Falla: El Amor Brujo; Sombrero de tres picos; Noches en los jardines de España

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Spanish critics have long hailed Gonzalo Soriano's two recordings of Nights in the Gardens of Spain--this one from 1962 and an earlier effort with Ataulfo Argenta--as among the finest readings of the score ever committed to disc. It's easy to see why. Soriano brings to bear a conception that is firm, detailed, and energetic and plays the piece with real flair. His partner on the podium, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, only 28 years old when the recording was made, sparks a magnificent account from the Paris Conservatory Orchestra: masculine, evocative, and glowingly ardent despite occasional problems with intonation in the horns and low strings. For this most impressionistic of Falla's scores, it's an ideal sound. The companion pieces, Falla's El Amor Brujo and a suite from The Three-Cornered Hat (not the complete ballet), are masterfully rendered by Carlo Maria Giulini and the Philharmonia Orchestra. --Ted Libbey

Tracks:

Love The Magician: Introduction And Scene... In The Cave
Love The Magician: Song Of Suffering Love
Love The Magician: The Spectre... Dance Of Fear
Love The Magician: Magic Circle... Midnight
Love The Magician: Ritual Fire Dance
Love The Magician: Scene
Love The Magician: Song Of The Will-O'-The-Wisp
Love The Magician: Pantomime
Love The Magician: Dance Of The Game Of Love
Love The Magician: Finale: The Bells Of Dawn
Harpsichord Concerto: I. Allegro
Harpsichord Concerto: II. Lento
Harpsichord Concerto: III. Vivace
Homenaje 'Le Tombeau de Claude Debussy'
Psyche
Nights in the Gardens of Spain: I In The Generalife
Nights in the Gardens of Spain: II Distant Dance
Nights in the Gardens of Spain: III In The Gardens Of The Sierra de Cordoba

Tracks:

La Vida breve: Interludio y Danza
Seven Spanish Folk Songs: The Moorish Cloth
Seven Spanish Folk Songs: Seguidilla From Murcia
Seven Spanish Folk Songs: Asturian Song
Seven Spanish Folk Songs: Jota
Seven Spanish Folk Songs: Lullaby
Seven Spanish Folk Songs: Song
Seven Spanish Folk Songs: Polo
Four Spanish Pieces: Aragonesa
Four Spanish Pieces: Cubana
Four Spanish Pieces: Montanesa
Four Spanish Pieces: Andaluza
The Three-Cornered Hat: Part 1: Introduction
The Three-Cornered Hat: Part 1: Afternoon
The Three-Cornered Hat: Part 1: Dance Of The Miller's Wife
The Three-Cornered Hat: Part 1: The Grapes
The Three-Cornered Hat: Part 2: The Neighbours' Dance
The Three-Cornered Hat: Part 2: The Miller's Dance
The Three-Cornered Hat: Part 2: The Corregidor's Dance
The Three-Cornered Hat: Part 2: Final Dance

Customer Reviews:

LO MEJOR DE LO MEJOR.......2002-03-29

Una grabacion
magistral de los
clasicos de Manuel de Falla.
Este disco contiene el famoso
"Homage a Debussy" la unica
obra original compuesta para
guitarra por la mano del compositor.
Tremenda grabaccion, como para no
perdersela a ese precio...

A Very Fine Compilation.......2000-05-17

"The Essential Falla" is just that, including all of Manuel de Falla's major works (performed by the likes of Dutoit, Fruhbeck de Burgos and de Larrocha) on these two CDs. Highlights are excellent performances of Falla's three most famous works: "El amor brujo", "Noches en los jardines de Espana" and "El Sombrero de tres picos". The rest of the included music is perhaps less well-know but no less enjoyable. Perhaps the only quibble I have with this CD is the enclusion of the Harpsicord Concerto. While it is an enjoyable piece, it is very much a Stravinsky-esque neo-classical work, and it seems somewhat out of place amongst Falla's other, very Spanish, works. Nonetheless, if you enjoy 20th Century Spanish music, this CD is indeed an essential.

El Amor Brujo/ 3 Cornered Hat/ Nights in the Gardens of Spain

Average customer rating:

Ignore Mary Cambell's review.
An Outstanding Version of the Best Works of Manuel De Falla!

