classical music: Howard Shelley

classical music: Howard Shelley

classical music:

Howard Shelley

Ferdinand Hiller, Howard Shelley, ...

Hyperion UK, 2008

Arguably the best volume of a single composer in the series
I have never held a very high regard or was very fond of the piano concertos by the three great Romantics - namely Schumann, Liszt and Chopin. While their genius and originality shone indelibly through their solo masterworks, somehow their works for their chosen ...

Herz: Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 7 & 8

Henri Herz, Howard Shelley, ...

Hyperion UK, 2004

More Neglected Concerti
Henri Herz was evidently a very popular composer in the middle of the 19th century. Even Schumann complained about how much money Herz made from the music he wrote, while more 'worthy' composers had to suffer low prices paid for their music. To be sure, the piano ...

Clementi: The Complete Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1

Muzio Clementi, Howard Shelley

Hyperion UK, 2008

Mozart was jealous!
Why should we bother with Clementi when Mozart called him "a charlatan," "a mere mechanicus?"--Mozart's professional jealousy! Listen with an open mind, and Shelley's Clementi makes this obvious. Leopold Mozart assigned Clementi's works to his students! To W.A., ...

Mozart and Krommer: Oboe Concertos

Franz Krommer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, ...

Hyperion UK, 2001

Oboe Queen, Concerto King
Sarah Francis is becoming one of the greatest Oboeists of our time. Her athletic and seemless technique is coupled with a great tone or tones I should say...She can play sweetly or with gentle pathos. This makes her a perfect match with Mozart who also could bring ...

Rachmaninoff: Complete Songs

Sergei Leiferkus, Sergey Rachmaninov, ...

Brilliant Classics, 2008

The best recording of the Rachmaninov songs at an unbeatably low price
If one loves Rachmaninov and doesn't know his songs, one is missing a LOT! They are every bit as important, richly detailed and appealing as anything in his oeuvre. As is the case with all composers of "art song," only a handful of Rachmaninov's 85 songs are performed ...

Vaughan Williams: Complete Concertos

Ralph Vaughan Williams, Bryden Thomson, ...

Chandos, 1994

Incomparable English Music.
Hard to believe I am the first review since this CD was a 1994 release. The versions of ALL these pieces are as good or better than any that have preceded or come after. Most Vaughan Williams afficianados will already have most or all of them. But this CD is A MUST ...

Hummel: Piano Concerto, Op. 113 / Concertino, Op. 73 / Gesellschafts-Rondo, Op. 117 - Howard Shelley / London ...

Johann Nepomuk Hummel, London Mozart Players, ...

Chandos, 1997

Hummel's Last and Most Ambitious Piano Concerto
I'm surprised while Hummel's two most famous piano concerti (the A minor and B minor, which Liszt played to astounded audiences at the age of 11) garnered such enthusiastic reponse from listeners enamoured with this great predecessor and in many ways, a direct ...

The Romantic Piano Concerto Vol. 40 - Herz: Piano Concertos Nos. 3-5

Henri Herz, Howard Shelley, ...

Hyperion UK, 2006

Sparkling Performances
Henri Herz, along with Kalkbrenner and Mosceles, was a spectacular virtuoso and composer who dazzled audiences during the early and mid-19th century. Often lampooned by Schumann and Mendelssohn was dubious but Herz gave his audiences what they wanted and was the ...

Clementi: The Complete Piano Sonatas, Vol. 2

Muzio Clementi, Howard Shelley

Hyperion UK, 2008

Shelley's Clementi series continues--the bar remains high!
The second installment of Howard Shelley's Clementi sonata series is finally here, and well worth the wait. Replying to a comment on my review of Vol.I, I remarked that I expected Op.12 would be the highlight of this volume. This proves to be only partially ...

Dohnányi: Viel of Pierrette/Suite/Variations on a Nursery Theme

Ernst von Dohnanyi, Matthias Bamert, ...

Chandos, 1999

Fabulous post-romantic -- with spice!
The Variations on a Nursery Theme are well known, the Suite in F# minor and Veil of Pierrette much less so. Hopefully this recording will set things to right and we shall here these pieces performed in concert more often. If you have a taste for post-romantic music, ...

Rachmaninov: Suite No. 1; Suite No. 2; Symphonic Dances
Sergey Rachmaninov, Hilary MacNamara, ...

Hyperion UK, 1993

Sterndale Bennett: Piano Concerto No. 4; Caprice in E major; Bache: Piano Concerto

F. Edward Bache, William Sterndale Bennett, ...

Hyperion UK, 2007

Delightful
As this wonderful CD demonstrates, there was much going on in the middle of the 19th Century that is not reflected in today's standard repertoire. The two works by William Sterndale Bennett are tuneful, beautifully constructed, and full of bravura passages for the ...

Hummel: Mandolin Concerto, Trumpet Concerto, Ballet Music

Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Howard Shelley, ...

Chandos, 2001

Bortolazzi would be proud.
The orchestral works are beautifully performed and recorded, but, as I regard much of Hummel's purely orchestral output, not particularly memorable. I do like the nod to popular music in the Freudenfest Overture. Where this recording truly shines is in the ...

Cyril Scott: Symphony No. 3 "The Muses"; Piano Concerto No. 2; Neptune

Cyril Scott, Shelley, ...

Chandos, 2004

This brought me out of 'retirement'!
I have not written a review of a CD for a few years now, largely due to work commitments but also due to the fact that I have not felt moved to say anything about any new CDs coming on stream. However, this CD deserves a strong recommendation to anyone who appreciates ...

Kalkbrenner: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 4

Frederic Kalkbrenner, Howard Shelley, ...

Hyperion UK, 2006

Dazzling Concertos
I ordered this CD after reading Bryce Morrison's review in Gramophone. I had not heard any of Kalkbrenner's music until this disc but am pleased that I got to know these concertos. Friedrich Kalkbrenner was a prodigy, performing Haydn concertos at the age of 5-1/2. ...