Rubbra & Bliss: Piano Concertos (Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto 81)

Featuring

Piers Lane
Leon Botstein
The Orchestra Now
Edmund Rubbra
Sir Arnold Bax
Arthur Bliss

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Composition History

Edmund Rubbra's Piano Concerto in G, Op 85, was commissioned by the BBC in 1955 and is dedicated to Ali Akbar Khan, a virtuoso Hindustani sarod player, whose improvisations deeply impressed Rubbra.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Rubbra's Piano Concerto in G, Op 85, is pastoral and reflective, emphasizing a reciprocal relationship between soloist and orchestra, contrasting with Bliss's more extrovert and competitive concerto.

Historical Context

The 1939 New York World's Fair aimed to boost American morale and commerce, with Britain participating to foster Anglo-American cooperation on the brink of World War II.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Bliss dedicated his Piano Concerto in B flat major 'To the People of the United States of America,' aiming for a 'concerto in the grand manner' that he believed would appeal to Americans' romantic nature.

Composer Biography

Edmund Rubbra's love of nature is evident in his Piano Concerto in G, Op 85, with its first movement titled 'Corymbus,' a botanical term for a flower cluster, and references to a poem by Francis Thompson.

Composition History

Arthur Bliss's Piano Concerto in B flat major was commissioned by the British Council for the 1939 New York World's Fair, alongside works by Ralph Vaughan Williams and Arnold Bax.

Compositional Technique

The virtuosity of Bliss's Piano Concerto in B flat major was so demanding that even the renowned British pianist Solomon paced with dread before its premiere.