Grieg & Delius: Piano Concertos Mark Bebbington, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra & Jan Latham-Koenig

• Edvard Grieg (1843-1907): Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16:
• 1I. Allegro molto moderato14:21
• 2II. Adagio07:15
• 3III. Allegro moderato molto e marcato11:17
• Frederick Delius (1862-1934):
• 4Piano Concerto in C Minor, RT VII/4 (1907 Version)24:21
• Edvard Grieg:
• 5Piano Concerto in B Minor, EG 120 (Fragment) [Arr. R. Matthew-Walker for Piano & Orchestra]03:48
• 6Piano Concerto in B Minor, EG 120 (Fragment) [Arr. R. Matthew-Walker for Piano]03:58
• Frederick Delius: 3 Preludes, RT IX/8:
• 7No. 1, Scherzando02:09
• 8No. 2, Quick01:12
• 9No. 3, Con moto01:25
• 2 Pieces for Small Orchestra, RT VI/19:
• 10No. 1, On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring (Arr. P. Warlock for Piano 4 Hands)05:11
• Total Runtime01:14:57

Info for Grieg & Delius: Piano Concertos

An evergreen masterpiece, an under-appreciated jewel and a great 'what might have been' pianist Mark Bebbington and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jan Latham Koenig explore the personal and musical connections between Edvard Grieg and Frederick Delius. Heard together on disc for the first time, the Piano Concertos by Grieg and Delius reveal the full extent of the composers' friendship and mutual admiration. Their music seems to share and exalt in ideals of beauty and tone, scale and sentiment to produce a consummate and complementary coupling.

Composed in 1868, Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor has become one of the cornerstones of the repertoire. Its famous opening timpani roll heralds a ravishing display of virtuosity lit up by the melting melody at the heart of an immediately recognisable masterpiece.

Also in a minor key, Delius’s C minor Piano Concerto was inspired by a performance of Grieg’s Concerto in London in 1888. Grieg’s gifting of a copy of the score to Delius spurred him on to write his own Concerto. It was not easily realised, a first draft in 1897 was followed by two further revisions over the next decade before the final version heard here in a rare appearance on disc.

Grieg’s mooted Second Piano Concerto was never completed, but the 150 bars he did sketch hint at what might have been. Robert Matthew-Walker has fashioned the existing material – in various stages of completion and detail – into a coherent single movement to give, for the very first time, the clearest indication of what Grieg had in mind for a work left tantalisingly unfinished. Both this and the solo piano version – also arranged by Robert Matthew-Walker – receive their premiere recordings here.

Completing the disc are Delius’s Three Preludes for solo piano and Peter Warlock’s transcription for piano duet – with Bebbington joined by the young up-and-coming Malaysian pianist Irene Loh – of Delius’s most famous orchestralminiature, On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring.

"Grieg’s fingerprints are clearly audible. ...This isn’t a novelty that changes world history, but it’s good to have the evidence laid out, and I’d happily hear Bebbington play anything...[the A minor Concerto and the Delius] are both presented with nimble grace, some grandiloquent aplomb, and succulent orchestral playing." (The Times)

Mark Bebbington, piano
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Jan Latham-Koenig, conductor

Mark Bebbington
The critical plaudits which have greeted Mark Bebbington’s performances and recordings have singled him out as a British pianist of the rarest refinement and maturity ("Bebbington is without doubt one of Britain's finest pianists" wrote Michel Fleury recently in Classica). Internationally recognised in particular as a champion of British music, Mark has recorded extensively for SOMM “New Horizons” label to unanimous critical acclaim. He has the enviable record of having been awarded no fewer than seven five-star reviews in BBC Music Magazine in a row.

His most recent CDs include three British Piano Concertos with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, an all-Gershwin album with Leon Botstein and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra ("Recording of the Month" from MusicWeb International) and the completion of his Bliss complete piano music traversal.

His premiere recordings include one of Arnold Bax’s Piano Concertino coupled with John Ireland’s Piano Concerto and Legend, and premieres of Vaughan Williams’s Fantasia and William Mathias’s first two Piano Concertos (Ulster Orchestra).

In addition to concerto recordings, Mark completed his John Ireland and Frank Bridge solo piano series and released a CD of William Alwyn’s piano works in 2015. As well as his BBC Music Magazine success, he has won Gramophone Magazine's "Editor’s Choice", International Record Review's "Outstanding" accolade and many others. International Piano Magazine wrote of him, “Bebbington’s revivals of British piano music are second to none; he could well be dubbed the concert pianists’ Richard Hickox. Bebbington has almost single-handedly demonstrated that 20th-century British piano scores have an exciting role to play in the concert hall and recording studio”.

Over recent seasons Mark has toured throughout Central and Northern Europe and in the United States (both as recitalist and as soloist with some of the world’s leading orchestras), as well as the Far East and North Africa. He recently played Richard Strauss's little-known left-handed piano concerto at Carnegie Hall with the American Symphony Orchestra, and gave a masterclass and recital on British music at Bard College. Within the UK, he has appeared in concertos with the London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic and Philharmonia Orchestras, Flanders Symphony Orchestra, the London Mozart Players, Orchestra of the Swan and BBC Concert Orchestra. He has featured both as soloist and recitalist on BBC Television and Radio and also on major European Television and Radio networks.

Mark studied at the Royal College of Music where he was a recipient of numerous international awards and prizes, including a Leverhulme Scholarship, a Winston Churchill Fellowship and the Ivan Sutton Recording Prize – the latter awarded to the one outstanding graduate of the combined London Music Colleges. He later studied in Italy with the legendary Aldo Ciccolini.

Mark’s programming demonstrates a commitment to the music of our time and he regularly includes contemporary composers as diverse as Takemitsu, Julian Anderson, John McCabe, David Matthews, Pierre Boulez and Elliot Carter in his recital series.

Forthcoming projects include continuing releases for the Somm label, appearances in major concert series and festivals both in the UK and throughout Europe and, closer to home, concerto performances with the London Philharmonic and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras. He recently completed a two-week tour with the Czech National Orchestra and Libor Pesek and returned to the USA for concerts with the Buffalo Philharmonic. In July 2017 Mark made his Israel debut tour with the Israel Camerata.

Booklet for Grieg & Delius: Piano Concertos