Byron Janis 2

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The gold-fingered Byron Janis is often mentioned in the same context as the other young American lions in an era of cold war cultural competition, Van Cliburn and William Kapell. This anthology gives you a good sense of what it was that made Janis in particular so exciting during his vintage years in the early '60s (before the arthritis that derailed his career had struck, and from which he has attempted a recent comeback). Janis had a voracious appetite for taking risks, perhaps a part of the legacy of his one-on-one study with Vladimir Horowitz--but it's a kind of risk taking that is all his own and makes the concertos performed under Kiril Kondrashin (from a famous Moscow concert in 1962) pulse with discovery and excitement. He tears fearlessly into the "martial" finale of the Liszt Concerto No. 1 but also contributes buoyant high spirits. Against much subsequent competition, this account of Prokofiev's Third Piano Concerto--a piece used in the Richard Dreyfuss film The Competition--still amazes for its unerring sense of direction that still finds room for the composer's contradictory moods. Instead of reducing to acidic attitude and motoric machismo, Janis (obviously inspired by the white-hot input from the Moscow Philharmonic and Kondrashin) offers a wealth of textures and colorings, as well as much warmth. A more unabashedly romantic artist is at work in the First Piano Concerto of Rachmaninoff, which gets a dusting off and is presented with passionate conviction--wonderfully complementing Janis's rich account of the more-familiar Second Piano Concerto (listen to how much he packs into his build of the opening parade of sustained chords), where you shouldn't let yourself be off put by some of the strings' frayed intonation. Solo pieces here are a mesmerizing, knock-out early Prokofiev Toccata and a deeply personal bit from a Schumann rarity (the variations from the Piano Sonata No. 3, known as "concerto without orchestra"), which is maddeningly ripped from its context and leaves you aching to hear the work entire. --Thomas May

Tracks:

Vocalise For Orchestra
Rhapsody On A Theme By Paganini - 18th Variation: Rhapsody On A Theme By Paganini - 18th Variation (Excerpt)
Symphony No. 2 in E minor: Symphony No. 2 In E Minor - Adagio
Piano Concerto No. 2 In C Minor: Piano Concerto No. 2 In C Minor - Adagio sostenuto
Prelude In D
Piano Concerto No. 3 In D Minor: Piano Concerto No. 3 In D Minor - Intermezzo (Adagio)
Symphonic Dance: Symphonic Dance - I. Non Allegro (excerpt)
Piano Concerto No. 1 In F - Sharp Minor: Piano Concerto No. 1 In F - Sharp Minor - Andante
Prelude In E-Flat
Piano Concerto No.4 In G Minor: Piano Concerto No.4 In G Minor - Largo
Piano Concerto No. 2 In C Minor: Piano Concerto No. 2 In C Minor - Allegro scherzando (Excerpt)

Customer Reviews:

Tear Time.......2007-05-09

Find your loved one, get some tissue and escape into a world of desire and fantasy. All ages will love this music. Tender, soft, and relaxing with the hint of being alive again.

Donald Lindsey

The Beauty of Rachmaninoff.......2006-11-10

This album contains some of Rachmaninoff's most beautiful and romantic music which should appeal to everyone, even if you're not a classical music fan. The performances are first rate and you may even shed a few tears listening to this very emotional music. These excerpts from some of Rachmaninoff's major works may induce you to want the entire compositions for your collection.

Applause.......2002-03-12

I'll add my applause to these reviews. It's an elegant collection of Rachmaninov pieces. Simply beautiful.

Beautiful.......2001-05-21

If you are a Rachmaninov fan, this CD is a must. Of all the CD's I have of Rachmaninov, this is my favorite. The orchestra's that perform capture the essence of what he composed. It is a beautiful CD guaranteed to please. As the back of the CD states, "Rachmaninov and romance go together like Romeo and Juliet"

Rachmaninoff for Romance.......2000-04-25

I purchased this CD primarily for Trac#2--Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini-18th Variation. I wasn't disapointed! The whole cd is very relaxing and definitly puts you in the mood. I thought the cd would contain only piano music but there are many well-orchestrated and dramatic tracs.

Rachmaninoff: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3

Average customer rating:

The definitive recording
my ears don't lie do they?
Classic!
A very special gifted pianist!
Beautiful recording

Rachmaninoff: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Liszt: The Two Piano Concertos; The Piano Sonata
Rachmaninoff: Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30 / Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23
Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture/Capriccio Italien/Beethoven: Wellington's Victory
Brahms: Concertos for Piano No. 1 & 2, Fantasia Op. 116
Horowitz Plays Rachmaninoff/Concerto for Piano in Dm; Sonata for Piano No2/Vladimir Horowitz, Pianist

ASIN: B0000057LA
Release Date: 1991-11-08

Tracks:

Piano Concerto No. 3 In D Minor, Op. 30: Allegro ma non troppo
Piano Concerto No. 3 In D Minor, Op. 30: Intermezzo: Adagio
Piano Concerto No. 3 In D Minor, Op. 30: Finale: Alla breve
Piano Concerto No. 2 In C Minor, Op. 18: Moderato
Piano Concerto No. 2 In C Minor, Op. 18: Adagio sostenuto
Piano Concerto No. 2 In C Minor, Op. 18: Allegro scherzando
Prelude In E-Flat Major, Op.23, No.6
Prelude In C-Sharp Minor, Op.3, No.2

Amazon.com essential recording

Byron Janis' celebrated recordings of these two concertos have never sounded better than in this new remastering by Mercury's Wilma Cozart Fine. Talk about recordings usually focuses on the artists and composers, and rightly so, but there are some people in the industry whose names you should know, producers and engineers whose work is as artistically excellent as the performers they record. During the late 50s and early 60s the Fines, husband and wife, created a catalog of recordings, which, when all is said and done, is probably title for title the finest in existence. There isn't a single one that isn't worth hearing, and some, like this one, belong in every collection. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

The definitive recording.......2007-07-17

Although this album features two orchestras (LSO and then the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra) the early 1960s Janis-Dorati partnership produced what is arguably the best single piano & orchestra disk in the catalog and a definitive rendition of these two popular concerti.

