Customer Reviews

d'Albert: Piano Concertos

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Eugen d'Albert (1864-1932) was a great piano virtuoso and an interesting character in the late 19th-century. His numerous and rocky marriages (once to Teresa Carreño) is a well known tidbit. But d'Albert was also an outstanding student of Arthur Sullivan and later a favorite pupil of Liszt. Liszt had many affectionate nicknames for d'Albert, such as the "second Tausig" and "Albertus Magnus." D'Albert was certainly a giant in the realm of piano virtuosi, but he was also a gifted composer of twenty operas, four concerti, and a slew of orchestral, vocal, and piano works.

With the exception of the piano transcription of Bach's Passacaglia in C minor, virtually nothing from d'Albert's output receives much attention. Many of his compositions are admittedly second or third tier, but others deserve performances and recordings. D'Albert's stunning Brahmsian Piano Sonata in F sharp minor Op. 10 is unduly forgotten. Thankfully, Hyperion's celebrated pianist, Piers Lane recorded it and other solo piano music (Eugen d'Albert: Solo Piano Music). With this ninth volume in the Romantic Piano Concerto series, Lane has established himself as a d'Albert champion, especially since he makes the world-premiere recording of d'Albert's First Piano Concerto in B minor.

D'Albert actually wrote a piano concerto when he was 16, but the score was unpublished and is presumed lost. Three years later in 1884, d'Albert finished what became his First Piano Concerto in B minor Op. 2. Conceived as a single-movement work spanning 44-minutes, this piece is a jaw-dropping achievement for one so young; d'Albert would have been 20 years old at the time of its completion. But this concerto is by no means juvenilia. It is mature, expertly crafted, and full of incredible dramatic moments. Both the orchestral and piano-writing reveal the influence of d'Albert's most revered masters, Liszt and Brahms. The work alternates between powerful orchestral ideas and grandiose virtuosic commentary from the piano. The piano is indeed the dominant force in this work, delivering the best lyrical and virtuosic ideas. In the spectacular 3-minute fugal cadenza, d'Albert creates a marvelous synergy between extroverted virtuosity and lofty contrapuntal activity.

The Second Piano Concerto in E major Op. 12 appeared in 1893 and is d'Albert's masterpiece. It demonstrates not only greater melodic strains and thematic material than the B minor concerto, but significant editorial skill. This second concerto, like the first, is designed as a single-movement piece. However, d'Albert uses cyclical form and says all he needs to in half the time of the 44-minute B minor concerto. There are a few recordings of d'Albert's E major concerto, most notably by Joseph Banowetz on Naxos (D'Albert: Piano Concertos 1 & 2) and Michael Ponti on Vox (The Romantic Piano Concerto, Volume 4). I personally prefer Michael Ponti's tempi, dynamics, and electrifying performance, but Piers Lane plays with sincerity and musicality. I wish Lane would have unleashed himself a little in the recapitulation of the main theme, though. Ponti conjures the virtuosic thunderstorm of octaves needed to compete with the volume of the orchestra, but Lane seems restrained. Still, his gentler approach works well throughout the entire narrative of this gorgeous concerto, one which needs to revived in the concert hall.

Bottom line: Fans of mid-late 19th-century bravura piano concerti should find d'Albert's two essays compelling. The influence of German Romanticism, namely the concerti of Liszt and Brahms and the orchestral idiom of Wagner is prevalent throughout d'Albert's works. The B minor concerto is a lengthy, heroic, and engaging work that deserves hearings. And the exciting and passionate E major concerto is surely d'Albert's best composition.

Eugen d'Albert's piano concertos have been represented on disc elsewhere as well - I have not heard e.g. the Naxos recording, but I doubt that it can be much superior to the one at hand. Furthermore, my previous encounters with d'Albert's music have been uniformly impressive (primarily Tiefland and Die Toten Augen). It is thus almost a little surprising that this disc isn't more rewarding than it is. Whatever else d'Albert was (a superb opera composer, for instance), neither of the works here are really worth your attention unless you have a special interest in this repertoire (or have to have all installment in Hyperion's series).

Both works are relatively early. The second concerto, in E major, was composed in 1893, grandly romantic (Liszt and Schumann more than anything else), cast in one movement and contrasting stormy virtuoso parts with lyrical, reflective music. The latter are perhaps the best parts, but there is little distinctive about any of the music; few even remotely memorable themes, and no surprises. The best thing I can say is that it is relatively concentrated - at least d'Albert does his best to avoid outstaying his welcome. Yes, it is certainly technically challenging, but Piers Lane is up to the task, although the performance is stronger on poetry than bravura.

The first concerto, in b minor, is far more ambitious in scope. Stylistically it is relatively similar to the later work, although it focuses more on spectacle and virtuosity, and it is probably even more technically challenging than its successor. But the music is certainly not any more memorable, and listening through to the end is actually a rather taxing experience. To sum up, this is a well-played disc and probably a must for fans of the series (I guess d'Albert's concertos were a necessary stop), but still slightly disappointing.

Simply the most boring, non-active concerto I've ever heard. One of the movements even sounds like an ice cream truck music box! There is no Rhyme or reason to this uneventful concerto. It seems that effort was small,and there is no attempt on a melody. If you want to hear what concert music is really about, listen to Rachmaninoff, Liszt, Brahms, Schubert, Tchaikovsky, Bortkiewicz, Chopin, Bach,Smetena, Saint Saens, Mendelssohn, Faure, Verdi, Gershwin, Mozart, Paganini, Barber, but don't listen to this guy. Its a waste of money.