Saturday 15 May 2010

Schumann - Piano Concerto [Engerer/ Krivine-Royal Philharmonic Orchestra]

Brigitte Engerer is a French Pianist, she is pretty much unknown, but she has recorded the complete Chopin Nocturnes, and they are very nice, so it's refreshing to acquire a rare Denon disc of her Tchaikovsky and Schumann Concertos.

Denon is a great little record company, especially their Classical discs, so many otherwise unknown Artists have recorded for them, i really do like the booklet, nice colours and layout, very pleasing to the eye, Denon really have a way with visuals.

The first movement of Schumann's Piano Concerto started out as a Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra, but he added the other two movements and it became a Concerto, so there's still this 'fantasy' element about it, of course the opening consists of a short oboe solo, and in other places this oboe colours the background with this tune [3:05-3:39], and there's even a little dialogue with the piano, for me the highlight of the movement is some very languid piano lines [4:44-6:14], with the clarinet and the flute creating a wonderful dialogue, very dreamy indeed, would have made a delicious slow movement, indeed a real fantasy for piano and orchestra.

Here's Martha Argerich playing the first movement on YouTube, with Chailly conducting.