Неее... то "Добрый ужас".. даже не Стивен Кинг.
А твои рассказы - ужас мрачный и леденящий - ибо он реален.
И болгарские релизеры мне сейчас видятся (не шучу) как добрые и бесстрашные герои вестерна, в борьбе с оголтелой полицией смахивающей на оккупантов.

Очень верно подмечено. Не даром в природе придумана мимикрия

Герои вестерна с чьих штанах несется подозрительный и никак не героический запах!!!

Как говорил один фольклорный герой - "Лучше перебзд...ть чем недобзд..ть" ©

Стивена Кинга просто лечит надо!!! Eго надо в клинике послать, а не издавать и в общество пускать!!!

This post has been edited by bagabum on 15-04-2007, 04:39

A big thanks to the original uploader for His kind permission to upload this torrent!!!

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This post has been edited by vpenev on 10-04-2007, 02:29

The Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto series

Volume 11: Scharwenka & von Sauer Piano Concertos

GRAMOPHONE AWARD WINNER / RECORD OF THE YEAR 1996





Franz Xaver Scharwenka
(Samtner near Poznan, Poland, January 6, 1850 - Berlin, December 8, 1924)
Piano Concerto no. 4 in F minor, op. 82 (1908)
I. Allegro patetico [18:39] - II. Intermezzo. Allegretto molto tranquillo [6:56]
III. Lento, mesto - attacca [7:25] - IV. Allegro con fuoco [6:41]</span>

Emil Georg Conrad von Sauer
(Hamburg, October 8, 1862 - Vienna, April 27, 1942)
Piano Concerto no. 1 in E minor (1907-8)
I. Allegro patetico [11:00] - II. Scherzo. Molto vivace - Andante con moto, quasi Allegretto [6:51]
III. Cavatina. Larghetto amoroso [7:45] - IV. Rondeau. Tempo giusto[4:36]

Stephen Hough, piano
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Lawrence Foster

Recorded in Dudley Town Hall, Warwickshire on 18, 19 December 1994
Recording engineer, Tony Faulkner. Recording producer, Andrew Keener
© 1995 Hyperion Records Ltd. CDA66790

Here, surely, is the jewel in the crown of Hyperion’s absorbing series, The Romantic Piano Concerto; a flawless marriage of composer, performance, recording and presentation. These are both premiиre recordings in performances of super-charged bravura and the keenest poetry, ideally partnered and balanced. As its opening Allegro patetico declares, Scharwenka’s Fourth is no sugar-and-spice concerto but a hugely ambitious work alive with difficulties that have frightened off even the most intrepid pianists. At its second performance, given in 1910 with Scharwenka as soloist and Mahler as conductor, it was described of being of a "truly Dionysian and bewildering brilliancy", a phrase that, lifted into our times, encapsulates Stephen Hough’s astonishing performance. He leaps through every blazing hoop with a nonchalance and know-how that recall a bygone age of imperial gifts though, in truth, few pianists of the past could have equalled his power, йlan and, perhaps above all, his seamless legato and cantabile. In the sustained, quasi-operatic slow movements of both concertos he sings his heart out, lavishly or delicately colouring his sound, seemingly at will. Sauer’s First Concerto, while clearly a lighter offering, is no mere makeweight. And affectionate, over-the-shoulder glance at Chopin, it proffers one delightful, scintallatingly embroidered surprise after another. The Cavatina has a haunting generosity of spirit and only a puritan could mistake the finale’s high-jinks for levity. Lawrence Foster and the City of Birmingham SO are clearly infected by their soloist’s sheer joy of music-making. Together they provide a perfect setting for a virtuoso who, in Liszt’s classic definition, makes "emotion speak and weep and sing and sigh, who calls up scent and blossom and breathes the breath of life". But my final word must go to Stephen Heliotis who first offered these concertos to Hough for his delectation and unremitting toil, and whose accompanying notes deserve separate publication for their wit and perspicacy.
Gramophone, 1995 & 1996 Awards issues

This excellent recording allows us to listen, for the first time, to two neglected romantic concertos. It is hard to understand how two works of such bravura and of such calibre as these, that sound so immediately appealing, have remained forgotten for so long. Fortunately, the superlative quality of these versions compensates in excess for the wait ... Stephen Hough performs memorably in both of these scores. A pianist of the subtlest musicality and unsurpassable technical resources – a powerful sound, clear and precise fingerings, insurmountable octave playing, enormous dynamic range – he knows how to lend eloquence and fluidity to his splendid musical discourse (Classica)



Franz Xaver Scharwenka
Stephen Hough
Emil Georg von Sauer

‘Virtuosity as impish as it is magisterial ... [he] wings his way through every good-humoured page with a poetic and technical zest that takes us back to the great pianists of the past; to a golden age of piano playing’ (BBC)

