Ernst von DOHNANYI (1877-1960)
Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor op. 5 (1897-99) [43:34]
Piano Concerto No. 2 in B minor op. 42 (1946-47) [28:49]
Howard Shelley (piano)
BBC Philharmonic/Matthias Bamert
rec. Studio 7, BBC Broadcasting House, Manchester, 12-14 September 2001
(1); 6-7 January 2004 (2). DDD
CHANDOS CHAN 10599X [72:25]
Dohnanyi was a determined and unwavering late-romantic and Chandos have done
his orchestral music proud where others walked by on the other side of the
street. Neither of these concertos are completely unknown to older collectors.
They will recall a Pye LP of the First Concerto and an EMI LP of the Second
Concerto.
The First Piano Concerto is a work in three movements. It has the mien of the
Brahms Second Concerto but with a strong infusion of Rachmaninov DNA -
from the era of his Second Symphony. Another parallel of sorts is the Stanford
Second Piano Concerto. The Andante is shorter than its flanking companion movements
- there are only three. It is rather Brucknerian although the strenuously high
romantic Grieg-like manner is also much in evidence.
The work was first recorded in 1972 on a Pye LP (TPLS 13052) and was further
licensed in the USA on Genesis LP 1022. The soloist was Bálint Vázsonyi
who studied with the composer in Tallahassee in 1958; he was Dohnanyi’s
last pupil. The orchestra was the New Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by John
Pritchard. That LP has never been reissued on CD. In more recent times there
have been recordings by László Baranyay (1994) and on Hyperion
(1993) coupled exactly as above on Hyperion CDA 66684 by Martin Roscoe with
the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Fedor Glushchenko.
The Second Piano Concerto is more overtly in the shadow of Rachmaninov with
some ripely projected horns and trumpets. These return, in considerable magnificence,
at the end over and defiant Lisztian fireworks and scurrying passagework from
the piano. The piano writing also finds time for intimacy and there are some
moments that run perilously close to Delius. In the finale there are patent
references to Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concerto and even some Rimsky-Korsakov.
It’s all rather wonderful stuff. You can revel in the luxury sound furnished
by the Chandos team.
The Second Concerto was recorded with the composer as soloist in 1956 with
the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Sir Adrian Boult. It was released in the
USA on Angel 35538. It was reissued on a Praga CD in 2008 with two other vintage
recordings including the Starker version of the Concertstück. The Hungaroton
CD made by László Baranyay and the Budapest Symphony Orchestra
with György Győriványi-Ráth (HCD 31555 (1994)) is similarly
coupled.
I would like to hear the Hungaroton but have never seen it listed. The Hyperion
is the only real competition and it’s a while since I have heard it.
My impression though is that the Chandos has the slight edge in relation to
the sound quality and Sdhelley is au fait with the style having at one time
recorded a complete CD of Dohnanyi’s solo piano music.
The truly helpful notes are by Matthew Rye.
Dohnanyi made an international name for himself as soloist and as composer.
His early mentor was Eugen d'Albert - himself no mean perpetrator of piano
concertos - who no doubt influenced his far from tangily Hungarian idiom. In
its place we get Germanic Lisztian character leavened with a manner often coasting
close to or bumping into Rachmaninov. This did him no favours with the Hungarian
authorities after WW2. There he was reviled despite his two sons having been
executed for their involvement in the Stauffenburg plot to kill Hitler. One
of them was the father of the conductor Christoph von Dohnanyi. When Ernst
(or Ernö) died it was in the USA in Tallahassee, Florida. He was recording
to the end in New York aware of his romantic straggler status but sublimely
undistracted.
Rob Barnett