Originally issued in 1991 on the Danacord label, BIS reissues Geoffrey Douglas Madge’s Medtner Concerto cycle as a two-for-the-price-of-one CD set. Essentially, the Medtner Concerto situation on disc hasn’t changed since these performances first appeared. Madge’s overall excellence in the Second and Third Concertos just falls short of Hyperion’s edition, where Nicolai Demidenko’s fiery abandon, incisive dexterity, and multi-colored touch enliven the piano writing to unprecedented expressive heights. Nor does Ilya Stupel’s Artur Rubinstein Philharmonic measure up to the BBC Scottish Orchestra’s leonine proficiency, especially in the outer movements. On the other hand, I’ve always preferred Madge’s big-boned approach to the First Concerto (along with the soaring warmth of the orchestra’s mellifluous brass) to Dimitri Alexeev’s more introspective though richly nuanced reading (also on Hyperion). I also like Madge’s energetic fluency in the three sonatas, especially his deft handling of the popular G minor sonata’s swirling middle-register runs. The engineering remains a trifle opaque and resonant, but still attractive and quite listenable.
