Harpsichord Concertos: Viktor Kalabis, Hans Kr¿¿sa, Bohuslav Martin¿¿

by Mahan Esfahani, Alexander Liebreich, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra

Overview

Harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani, naturally enough, is generally known for performances of Baroque music, but the three works here have neoclassic lines to a greater or lesser degree and ultimately trace their lineage back to Stravinsky and, in prominent lyrical interludes, especially to Hindemith. So they do not depart fundamentally from what Esfahani has done before. They are delightful pieces, and Esfahani betrays his great enjoyment of them in his performances. The works by Martinu and Hans Krasa are from the 1930s and are high-spirited, with considerable invention and wit in the ways Martinu treats the combination of harpsichord and piano in his Concerto for harpsichord and small orchestra. The Krasa work has just two movements; its Kammermusik title recalls Hindemith, as does the tuneful second movement that evokes a prewar cafe with popular song flavors. The concerto by Viktor Kalabis is a later work with a variegated finale in which the harpsichord explosively sets off in new directions, only to be roped back into the texture. The work was composed for harpsichordist Zuzana Ruzickova, who was Esfahani's teacher. There isn't a dull moment here, and the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra under Alexander Liebreich is probably the ideal group to play this music. Hyperion excels sonically in a Prague Radio studio in an album that is sharp and stylish all the way through, and that made classical best-seller charts in early 2023. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	02/03/2023
Label:	Hyperion
UPC:	0034571283975
Rank:	125642

Tracks

1. Concerto for harpsichord and small orchestra H246~Poco allegro
2. Concerto for harpsichord and small orchestra H246~Adagio
3. Concerto for harpsichord and small orchestra H246~Allegretto
4. Kammermusik for harpsichord and 7 instruments~Bewegt
5. Kammermusik for harpsichord and 7 instruments~Sehr ruhig (gehend)
6. Concerto for harpsichord and string orchestra Op. 42~Allegro leggiero
7. Concerto for harpsichord and string orchestra Op. 42~Andante
8. Concerto for harpsichord and string orchestra Op. 42~Allegro vivo

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Mahan Esfahani   Primary Artist,Harpsichord
Alexander Liebreich   Primary Artist,Conductor
Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra   Primary Artist,Orchestra

Technical Credits

Hans Krasa   Composer
Simon Perry   Executive Producer
Viktor Kalabis   Composer
Marie-Stella Paris   Liner Note Translation
Friedrich Sprondel   Liner Note Translation
Mahan Esfahani   Liner Notes
Rostislav Supa   Engineer
Petr Sefl   Keyboard Technician
Marketa Janackova   Recording Producer
Kaja Smith   Photography
Mikulas Radek Danel   Illustrations
Sammy Hart   Photography
Todd Harris   Booklet Editor
Bohuslav Martinu   Composer