Written at three widely separated points in his career, the three piano concertos of Alan Rawsthorne present three different views of the English modernist composer. The First Concerto (originally written in 1939 for piano, strings, and percussion, it was revised and expanded for full orchestra in 1942) is a youthful three-movement work full of immense high spirits in its outer movements and characteristic gentle melancholy in its central movement. The Second Concerto from 1951 is a much larger-scaled and more mature work in four movements with the emphasis on brilliant virtuosity throughout. And the Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra from 1968, only three years before the composer's death, is a shorter and more concise three-movement late period work that mixes overt display with introverted intimacy. This 1992 Chandos disc featuring pianist
Geoffrey Tozer with pianist
Tamara-Anna Cislowska in the double concerto accompanied by
Matthias Bamert leading the
London Philharmonic presents a convincing case for all three works.
Tozer has the technique to pull off Rawsthorne's often extravagant piano writing and the soul to make his more lyrical moments sing;
Bamert and the
LPO provide the proper balance of support and conflict and
Cislowska is an admirable partner in the Two Piano Concerto. Recorded in big, colorful sound by Chandos, this disc will be enjoyed by anyone interested in English modernist composers.