‘The pianism of Hough leaves one breathless. His technique is fabulous, and tasteful phrasing wonderfully sensitive to the needs of the period ... Musts for fans of 19th-century virtuosity’ (In Tune)

‘Here are two long-neglected piano concertos that will thrill and delight you ... Stephen Hough’s playing of it confirms his place as one of the half dozen greatest piano technicians of our time ... Hyperion’s Romantic Piano Concerto survey has never had a more distinguished protagonist than Stephen Hough’ (Fanfare, USA)

‘This Gramophone Award-winning disc thrills from start to finish ... Hough’s meticulously voiced and glistening pianism really takes some believing considering the technical pressure exerted by these caruscatingly ingenious scores ... Anyone who has yet to catch up with this remarkable disc should do so without delay’ (International Piano)

Emotions run high, melody runs vibrantly and virtuoso playing takes the breath away ... Hough rises fabulously to every demand with big-boned sound and grand-scale musical vision, jousting at full strength with the robust playing of the CBSO ... It might seem unlikely for two obscure piano concertos to achieve such success at the Gramophone Awards, but this disc richly deserved its prize and remains one of Hyperion’s best releases to date. (Amazon)

Three languages-, 32 pages-booklet in .pdf format included.
Complete details of the Romantic Piano Concerto project can be found
at the Hyperion Records website (Indexes – Collections)

A big thanks to the original uploader for his kind permission to upload this torrent!!!

Большое спасибо первоначального аплоадера за его любезное разрешение залить этот торент и использовать его материалы!!!

Качать ЗДЕСЬ.

This post has been edited by vpenev on 24-07-2007, 03:31

A big thanks to the original uploader for His kind permission to upload this torrent!!!

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Качать ЗДЕСЬ.

This post has been edited by vpenev on 24-07-2007, 03:31

The Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto series

Volume 13: Glazunov & Goedicke Piano Concertos





Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov
(St. Petersburg, August 10, 1865 - Paris, March 21, 1963)
Piano Concerto no. 1 in F minor, op. 92 (1910-11)
I. Allegro moderato [13:15] - II. Tema con Variazioni [18:08]
Piano Concerto no. 2 in B major, op. 100 (1917)
I. Andante sostenuto - Allegro [6:39] - II. Andante - Moderato tranquillo [3:13]
III. Allegro - Allegretto scherzando - Allegro moderato [10:29]

Alexander Goedicke
(Moscow, February 20, 1877 - Ivi, July 9, 1957)
Concertstьck in D major, op. 11 (1900) [13:50]
Andante sostenuto - Allegro molto sostenuto e maestoso - Moderato quasi andante

Stephen Coombs, piano
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Martyn Brabbins

Recorded on 11, 12 January 1996
Recording engineer, Mike Hatch. Recording producer, Andrew Keener
© 1996 Hyperion Records Ltd. CDA66877

How good it is to have Glazunov’s rich and endearing examples of opulent Russian romanticism available in modern recordings where their many felicities can be savoured to the full. In the First Concerto memories of Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony may colour the second subject yet the presentation in both concertos is unusual if not original. The F minor work concludes with a set of variations with subtitles such as chromatica, eroica, quasi una fantasia and mazurka, while the B major recalls the organic unity of the piano concertos of Liszt and, more locally and importantly, of Rimsky-Korsakov. Less academically, both concertos (and particularly the Second with its heart-easing Andante) glow with the sort of bittersweet melodic charm and intricate pianism inseparable from the Russian romantic piano concerto. As in his solo piano Glazunov recordings, Stephen Coombs remains the most amiable and gentlemanly of virtuosos. But while his affection and sympathy are rarely in doubt he lacks the projection and intensity necessary if such music is not to seem unduly rambling and discursive. The First Concerto[/i]’s cadenza (interestingly placed near the beginning, and taking in the exposition of the principal theme) provides a case in point, and lacks both urgency and articulacy. Both here and elsewhere I missed an authentic virtuoso edge and brilliance as well as a more caressing warmth and ardour. Part of the fault lies in an overly resonant recording but also in an inability to ‘voice’ and differentiate the sort of textures which, as Francis Pott points out in his excellent notes, are at the very heart of Glazunov’s often strenuous and full-blooded demands. The music’s romantic ebb and flow is nicely caught, but even a touch of anaemia and the spell is lost, the opportunity to refresh and invigorate the composer’s longueurs missed.

