Dip Your Ears, No. 242 (Not Surprised by Beauty - Braunfels Piano Concerto)

Walter Braunfels Piano Concerto, Ariel’s Song, Scottish Fantasy Victor Sangiorgio (piano), Sarah-Jane Bradley (viola) BBC Concert Orchestra Johannes Wildner (conductor) (Dutton)

Walter Braunfels’s greatness is being further reestablished with this release, by adding his Piano Concerto (1911), a large quasi-Viola Concerto—the Scottish Rhapsody (1932)—to the catalog. It’s not surprising that the music is luscious and gorgeous; if anything it’s surprising that it took this long to be recorded. Nods to Wagner, whiffs of Richard Strauss, toying with Berlioz, Variations on “For He's a Jolly Good Fellow”, and lots of Braunfels are all present. Sarah-Jane Bradley has latched upon a wonderful, rare viola concerto and matches it with her playing; Victor Sangiorgio plays his piano part to the hilt. The BBC Concert Orchestra under Johannes Wildner delivers the goods, with these world premiere recordings of wrongfully neglected romantic 20th century music.

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