Customer Reviews

Alnęs: Piano Concerto, Op. 27; Sinding: Piano Concerto, Op. 6

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Piano Concerti on this disc represent an antidote to the Grieg concerto by two obscure Norwegian composers. Both Eyvind Alnaes and Christian Sinding were forced to write more marketable popular songs instead of what might be termed "serious" compositions, and both were able to write a single piano concerto during their lives. Christian Sinding's concerto was written in 1889 and was revised in 1901 (which is played on this recording). It struck me as a grand work following in the footsteps of Grieg but not incorporating any of the folk melodies that the older composer user; Sinding was much more cosmopolitan in his outlook and was influenced by Liszt and Wagner. The three movements of Sinding's concerto are connected by thematic relationships. In the second movement, described by critics of the time as "Nordic," a solo horn presents the main theme of the first movement and goes on in a dreamy character. The final movement has a more heroic character and is darker in character, somewhat like Sibelius.

The Concerto of Eyvind Alnaes, written in the Romantic style of Anton Rubinstein and Sergei Rachmaninov, has an immediate appeal for the brilliant melodies and virtuoso piano writing. The concerto is scored for a large orchestra that includes eight horns, four trumpet, two tubas and six trombones. The first movement comes close to sounding like a mini-tone poem with a passionate theme played by the full orchestra alternating with quieter, more reflective passages. The middle movement is written as a funeral march but it is not entirely somber: the music has a triumphant middle section before returning to the mournful theme; then, with a roll of timpani, the final waltz movement begins; a charming mixture of popular tunes woven together with a brilliant piano part.

The Alnaes concerto is immediately accessible while I found the Sinding concerto required more hearings to appreciate but Piers Lane does a magnificent job playing these demanding works and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra with Andrew Litton make excellent partners. The recording, as one expects from Hyperion, is nicely balanced and clear.

For those who like their piano concertos with filled big tunes and grand gestures (think Rachmaninoff and Grieg) these two concerti fit the bill perfectly. Thoroughly enjoyable, if little known, works by "minor" composers, that are wonderfully played. Five stars for the music, three for the recording, which seems to me a little congested and not quite up to Hyperion's usual high standard.

Hyperion's Romantic Piano Concerto series continues unabated with some indisputable gems. Eyvind Alnęs (1872-1932) is at the time of writing relatively well represented on disc - there are not many releases, but Alnęs was not a particularly prolific composer (Simax has recorded several of his songs (and some are featured in Kirsten Flagstad recitals - even Chaliapin recorded one), and Sterling has his two symphonies). His piano concerto is lavishly romantic in a style reminiscent of Grieg and Tchaikovsky, but containing a welter of features typical of the late romantics of his generation (lush scoring and dramatic gestures, sufficiently airy to avoid clogging up). It is a really fine work, consisting of an eventful Allegro moderato, a wonderfully dreamy Lento and a catchy waltz-like finale with a genuinely memorable main theme.

The overall effect is of a work that is not only poetic, dramatic, spirited and memorable, but also disarmingly charming. It is played with a combination of skill, spirit and utmost refinement by Piers Lane - a wonderful performance - and backed up by a Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra that has clearly come to love the score as much as any listener with a penchant for this kind of repertoire will. An excellent addition to the catalogue.

Christian Sinding (1856-1941) is better known than Alnęs, and his concerto has at least retained a toehold on the repertoire in Norway (if nowhere else). His concerto is more obviously indebted to Wagner and Liszt (and is far less obviously `Norwegian' than the Alnęs), but is also less immediately appealing. It is surely well made and contains some good ideas, but the whole work comes across as a little dense and even tiresome. Still, Lane and Litton make it work pretty convincingly, making it sound more spirited and coherent than one could reasonably have feared. The Hyperion sound is clear and well-balanced (but is it slightly more two-dimensional than on some releases from this source?). Is it too much to hope that Hyperion will some day look into the five very much romantic piano concertos of Halfdan Cleve (1879-1951)?