If Medtner was cruelly overshadowed by Rachmaninov, then Goedicke (1877-1957) was eclipsed by Medtner (his first cousin). His demands are altogether fiercer and more overt than Glazunov’s, and here Stephen Coombs rises to a considerable challenge with more energy. In his main offering, however, he is no match for the 1978 Melodiya disc of both Glazunov concertos by Alexei Nasedkin and Dmitri Alexeev respectively. Not an entirely lucky issue No. 13, then, in Hyperion’s tirelessly enterprising and expanding Romantic Piano Concerto series.
Bryce Morrison



Alexander Glazunov and Stephen Coombs


... Stephen Coombs is on scintillating form throughout, turning even the most standardised of virtuoso gestures into remarkable utterances (Piano International) ... As in his four-disc set of Glazunov’s complete solo piano music, Stephen Coombs is poetic and powerful. The rare Goedicke concertante makes a charming filler. (The Guardian) ... Sparkling performances ... his playing is by turns gloriously extrovert and affectionately intimate ... superbly recorded orchestral colours (BBC Music Magazine)

Three languages-, 20 pages-booklet in .pdf format included.
Complete details of the Romantic Piano Concerto project can be found
at the Hyperion Records website (Indexes - Collections)

A big thanks to the original uploader for His kind permission to upload this torrent!!!

Большое спасибо первоначального аплоадера за его любезное разрешение залить этот торент и использовать его материалы!!!

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This post has been edited by vpenev on 24-07-2007, 03:30

The Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto series

Volume 14: Litolff Piano Concertos no. 2 & 4





Henry Charles Litolff
(London, February 6, 1818 - Bois-Colombes near Paris, August 5, 1891)
Concerto Symphonique no. 2 in B minor, op. 22 (1844)
I. Maestoso [16:11] - Scherzo [4:07]
III. Andante [5:20] - IV. Rondeau : Allegretto [6:47]
Concerto Symphonique no. 4 in D minor , op. 102 (1851-2)
I. Allegro con fuoco [13:37] - II. Scherzo : Presto [6:29]
III. Adagio religioso [7:28] - IV. Allegro impetuoso [10:26]

Peter Donohoe, piano
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Andrew Litton

Recorded on 18, 19 October 1996
Recording engineer, Mike Hatch. Recording producer, Andrew Keener
© 1997 Hyperion Records Ltd. CDA66889

Hyperion’s Romantic Piano Concerto series is surely one of the most absorbing and enterprising of current recording projects. Now up to volume 14, it shows no signs of becoming stale and, as this marvellous issue demonstrates, there is still a wealth of rare and often previously unrecorded repertoire waiting to be rediscovered. Henry Litolff (1818-91) wrote five Concertos symphoniques of which four survive. As their title suggests these works are symphonic in conception, and the addition of a Scherzo (placed second, after late-Beethoven) to the classical concerto model, and the large orchestral resources, replete with four horns and three trombones, underline their symphonic weight. (Nevertheless, Berlioz’s view of these works not as concertos, but rather as symphonies with piano obbligato, seems to me to overstate the case.)
Peter Donohoe offers the first recording of the Second Concerto (1844), and he is authoritative and commanding. He produces a characteristically full tone which suitably complements the fullness of the orchestral writing, yet his brilliant articulation of the rondeau finale shows that he can be as glittering and effervescent as he can be majestic. It is the Fourth Concerto (1851-2), however, which is most striking. The Scherzo, with its sprightly gait and colourful orchestration is justly famous and usually performed separately. It is good, therefore, to be able to hear it in context, framed by an imposing first movement and a lovely Andante religioso slow movement followed by a full-scale sonata-structured finale. Again Donohoe’s playing is an almost perfect balance of bold assertiveness, lively animation and subtle delicacy. In certain passages one might wish for a slightly more caressing tone, or a little more open affection, but this does not detract from what is a hugely impressive achievement. The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra create a wonderful sound and, as one has come to expect from Hyperion, the recording and presentation are first-class.
Tim Parry, Gramophone, April 1997



Henry C. Litolff Peter Donohoe

... Magical playing ... the music is irresistibly melodious, inventive and dazzlingly virtuosic. Donohoe throws off the technical pyrotechnics with insouciance. A fine recording only enhances the joys of this entertaining music and Donohoe's exhilarating performance. (The Sunday Times) ... Donohoe and Litton rise to the occasion magnificently with panache and poetry in equal measure ... for the fourteenth time in this historically important series of recordings we can raise our hats and say "Thank you, Hyperion" (Classic CD) ... Peter Donohoe assume parfaitement les dйfis de ces pages flamboyantes, dans lesquelles l’Orchestre de Bournemouth fait preuve de tout l’йclat appropriй (Diapason, France) ... This entertaining Hyperion CD is one of the year’s surprises and very much worth having. (The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs)

Three languages-, 20 pages-booklet in .pdf format included.
Complete details of the Romantic Piano Concerto project can be found
at the Hyperion Records website (Indexes - Collections)

A big thanks to the original uploader for his kind permission to upload this torrent!!!

