Great Recordings of the Century: Beethoven "Archduke" Piano Trio and Schubert Piano Trio in B flat

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
More than 70 years have passed since the Cortot-Thibaud-Casals trio waxed the Schubert B flat and Beethoven Archduke trios. Both recordings were hailed as classics in the early days of electrical recording and have enjoyed numerous incarnations on LP and CD. Even if you already own these performances, you honestly haven't heard them until you experience these new restorations. The effect is not unlike washing your eyeglasses. All the surface snap, crackle, and swish has been tamed, but more room tone emerges along with long-buried, intermingling overtones from all three instruments. There's more tempo fluctuation than modern ears may be accustomed to, along with Thibaud's slippery portamentos. Yet these devices are channeled toward specific expressive ends. Mannered they may seem, but indulgent, never. And listeners used to Cortot's freewheeling approach to solo repertoire will be surprised at how much he behaves himself in a chamber music context. Write, petition, call, beg, cajole, do anything to induce EMI to bring out the remainder of this trio's recorded output in equally amazing transfers. --Jed Distler

Tracks:

Triple Concerto For Violin, Cello & Piano In C, Op. 56: I Allegro
Triple Concerto For Violin, Cello & Piano In C, Op. 56: II Largo
Triple Concerto For Violin, Cello & Piano In C, Op. 56: III Rondo alla polacca
Double Concerto For Violin & Cello In A Minor, Op. 102: I Allegro
Double Concerto For Violin & Cello In A Minor, Op. 102: II Andante
Double Concerto For Violin & Cello In A Minor, Op. 102: III Vivace non troppo

Amazon.com

Among the concertos of Beethoven and Brahms, these two have always been stepchildren. One reason is their extreme difficulty; both composers were pianists, so Beethoven wrote an idiomatic part only for the piano. Brahms's friend Joseph Joachim offered advice for the violin concerto, but not for the Double Concerto, which was written as a peace offering after a falling-out. The Beethoven Triple Concerto demands utmost virtuosity, as well as intimate teamwork among the soloists, and that is exactly what these three supreme masters of their instruments bring to it. Free--indeed unaware--of technical problems, they give it a joyful, sparkling lightness. The piano ripples, the cello sings gorgeously, the violin soars ecstatically, the tone is intoxicatingly beautiful. The Finale is wistful, charming, lyrical, gently humorous; the ending is a big joke, with the cello and piano rumbling in the bass, while the violin whistles forlornly in the dark until they all join together. The Brahms is grand, majestic, dreamy, radiant, triumphant; the slow movement warm as dark velvet, the Finale genial and relaxed. Though the orchestra never covers the soloists, it explodes in the tutti passages, especially in the Beethoven, so you might keep a finger on the volume control. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

There can't be any better!.......2007-05-17

It is not for the names only.
I think it is a performance as Beethoven probably had in mind.

Wonderful smooth rendition.......2007-04-26

There is something magical about this recording. It is difficult to describe the smooth full sound that this recording presents. I own other recordings of the Brahms and the Beethoven and at first thought it a little extravagent to own another but I am very pleased I bought it.

Beethoven: Triple Concerto; Brahms: Double Concerto / Oistrakh, Rostropovich, Richter.......2007-01-18

I knew this recording and I received what I was expecting. Delivery and condition was great. Thanks.

Beethoven? Brahms? Karajan? Oistrakh? Richter? Rostropovich? Szell? On One CD? Talk About Star Power!.......2006-09-09

All those big names wouldn't mean a thing if the performances themselves were throw aways or showed little commitment, but that's hardly the case, this is probably the finest recordings of both works. Karajan and Richter for one had some rocky interpretative relations in their recording of Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto on DG. That was not a great record, where both musical giants pull and push to try and get their way. So yes, in some ways this Beethoven Triple Concerto presents even more challenges because there are four minds, four egos pitted together in one piece of music and that's not counting the greatest ego, Beethoven himself! Luckily everyone melds beautifully together, the three Russian masters are at their best, with Rostropovich a stand out and shining brightly. Meanwhile Karajan, the Austrian master conductor gives them his usual, grand, lush orchestral backdrop via the Berlin Philharmonic. This is warm-hearted, generous music-making between four fearsomely talented musicians.

The Brahms Double Concerto is just as fine, now we have the two string instrumentalists side by side. Oistrakh and Rostropovich communicate wonderfully together in this major Brahms piece. Szell backs them up every step of the way with his precise yet passionate conducting of the Cleveland Orchestra. The EMI recording sounds very good too in both works and the price is quite nice. An outstanding bargain.

Glorious.......2006-01-30

The unbroken tradition of Russian string playing is well-represented on this disc. The Double Concerto is especially wonderful, even rapturous. The two players are beautifully meshed, and Szell and the Cleveland sound warm and emotive, which they sometimes did not, on records and "live". The sessions they recorded for EMI (including a wonderful Dvorak Eighth, far surpassing their recoridng for Masterworks), captured something that often was not well projected.

The remastering captures this warmth, with more brightness than my LP copy of the Brahms ever had, at least after the initial playings.

