The music of Hermann Goetz (1840-1876) may strike modern-day listeners as essentially watered-down Schumann or faux Mendelssohn, yet this tragically short-lived composer undoubtedly was gifted. Would his style have blossomed into something more potent and original had he not died just days before his 36th birthday? We can never know.
In any event, the E-flat Concerto in three continuous movements dates from Goetz’s student days, and abounds with confidence, memorable themes, and several scintillating cadenzas. Goetz’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat from six years later represents a solid advance. The alternating brass fanfares and declamatory piano writing at the first movement’s start foreshadow the similar beginning to Rachmaninov’s First Concerto, while the development section’s subtle harmonic shifts and lyrical double-note solo passages wouldn’t be out of place in the B-flat Concerto that Brahms would compose more than a decade later.
While the finale is undoubtedly a virtuoso vehicle, the piano frequently steps back to accompany. The slow movement, though, fully showcases Goetz’s ability to create a genuine chamber music aesthetic within a concerto context–notice, for example, how the solo piano, clarinet, and horn effortlessly interweave. Pianist Davide Cabassi’s thorough command and full-bodied sonority are exactly what these works require, while Kimbo Ishii and the Magdeburg Philharmonic Orchestra provide ample, vibrant support.
The performances hold their own alongside those by pianist Volker Banfield, Werner Andreas Albert, and the Radio-Philharmonie Hannover on CPO. The latter boasts a superior string section, but Naxos has the sonic edge, together with a lightweight yet pleasant filler in the form of Goetz’s Spring Overture. If your primary interest lies with the Second Concerto, the Hyperion recording takes top honors with Hamish Milne’s finely honed and astutely detailed pianism. However, for both Goetz concertos on one disc, you can’t go wrong this appealing package.