El Amor Brujo/ 3 Cornered Hat/ Nights in the Gardens of Spain

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Strauss: Orchestral Music from Stage Works
Berlioz: Roméo et Juliette; Le Troyens à Carthage
Falla: El Amor Brujo; Sombrero de tres picos; Noches en los jardines de España
Gershwin/Ravel: Piano Concertos
Albéniz: Iberia; Granados: Goyescas

ASIN: B000050HWQ
Release Date: 2000-10-31

Customer Reviews:

Ignore Mary Cambell's review........2005-09-26

It is tragic that Spanish native Mary Campbell grew up with the music of De Falla "as a background"....Pity that with a little more money she might have been able to sit far enough up in front to hear all the missing notes that this recording has apparently revealed to her at last.

She might also have guessed that Shirley Carter (or Shirley Verrett-Carter, as she was then known) was a mezzo-soprano who sang in "El Amor Brujo" under Stokowski, and was certainly NOT the pianist who performed in "Nights in the Gardens of Spain - that job was performed by Philippe Entremont.

Desite the shocking musical ignorance displayed by Ms. Campbell in her review, she got one thing right - it is a CD worth buying for some wonderful music, very well played

An Outstanding Version of the Best Works of Manuel De Falla!.......2000-11-13

11/12/2000

I was born and raised in Spain. I grew up with the wonderful music of Manuel De Falla as a background. Consequently, I have heard countless versions of the best works of Manuel De Falla. When I heard about this American version of two of the best compositions of Manuel De Falla played by the Philadelphia Orchestra and conducted by Ormandy and Stokowski I was curious. I thought that I knew every note in the score of these masterpieces, and it was my believe that it could not be much different from other versions that I had heard before. When I bought the CD and listened to it for the first time, I realised how mistaken I was. I was moved to tears. Somehow, Ormandy and Stokowski have returned back to life these wonderful masterpieces. Eugene Ormandy is superb conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra in "El Amor Brujo" (Bewitched Love), the story of a gipsy girl resorting to witchcratf as a way to forget her lover. Nevertheless, the best of the CD is the unbelivable

version of Leopold Stokowski conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra of the masterpiece "Noches en los Jardines de Espana" (Nights in the gardens of Spain), a piano concert that evokes the nocturnal sounds around gardens, including the water of fountains. Shirley Verrett is an outstanding piano player. I strongly recommend this CD to everybody who likes Spanish music and in particular Manuel De Falla. The fans of Eugene Ormandy and Leopold Stokowski will also be happy with this CD. The price of this CD in Amazon.com is a steal! Go for it!

Falla: El Amor Brujo; Sombrero de tres picos; Noches en los jardines de España
Average customer rating:

Musically outstanding, but de los Angeles isn't right for El Amor Brujo

Guilini = amazing; but de los Angeles ruined El Amor Brujo

Fantastic Falla

Falla: El Amor Brujo; Sombrero de tres picos; Noches en los jardines de España

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Essential Falla

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Anne Sofie von Otter - Grieg Songs

El Amor Brujo/ 3 Cornered Hat/ Nights in the Gardens of Spain

ASIN: B000002S4Y
Release Date: 1993-08-17

Tracks:

The Three-Cornered Hat: Introduction y tarde
The Three-Cornered Hat: Danza de la molinera
The Three-Cornered Hat: Danza de los vecinos
The Three-Cornered Hat: Danza del molinero
The Three-Cornered Hat: Danza final
Love The Magician: Introduction y Escena
Love The Magician: En la cueva
Love The Magician: Cancion del amor dolido
Love The Magician: El aparecido
Love The Magician: Danza del terror
Love The Magician: El circulo magico
Love The Magician: A medianoche
Love The Magician: Danza rituel del fuego
Love The Magician: Escena
Love The Magician: Cancion del fuego fatuo
Love The Magician: Pantomima
Love The Magician: Danza del Juego del amor
Love The Magician: Final: Les campana del amanecer
Nights in the Gardens of Spain: I: En el Generalife
II: Danza lejana
Nights in the Gardens of Spain: III: En los jardinos de la Sierra de Cordoba

