Markus Becker (piano), BBC National Orchestra of Wales/ Thierry Fischer Hyperion CDA 67817***

The long-lived Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937) is one of those composers whose music is well known to people who don't even know his name, such is the popularity of the Toccata from his Fifth Organ Sonata. His piano concertos, both of which appear to have been well-received at their premieres in 1876 and 1905, have however faded into oblivion – their nicely delivered resuscitation for Hyperion's Romantic Piano Concerto series marks their debut on disc. The major contemporary piano concertos were those of Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov, respectively, but a better reference point for Widor's well-constructed works is probably the concerto output of Saint-Saëns. The second is the richer of the pair, but the sometimes fiery, single- movement Fantaisieof 1889 is the disc's work of strongest character. See url.ie/4qdb