Большое спасибо первоначального аплоадера за его любезное разрешение залить этот торент и использовать его материалы!!!

Качать ЗДЕСЬ.

This post has been edited by vpenev on 24-04-2007, 00:49

The Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto series

Volume 15: Hahn & Massenet Piano Concertos





Jules Massenet
(Montaud near Saint-Иtienne, May 12, 1842 - Paris, August 13, 1912)
Piano Concerto in E flat major (1903)
I. Andante moderato - Allegro non troppo [14:22]
II. Largo [9:40] - III. Airs Slovaques : Allegro [7:14]

Reynaldo Hahn
(Caracas, Venezuela, August 9, 1875 - Paris, January 28, 1947)
Piano Concerto in E major (1931)
I. Improvisation : Modйrй trиs librement [12:00] - II. Danse : Vif [2:47]
III. Rкverie, Toccata et Finale : Lent - Gai, fortement rythmй - Allegro [13:43]

Stephen Coombs, piano
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Jean-Yves Ossonce

Recorded on 15, 16 June 1996
Recording engineer, Tony Faulkner. Recording producer, Amanda Hurton
© 1997 Hyperion Records Ltd. CDA66897

These are a real find. Massenet’s well-earned reputation as an opera composer has totally eclipsed his orchestral pieces, including this lively and appealing Piano Concerto. The finale, in particular, is an exhilarating exercise in Slavic exoticism that would bring the house down in a live performance. Hahn’s Concerto shares exactly the same qualities of good tunes, sparkling orchestration, and a grateful part for the soloist. Like Massenet, Hahn was best known as a composer of vocal music (and as Marcel Proust’s lover), but that didn’t prevent him from writing a concerto that stands with the best that this century has to offer. Marvelous performances and great sound add to this disc’s manifold attractions.
David Hurwitz, Amazon. com editorial review

Massenet finished his Piano Concerto in 1902, when he was 60, so officially in his list of compositions it comes in between two of his most famous operas, Le Jongleur de Notre Dame of 1902 and Cherubin of 1905. It would seem that Massenet had first sketched it as long before as 1866, when he was living in Rome. In the 1860s it would have sounded astoundingly modern, and although today it seems charmingly romantic, I think even in 1903 when Louis Diemer gave the first performance it must have struck some listeners as forward looking. I couldn’t help wondering, listening to this spirited performance by Stephen Coombs, whether Massenet had heard Rachmaninov’s Second Concerto (first performed that same year); it seems almost impossible – great minds think alike, for no one would ever think that Massenet belonged to any other time than Paris in the belle йpoque. The first movement opens with a dreamy theme, taken up by the orchestra and then given a series of rollicking variations. In the orchestration one immediately begins to hear echoes of typical Palais Garnier ballet music with the piano taking the place of the prima ballerina. The much shorter slow movement has a tune as haunting as any tenor aria from one of Massenet’s operas – this is highly polished, professional music. Some people may feel they need to go on a sugar-free diet afterwards, but anyone who loves Massenet’s operas will delight in the whole thing; the whizz-bang third movement subtitled "Airs Slovaques" is an unashamed parody of Liszt.

Massenet’s pupils included Reynaldo Hahn, who was already an established figure in Paris in 1903. By the time he came to compose his own Piano Concerto in 1930, Hahn had moved away from the chamber works and melodies with which he had made his name, and become a highly successful composer of light operas and musical comedies. Hahn’s concerto was dedicated to Magda Tagliaferro, who recorded it with the composer conducting in 1937. Stephen Coombs found himself using the same score that Hahn had marked for Tagliaferro for that recording – the only surviving complete edition of the work. Several cuts had been made and these have been restored for this first modern recording. Hahn, of course, was an accomplished pianist : he and Ravel were both members of a "French Committee for the Diffusion of Musical Studies", formed in 1929 and both were then at work on their piano concertos. How one would like to know whether they compared notes; as it is the opening movement of Hahn’s concerto has something of the same questioning, sprightly element of the Ravel G major. The tiny second movement, "Danse", gives way to the three-part finale – this is the section where the new recording expands on Tagliaferro’s original. The shimmering, chattering dialogue between piano and orchestra is beautifully conveyed in Stephen Coombs’s virtuoso performance and the clear, bright recorded sound. Jean-Yves Ossonce conducts both performances with a great feeling for the lightness of touch necessary to avoid any cloying sentimentality. This sort of music isn’t to everyone’s taste, but if you’d sooner have fraises des bois and creme Chantilly rather than foie gras and trumpets, this is for you.
Patrick O’Connor, Gramophone, July 1997