While the pace is sometimes stately for the big rolling Rachmaninov themes, the passage work is spritely and the overall effect is one of great energy.

The particular benefit of these early 1960s recording is Wilma Cozart's Mercury Living Presence technique which used a single placement of just three microphones (unlike the modern tendency to "mike" every instrument in the orchestra and then adjust balance concerns in re-mixing). This gives the thrill of being at an actual performance (the "living presence" of the orchestra) but without the coughs and other limitations of a concert recording. Indeed, although the CD is reconstructed from original analog tapes, it's hard to imagine that any recording with the best artist in the world could improve on the sound.

In short, if my house was burning down, I'd run back in for this CD.

my ears don't lie do they?.......2006-05-29

I have no reference to compare this recording with, I only have Rachmaninov's 2nd piano concerto played by Richter which I like very much, but I cannot describe what's so good about it.
I don't have enough interest for piano solo or recitals to be able to tell what exactly makes a good pianist (in general and for me personal)
I'm not even sure what I like or not.

Well maybe I like uncomplicated, straightforward piano playing, with a somewhat light, clear touche the best, I'm not that fond of heavy pedal use.
(I like Kempff's Beethoven Concertos with Ferdinand Leitner very much)

But my taste and understanding for piano solo (violin solo as well) has to be developed yet.
For now I'm choosing "uncomplicated playing" as my personal preference...but with not much confidence about it.

These performances by Janis and Dorati are pretty straightforward and I'm pleased that I made a good choice out of many recordings.

Dorati's orchestral accompaniment is forceful, sometimes pretty manic, he constantly breaths in Janis' neck, which is breathtaking.
The sound of the orchestra/recording is close and direct with lots of presence what helpes to get even more involved in the performance.
The performances I heard never gave that sense of commitment in the music Dorati and Janis give.
True, the recording helps a lot and obviously the "old sonics" too...I mean the sound is absolutely fabulous, but you're aware it is an old recording and it does add that bit of authenticity to it.

In Rachmaninov's 2nd concerto I like Richter/Wislocki better, but probably only because of the 1st movement, which is slower - slower than everyone else, for me Richter/Wislocki's tempo feels more natural than Rachmaninov's own and everyone else's faster readings.
Janis/Dorati's Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra however is better than Wislocki's Warsaw Orchestra.

As you noticed I haven't mentioned Byron Janis' playing at all...that's because I simply cannot say anything relevant about it, I have to learn a lot and listen to many pianists to make a valid comment.

The performance itself, as a whole, by Janis and Dorati is excellent, no doubt about it, there must be something seriously wrong with my ears if I am wrong about this.

Classic!.......2006-02-19

Definitely a "must-have" performance in piano concerto category. One of a great recordings sonically. Mostly clean throughout the disc, I heard just a few cracking noises during high energy sections.

A very special gifted pianist!.......2005-07-06

Byron Janis was one of the most prominent American pianists of his generation, headed by William Kapell, Rosalyn Tureck, Leon Fleisher, John Browning and Lorin Hollander.He possessed tune, technique and temperament, the famous three T required to shine in this difficult activity.
Maybe the favorite repertoire did not fill the future expectations of new audiences after the sixties. The new tendencies of the Sixties shaped new searches: the Russian repertoire had been reassigned to three magnificent pianists from the USSR: Emil Gilels, Sviatoslav Richter and Vladimir Ashkenazy. The impressive number of Piano Festivals all around the world turned out the attention of new audiences, avid to meet the new talents: precisely The Busoni competition allowed to young promises as Marta Argerich to get a place, but also worked out positively for many European artists as Alfred Brendel, Walter Klien, John Lill, John Ogdon, who triumphed in Tchaikovsky Competition.
The special interest for the Russian music, decayed in that decade. Mahler, Shostakovich, Nielsen, ascended in the musical taste and the piano music of Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms and Schubert remained for small audiences in Europe, but not in USA . There was a huge interest for the new compositions, so Bartok, Schoenberg, Messiaen, Copland and even Brahms held the attention, but the orchestral sound prevailed over the Hall Concerts. The European invasion and the new names from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, shadowed many emerging figures.
That's why the new generation of pianists (with the exception of two true icons in the American pianism as Rosalyn Tureck and Earl Wild) as David Dubal, Gerard Robbins, Paul Jacobs, Raymond Lewenthal, Jerome Rose, Adrian Ruiz and Ursula Oppenheimer decided to play Reinecke, Copland, Busoni, Alkan and Liszt.
In other words the lack of perception of the new musical tendencies, plus the sudden decay of new directors established the difference and the artistic surviving for many gifted pianists, far beyond the personal disgrace of Fleisher.
However this recording will become a true historical reference for the future generations.

Beautiful recording.......2005-04-19

What can I say about this CD that's not already said? I totally agree with all the comments expressed here by all the reviewers.

