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British Piano Concertos Vol. 3: Addison, Cannon & Chagrin
£14.99
In stock
Catalogue Number
SRCD444
Philip Cannon’s Concertino for piano and strings (1951) dates from his formative years. It was written for the Petersfield Festival, where it was premiered on 27 January 1951 by soloist Joseph Cooper, with the Petersfield Orchestra conducted by Kathleen Merritt. This lively, neo-classical piece has achieved over a thousand performances internationally.
Though John Addison’s Concertino for piano and orchestra is, for the most part, couched in a light-hearted language, it is the product of a serious, and unfailingly inventive, approach to keyboard and orchestral writing. Speaking of the work to Lesie Ayre of the London Evening News, the composer remarked that, ‘it is a real concerto in the full sense of the word… I would not be ashamed to show the work to any first-class pianist’.
Francis Chagrin maintained an intensely practical and unpretentious attitude towards his own craft, observing that, ‘My music is not for first performances – it is just to be played’. His Piano Concerto was first performed by soloist Franz Osborn, with the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the composer, at an SPNM Experimental Rehearsal held at the Royal College of Music on 4 February 1944.
Conversation Piece by John Addison was written in 1958 to a commission from the BBC Concert Orchestra for that year’s British Light Music Festival. John Addison felt that, by the late-1950s, too great a divide had opened up between serious and light music: ‘Concertgoers think contemporary music is so alarmingly serious that when confronted with a mildly witty turn of phrase, they assume something has gone wrong. I remember the astonished sigh of relief when, in the course of introducing one of my chamber works, I told the audience I would not mind if they smiled’. In Conversation Piece, Addison exploits to the full his talent to amuse and divert.
Manufacturer: Wyastone Estate Limited, Wyastone Leys, Monmouth, NP25 3SR
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Reviews:
“British pianist Simon Callaghan is known for his achievement as a soloist, chamber musician and recording artist. He has performed a varied repertoire at top venues globally. He actively promotes classical music through his performances and recordings. He plays all four works with enthusiasm, fluid technical expertise and obvious enjoyment. He has admirable support from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales under William Boughton… Simon Callaghan has clearly found a well-deserved niche for himself in the exploration of rarities of British piano music. This disc is an important addition for all enthusiasts of this genre.” John France, musicweb-international.com [read complete review]
“Here we have another volume of Simon Callaghan’s valuable and commendable survey of neglected British piano concertos with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and various conductors. This volume covers three composers who, at least whilst they were composing these pieces, eschewed the prevailing fashion of the period for atonal music – but didn’t necessarily pay the price for doing so… all these works are well worth an outing; they are splendid performances.” Bob Stevenson, musicweb-international.com [read complete review]
“It’s strange but true how very few 20th-century piano concertos by British composers have entered the regular repertoire… Generally, ‘they inhabit the lighter side of music life’ – certainly true of this third volume – and none outstays its welcome. As I indicated when welcoming Vol.2, the genre has found a worthy champion in Simon Callaghan, who now wears the mantle previously worn by the likes of Malcolm Binns, Eric Parkin, John Ogdon, Peter Donohoe and others who have ensured that the piano-and-orchestra works of Alwyn, Rawsthorne and Rubbra have never completely vanished… Vol.4 beckons” Jeremy Nicholas, Gramophone
" These masterpieces prove that genius can be just as convincing when it’s compact. Lyrita’s sound has a natural presence. Paul Conway’s fine notes are the cherry on the sundae." American Record Guide
"The Lyrita label, so valuable for the knowledge of British music because of its eclectic catalogue but also its abundant and erudite notices, offers a series of albums devoted to piano concertos, little known and mostly in record premiere, by composers from the United Kingdom. Started in 2022, this series is marked by three constants. The first two are at the level of the performers: the English pianist Simon Callaghan (°1983) and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, with different conductors at its head. The other constant is the presence, in each of the three albums released, of the composer John Addison. The first volume (our article of July 15, 2022) lined up six composers, Martyn Brabbins conducted; the second honoured three, Stephen Bell and George Vass were at the baton. The new one distinguishes three more. That's a lot of new music to discover, and some of the most entertaining.
These first records are certainly not revolutionary pages. They are primarily aimed at lovers of rarities or fans of English music. But listening to them provides real moments of musical pleasure. Pianist Simon Callaghan, whose discography is rich in unpublished works, takes great care to vary the colours and dynamism of these unreleased concertos. His virtuosity, his expressiveness and his sense of nuance work wonders. The BBC National Orchestra of Wales, this time entrusted to William Boughton (°1948), offered him a quality partnership." Jean Lacroix, Crescendo
"As with the previous Lyrita disc I reviewed of British piano concertos (Jan/Feb 2024) these works combine wit and taste with serious passages, all blended by consummate craft, with exceptional performances all around. Callaghan’s pianism has exactly the weight and expert phrasing to bring out their many virtues. I think a lot of their charm is in their brevity... These masterpieces prove that genius can be just as convincing when it’s compact. Lyrita’s sound has a natural presence. Paul Conway’s fine notes are the cherry on the sundae." O’CONNOR, American Record Guide
"Next in the CD pile (again from Lyrita), British Piano Concertos – all first recordings – and featuring that star of the English Music Festival and recital stage, pianist Simon Callaghan. Accompanied by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales conducted by William Boughton, the works of Philip Cannon, John Addison and Francis Chagrin are presented – engaging, smaller-scale concertino-type pieces in the cases of Cannon and Addison – but an altogether more heavyweight affair from Chagrin. Budapest-born Chagrin studied and worked in France, but later settled in England, where, during the war, he worked as a musical adviser for the BBC’s French service. His 1943 Piano Concerto has some memorable, rhythmic touches, and a sweep to it that might put you in mind of the John Ireland concerto. Post-war, Chagrin contributed much music for film and television – including some music for a William Hartnell Dr. Who story, so a versatile musical character, with a gift for mood, scene-setting and lively orchestration." Stuart Milson, Fanfare
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Concertino for piano and strings: II. Andante tranquillo
Concertino for piano and orchestra: I. Allegro moderato
Concerto for pianoforte and orchestra: I. Risoluto
Conversation Piece: II. Andante commodo
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0.135 kg