Stephen Coombs
Jules Massenet
Reynaldo Hahn

Another Romantic Piano Concerto winner from Hyperion; heartily recommended. (Fanfare) ... Coombs believes implicitly in both compositions and his restrained brand of pearly virtuosity (right for the music) added to a considerable musical sensibility puts forward a persuasive case. (Hi-Fi News) ... One of the finest releases in Hyperion’s ongoing series of Romantic piano concertos. There’s no reason why these pieces aren’t standard repertoire, especially in performances like this: Coombs literally plays the pants off both of them, and Ossonce matches him lick for lick. (Classical Pulse!, USA)

Three languages-, 24 pages-booklet in .pdf format included.
Complete details of the Romantic Piano Concerto project can be found
at the Hyperion Records website (Indexes - Collections)

A big thanks to the original uploader for his kind permission to upload this torrent!!!

Большое спасибо первоначального аплоадера за его любезное разрешение залить этот торент и использовать его материалы!!!

Качать ЗДЕСЬ.

This post has been edited by vpenev on 30-04-2007, 01:18

The Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto series

Volume 16: Huss & Schelling Piano Concertos



Henry Holden Huss
(Newark, New Jersey, June 21, 1862 - New York City, September 17, 1953)
Piano Concerto in B major, op. 10 (1898)
I. Allegro maestoso [14:12]
II. Andante tranquillo [7:42]
III. Finale : Allegro vivace [9:23]

Ernest Henry Schelling
(Belvedere, New Jersey, July 26, 1876 - New York City, December 8, 1939)
Suite Fantastique for piano and orchestra, op. 7 (1905)
I. Allegro marziale[10:31] - II. Scherzo : Molto vivace, scherzando e molto leggiero [4:05]
III. Intermezzo [7:59] - IV. Virginia Reel : Molto vivace [7:06]

Ian Hobson, piano
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Martyn Brabbins

Recorded on 9, 10 January 1997
Recording engineer, Tryggvi Tryggvason. Recording producer, Amanda Hurton
© 1997 Hyperion Records Ltd. CDA66949

Two virtually unknown American late-romantics make a surprising contribution to Hyperion’s Romantic Piano Concerto series. Henry Holden Huss (pronounced ‘Hoos’) was of German extraction and so went back there, like Chadwick and Parker, to study composition with Rheinberger. He also studied the piano but, according to Tchaikovksy, had technical shortcomings: a critic advised him no to play his own music. Huss died at the age of 91 in 1953 and, like Schelling, was barely known on record – just a setting of Tennyson’s Crossing the Bar and a single prelude for piano. He looks like a one-work composer and this Concerto, in the unusual key of B major, is getting its first real chance exactly a century after he wrote it. At first it sounds like a predictable assembly of all the gestural paraphernalia of the romantic idiom with some pleasant orchestral textures. But, after further hearings, Huss gradually convinces with his own dialect of this inherited language, although reminiscences of other composers can be irritating; for example, a subsidiary theme from Chopin’s Fourth Ballade in the second movement at 3’13" and later, and a certain hovering on the edge of Wagner’s Liebestod. But Huss does forge a continuity which, although not original, is convincing – especially in a committed performance like this. Hobson, who had to score a small missing passage, makes no grand claims in the CD booklet, preferring to let the music speak for itself.

Ernest Henry Schelling had a piano piece recorded by Paderewski on HMV, who was one of his teachers, and a symphonic poem, A Victory Ball (after Alfred Noyes) by the New York PO under Mengelberg in 1926. Otherwise the recording of his Suite Fantastique from 1905 must be his finest hour. Unlike the Huss, it was particularly successful in Europe. Schelling, a child prodigy who went to study in Paris at the age of six, gave the first performance of the Suite with the Concertgebouw Orchestra under Mengelberg and it was regularly played by Moiseiwitsch, including a Prom under Wood in 1914. the work has a certain superficial charm with some neat touches. The central section of the very Russian scherzo in in five-time (1’24") and the last movement, written when Schelling was homesick for the US, combines popular songs in the manner of Gottschalk rather than Ives. What makes this release unexpectedly compelling listening is the real dedication brought to these performances by Hobson and the BBC Scottish SO under Brabbins.
Peter Dickinson, Gramophone, Awards 1997



Ian Hobson
Henry H. Huss
Ernest Schelling

Three languages-, 24 pages-booklet in .pdf format included.
Complete details of the Romantic Piano Concerto project can be found
at the Hyperion Records website (Indexes - Collections)

A big thanks to the original uploader for his kind permission to upload this torrent!!!

Большое спасибо первоначального аплоадера за его любезное разрешение залить этот торент и использовать его материалы!!!