Amazon.com

Spanish critics have long hailed Gonzalo Soriano's two recordings of Nights in the Gardens of Spain--this one from 1962 and an earlier effort with Ataulfo Argenta--as among the finest readings of the score ever committed to disc. It's easy to see why. Soriano brings to bear a conception that is firm, detailed, and energetic and plays the piece with real flair. His partner on the podium, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, only 28 years old when the recording was made, sparks a magnificent account from the Paris Conservatory Orchestra: masculine, evocative, and glowingly ardent despite occasional problems with intonation in the horns and low strings. For this most impressionistic of Falla's scores, it's an ideal sound. The companion pieces, Falla's El Amor Brujo and a suite from The Three-Cornered Hat (not the complete ballet), are masterfully rendered by Carlo Maria Giulini and the Philharmonia Orchestra. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

Musically outstanding, but de los Angeles isn't right for El Amor Brujo.......2006-07-09

I agree with all the appreciations given by the Amazon reviewer and those below, and graced by atmospheric recording from EMI's engineers in the early Sixties, one gets a great deal out of all three Falla works, his most popular by far. I don't collect different versions of Nights in the Gardens of Spain, yet Gonzalo Soriano's sounds impressively evocative. Even more impressive is the young Fruhbeck de Burgos's magical orchestral work--forty years on, he's matured into even deeper mastery, as witness his recent guest appearances with the Boston Sym. in everything from Falla and Stravinsky to Verdi and Beethoven.

Giulini's conducting is not especially Spanish in flavor, but he, too, is exceptionally musical. The lack of Spanish fire deprives El Amor Brujo of its raw flamenco power, however, and Victoria de los Angeles, applying a lyric soprano where Falla wanted a mezzo who could make the listener's spine tingle with her passion, is too civilized and polite. At this time in her career (1962) de los Angeles was establishing herself as a pre-eminent singer of Spanish songs, but El Amor Brujo simply wasn't right for her.

Guilini = amazing; but de los Angeles ruined El Amor Brujo.......2004-06-10

This particular review refers only to the El amor brujo part of the recording, so if you're not buying the CD for that particular piece, this review may not be relevant. I was considering buying this recording when I was lucky enough to hear the El amor brujo section of it played on the radio. The conducting was miraculous. The only place where I felt the conducting wasn't flawless was at the very end (which seemed a little unconvincing to me), but overall it was extremely beautiful.
I do not plan on buying this cd, however, because the singing from Victoria de los Angeles was absolutely awful. I personally had never heard her sing before, but had always read good things about her. There was no warmth or ring of any kind in her voice. When the piece began on the radio, the singer wasn't announced, and I kept thinking, why would such a wonderful conductor get such an awful singer for this piece, and when I found out that it was her I was shocked (it was announced when the piece ended). I suppose I can say that rhythmically she did do some interesting things, and it did sound like she was involved in the music, but I really couldn't handle her singing.
So, I would give the conducting 5 stars, but about one star for de los Angeles. I'm giving it four stars just so it won't bring the rating down too much, because I'm sure that the other pieces on the disc are likewise very well conducted (and, thankfully, exclude de los Angeles).

Fantastic Falla.......2003-09-22

This CD of the music of the great Spanish composer Manuel de Falla is truly fantastic. This title, one of the few remaining from EMI's early 90s series "Studio Plus," presents Carlo Maria Giulini and the Philharmonia Orchestra's golden-age stereo performances of "El Amor Brujo" (1961 with soprano Victoria de los Angeles!) and a suite from "El Sombrero de Tres Picos" (1957 & 1964). Though the treat here is Gonzalo Soriano's 1962 recording of "Noches en los Jardines de Espana" with Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos and the Orchestre de la Societe des Concerts du Conservatoire. These classic recordings have been or are available in other CD incarnations (the Giulini recordings were on a budget line two-disc EMI Seraphim set, now out-of-print, and the same "Brujo" is on a recent Great Recordings of the Century disc), but this mid-line title is the best way to get both the Giulini accounts and the memorable Soriano/de Burgos "Nights."

