Stenhammar: Piano Concertos Nos 1 & 2

"These wonderful recordings of Stenhammar's piano concertos make a superb introduction to his music...Stenhammar specialist Niklas Sivelöv plays them in a no-holds-barred, high Romantic way, while the Malmö Symphony under Mario Venzago is tremendous...it's hard not to be swept away by [this] Naxos disc, and the performance of the First Concerto is the finest I know."
(Guardian)

"This is one for rare repertoire junkies...Some beautifully applied golden-age style from Sivelöv"
(BBC)

"Niklas Silvelov negotiates the torrents of octaves and other rhetorical gestures with aplomb."
(Gramophone)

A virtuoso pianist and renowned conductor in his day, Wilhelm Stenhammar achieved early success with his magnificently wide-ranging and Brahmsian Piano Concerto No. 1. After many years of mixed fortunes as a composer he found his personal voice in the remarkable Piano Concerto No. 2. Conceived as a single span, this vividly affirmative romantic masterpiece was the wellspring for his Serenade (8572186) and Symphony No. 2 (8553888). Award-winning soloist Niklas Sivelöv has also recorded Stenhammar's solo piano works (8553730).