The Romantic Piano Concerto Vol.77: Bronsart & Urspruch – Emmanuel Despax

   in Piano International (Nov, 2018)
For the 77th issue in their endlessly absorbing ‘Romantic Piano Concerto’ series, Hyperion has exhumed two rarities by Hans Bronsart von Schellendorf (1830-1913) and Anton Urspruch (1850-1907).

As the sleeve note tells us, Bronsart gave the first performance of Liszt’s Second Piano Concerto, conducted by the composer and dedicated to the pianist. Sadly, Bonsart’s early hyperactivity petered out leaving him in a series of mundane administrative jobs, so it is good to have him rescued from oblivion. An early recording by Michael Ponti, while brilliant and athletic, is easily eclipsed by the playing of Emmanuel Despax who revels in Bronsart’s high drama and its propulsion by urgent Chopinesque figuration. The finale …