COMPOSERS: Salieri
LABELS: ASV
WORKS: Piano Concerto in C; Piano Concerto in B flat
PERFORMER: Pietro Spada (piano, conductor), David Nolan (violin); Philharmonia Orchestra
CATALOGUE NO: CD DCA 955 DDD
Composed in 1773, Salieri’s only two piano concertos belong to the same period as Mozart’s early examples in the genre. Curiously, Salieri’s meagre output foreshadows the maturity of his younger colleague’s later masterpieces, but in a different style. Salieri’s concertos are noble and powerful, an impression reinforced by Spada’s muscular playing. You only have to hear Claudio Scimone’s recording with a fortepiano (Erato) to get quite the opposite effect. Christopher Lambton
Salieri: Piano Concerto in C; Piano Concerto in B flat
Composed in 1773, Salieri’s only two piano concertos belong to the same period as Mozart’s early examples in the genre. Curiously, Salieri’s meagre output foreshadows the maturity of his younger colleague’s later masterpieces, but in a different style. Salieri’s concertos are noble and powerful, an impression reinforced by Spada’s muscular playing. You only have to hear Claudio Scimone’s recording with a fortepiano (Erato) to get quite the opposite effect. Christopher Lambton
Published: January 20, 2012 at 3:09 pm