Salomon Jadassohn; Felix Draeseke - Piano Concertos (Markus Becker)

Information

Composer: Salomon Jadassohn; Felix Draeseke

• Jadassohn - Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor, Op. 89
• Jadassohn - Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 90
• Draeseke - Piano Concerto in E flat major, Op. 36

Markus Becker, piano

Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin

Michael Sanderling, conductor

Date: 2009

Label: Hyperion

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Review

Salomon Jadassohn (1831- 1902) was the high priest of German musical conservatism, a hugely influential musical thinker and pedagogue – but could he write a decent melody? No, he could not. The busy piano-writing in these two world premiere recordings is brilliant and passionate, the scoring is textbook 1887 and the musical structure inventive: the C minor Concerto (15'34" in a single movement) opens with an Introduction quasi recitativo and ends with a sonata-form Ballade; the F minor work, too, defies expectations. But having listened to both works three times I cannot remember a thing about either of them.

The Concerto by Jadassohn’s fellow German Felix Draeseke (1835-1913) is a different matter despite being more traditional in structure and even if, as Kenneth Hamilton observes in his droll and perceptive booklet, “melodic inspiration is ultimately not the equal of its slick craftsmanship”. The rumbustious 6/8 last movement, nevertheless, with its echoes of the finale of Henselt’s Concerto, has the “memorable melody factor”, one that would not be out of place in a Savoy opera.

Hyperion’s A-team for concertos (Andrew Keener and Simon Eadon) is on top form, while the Berlin orchestra and Michael Sanderling provide crisp support for the sparkling and industrious Markus Becker who leaves the impression not only of having an affection for the three works but also that he has been playing them all his life. In the Draeseke, he adopts marginally brisker tempi than the admirable Claudius Tanski (MDG, 3/00), and benefits from a brilliantly voiced Steinway as opposed to Tansky’s somewhat plummy 1925 Blüthner.

— Jeremy Nicholas

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Salomon Jadassohn (13 August 1831 – 1 February 1902) was a German pianist, composer and influential teacher. Born in Breslau, Prussia (now Wrocław, Poland), he studied at the Leipzig Conservatory and privately with Franz Liszt. He later taught piano and composition at the same conservatory, mentoring notable students such as Ferruccio Busoni, Frederick Delius, Sergei Bortkiewicz, Emil Reznicek and Felix Weingartner. Though his music fell into obscurity after his death, the 21st century has seen renewed interest, with modern performances and recordings contributing to a reevaluation of his work.

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Felix Draeseke (7 October 1835 – 26 February 1913) was a German composer. Born in Coburg, he studied at the Leipzig Conservatory before moving to Weimar to join the New German School led by Franz Liszt. He later taught in Switzerland and then at conservatories in Dresden, Germany. Draeseke composed extensively across genres, including symphonies, operas, concertos and chamber music. His works were well-regarded during his lifetime and shortly afterward, but they faded into obscurity after World War II. However, a resurgence of interest emerged in the late 20th century, aided by new recordings of his compositions.

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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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