The Romantic Piano Concerto, Vol. 85: Reinecke in Bloomington, MN

Carl Reinecke
was born in 1824 and lived long enough to make a recording; he was the first composer to record his own music and among the first pianists to record at all. In his own time, he was spoken of in the same breath as
Brahms
, but nowadays, except for a few incidental pieces, he is largely forgotten. Hearing this recording of three of
Reinecke
's four piano concertos in the hands of
Simon Callaghan
and the
Sinfonieorchester St. Gallen
, it is hard to understand the neglect. Was he
? No,
is a lifetime rabbit hole, but neither is he derivative of anyone else. There are surely elements of
in this music and of
Mendelssohn
, but many of
's ideas are his own. The slow movements are lovely; that of the
Piano Concerto No. 4 in B minor, Op. 254
, is like an operatic scene without words.
was a touring pianist, and the outer movements effectively merge virtuosity with complex sonata forms. Sample the first movement of the
Piano Concerto No. 1 in F sharp minor, Op. 72
, where the piano solos have an attractive and dramatic quasi-improvisatory quality, drawing on the harmonic structure but not so much the melodic material of the tutti. This concerto is probably the strongest of the three and could be added profitably to any symphonic concert, but nothing here could be called dull; the performances are clean, and the sound environment of St. Gallen's symphony hall ideal. ~ James Manheim