Great Recordings Of The Century - Beethoven: Symphony no 9 / Furtwangler, Schwarzkopf

Average customer rating:

Forget the coughing this emotional reading is RAW!!!!
A Moving Performance of Beethoven's 9th
A word of caution for newcomers
Very passionate
The 9th to Own!!

Great Recordings Of The Century - Beethoven: Symphony no 9 / Furtwangler, Schwarzkopf

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Beethoven: Symphonien Nos. 5 & 7 / Kleiber, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem [A German Requiem]
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 / Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Furtwangler Conducts Beethoven - Beethoven: symphonies no 3,4,5, & 9, Leonore
Great Recordings Of The Century - Brahms: Violin Sonatas nos 1 - 3 / Perlman, Ashkenazy

ASIN: B00000GCA7
Release Date: 1999-01-12

Tracks:

Symphony No. 9 In D Minor, Op. 125 'Choral': Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso
Symphony No. 9 In D Minor, Op. 125 'Choral': Molto vivace
Symphony No. 9 In D Minor, Op. 125 'Choral': Adagio molto e cantabile - Andante moderato - Adagio
Symphony No. 9 In D Minor, Op. 125 'Choral': Presto - Allegro ma non troppo - Allegro Assai - Allegro assai vivace - alla marcia - Andante maestoso - Allegro - Allegro energico, sempre ben marcato - Allegro ma non tanto - Poco adagio - Prestissimo

Amazon.com essential recording

No single performance will ever tell us everything we need to know about a masterpiece like the Beethoven Ninth, but this one comes close. The inspired intensity of everyone involved--at the postwar reopening of the Bayreuth Festival in 1951--comes across very vividly in this new transfer. Just hear the way Furtwángler evokes the atmosphere of chaos coalescing into order at the opening of the first movement and you can tell a superior musical and spiritual consciousness is at work. Except for the poor first horn, whose bloopers are the main detriment, the orchestra, soloists, and chorus (recorded clearly but at a heavenly distance) all hold up their parts extremely well. The solo singers are particularly convincing. This is a very special recording, recognized as a classic when it was first issued and still indispensable. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Forget the coughing this emotional reading is RAW!!!!.......2007-06-05

That's right...you will be treated to a few momentos of respiratory ailments in the crowd, and if you can look past the sometimes flat and muddled mono mix of the recording, and I highly recommend that you do, then this recording will knock you off of your feet. I am a child of modern acoustic flair, being quite fond of the capabilities of SACD recordings, and at first the mono mix left me a bit cold. But within a matter of minutes that all faded into utter inconsequence as I became possessed by this transcendent reading of the ninth. There are a few flubs here and there and a few points during the third movement momentarily dispell the magic. BUT and I stress that explicitly...I have yet to hear a ninth with as much raw power and energy as this one. I've listened to some passages from more modern, polished versions of this symphony and despite their vastly superior sonics they completely pale in comparison to the visceral impact of this reading. You would be missing out on something quite special if you were to pass this one up in favor of better sonics. Trust me the mono makes no difference whatsoever...this reading is absolutely inspired.

A Moving Performance of Beethoven's 9th.......2007-03-10

This is an historically significant performance. The re-opening of the Bayreuther Festspiele in '51 was an occasion of great joy for music lovers in Germany, for whom the Festspiele was (and still is) a beloved annual event. My own grandmother was a regular attendee of that era, so having this recording is personally very meaningful to me. Certainly there is not a more appropriate piece of music for celebrations on a grand scale than Beethoven's 9th symphony. And that's exactly what this very exuberant performance is: it's a grand celebration. It is not without flaws though, notably the problem with the first horn mentioned by another reviewer. And of course, it's no SACD studio recording, it's mono and it's live, so there is noise. But this really doesn't matter: it's a tremendously moving performance that vividly captures the joy of the occasion. And also it's Furtwängler conducting, who many consider the foremost interpreter of Beethoven's symphonies in the modern era. So this CD is really a must-have for lovers of Beethoven's symphonies. This one along with the Furtwängler Performs Beethoven cycle put out by Magic & Arts.

A word of caution for newcomers.......2007-01-29

PLEASE NOTE: I am reviewing this recording as an *audiophile* and as someone immersed in *historically informed performance*. If either or both of these things puts you in a decidedly different aesthetic camp from mine, then *disregard* the rating I have given it. I do not mean to offend those who love this recording.

I will not argue with those who think this is "magnificent" or "passionate," but I think it is misleading, and even a disservice to people browsing for a recording of this symphony, to call this "essential" and "indispensable" (Amazon) or "the 9th to own" (below). It is a remarkable recording, but I think it would be a shame if someone knew this symphony only or primarily from this recording.

As everyone mentions, this was an historic occasion: the reopening of the Bayreuth Festival, and for some a symbol of Germany's cultural rebirth after the war. It was the last time Furtwängler was at Bayreuth. If one contemplates these things while listening to this recording, it is indeed easy to be swept up by it. I respectfully suggest that knowledge of its context has prompted some to attribute to it a sort of mystical greatness that it really does not possess.

