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Track Listings
| 1. I. Toccata (Allegro moderato) - |
| 2. II. Romanza (Lento) - |
| 3. III. Fuga cromatica (Allegro) con finale alla tedesca |
| 4. Allegro non troppo - |
| 5. Largo - |
| 6. Tempo primo |
| 7. Eclogue Op. 10 |
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
Classics for Pleasure were a budget label when I was still a boy, and not having seen much of them for years, I had presumed they were defunct, but then I discover this while following up on my current Delius investigations. Offered at a price that you can afford to take a chance on, but there is absolutely nothing budget about the recording or performance from 1994, from that late, lamented Vernon Handley, and the very fine Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. Piers Lane is a pianist who is cropping up in more and more places lately, and nothing I have heard from him so far has given cause for disappointment.
I actually purchased this for the Delius, but it's the Vaughan Williams that has proved the most impressive, and that will probably prompt a V.W. renaissance in my musical explorations. There's nothing wrong with the Delius. In fact it's very good, with many of the characteristic gestures those who know him will love, while also showing some interesting and less typical aspects of Delius' scope. But the V.W. is just so good, so thoroughly good in fact, that it proves an impossible act for the Delius to follow.
The opening movement has a first subject that has an almost jazz like exuberance and swagger, and a second that brings to mind shanties and hornpipes. Between them a world of huge invention and irresistible momentum is generated. The second movement is tender and mysterious, magical in fact, with strange chromatic piano figures rippling across music that is evocative of a moonlit night. The finale, opens with an immense fugue, with themes being exchanged between raucous brass and the piano pounding monstrously in the lower registers. This excitement gives way to more extremely delicate music, s the work goes out not with a bang but a whimper. My one criticism is formal, and would be that the opening movement is not quite ambitious enough in duration and weight to balance the two later movements. Nonetheless, all of the music we do get is hugely original, and has an invincible positivity that is rare in the music of any age. As such it's a hairs-breadth from being an unqualified masterpiece, in my humble estimation.
The final item of the set is the wonderfully pretty Eclogue by Finzi, with its extremely subtle and delicate phrasing. Finzi, is possibly the composer who has languished longest on my list of composers to be checked out, without ever quite bubbling to the top. Till that finally happens this provides a handsome down-payment on my future investigations.
I actually purchased this for the Delius, but it's the Vaughan Williams that has proved the most impressive, and that will probably prompt a V.W. renaissance in my musical explorations. There's nothing wrong with the Delius. In fact it's very good, with many of the characteristic gestures those who know him will love, while also showing some interesting and less typical aspects of Delius' scope. But the V.W. is just so good, so thoroughly good in fact, that it proves an impossible act for the Delius to follow.
The opening movement has a first subject that has an almost jazz like exuberance and swagger, and a second that brings to mind shanties and hornpipes. Between them a world of huge invention and irresistible momentum is generated. The second movement is tender and mysterious, magical in fact, with strange chromatic piano figures rippling across music that is evocative of a moonlit night. The finale, opens with an immense fugue, with themes being exchanged between raucous brass and the piano pounding monstrously in the lower registers. This excitement gives way to more extremely delicate music, s the work goes out not with a bang but a whimper. My one criticism is formal, and would be that the opening movement is not quite ambitious enough in duration and weight to balance the two later movements. Nonetheless, all of the music we do get is hugely original, and has an invincible positivity that is rare in the music of any age. As such it's a hairs-breadth from being an unqualified masterpiece, in my humble estimation.
The final item of the set is the wonderfully pretty Eclogue by Finzi, with its extremely subtle and delicate phrasing. Finzi, is possibly the composer who has languished longest on my list of composers to be checked out, without ever quite bubbling to the top. Till that finally happens this provides a handsome down-payment on my future investigations.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
Vaughan-Williams and Delius are 2 of my favourite composers, yet I had never heard their piano concertos perhaps because they are in the shadow of their more well known purely orchestral works. I liked both the piano concertos which I found nicely performed, although the recording technology is not the best. Specifically the piano in the RVW concerto is not prominent enough and is dwarfed by the orchestra.
Contrary to the other reviewer, I prefer the Delius concerto to RVW's, a lyrical and romantic piece in the same style as his small orchestral works with a feeling of english country garden well-being.
