Hans Huber - Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 3 (Dan Franklin Smith)

Information

Composer: Hans Huber

• Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor, Op. 36
• Piano Concerto No. 3 in D major, Op. 113

Dan Franklin Smith, piano

Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra

Michail Jurowski, conductor

Date: 2004

Label: Sterling

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Review

Anyone following Sterling’s excellent series of the complete Huber symphonies will know what to expect here: conservative, tuneful, well crafted music that falls gratefully on the ear and lacks neither feeling nor color. Both concertos date from before 1900, and so belong to the composer’s less adventuresome period–but they’re interesting all the same. Each has four movements, with the scherzo in either second (Concerto No. 1) or third (Concerto No. 3) position, lasting in total about half an hour. The Third Concerto’s first movement continues the line of formal experimentation that we noticed in some of the symphonies: it’s a passacaglia on the bass of the principal theme of the finale. Not that you’d notice of course, but Huber does at least have the courtesy to tell us.

Dan Franklin Smith displays an admirable level of proficiency and sympathy with both works and certainly never sounds as though he’s making time or is bored with the assignment. Michail Jurowski and the Stuttgart Philharmonic are old friends in the unusual repertoire department, and they almost always can be relied upon to deliver sympathetic and good quality results. Top it all off with very warm, well balanced sonics and the result is further testimony in favor of a composer whose neglect is surely undeserved. Collectors of Huber’s music so far will need no further urging from me, but if you’ve been following such worthy projects as Hyperion’s Romantic Piano Concerto series, then you’ll definitely want to hear this as well.

— David Hurwitz

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Hans Huber (28 June 1852 – 25 December 1921) was a Swiss composer. Born in Eppenberg-Wöschnau, Canton of Solothurn, he studied at the Leipzig Conservatory under Carl Reinecke and later taught in Alsace before moving to Basel in 1877. Though initially denied a position at the Basel Conservatory, he eventually joined in 1889 and became its Director by 1896. Huber composed eight symphonies, concertos for violin, cello, and piano, nine violin sonatas, and five cello sonatas. He also wrote five operas, and a collection of 24 Preludes and Fugues for piano four-hands, covering all major and minor keys.

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Dan Franklin Smith is a New York City-based pianist. A graduate of the University of Michigan, he made his European recital debut in 1997 and soon after appeared on Swedish TV and recorded with orchestras in Gävle and Stuttgart. As Music Director and soloist with Elysium: Between Two Continents, he’s acclaimed for expressive, emotionally charged performances. He has played in major U.S. and European venues, including St. Martin-in-the-Fields, the Mozarteum, and the Bruckner Festival. Also active as a chamber musician and accompanist, he has received grants and performs with the American Matthay Association.

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