Customer Reviews

The Romantic Piano Concerto, Volume 1

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The brilliant Michael Ponti (One of the best pianists out there. Why is he not better known?!) gives a spectacular performance of Adolf von Henselt's superb f minor concerto. A work of terrifying difficulties (no less than Anton Rubinstein abandoned work on the piece because he considered it too difficult) it was once quite popular (Both Liszt and Clara Schumann championed the work). Ponti plays the fire out of it. The Henselt alone makes this a worthy aquisition, and the CD set contains other treasures as well. By all means pick this up. At this price it is a "no-brainer".

Von Henselt piano concert is the peak of the crown . Absolutely agree . This work , despite its countless difficulties that demands from the player is surrounded of a romantic majesty and aristos presence .
But think in Chopin's Allegro de Concerto : Chopin was planning to compose a third Piano Concert in 1849 but he only could finish the first movement . So this work literally was frozen for players . Nadia Reisenberg (vynil Westminster in the fifties) and Claudio Arrau (in the sixties) recorded this work and played for solo piano . But Michael Ponti aceppted the challenge and this was the world premiere recording with orchestra) The result is a fifteen minutes piece complete by itself with a mature Chopin loaded with new proposals and a revitalized concept of his beloved Poland . You notice inmediatly that the important 1848 revolution , permeated the soul of Frederick .
Hiller ' s piano concert is a bravura work . The notes fall incisively on the listener , and suddenly the mood is made : its introspective moods and fevered lyricism will steal your mind .
Acquire as soon as you can this weird album .Ponti reveals himself not only as a superb pianist , but also as an untired searcher of the unknown pieces of the XIX century , happily for us .
Thanks for Ponti , Earl Wild , and Raymond Lewenthal , extraordinary pianists inmersed in the purest romantic tradition.

When the "Romantic Concerto" series came out I grabbed as many albums as I could find. The gems on the series are somewhat obscure, and that is a great shame.

My favorite piece in Volume One is Chopin's Allegro de Concert, played to perfection by Michael Ponti, accompanied by the Berlin Symphony Orchestra.

Have no hesitation about buying this and the other albums in the series.

I ordered this CD via a Gift Certificate from my daughter for my 60th birthday. I have been a fan of the Romantic era piano concertos/works since I was 8 years old and this CD introduced me to composers and artists that I had not listened to before. This is an absolute must have to anyone who loves classical music.