Edward Gardner - Tippett:Piano Concerto / Symphony No.2 - Import CD

Credits:

Edward Gardner

Description:

Michael Tippett (1905-98):. Includes Piano Concerto 1. allegro non troppo 2. molto lento e tranquillo 3. vivace Symphony No. 2 Allegro vigoroso Adagio molto e tranquillo Presto Veloce 4. allegro moderato Performers Edward Gardner, conductor Stephen Osborne (Piano) Peter Schoeman(Concertmaster/Piano Concerto) Alice Ivey-Pemberton(Concertmaster/Symphony No.2) Recordings: January 25, 2023 (Piano Concerto), April 10, 2024 (Symphony No. 2), both live at the Royal Festival Hall Gardner, who will serve as principal conductor of the LPO from 2021, makes his third appearance on the LPO label. The first, "Tippett: The Midsummer Marriage" (LPO-0124), won Gramophone's Best Opera of 2023. This will be the third volume, following Berlioz's Eternal Punishment of Faust (LPO-0128). The combination of the Piano Concerto and Symphony No. 2 by Michael Tippett, one of the most important British composers of the 20th century, is still rarely performed or recorded. The piano concerto features the Scottish-born Osborne as soloist. Osborne is well known especially for his modern and contemporary works, so this is a must-see. Tippett wrote the piano concerto between 1953 and 1955. He heard Gieseking rehearsing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4, which inspired him to write this work, and the structure of the work, especially the second movement, shows some awareness of Beethoven. At the time, there was a common perception that "contemporary music" should reflect the anxieties of the times, but Tippett wanted to express the essential beauty, the mystery of life, and the joy of living, and this work is characterized by an overwhelming scale that seems to transport us to some other world. The celesta also plays an active role in this piece, and its tone evokes incantations, witchcraft, and the supernatural.Osborn, who has been described as a champion of Tippett's work, handles the technically difficult work with consummate skill and intricate interplay with the orchestra, bringing a thorn-sharp accent to the massive waves of orchestral polyphony. The Symphony No. 2 is a work that was conceived while listening to Vivaldi, and is pervaded throughout by a high sense of tension, with Miles Davis-like string harmonies and Ifukubu-style ostinatos. The tricky rhythms are particularly impressive in the scherzo movement, but the LPO, led by Gardner, has perfected the work. (King International)