Hyperion Records | The Romantic Piano Concerto, Vol. 37

Click album cover image to view the sleeve notes

CDA67511

Buy? £13.99

Recording details: September 2004
Caird Hall, Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom
Produced by Andrew Keener
Engineered by Simon Eadon
Release date: July 2005
Total duration: 57 minutes 25 seconds
Available for download on iTunes: Yes

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'The Concerto Symphonique is a perky, extrovert piano concerto, full of nifty passage-work, if light on musical substance, and The Fantaisie Russe, full of Lisztian flourishes and apparently much admired by Tchaikovsky, is based on three Russian folk tunes … all of it happily negotiated by Evgeny Soifertis, who sounds a very accomplished pianist indeed' (The Guardian)

'it's hard to dismiss music that tries so hard to be likeable. Certainly, if you've been collecting the rest of Hyperion's 'Romantic Piano Concerto' series, you'll enjoy this latest addition as well. There are strong notes and typically fine Hyperion engineering' (International Record Review)

'Both composers are fortunate in having as their champion here such a charming and polished virtuoso as Evgeny Soifertis, whose gift for combining an almost childlike simplicity with scintillating bravura is perfectly suited to the music at hand, and who receives splendid support from Titov and the BBCSSO' (Piano)

'Napravnik's Concerto symphonique throws just about everything into the melting pot, from Verdi's Requiem to Tchaikovsky. The Fantaisie opens arrestingly with a massive rendition of The Volga Boatmen, and if Blumenfeld's Allegro proves slightly less individual, in performances as fiery and impassioned as these, it makes an indelible impact' (Classic FM Magazine)

'Star of the show is pianist Evgeny Soifertis … His bravura style is all there, but some pianissimo playing and tender melodic phrasing, not least in the slow movements, might have lifted the works out of obscurity' (Pianist Magazine)

'None of these pieces was perhaps destined to change the course of Russian music, but they all attest to creative exuberance and skill, slightly anonymous in style maybe, though with a resourcefulness and sparkle to the piano-writing that Evgeny Soifertis communicates with élan' (Daily Telegraph)

'Evgeny Soifertis throws it all off in great style and musical intelligence' (BBC Music Magazine)

'Evgeny Soifertis' effervescent, colourful virtuosity never fails to delight' (Classics Today USA)

'Hyperion's recorded sound is excellent, soloist Evgeny Soifertis contributes impeccably manicured playing, and the orchestra performs with immaculate accuracy under Russian maestro Alexander Titov. So if you are interested in exploring the Romantic concerto literature at its most obscure, here's your opportunity' (Fanfare, USA)

The Romantic Piano Concerto, Vol. 37 – Nápravník & Blumenfeld

Evgeny Soifertis (piano), BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Alexander Titov (conductor)

		Concerto symphonique in A minor, Op 27 Eduard Nápravník (1839-1916)
1		Movement 1: Allegro energico [12:58]
2		Movement 2: Larghetto [7:15]
3		Movement 3: Allegro vivace [10:59]
4		Allegro de concert in A major, Op 7 [13:54] Felix Blumenfeld (1863-1931)
5		Fantaisie russe in B minor, Op 39 [12:19] Eduard Nápravník (1839-1916)

Eduard Nápravník is hardly a household name, but he was one of the most important figures in nineteenth-century Russian music. As conductor of the Mariinsky Theatre – one of the finest opera houses in Europe, which became the Kirov Theatre – he worked with many of the most important composers of the day, including Tchaikovsky and ‘The Five’. He composed four operas, and many works in a range of genres, including four symphonies and the two works for piano and orchestra on this disc. His A minor Piano Concerto (1877) begins with a striking reference to the ‘Dies irae’ of Verdi’s Requiem, and is a work of tremendous energy and lyricism, with a nocturne-like slow movement and a dance-like finale. The Fantaisie russe (1881) is based on three Russian folk tunes, and is infectious in its melodic richness and thrilling in its virtuosity.

Felix Blumenfeld is probably best known as the piano teacher of Vladimir Horowitz and Simon Barere, but he too was a key figure in Russian music, as pianist, conductor, editor, teacher and composer. His Allegro de concert (1889) combines an oriental flavour reminiscent of Glinka, Rubinstein and Balakirev with piano-writing that owes much to Liszt.

Evgeny Soifertis, who was born in Kiev but has settled in London, breathes life into these neglected scores and plays with zestful energy and poetic repose. He is superbly supported by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Alexander Titov, and this is another distinguished addition to Hyperion’s exploratory Romantic Piano Concerto series.