Average customer rating:

Rubinstein's Love Affair with Spain
Rubinstein Topples de Larrocha
Rubinstein "Speaks" Spanish Without an Accent

Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 18

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000031WBO
Release Date: 2000-10-10

Tracks:

Andaluza: Danza espanola No. 5 In E Minor
The Three-Cornered Hat: Miller's Dance
Cordoba, Op. 232, No. 4
Goyescas, No. 4: The Maiden And The Nightingale
Cancon i dansa No. I
Pieces espagnoles, No. 4: Andaluza
Iberia, No. I: Evocacion
Navarra (Completed By Severac)
Suite espanola, No. 3: Sevillanas
El Amor Brujo: Dance Of Terror
Cancon i dansa No. 6
Nights in the Gardens of Spain: En el Generalife
Nights in the Gardens of Spain: Danza lejana
Nights in the Gardens of Spain: En los jardines de la Sierra de Cordoba
El Amor Brujo: Ritual Fire Dance

Customer Reviews:

Rubinstein's Love Affair with Spain.......2006-09-06

Arthur Rubinstein was from the earliest days of his long fabled career a proponent of the music of Spain. Whether in that extraordinary follow-up to the protean display pieces of Liszt, Albeniz's Iberia, or the memorable lyrical passages of the ill-fated Granados, Rubinstein's way with this music stood out in that bygone era of legendary virtuosi. (Of note - Granados tragically was killed trying in vain to rescue his wife following a U-boat attack on their return to Barcelona following the succesful 1916 Met premiere of his opera Goyescas. His success was so great in America he even played at the White House for President Wilson. The CD has one selection from Goyescas, the famous "The Maiden and the Nightingale" in a wonderfully evocative performance by Rubinstein.)
At the same time as the Goyescas' Met premiere the young Artur Rubinstein was traveling across the breadth of the Iberian peninsula, giving over a hundred concerts between 1916 and 1917. Rubinstein became friends with the Albeniz family. (The composer had died in 1909.) He became a huge public favorite and was feted far and wide in Spain, including by the Spanish Royal family. Throughout his life he kept a home in Spain in that extraodinary Costa del Sol cityscape that is Marbella. Rubinstein's appreciation for Spain and Spanish music was unparalled among any other non-Spanish performers of the last century.
This selection was made according to the back cover between 1947 and 1955, but actually, as one reviewer correctly noted, the earliest recording, Navarra from Iberia, was made earlier, in June of 1941. The remainder are from 1947 or later. The performance of the delightful Spanish piano concerto, De Falla's Noches en los Jardins de Espana, captures Rubinstein at the peak of his career - his later stereo performance lacks the froth, sparkle and genuine magic given off in this version. The piano sounds wonderful and has been superbly restored in this issue. The only downside to this CD is that it represents most of the Spanish music Rubinstein recorded.
If you thought Rubinstein simply meant Chopin then this CD will certainly be a revelation. Some of the greatest Spanish piano music played by one of its greatest interpretators. Highest possible recomendation!
P.S. When a customer searches for this title why does Amazon insist on listing an old no longer available CD of this RCA CD and not this much more recent and in stock remastering? This version has a drawing of Rubinstein by Picasso.

Rubinstein Topples de Larrocha.......2001-02-10

Dear Readers, Rubinstein does not deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence with de Larrocha. The fact is that he "LOVED" Spanish music and de Larrocha made her career on it. It's very beautiful what she does, but Rubinstein goes to the heart everytime. You'll get a glimpse of this if you compare the two. They are in very different zones.

Rubinstein "Speaks" Spanish Without an Accent.......2001-01-02

After Alicia De Larrocha, Arthur Rubinstein was the 20th century's greatest exponent of Spanish piano music. On his first tour of Spain, in 1915, the Polish pianist fell in love with the country--its food, wine, women, and music. The love was mutual. Spain took Rubinstein to heart and became friends with some of the composers featured on this CD. Critical reactions to Rubinstein's performances of Spanish music were ecstatic--many musicians remakring that he played Spanish music "without an accent," i.e., like a born Spaniard.