In all my 50 years, I never knew piano music could be so rich, evocative and inspiring. This is one discovery that came so late but nevertheless so wonderfully fulfilling and satisfying in my enjoyment of music over a lifetime. I can truly say that this music has enriched my life and came at a time when life seems to be coming to a close, at least as I perceived it for myself. Imagine, such music created nearly fifty years ago still sound so fresh and beautiful that it can touch, move and inspire us even now, after all the years! I encourage music lovers everywhere, especially of classical music, to get hold of this CD and listen to it at least once in their lifetime. You may experience the same sense of joy and wonder as I have. Also, as far as possible, try to listen to it on a high-end high-fidelity audio system. This will definitely give a clearer and more detailed insight, `revelation' into the music, making it that so much more enjoyable.

If Byron Janis was a student of Vladmir Horowitz, then I must say that in this instance, the disciple has truly excelled above and beyond that of the master (as chinese sayings go). In comparison to the Horowitz/Reiner/RCA/1951 recording which some described as the definitive and ultimate interpretation of the Rachmaninoff Third, I find that the latter much less emotionally involving and satisfying. In my opinion, many things in the latter - the seemingly `missing' orchestration (overwhelmed by the forceful pianist maybe), the `plonky' and `banging' piano tone in many instances, the relatively `cold' technical rendition, poor mono recording with thin and reedy sounds overall etc - make it inferior by far. The only other worthy contender, which even comes close to this by Byron Janis, is the Martha Argerich/ Kondrasin/Bavarian RSO/Philips/1980 recording.

So don't hesitate, go get the SACD version of this CD now and enjoy....

Average customer rating:

The Best
Buy This Now!!!!

Rachmaninoff for Relaxation

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Debussy for Relaxation
Chopin For Relaxation
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ASIN: B00005KCGZ
Release Date: 2001-06-19

Tracks:

Rhap On A Theme Of Paganini, Op.43: Var 18 - Dmitri Alexeev
Sym No.2 in e, Op.27: III. Adagio - The Philadelphia Orch/Eugene Ormandy
Prld in G, Op.32 No.5 - Alexis Weissenberg
Vocalise, Op.34 No.14 - Anna Moffo
Prld in F - Mikhail Kazakevich
Prld in D, Op.23 No.4 - Barry Douglas
Prld in E-flat, Op.23 No.6 - Barry Douglas
Vc Con in g, Op.19: III. Andante - Janos Starker/Shigeo Neriki
It's Peaceful Here, Op.21 No.7 - Vladimir Spivakov/Sergei Bezrodny
Pno On No.1 in f#, Op.1: II. Andante - Byron Janis
Pno Con No.2 in c, Op.18: II. Adagio Sostenuto - Barry Douglas

Customer Reviews:

The Best.......2002-08-31

I thought this was so good, especially tracks 8 thru 11 that I bought copies for my six siblings.

Buy This Now!!!!.......2001-09-07

This is a beautiful work by the master composer Rachmaninoff. I have been a fan of his work, but when I heard this recording it nearly blew me away. Listen to Vocalise - the beauty of this track is what sold me on the rest of the album.

Rachmaninoff: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3 [Hybrid SACD]

Average customer rating:

Excellent performances in SACD format
A terrific trip back into the Mercury Living Presence vaults

Rachmaninoff: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3 [Hybrid SACD]

Manufacturer: Mercury
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Stravinsky: The Firebird (Complete Ballet); Fireworks [Hybrid SACD]
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3; Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 1 [Hybrid SACD]
Dvorák Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104; Bruch Kol Nidrei; Tchaikovsky Variations on a Rococo Theme / Dorati, Starker, London Symphony Orchestra (3-Channel and Stereo Hybrid SACD)
Bach: The Four Great Toccatas and Fugues [SACD]
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade; Stravinsky: Song of the Nightingale [Hybrid SACD]

ASIN: B0000DC15K
Release Date: 2004-10-12

Customer Reviews:

Excellent performances in SACD format.......2007-07-09

These are outstanding performances, with SACD helping to reveal more of the original LPs breathtaking analog sound.
The original reviewer needs no help in answering the comment, but it does remind me of people who throw a gasket when they spot sediment in their wine. For two decades enologists were taught to do all sorts of things to produce a stable clear product. And the wines ended up stripped and denuded, with little aroma and less flavor. But they could sit on store shelves in the direct sunlight and not go bad. (Not that it mattered.) Only in the last couple decades has this insanity been - grudgingly by the monied interests who view wine as just a variety of alcohol - turned around.
You can filter the life out of music, too, or you can present it unfiltered. The choice is yours. Tape hiss CAN be too high, but not always. The trick is finding a liveable balance, and not throwing the baby out with the bath water. Attempting to remove everything flattens out the particulars. And hiss exists for the good reason that clarinets sound astonishingly airy and beautiful when not doblyied and digitalized to death - practically any stereo Enoch Light LP reveals vastly better, life-like clarinets than anything DG has EVER done; yet such old-fashioned recordings are in too many circles today looked down on as crude and hoplessly antideluvian.
Modern digital DG recording, as mentioned in the comment, may be uncompressed, which can be quite exciting, but that's not always helpful, especially when you the listener constantly adjust the volume when noise levels shoot up and down like a yo-yo. (See the opening of the Boulez Mahler 1st, for example.)
Modern digital recordings are incredibly convenient, but they've still a long way to go, even in the SACD format, before they produce sounds as listenable as the best of long ago. Certain companies do a wonderful job, and produce very musical and natural recordings. But far too often it's like comparing soft cotton (analog) to sandpaper (digital). And let's not even go near IPODs!

A terrific trip back into the Mercury Living Presence vaults.......2004-11-24

Some good things - REALLY good things - are happening with the advent of the hybrid SACD (which I believe to be the long-term medium of choice for classical music lovers). BMG has gone back into its early-stereo-days vaults for some treasures (initially, 10 releases) from the beginnings of the Living Stereo days. And now Decca/Philips has done likewise with the Mercury Living Presence vaults. This Byron Janis/Antal Dorati Rachmaninoff collection (one of approximately six such Mercury Living Presence hybrid SACDs released so far) is as good as it gets for fans of Sergei Rachmaninoff's piano concerti.

