Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Bright, Efficient Concerto: Well worth a listen!
Comment: Nigel Hess's piano concerto was commissioned in memory of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother: hence the somewhat portentous titles for each of the movements. It is a shame that it occupies a CD all on its own (at under 23 minutes) and it would make an excellent coupling with Howard Blake's, the latter piece having been dedicated to Princess Diana.
Hess is primarily a film music composer, and clearly needed the `hook' of a extra-musical concept in order to get his creative juices flowing, however he wouldn't be alone amongst composers in this. Certainly the concerto itself shows no signs of being any kind of detailed narrative.
If you're expecting a deep and intellectual work, then this isn't for you, but if you value melodic interest and an effective ear for orchestration (i.e. good tunes and a full orchestra) then this concerto is very much for you. Yes, it's derivative in places, but at the same time it holds the attention and isn't afraid of direct communication.
Lang Lang isn't exactly a shrinking violet, and he plays with conviction. The London Chamber Orchestra conducted by Christopher Warren-Green similarly play with passion.
On a less positive note, this is very poorly packaged: It takes more than the soloist to play a concerto- a pity the orchestra and conductor were hidden amongst the small print!!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Lang Lang plays Hess to perfection
Comment: Well, the music critics won't like this one, but if you already know Nigel Hess's music (Ladies in Lavender, Food of Love and all his extensive television work) then you'll know what to expect - great tunes, beautifully orchestrated - and, in this instance, superbly played by global piano virtuoso Lang Lang. This is heart-on-sleeve stuff, and none the worse for that. The slow movement is derivative (Rachmaninov meets the Warsaw Concerto) but this is writing that is immediately accessible, and will appeal to a huge audience. A real treat.
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