Brief notes

Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1; Tragic Overture

Alexander Melnikov (piano);

Sinfonieorchester Basel/Ivor Bolton

Harmonia Mundi HMM902602

For his performance of Brahms’s First Piano Concerto, Melnikov plays an 1859 Blüthner piano – an instrument contemporary with the premiere of the work. The final track is an unexpected joy: the overture to Éliza by Cherubini, a composer Brahms greatly admired. (FP)

The title might sound syrupy, but Dorman’s pair of large-scale works here are wide ranging and really rather thrilling. Composed for chorus and orchestra, sweeps you up, spins you round and leaves you breathless; is a rollercoaster in itself. (MB)