The Golden Age of the Romantic Piano Concerto [20 CD BOX SET] Various

---

Product Overview

• Format: CD
• Release Title: The Golden Age of the Romantic Piano Concerto
• Artist: Various

For many of the works in this collection, these recordings were the world
premiers. In the 1960s and 70s the Vox Candide and Turnabout labels did much
to enrich the collector's knowledge and appreciation of the bywaters of the
repertoire. Many of the composers who were recorded by Vox have since fared
well as a result of these recordings, and many labels have continued in the
pioneering spirit of Vox. In the 1960s the thought of all the Reinecke,
Moscheles and Reis concertos being available would be a pipe dream. Happily,
the collector now has more choice than ever before. These Vox recordings were
in the vanguard of the movement to reassess unusual and neglected works and
bring them to a wider public Any survey of the genre cannot hope to embrace
every work, and the collector won't find Beethoven, Brahms, Grieg Mozart or
Saint-Saens here. They will find however an extraordinary collection of
concertos by some of the big names, and also by composers who played
significant roles in the development of the piano and piano playing, and who
influenced greater composers. From the charming work, brilliant and effective
in the Mozartian mould, of Cramer and Czerny, to the barnstorming virtuosity
of Scharwenka, little here is revolutionary, but all of it is bursting with
attractive melody and spectacular piano playing. Volkmann's Konzertstuck is a
wonderfully crafted work of great skill, and typical of many produced by
composers of huge talent that operated at just below the level of genius, and
who have therefore been overshadowed by the big names. Adolf von Henselt was
one of the major rivals to Liszt - in fact he was the rival Liszt shied away
from competing with, as his technique was truly amazing. If ever there was an
example of the 19th century romantic virtuoso concerto the F minor by Henselt
is it. It is a work of eye watering difficulty to play, and is also great fun
to listen to - a real high point of this collection. As this collection shows,
around the big mountains are some very interesting foothills that are
rewarding to explore for the curious listeners eager to widen their knowledge
of the repertoire. Comprehensive booklet notes on each work included on a
bonus CD-ROM.