MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2024
60,000 reviews
... and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             


Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger

REVIEW


Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing

 

 

alternatively
CD: MDT AmazonUK AmazonUS

Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Piano Concerto in A Minor Op. 54 (1841-45) [31:29]
Introduction and Allegro appassionato Op. 92 (1849) [15:44]
Introduction and Concert-Allegro, Op. 134 (1853) [14:47]
Angela Hewitt (piano)
Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin/Hannu Lintu
rec. 15-18 August 2011, Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin
HYPERION CDA67885 [62:02]

Experience Classicsonline


 
I’m not entirely sure which recording it was of the Schumann Piano Concerto in A minor it was I listened to about 900 times while tackling the work’s analytical nuances for O Level exams in the UK in the early 1980s, but there have been so many recordings since it hardly matters. One new one I’ve heard recently is that with Sophie Pacini on the Onyx label (see review), and this makes a nice comparison with Angela Hewitt’s Hyperion release as the differences are so palpable. Pacini is urgent and dramatic in the Allegro affetuoso first movement, exploring the poetry of the gentler moments with probing notes which highlight each harmonic progression. Hewitt on the other hand is, dare I say it, less old fashioned. Her approach seeks the flow in the music, obtaining a legato in those accompanying moments where the orchestra takes the lead and adding texture rather than making musical points. The superb balance between piano and orchestra allows this to happen naturally and with an easy grace which is a sheer delight. Hewitt lingers lovingly at the chamber music moments in this movement and, while more drama might be achieved at such points, her contrasts are greater as a result - the rhythm of repose and triumphant thematic elevation beautifully proportioned.
 
Proportion is an important buzzword in Hewitt’s Schumann. She holds plenty back, but always for a reason. That solo passage from 4:36 might seem a bit too reserved, the tempo too static, but did you ever hear that clarinet entry at 5:35 quite so movingly? All of those essential little tonal and timbral brushstrokes are expressed to perfection, and the drama at 6:06 is all the greater for that minute and a half of suspended expectation. With Hewitt, and of course the superb instrumental weighting brought out by Hannu Lintu, you hear the ‘Bach’ in Schumann as well as the turbulent romanticism. That main theme never sounded quite so much like a Bach chorale than here, and there are little moments all over the place where, if your associative baggage allows it, a penny or more will drop and an ‘ah…’ moment will occur where it probably hadn’t before with other recordings.
 
The first movement of the Schumann Piano Concerto in A minor is in a class of its own, history telling us that the other movements were added later to this stand-alone Fantasie as it was originally named. These appendices are by no means makeweights however, and Hewitt’s gently amorous dialogue with the orchestra in the second movement is a joy - like a smiling Schubert duet, with the orchestra looking over the pianist’s shoulder and adding an encouraging second part. The final Allegro vivace reminds me in tempo of Wilhelm Kempff’s second stereo recording on Deutsche Grammophon which always seemed a tad on the slow side. If you want the dancing qualities of this movement to come out then Murray Perahia is your man, together with Colin Davis on Sony Classics. Hewitt is less ballroom swish but is still sprightly in her detail, the notes sparkling over the orchestral accompaniment, and all of those vital contrapuntal sections and little sighing fragments all being given their due.
 
There are too many different recordings of the Schumann Piano Concerto to list and compare here, and great names such as the wilful Martha Argerich, the noble Wilhelm Kempff, the poetic Dinu Lipatti, the rhapsodic Alfred Brendel and the superlative Sviatoslav Richter all have made their significant contributions, and still jostle on equal terms with the current generation of players. Angela Hewitt presents quite a personal view of the work, and my appreciation goes out to her daring in taking an individualist rather than the standard racing line. This is the kind of recording which may surprise a little, but is also one which will gain your affection and provide increasing interest and insight with each airing.
 
Usefully coupled with less familiar Schumann works for piano and orchestra rather than one of the other more usual concerto warhorses, the Introduction and Allegro appassionato has as much drama and contrast if not quite the thematic qualities of the first movement of the Piano Concerto. The influence of Brahms is hinted at, as well as associations with Schumann’s Manfred overture which comes from the same period. Hewitt and Lintu hit this work pretty hard, and the energy crackles in what amounts to a superb performance. The Introduction and Concert-Allegro is a late work and somewhat slippery in terms of what one can grasp of its expressive point, despite being a highly effective piece and with some remarkably forward looking moments. There are bits which you could slot into a 1970s TV theme, and other fragments which you can imagine Keith Jarrett grabbing hold of and turning into an entire evening’s improvisation. Hewitt and Lintu take Schumann’s obsessive repetitions, darting reversals and meandering progressions and squeeze all of the goodness out of them, projecting this as something with considerable power and resonance and a remarkable testament.
 
I wasn’t entirely uncritical of Angela Hewitt’s solo Schumann programme from Hyperion (see review), but have few if any such reservations in this piano/orchestra release. Her next release in the Mozart concertos series will also be conducted by Hannu Lintu, and so also promises to be something more than a bit special. This Schumann release, complete with excellent booklet notes by the soloist and its strikingly atmospheric Caspar David Friedrich illustration for the cover, is highly desirable and extremely rewarding.
 
Dominy Clements
 
Masterwork Index: Schumann's piano concerto

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


EXPLORE MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL

Making a Donation to MusicWeb

Writing CD reviews for MWI

About MWI
Who we are, where we have come from and how we do it.

Site Map

How to find a review

How to find articles on MusicWeb
Listed in date order

Review Indexes
   By Label
      Select a label and all reviews are listed in Catalogue order
   By Masterwork
            Links from composer names (eg Sibelius) are to resource pages with links to the review indexes for the individual works as well as other resources.

Themed Review pages

Jazz reviews

 

Discographies
   Composer
      Composer surveys
   National
      Unique to MusicWeb -
a comprehensive listing of all LP and CD recordings of given works
.
Prepared by Michael Herman

The Collector’s Guide to Gramophone Company Record Labels 1898 - 1925
Howard Friedman

Book Reviews

Complete Books
We have a number of out of print complete books on-line

Interviews
With Composers, Conductors, Singers, Instumentalists and others
Includes those on the Seen and Heard site

Nostalgia

Nostalgia CD reviews

Records Of The Year
Each reviewer is given the opportunity to select the best of the releases

Monthly Best Buys
Recordings of the Month and Bargains of the Month

Comment
Arthur Butterworth Writes

An occasional column

Phil Scowcroft's Garlands
British Light Music articles

Classical blogs
A listing of Classical Music Blogs external to MusicWeb International

Reviewers Logs
What they have been listening to for pleasure

Announcements

 

Community
Bulletin Board

Give your opinions or seek answers

Reviewers
Past and present

Helpers invited!

Resources
How Did I Miss That?

Currently suspended but there are a lot there with sound clips


Composer Resources

British Composers

British Light Music Composers

Other composers

Film Music (Archive)
Film Music on the Web (Closed in December 2006)

Programme Notes
For concert organizers

External sites
British Music Society
The BBC Proms
Orchestra Sites
Recording Companies & Retailers
Online Music
Agents & Marketing
Publishers
Other links
Newsgroups
Web News sites etc

PotPourri
A pot-pourri of articles

MW Listening Room
MW Office

Advice to Windows Vista users  
Questionnaire    
Site History  
What they say about us
What we say about us!
Where to get help on the Internet
CD orders By Special Request
Graphics archive
Currency Converter
Dictionary
Magazines
Newsfeed  
Web Ring
Translation Service

Rules for potential reviewers :-)
Do Not Go Here!
April Fools






Error processing SSI file