Piano Concerto in a Minor Op 16 (1st Movement) by Edvard Grieg Review
Also, Lyric Pieces. Javier Perianes, pianoforte; Oramo Sakari, BBC Symphony Orchestra. Harmonia Mundi HMC 902205.
In the event you didn't know, Javier Perianes (b. 1978) is a Spanish concert pianist, who has won any number of prizes and played with many of the earth's leading orchestras and conductors. Although he has done over one-half a dozen solo albums, he has recorded merely a couple of pieces with orchestra. This disc of the Grieg Piano Concerto with Maestro Oramo Sakari and the BBC Symphony Orchestra is ane of them. To exist fair, nevertheless, he still goes it alone in the accompanying Lyric Pieces for solo piano.
Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) wrote his Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. sixteen, in 1868, his showtime and simply piano concerto. Odd, maybe, given that Grieg was also a pianist. Anyhow, with its wonderfully big opening moments and hints throughout of Norwegian folk music, the concerto rapidly became one of the staples of the piano concerto repertoire.
The offset movement opens with a famous and dramatic timpani roll, complete with cascading crescendos from the piano. Perianes captures the theatrical effect of these flourishes with energy galore, and, indeed, the whole of the start motion follows closely the excitement set out in the beginning. Tempos remain moderate; intonation is well nuanced; transitions, as into the 2d subject, are smooth and fluid; and Perianes seems always attentive to Grieg's designs.
The performance, in essence, is as large every bit they come, and Harmonia Mundi'due south close-up miking makes it seem all the bigger. Thus, if it'southward a grandiose reading you're looking for, this one is as massive and aggressive every bit they come. Every bit I say, Perianes attacks the opening Allegro with vigor, practically banging the keys through the floor. And Maestro Sakari and the BBC Symphony accompany him with a flawless vitality of their own.
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The second motion should be hushed and lyrical and go along to portray Grieg'south ideas on the beauty of nature. Happily, Perianes balances the more robust sections of the score with an honest, gentle lyricism in these quieter parts. The heart of the commencement movement and this following Adagio sound lovely, and the terminal movement is as dashing, colorful, and beautiful every bit anyone could want. (Incidentally, Harmonia Mundi divides the second and third movements differently than we have come to expect, actually starting what most of us consider the final movement in the middle of the second runway. The disc booklet provides no caption.)
For a coupling, Perianes gives us eleven of Grieg'south Lyric Pieces for solo pianoforte. It is a good representative sampling of these little works, of which Grieg wrote sixty-six over a period of some forty years. Here again Perianes displays his softer, more-sensitive side, each piece sparkling. These are very Romanic, melodious works, which the pianist carefully executes with a straightforward delicacy and refinement. There is no hint of sentimentality near his playing. Still, when the occasion calls for an energetic virtuosity, every bit in "The March of the Trolls," he is on top of the situation. As a pianist Perianes tin can be both exciting and poetic, qualities that serve him well.
Producer Ann McKay and engineer Neil Pemberton recorded the Concerto live at the Barbican Heart, London in October 2014, and producer Martin Sauer and engineer Tobias Lehmann recorded the Lyric Pieces at Teldex Studio Berlin in June 2014. Equally with nearly alive recordings, the engineers miked the concerto quite close up, particularly the piano, which looms very large, practically in one's confront. The orchestra, likewise, seems much too close, making for excellent detail and impact at the expense of its picking upward some midrange brightness and border. Fortunately, the producers edited out any applause, and audience noise is practically aught. Still, one gets a rather 1-dimensional presentation, with good left-to-correct stereo spread but almost no depth, air, or room ambience. The solo piano pieces, notwithstanding, sound excellent, with a slightly more distanced perspective and more room resonance to give the instrument a greater natural warmth.
JJP
To listen to a cursory excerpt from this album, click here:
Source: https://classicalcandor.blogspot.com/2015/05/grieg-piano-concerto-cd-review.html
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