Delius - Piano Concerto [Lane/Handley-Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra]

This is a lovely copupling of three less known Piano Concertos, and all English to boot, it's a disc that i've played over twenty times, it's amazing that these concertos aren't more into the central repertoire, my favourite here is the Delius, now i have to admit that i'm not some Delius expert, i haven't listened to him extensively, but what i have heard hasn't impressed me much, his miniatures seem so trivial, other longer works seem to meander and go nowhere, there isn't enough interest to keep my attention, however his Piano Concerto is another matter, a real work of genius, a long lost English masterpiece, even though this work on this disc hasn't appeared in my Blog before, the disc has twice with the Finzi work, plus Piers Lane has featured in my Blog twice with this work in a performance on the Hyperion label [19th March 2010 & 7th October 2011].

Piers Lane is Australian, now 57, he has recorded extensively for Hyperion, these EMI Eminence discs can be a great way to add to your collection fairly inexpensively, this is one of the very best of the series.

So it was the first movement which i find tremendous, it starts with a lazy and atmospheric intro on the low strings [0:00-0:17], maybe an English version of something you'd get from Dvorak, it's really beautiful and memorable, the piano appears right after, and at first Delius has this tendency to use the piano not as a 'soloist v orchestra', but rather they work as one together, very symphonic, and the recording seems to help here as the piano isn't spotlit, it's equal with the orchestra, the main tune to the whole movement is introduced by the horns [2:01-2:21], and taken up by the piano [2:06+], and in a really sweet way too [2:28+], almost developing into a cadenza at times, after sweetness there's forebodings of darker clouds [4:40+], there's a nice little episode where the opening intro comes back as a theme, disguised on the flutes at first [5:55+], but then the whole orchestra comes in, and Delius works this up into the main theme in full glory [6:39+], it's not particularly a long movement, less than ten minutes, so we're already developing threads for its eventual ending at roughly the seven minute mark, it actually ends with a whimper, the whole thing winds down to nothing, when you're expecting a big finale finish, but the Concerto is played 'as one movement', so things are resolved at the very end of the third movement as it were, it's a strange concoction really.

Here's Justin Bird playing this Concerto on YouTube.

Delius - Piano Concerto [Lane/Lloyd Jones-Ulster Orchestra]

Here's the Delius Piano Concerto again, i played this disc early last year [19th March 2010], and it has a fairly special place in my heart, the version that i originally got to know was also by Piers Lane, with Vernon Handley conducting, on an EMI Eminence disc, and i prefer that version and would recommend it over this, this one here is the original version, i take it it's the longest, the third version i believe [the EMI disc] has a final movement that is half the length, the second version is cast in one movement, the whole work has a jagged history as Delius replaced certain movements with other movements, and then later in another version restoring originals, he really couldn't make up his mind i guess, but it's good to hear all the versions, each one enlightens the other. 

Piers Lane is Australian, born in 1958, he recorded this work 1n 2005, this disc is part of Hyperion's 'The Romantic Piano Concerto', and this is issue number 39, each has a different colour, usually two different composers with their lesser known Concertos, two small black and white pictures on a score of musical notes, each one is well worth collecting, but the whole lot?, i own a few [i recommend the Glazunov], but i believe it's better to judiciously choose a few. 

Again it's the first movement that i found the best, 

Here's Clifford Curzon playing the Concerto on YouTube.

Delius - Piano Concerto [Lane/Lloyd Jones-Ulster Orchestra]

The Delius Piano Concerto is truly underrated on disc, which is a real shame, as this Concerto is one of the best things he wrote, and it's hard to fathom why it isn't better known, it's a real find if you love Piano Concerto's.

Hyperion's 'The Romantic Piano Concerto' series is a great idea, and even though the series is a mixed bag, certain individual recordings are gems, i would not wish to collect the whole lot, just dip into single discs that are appealing.

This concerto had a long gestation period, this is the original version recorded here, although i have a recording of the revised version, also played by Piers Lane, but with Vernon Handley conducting, i feel that the revised version is superior, but i really need to listen to both more before i can pinpoint why, the revised version is roughly six minutes shorter.

The first movement really got to me this time, there are two themes running through it, the first one heard at the outset, nice and pastoral, heard on the strings [0:00-0:19], but soon turns more exuberant, and then the second tune, more lovelier, first heard on the horns [1:40-2:03], but followed by an exquisite dreamy piano solo [2:03-2:39], the feel and mood of this Concerto is most like Schumann's Piano Concerto, the two themes intertwine back and forth, maybe in places it might sound somewhat disjointed and pasted together, and maybe that's where the revised version comes in, near the end of the Concerto, there's a lovely episode, where the second gentle tune appears on the flutes/woodwind [8:44-9:09], in anticipation for the piano serenading away [9:09-10:01], with flute/recorder? in the background, which turns to solo violin, Delius surely knows how to spin a wonderful tune.

Well i have not lived long with this Concerto, i'm still in the process of discovering it, but so far what i hear is a forgotten masterpiece.

Here's the first movement played on YouTube.