Information
Composer: Charles-Marie Widor
- Piano Concerto No. 1 in F minor, Op. 39
- Fantaisie in A flat major, Op. 62
- Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 77
Markus Becker, piano
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Thierry Fischer, conductor
Date: 2011
Label: Hyperion
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A mere five minutes or so of Widor’s prolific output has come to define and pigeonhole him. So popular has the famous Toccata finale of his Fifth Organ Symphony become that most people are unaware that he wrote anything other than organ music, though in fact the majority of his 87 opus numbers does not feature the organ at all.
Eager to prove the point and arriving like a couple of No 6 buses come two releases of exactly the same programme in exactly the same order: Hyperion can claim ‘first recording’ status by dint of setting down their versions eleven months earlier (2010) than Dutton (May 2011). Both merit our attention because of the (perhaps surprising) quality of the music and, given the artists involved, the (not at all surprising) excellence of the performances and recordings on the two labels.
All three works are far more than vapid virtuoso showpieces, though all contain their share of thundering octaves and brilliant virtuoso display. The First Concerto, completed in 1876, the most conventional of the three, has many arresting, individual touches and themes. Like the Second (1905), it is resourcefully orchestrated with a host of original ideas, such as the accompanied violin solo just before the finale. The jewel here is the Fantaisie (1889), lasting over 22 minutes, with many unusual episodes, glimpses of Saint‑Saëns, Franck, Brahms and Liszt, but still uniquely Widor.
As far as the soloists, orchestras and conductors are concerned, I am going to sit on the fence – not the most helpful advice for you the prospective customer – but the fact is that, once the pros and cons have been weighed, there is little to choose between them. Overall tempi are remarkably similar on both discs (the timing of one Fantaisie is within seconds of the other); Becker and Fischer take a slightly brisker view of the concertos’ outer movements in which, however, Roscoe and Yates are marginally more flamboyant. Roscoe has more fun with the music-hall character of the First Concerto’s last movement and is the more imaginative of the two in passages such as that in the Second Concerto’s second movement marked agitato (piano solo, librement), leading to another marked très égal, sonorité d’Harmonica (3'07"); and compare the way the brass round off this movement in Dutton’s warmer acoustic with Fischer’s more restrained attack. Hyperion, on the other hand, opts for a more transparent sound picture and slightly clearer woodwind and brass detail, matched by Becker’s lighter, sparkling touch; they have the better booklet (Nigel Simeone) – and, of course, if you are collecting their Romantic Piano Concerto series it will be de facto the first choice.
-- Jeremy Nicholas, Gramophone
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Charles-Marie Widor (21 February 1844 – 12 March 1937) was a French organist, composer and teacher of the late Romantic era. Widor was a prolific composer, writing music for organ, piano, voice and ensembles. Apart from his ten organ symphonies, he also wrote three symphonies for orchestra and organ, several songs for piano and voice, four operas and a ballet. As of 2022, he is the longest-serving organist of Saint-Sulpice in Paris, a role he held for 63 years. He also was organ professor at the Paris Conservatory from 1890 to 1896, and then he became professor of composition at the same institution.
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Markus Becker (born 13 May 1963 in Osnabrück) is a German pianist and academic teacher. He studied at the Musikhochschule Hannover with Karl-Heinz Kämmerling, and was appointed professor of piano and chamber music there in 1993. From the 1990s, Becker became known by performances, recordings and teaching master classes, in Salzburg, Weiden and Leipzig, among others. He recorded the complete piano works by Max Reger, which earned him multiple awards. Becker played chamber music with such partners as Albrecht Mayer, Sharon Kam, Alban Gerhardt and Igor Levit. He also performs as a jazz pianist.
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