Search - Thomas Pfeiffer, Bernhard Stavenhagen, Hans-Rainer Forster :: Stavenhagen: Klavierkonzert No.2/Drei Orchesterlieder

Stunning lost master

Stephen D. Haufe | Clinton, Iowa | 06/06/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

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The Stavenhagen Concerti stand out from the typical late- Romantic concerti,and are largely undiscovered ,major works,negelcted I suspect because of unjustified infatuation with serialism, and other anti-communicative trends post-WWI.



The 1st may be the concerto Wagner may have written,but Stavenhagen does a better job.Dramatic,dark first movement with wonderful,memorable main theme,gorgeous colors and effects; an adagio simply Rachmaninoff gorgeous with obvious references to the great love music of Tristan;and most remarkably, a finale that melds the themes of the 1st,2nd movements to a glorious conclusion,a feat much like melding the first 2 movements of the Grieg. A tone poem for piano with the virtuoso writing integrated within the orchestral texture better than any concerto I've heard, not an adversary to the orchestra, with a little homage to Liszt, in octave passages a la Liszt E-Flat,and a triangle,in the last movement. Very effective piano and orchestra writing,exquisite crafting,original,intelligent,shames both Liszt concerti,or at least the E-Flat, much more satisfying than the Mendelssohns, D"Albert,Rubinstein 4, Moszkowski, Saint-Saens,Chopin 2,Raff,etc.



The 2nd may be to the 1st as the Brahms 2nd is to the Brahms 1st. Perhaps the concerto Mahler would have written,but again better written than Mahler's usual,rambling efforts.Remarkable in that with few singing tunes (how many does the Brahms 2nd have), one comes away completely satisfied with this completely integrated ,whole of inspiration and craft.Most remarkable,from this student of Liszt, influenced by Wagner and Mahler, is the final movement, a shrine to Brahms(!!!), an opening piano solo that could have come straight from Op.116,complete with anti-climactic, pastoral coda a la Brahms 2,and duet between solo string (here violin rather than cello) and piano, as if Stavenhagen acknowledges Brahms was right,after all!



If I go to the desert island, and get 5, its Brahms 1, Rach 3, Mozart 21, Beethoven 4, and Stavenhagen 1 would compete with the Schumann in the coin-toss. (I'd then try to sneak in the Oldham.)



Agents, music directors be damned!! If Kissin, Volodos,Thibaudet,Philipov,Lang Lang had a clue they'd be playing the Stavenhagen.



Thanks for listening,indulging me. Fine!







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