Rachmaninoff wrote four concerti for the instrument, but the middle two, as on this release, are by far the best known (and best loved) of the four. For many years, the 2nd Piano Concerto, largely thanks to its "Full Moon and Empty Arms" theme in the final movement, was more popular with audiences and listeners than the 3rd. But, thanks largely to the dramatized travails of the Australian pianist David Helfgott in the movie "Shine," the race, as it were, is much closer. The 3rd definitely places much higher technical demands on the soloist, and in any event has always been my preference of the two.

Byron Janis, at his prime (as he is in these performances), was one of the finest pianists of his generation. (If the latest generation of classical music listeners is unfamiliar with his abilities, it certainly isn't due to the magnificent support that the Mercury label provided for him through most of those years. More likely, the unfamiliarity is due to a very steep decline in his concertizing activities once he was stricken with psoriatic arthritis in the early '70s.) A prodigious technician, Janis was also able to infuse his playing with finely-honed lyricism when called for; he was definitely not a subscriber to today's "Bang Bang" (or "Clang Clang" if you will) school of pianism. (Interestingly, he was the first private student that Vladimir Horowitz took on [and Horowitz only had a few such students]. While he undoubtedly learned well from Horowitz, I believe that his ability to combine technical prowess with lyricism was innate.)

I don't know that there are any better performances of these two popular works. I've heard many (and own a bunch of those I've heard), but when I noticed that Decca/Philips included these performances in their initial hybrid SACD release package, I scarfed up this disc in a heartbeat. The sound, even in just the "redbook" CD layer, is literally like "being there," thanks to the magnificent job that the engineers have done in transferring the master tapes to this new medium. To my ears, it is as if the sessions had been taped last week. To your ears, perhaps, you'll be satisfied that the recording quality lacks nothing as compared with current releases.

Dorati gives Janis warmly detailed and wonderfully played support, from both the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra (now the Minnesota Orchestra) in the 2nd concerto and the London Symphony Orchestra in the 3rd concerto. Remarkably, there is no discernible difference in either the orchestras' abilities (a tribute to Dorati) or the ambient sound (a tribute to the skilled Mercury team, led by Bob Fine and Wilma Cozart Fine). I could only detect that the LSO had its violas in front of the cellos on the right, and in their more usual seating for the Minneapolis sessions. Beyond that, I doubt anyone could tell the difference.

The album is nicely rounded out with two Rachmaninoff preludes, including the famous Prelude in C-sharp Minor.

The booklet, save for technical updates describing the transfer-to-SACD process and an update on Janis's activities to the present, faithfully duplicates the original text and artwork. The text includes a perceptive essay on the concerti by Arthur Loesser, who had been, as a youth, at the world premiere performance of the 3rd Piano Concerto when Rachmaninoff performed it in New York in 1909, with Walter Damrosch conducting the New York Symphony Orchestra. Within a week, give or take, Rachmaninoff again performed it in New York, this time with the New York Philharmonic led by Gustav Mahler (an event well-documented in Mahler anecdote history by virtue of the pains that Mahler took in preparing the orchestra while Rachmaninoff waited patiently). Loesser's notes suggest that he only attended the Damrosch-led performance, and not the Mahler-led one. I dare say, had it been my allowance, I know which one I'd pick.

I also dare say that, if you pick these Janis/Dorati performances, you won't be disappointed.

Bob Zeidler

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3; Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 1 [Hybrid SACD]

Average customer rating:

Sunny

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3; Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 1 [Hybrid SACD]

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Toccatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Dvorák Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104; Bruch Kol Nidrei; Tchaikovsky Variations on a Rococo Theme / Dorati, Starker, London Symphony Orchestra (3-Channel and Stereo Hybrid SACD)
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3 [Hybrid SACD]
Stravinsky: The Firebird (Complete Ballet); Fireworks [Hybrid SACD]
Enesco: Roumanian Rhapsody No. 1; Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsodies Nos. 1-6 [Hybrid SACD]
Janos Starker: Cello Concertos of Schumann, Lalo, Saint-Saëns [Hybrid SACD]

ASIN: B0007YP0UE
Release Date: 2005-05-10

Tracks:

I. Andante-Allegro
II. Tema Con Variazione
III. Allegro Ma Non Troppo
I. Vivace
II. Andante
III. Allegro Vivace
Toccata
Variations On A Theme By Clara Wieck ('Quasi Variazioni')
Song Without Words, Op.62, No.1
I. Run, Run
II. March
III. Hobby-Horse

Customer Reviews:

Sunny.......2007-02-05

I consider myself supremely unqualified to rate any musical item. I am more than happy to criticize literature. Ironically, I have a degree in music and no such thing in literature. But, then again, my literature professor never smacked my hands with a ruler and told me to stop despoiling his piano with my clumsy touch. I wonder if there was anyway to write that last sentence without the suggestion of piano-human sex.

So take this with the salt it deserves--this album is top-notch.

There is something about Janis's playing that I can't put my finger on: somehow, no matter the piece, there is a feeling of cheerfulness. One would expect this in the Prokofiev, but we find it even in the melancholy Rachmaninoff, even slivers of it in the morose Schumann excerpt. It's no cause for complaint: one still gets all the emotion these works deserve. Somehow, still, everything seems so bright and sunny in Janis's hands.

His playing is above any criticism.

This is, perhaps, not my favorite recording of the Rach 1, but that may simply be because I'm used to a more somber sound. Nonetheless, it is a remarkable rendition, clear as a bell. The Prokofiev 3rd is breathtaking, the typical sarcasm and snide humor of the composer.