The performances on this CD were recorded from 1941-1955. Every track on this disc demonstrates what the critics in Spain were writing at the time, Rubinstein had a natural feel for this repertoire that defies born nationality. Particularly effective are the Albeniz and Falla selections.

It is a pity that Rubinstein was not persuaded to re-record all of these works in stereo (there are stereo versions of Falla's Fire Dance, Nights in the Gardens of Spain, and Albeniz' Navarra), as there are those closed-minded individuals who will refuse to buy this CD simply because the recordings featured on it are monaural. The loss is theirs.

Tracks:

Concierto de Aranjuez: Allegro con spirito - RODRIGO/TURINA/FALLA/RAVEL
Concierto de Aranjuez: Adagio - RODRIGO/TURINA/FALLA/RAVEL
Concierto de Aranjuez: Allegro gentile - RODRIGO/TURINA/FALLA/RAVEL
Danzas Fantasticas: Exaltacion - RODRIGO/TURINA/FALLA/RAVEL
Danzas Fantasticas: Ensueno - RODRIGO/TURINA/FALLA/RAVEL
Danzas Fantasticas: Orgia - RODRIGO/TURINA/FALLA/RAVEL
Nights in the Gardens of Spain: En el Generalife (Allegretto tranquillo e misterioso) - RODRIGO/TURINA/FALLA/RAVEL
Nights in the Gardens of Spain: Danza lejana (Allegretto giusto) - RODRIGO/TURINA/FALLA/RAVEL
Nights in the Gardens of Spain: En los jardinos de la Sierra de Cordoba (Vivo) - RODRIGO/TURINA/FALLA/RAVEL

Tracks:

El sombrero de tres picos: Introduction y tarde
El sombrero de tres picos: Danza de la molinera
El sombrero de tres picos: Danza de los vecinos
El sombrero de tres picos: Danza del molinero
El sombrero de tres picos: Danza final
El Amor Brujo: Introduction y escena
El Amor Brujo: En la cueva
El Amor Brujo: Cancion del amor dolido
El Amor Brujo: El aparecido
El Amor Brujo: Danza del terror
El Amor Brujo: El circulo magico
El Amor Brujo: A medianoche
El Amor Brujo: Danza rituel del fuego
El Amor Brujo: Escena
El Amor Brujo: Cancion del fuego fatuo
El Amor Brujo: Pantomima
El Amor Brujo: Danze del juego del amor
El Amor Brujo: Final (Les campana del amanecer)
Rapsodie espagnole: Prelude a la nuit
Rapsodie espagnole: Malaguena
Rapsodie espagnole: Habanera
Rapsodie espagnole: Feria

Average customer rating:

Rubinstein had the soul for Spanish music!
Vintage Five Star
I loved the CD especially Nights in the Gardens of Spain

Music of Spain

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000003FB3
Release Date: 1992-10-09

Customer Reviews:

Rubinstein had the soul for Spanish music!.......2002-07-13

Rubinstein's first commercial success as a concert pianist came in Spanish speaking countries - particularly in South America. They loved his playing and especially his playing of Spanish music. And he loved playing it.

This disk is a collection of some of his standard works in that repertoire and what a wonderful recording this is. Every track is great fun and played very well. Sure, it is in Rubinstein's style, but most of us love that style.

I have played this disk for friends of mine from South America and Mexico without telling them who the pianist is and they all say that he has got the music just right and the love his playing. When they find out it is a Jew from Poland they smile and say that may be where he is from, but his soul is Latin.

Well, all I know is that this contributes to my conviction of Rubinstein's greatness. You will enjoy this music. Email me with your thoughts once you hear the disk.

Vintage Five Star.......2000-07-01

Rubenstein did a remake of the "Gardens" with Jorda in San Francisco, but listening to this earlier one made me realize the far greater musicianship of the maestro and the standard of the ensemble.

All of the love that can be lavished on these works pays off in an overall hypnotic experience in this niche of the international repertoire. Add this one to your collection of Spanish works and get to know its authority in context. Simply wonderful.

