Pianist Paul Wee and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, conductor Michael Collins - Music box, 17^th of June 2024

A disc released by the Swedish house Bis on May 31^st: romantic concerts little known for piano and orchestra, recorded by pianist Paul Wee and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, conductor Michael Collins.

We will listen to two forgotten romantic concerts, composed in German: the Concerto in F minor by Adolf von Henselt, composer who lived between 1814 and 1889, and the Concerto in F minor by Hans Bronsart von Schellendorff, creator who lived between 1830 and 1913.

We will listen to the London pianist, with Malaysian and Singaporean origins, Paul Wee, who surprisingly, is actually a graduate of the New York Law School and, in addition to his career as a pianist, is pursuing one of the top lawyers specializing in international litigation. Moreover, Paul Wee pursues his piano career only during the time allowed by the world's top lawyer.

Which doesn't mean he's not also a top pianist. Important publications talk about the wondrous pianist, who sings what for others is un-sung and whose technique and musicality are at the level of any pianist of worldwide caliber. Which we can also discover in the recordings you will listen to next, which the British magazine Gramophone has already written that "they are amazing, leaving you breathless of admiration".

Moreover, Paul Wee specializes in less common repertoires - since 2019 he has recorded exclusively for the Swedish house Bis, also recognized for the uniqueness and value of the products he proposes. Works by Charles Alkan and Sigismond Talberg, with an amazing virtuosity, have enjoyed an important international success, which is also predictable for the current disc.

Adolf von Henselt is a composer who lived between 1814 and 1889, very well known in his time, practically forgotten today. He was also a well-known pianist, specialized in the creation of Chopin and Carl Maria von Weber, who withdrew from concert activity at the age of 33, due to the paralyzing emotion that tried the musician on stage. In Henselt's creation we find echoes from the works of Liszt and Hummel, aspects that we will also encounter in the virtuoso concerto op. 16 for piano and orchestra by Adolf von Henselt, whose premiere was by Clara Schumann in 1847; during the 19^th century he was a star of the concert stages and it is a paradox that today he is so little known. Paul Wee and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, led by Michael Collins, propose the only recording made for this concert after 2000, in which we also recognize the elements of virtuosity, but also the poetry of this music, highlighted by a very talented pianist with a brilliant intelligence.

On the same disc, another forgotten romantic concerto - Concerto op. 10 in F-sharp minor for piano and orchestra by Hans Bronsart von Schellendorf. I can say that I liked the score of this concert even more, in which we hear echoes of Rachmaninoff's music - with the fast tumultuous parts and a wonderful slow second part. The name of Hans Bronsart von Schellendorf is also practically unknown to us today, a German composer who lived between 1830 and 1913 and who studied piano with Franz Liszt, in whose circle of friends he entered, thus also knowing Berlioz and Brahms. Liszt himself greatly appreciated Bronsart's creation, and let's not forget that Bronsart is the one who sang Concerto no. 2 for piano and orchestra by Liszt at the premiere in 1857, a score that was, by the way, dedicated to Bronsart.

Hans von Bullow, the feared critic of the 19th century, was an admirer of Bronsart's creation, especially of the Concerto op. 10 for piano and orchestra, which he considered one of the most important related to the so-called Weimar school.

In any case, this concerto in F-sharp minor for piano and orchestra by Hans Bronsart von Schellendorf, with many moments of virtuosity, but also lyrical episodes, highlighted by the exceptional technique of the pianist Paul Wee, doubled by maturity and musicality, is a true repertoire discovery. Indeed, a 5-star disc, as already noted by several relevant international specialized publications.