(Fully expecting my response to be one of about twenty-five) Henselt's
concerto in f minor for piano and orchestra is available on a Hyperion
CD coupled with another work by Henselt and two brief concerti da camera
by Charles Valentin Alkan, a wonderful CD played by one of my favorite
pianists, Marc-Andre Hamelin.  If indeed (as I do not doubt, having a while
back read Rubinstein's autobiographies and found them full of several such
broad, uninformed, unconsidered, and unintelligent statements; the man was
one of the greatest pianists of our century, but I find his judgment in
many things .quite. lacking!) Rubinstein felt Henselt to be Chopin without
genius, well, Rubinstein was entitled to his opinion.

The work was also recorded by Michael Ponti (and the Philh. Hungaria
conducted by Othmar Maga) in 1960 or so, and this .may. have been reissued
on a VOX CD set.  Much as I esteem Ponti, and despite the fact that this
would be cheaper, I'd go with the Hamelin if you can.

Can this become repertoire again? The Scharwenka 4th concerto has been
performed all over the globe (I think) by Stephen Hough in the last few
years since Hough's recording of the work (also on Hyperion, in the same
"Romantic Piano Concerto" series) came out.  (On the other hand, I do not
know of the work being taken up by other pianists.) It's hard to say.  The
means by which something becomes repertoire are still, so far as I know,
mysterious, for all the ink spilled on music history.  In my opinion.  Of
course, the term "repertoire" is ambiguous anyhow.

Eric Schissel
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