I loved the CD especially Nights in the Gardens of Spain.......1999-06-12

The reason I bought this CD was because I am currently taking a Classical Music Class in Barry University in Miami and my professor suggested that I buy it since I was born in Cuba of Spanish descent. I truly enjoyed it especially Nights in the Gardens of Spain and my other favorite piece was El Amor Brujo "Ritual Fire Dance" you could almost visualized the gypsy flamenco dancers dancing very erotically around a fire, it was fantastic.

Falla: L'Amour sorcier; Le Tricorne; Nuits dans les jardins d'Espagne; Etc.

Average customer rating:

Falla: L'Amour sorcier; Le Tricorne; Nuits dans les jardins d'Espagne; Etc.

Manufacturer: EMI Records [All429]
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000006DEM
Release Date: 2001-07-10

Tracks:

L'Amour Sorcier: Intro & Scene - La Veillee - Chanson Du Chagrin D'amour - Oralia Dominguez
L'Amour Sorcier: Le Revenant - Danse De La Frayeur - Oralia Dominguez
L'Amour Sorcier: Le Cercle Magique (Recit Du Pecheur) - Oralia Dominguez
L'Amour Sorcier: Minuit (Les Sortileges) - Danse Rituelle Du Feu (Pour Chasser Les Mauvais Esprits) - Oralia Dominguez
L'Amour Sorcier: Scene - Chanson Du Feu Follet - Oralia Dominguez
L'Amour Sorcier: Pantomine - Danse Du Jeu D'amour - Final (Les Cloches Du Matin) - Oralia Dominguez
Le Tricorne: Ste No.1: Intro - RPO/Artur Rodzinski
Le Tricorne: Ste No.1: Danse De La Meuniere - RPO/Artur Rodzinski
Le Tricorne: Ste No.1: Le Corregidor Et La Meuniere - RPO/Artur Rodzinski
Le Tricorne: Ste No.1: Les Raisins - RPO/Artur Rodzinski
Le Tricorne: Ste No.2: Danse Des Voisins (Seguidillas) - RPO/Artur Rodzinski
Le Tricorne: Ste No.2: Danse Du Meunier (Farruca) - RPO/Artur Rodzinski
Le Tricorne: Ste No.2: Danse Finale (Jota) - RPO/Artur Rodzinski
7 Chansons Populaires Espagnoles: El Pano Moruno - Victoria De Los Angeles/Gonzalo Soriano
7 Chansons Populaires Espagnoles: Seguidilla Murciana - Victoria De Los Angeles/Gonzalo Soriano
7 Chansons Populaires Espagnoles: Asturiana - Victoria De Los Angeles/Gonzalo Soriano
7 Chansons Populaires Espagnoles: Jota - Victoria De Los Angeles/Gonzalo Soriano
7 Chansons Populaires Espagnoles: Nana - Victoria De Los Angeles/Gonzalo Soriano
7 Chansons Populaires Espagnoles: Cancion - Victoria De Los Angeles/Gonzalo Soriano
7 Chansons Populaires Espagnoles: Polo - Victoria De Los Angeles/Gonzalo Soriano

Tracks:

Nuits Dans Les Jardins D'Espagne: I. Au Generalife - Gonzalo Soriano
Nuits Dans Les Jardins D'Espagne: II. Danse Lointaine - Gonzalo Soriano
Nuits Dans Les Jardins D'Espagne: III. Dans Les Jardins De La Sierra De Cordoue - Gonzalo Soriano
4 Pieces Espagnoles: I. Aragonesa - Gonzalo Soriano
4 Pieces Espagnoles: II. Cubana - Gonzalo Soriano
4 Pieces Espagnoles: III. Montanesa - Gonzalo Soriano
4 Pieces Espagnoles: IV. Andaluza - Gonzalo Soriano
Fant Baetica - Gonzalo Soriano
Con: I. Allegro - Gonzalo Soriano/Michel Debost/Robert Casier/Andre Boutard/Pierre Nerini/Robert Cordier
Con: II. Lento - Gonzalo Soriano/Michel Debost/Robert Casier/Andre Boutard/Pierre Nerini/Robert Cordier
Con: III. Vivace - Gonzalo Soriano/Michel Debost/Robert Casier/Andre Boutard/Pierre Nerini/Robert Cordier

Dukas: Sorcerer's Apprentice; Falla: Sombrero de tres picos G53

Average customer rating:

