Rachmaninov: Sonata No. 2; Balakirev: Islamey

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This is a fascinating, unusual collection of Russian piano music. Kern, a gold medal winner at the 2001 Cliburn Competition, mixes familiar music with novelties in an intelligently programmed recital. We get Rachmaninov's over-familiar Prelude in C Sharp Minor in the context of the otherwise unfamiliar Morceaux de fantaisie, Op. 3, of which it is the second piece. Balakirev's notorious fingerbuster Islamey is preceded by his rarely-heard In the Garden. Most unusually, Kern includes the Prelude and Fugue in G Sharp Minor by Sergei Taneyev, pupil of Tchaikovsky and teacher of Rachmaninov, considered one of Russia's most important composers by Russians and mostly unknown elsewhere. Kern's playing is colorful, fluent, and convincing throughout most of the recital, and she makes Rachmaninov's Second Piano Sonata less bombastic and more attractive than usual. She rather falls apart in Islamey, though, introducing strange pauses at the ends of phrases and generally showing the strain of the murderous writing. Up to that point, the disc has more than an hour of excellent playing, and thus it's still very much worth hearing. --Leslie Gerber

Tracks:

I. Moderato
II. Allegretto
III. Finale: Presto
I. Allegro Agitato
II. Non Allegro/Lento
III. Allegro Molto
I. Intermezzo In A Minor
II. Intermezzo In A Minor
III. Ballade In G Minor
IV. Intermezzo In F Minor
V. Romanze In F Major
VI. Intermezzo In E Flat Minor
Dumka (Russian Rustic Scene)
Nocturne In C Sharp Minor
Islamey (Oriental Fantasy)

Amazon.com

This CD, apparently a recording debut, presents a Chinese pianist in his teens in live performance (at Ozawa Hall, Tanglewood). It has many successful elements. The first one is the pianist's selection of Haydn to begin his program, since few pianists these days bother to investigate the riches of Haydn's prodigious piano output. Lang proves thoroughly sympathetic to Haydn's idiom, in a delightful, witty performance. It's a huge distance from Haydn to Rachmaninoff, but Lang has complete command of Rachmaninoff's extravagant virtuosity, and he makes this bombastic piece--not one of the composer's best--sound like convincing music. The most impressive performance on the disc is the Brahms set, on which the playing is poised and mature. The way Lang builds the crescendo in the central section of the final Intermezzo is the work of a mature artist, whatever his age. The uncommon Tchaikovsky pieces are also excellent. Only in the final Balakirev, where Lang sounds just a trifle cautious, can one have even slight reservations about his abilities; perhaps he was just tiring at the end of the concert. Unlike many CDs issued today, this one makes a very satisfying listening program, just like the recital it reproduces (with excellent sound quality). --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Is individualism in music really that bad?.......2007-05-29

I bought this disc alongside Yundi Li's Chopin debut album recorded with DG.
Frankly, Yundi's debut album was much more easy to the ears than Lang Lang's Tanglewood recital, unless you happen (and rarely) to dislike Chopin. My listening rate of this album to Yundi Li's was around 1 to 4 initially, gradually to out numbering the other.
Why so? The opening Haydn may account for some thing. It isn't badly played, but it is not movingly played. Lang simply hadn't warmed up yet. Then the other pieces in the set are not really charmers like Yundi's Chopin album.
However, once you are able to move beyond Haydn, you get into the performance arena of young Lang, and inevitably his playing captures the listener like magnet, starting with the Rachmanioff sonata, and bringing you right through to the last 'showpiece'. There has to be that amount of performance concentration, the uptight emotional depth, and the musicality running through ALL those pieces, ALWAYS backed up by outstanding dexterity in playing.
Oh, yea, you may call Lang's style showy; but if a performer is souless and deathly boring, what would you call him/her then? And to be showy implies that there IS some thing to be shown.

Not sure what to think.......2007-03-01

I love Lang's interpretation of the Haydn because it is so immaculate. He listens carefully that every note is placed carefully.

I'm not sure what is going through Lang's head with the Rachmaninoff, or the Brahms or the Tchaikovsky because everyone seems to have something negative to say about his playing. But I reserve judgement of his playing of the heavyweight compositions here for a later time.

