Reger Piano Concerto, R.Strauss Burleske : Hamelin(P)Volkov / Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin

The Romantic Piano Concerto, Vol. 53 - Reger & Strauss

Max Reger (1873-1916)
Piano Concerto in F minor, Op 114

Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
Burleske in D minor

Marc-Andre Hamelin, piano
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin / Ilan Volkov, conductor

Recording details: March 2010, Haus des Rundfunks, Berlin, Germany
Produced by Andrew Keener
Engineered by Simon Eadon

The Reger concerto has a formidable reputation?dense, harmonically complex and with far too many notes for the average pianist. Who better then to decipher it than Marc-Andre Hamelin? In his hands this rarely recorded behemoth reveals both passion and a lyricism so often lost in lesser performances. He is wonderfully partnered by Ilan Volkov and the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester who share the pianist’s desire to elucidate an often misunderstood work.

While the Reger concerto comes from the end of his career, the Strauss Burleske is a product of that composer’s prodigious youth. This ebullient work has long been a Hamelin ‘party-piece’, and he plays it with an unmatched brilliance which surely captures the essence of this humorous music and will have the listener on the edge of his seat. ( Hyperion )