However, it is Finzi's Eclogue that charmed me the most - a delightful piece of music published posthumously that would have been a movement of a piano concerto.
At the bargain prices asked for CFP recordings of masters such as Vernon Handley, this is a no-brainer, and a 'should have' for all lovers of english classical music.
For a 5 star 'must have' I can highly recommend another CFP disc of Delius with Handley: Delius Orchestral Works (if you can find it available).
Contrary to the other reviewer, I prefer the Delius concerto to RVW's, a lyrical and romantic piece in the same style as his small orchestral works with a feeling of english country garden well-being.
However, it is Finzi's Eclogue that charmed me the most - a delightful piece of music published posthumously that would have been a movement of a piano concerto.
At the bargain prices asked for CFP recordings of masters such as Vernon Handley, this is a no-brainer, and a 'should have' for all lovers of english classical music.
For a 5 star 'must have' I can highly recommend another CFP disc of Delius with Handley: Delius Orchestral Works (if you can find it available).
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
2 reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
overlooked Vaughan Williams, even by me...
3 July 2007
Amazon Verified Purchase
Although a very long time devotee to the music of Ralph Vaughan Williams, I had never heard his Piano Concerto until buying this disc. I never imagined that the piano could adequately communicate the essence of Vaughan Williams' music and was also under the impression, based on the relative dearth of recordings, that his concerto was an oddity. Well, I was glad to find out that I was wrong - the Piano Concerto is a major work full of classic Vaughan Williams themes and is satisfying on every level.
I have no basis to judge this performance as I am new to the music; however, I selected this recording because I think anything Vernon Handley records in the British repertory is pretty much authoritative. Repeated listenings also reveal Piers Lane to be a fine pianist who truly understands Vaughan Williams. There are a couple of recordings by Howard Shelley that are supposed to be excellent, one on Lyrita w/Handley and a later effort on Chandos w/Bryden Thomson, however, they have different pairings and are more expensive than this attractively priced cd.
The companion pieces on this intelligently programmed disc include the Delius Piano Concerto and Finzi's Eclogue. I'm very familiar with the Delius concerto through a recording I bought decades ago by Alexander Gibson and the LSO with pianist Jean Rudolphe Kars, a record that also included an exceptional reading of Debussy's Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra. In any event, the Delius concerto is an enjoyable work and I find that Handley/Piers Lane are actually better-rounded than Gibson/Kars.
Gerald Finzi's Eclogue, which was originally planned as a movement in a concerto that never came to pass, is ten minutes of elegiac music for piano and string orchestra. It's just beautiful and once you hear it you'll want to start acquiring other music from this still under-appreciated master.
Very highly recommended!
I have no basis to judge this performance as I am new to the music; however, I selected this recording because I think anything Vernon Handley records in the British repertory is pretty much authoritative. Repeated listenings also reveal Piers Lane to be a fine pianist who truly understands Vaughan Williams. There are a couple of recordings by Howard Shelley that are supposed to be excellent, one on Lyrita w/Handley and a later effort on Chandos w/Bryden Thomson, however, they have different pairings and are more expensive than this attractively priced cd.
The companion pieces on this intelligently programmed disc include the Delius Piano Concerto and Finzi's Eclogue. I'm very familiar with the Delius concerto through a recording I bought decades ago by Alexander Gibson and the LSO with pianist Jean Rudolphe Kars, a record that also included an exceptional reading of Debussy's Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra. In any event, the Delius concerto is an enjoyable work and I find that Handley/Piers Lane are actually better-rounded than Gibson/Kars.
Gerald Finzi's Eclogue, which was originally planned as a movement in a concerto that never came to pass, is ten minutes of elegiac music for piano and string orchestra. It's just beautiful and once you hear it you'll want to start acquiring other music from this still under-appreciated master.
Very highly recommended!
Good Delius performance.
26 Oct 2009
Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a good way to know Delius Piano Concerto. Finzí`s
Eclogue is also a very interesting work and this performance is
very representative. For RVW Piano Concerto, you'll find a much
better option, perhaps the best, in Howard Shelley version with
the same conductor. Good option to get the Delius concerto.
Eclogue is also a very interesting work and this performance is
very representative. For RVW Piano Concerto, you'll find a much
better option, perhaps the best, in Howard Shelley version with
the same conductor. Good option to get the Delius concerto.
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