Ferdinand Herold - Piano Concertos Nos. 2, 3, 4 (Neuburger, Sinfonia Varsovia, H. Niquet)

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Ferdinand Herold - Piano Concertos Nos. 2, 3, 4 (Neuburger, Sinfonia Varsovia, H. Niquet)

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I had never heard of Hérold before I came across this disc, but I'm sure glad I found him. I won't pretend these works are just as worthy as Beethoven or Mozart (I'm definitely not qualified to make such an assessment), but they are extremely enjoyable and deserve to be heard. The style is, as described on the back cover, somewhere between Mozart and the young Chopin (like Hummel maybe?). The works included are Piano Concertos Nos. 2-4; No. 1, according to the notes, is both a bit amateurish and almost impossible to read/reconstruct.

As for the sound quality, I'm no sound engineer or professional musician, so I won't say outright that the first reviewer is definitely wrong about the sound, but I will say that it sounds great to me. The piano is prominent in the mix (I think the orchestra is on the small side) and I hear no "pinging" or clanging.

I'll give a brief overview of the works included.

The disc opens with Concerto No. 3 in A. The first movement begins loudly and brightly with a very Classical theme, which leads into a more refined and subdued second theme. The development section is tumultuous, with the piano rumbling octaves in the bass. The second movement is the real highlight of this particular concerto (to me, at least). It is scored solely for piano and solo violin, and is in the melancholy key of F sharp minor. The first section is mostly led by the violin, which plays a hauntingly beautiful and expressive theme over the piano's arpeggios. The piano then leads a brighter, major-key interlude and then the violin resumes the lead as the minor key returns. The third movement, a rondo, begins with a folksy droning bass à la Haydn. The theme is quite catchy and witty–a satisfying ending to a delightful work.

The middle work is Concerto No. 4 in E Minor, a shorter piece with a two-movement structure. It's particularly in this concerto that I hear the early Chopin mixing with the late Classicists. The opening is dramatic and there's plenty of contrast. The cadenza reminds me of various cadenzas for Mozart's D minor concerto: it has lots of fast runs, chromaticism, some diminished chords, and ends with tense trills. The second movement is a rondo in E major. The theme is of a pleasant and fairly mellow nature, but there is enough contrast and fireworks (and some nice modulations!) interspersed to make it a satisfying finale.

The disc closes with Concerto No. 2 in E-flat. The first movement is decidedly Mozartean to my ears. The first theme is grand (there must be something about E flat that does that) and the second more lyrical (as is typical of sonata form). The piano entrance is extra grand, with crashing chords and cascades of notes, which soon give way to a more lyrical reprisal of themes. I love the occasional break into oompah-like syncopation between bass strings and piano. The central development section begins with a most surprisingly lyrical interlude with embellished singing lines over arpeggiated bass. The movement closes with much fanfare. The second movement is a delightful andante with a charming theme (that suitably walks along!) interrupted by ominous-sounding descending minor seconds (if my ears are right) in the bass. It's very graceful and lovely – until the tempestuous middle section, foreshadowed by those disturbing descending figures. The third movement is a rondo with a very charming theme. This is again not a fiery rondo à la Brahms or even quite so energetic as early Beethoven, but it moves along nicely (the tempo is marked "moderato") and has enough excitement to bring the concerto to a nice close.

Okay, so that wasn't so brief. I just really fell in love with the music and wanted to share my thoughts. I don't have other performances with which to compare these, but I do not feel like I need any; these left me perfectly satisfied and humming for the rest of the day. I only wish Hérold hadn't died prematurely from consumption or become caught up in opera so that we might have more gems like these concerti.

Cory Nowosiadly @ Amazon.com