Can you say Rotogravure?

I love the old-timey photographs from this series! Doesn't it make you want to say dames, gams, and Rotogravure?!?

This is half a great program. I just can't get into Harty's Piano Concerto. It is more Rachmaninov than it is Harty, and it doesn't help that Thomson and pianist Malcolm Binns pore over every detail of the score.

But the Violin Concerto is everything the other is not. It reminds me of Moeran, or Howells, or Dyson, or [insert British surname].

 

 

A review from 2023

Irish conductor/composer Hamilton Harty really leaned into his Irish heritage for many of his compositions. His concertos, on the other hand, are prime examples of where he doesn’t let-on to his ancestry through his music.

Both the violin concerto and piano concerto are quite different. The Violin Concerto shows an upbringing around the UK pastoral school; a cold north wind blows through the first two movements, beautiful, but hearty and heroic. Only its conclusion airs any folksy delight.

The Piano Concerto is another matter. This music is syrupy ala Rachmaninov, with just the slightest hint of jazzy casualness. Harty writes his melodies in broad, Romantic strokes, and pianist Malcolm Binns is quite willing to stop and smell the roses, as well as gild a lily or two; too much for my tastes.

The piano concerto’s main recorded competition on Naxos  (with this same orchestra) features propulsion and sharper rhythms, and generally wins the day. If you don’t mind indulgent dwellings, Chandos’ recording might be more to liking. The violin concerto here, though, is excellent, with no other major recordings of it available. It is a complete delight and the main reason to visit this recording.

These concertos have since been collated together on Chandos with Harty’s orchestral music, later remastered, and is an excellent collection of too-rarely-performed music. Recommended.

Listen on YouTube

Works
Violin Concerto (33.13)
Piano Concerto (37.42)

Soloists
Ralph Holmes, violin
Malcolm Binns, piano

Ensemble
Ulster Orchestra
Bryden Thomson, conductor

Label: Chandos
Year: 1996
Total Timing: 71.00

 

Some might enjoy this Piano Concerto, but it was not for me.

The Violin Concerto, on the other hand, is played oppositely.

Let's call it a draw!

Find more Harty recordings HERE!