PIXIS & THALBERG
Piano Concertos
HOWARD SHELLEY, Piano
Tasmanian Symphony
Hyperion 67915 / ****1/2
What
happened to the piano concerto genre between Mozart and Chopin? Composers like
Hummel, Weber and Mendelssohn provide certain clues in their piano music, as do
the lesser-known pianist-composers Johann Peter Pixis (1788-1874) and Sigismond
Thalberg (1812-1871), who were virtuosos in their time and all but forgotten
now. Friends and rivals with both Chopin and Liszt, their stylistically
conservative music paralleled aesthetics of the bel canto opera tradition, personified by the arias of Bellini,
Donizetti and Rossini. Allied with
scintillating virtuoso traditions of the day, this meant strength in cantabile
melody and ornamental excesses to the point of fussiness.
Despite
the triteness of invention and inspiration, the C major Concerto (1829) and E flat major Concertino (1824) of Pixis may be enjoyed on their own terms. One should
not expect dissonances, dynamic surprises or others innovation, but just bask
in the sheer congeniality. At least his slow movements sound like
proto-Chopinesque nocturnes. From Thalberg, who once had a pianistic duel with
Liszt, one expects just a little more attitude. His F minor Concerto (1830) might just enter the
periphery of the standard repertoire, not because of harmonic daring but by its
technical demands for the sake of itself. British pianist-conductor Howard
Shelley is a specialist of music of this epoch, and does his best to make it
sound fresh and inviting. His spirited advocacy succeeds, because one will
return to this music again, at least for its easy charms and outward glitter.
DEBUSSY 24 Préludes
(Orchestrated by Peter
Breiner)
Royal Scottish National
Orchestra / Jun Markl
The 24 Préludes
of Debussy represent an ultimate test for the pianist in crafting a palette of
colours on the keyboard, yet they positively beg to be orchestrated. These
arrangements by Slovak composer Peter Breiner (who also happens to be Naxos ’s house orchestrator
for popular tunes and anthems) are both idiomatic and evocative. The preludes
are presented in two books, in the order they were published, and the
sonorities he creates come close to the spirit of Debussy’s own style.
He conjures up a pastoral mood
for The Girl With The Flaxen Hair,
raises a tempest-tossed vibe for What The
West Wind Saw, and fulminates explosively in the final prelude Fireworks. For Spanish-inspired numbers,
such as Interrupted Serenade and The Wine Gate, the deft use of
percussion and the rhythms lends the music an exotic flavour. These bear
comparison with the orchestrations by Colin Matthews, recorded by the Halle
Orchestra on its own label, which have a more modernistic slant. The Royal
Scottish National Orchestra is every bit as sympathetic and incisive in its
playing, making this a welcome addition to the recorded orchestral canon.
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