LITOLFF : Concerto Symphonique No 2 In B Minor (First Recording) • Concerto Symphonique No 4 In D Minor (Andrew Litton · Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra · Peter Donohoe) (1997) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 14 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The Scherzo from Litolff's Fourth Concerto has long been a Classical lollipop; now find out what the rest sounds like …

Litolff was one of the great virtuosi of the nineteenth century. His five Concertos Symphoniques (the first of which is now unfortunately lost) were of major influence in the transition from the Classically-derived concertos of Hummel, Moscheles and Chopin to the more symphonic late-Romantic concertos. He pioneered the use of a four-movement structure which included a Scherzo (as in Brahms's Second Concerto) and gave the orchestra much more of the thematic material. Indeed, although the piano writing is very brilliant, much of it is accompanimental. The Second Concerto is a real rarity, the orchestral parts proving very hard to locate. This is probably its first performance in over 130 years. Hyperion

Henry Charles Litolff (1818-1891)
    
Concerto symphonique No 2 in B minor Op 22 [32'03]
    
Concerto symphonique No 4 in D minor Op 102 [37'42]

Credits :
Conductor – Andrew Litton
Orchestra – Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Piano – Peter Donohoe

LITOLFF : Concerto Symphonique No 3 In E Flat Major • Concerto Symphonique No 5 In C Minor (First Recording) (Peter Donohoe · BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra · Andrew Litton) (2001) The Romantic Piano Concerto – 26 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

This recording is the companion to Donohoe and Litton's earlier recording of Litolff's Concerto Symphoniques 2 & 4 (CDA66889) and completes our survey of the composer's works for piano and orchestra (Litolff's first concerto was never published and is lost).

Both works owe the 'Symphonique' title to their four-movement structure (all Litolff's concertos contain a Scherzo in addition to the three conventional movements), and the importance of the orchestra in their thematic development. The Third Concerto was (along with the Fourth) the most popular in Litolff's lifetime and was written for performance in the Netherlands. It uses two popular Dutch melodies which no doubt explains it early success. The Fifth Concerto is the most obscure of the four extant works yet it is the most ambitious in scale with a particularly imposing orchestral exposition. Unfortunately by the time the work was composed (1867) Litolff had faded from the public eye and the work received few, if any, performances. It's Scherzo, obviously modelled on the equivalent 'hit' piece from the Fourth Concerto, has the potential to be almost as popular, though it's virtuosic leaping octave passages are likely to deter all but the most muscular of pianists. Hyperion

Henry Charles Litolff (1818-1891)
                
Concerto symphonique No 3 in E flat 'National Hollandais' Op 45[30'47]
                        
Concerto symphonique No 5 in C minor Op 123[35'08]

Credits :
Conductor – Andrew Litton
Leader – Elisabeth Layton
Orchestra – BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Piano – Peter Donohoe

Alnæs : Piano Concerto In D Major, Op 27 (First Recording) ♦ Sinding : Piano Concerto In D Flat Major, Op 6 (Piers Lane · Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra · Andrew Litton) (2006) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 42 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

For the 42nd entry in its The Romantic Piano Concerto series (is it already really that many?!), Hyperion travels to the chilly land of Norway. The one and only piano concerto from this region of the world -- and it is a very famous one -- that automatically comes to mind is Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16, a youthful, formally sprawling work that stands as a landmark among romantic piano concertos. The concerti by Norwegians Eyvind Alnaes and Christian Sinding postdate the Grieg by at least two decades and are both more concise and assured by comparison, not to mention lush and strongly melodic with big tunes and showy virtuosic stuff for the soloist. For Alnaes, his D major concerto from 1914 is the exception rather than the rule; he was an organist and the most prominent Norwegian art song composer of his day. Alnaes' Piano Concerto in D major is the last large-scale work among only a few that he completed. While it superficially evokes the manner of Rachmaninoff, it is pleasant without being particularly engaging. One does not regret Alnaes' investment in song; this concerto confirms that he put the best of himself into his shorter vocal works, though it has its moments and is worth listening to at least one time.

Christian Sinding was once viewed as being direct heir to Grieg, although this is wrong -- he was German trained, lived in Germany for nearly four decades, and it shows in his music; if anything he was a lesser heir to Robert Schumann. Sinding's concerto is full of the flashy sprays of virtuosic filigree encountered in his once popular salon piece Rustle of Spring, and yet that will take far less of one's time than this concerto, dating to 1889 but revised in 1901. It belongs to its era and is an inferior effort in comparison even to the Alnaes in that it's rather dull. Pianist Piers Lane makes the best case imaginable for both concerti; his playing is both sensitive and keen, bringing out the lyric side of the writing while making more ostentatious sections impressive sounding by the mere effortlessness of his handling of them. The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, under Andrew Litton, makes a somewhat less than precise impression and is a little loose in spots. These are not essential romantic piano concerti; they both sound nice, but fail to stick with the listener, not a quality one can attribute to the piano concerto of Grieg, despite its flaws in formal construction. Uncle Dave Lewis  