I don't understand this obsession with Lang Lang. . . .......2007-01-08

I remember seeing Lang Lang play the Balakirev Islamey as part of a special on him (not a recital) on television. It was probably the worst performance of the piece I've ever heard. With all due respect, the piece is physically very demanding. I think Lang Lang put this on his program to prove a point and fails to do so. Clearly, it is out of Lang Lang's range. It may not be later in his career, but at this point, it definitely is. If you look at Evgeny Kissin, he wasn't playing Islamey, Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 3 or Stravinsky's Three Movements from Petroushka as one of his first performances or recordings. Kissin's way has always been to take a piece, no matter what it is, and go about three extra miles.

If you want to hear this piece played as it is meant to be heard, Andrei Gavrilov's performance of Islamey is second to none. His electrifying performance has amazing technique and power.

There is something about everything Lang Lang plays that is unnatural, a bad kind of unnatural. Quirky mannerisms don't belong in every piece that a pianist plays. Horowitz had a certain kind of quirkiness, but it is called personality. Lang Lang is a quirky pianist just for the sake of being quirky, with no consistency at all - it is not his personality, but a distraction from the music.

If you ever see Lang Lang in live performance, why does he make so much superfluous movement? A Lang Lang performance is about Lang Lang, and not his music. If you want to hear a supervirtuoso who is dedicated to the music, I recommend Martha Argerich, Evgeny Kissin or the up-and-coming pianist Sergio Tiempo. I'm looking forward to hearing more from Tiempo.

I don't really care if you think this review is useful or not, I'm just a pianist who feels very strongly against Lang Lang, and believe that his following is a bunch of people that don't fully understand (or understand at all) the art of the piano.

personal preference.......2006-07-29

For some of these pieces, I prefer the recordings of artists such as Daniel Barenboim, Martha Argerich, Emanuel Ax, Byron Janis, or John Ogdon.

Great performance.......2006-07-18

Lang Lang has an electrifying technique and style. I'm a professional classical musician, and I've listened to some recordings of the pianists that were mentioned here by other reviewers. All I have to say is that good music and great musicians should move people's heart. And Lang Lang does just that. If you thought Brahms was dull and Balakirev was trashy, you should listen to this CD.

If he keeps up, I think Lang Lang is going to be a legend.

Rachmaninov: Sonata No. 2; Balakirev: Islamey

Average customer rating:

A Superlative Musician
What a Delight, that Olga Kern!

Rachmaninov: Sonata No. 2; Balakirev: Islamey

Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Cliburn - Playing on the Edge

ASIN: B0006TN8E0
Release Date: 2005-05-10

Tracks:

I. Allegretto Agitato
II. Non Allegro
III. L'Istesso Tempo-Allegro Molto
I. Elegie
II. Prelude
III. Melodie
IV. Polichinelle
V. Serenade
Polka De V.R.
I. Prelude
II. Fugue
Prelude In D-Flat Major, Op.57 No.1
The Musical Snuff Box, Op.32
In The Garden
Islamey (Oriental Fantasy)

Amazon.com

This is a fascinating, unusual collection of Russian piano music. Kern, a gold medal winner at the 2001 Cliburn Competition, mixes familiar music with novelties in an intelligently programmed recital. We get Rachmaninov's over-familiar Prelude in C Sharp Minor in the context of the otherwise unfamiliar Morceaux de fantaisie, Op. 3, of which it is the second piece. Balakirev's notorious fingerbuster Islamey is preceded by his rarely-heard In the Garden. Most unusually, Kern includes the Prelude and Fugue in G Sharp Minor by Sergei Taneyev, pupil of Tchaikovsky and teacher of Rachmaninov, considered one of Russia's most important composers by Russians and mostly unknown elsewhere. Kern's playing is colorful, fluent, and convincing throughout most of the recital, and she makes Rachmaninov's Second Piano Sonata less bombastic and more attractive than usual. She rather falls apart in Islamey, though, introducing strange pauses at the ends of phrases and generally showing the strain of the murderous writing. Up to that point, the disc has more than an hour of excellent playing, and thus it's still very much worth hearing. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

