Hyperion Records | The Romantic Piano Concerto, Vol. 27

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CDA67331/2

Buy? £26.98

Recording details: September 2000
Various recording venues
Produced by Various producers
Engineered by Various engineers
Release date: September 2001
Total duration: 155 minutes 20 seconds
Available for download on iTunes: Yes

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GRAMOPHONE WINNER, CONCERTO CATEGORY AND 'RECORD OF THE YEAR', 2002
GRAMOPHONE EDITOR’S CHOICE
GRAMOPHONE CRITICS' CHOICE (chosen by three critics)
PENGUIN GUIDE ROSETTE

DIAPASON D'OR

'Superlative' (The Independent)

'Superb' (The Guardian)

'A delightful set that does this underrated composer full credit' (Classic FM Magazine)

'It is unalloyed pleasure to sit through all five at a sitting … the quite outstanding pianism of Stephen Hough makes this an unmissable addition to anyone remotely interested in the barnstorming, physically exhilarating concertos of the late nineteenth century' (International Record Review)

'Superb … Hough’s new set in Hyperion’s outstanding Romantic Piano Concerto series sweeps the board' (The Guardian)

'Marvellous performances, full of joy, vigour and sparkle. The recording is in the demonstration bracket and this Hyperion set includes no fewer than four encores. An easy first choice' (The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs)

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)

The Romantic Piano Concerto, Vol. 27 – Saint-Saëns

Stephen Hough (piano), City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo (conductor)

		Piano Concerto No 1 in D major, Op 17
CD1	1	Movement 1: Andante. Allegro assai [11:37]
	2	Movement 2: Andante sostenuto quasi adagio [8:00]
	3	Movement 3: Allegro con fuoco [6:25]
		Piano Concerto No 2 in G minor, Op 22
	4	Movement 1: Andante sostenuto [10:08]
	5	Movement 2: Allegro scherzando [5:26]
	6	Movement 3: Presto [6:09]
		Piano Concerto No 3 in E flat major, Op 29
	7	Movement 1: Moderato assai – Più mosso (Allegro maestoso) [12:26]
	8	Movement 2: Andante [6:16]
	9	Movement 3: Allegro non troppo [7:06]
	10	Wedding Cake. Valse-Caprice for piano and strings, Op 76 [5:58]
		Piano Concerto No 4 in C minor, Op 44
CD2	1	Movement 1: Allegro moderato [11:18]
	2	Movement 2: Allegro vivace [13:24]
		Piano Concerto No 5 in F major, Op 103
	3	Movement 1: Allegro animato [10:11]
	4	Movement 2: Andante – Allegretto tranquillo quasi andantino – Andante [11:07]
	5	Movement 3: Molto allegro [5:49]
	6	Rapsodie d'Auvergne for piano and orchestra, Op 73 [9:02]
	7	Allegro appassionato for piano and orchestra, Op 70 [5:11]
	8	Africa. Fantasie for piano and orchestra, Op 89 [9:47]

It is surprising, given the popularity of the repertoire, that all the recordings of Saint-Saens complete concertos currently before the public pre-date the CD era and none of them are fully digital. In addition it has never before been possible to obtain all the composer's output for piano and orchestra on only two CDs. For these reasons alone this latest addition to the 'Romantic Piano Concerto' series is likely to become one of the most successful of all. The Gramophone 'Record of the Year' winning team of Stephen Hough and the CBSO are joined by their new principle conductor Sakari Oramo in performances which combine all the elegance required for the Frenchman's music with the utmost bravura. Saint-Saens himself was a formidable pianist and his rare 1904(!) 78rpm recording of Africa has until now been matchless; finally in Stephen Hough's performance he has a rival.

With so much in its favour we are quite confident that this new cycle of these piano concertos will become the benchmark recording for many years to come.