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Assorted items => Individual composers => Topic started by: Jolly Roger on July 19, 2018, 09:31:40 am



Title: Janis Ķepītis
Post by: Jolly Roger on July 19, 2018, 09:31:40 am
I have a piano concerto by this latvian master but do not know the performers or movements.
Can anyone help here?


Title: Re: Janis Ķepītis
Post by: guest145 on July 19, 2018, 12:52:10 pm
It's most likely a Soviet-era broadcast performance of his Piano Concerto No. 1, composed in 1934, with Mendelis Bašs on piano and the Latvian Radio & TV Symphony Orchestra conducted by Centis Kriķis. I don't have tempo markings for the three movements but I'll consult a couple of reference books when I have a chance to see if there's any discussion of the work.

Lovely music!


Title: Re: Janis Ķepītis
Post by: pianoconcerto on July 19, 2018, 07:07:33 pm
Is it Mendelis Bašs, who was best known as a conductor, pedagogue, and composer, or his son Harijs Bašs, who is a pianist?  I have seen this recording attributed to both of them and am not sure.


Title: Re: Janis Ķepītis
Post by: Holger on July 19, 2018, 09:37:18 pm
While I cannot answer the question about the piano player of the recording of the Ķepītis concerto, I do have a comment about the piece itself. I also got it as his Piano Concerto No. 1. After studying the Ķepītis work list provided by the Latvian Music Information Centre, I tend to believe that the piece we have must actually be his Piano Concerto No. 3.

Here is the reason: the Latvian MIC gives the following information about Ķepītis' three piano concertos:

Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Major (1937)
Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Major (1953) – Duration: 37 minutes
Piano Concerto No. 3 in A flat Major "Children's Concerto" (1973)

The concerto we have is definitely in A flat Major, and in its lighter manner and with a total duration of just about 13 minutes, the title "Children's Concerto" would perfectly make sense. I therefore assume that it should actually be the Third Concerto we have. Of course, full evidence would still be needed.


Title: Re: Janis Ķepītis
Post by: guest377 on July 19, 2018, 10:08:19 pm
I have a copy of it and it says  Piano Concerto "Youth"  Harijs Bass piano, Latvian Radio SO with Centis Krikis conducting.


Title: Re: Janis Ķepītis
Post by: guest145 on July 20, 2018, 03:35:34 pm
Thanks for the clarification, Holger and Dave. I concur that it must be #3.

The problem I have with some of my Latvian broadcast recordings is that they were obtained in the 1990s from a collector who I've since realized was notoriously sloppy in his attributions. Without taking the time to listen carefully and compare details with data on the LMIC website and other sources, I find that there are many instances where the information that was sent with the recordings I received is accurate. Sigh...  ::)

I especially appreciate Holger's careful and diligent research in cases such as this, and other situations where he's clarified murky details.