Search - Xaver Scharwenka, Tadeusz Strugala, Radio Philharmonie Hannover des NDR :: Xaver Scharwenka : Piano Concerto No. 2 and Piano Concerto No. 3

Some of the greatest romantic piano concertos on offer

I. J. J. Nieuwland | Amsterdam | 11/11/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If this recording proves anything, it is the randomness of the piano canon. For here we have two largely forgotten piano concertos that can hold their own against almost anything you throw at them - and are preferable to much that is recycled every season in many a concert hall.

Yet both of these Scharwenka concertos are very different. The second concerto is a fiery affair, a proper vehicle for the soloist to show her skills. Number three, on the other hand, is perhaps the most contemplative of the Scharwenka concertos, with an uncharacteristically laid-back, but truly moving adagio.

Both are very demanding on the soloist, but Tanyel, so obviously at home with this repertoire, pulls off a splendid performance, as do Strugala and his orchestra. The second concerto has also been recorded by Laurence Jeanningros with Paul Freeman conducting the Czech National Orchestra, but the results are comparable and this is probably the more attractive coupling (Jeanningros' is with the more immature first concerto). Highly recommended."

Interesting, If Not Great Music

Alan Beggerow | Rock Falls, IL USA | 01/25/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"With colorful orchestration and a piano part naturally brilliant, these concerti are most interesting. As with all the recordings in this series by Hyperion, the works are at the very least enjoyable to listen to. Not all of them are classics, but many of them deserve a listen now and then. The real value of this series is that now there is a comparison available. The standard 'war horses' of the concert stage deserve their fame, but these concerti also deserve a listen to. There are some real gems in this series, and if nothing else it underlines why the 'war horses' are perhaps of greater musical value. Not every novel that is written is equal to War And Peace, or The Old Man And The Sea, but it sure is refreshing to read something different by a different author once in a while. The same applies to these unknown concerti. Recommended, along with the other discs in the series."

Sorry, just not that good

Classic Music Lover | Maryland, USA | 06/23/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Seta Tanyel has little or no competition in the 3rd Piano Concerto, so I guess that's the main reason to get this disk. In the 2nd, where we have a couple other performances to sample, she comes up short in both atmospherics and tempo. Things are pretty slow-going and ponderous. All the photos we have of Scharwenka show him to be the proper picture of a middle-aged, well-heeled Central European gentleman, but this doesn't mean we have to listen to his music like an old man with a full belly! For a clue on how this music should really sound, try listening to Michael Ponti on Vox. Yes the recording's old. Yes, the orchestra sounds thin and under-rehearsed. But there's some real vital playing and some real excitement there. We haven't had a completely satisfying recording of the 2nd Concerto yet. Too bad Hyperion went and licensed this one from Collins Classics instead of finding a fresh pianist -- any one of its "house" pianists in the Romantic Piano Concerto series would have done better. And certainly pressing a conductor like Martyn Brabbins into service on the orchestral side would have been an improvement over the earnest yet ultimately unsatisfying reading of Strugala and his Hanover forces.



Bottom-line, this is one of very few entries in the Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto series that misses the mark."