Melcer: Piano Concertos Nos 1 & 2

'The Second Concerto from 1898, also in three movements, is crowned by a hair-raising final Allegro con fuoco, a remarkable tour de force which, were it ever to be heard in a concert hall, would have you on your feet at the end cheering … Plowright enhances his glowing reputation as a musical alchemist of rare distinction with a transcendent technique' (Gramophone)

'If the First Concerto is a heroic barnstormer in post-Lisztian mode, the Second … is flavoured with Chopinesque, neoclassical reminiscences, à la Saint-Saëns, and features an utterly enchanting second theme and infectiously dance-like finale. Plowright sounds completely unfazed by even the most note-splattered pages, throwing himself into the fray with abandonment and aplomb' (Classic FM Magazine)

'Jonathan Plowright provides a masterclass in dexterity at the keyboard, rising to meet all of the composer's challenges with a combination of scintillating virtuosity and deft sensitivity. The end of the C minor Concerto's opening movement is particularly telling, as he delivers the brilliant cadenza with utter authority before gently whisking the music away with a flourish of almost impossibly quick semiquavers. Plowright is adroitly partnered by Christoph König and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, who more than do justice to Melcer's imaginative orchestrations whilst also relishing the frequent interplay between soloist and ensemble' (MusicalCriticism.com)

Hyperion's celebrated Romantic Piano Concerto series reaches volume 44. This disc includes two prize-winning concertos written in the 1890s by the Polish composer-pianist Henryk Melcer. Contemporary critics wrote of 'themes full of expression in Polish character that are developed so splendidly and broadly that they leave us enraptured … an unforgettable impression remains after hearing the Concerto'. The wonderful Jonathan Plowright performs this music with idiomatic brilliance.