The Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto (1991-2007) is a monumental 50-CD
box set compiling volumes 1 to 43 of Hyperion Records' acclaimed series, plus bonus recordings from the same era, dedicated to the romantic piano concerto genre. Released as a limited-edition collection in original jackets with a newly compiled booklet featuring essays by artists like Stephen Hough and Piers Lane, as well as producer Andrew Keener and series founder Mike Spring, it showcases 131 works for piano and orchestra, including 59 premiere recordings and many rare pieces previously neglected or recorded only once in inferior versions. The project revives overlooked repertoire by composers from the romantic era, widening the canon and returning works to concert programs through Hyperion's curatorial excavation of obscure scores.
Pianists such as
Howard Shelley, Stephen Hough, Marc-André Hamelin, Piers Lane, Steven Osborne and Martin Roscoe perform with orchestras like the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, delivering vibrant, detailed interpretations that highlight the music's virtuosity, dramatic flair and emotional depth. Initiated in 1990 from a meeting between Hyperion and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the series exemplifies meticulous scholarship and enthusiasm, unearthing fluent, fluid concertos with influences from Mozart to Rachmaninoff, often blending reverie, storminess and
dance-like energy in sympathetic, well-balanced recordings.