Dukas: Sorcerer's Apprentice; Falla: Sombrero de tres picos G53

Manufacturer: Dutton Laboratories
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Scherzo | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000005CZ8
Release Date: 1996-11-19

Average customer rating:

Falla: Música Orquestal

Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000E4ZB
Release Date: 1992-09-15

The Rubinstein Collection (Limited Edition) [Box Set]

Average customer rating:

There were greater talents.
This Is No Lesson in Economics...
CLASSICAL MUSIC AT ITS MOST EXPENSIVE (AND BEST)
It's actually not so expensive
A Superb Reissue

The Rubinstein Collection (Limited Edition) [Box Set]

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00001O2XZ
Release Date: 1999-10-26

Amazon.com

A retail price of $1,600 for a box set? Granted, it's not something most of us can afford. But, for piano buffs and fans of Artur Rubinstein, this mammoth limited-edition 94-CD set might be an investment to consider. For starters, BMG has collected all of the approved studio recordings of Rubinstein (including 200 or so that have never been on CD) and added a handful of previously unreleased recordings and some interviews. The lot has been remastered for this collection using the latest technology (RCA's disc-and-a-half Highlights sampler actually showcases some of the more dramatic remasterings)--a good thing, when you consider that many of these master tapes have a lifetime's worth of surface noise. You get a lavishly illustrated book with essays and photographs and a nice case to store the works; everything but the credit plan is included, really. Of course, it's up to you to decide whether you want 706 recordings of 347 pieces played by the same great pianist. And, though owning Rubinstein's three complete cycles of Beethoven's concertos might sound tempting, will you really listen to each of them? Probably not, but if you need 'em, here they are. (His Chopin cycles, on the other hand, you will listen to repeatedly!) It's easily one of the most impressive and comprehensive box sets that classical music has seen: a true career overview with excellent remastering and handsome packaging that reflects the collection's price tag (unlike some box sets that are just that: CDs in boxes). Do you need it? Probably not. Will you want it? You bet. --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews:

There were greater talents........2005-05-30

I must confess that I hate Rubinstein's sound as a pianist, but his dedication and verve were notable. Think though of Claudio Aurru's gifts, remarkable... I feel that to love Rubinstein one must love a world of safe emotional borders and sameness; sorry A.R fans. jb

This Is No Lesson in Economics..........2004-10-10

It is a natural tendency when reviewing items in this price-point to contemplate cost-effectiveness first and foremost. Considering that CDs have no nutritional value and cannot keep kids off crack, I am uncomfortable recognizing, much less crossing, some line in the sand where space ordinarily reserved for record-reviews must yield to amateur musings on the evils of conspicuous consumption or macroeconomic conceptions of social justice. Let's assume for the moment that this box set is free, removing from our purview the materialistic thrill or global economic blight one might seek and/or wish to stave off in purchasing it.

Rubinstein's "official" recorded output is astounding. It spans 5 decades, and encompasses significant forays into the oeuvre of dozens of composers. Though technique is generally expected to decline with age, few pianists live to be 96 years old. Rubinstein the pianist and Rubinstein the musician reached their highest collective summit when Rubinstein the man was well into his 60s. The "late-bloomer" aspect of his career places a considerable quorum of his most polished recordings squarely within the stereo era. Some of this material had made its way onto CD prior to this release, most notably his Chopin. Unfortunately, Rubinstein's well-deserved public acclaim as Chopin's supreme torchbearer unjustly limits his reputation along "expresio unius est exclusio alterius" lines. For example, though Rubinstein chose to record only a small handful of Beethoven sonatas, it is doubtful that one might hear them better played, even by his Beethoven specialist contemporaries Schnabel and Kempff. Rubinstein also ardently championed French and Spanish music, and is said to have loved performing Brahms most of all. This release places many of his most accomplished recordings before the ears of the listening public for the first time since their original release on vinyl.

I am frequently intoxicated by the earliest recordings from the 30s and 40s. Some of them, like his first traversal of the Chopin scherzi, are bite-your-nails-til-they-bleed thrilling. On the other hand, the initial limitations of the recording process required this (and every) pianist to make bothersome compromises with respect to tempi and dynamics at times. Ultimately, it comes down to personal taste. I am more consistently drawn to Rubinstein the wise-master than Rubinstein the young Turk.

