The Romantic Piano Concerto Vol 61

Romantic Piano Concerto Vol 61
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Artist: Howard Shelley, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Theodor Döhler, Alexander Dreyschock
Genre: Classical
Label: Hyperion

Theodor Döhler (1814-56) and Alexander Dreyschock (1818-69), who share the latest instalment in Hyperion's Romantic Piano Concerto series, are well down the line from Bülow, although Dreyschock is still remembered for being able to play Chopin's Revolutionary Study at speed with the left hand in octaves rather than single notes. The most effective work here is his Morceau de concert in C minor (1845), which has moments that might come from a dark, early romantic opera. His Salut à Vienne (1846) is rather aimless fluff. Döhler's concerto is both pretty and pretty formulaic, but still has enough technical challenges to cause Howard Shelley to slow down to get through the trickier bits. url.ie/4qdb

Michael Dervan

Michael Dervan

Michael Dervan is a music critic and Irish Times contributor