Catalogue

Summary:

“Briggs gives a wonderfully balanced reading of music that seems familiar – in its classical poise and charm – and strange…Kenneth Woods and the Royal Northern Sinfonia accompany superbly…with crystal-clear sound, this is [a] most enjoyable concerto disc” – Guy Rickards, Gramophone

Album of the Week “…exceptional…I cannot recommend it too highly.” – David Mellor, Classic FM

“A beautifully performed world premiere recording [Gál]… I cannot imagine it receiving a more convincing account than the one given here…. Briggs is a sensitive Mozartian with an instinctive feeling for the operatic provenance of the composer’s writing that shines through most effectively in the poignant slow movement.” Performance ★★★★  Recording ★★★★★ – Erik Levi, BBC Music magazine

Recording of the Month  [Gál] Wood’s deft handling of the orchestral textures is a perfect foil to Briggs’ adroit virtuosity. The elegant, wonderfully transparent Adagio is pure delight……the pianist’s pellucid tone is raptly intense… a most engaging score, delivered with real affection and skill… Briggs seems to have a natural way with Mozart, instinctively shaping the phrases and bringing to the music elegance and aristocratic poise.” – Stephen Greenbank, MusicWebInternational.com

“Briggs’s infectious pianism is impossible to resist. The orchestral playing here is neat and nimble, balances are decent and the piano has a pleasing tone. Another fine addition to the Gál discography, with a delectable ‘filler’; Sarah Beth Briggs shines in both.” – Dan Morgan, MusicWebInternational.com

“Sarah Beth Briggs was a new name to me but she and the orchestral forces do the composer proud. The performance here is very engaging and the recording (produced by the composer’s grandson) … provides a lifelike and very acceptable soundstage with excellent instrumental balance… delightful disc” – Bob Stevenson, MusicWebInternational.com

“Briggs displays complete mastery of and gives her all to the Gál, a first recording… This is a good Mozart 22nd, radiant and poised.” – American Record Guide

Disc of the Week “… Sarah Beth Briggs’s brilliantly alert and engaging performance, expertly partnered by Woods and the RNS, will surely bring it the recognition it deserves as one of Gál’s major works…  a marvellously elegant performance [Mozart] that brings out all the clarinet-tinged mellowness, with a heart-stopping account of the C minor second movement. Here, as in the Gál, soloist and orchestra are balanced in ideal partnership, with playing of real poise and purpose…A release that is outstanding in every way, essential listening! - EuropaDisc

“Sarah Beth Briggs plays as to the manner born… She brings a Clara Haskil-like directness and transparency to Mozart’s gorgeously wind-rich Concerto in E flat K482.” ★★★★– Michael Dervan, Irish Times

“Briggs’s playing is shapely but unassuming, which underlines the skilful transparency of Gál’s writing as well as how much of an ensemble piece this is. It is paired with a reticent yet still elegant performance of Mozart’s Concerto No 22 in E flat.” ★★★★ – Eric Jeal, The Guardian

“Sarah Beth Briggs revels in the tasteful refinement, brilliance and grace of Gál’s immaculately judged solo writing. Exemplary advocacy… A stylish and insightful traversal of Mozart’s great E flat major Piano Concerto” – Andrew Achenbach, ClassicalEar

“Briggs is just the right pianist to bring this forgotten work [Gál] back to life… it is hard not to recommend the Mozart as much as the unmissable Gál” – Pianist magazine

“… The Royal Northern Sinfonia under Kenneth Woods and pianist Sarah Beth Briggs are quietly sensitive in the complex ensemble work. The Mozart Piano Concerto No. 22 in E flat major, K. 482, fills out the program in an unusually satisfying way, and Avie gets exactly the right lucid sound … Marvelous music…” ★★★★½ – James Manheim, AllMusic.com

“… Ms. Briggs’s pianism is both dexterous and impish, capturing the airy, evocative atmosphere of Gal’s music as well as its often humorous interludes… Ms. Briggs directs the Mozart from the keyboard, and the performance sounds happy, sprightly, and dignified at the same time…” – JJP, Classical Candor

Bringing to light another of Hans Gál’s gorgeously melodic and finely crafted scores, AVIE presents the world premiere recording of the Austrian émigré’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra with English pianist Sarah Beth Briggs supported by Gál aficionado Kenneth Woods conducting the Royal Northern Sinfonia. Written in 1948, Gál’s large-scale romantic concerto abounds with sweeping phrases and pyrotechnics, yet at the heart of the piece lies the composer’s signature clarity and precision, making the work an ideal coupling for his 18th century Viennese compatriot Mozart’s great E-flat major concerto of 1785.

Tracklist:

HANS GÁL (1890–1987)

Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 57 (32.28)
1. I. Allegro energico ma non troppo (11.43)
2. II. Adagio (11.07)
3. III. Allegretto vivace (9.38)
(world premiere recording)

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756–1791)

Piano Concerto No.22 in E flat, K482 (35.52)
4. I. Allegro* (14.06)
5. II. Andante (8.59)
6. III. Allegro* (12.47)
*Cadenzas: Denis Matthews

Total duration: 68.53

Sarah Beth Briggs, piano
Royal Northern Sinfonia
Kenneth Woods, conductor (1–3)
Bradley Creswick co-director (4–6)

Recording: 12–14 January 2016, Hall One, Sage Gateshead, England
Recording produced, engineered and edited by Simon Fox-Gál