The Romantic Piano Concerto, Vol. 57 - Wiklund: Piano Concertos - Martin Sturfält, Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Manze

Piano Concerto No 1 in E minor Op 10[32'39]
1
Allegro energico[13'38]
2
Andante ma non troppo[9'13]
3
Allegro vivace[9'48]
4
Konsertstycke in C major Op 1[16'06]
Piano Concerto No 2 in B minor Op 17[26'09]
5
Allegro moderato —[8'24]
6
Andante sostenuto —[8'38]
7
Allegro non troppo[9'07]

Volume 57 in Hyperion’s Romantic Piano Concerto series turns up another ‘discovery’: the music of Swedish composer Adolf Wiklund. These little-known but lusciously tuneful works are characterized by big-boned, symphonic gestures reminiscent of Rachmaninov, yet tempered with the Nordic clarity of Grieg. Wiklund’s two piano concertos are central to his output, and in fact they enjoyed considerable popularity in Sweden until as recently as fifty years ago, when modernist sensibilities deemed them unfashionable.

This glittering performance from Martin Sturfält and the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, directed by brilliant violinist-turned-conductor Andrew Manze, is bound to bring this unfairly neglected music back into general currency.