The Romantic Piano Concerto Volume 69

Description

This record brings together two works written in the 20th century by Australian composers in a decidedly romantic language. Alfred Hill was a violinist in the Leipzig orchestra and played under Brahms. He borrows the structure of the concerto in four movements and a melodic writing that does not seek to shine. But it is to Chopin that the long, ornamented melody of the central Nocturne refers. The most original part is the finale, subtitled Contrasts, a spiritual play that would not have been disavowed by Haydn. This concerto comes from a Piano Sonata written a few years earlier, also recorded here. The comparison is interesting; the solo piano highlights the structure of the work more, but the polyphonic richness is more natural with the orchestra. George Frederick Boyle, for his part, settled in the United States where he taught composition to Barber. His writing is rooted in the post-romantic style that was in vogue at the time in America: the vast cadence of the first movement with its grand chords recalls Rachmaninoff. His concerto is much more virtuosic (the finale offers little respite to the pianist). Pianist Piers Lane puts all his enthusiasm into championing the repertoire of his country. One could not hope for a better guide here. (Thomas Herreng)