Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 / etc

"The performances are far from unsympathetic, the recordings clear, warm-toned and well-balanced...Best by far is the ardent slow movement of the Second Concerto - less samey, more memorable than anything else here." BBC Music Magazine, January 2012 ****

After the success of Dutton Epoch's recording of Benjamin Godard's piano concertos, Dutton Epoch's International Series now revives the delightful piano concertos of Charles-Marie Widor, stylishly played by Martin Roscoe. Written during the last quarter of the nineteenth century, Widor's piano concertos were performed by several of the finest French pianists of the day, yet for some unaccountable reason have dropped from the repertoire. This is not heavy romantic material but delightfully and colourfully scored music. The First Concerto from 1876 is lyrical, exhibiting an almost Chopinesque pianism. Equally as enchanting is the Fantaisie pour piano et orchestre, which pianist Martin Roscoe treats with his customary singing touch. But this is a varied programme, and in the Second Piano Concerto of 1905 we find Widor essaying music that more closely integrates soloist and orchestra. All in all this is a memorable and many-sided musical journey.