The Op. 11 Tocatta must be heard to be believed.

The Pinto pieces are charming little bits of dessert.

My only complaint, and this goes not to Janis, is that the album is somewhat old and thus suffers from a kind of dusty grain in the sound. That detracts not a bit from the music itself, however.

Average customer rating:

RUN - not walk - to pick this up!!
From the sublime to the merely good.
Meh...
In spite of...
Great Piano Concerto Collection

Favourite Piano Concertos, Vol.1

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0000069CV
Release Date: 1998-03-17

Tracks:

Concerto No. 21 In C, KV 467 (Elvira Madigan): 1. Allegro
Concerto No. 21 In C, KV 467 (Elvira Madigan): Andante
Concerto No. 21 In C, KV 467 (Elvira Madigan): Allegro vivace assai
Concerto No. 2 In F Minor, Op. 21: Maestoso
Concerto No. 2 In F Minor, Op. 21: Larghetto
Concerto No. 2 In F Minor, Op. 21: Allegro vivace
Concerto No. 1 In E Flat, S. 124: Allegro maestoso - Liszt
Concerto No. 1 In E Flat, S. 124: Quasi adagio - Liszt
Concerto No. 1 In E Flat, S. 124: Allegretto vivace - Allegro animato
Concerto No. 1 In E Flat, S. 124: Allegro marziale animato - Liszt

Tracks:

Concerto No. 5 in E flat, Op. 73 < >: Allegro
Concerto No. 5 in E flat, Op. 73 < >: Adagio un poco mosso
Concerto No. 5 in E flat, Op. 73 < >: Rondo. Allegro
Concerto symphonique No. 4, Op. 102: Scherzo
Concerto No. 2 In C Minor, Op. 18: Moderato
Concerto No. 2 In C Minor, Op. 18: Adagio sostenuto
Concerto No. 2 In C Minor, Op. 18: Allegro scherzando

Customer Reviews:

RUN - not walk - to pick this up!!.......2006-10-30

I purchased this CD set on eBay for less than $2 some time ago. Reviews here on Amazon are usually written by people who buy the CD from Amazon, but this set has brought me so much pleasure that I am obliged to - nay, MUST - write a review here to spread the word. :)

I have been a classical aficionado for the last 6 years or so, and have to date accumulated a collection of >150 classical CDs. Artistic merit aside, I am picky about recorded quality; most of my listening is done through headphones (AKG k501), so poor sound quality in a CD is a big no-no for me.

I'll get sound quality out of the way first then - the SQ on this set varies from good to excellent. Sometimes the miking may come across as a little too warm (Rachmaninov) or a wee bit hollow sounding (Chopin), but there is nothing major to complain about here. There is a spot of easily noticed distortion in the first 10 seconds of the Emperor (more on that later).

I originally purchased this set for just one performance in particular - Clara Haskil's Chopin #2. This particular performance has been out of print for some time and was last available as part of an exorbitantly priced set (Clara Haskil: Legacy) that is now impossible to find.

In a nutshell, Haskil's performance alone is worth the full price of the entire set. The playing in the 2nd movement is absolutely magical - Haskil interprets Chopin with a delicacy and refinement that is difficult to put into words. Her playing brings to mind something my old piano teacher once told me - "Anyone can play Chopin, but few can play Chopin well". The way the solo melodic line is strung together at ~41 seconds into the 2nd movement will send shivers down your spine. Beauty too rich for use / for earth too dear, indeed.

But wait - there's more!

Imagine my surprise when another of the performances in this set turned out to be a 'sleeper hit': Brendel's Beethoven #5 ("Emperor"). I quickly grew to prefer Brendel's Emperor over my 'reference' recording - Pollini with Abbado (part of a very expensive DG 3CD set!). Brendel plays with more emotion and warmth - his Emperor comes off as truly majestic when compared to Abbado, who comes off as a little more magisterial and cold. There is a spot of piano clatter about 10 seconds into the first movement, but it is nothing major and certainly does not detract from the beautiful playing that follows.

Unfortunately Brendel's Elvira Madigan comes across as faaaaar tooooo slooooowwwww (for my taste). The playing is mannered, and there is none of the wiry elegance that should (in my opinion) characterise interpretations of music written during the Classical period. I much prefer my Pires with Abbado on DG for this concerto.

Janis's Rachmaninov #2 is worth a mention as well. Tape hiss on this recording is noticeable on headphones, but not overly prominent. There are few options for the Rach 2nd nowadays - Ashkenazy's warhorse is the usual (and nearly unanimous) recommendation.

Byron Janis was (in?)famous due to his being one of Vladimir Horowitz's two 'officially' recognised pupils, yet I find little Horowitz in this interpretation. There is none of the bravado and bold impulsiveness that characterised Horowitz's earlier work, no awkward mannerisms that characterised his middle work and none of the introspectiveness and coolness that characterised his late work.

What you will get instead is a well-measured and 'polite' Rach #2 with rather melancholy overtones, I find. Certainly a viable alternative to the Ashkenazy mentioned earlier, but a choice subject to personal taste. I prefer my own copy on Naxos by Jando.

I am not familiar with the Litolff and the Liszt, so I shall reserve comment on their respective readings. They are both well recorded though - warm and expansive.

From the sublime to the merely good........2006-04-27

This collection is an absolute steal. Three of the concerto recordings are unsurpassed. The Haskil Chopin is legendary, Richter's Liszt is colossal and Janis's Rachmaninoff is absolutely formidable. Brendel's recordings of Mozart and Beethoven are on a lesser level of achievement, but never less than good.

