Johann Wilhelm Wilms: The Piano Concertos, Vol. 1

by Ronald Brautigam, Michael Alexander Willens, Koelner Akademie

Overview

Johann Wilhelm Wilms, born near Cologne, worked mostly in Amsterdam and was quite popular, even becoming known as the "Dutch Beethoven" at one time. He was nearly Beethoven's contemporary, but there the comparison pretty much ends; it's hard to find much that's Beethovenian in these post-Classical concertos, released here in the first of a pair of albums devoted to Wilms by fortepianist Ronald Brautigam and the Koelner Akademie under conductor Michael Alexander Willens. Wilms was a pianist as well as a composer, and he structured these concertos to provide brilliant piano parts without losing the outlines of basic sonata forms. Brautigam's renditions are an attraction in this regard, even if they are a bit artificially pumped up by BIS' unidiomatic church acoustic. His fortepiano, apparently not identified in the booklet, is a powerful, ringing instrument, and his playing gives an idea of what would have gotten audiences excited as the modern piano really came into its own. The annotations by Horst A. Scholz are another plus. They are detailed enough to serve as a primary source for those interested in the music of the period. As for the music itself, it's certainly not Beethoven. It tends to hang onto the tonic and dominant before reluctantly lurching into harmonies slightly farther afield. Wilms' style clearly developed between the Concerto in E major, Op. 3, written in 1796 and still ostensibly playable on a harpsichord, and the two later pieces, from the end of the 1800s decade. Wilms wrote seven piano concertos in all, and lovers of Beethoven's era will certainly await the second volume of his concertos from these performers. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	06/03/2022
Label:	Bis
UPC:	7318599925042
Rank:	11871

Tracks

1. Concerto in E major, Op. 3 for piano (or harpsichord) and orchestra~I. Allegro
2. Concerto in E major, Op. 3 for piano (or harpsichord) and orchestra~II. Poco Adagio
3. Concerto in E major, Op. 3 for piano (or harpsichord) and orchestra~III. Rondo. Allegro
4. Concerto in C major, Op. 12 for piano and orchestra~I. Allegro
5. Concerto in C major, Op. 12 for piano and orchestra~II. Poco Adagio
6. Concerto in C major, Op. 12 for piano and orchestra~III. Rondo. Allegro
7. Concerto in D major, Op. 26 for piano and orchestra~I. Allegro
8. Concerto in D major, Op. 26 for piano and orchestra~II. Poco Adagio - attacca -
9. Concerto in D major, Op. 26 for piano and orchestra~III. Rondo alla Pollacca

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ronald Brautigam   Primary Artist,Fortepiano
Michael Alexander Willens   Primary Artist,Conductor
Koelner Akademie   Primary Artist,Orchestra

Technical Credits

Ingo Petry   Post Production Mix,Post Production Editor,Producer
Jean-Pascal Vachon   Liner Note Translation
Claerchen Baus   Photography
Andrew Barnett   Typesetting,Liner Note Translation
Paul McNulty   Instrument Technician
Horst A. Scholz   Liner Notes
Ronald Brautigam   Editing
Stephan Reh   Engineer
Michael Alexander Willens   Editing Assistant
Johann Wilhelm Wilms   Composer
Fabian Frank   Engineer
Jochen Hubmacher   Executive Producer
Marco Borggreve   Photography
Robert Suff   Executive Producer