Henrique Oswald; Camille Saint-Saëns - Piano Concertos (Clélia Iruzun)

Information

Composer: Henrique Oswald; Camille Saint-Saëns; Alberto Nepomuceno

• Oswald - Piano Concerto in G minor, Op. 10
• Saint-Saëns - Piano Concerto No. 5 in F major, Op. 103 'Egyptian'
• Nepomuceno - Suite Antiga, Op. 11

Clélia Iruzun, piano

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Jac van Steen, conductor

Date: 2020

Label: SOMM Recordings

https://somm-recordings.com/recording/henrique-oswald-piano-concerto-saint-saens-piano-concerto-no-5-egyptian/

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Review

Of the many short piano works by Henrique Oswald (1852-1931), Il neige is the best-known – and the one that links him neatly to the second composer on this disc. Out of 647 entries, Il neige was awarded first prize in a 1902 competition sponsored by Le Figaro and won on the unanimous vote of a jury headed by Saint-Saëns and Fauré. Oswald, Brazilian-born, European-trained, went on to play two-piano recitals with Saint-Saëns in Paris and later in Rio de Janeiro.

I was less than enthusiastic when I reviewed Oswald’s Piano Concerto back in 2014 (Artur Pizarro with Martyn Brabbins on Hyperion). I still find it too episodic and thematically weak to make a completely favourable impression, but I was at least charmed by the less overtly virtuoso reading by Clélia Iruzun and Jac van Steen. I warmed to the slow movement, with its echoes of Fauré, and thoroughly enjoyed the tarantella finale. The piano tone is fuller, the recorded sound weightier and more rounded than Hyperion’s. In short, though Oswald’s is neither a great nor important contribution to the genre, it is at least well constructed, expertly orchestrated and passes a pleasant half hour.

The Egyptian Concerto of Saint-Saëns comes off very well even with a few minor moments of ensemble imprecision. The second movement, with its multicultural medley of Javanese gamelan effects and a Nubian love song, is beautifully rendered. The Molto allegro finale may not have the fire-breathing intent of Darré (EMI, 7/97 – nla), Hough, Chamayou or (most recently) the wonderful account by Alexandre Kantorow but, by judicious pacing, Iruzun and van Steen build to an impressively executed peroration.

With commendable initiative, Iruzun adds as a makeweight the Suite antiga (‘Suite in the Old Style’) by another Brazilian, Alberto Nepomuceno (1864-1920). He also studied in Europe before returning home to become a major figure in Brazil’s musical life, succeeding Oswald as director of the Instituto Nacional de Música in Rio de Janeiro in 1906. The Suite, as the booklet points out, is ‘closely modelled on Grieg’s Suite from Holberg’s Time’, which tells you all you need to know about its four delightful short movements.

As on their earlier album of Mignone and Albéniz concertos (2/18), the artists have been well served by recording engineer Ben Connellan. Altogether, another rewarding disc from this team and this label.

-- Jeremy Nicholas, Gramophone

More reviews:
https://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2020/Sep/Oswald-PC-SOMMCD276.htm

https://theartsdesk.com/classical-music/classical-cds-weekly-henrique-oswald-saint-sa%C3%ABns-tilson-thomas-smaro-gregoriadou

https://www.amazon.com/Piano-Concerto-Clelia-Iruzun/dp/B08BW9KJPP

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Henrique Oswald (April 14, 1852 – June 9, 1931) was a Brazilian composer and pianist. He was born in Rio de Janeiro and went to study in Europe at age 16. Oswald's best-known compositions today are numerous small pieces for piano (usually arranged by him into small collections). However, he was also a prolific composer of chamber, orchestral and vocal music. By the time of his death, his major works remained unpublished, a fact which led to the neglect of his for half a century. Oswald directed the Instituto Nacional de Música in Rio de Janeiro from 1930 to 1906. He also served as Brazilian consul in both The Hague and Genoa.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henrique_Oswald

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Camille Saint-Saëns (9 October 1835 – 16 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic era. A musical prodigy, he studied at the Paris Conservatoire and followed a conventional career as a church organist, then freelance pianist and composer. Saint-Saëns held only one teaching post at the École de Musique Classique et Religieuse in Paris; his students included Gabriel Fauré. His best-known works include concertante works for violin, cello and piano, the Danse macabre, the opera Samson and Delilah, the third ("Organ") symphony and The Carnival of the Animals.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camille_Saint-Saëns

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Clelia Iruzun is a Brazilian pianist based in London. She was born in Rio de Janeiro and graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in 1988. Iruzun made her Wigmore Hall début in the same year and since then has performed all over Europe, the US, China and Brazil. She has appeared several times on radio and television, performing over 25 piano concertos, including some by Spanish and Latin American composers together with chamber music pieces. Iruzun has also premiered English music by Arnold Bax and York Bowen in Brazil. She has recorded several CDs and and has recently completed a master's degree.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clelia_Iruzun

https://cleliairuzun.com/wp/

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