If you have already collected the first two volumes in this series then you know what to expect: polished performances of charming music, played with commitment and flair by Howard Shelley, and solidly accompanied by the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra (better behaved here than on some recent ABC Classics releases). The Fourth Concerto has an irresistible rondo finale based on the tune The British Grenadiers, while the Fifth (as the booklet notes suggest) features perhaps the most beautiful slow movement in all of these Moscheles concertos. They are attractive, deftly crafted pieces, and it sounds like Shelley is thoroughly enjoying himself exploring their many felicities.
Recollection of Ireland’s potpourri of popular melodies (The Groves of Blarney, Gary Owen, The Last Rose of Summer) will be familiar to many listeners. Moscheles certainly knew how to present them effectively, and the work’s brief fifteen minutes fly past effortlessly. What a great “pops” piece this would make! Sonically the two concertos, recorded back in 2002, sound a touch veiled as compared with the 2004 engineering in Recollections of Ireland. Since the parts for the Eighth Concerto seem to have vanished (If they’re in your attic, please contact Hyperion right away!), this disc brings a delightful sub-series in Hyperion’s 36-title (to date) collection of Romantic Piano Concertos to a jolly and most entertaining conclusion.