It should be noted that the Liszt and Rachmaninoff are Mercury Living Presence recordings, and if you've never heard a recording with only 3 well-placed mics, they do sound different from the usual 25-plus microphone recordings we are usually blessed (cursed) with.

At this price, one of the absolute CD bargains of all time.

Meh..........2006-03-28

This collection serves as a descent introduction to some great piano concertos, but the performances are not the best and the recording quality of most of them leaves much to be desired for me. I learned my lesson with regards to the 'best of' classical collections. Personally I'd rather have gotten great recordings of great performances of great classical pieces for a little more money.

In spite of..........2005-06-21

The problem with a heterogeneous collection like this one is that you may like some of the concertos, but not all. I have never found any better recording of Chopin's 2nd concerto than the one with Haskil/Markevitch, so this alone is worth the price, hence my five stars - only for that one! Brendel on Mozart's 21st is also one of many nice accounts. The others are not good enough, if you ask me. Chopin's 2nd by Haskil/Markevitch carries the stars; it is pure magic!

Great Piano Concerto Collection.......2003-07-03

Back in the days before I became a serious collector of classical music, I had this title. What a wonderful introduction it was for me, and if all you are looking for is some first rate performances of some of the best loved Piano Concertos ever written, then this disc is for you. Of course, I no longer own this CD, but I still have all of the individual performances (save the Litolff by Dichter/Marriner) on more comprehensive collections -- the Mozart on the Philips Duo of the "Great Mozart Piano Concertos" featuring Brendel and Marriner, the Chopin on the now o.o.p. Clara Haskil Legacy Vol. 2, the Liszt on a recently reissued Philips 50 title, the Beethoven on the new 3CD Universal Trio collection, and the Rach 2 on good old Mercury Living Presence -- and they are still among my favorites. If you buy this set, just be prepared to upgrade like I did.

Average customer rating:

A dyspeptic program done with the utmost orchestral polish
A must for every music lover
The essential Isle of the Dead
Classic recording! Maybe one day in surround stereo?
One great LivingStereo R C A

Reiner Sound

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Pavanes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
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Vienna
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 7 / Reiner
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade; Stravinsky: Song of the Nightingale [Hybrid SACD]
Respighi: Pines of Rome, etc
Rossini: Overtures

ASIN: B000003FAX
Release Date: 1993-03-09

Tracks:

Rapsodie espagnole: Prelude la nuit
Rapsodie espagnole: Malague
Rapsodie espagnole: Habanera
Rapsodie espagnole: Feria
Pavan For A Dead Princess
Totentanz (Byron Janis,Piano)
Invitation For The Dance
Isle Of The Dead, Op. 29

Customer Reviews:

A dyspeptic program done with the utmost orchestral polish.......2006-01-17

Reiner looks unusually dyspeptic, even for him, on the cover of this smorgasbord CD. Maybe it's the musical menu that got to him. Ravel, Liszt, and Rachmaninov is like a dinner of cotton candy, spicy goulash, and embalming fluid. These recordings from 1957-59 sound miraculous--it's the Living Stereo sonics rather than the bogus "Reiner Sound" that should be the title.

The best thing here is at the beginning. Ravel can sound slithery and glib, but not in Reiner's hands. He make Rhapsodie Espagnole and Pavane for a Dead Princess move along to a steady beat, and because of the CSO's immaculate precision, the result is wonderful Ravel for those who avoid Ravel. Five stars.

After that, there's not much to say. Liszt's Totentanz, a quasi-piano concerto based on the Dies Irae, is out-and-out claptrap, here played within an inch of its life by Byron Janis. Weber's Invitation to the Dance sits weirdly in this mix; it is given a highly polished but not very happy reading. The ultimate sonic blockbuster here is the gloomy Rachmaninov Isle of the Dead, which sounds like Tchaikovsky on downers. Even so, Reiner's forthright conducting, which refuses to succumb to the vapors, plus RCA's stellar sound, saves the day. Five stars.

In all, this hodgepdge was clearly an excuse to throw together some Reiner recordings that didn't fit anywhere else. I would recommend listening one piece at a time rather than trying to digest the whole thing. Or use it as a stereo demonstration record, in which case the actual musical content doesn't matter.

A must for every music lover.......2005-08-30

Fritz Reiner has never let me down. A minimalist leaving the music to speak for itself. All pieces of this great CD are amazing, though my favourite is the "Totentanz". Byron Janis, passionate as always, gives the reading of a lifetime. The "Isle" is great too, among the very best I have heard, though the sound is not always supporting the music making - especially before the first climax. As an alternative I would go with Askhenazy (Decca). Still a must....

The essential Isle of the Dead .......2005-01-19

For those of you who think Rachmaninoff is a superficial composer, this is the CD for you. Reiner's Isle of the Dead spoils you for any other - listening to another performance you can't help but begin thinking how it falls short. Long before George Solti, Reiner whipped the Chicago Symphony - often, apparently, through sheer terror - into an orchestra that was second to none, with many of its most phenomenal performances documented by RCA in recordings whose sound, even though they date back the dawn of the stereo age, surpasses most CD's issued today. From its opening measures, Reiner's performance of Isle of the Dead grabs you by the throat and never lets go.

Classic recording! Maybe one day in surround stereo?.......2003-03-27

The master tapes are getting long in the tooth in the old RCA vaults, but this recording still shines. I own it on first release vinyl--and playing it is the auditory equivalent of opening a really good wine. The LP preserves the sound of the original master tape back when it was newly made, but it's great to have it on CD to play more often.

