If the name Friedrich Kalkbrenner is familiar at all, it’s probably for his famous suggestion that Chopin would benefit from three years of study with him (a bold offer the Pole wisely turned down). But, as Hyperion’s ever-expanding Romantic Piano Concerto series has repeatedly shown, received historical opinion and musical quality don’t always go hand in hand. With Volume 56 we reach the second and final instalment of Kalkbrenner’s concertos, dazzlingly played by Howard Shelley, directing the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra from the keyboard. For all that Kalkbrenner wasn’t afraid to write big, bold orchestral introductions, it’s when the pianist makes his entry that you realize what a jawdropping player he must have been, with writing of such glittering, glistening panache that it must have had those polite salon ladies reaching for their smelling salts.
Kalkbrenner: Piano Concerto No. 2 In E Minor, Op. 85
1. Allegro Maestoso
2. La Tranquillité: Adagio Non Troppo
3. Rondo: Allegretto Grazioso
Kalkbrenner: Piano Concerto No. 3 In A Minor, Op. 107
1. Allegro Moderato
2. Introduzione Del Rondo: Maestoso Sostenuto
3. Rondo: Allegro Vivace
Kalkbrenner: Adagio & Allegro Di Bravura, Op. 102
Adagio & Allegro Di Bravura, Op. 102
8th March 2012
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“Shelley attacks it all with gleeful extravagance. He is also directing the Tasmanian Symphony from the piano as he plays music of often atrocious difficulty, which is something of a tour de force in itself. It's great fun, just not great music.”
May 2012
“what is remarkable about Howard Shelley's performances is the insight they offer into the era itself...Shelley is a formidable presence both as soloist and conductor. Yes, he has the technique and dexterity to play this music; but he also understands how to make the most of the orchestral writing...There's a considerable grace to his playing too - his immersion in repertoire of this period has given him an innate understanding of what makes it tick”
June 2012
“the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra offer playing that is exceptionally crisp and alert. Howard Shelley does a magnificent job of performing the fiendishly difficult piano parts whilst maintaining the highest level of orchestral discipline.”
1. Allegro Maestoso