RCA invested undisclosed sums of time and money into restoring, remixing, and remastering all of the recordings for this release. Some of the earlier recordings have been available on CD for quite some time (e.g. Chopin's Op. 28 Preludes, the Ormandy/Philadelphia Grieg concerto). Despite the intervention of acoustical restorationist-par-excellence Ward Marston, the remastering undertaken in the course of this project has not dramatically improved the sound on these releases. Short of traveling several decades into the past and placing more sensitive microphones in more strategic locations, there was probably little else that could have been done. Marston's brilliance is far more obvious in restoring to near original luster many deteriorating tape recordings from the late 40s and early 50s. The stereo recordings also sound fuller.

I am pleased with my purchase because having access (and, most importantly, having listened to) all of these recordings is a moving experience. It allows me to contemplate this extraordinary artist as a man, whose performance is inevitably colored by the accumulation of experience, the expanding flexibility of the recording process, the onset of maturity, and (perhaps sadly) declining physical powers. There are multiple recordings of most pieces in this collection, but I rarely find it difficult to cull a favorite among them. At this point, I play some of the records frequently, and others rarely. If your aim is to hear Rubinstein at his best, this set provides the resources you need to make what are at turns obvious, and others hopelessly personal choices. This set includes detailed (and mostly newly written) liner notes for each record as a well as an engaging hardcover book providing no fewer than 3 complete indices to the recordings (by date of recording, Composer, and Volume number). The box itself is a work of art, looks stunning on a shelf, and never requires polishing. Most of the 81 volumes are sold separately, and have been made available for download on the Apple Music Store.

While I will not claim that Rubinstein's interpretations are equally effective, I cannot think of any other pianist, now living or forever deceased, who could approach such a broad repertoire with the unwaivering technical finesse and prophetic musicianship evident in the bulk of his recorded output. If you never see the likes of a "Rubinstein Collection" on the shelf again, do not dismiss it as another textbook illustration of price elasticity. To do so is to dwell on on the vagaries of consumerism when the more important issue is that the next Rubinstein may never be.

CLASSICAL MUSIC AT ITS MOST EXPENSIVE (AND BEST).......2003-05-30

You have two choices: Starve the kids or skip the mortgage payments for a month or two. How else can you afford this 94 (!) disc set that captures every studio recording the classical icon ever recorded. Trust us: The kids are fat enough.

It's actually not so expensive.......2001-06-06

Provided you have the time, listening to this collection not only helps you better appreciate Rubinstein's supreme talent but also gives you some idea of his unfolding genius--how his technique and interpretation changed through the years. There's enough room in music for every kind of interpretation, as long as you take the music first, and all the interpretations Rubinstein offered are interesting. Of course this set is expensive, but it's nearly 100 CDs plus liner notes, so the price is not that bad. Besides, if you decide to really listen to this set the way it deserves, it's going to be years before you buy another CD.

A Superb Reissue.......2000-04-30

A friend of mine was able to aquire the Rubinstein Collection and I have been borrowing from it liberally.

RCA deserves to be commended on going the extra mile and releasing ALL of the authorized Rubinstein recordings, well organized and superbly remastered in this comprehensive edition. Hopefully, RCA will also release the individual volumes for those who are not completists or who simply cannot afford the entire set. True, this set is at full price. A source who was connected with this reissure has told me that RCA planned to issue the set at mid price, but the cost of this mammoth edition went far overbudget--and the full price was dictated by their production costs. Certainly, the money was well spent. The ramastering, particularly in the earlier recordings, must be heard to be believed. The packaging, documentation, and liner notes are all first class.

It is fascinating to trace Rubinstein's evolution as an interpreter--from the devil-may-care early days through the mature recordings of the 1950s, into the 1970s, when his playing on record tended to be a bit cautions.

Hopefully, the cost of producing this magnum opus and the reported slow sales it has been getting will not deter RCA from producing more boxed sets of Horowitz and many of the other artists in the RCA vaults. Bravo, RCA!

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