The original Living Stereo master tapes were three-channel: left, right and an ambient channel to capture the sonics of the performance space. It would be great, when a multi-channel music audio format becomes commercially viable, for BMG to remaster the Living Stereo series in three-channel form (and at a 24-bit or higher uncompressed sampling rate).

It would probably take an engineer as talented as Lewis Layton to remaster these classics correctly, but it would be worth it: Living Stereo in surround stereo could really put you in the middle of the concert hall, which was Living Stereo's inherent promise all along.

One great LivingStereo R C A.......2003-03-04

This cd contains top recordings (well, nearly peerless) of Island of the dead by Racmaninov, especially in great sound and style,-not surprisingly Mohr and Layton impressive production job. It is known for quite a long time as audiophile's favourite and truly deserves the praise it has received for years in the hifi press;the sonics are amazing and the Chicago Orchestra could be compared to the best orchestras from Europe. F.Reiner stands on high heels with a devastatingly beautiful Pavane, from Ravel;the Spanish Rhapsody reveals a richly textured atmosphere.

Average customer rating:

Amazing Recordings
This recording smokes

Byron Janis 2

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Toccatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Byron Janis
Shura Cherkassky
Leopold Godowsky
Great Pianists (series) - Ignaz Friedman plays Beethoven, Chopin, Hummel, Mendelssohn, etc.
Andrei Gavrilov

ASIN: B00000JNQ5
Release Date: 1999-07-20

Tracks:

Piano Concerto No. 1 In E flat: 1. Allegro Maestoso
Piano Concerto No. 1 In E flat: 2. Quasi Adagio - Allegretto Vivace - Allegro Animato
Piano Concerto No. 1 In E flat: 3. Allegro Marziale Animato
Piano Concerto No. 1 In F Sharp Minor, Op. 1: 1. Vivace
Piano Concerto No. 1 In F Sharp Minor, Op. 1: 2. Andante
Piano Concerto No. 1 In F Sharp Minor, Op. 1: 3. Allegro Vivace
Piano Concerto No. 3 In C, Op. 26: 1. Andante - Allegro
Piano Concerto No. 3 In. C, Op. 26: 2. Tema Con Variazioni
Piano Concerto No. 3 In C, Op. 26: 3. Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Toccata, Op. 11

Tracks:

Piano Concerto No. 2 In C Minor, Op. 18: 1. Moderato
Piano Concerto No. 2 In C Minor, Op. 18: 2. Adagio Sostenuto
Piano Concerto No. 2 In C Minor, Op. 18: 3. Allegro Scherzando
Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 14 'Concerto without Orchestra': 3. Quasi Variazioni (Variations On A Theme By Clara Wieck)
3 Romanzen, Op. 28: No. 2 In F Sharp
Piano Concerto No. 1 In B Flat Minor, Op. 23: 1. Allegro Non Troppo E Molto Maestoso - Allegro Con Spirito
Piano Concerto No. 1 In B Flat Minor, Op. 23: 2. Andantino Semplice - Prestissimo - Tempo I
Piano Concerto No. 1 In B Flat Minor, Op. 23: 3. Allegro Con Fuoco

Amazon.com

The gold-fingered Byron Janis is often mentioned in the same context as the other young American lions in an era of cold war cultural competition, Van Cliburn and William Kapell. This anthology gives you a good sense of what it was that made Janis in particular so exciting during his vintage years in the early '60s (before the arthritis that derailed his career had struck, and from which he has attempted a recent comeback). Janis had a voracious appetite for taking risks, perhaps a part of the legacy of his one-on-one study with Vladimir Horowitz--but it's a kind of risk taking that is all his own and makes the concertos performed under Kiril Kondrashin (from a famous Moscow concert in 1962) pulse with discovery and excitement. He tears fearlessly into the "martial" finale of the Liszt Concerto No. 1 but also contributes buoyant high spirits. Against much subsequent competition, this account of Prokofiev's Third Piano Concerto--a piece used in the Richard Dreyfuss film The Competition--still amazes for its unerring sense of direction that still finds room for the composer's contradictory moods. Instead of reducing to acidic attitude and motoric machismo, Janis (obviously inspired by the white-hot input from the Moscow Philharmonic and Kondrashin) offers a wealth of textures and colorings, as well as much warmth. A more unabashedly romantic artist is at work in the First Piano Concerto of Rachmaninoff, which gets a dusting off and is presented with passionate conviction--wonderfully complementing Janis's rich account of the more-familiar Second Piano Concerto (listen to how much he packs into his build of the opening parade of sustained chords), where you shouldn't let yourself be off put by some of the strings' frayed intonation. Solo pieces here are a mesmerizing, knock-out early Prokofiev Toccata and a deeply personal bit from a Schumann rarity (the variations from the Piano Sonata No. 3, known as "concerto without orchestra"), which is maddeningly ripped from its context and leaves you aching to hear the work entire. --Thomas May

Customer Reviews:

Amazing Recordings.......2001-01-07

This entire cd is amazing. Janis is widely underated but his Liszt is some of the best out there. Along with Earl Wild and John McArthur I rank him among the best performers of Franz's work. This cd will not disapoint.

This recording smokes.......1999-11-09

This is an outstanding set in an outstanding series. Janis is a terribly underrated and somewhat forgotten pianist. His technique is superb, but his sense of the music is always sure. He plays withe great energy and passion and conveys the overall shape of many of these concertos very well. Particularly outstanding is his performance of the Prokofiev 3. Despite the power, and the speed, this work is clearly going somewhere. I listened to it on headphones and my ears were smoking by the last note. I imagine that the piano took quite a beating as well. This is a recording which even the most jaded listeners to Russian concerto works will appreciate.