A Superlative Musician.......2007-06-20

The pantheon of brilliant women keybord artists is large: preserved for us are extraordinary performances by Dame Myra Hess, Ruth Slencynska, Wanda Landowska, Gina Bachauer, Alicia de Larrocha, Lili Kraus, Martha Argerich, Helene Grimaud, and now the fiery Russian Olga Kern. For a treat, find (or Netflix) the 2001 Van Cliburn DVD, "Playing on the Edge," and see her show a tattered copy of Rachmaninoff music that has been in her family for decades. Her Mom, she says with a smile,"could not live without music." Olga wins a gold medal with a passionate performance of Rachmaninoff's Concerto No. 3. Since then New Yorkers and others around the world have warmed to her. Her CD "Rachmaninov/Balakirev" features Sergei's iconic Sonata No. 2. She is fearless at the piano, capable of high drama but also the utmost delicacy. Her playing of Rachmaninoff's haunting "Elegie" in E Flat Minor (finger food--six flats!) is alone worth the price of the CD, which includes works by Taneyev, Liadov and Balakirev. Conjecture: if Glenn Gould could rightly be considered the "son" of Bach, surely Olga is the "daughter" of Rachmaninoff. And we who love music are the beneficiaries of their towering genius.
Beverly Crandall

What a Delight, that Olga Kern!.......2005-11-22

This has to be a favorite of mine. I'm a pianist for the joy of playing and listening, with profound respect for the passionate and without the critical ear that seens to spoil listening to live performances for some people. I love this recording, probably because I have watched the DVD "Playing on the Edge" so many times. And every time, as she finishes her winning performance in the Cliburn Competition, I have to stand in my living room and applaud her!

Average customer rating:

Breathtaking!
A Unique Millennium Event
Glenn Gould on Acid.
A first - rate pianist!
Lots of flash....Too much, in fact

Pletnev Live at Carnegie Hall

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000056PRG
Release Date: 2001-01-30

Tracks:

Partita No.2, BWV 1004: Chaconne in d
Pno Son No.32 in c, Op.111: 1. Maestoso - Allegro Con Brio Ed Appassionato
Pno Son No.32 in c, Op.111: 2. Arietta. Adagio Molto Semplice E Cantabile
Scherzo No.1 in b, Op.20
Scherzo No.2 in b-flat, Op.31
Scherzo No.3 in c#, Op.39
Scherzo No.4 in E, Op.54

Tracks:

Etude-Tableau in e-flat, Op.39 No.5: Appassionato
Poeme in F#, Op.32 No.1: Andante Cantabile
Son in d, K.9: Allegro Moderato
Etude De Virtuosite in F, Op.72 No.6: Presto
Islamey: Oriental Fant: Presto Con Fuoco

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

The 44-year-old Russian pianist-conductor Mikhail Pletnev made a belated Carnegie Hall debut as a pianist in November 2000. Listening to that recital on this CD confirms the wisdom of the pianist's decision to resign as music director of the Russian National Orchestra. In the Bach-Busoni "Chaconne," Pletnev's crescendos wash over the listener like tidal waves; the mighty edifice of the music seems to rise, mysteriously and inexorably, on its own. The angry surges in the first movement of Beethoven's Sonata, opus 111, are perhaps overdrawn. But the concluding movement's variations glide by as if in a dream, suggesting the transformation of the earlier movement's passionate anger into a vision of Paradise beyond the power of words to describe. In Chopin's Four Scherzos, Pletnev emphasizes too many details and inhibits the music's lyrical sweep. But the charm and dazzling pyrotechnics of his encores help make this the first great piano recording of the millennium. After Rachmaninov, Scriabin, Scarlatti, and Moszkowski, Pletnev's fifth and final encore was Balakirev's transcendentally difficult Islamey. The superhuman virtuosity, sonorous splendor, and Technicolor exoticism of this performance will knock your socks off--and the rest of your clothes as well! --Stephen Wigler

Customer Reviews:

Breathtaking!.......2007-07-06

This is an amazing performance, especially as it was recorded live and not reworked in a studio. Pletnev is one of this generation's greatest pianists. He manages to find nuances in the music that make these works fresh, particularly the four Chopin Scherzi that are part of every concert pianist's repertoire. The bonus CD is especially fine as it shows how Pletnev is capable of playing just about any style of music. As if the rest of the program wasn't virtuosic enough, Pletnev caps off the concert with the fiendishly difficult Islamey as one of his encores.

