Hamelin plays Medtner - Piano Concerto No. 2 (1st mvt, Part 1) Audio + Sheet music

[pldecal1]

I disagree with the poster, this is not on par with any of Rachmaninoff's concertos. Medtner has been classified as a minor composer by most, and not without good reason; the music sounds like Rachmaninoff, but with something missing. This is how everybody feels about Medtner except the most biased individuals.

[madlovba3]

@pldecal1 No, this is how the most terribly shortsighted and under-cultivated dilettantes feel about about him. Honestly, when Medtner is described as a second-rate Rachmaninoff, I want to scream... Listen to his Night Wind Sonata, Sonata Ballade, Sonata Reminicenza, Danza Silvestra, Fairy Tales, Violin Sonatas, and so on! I cannot understand how you didn't enjoy this Concerto, but perhaps those works will appeal to you.

[eristaviserbia]

@madlovba3 I think it is enough that Rachmaninoff himself considered Medtner a great composer. As to the above comment, Grove's Musical Dictionary (196~ edition) stated that Rachmaninoff's music is too overblown and wordy, and that it would never achieve any success. How wrong they were!

[eristaviserbia]

@eristaviserbia One small correction: His reputation as a composer generated a variety of opinions, before his music gained steady recognition across the world. The 1954 edition of the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians notoriously dismissed Rachmaninoff's music as "monotonous in texture ... consist[ing] mainly of artificial and gushing tunes" and predicted that his popular success was "not likely to last" From the Wikipedia article on Rachmaninoff.

[madlovba3]

@eristaviserbia Luckily, future tends to be more sagacious than the critics. Beethoven was very unpopular in his time, Liszt's pieces were rarely performed by anybody, Alkan and Ornstein are still underplayed, etc. Not even Chopin was an exception: a critic once wrote "if Monsieur Chopin believes that pianists will break their fingers to master his Études, he makes a great mistake." Apparently, Monsieur Critic was wrong, and I hope sooner or later Medtner will receive the fame he deserves, too.

[eristaviserbia]

@madlovba3 Yes, the critics tend usually to downplay composers of great quality and vision in favour of those who compose music popular at the time. Although it is curious that sometimes even great composers who were contemporaries had a tendency to underestimate each other, as in the case of Schumann's critique of Alkan's oeuvre.

[jacksongrant15]

I agree that this is a fantastic and immediately gratifying piece, yet still I find myself getting more and more enthusiastic about it. Its great to see that youtube has such a community of Medtner lovers. I am another who considers him my favorite composer.

[MrDemetrio135]

Wonderful!

[jimplank]

Fantastic playing -- head-and-shoulders more exciting than other recordings. Thank you for posting it!

[FlyingBlackAndWhite]

it is a very impressive piece,

i find the texture to be quite thick at times.

the main problem for me was that sometimes I felt it was "too much" for me.

[auerod]

Medtner is one of my favorite composers. I believe at one point I had all of his concerto recordings. I love the concertos but I'm not sure if they are ever going to be popular as they are hard nuts to crack. But I do believe his Op38 Forgotten Melodies will become part of the standard repertoire. Isolating Reminiscenza by itself is a mistake. If u listen to it & then the rest of Op38, the power of it is overwhelming. The quasi coda (#8) kills me every time. The whole op38 is a powerhouse!

[madlovba3]

@auerod I don't think this one would be hardly accessible - I shew it to someone who's not a classical music expert, and its overwhelming effect was immediate. I think that it's underplayed because people usually think that one cannot fall in love with Medtner's music for first hearing, so orchestras are afraid to program it, being totally unaware of how catchy this piece is.

As for op. 38, I love that set very much, but while listening to the 8th one I always feel a kind of seasickness... :))

[auerod]

@madlovba3 I think the concertos are amazing. At one point I was absolutely obsessed with them. As for the Op38 I haven't stopped listening to them since Hamelin's original release in the late 1990's. Many feel that the Sonata Reminiscenza can stand on it's own and I used to think that too. But when I go on a trip I have to listen to the entire op38 set like Pictures at an Exhibition (Richter-Sophia). It's a beautiful story being told and you have to listen to the whole story, right?

[sfsphil]

@madlovba3 I utterly adore Op. 38 and 39. I have listened to them countless times and as with most of the rest of Medtner's works, I am still completely enthralled.

