Search - Emil von Sauer, Franz Xaver Scharwenka, Lawrence Foster :: Scharwenka: Piano Concerto No. 4 in F minor; Sauer: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor

Scharwenka Piano Concerto no. 4 and Sauer no.1

W. Bezuidenhout | Cape Town, South Africa | 09/09/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This recording is worth every penny spent! The Scharwenka no.4 is a red blooded big piano piece, beautifully played by Stephen Hough. The von Sauer concerto has some very beautifull pieces and the two are a winning combination in the Hyperion Romantic Piano series. Go and buy it, you surely will not regret it!"

Hough Scores Big Time

John L. Turner MD | Deptford, New Jersey United States | 05/13/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Stephen Hough, by no means less thann one of the top five (IMO) performing pianists today, delivers a phenomenal contribution to the Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerti Series here. The Scharwanka, alone, would 'sell' this CD. A big but not sprawling Romantic Concerto that should be played more often, it is in the league of the Brahms 2, Tchaikovsky 2, and Dohnányi 1. The Sauer is almost a 'filler', but so ideal, that disc is just perfect! I've heard Hough several times in Concert: Hummell A minor; Rachmaninoff D minor; and this very Scharwenka 4 -- all with the Philadelphia Orchestra. The Orchestra was its sensational self, and I wish we could 'return' to the days when pianists such as Hough could record with the very best: Philadelphia; Boston; Chicago; London SO; and Berlin, on a regular basis. Just listen to the better playing of the Dallas SO in Hough's Rachmaniinoff set, for a 'taste' of what could be even better! So, Five Stars + for this wonderful CD! John Turner"