A Unique Millennium Event.......2007-05-09

Having written extensively on Mr Pletnev's hyper-idiosyncratic playing in his 1997 Chopin Recital, it is interesting to turn to his 2000 live Carnegie Hall Recital--where the main programmed attractions are the four Chopin Scherzos. You will not find a better recording of the Scherzos as a group--even if Argerich surpasses Pletnev in terms of ferocious drive and sheer brilliance in Nos 2 & 3. Pletnev's Scherzo No 4 is the best yet to have appeared on disc--`perfect' in the sense that music virtually comes to life as a free-standing organism. Never before has Chopin's genial writing in this work been conveyed with such impeccable mastery.

As one can expect, all the large-scale bombast in the Bach-Busoni Chaconne is delivered with high-voltage pianism in the Grand Manner. By sharp contrast, the second movement in Beethoven's last Sonata is given its probably dreamiest account ever--which evidently reveals Beethoven as one of the main initiators of the romantic era. As far as the encores go, generously provided by DG on the supplementary disc, they are delivered with such panache and masterfulness that you are unlikely to find them bettered--irrespective of where you look. The Balakirev Islamey really has to be heard to be believed--other great modern versions by Gavrilov and Berezovsky pale by comparison.

This extraordinary live recital more than anything confirms Pletnev's position as one of the truly greatest living pianists. The only drawback is that the CD makes you envy those lucky souls who had the opportunity of being there on site. Luckily enough, DG's recording is a worthy second best.

Glenn Gould on Acid. .......2006-12-16

My whole review is in the title.

--E. R. O'Neill

A first - rate pianist!.......2006-07-13

The sumptuous and refined style of Michael Plentev confirms the accurate security Sviatoslav Richter kept in mind at the moment he accepted to become his musical mentor. The time, the supreme judge and the great audiences around the world have fortunately verified this initial statement.

Plentev is without discussion, one of the major pianists in the actual musical stages. His prodigious technique has worked out under expression' s service, and the result is absolutely gratifying. He has captured the essential musical roots around the whole pianist repertoire, and being such young artist we eventually will have to wait for future major achievements.

When you listen him, you should realize his outcome precedes form that inner vision conferred by the touch of genius.

Lots of flash....Too much, in fact.......2004-08-18

To say that Pletnev reminds me of the flamboyant pianists of the past would be a slight to the flamboyant pianists of the past. Even though they were not being kosher to the score, there was something about them that held interest. Pletnev often doesn't even do that. These are very superficial, shallow performances.

Things start off very encouraging, with a stupendous Bach-Busoni Chaconne. At this point I was ready to give the album five stars. Pletnev thunders, he turns his piano into an organ, he turns in one intense reading. Ah, I thought, we are going to be in for a treat.

But that's the high point. His next work is very different and calls for a very different approach, and he treats it largely the same. He adds his own razzle-dazzle to Beethoven's Op. 111 rather than take the trouble to find the depth *in* the music itself. Now, I'm not a pedant (at least I don't think so!) but these departures add no insights are just make a hash of Beethoven's own extremely powerful ideas. Pletnev plays piano where it is not written, freely adds sfumatos, ignores and adds accents at will, twists and turns the structure--to no advantage I can see other than to say "I'm here, pay attention to ME!" But most damningly of all, he doesn't hold the Arietta together to my ears, failing to find a common thread for the various variations that unify this enigmatic work. The second movement felt very long, and when, say, I listen to Schnabel (1933) in this music, I have no sense how much time has gone by. Lest anyone think I am too conservative, let me say that two of my favorite Op. 111s are Ernest Levy and Anatol Ugorski! The Chopin is just as bad, with too much fussiness in the ornamental details that has little to do with Chopin's piece and a lot to do with Pletnev's fingers. If you ever wondered what Chopin sounded like as played by Liszt on bipolar meds, this is it. The music's own shapes, momentums and moods are ignored so that Mikkey can plow through the notes as fast as humanly possible. (And that he can do.)

The encores don't excite me as much as they do some other reviewers. Want to hear really stunning Rachmaninoff Etudes-Tableauxes (if that's a word), listen to Sviatoslav Richter--he finds fireworks *inside* the score, not by juxtaposing his ideas over it. The reviewer below who said the better the music, the worse the performances, hit the nail right on the head. That's also how I've felt about his conducting, from what I've sampled: lots of sound and fury, signifying nothing. I'm perplexed that this was among Amazon's "Best of 2001." Maybe 2001 wasn't a good year.

