Much like the composer himself, the piano concertos of Edward MacDowell have largely been forgotten from the annals of music history. His compositional style, particularly in the piano concertos, is perhaps too reminiscent of other composers whose works have faired much better on the concert stage. MacDowell's concertos are not by any means poor quality works, but in a time when American audiences in particular were more likely to be moved by something new, MacDowell's concertos failed to move listeners forward. This recording of
Donna Amato and the
London Philharmonic Orchestra is not likely to gain any new support for the MacDowell fan club. While the execution is adequate, the sound quality is not. Despite being a supposedly remastered release of the 1985 recording released on the Olympia label, this 2007 re-release on alto produces a piano sound that is extremely thin, treble-dominated, and more resembling a fortepiano than a modern instrument. The orchestra's sound is equally nasal and brash. The sound quality of the 11 piano miniatures is definitely superior, but still not fantastic. Though stylistically quite different than the concertos,
Amato's performance of them is not; too often she seems to rush listeners through phrases, not allowing them to savor the short movements of sentimentality.