Average customer rating:

Dazzling & Mature Performance!!
Brilliant!
THE BEST INTERPRETATION

Liszt: Piano Concertos

Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Schumann: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54; Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat Major, Op. 23
Byron Janis, True Romantic - Liszt, Chopin
Marches and Overtures
Fennell Conducts Porter & Gershwin
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3

ASIN: B0000057KK
Release Date: 1990-09-12

Tracks:

Piano Concerto No. 1 In E flat: Allegro maesto
Piano Concerto No. 1 In E flat: Quasi Adagio; Allgegretto vivace; Allegro animato
Piano Concerto No. 1 In E flat: Allegro marziale animato
Piano Concerto No. 2 In A: Adagio sostenuto assai
Piano Concerto No. 2 In A: Allegro agitato assai
Piano Concerto No. 2 In A: Allegro moderato
Piano Concerto No. 2 In A: Allegro deciso
Piano Concerto No. 2 In A: Marziale un poco meno allegro
Piano Concerto No. 2 In A: Allegro animato
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6
Valse oubliee
Schumann: Romance in F sharp
Novellette in F
Falla: The Miller's Dance
Liszt: Sonetto del Petrarco CIV
Guion: The Harmonica Player

Amazon.com

Byron Janis was a pupil of Vladimir Horowitz, and one of the most exciting pianists of his generation. Like his colleague and contemporary, Van Cliburn, he burned out after a brief but brilliant career, much of which was, fortunately, documented in a stunning series of recordings produced by Mercury Living Presence. They are some of the greatest piano discs ever made, and they are all now available on CD. Mercury was the first American label to actually record in the Soviet Union, and these performances of the Liszt piano concertos are one of the few serious rivals to Sviatoslav Richter's famous Philips versions. If you love this music, you'll want both. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Dazzling & Mature Performance!!.......2007-03-12

The dazzling 1962 Moscow Live perffromance of the two Liszt Concertos by Byron Janis, recorded at the hight of his career, is probably the most technically and artistically accomplished among all of his commercial recordings with RCA & Philips. Not a stir from the crowd, you can tell the hushed silence of awe-struck audience.

Both concertos display his maturity as an artist, super-fine tonal delicacy and titanic virtuosity coupled with depth of sound, and may well match Richter's 50 & 60s live performances.

Kondrashin and Rhozdestwensky gives equally outstanding contribution with the orchestras. The stereo sound is vividly alive and warm, with wide dynamic range. Must for anyone who seek serious pianism in highest order.

Brilliant!.......2000-12-29

Byron Janis's approach to the First and Second Concertos are excellent. His interpretation was unlike any other recording or artist I had ever heard. The third movement of the First Concerto was especially exhillarating. When I heard it, I got an adrenaline rush. His touch is amazing; he can make the instrument sing, thunder, crash, or bounce lightly. His mastery is an excellent model for any serious piano student. If you are thinking of buying this CD, I highly recommend it!

THE BEST INTERPRETATION.......1999-01-14

This piece has never had such a bold, broad, and powerful, yet amazingly sensitive performance. It overwhelmed me the first time I heard it, with it's opening chords. One feels a great amount of power and confidence(though that may not have been how Mr. Janis felt during the performance.) Soon with the sensitive scales perfected with elegance, the listners is amazed at such control of the pianist. Throughout the performance, Mr. Janis embraces the audience with magical sounds, leading us all in a whole new adventure.

Average customer rating:

Sensitive Piano Playing
He will steal your heart

Byron Janis Plays Chopin

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Mazurkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
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Byron Janis

ASIN: B000002RX0
Release Date: 1996-09-10

Tracks:

Mazurka in G minor, Op. 24 No.1: Mazurka in G minor, Op. 24 No. 1
Nocturne in E flat major, Op. 55 N0. 2: Nocturne in E flat major, Op. 55 No. 2
Mazurka in C major, Op. 56 No. 2
Mazurka in F minor, Op. 63 No. 2
Nocturne in B major, Op. 32 No. 1
Mazurka in A minor, Op. 67 No. 4
Waltz in A minor, Op. 34 No. 2
Nocturne in E major, Op. 62 No. 2
Mazurka in B flat minor, Op. 24 No. 4
Mazurka in C sharp minor, Op. 30 No. 4
Nocturne in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 1
Nocturne in F sharp major, Op. 15 No. 2
Waltz in A flat major, Op. 69 No. 1
Nocturne in D flat major, Op. 27 No. 2
Waltz in G flat major, Op. 70 No. 1

Amazon.com

This disc marked the return of Byron Janis to recordings after more than two decades. His career was curtailed by arthritis, but he can still play short recitals and he decided to try recording again after a long absence. Those who followed Janis's career will notice the absence of any of Chopin's more virtuosic music from this program, a bit surprising because he made his reputation with the most difficult music in the repertoire. As if expression had been pent up in him for decades, he goes musically out to the edge in these works, taking lots of chances and risking excess. His chances and risks work, at least for this listener; I find the disc full of insight and beauty. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Sensitive Piano Playing.......2005-02-15

this is piano playing like one does not usually hear today. Byron Janis was one of the most outstanding pianists when I was a young man.Stricken with arthritis in the early 1970s he did not record again until this CD was done in 1996. The playing is absolutely marvelous, sensitive, and he does not bang at the piano like so many of the modern sensational pianists do. I own several recordings of these Nocturnes, Mazurkas, and Waltz,and I find myself coming back to this recording over and over again.

I highly recommend this CD to anyone who loves Chopin's piano music. You won't go wrong.

He will steal your heart.......2001-02-14

Byron's interpretations on this disc are on such a high level that this would need to be placed in the category of "Connoisseurs' Chopin by a Connoisseurs' Pianist". Horowitz, move over. ...

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