Delectable Brilliance

Although the three pieces on this disc were recorded on separate occasions, they typify the level of variety that Clifford Curzon often liked to include in a single concert; indeed, it’s hard to think of three more sharply contrasted works for piano and orchestra in the key of C minor! From the ‘oh-so-English’ Concerto by Delius to the intellectual and emotional complexity of K.491 and ‘explosive whimsy’ of Beethoven’s Op.80 Choral Fantasy, Curzon’s wonderful versatility could hardly be better represented on a single CD.

Bryce Morrison’s interesting booklet notes mention that although once having a repertoire of over 50 concertos, "finally Curzon concentrated almost exclusively on the finest masterpieces, on music which in Schnabel’s immortal words is “always better than it can be played”’. Without disrespect, it would be hard to argue…