The Romantic Piano Concerto Vol.48

The piano concerto was popular in Victorian London and was often included in the typically mixed orchestral concert programs of the period. Julius Benedict's concertos are firmly based on classical models, but they have hints of Beethoven, Mendelssohn and even Rossini in their occasional touches of compositional humor. Benedict's second and third concertos are featured on this disc. Walter Macfarren had a long career as a piano teacher at the Royal Academy of Music. His only extant work for piano and orchestra is the Concertstuck. As always, Howard Shelley and his orchestra breathe new life into these forgotten works, which like all of the repertoire in this series, deserve rediscovery.