Seta

Continuing her inspiring series of discs exploring the solo piano repertory of the Polish Romantic, Xaver Scharwenka, Seta Tanyel here turns her attention to two of his four piano concertos. These unashamedly appealing works should by no means be judged by their relative unfamiliarty; they are among the most impressive of all the neglected concertos championed in our series, as Stephen Hough’s Gramophone Award winning recording of the 4th concerto (CDA66790) has shown. In the capable hands of Tanyel, the 2nd and 3rd concertos are rich with the harmonic poise of Schumann, the melodic coquettishness of Chopin and even the passion of Rachmaninov; a disc as enlightening as it is thrilling.

These two splendid concertos by Stenhammar are offered together on one CD for the first time. The original orchestration of Stenhammar's first concerto was long thought to be lost when the offices of the publisher were bombed during the second world war. However, in 1983 a copy of the original was found in the Library of Congress and this version is featured here. The twenty-two year old's opus one is a masterpiece. Majestic and virtuosic at its opening, the work explores a world of Nordic mystery in the third movement and ends with music of sad, reflective sweetness. The second concerto is a distinctly different work, with a novel structure and a steady tension between soloist and orchestra that is only resolved in the virtuosic finale.

Thousands of music enthusiasts are drawn each year to the Schwetzingen Festival in the time-honored walls of the beautiful Rokokotheater, an ideal place for Rossini's farse, his light one-act operas from the early part of his career. These operas already contain all the elements with which Rossini later took the music world by storm: melodic inventiveness, ingenious connections between sung lines and orchestral accompaniment, musical humor and emsembles using breathtakingly fast parlando singing. The witty and ironical relaization of these musical comedies by Michael Hampe and conductor Gianluigi Gelmetti with a great ensemble of singers was met with enthusiastic approval and makes the present recordings milestones in the still young Rossini videography and the very rare productions in this genre.

Franz Xaver Scharwenka - Piano Music Vol.3 - Seta Tanyel (2002) {Hyperion-Helios CDH55133 rec 1992}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 202 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 148 Mb
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© 1992, 2002 Collins Classics / Hyperion Records / Helios | CDH55133
Classical / Romantic / Early 20th Century / Piano

'Tanyel's clear enthusiasm for this unhackneyed programme is utterly refreshing … The performance reminds us again just how well she understands the piano's Romantic repertoire' (Classic CD). 'the music here could hardly be more sympathetically presented than by Tanyel, whose performances are immaculate in their musicianship and virtuosity' (Gramophone). Seta Tanyel, the Armenian pianist, demonstrates a flair for the virtuosic style of German-Polish Scharwenka. She projects a well-rounded tone, a flexible sense of rhythm, a seamless technique, a fertile imagination and a daring panache. She seems to genuinly love these beautiful, light-hearted compositions. Scharwenka's music (who lived in the States for seven years) possesses energy, harmonic interest, strong rhythm, many beautiful melodies and much Polish national character. A highly enjoyable recording.

Franz Xaver Scharwenka - Piano Music Vol.2 - Seta Tanyel (2002) {Hyperion-Helios CDH55132 rec 1992}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 202 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 153 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 16 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1992, 2002 Collins Classics / Hyperion Records / Helios | CDH55132
Classical / Romantic / Early 20th Century / Piano

'Scharwenka could not have been better served. He deserves no less' (International Record Review). 'The recorded sound has all the freshness needed for this music' (Pianist). Many young pianists of my generation cut their teeth on one or another of Xaver Scharwenka's Polish Dances; he composed about thirty of them. The Op. 3, No. 1 was immensely popular, selling millions of copies and that's the one I learned to play when I was about ten or so. On this release are the two Polish Dances, Op. 29, and they are mazurkas in all but name. They are lively and set your toe tapping as played by Seta Tanyel.

Franz Xaver Scharwenka - Piano Music Vol.4 - Seta Tanyel (2003) {Hyperion-Helios CDH55134 rec 1995}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 198 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 167 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 18 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1995, 2003 Collins Classics / Hyperion Records / Helios | CDH55134
Classical / Romantic / Early 20th Century / Piano

'… brimful with alert character and beauty whilst the two piano pieces are delightful in their raucous melodies … briliantly done by Tanyel' (Classical Net Review). It was brave and useful and laudable of Seta Tanyel and the now-defunct label Collins Classics to have embarked, in the 1990s, in a thorough exploration of the music of Xaver Scharwenka (1850-1924), and one must be grateful to Hyperion to have reissued almost all of it. The 4-volume traversal of his solo piano music doesn't embrace I think Scharwenka's complete piano output, but it is still very substantial. Add to that the three first piano concertos (apparently Collins didn't live long enough to record the Fourth, and the first is the one disc that Hyperion did not reissue, Piano Concerto 1, obviously because they already had another one in their catalog, Rubinstein: Piano Concerto No. 4; Scharwenka: Piano Concerto No. 1) and what I think was the complete chamber music. However, I didn't always feel that the results lived up to the project's promises.

Franz Xaver Scharwenka - Piano Music Vol.1 - Seta Tanyel (2002) {Hyperion-Helios CDH55131 rec 1991}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 178 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 148 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 14 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1991, 2002 Collins Classics / Hyperion Records / Helios | CDH55131
Classical / Romantic / Early 20th Century / Piano

'The recorded sound has all the freshness needed for this music' (Pianist). 'Seta Tanyel plays her well-contrasted selection with obvious affection and persuasive charm … playing of outstanding drive and verve' (International Record Review). Hyperion's series of the solo piano music of Xaver Scharwenka (reissued from Collins), played by Seta Tanyel, is worth getting to know for everyone who appreciates romantic piano music. It reveals Scharwenka as a deft craftsman with plenty of good ideas and deep knowledge of how to utilize the potential of his instrument to full effect. Volume 1, however, is far from the strongest installment in the series, and if you started with this one, were disappointed and decided to stop investigating, I encourage you to reconsider - volume 2, for instance, is definitely superior (though Scharwenka's concertos and chamber works are superior still).