Average customer rating:

Get ready to be amazed...
You can't go wrong.
One of the best in the set
I like Gavrilov
richter's great pupil

Andrei Gavrilov

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballads | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Rudolf Serkin
Josef Hofmann
Shura Cherkassky
Artur Schnabel

ASIN: B00001IVPA
Release Date: 1999-09-14

Tracks:

French Suite No.5 In G, BWV 816: Allemande
French Suite No.5 In G, BWV 816: Courante
French Suite No.5 In G, BWV 816: Sarabande
French Suite No.5 In G, BWV 816: Gavotte
French Suite No.5 In G, BWV 816: Bourree
French Suite No.5 In G, BWV 816: Loure
French Suite No.5 In G, BWV 816: Gigue
Suite In D Minor, HWV. 447: Allamande
Suite In D Minor, HWV. 447: Courante
Suite In D Minor, HWV. 447: Sarabande
Suite In D Minor, HWV. 447: Gigue
Fantasia In D Minor, KV 397
Papillons, Op.2
Papillons, Op.2
Papillons, Op.2
Papillons, Op.2
Papillons, Op.2
Papillons, Op.2
Papillons, Op.2
Papillons, Op.2
Papillons, Op.2
Papillons, Op.2
Papillons, Op.2
Papillons, Op.2
Papillons, Op.2
Ballade No.2 In F, Op.38
Moment Musical In B Minor, Op.16 No.3
Moment Musical In E Minor, Op.16 No.4
Moment Musical In D Flat, Op.16 No.5
Moment Musical In C, Op.16 No.6
Lyric Pieces, Book 5: Norwegian March (Gangar), Op.54 No.2

Tracks:

Piano Concerto No.1 In D Flat, Op.10: Allegro brioso
Piano Concerto No.1 In D Flat, Op.10: Andante assai
Piano Concerto No.1 In D Flat, Op.10: Allegro scherzando
Romeo And Juliet, Op.75: National Dance
Romeo And Juliet, Op.75: Balcony Scene
Romeo And Juliet, Op.75: Minuet
Romeo And Juliet, Op.75: Juliet As A Young Girl
Romeo And Juliet, Op.75: Masks
Romeo And Juliet, Op.75: Montagues And Capulets
Romeo And Juliet, Op.75: Friar Laurence
Romeo And Juliet, Op.75: Mercutio
Romeo And Juliet, Op.75: Dance Of The Girls With Lillies
Romeo And Juliet, Op.75: Romeo And Juliet Before Parting
Sonata No.4 In F Sharp, Op.30: Andante
Sonata No.4 In F Sharp, Op.30: Prestissimo volando
Etude In C Sharp Minor, Op.42 No.5
Theme: Andante non tanto
Variation I
Variation II
Variation III: Allegretti
Variation IV: Allegro vivace
Variation V: Andante amoroso
Variation VI: Allegro risoluto
Variation VII: Moderato assai
Variation VIII: Allegro
Variation IX: Alla mazurka
Variation X: Andante non troppo
Variation XI: Allegro brillante
Variation XII
Coda
Islamey

Customer Reviews:

Get ready to be amazed..........2007-02-14

His style may not be for everyone, and sometimes the fingers move fast while the interpretations aren't as deep, but unless you're a pedantic stewed prune, it's hard to deny the sheer thrill of Andrei Gavrilov. He evokes colors like Horowitz, plays with the technical command of Pletnev and the fire of Richter, and still has a very unique, identifiable voice. Maybe he's Pogorelich with a prettier tone(?).

Some of the pieces on here aren't heard often enough in the concert hall, such as the Tchaikovsky Theme and Variations Op. 19 or the Scriabin Etude, which has to be heard here to be believed. Ditto the Balakirev Islamey. Others are warhorses or near-warhorses, such as the Prokofiev 1st Concerto and the Brahms Second Ballade, but in each case Gavrilov gives them a fresh spin, and his way with the Prokofiev is really fiery and special--this may be my favorite recording now, and I'd love to hear him do the Second Concerto. The Mozart K.397 is extraordinary, haunting, a performance so perfect that no other will now do for me, even if it is romanticized. Listen to this and tell me that the "Romantic" movement began with Beethoven (not that I thought it did even before this, but people have a habit of spouting such categorical nonsense.)

