Hans Bronsart Von Schellendorf: Piano Concerto, Piano Trio – Oliver Triendl

It’s only recently that Bronsart von Schellendorf’s career as a composer has been more widely acknowledged. Liszt, however, was aware of Bronsart’s prowess, referring to his orchestral work Frühlings-Fantasie as “beautiful and invaluable” and later declaring “I value him as a character and a musician.” Even a cursory listen to the Piano Concerto reveals a composer working in ambitious dimensions and with an extrovert musical language. Rich in melodic and emotional content, Bronsart’s piano writing gives ample opportunity for virtuoso display while delivering his musical arguments with power and precision. Bronsart’s good friend Hans von Bülow, another pupil of Liszt, had toured the work from 1870 onwards. He took the concerto abroad, performing it at a concert in Manchester under the baton of Charles Hallé in 1877, by which time the work had secured a foothold in the repertory, albeit temporary.