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This post has been edited by vpenev on 30-04-2007, 01:26

The Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto series

Volume 17: Mendelssohn Piano Concertos





Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy
(Hamburg, February 3, 1809 - Leipzig, November 4, 1847)

Capriccio Brillant in B minor, op. 22 (1832) [10:46]
Piano Concerto no. 1 in G minor, op. 25 (1830-31)
I. Molto allegro con fuoco - attacca: [7:15]
II. Andante - attacca: [5:37]
III. Presto - Molto allegro e vivace - Tempo I [6:47]
Rondeau Brillant in E flat major, op. 29 (1834) [10:50]
Piano Concerto no. 2 in D minor, op. 40 (1837)
I. Allegro appassionato - attacca: [9:09]
II. Adagio : Molto sostenuto - attacca: [5:01]
III. Finale : Presto scherzando [6:57]
Serenade and Allegro Giocoso in B minor, op. 43 (1838) [12:51]

Stephen Hough, piano
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Lawrence Foster

Recorded in Dudley Town Hall, Birmingham on 9, 10 January 1997
Recording engineer, Tony Faulkner. Recording producer, Andrew Keener
© 1997 Hyperion Records Ltd. CDA66969

Looking at the list of contenders, you might think Stephen Hough faced impossibly stiff competition in the Mendelssohn concertos. But Andrбs Schiff, brilliant as he is, rarely sounds completely engaged, intellectually or expressively, and while Murray Perahia probes more deeply than Schiff, it’s in the three solo piano pieces Sony add as fillers that he reveals real love for Mendelssohn. There’s more affection and feeling for drama in Benjamin Frith’s versions of the concertos on Naxos – very appealing altogether, despite the occasionally percussive piano tone. But with Stephen Hough we enter a new dimension. The soft, stylish arpeggios that open the first work on the disc, the Capriccio Brillant, announce immediately that something special is on the way. But this is just a preparation for the First Concerto. Here again, ‘stylish’ is the word. One can sense the background – especially the operatic background against which these works were composed (Weber is very much present). The first solo doesn’t simply storm away, fortissimo; one hears distinct emotional characteristics: the imperious, thundering octaves, the agitated semiquavers, the pleading appoggiaturas. It’s far from overdone, yet after Hough Schiff seems merely impersonal, Perahia even a teensy bit mannered. The revelation is the First Concerto’s slow movement: not a trace of stale sentimentality here, rather elegance balanced by depth of feeling. Yes, I did say depth – forget what you may have read about Mendelssohn’s ‘artificiality’. Some of the praise must go to the City of Birmingham SO and Lawrence Foster; after all it’s the CBSO violas and cellos that lead the singing in that slow movement. And I also like the way Foster and the orchestra open the Second Concerto – too often dismissed as the less inspired sequel to No. 1. The first bars are hushed, sombre, a little below the main tempo, so that it’s left to Hough to energize the argument and set the pace – all very effective. I’m not sure the other two short pieces add much. I even marginally prefer Frith in the Rondo Brillant – his sustained rhythmic drive makes this slight piece more compelling. But Hough is now clearly first recommendation in the concertos. If you still doubt that Mendelssohn could be possessed by genuine creative fire, discs like this, should be enough to show you how wrong you are.
Stephen Johnson, Gramophone, September 1997



Felix Mendelssohn
Stephen Hough

You can tell this is special from the first chord ... I don’'t think [Stephen Hough] has an equal on record in this music, even with competitors like Andras Schiff and Murray Perahia. Issues like this add to the feeling that the great Mendelssohn reappraisal is underway at last. It’s long overdue. (The Independent) ... Once again we have Stephen Hough lavishing his exciting gifts upon a splendid Mendelssohn programme. I cannot envisage this splendidly recorded disc being absent from the year's honours list. (Classic CD) ... Biting intensity, yet with freer expressiveness and bigger contrasts he also brings out extra poetry and ... a sparkling wit ... A constant delight. (The Guardian) ... An impressive achievement all round. (Piano International) ... [Hough] can scamper with the best and is able to incorporate delightful capriciousness without derailing the flow of thought ... These performances boast of nearly ideal lightness, vivacity and impetus. (BBC Music Magazine) ... Hough offers far greater elegance and plusher tone ... he is, as always, a delight to listen to, such as in his quicksilver scattering of thirds in the last movement of the Second Concerto. (Fanfare) ... Stephen Hough has the ideal qualities of sharp attention to rhythmic detail and an impeccable fluidity of line and phrase. (The Observer)

Three languages-, 28 pages-booklet in .pdf format included.
Complete details of the Romantic Piano Concerto project can be found
at the Hyperion Records website (Indexes - Collections)

A big thanks to the original uploader for his kind permission to upload this torrent!!!

Большое спасибо первоначального аплоадера за его любезное разрешение залить этот торент и использовать его материалы!!!

Качать ЗДЕСЬ.