These two CDs together make up two thrilling recitals of diverse pieces. Each is a very satisfying concert in itself, complete with a thilling encore.

The sound throughout is excellent. This may be out of print (shelf lives keep getting shorter and shorter; it wasn't all that long ago that I bought it) but it's worth looking for used. Put it on when you want to be dazzled. A lot of people talk about Volodos as Horowitz's heir, but I'll take this guy any day.

You can't go wrong........2006-03-21

I agree with the previous reviewer. This edition is jam-packed with excellent performances by one of the greatest living pianists. Andrei Gavrilov has a very distinctive 'clean' and pure sound that is very easy to appreciate.

Gavrilov's vast repertoire complements his vast technique. Best of all are a gorgeous 5th French Suite of Bach, superb Prokofiev's First Concerto and Romeo and Juliet Suite, the Islamey, and the Scriabin 4th Sonata. My only complaint is that the producers should have swapped the well-played but inherently uninteresting Tchaikovsky Variations (or even the Schumann) for Gavrilov's thrilling but hard-to-find recording of 'La Campanella'.

One of the best in the set.......2005-01-04

'Gavrilov' is my favorite volume in the Great Pianists series, and one of the best volumes among the modern pianists together with 'Sofronitsky' and 'Bolet I'. The Prokofiev concerto is fantastic and the Islamey amazing. The mix of works is very good; there is a wide range of repertoire unlike many other sets in the series which consist barely of Chopin.

Definitely must-have.

I like Gavrilov.......2002-01-09

I like Gavrilov since I heard him played Rachmaninov's stuffs on the EMI red label some years ago. Still today, I like Gavrilov very much for his style, touching and depth. I have many other Gavrilov CDs and this is another great CD showcasing the music spectrum of Gavrilov's music. I fully recommend this one.

richter's great pupil.......2000-08-04

Andrei Gavrilov is evidently one of the few pianists whom actually makes some attempt to play things induvidually, and actually knows what he is doing. When one hears recordings by Richter one hears also how Gavrilov has inherited these skills, particularly in tone, from ppp to fff. His Bach is wonderful, although he doesn't use a great deal of pedal, and his rendition of Islamey is justifiably famous although the piano sounds rather "clunky". There is always a feeling of depth with the works he plays, the Scriabin sonata is one of the best versions I've heard and his Prokofiev 1st Concerto is probably THE most remarkable, he understands wholely Prokofiev's anti-romantic manner, but never overexaggeratating. I would wholely recommend this recording for listeners whom want to hear a contemporary "Great Pianist" whom actually has indivudiality and style.

Average customer rating:

A recital to remember!

Emil Gilels: The Florence Recitals

Manufacturer: Music & Arts Program
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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General | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00005RTDZ
Release Date: 2002-01-22

Tracks:

Sonata In C Minor, K457 No.14b: Allegro (Autograph) Molto Allegro (After Artaria And Gorz)
Sonata In C Minor, K457 No.14b: Adagio
Sonata In C Minor, K457 No.14b: Molto Allegro (Autograph) Allegro Assai (After Artaria And Gorz)
Sonata No.23 In F Minor Op.57: Allegro Assai/Adagio/Piu Allegro
Sonata No.23 In F Minor Op.57: Andante Con Moto
Sonata No.23 In F Minor Op.57: Allegro Ma Non Troppo/Presto
Sonata No.2 Op.14: Allegro, Ma Non Troppo
Sonata No.2 Op.14: Scherzo. Allegro Marcato
Sonata No.2 Op.14: Andante
Sonata No.2 Op.14: Vivace
Moments Musical No.5 In D Flat Major, Op.16
Islamey (Oriental Fantasy)

Customer Reviews:

A recital to remember!.......2006-12-05

Emil Gilels ` s enigmatic and hyper analytical pianism, found the necessary balance with accurate fingering, impressive expressive coldness and bulletproof artistic honesty. This historical recital in Florence will remain as one of his major personal achievements.

Totally recommended.

