German pianist Joseph Moog, apparently unrelated to Robert, has been unusually adventurous with regard to repertoire, and he comes up with a winner on this Onyx release. The big news here is his revival of the Piano Concerto in E major, Op. 59, of Moritz Moszkowski, a work that would have been quite a popular repertory item in the years following its composition in 1898, but that is very sparsely represented on recordings these days. It's a wonderful work that's lots of fun for any classical listener, broadening out from ...
Read More
German pianist Joseph Moog, apparently unrelated to Robert, has been unusually adventurous with regard to repertoire, and he comes up with a winner on this Onyx release. The big news here is his revival of the Piano Concerto in E major, Op. 59, of Moritz Moszkowski, a work that would have been quite a popular repertory item in the years following its composition in 1898, but that is very sparsely represented on recordings these days. It's a wonderful work that's lots of fun for any classical listener, broadening out from Brahmsian formality to a really rollicking finale to which Moog gives full rhythmic value. The degree to which this work would enliven something like a summer outdoor symphonic concert would be hard to overstate, and on top of that there is a sharp, energetic performance of the well-worn Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16. Throw in flexible, alert support from the cumbersomely named Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern under Nicholas Milton, and fine studio sound...
Read Less
