Information
Composer: Cipriani Potter
- Piano Concerto No. 2 in D minor
- Piano Concerto No. 4 in E major
- Variazioni di bravura on a theme by Rossini
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Howard Shelley, piano & conductor
Date: 2016
Label: Hyperion
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This is only the second CD ever devoted to Cipriani Potter, though he was a significant and distinguished figure during his lifetime (1792-1871), respected by Beethoven and praised by Wagner, no less. He was also, if the works here are anything to go by, a top-flight virtuoso.
These two (of his three extant and unpublished) piano concertos have been gathering dust in the archives of the Philharmonic Society in the British Library for over 180 years (they were composed respectively in 1832 and 1835). Do they merit the substantial time, cost and labour it has taken to let them see the light of day? At first, I was uncertain. But not now. On a first hearing, the thematic material seemed undistinguished, the internal structure of each movement unclear, and the piano-writing sounded like Mendelssohn on steroids. What impressed most immediately – and more than any other element – was Howard Shelley’s playing. Not for the first time, I was lost in admiration by his dazzling dispatch of the fantastically demanding writing in the outer movements of both concertos, the aural equivalent of someone mistakenly igniting a box of fireworks. Add to that his simultaneous and complete control of his fine Tasmanian players. I cannot think of another musician who is Shelley’s equal in this dual role.
With each subsequent hearing (I have listened to the disc five times now) my enjoyment has increased exponentially. There are some lovely lyrical ideas (the second subject of No 2’s first movement, for instance) and a string of others that are engagingly capricious. I am already rather fond of them. They certainly make fascinating and worthwhile additions to the Hyperion series.
As for the Rossini Variations (six of them, brief, hyperactive, composed in 1829 and based, so Jeremy Dibble tells us in his customarily exemplary booklet, on a theme from Mathilde di Shabran), they provide an entertaining 15 minutes of scintillating period fluff. The recording (engineer Veronika Vincze and producer Ben Connellan) is out of the top drawer. I’d like to hear a lot more of Cipriani Potter.
-- Jeremy Nicholas, Gramophone
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Cipriani Potter (3 October 1792 – 26 September 1871) was an English composer, pianist, conductor and teacher. He was born in London and made his debut as a pianist in 1816. In 1817, Potter travelled to Vienna, where he met Beethoven, before moving on to other cities in Austria, Germany and Italy. Returning to England in 1819, he became a central figure in London concert life as both a pianist and conductor. In 1822 Potter began teaching at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and later became its principal from 1832 to 1859. His compositions include 9 survived symphonies, as well as concertante, chamber, solo piano and vocal music.
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Howard Shelley (born 9 March 1950) is a British pianist and conductor. He was educated at Highgate School and the Royal College of Music. As pianist he has performed, broadcast and recorded around the world with leading orchestras and conductors. He made many recordings for Chandos, Hyperion and EMI, including Rachmaninov's complete piano music and concertos. As a conductor, he has held positions of Associate and Principal Guest Conductor with the London Mozart Players in a close relationship of over twenty years. He has appeared regularly on television and on the soundtrack of several films.
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