Legacy, Vol. 5: First Recital in the West

Average customer rating:

Legacy, Vol. 5: First Recital in the West

Manufacturer: Doremi Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00005RGKX
Release Date: 2002-01-08

Tracks:

Sonata In C Minor, K 457: Molto Allegro
Sonata In C Minor, K 457: Adagio
Sonata In C Minor, K 457: Allegro Assai
Sonata In F Minor Op.57, Appassionata: Allegro Assai
Sonata In F Minor Op.57, Appassionata: Andante Con Moto
Sonata In F Minor Op.57, Appassionata: Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Sonata No. 2 In D Minor, Op. 14: Allegro, Ma Non Troppo
Sonata No. 2 In D Minor, Op. 14: Scherzo (Allegro Marcato)
Sonata No. 2 In D Minor, Op. 14: Andante
Sonata No. 2 In D Minor, Op. 14: Vivace
Moment Musical In D Flat, Op.16/5: Adagio Sostenuto
Islamey (Oriental Fantasy)
Recuerdos De Viaje, Op.71/6: Malaguena
Navarra

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When Emil Gilels made his first appearance in the West--in Florence on June 11, 1951--at the height of the Cold War, he must have felt the weight of history riding on his shoulders. He was the first Soviet musician sent to perform for Western audiences since Sergei Prokofiev had been entrusted with a similar mission 30 years earlier. As we can judge from Volume 5 in Doremi's Emil Gilels Legacy series, Gilels rose to the occasion magnificently. He opens Beethoven's "Appassionata" with great (though unexaggerated) pathos and progresses to climaxes of tremendous grandeur. His gale-force tempos in the finale may not scrupulously observe the composer's cautionary "Allegro ma non troppo," but Gilels never shortchanges the music's passion. He accelerates to an even more phenomenal tempo for the "Presto" in the coda, while negotiating it with laser-beam accuracy. The pianist plays the Russian works (by Prokofiev, Rachmaninov, and Balakirev) with his characteristic beauty of sound and magisterial command. Even in the furious onslaught of Islamey, Gilels still manages to make Balakirev's exotic textures luminous, glinting with colors that seem to come from another galaxy. The then 35-year-old pianist was not yet the stylish Mozartean he was to become 20 years later. Nevertheless, he invests each note in Mozart's anguished C Minor Sonata with a wealth of emotion. The result is a magical web of sounds--not authentically Mozartean by current standards, perhaps, but a performance in which the composer's profound humanity is palpable in its tenderness. --Stephen Wigler

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Lang Lang

Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00005QZL8
Release Date: 2002-01-01

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Simon Barere At The Carnegie Hall

Manufacturer: Apr UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Polkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Toccatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000009J02
Release Date: 1995-12-01

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Shura Cherkassky Live, Vol. 3--Encores

Manufacturer: London
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Polkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000E4XQ
Release Date: 1993-10-12

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A Classical Odyssey

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00005AKLM
Release Date: 2001-03-20

Tracks:

Con: Allegro - Kennedy/Albrecht Meyer
Str Qt, Op.18 No.2: Adagio Cantabile - Allegro - Petersen Qt
Dix Pieces Pittoresques: Scherzo - Valse - Naida Cole
Passava Amor Su Arco Desarmado - Andreas Scholl
Nursery Ste: 3 Movts - ECO/Paul Goodwin
Sicilienne - Han-Na Chang
Son: Ricerario Sopra Il Sesto Tuono - Accademia Per Musica/Christoph Timpe
The Magic Flute: Act 1: Der Holle Rache - Natalie Dessay
Ste Populair Bresilienne Mazurka - Norbert Kraft
The Alcotts - Lara Downes
Merry Mount Ste Love Duet - Nashville SO/Kenneth Schermerhorn
Islamey (Exc) - Lang Lang
The Marriage Of Figaro: Act 1: Non So Piu Cosa Son - Susan Graham
Etude-Tableaux in c# - Arcadi Volodos
The Four Seasons 'Spring': Allegro - Giuliano Carmignola

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Sulk/4th Drawer Down [Import]

Mozart: Zauberflöte K620; Symphony No36

Requiem, Opus 34

In Concert [Import]

Northern Star [Import]

Piano Song

Seleccao Do Brasil, Vol. 2: Electronic Brazilian T [Import]

One Night Only [Live]

Missionless Days

Rush [Soundtrack]

No.1 Jazz Album 2004 [Import]

Mais Que Amigos [Import]

Rhapsody

Viktoria Mullova Plays 20th Century Sonatas

Out of the Darkness