[peterlunow]

great performance ,but my favorite is still Geoffrey Tozer .He recorded all 3 concertos.

[MsVerlinden]

un mot un seul, encore

[sfsphil]

Public reception/perception changes and I believe it's time this is heard again. Medtner was way ahead of his time.

[FlyingBlackAndWhite]

absolutely STUNNING!!

[NOSEhow2LIV]

A slightly shaky start;(this is one of the WORST concertos to co-ordinate),thereafter follows superb music-making from solist&orchestra.I heard this broadcast on FrenchRadio and it's great to hear it again.ThankYou!They keep moving ahead,essential in all Medtner,yet all harmony&texture is given full due.This is(IMO)Medtner's BEST movement of all,(II&III being less successful);the inspiration never stops, the rich thematic material fully worked but without dead points.MAH's energy at its best!

[madlovba3]

@NOSEhow2LIV You're very welcome, I'm glad you enjoyed this recording! Thanks a lot for your comments. This is one of Medtner's very best works indeed, certainly my favourite one for piano and orchestra. That's Hamelin only recording of it, though, as far as I'm aware, but this is an absolutely amazing interpretation, outshining all rivals IMO.

[NOSEhow2LIV]

@madlovba3 Apparently MAH was given the choice to play ANY concerto he wanted at this festival; he chose Medtner2,and admitted after the huge ovation,(well deserved),that he'd probably not be playing it again very much,as concert agents/orchestras,etc, always want standard rep. A very courageous and worthy champion, i wish they'd recorded it officially as it's white-hot! Thanks again for the post.

[madlovba3]

@NOSEhow2LIV Thanks a lot for this story! MAH was kinda right since he played standard concerti rather than obscure ones, although I cannot understand why orchestras don't want to play such a GREAT piece. But Berlin Philharmonic plays quite much not-so-standard stuff nowadays, Hamelin will be playing Szymanowski's Symphonie Concertante with them; I hope Rattle will listen to this recording and make up his mind that MAH should play this masterpiece with them ;) What a collaboration would it be!

[NOSEhow2LIV]

@madlovba3 Yes,a BerlinPhil/Rattle/MAH Medtner is a mouth-watering idea,but it's unlikely to happen.Audiences have always resisted Medtner,pianists get discouraged &orchestras don't even try!By contrast,Szymanowski has 2marvellous violin concertos,choral/vocal/orch works,splendid opera&ballet,so he stays on scene-i'm very happy,but it seems unfair.Szym also had Artur Rubinstein as champion,one of the most omnipresent pianistic stars of the 20thC! The MedtnerMalediction remains a mystery.

[madlovba3]

@NOSEhow2LIV Medtner was highly praised by his contemporaries (eg. Rach, Prokofiev) and his music has been played by several very famous Russian pianists, including Gilels, Horowitz, Richter and Kissin. I see that Medtner doesn't make the best impression for first hearing very often, but IMO this concerto is so catchy that could easily turn anybody to a Medtner fan, more easily than Sonata Reminiscenza, what's utmost greatness comes out after more listenings only. Rattle would love this IMO ;)

[NOSEhow2LIV]

@madlovba3 Hmm...true,but none of those giants ever played the concertos and usually played only few works.Horowitz gave up M after negative audience reaction,Rach concentrote on major classics,Richter was even a bit disparaging,except for songs& Reminiscenza...Moisieiwitch did his best,(very fine),but....

I agree,at least this 1st movement should win lots of new friends,so rich in themes,melody,rythmic drive... and altho i'm less keen on II&III, MAH makes by far the best case ever for them.

[DdavidoffC]

@madlovba3 Medtner's my favorite composer by far, and I still cannot listen to or play through the entire Sonata Reminiscenza without getting bored. I don't know what it is about that piece for me, honestly, because it seems to get tossed around as the quintessential Medtner work.

[trigalg693]

@DdavidoffC You're not alone, Medtner is my favorite composer and I don't like Sonata Reminiscenza either. It does sound "pretty" which makes it easy to digest I suppose.

[ga199337]

who dislike ??????? :( 

[madlovba3]

@ga199337 I've been wracking my brain about this for a week now. Inexplicable. o.O

[sfsphil]

@ga199337 There are always going to contrarians, many times for no explicable reason.