The Romantic Piano Concerto, Vol. 18 - Korngold & Marx: Piano Concertos - Marc Andre Hamelin, BBC Scottish Symphony, Osmo Vanska

Romantisches Klavierkonzert in E major[36'30]Joseph Marx (1882-1964)
1
Lebhaft (Allegro moderato)[14'47]
2
Nicht zu langsam (Andante affettuoso)[10'42]
3
Sehr lebhaft (Allegro molto)[11'01]
Piano Concerto for the left hand in C sharp Op 17[27'37]Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957)
4
Part 1[3'11]
5
Part 2[2'38]
6
Part 3[2'17]
7
Part 4[5'08]
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Part 5[1'56]
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Part 6[2'46]
10
Part 7[3'11]
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Part 8[1'11]
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Part 9[2'49]
13
Part 10[2'30]

Super-virtuoso Marc-André Hamelin plays two of the lushest products of late Romanticism. The Marx concerto, long awaited by pianophiles the world over, is a first recording. Written in the 1930s, it is perhaps closest in style to Richard Strauss with its gushing melodies and rich orchestration.

The Korngold left-hand concerto was written (like that of Ravel) for Austrian pianist Paul Wittgenstein who had lost his right arm during the First World War. It is Korngold at his most experimental and features a very large and colourful orchestra, and a particularly demanding (and awkward) piano part.