of Music. He is ably and enthusiastically seconded by Martyn Brabbins and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, a mainstay of Hyperion's Romantic Piano Concerto series. This CD, by the way, is #30 in that series. You can go to the Hyperion web site, www.hyperion-records.co.uk, to get info on the entire series (although their list oddly omits #21, the concerti of Kullack and Dreyschock).All 3 pieces are pretty much, as Lewis Carroll would say, much of a muchness. They are very Russian, very pianistic and virtuosic, very tuneful, and very (obviously) Romantic. The 1st Piano Concerto in e-flat, despite its low opus number (4), is no student work. The composer was 29 when he wrote it. It's in the then-fashionable one-movement format, consisting of 5 relatively short sections (Allegro-Adagio-Allegro-Adagio-Allegro), lasting a little over 22 minutes. It's a work of considerable strength, and it's amazing it hasn't been recorded before.The Rhapsody is a brilliant work, again in a single movement, consisting of 4 sections. It's 17 minutes of brilliant pianism, Russian to the core. The last section is particularly bouncy.The 2nd Piano Concerto in E, was written when Lyapunov was at the height of his career, in 1909 (he died in 1924). Again, it's in a one-movement format, in this case consisting of 6 brief segments - only the first and the last are over (or even near) 5 minutes. The speeds are in an unusual sequence: Lento-Allegro-Allegro-Allegro-Lento-Allegro. The opening slow section is full of Russian sadness and wistfulness, and is thoroughly delightful. This gives way to 3 quick Allegros with lots of pianistic fireworks. The second slow section (which actually has its own excitement and drama) gives us barely a minute's repose before the forward charge continues in the last Allegro, bringing the concerto to a very satisfying end. This is very much the last gasp (although Glazunov of course keeps going...) of the old harmonic structures before Russian music gives way to the experimentation of Stravinsky and the huge-handed chording and pyrotechnics of Rachmaninov (not to mention the even more advanced writing of Prokofiev and Shostakovich).Although consisting of 3 major pieces, the CD is a little light on time, taking up only 59 minutes. One wonders why (as a for-instance) the producers didn't include the Zelazowa Wola, Lyapunov's tribute to Chopin on the centenary of his birth (1910) - or even the last movement of Balakirev's 2nd Piano Concerto, whose finale was essentially written by Lyapunov based on some sketches and the composer's own performances on (solo) piano. Well, this is still an estimable recording, well worth getting."