Piano Concerto in E Major

The Piano Concerto by Moritz Moszkowski (1854-1925), written for the great virtuoso Josef Hofmann, has everything you'd want to hear in a Romantic Concerto except for memorable themes and genius. That might seem like a lot missing, but there's a lot left, too, especially the exciting virtuoso piano writing and the sparkling orchestration. If you don't insist on masterpieces all the time, this Concerto can be a lot of fun. Not so for the multinational suite, which is a group of rather feeble imitations of national styles. (The Hungarian finale sounds as much like a can-can as a csardas.) Pawlik plays with beautiful tone and plenty of impulse, and the orchestra and recording are first-rate. --Leslie Gerber