Had Rachmaninov not come along and written his Second and Third Concertos, there’s a good chance that the Scharwenka First and Rubinstein Fourth would have remained in the Romantic concerto showpiece canon. Both have great tunes, varied orchestration, plus, of course, plenty of opportunities for dazzling keyboard display. For speed, accuracy, and sheer poise, Marc-André Hamelin’s staggering piano mastery transcends all studio-recorded competition in these works. Granted, Hamelin won’t shock you out of your seat in the Rubinstein with explosive accents and fanciful filigree à la Josef Hofmann’s live 1937 version, nor titillate you with Shura Cherkassky’s liquid inner voices. But if there were ever a pianist who could storm Rubinstein’s difficult cadenzas or toss off Scharwenka’s demanding figurations with that rare combination of power and equanimity, it’s Hamelin. Although these are concertos that you listen to for the piano playing rather than the conducting, Michael Stern must receive credit for providing a bracing, sonorous, and rhythmically alive orchestral framework that supports and prods his soloist at every juncture. This splendidly engineered disc is a crown jewel both in Hyperion’s Romantic Piano Concerto series and in Hamelin’s standard-setting discography. Bravo! [12/8/2005]