This post has been edited by vpenev on 30-04-2007, 02:25

The Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto series

Volume 18: Marx & Korngold Piano Concertos





Joseph Marx
(Graz, May 11, 1882 - Ivi, September 3, 1964)
Romantische Klavierkonzert in E major (1918-19)
I. Lebhaft (Allegro moderato) [14:52]
II. Nicht zu langsam (Andante affettuoso) [10:47]
III. Sehr lebhaft (Allegro molto) [11:20]

Erich Wolfgang Korngold
(Brünn / Brno, May 29, 1897 - Los Angeles, November 29, 1957)
Piano Concerto in C sharp major, op. 17
for the left hand ( <- ) in a single movement (1905)
Mäßiges Zeitmaß, heldisch, mit Feuer und Kraft [27:42]

Marc-Andrй Hamelin, piano
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Osmo Vänskä
Recorded on 19, 20 June 1997
Recording engineer, Tony Faulkner. Recording producer, Martin Compton
© 1998 Hyperion Records Ltd. CDA66990

GRAMOPHONE CRITICS’ CHOICE
DIAPASON D’OR

Lush as lush can be - that’s the Joseph Marx Romantisches Klavierkonzert. It’s all the most wildly romantic concertos you can think of rolled into one huge pianistic feast. Without sounding too much like a wine expert, it’s early Scriabin, it’s Korngold (particularly in the ravishing slow movement), it’s Debussy (I’m thinking of the Fantasie for piano and orchestra here), it’s Delius, it could even at times be the grandaddy of all those 1930s and 1940s quasi-piano concerto film scores. From the very first bar you know why Joseph Marx (1882-1964) gave the concerto the epithet Romantic. Though by no means a profound piece, it’s a delight to listen to and a work of exceptional craftsmanship also. Its pianistic difficulties are legion and this could well be the reason for the work’s neglect since the 1920s. Jorge Bolet had it in his repertoire but this is the first commercial recording of the piece. As ever Marc-Andrи Hamelin delivers the music with consummate ease.

After a similar period of neglect Korngold’s left-hand Piano Concerto is making a remarkable comeback on disc. Unlike many of the pieces composed for Paul Wittgenstein after he lost an arm in the First World War, this one actually makes a virtue out of all the inevitable spread-chords trickery required when writing for one hand. Listening to the Concerto afresh it struck me how incredibly difficult it would be to play it with both hands and still make it sound the way the composer intended – perhaps this was why Wittgenstein enjoyed playing it so much. Whatever, it’s a splendid work that thoroughly deserves its current revival. Its gladiatorial solo part certainly emphasizes the ‘struggle’ inherent in the concerto form, but it is certainly not a concerto in the traditional sense, more, as Brendan Carroll suggests in the booklet-notes, a symphonic poem for piano and orchestra. Hamelin’s main rival here is a fine account by Howard Shelley and Matthias Bamert on Chandos. Shelley’s approach is, overall, more luxuriant perhaps, but Hamelin’s reading has plenty of poetry as well and is allied to tremendous power and authority. I’m sure I will vacillate between these two performances, but for now Hamelin just gets my recommendation. Korngold fans will want both, and of course there’s the marvellous Marx Concerto to get acquainted with. An inspired coupling. Good recorded sound, and superb accompaniment from the BBC Scottish SO under Osmo Vдnskд.
(Michael Stewart, Gramophone, April 1998)




Marc-André Hamelin
Joseph Marx
Erich W. Korngold

A superb coupling ... the frankly outrageous challenges set by these unfailingly inventive scores are overcome by Hamelin with a nonchalance bordering on effrontery. A revelation. (Piano International) ... Mesmerising playing from Hamelin in two fascinating late-romantic concertos. Enthusiasts for virtuoso piano writing of the most fearsome difficulty will find it impossible not to be overwhelmed by the sheer brilliance of Hamelin’s playing (Classic CD) ... One of the most memorable in Hyperion’s much-valued Romantic Piano Concerto series. (The Scotsman) ... Exceptional pianism. (BBC Music Magazine) ... Heroic piano playing of monumental proportions. (In Tune, Japan / USA)

Three languages-, 28 pages-booklet in .pdf format included.
Complete details of the Romantic Piano Concerto project can be found
at the Hyperion Records website (Indexes - Collections)

A big thanks to the original uploader for his kind permission to upload this torrent!!!

Большое спасибо первоначального аплоадера за его любезное разрешение залить этот торент и использовать его материалы!!!

Качать ЗДЕСЬ.

