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Further works to enjoy after hearing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4
Hummel preferred not to lurk in Beethoven’s shadow, which perhaps explains why he shied away from symphonies. He did, however, bash out the odd piano concerto including the C major Op. 34a composed in 1809 for the wedding anniversary of Archduke Rudolph of Austria, one of Beethoven’s patrons. The C major combines a gentle lyricism with a trumpet-timpani militaristic nod to Napoleon’s invasion of Vienna the same year. Overall, Hummel maintains a fine Beethovenian balance between piano and orchestra. (Howard Shelley (piano), London Mozart Players Chandos CHAN10255)
Burgmüller was a fine orchestrator, too. Born in 1810, the German composer completed his First Piano Concerto in 1829, performing the solo part at its premiere in 1830. F sharp minor is a niche choice, but this rather austere key helps Burgmüller’s concerto to turn on a sixpence from dramatic introspection to a subdued warmth. (Tobias Koch (piano), Hofkapelle Stuttgart Carus CARUS83297)
Pianists curse Beethoven’s pupil Czerny for his technical exercises before realising that beneath the dry surface dwells an imaginative composer. His Piano Concerto in D minor is Beethovenian in scope and ambition, if not inspiration. But there are charms, including the second movement interplay between piano and horn calls and a helter-skelter final movement whose orchestration comes straight from the Beethoven rule-book. (Rosemary Tuck (piano), Eco/richard Bonynge Naxos 8573688)
When the Irishman John Field wrote his Second Piano Concerto in 1811, he was already an established teacher and virtuoso in Russia. Similar to Czerny, this concerto forms something of a blueprint for Chopin’s: the piano passages feel improvisatory while the orchestra stays out of the way, providing a solid foundation for pianistic sparkle and elegance. (Benjamin Frith (piano), Northern Sinfonia/ David Haslam Naxos 8506033)
Finally, Ferdinand Ries was another of Beethoven’s pupils, so it’s not surprising that his eight piano concertos follow in his teacher’s footsteps. His Second is harmless, albeit slightly trite, fun. But it’s nonetheless worth a listen. (Christopher Hinterhuber (piano), New Zealand Symphony/ Uwe Grodd Naxos 8572742)
Czerny’s orchestration comes straight from the Beethoven rule-book