Eyvind Alnæs (1872-1932)
Piano Concerto in D major, Op. 27

Christian Sinding (1856-1941)
Piano Concerto in D flat major, Op. 6

Credits :
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Andrew Litton
Piers Lane (piano)

BRANFORD MARSALIS - Romances for Saxophone (1986) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Romances for Saxophone was released in 1986 by CBS Masterworks' Light Classics division. Branford Marsalis, usually known for his jazz background, asserts his mastery of the soprano saxophone on this excellent collection of romantic chamber music. Accompanied by the English Chamber Orchestra, Marsalis indulges us with some of his most fervent music yet. Each piece explores a different aspect of love and romance. Vocalese, originally for the soprano voice, portray the vocal lyricism and musicality of Marsalis' soprano saxophone. The "Rachmaninoff Vocalese" is an exceptional confirmation of the mastery of tone and musicianship that defines the music Marsalis is known for. Other well-known works, such as Debussy's L'Isle Joyeuse and Stravinsky's Pastorale, brilliantly contrast the air that Marsalis has played since 1981. The French and Russian compositions add a new dimension to the young Marsalis repertoire -- classical romantic. by Paula Edelstein
Tracklist:
1    L' isle joyeuse, for piano, L. 106    6:46
Claude Debussy
Orchestrated by Michel Colombier        
2    Pavane, for orchestra & chorus ad lib in F sharp minor, Op. 50 5:44  
Gabriel Fauré
Arabesques (2) for piano, L. 66  
3    Arabesque No.1, Orchestrated by Michel Colombier 4:15   
Claude Debussy
Vocalise, instrumental arrangement, Op. 34/14  
4    Vocalise, Edited by Michel Colombier 6:01  
Sergey Rachmaninov
5    Pastorale, song without words for voice & piano 2:43  
Igor Stravinsky
6    Emmanuel, for saxophone & orchestra 2:52      
7    Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5, for voice & 8 cellos, A. 389 5:36      
Heitor Villa-Lobos
8    Gymnopedie for piano No. 3 2:31  
Erik Satie
9    Prélude, for piano 3:19      
Maurice Ravel
Edited by Michel Colombier    
10    Vocalise-Étude en forme de Habanera, for voice & piano 2:44
Maurice Ravel
11    Sicilienne, for cello & piano, Op. 78    3:36  
Gabriel Fauré
Edited by Michel Colombier     
12    Serenade for piano in A major 2:59  
Igor Stravinsky
Pictures at an Exhibition (Kartinki s vïstavski), for piano  
13    The Old Castle, Edited by Michel Colombier 4:25
Modest Mussorgsky
Directed By – Andrew Litton
Orchestra – The English Chamber Orchestra
Orchestrated By – Michel Colombier
Soprano Saxophone – Branford Marsalis

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS : The Lark Ascending; Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (Litton-Marriner) (2009) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The Romantic Piano Concerto • 14 : Litolff (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 
 

The Romantic Piano Concerto • 26 - Litolff : Concerti Symphonique (2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 
 

The Romantic Piano Concerto • 42 : Alnæs & Sinding (Piers Lane~Andrew Litton) (2006) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

For the 42nd issue in its 'Romantic Piano Concerto' series, Hyperion turns for inspiration to Norway and, in a first recording of Eyvind Alnæs's Concerto, they light up the sky like an aurora borealis. Here is music very much for those in love with the most succulent romanticism, with lush, lavishly decorated melodies and a fin-de-siècle array of props. The opening Allegromoderato follows one sumptuous gesture with another and in the central Lento the pianist weaves starry figuration around the orchestra's full-blooded outcry. In the finale all fashionable gloom is cast aside for a rollicking waltz guaranteed to sweep its dancers off the floor. So for those wishing to venture beyond the Grieg or MacDowell concertos such music is heavensent, particularly when played by Piers Lane with such enviable poetry, fluency and aplomb.
Few pianists could have entered into the romantic spirit more infectiously, though even he is hard-pressed to make a convincing case for Sinding's less heart-warming Concerto. Here, the music remains more effortful than inspired, huffing and puffing its way through one inflated gesture after another. Yet listening to Lane in the finale is to be reminded of playing as to the romantic manner born. Andrew Litton and the Bergen Philharmonic are a perfect foil for their scintillating and indefatigable soloist, and Hyperion's sound balance is impeccable. by Gramophone

Alnaes: Piano Concerto in D major, Op. 27

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Andrew Litton
Piers Lane (piano)

Sinding: Piano Concerto in D flat major, Op. 6

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Andrew Litton
Piers Lane (piano)

RÓZSA : Viola Concerto; SERLY : Rhapsody for Viola & Orchestra; BARTÓK : Viola Concerto

[2010] Hyperion /  FLAC / scans