This post has been edited by vpenev on 30-04-2007, 03:33

The Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto series

Volume 19: Tovey & Mackenzie Piano Concertos





Sir Donald Francis Tovey
(Eton, July 17, 1875 - Edinburgh, July 10, 1940)
Piano Concerto in A major, op. 15 (1903)
I. Energico [15:38]
II. Adagio ma non troppo [7:54]
III. Alla marcia, non presto - Presto [9:59]

Sir Alexander Campbell Mackenzie
(Edinburgh, August 22, 1847 - London, April 28, 1935)
Scottish Concerto, op. 55 (1897)
I. Allegro maestoso - Allegretto - Andantino - attacca: [9:54] - II. Molto lento [9:20]
III. Allegro vivace (ma non presto al principio) - Andante tranquillo, quasi dolente -
Tempo I - Molto piщ mosso - Piщ mosso ancora [8:59]

Steven Osborne, piano
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Martyn Brabbins

Recorded in City Hall, Candleriggs, Glasgow on 8, 9 January 1998
Recording engineer, John Timperley. Recording producer, Andrew Keener
© 1998 Hyperion Records Ltd. CDA67023

From the horns’ call-to-arms at the outset to the irrepressible merrymaking of the closing pages, Edinburgh-born Sir Alexander Mackenzie’s Scottish Concerto (1897) spells firm enjoyment, and I find it astonishing that it is only now receiving its first recording. Cast in three movements, each of which employs a traditional Scottish melody, it is a thoroughly endearing, beautifully crafted work which wears its native colours without any hint of stale clichй or cloying sentimentality; indeed, the canny wit, genuine freshness and fertile imagination with which Mackenzie treats his material are evident throughout, nowhere more so, perhaps, than in the lovely central Molto lento, a raptly tender meditation on the shepherd’s love-song, The Waulking of the Fauld. This is preceded by an initially majestic Allegro maestoso (based on The Reel of Tulloch) which soon bursts into mischievous life. The latter tune is also worked into the delectably scored finale (which borrows Green Grow the Rushes O for its main idea).

By contrast, Edinburgh-based Sir Donald Tovey’s Piano Concerto in A major (1903) exhibits a rather more formal demeanour, its three movements brimful of youthful ambition and possessing a very Brahmsian solidity and dignity. Certainly, there’s plenty to admire in the imposing, lucidly structured first movement, which boasts a development section of impressive emotional scope and satisfying rigour. To get some idea of Tovey’s considerable compositional prowess, listen from the muscular orchestral paragraph beginning at 6'43'' through to the powerfully achieved recapitulation (from 9'50''). The ensuing F sharp minor Adagio ma non troppo features some radiantly luminous dialogue between piano and orchestra, and the concerto concludes with a vigorous, high-spirited Alla marcia finale. As the fugato episode early on in this last movement demonstrates, Tovey’s idiomatically assured writing is not always entirely untouched by a certain academic earnestness, but on the whole any unwanted stuffiness is deftly kept at bay. In fact, repeated hearings have merely strengthened my admiration for this work, and I am now intrigued to hear some of Tovey’s other works (there exists a Symphony from 1913 as well as the Cello Concerto, written for Casals and premiиred by him in 1934). No praise can be too high for Steven Osborne’s by turns outstandingly sensitive and dashing contribution, while the excellent Martyn Brabbins draws a splendidly stylish and alert response from his fine BBC group. Sound and balance are excellent too. As ever, John Purser’s extensive annotations are a veritable storehouse of background information, infectious enthusiasm and perceptive observation. All told, a super disc.
(Andrew Achenbach, Gramophone, October 1998)




Steven Osborne

Another hugely enjoyable release of Scottish music from Hyperion (The Scotsman) ... What a bonanza this Hyperion offering is! If you fancy piano concertos you’ll find plenty in these two neglected specimens to challenge and enchant you (Fanfare, USA) ... A marvellous and magnificent disc (Hi Fi News) ... 'A fascinating release. The whole enterprise could hardly wish for a more eloquent or dashingly persuasive exponent than Steven Osborne, who clearly believes in every note. (Piano International)

Three languages-, 28 pages-booklet in .pdf format included.
Complete details of the Romantic Piano Concerto project can be found
at the Hyperion Records website (Indexes - Collections)

A big thanks to the original uploader for his kind permission to upload this torrent!!!

Большое спасибо первоначального аплоадера за его любезное разрешение залить этот торент и использовать его материалы!!!

Качать ЗДЕСЬ.

This post has been edited by vpenev on 24-07-2007, 04:23

Первоначальный релизер обещал выпустить всех 42 дисков с приблизительной скорости - 1 диск за неделю. Вчера вечером он залил volumе 19. Так что здесь уже залиты все диски, которые залиты до сих пор и в первоначальном трекере. Дальше будем двигаться со скоростью начального релизера.

Обратите внимание на volumе 18!!! Там эсть две особености - оба окрашены в фиолетовый цвет: