The Romantic Piano Concerto, Vol. 4- Arensky: Piano Concerto in F Minor, Op. 2; Fantasia, Op. 48 / Bortkiewicz: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B Flat, Op. 16 [Import]

Anton Stepanovich Arensky (Artist), Serge Bortkiewicz (Artist), Jerzy Maksymiuk (Artist), Stephen Coombs (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 22, 1994)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Hyperion UK
• ASIN: B000002ZS2
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,673 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Piano Concerto In F Minor Op. 2: Allegro maestoso

2. Piano Concerto In F Minor Op. 2: Andante con moto

3. Piano Concerto In F Minor Op. 2: Scherzo-Finale: Allegro molto

4. Fantasia On Russian Folksongs Op. 48

5. Piano Concert No 1 In B Flat major Op. 16: Lento - Allegro deciso

6. Piano Concert No 1 In B Flat major Op. 16: Andante sostenuto

7. Piano Concert No 1 In B Flat major Op. 16: Molto vivace e con brio

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Romantic Obscura, April 12, 2001

By 

Daniel G. Berk (West Bloomfield, Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Romantic Piano Concerto, Vol. 4- Arensky: Piano Concerto in F Minor, Op. 2; Fantasia, Op. 48 / Bortkiewicz: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B Flat, Op. 16 (Audio CD)

If you enjoy a romantic piano concerto but feel, sadly, that you have exhausted the venue, take heart and take a listen to the two included on this CD. The Arensky concerto was composed while he was a student at the St. Petersburg Conservatory and clearly owes a debt to Tchaikovsky.

This is the first recording of the complete Bortkiewicz concerto. He too studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, but he also studied at the Leipzig Conservatory, where he came under the influence of the conservative German tradition.

The two piano concerti are worth visiting. Arensky's fantasia is extra icing.

This CD provides ample evidence that there are many little known composers whose work is very worthy of examination.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Melodies, Lush Orchestration, December 24, 2009

By 

ZenVortex (Vancouver, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Romantic Piano Concerto, Vol. 4- Arensky: Piano Concerto in F Minor, Op. 2; Fantasia, Op. 48 / Bortkiewicz: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B Flat, Op. 16 (Audio CD)

The Bortkiewicz concerto is one of great treasures of the late Romantic period. Wonderful, soul-stirring music with beautiful melodies and lush, dramatic orchestration. The concerto has a big, powerful sound like Rachmaninov #2 with lots of brass and complex sequences of passionately emotive piano chords. The Arensky concerto is also first rate and it is obvious that pianist Steven Combs and the orchestra poured their hearts and souls into this excellent recording. Highly recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Unknown Piano Concerto, March 28, 2011

By 

Piso Mojado (In the noble weather of my mind.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Romantic Piano Concerto, Vol. 4- Arensky: Piano Concerto in F Minor, Op. 2; Fantasia, Op. 48 / Bortkiewicz: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B Flat, Op. 16 (Audio CD)

Sergei Bortkiewicz's First is one of the great unknown piano concertos, along with Castellon, Moszkowski, and Andre Mathieu's Fourth. I can't imagine a better performance than Stephen Coombs's. A casual listener might take it for Tchaikovsky's Fourth or Rachmaninoff's Fifth. An uncasual one will hear delightful reminders of them, and yes the swans put in an appearance, just as they do in Tchaikovsky's second concerto. Arensky's pieces are interesting, but Bortkiewicz's is a real discovery.