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‚Following its delightful versions of his piano concerti, led from the keyboard by Howard Shelley, Hyperion continues its championship of Moscheles’s work with the elegant cello sonata dedicated to Schumann. He is often bracketed with his contemporary Hummel, whose own cello sonata is a classic of spacious romanticism. Both are lovingly played by the Czech cellist Jiri Barta‘ (The Observer)

‚The lion’s share of the material falls to Hamish Milne, whose liquid-clear articulation allows the music to flow unimpeded by any mannerisms whatsoever. For his part cellist Jiri Barta provides an equally virtuosic and eloquent rendition – taste and idiomatic faithfulness being the key criteria‘ (The Strad)

‚Bárta and Milne strike just the right note: these aren’t bravura pieces, and they play them as would two friends convivially making music in the drawing-room and deriving unemphatic pleasure from the experience … A delightfully demure, teasingly tuneful release, which has brought me much pleasure‘ (International Record Review)

‚with such strong, sympathetic playing and clear, carefully-balanced recordings this Hyperion disc is a must for adventurous cellists and listeners alike‘ (BBC Music Magazine)

‚…the works, intimate in tone and refined in sentiment, make extremely congenial discmates‘ (Fanfare, USA) ‚La sonorité très chaude du violoncelle et l’articulation parfaite du piano conviennent parfaitement au caractère de ces œuvres…Il sera difficile de faire mieux dans ce répertoire‘ (Classica-Répertoire, France)

‚Je ne peux … priver ce CD merveilleux du 10/10 qui lui sied si bien, car cette musique qui n’ambitionne pas d’égaler les Sonates de Beethoven et de Brahms, est une pure merveille‘ (ClassicsTodayFrance.com)

Artykuł HUMMEL, MOSCHELES <br />Cello Sonatas <br />Jiri Barta, Hamish Milne pochodzi z serwisu Cleartone.

‚Two concertos in richly-textured performances, full of decorative appeal and romantic melody‘ (The Daily Telegraph)

‚Highly recommended‘ (Fanfare, USA)

‚Howard Shelley … in his triple role of pianist, conductor and producer, offers yet another disc of aristocratic brilliance and distinction‘ (Gramophone)

‚Shelley is one of our finest pianists and an excellent musician, and his playing has that crisp clarity which energises and highlights the music … Hardly a dull moment during this highly enjoyable disc‘ (musicweb.uk.net)
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With this 29th volume in the Romantic Piano Concerto series we commence a cycle of three CDs that we hope will include all eight of Moscheles‘ piano concertos. It also marks the start of our exploration of concertos from the earlier part of the 19th century, which we have so far rather neglected.
Moscheles, though born in Prague, was a truly cosmopolitan figure. He studied in Vienna and then, after a short stay in Paris, settled in London for over 20 years before returning in 1846 to Leipzig where he spent the rest of his life. His musical roots were in the Viennese classics of Mozart and Beethoven and he was one of many pianist composers (other examples being Hummel and Kalkbrenner) who bridged the gap between the classical and the Romantic period but who were forgotten when the next wave of revolutionaries (Chopin, Liszt, Schumann) arrived. His concertos were written in the 1820’s and 30’s (the last in 1838) and therefore more than half were actually written in England. The first five (including the two here recorded) follow the traditional three movement pattern whereas the last three are shorter more thematically connected works, the third is undoubtedly his most famous and it remained in the repertoire throughout the 19th century. Anticipations of Scotland is a pot-pourri of Scottish folk tunes that Moscheles wrote for performance in concerts he gave in Edinburgh in 1827.

We are delighted that Hyperion artist of old Howard Shelley has returned to us for this cycle of concertos. The wonderful understanding he has shown of Mozart and Hummel make him the ideal interpreter of this music in which he directs the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, of which he is a regular guest conductor, from the keyboard.

Artykuł MOSCHELES <br />Piano Concertos 2 & 3 <br />Howard Shelley <br />Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra <br />Howard Shelley pochodzi z serwisu Cleartone.

Unfortunately, the compositions intended specifically for concert performance have now been almost entirely forgotten, whilst his didactic works are still appreciated by music teachers, especially the famous 24 Etudes op. 70.
Our CD features the first two Sonatas for piano solo, No. 1 in G Major Op. 4, from 1815, and No. 2 in D Major Op. 22, dating approximately from the same period.
The Variations on a Russian theme Op. 23, also composed in 1815 belong, instead, to the rich theme and variations vein.
Of great interest are, moreover, the three Fantasias that conclude this recording by Loredana Brigandì. Certainly, it was not by chance that even a severe critic like Robert Schumann was always very respectful when he reviewed the works of his older colleague from Prague.

This CD features several pieces that have never been recorded before, and are very rarely performed.
Although Ignaz Moscheles was one of the most famous pianist-composers of the nineteenth century, held in great esteem by Schumann himself, nowadays he is virtually disregarded by record companies.
Brigandì is specialized in early 19th-century repertoire, Moscheles in particular. This is her first recording with Dynamic.

Artykuł MOSCHELES, Loredana Brigandi<br/>Piano Works pochodzi z serwisu Cleartone.