Martin Stürfalt, Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Manze - Wiklund: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 (Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto 57) (2012)

Tracklist

01. Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 10: I. Allegro energico
02. Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 10: II. Andante ma non troppo
03. Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 10: III. Allegro vivace
04. Konsertstycke in C Major, Op. 1
05. Piano Concerto No. 2 in B Minor, Op. 17: I. Allegro moderato —
06. Piano Concerto No. 2 in B Minor, Op. 17: II. Andante sostenuto —
07. Piano Concerto No. 2 in B Minor, Op. 17: III. Allegro non troppo

Volume 57 in Hyperion’s Romantic Piano Concerto series turns up another ‘discovery’: the music of Swedish composer Adolf Wiklund. These little-known but lusciously tuneful works are characterized by big-boned, symphonic gestures reminiscent of Rachmaninov, yet tempered with the Nordic clarity of Grieg. Wiklund’s two piano concertos are central to his output, and in fact they enjoyed considerable popularity in Sweden until as recently as fifty years ago, when modernist sensibilities deemed them unfashionable.

This glittering performance from Martin Sturfält and the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, directed by brilliant violinist-turned-conductor Andrew Manze, is bound to bring this unfairly neglected music back into general currency.

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