EMI has done what seems like a very respectable job remastering this recording, and it probably sounds as good as it ever will. The peculiar acoustic properties of the Bayreuth Festspielhaus and orchestra pit also give it an interesting character. But this is a live, mono recording from 1951. What makes it special is the sensation of "listening back in time." The recorded sound itself, jumbled and indistinct, cannot even be compared to what can be achieved with modern recording techniques.

As for the performance, Furtwängler may be considered by many to be without peer for his insight into this music, but this is simply not my Beethoven; nor, I believe, is it Beethoven's Beethoven. Furtwängler's "insight" borders on unlistenable in the third movement: 19'32". For me, this kills the performance all on its own. Parts of it actually sound as though they are being played in "slow motion," and sometimes it seems that Furtwängler has slipped into his own private meditation and forgotten he is leading a performance. The cringe-inducing brass section, however heartfelt their efforts, does not help matters.

Collectors and those with an historical interest in the political, social and artistic events surrounding this recording will want to own it, but I think this would be a poor choice for one's first or only recording, legendary though it is.

I highly recommend John Eliot Gardiner's version on Archiv for an articulate, driven, and, in its own way, every bit as passionate alternative to lumbering late Romantic interpretations.

Very passionate.......2007-01-29

This recording is famous beacuse of its sense of event. Musically speaking, it is out of control and very passionate. But it will sweep you away with fiery intensity. Do be aware of the horn bloopers. If you are looking for a standard Symphony No. 9, this is probably not the recording for you. I would personally recommend Fricsay and the Berlin Philharmonic as the best over all recording.

The 9th to Own!!.......2006-07-12

I would not hesitate in any way to recomend this incredible interpretation of Beethoven's final work to any listener or any musician. Aside from the wonderful job in remastering we have one of the more interesting accounts of this work ever done.

The opening movement has a very great sense of hushed intensity in the strings...and once the first thematic bits of material are introduced the whole performance never lets up. Sadly, there are some very bad horn moments throughout but what is here is all Furtwangler who outshines Szell...Karajan, and Klemperer put together...sadly too few people realize how fine Bohm was and if you need a Stereo version go to the last reading Bohm did of the 9th on DG.

Great Recordings of the Century: Beethoven "Archduke" Piano Trio and Schubert Piano Trio in B flat

Average customer rating:

A treasure for all time.
Amusing golden musical treasures!
Good music, bad sound quality
The joy of pure music making!
The greatest of all trios

Great Recordings of the Century: Beethoven "Archduke" Piano Trio and Schubert Piano Trio in B flat
Cortot-Thibaud-Casals Trio
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Great Recordings Of The Century - Beethoven: Triple Concerto; Brahms: Double Concerto / Oistrakh, Rostropovich, Richter
Casals Edition - Beethoven: Complete Cello Sonatas
Great Recordings Of The Century - Schubert: Die Schone Mullerin / Fischer-Dieskau, Moore
Great Recordings Of The Century - Dinu Lipatti
Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 12

ASIN: B00000K4FL
Release Date: 1999-09-14

Tracks:

Piano Trio In B Flat, Op.97 'Archduke': I: Allegro moderato
Piano Trio In B Flat, Op.97 'Archduke': II: Scherzo (Allegro) & Trio
Piano Trio In B Flat, Op.97 'Archduke': III: Andante cantabile ma pero moto
Piano Trio In B Flat, Op.97 'Archduke': IV: Allegro moderato
Piano Trio No.1 In B Flat, D.898: I: Allegro moderato
Piano Trio No.1 In B Flat, D.898: II: Andante un poco mosso
Piano Trio No.1 In B Flat, D.898: III: Scherzo (Allegro) & Trio
Piano Trio No.1 In B Flat, D.898: IV: Rondo (Allegro vivace - Presto)

Amazon.com essential recording

More than 70 years have passed since the Cortot-Thibaud-Casals trio waxed the Schubert B flat and Beethoven Archduke trios. Both recordings were hailed as classics in the early days of electrical recording and have enjoyed numerous incarnations on LP and CD. Even if you already own these performances, you honestly haven't heard them until you experience these new restorations. The effect is not unlike washing your eyeglasses. All the surface snap, crackle, and swish has been tamed, but more room tone emerges along with long-buried, intermingling overtones from all three instruments. There's more tempo fluctuation than modern ears may be accustomed to, along with Thibaud's slippery portamentos. Yet these devices are channeled toward specific expressive ends. Mannered they may seem, but indulgent, never. And listeners used to Cortot's freewheeling approach to solo repertoire will be surprised at how much he behaves himself in a chamber music context. Write, petition, call, beg, cajole, do anything to induce EMI to bring out the remainder of this trio's recorded output in equally amazing transfers. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

A treasure for all time........2006-10-30

These performances have stood the test of time, without relying on dazzling virtuosity or technique, or reaching for effect. Nothing but affectionate musicianship.

Amusing golden musical treasures!.......2004-08-24

No matter if the sound is not the best . You and me know the meaning of these recordings . The pleasure of enjoying such trio with this giant trio Thibaud , Cortot and Casals makes you soon forget the delightful sound of DDD for instance .
The Archiduke is plenty of soverignity . However I rather prefer the recording of 1960 with Casals (84) , Vegh and Horszowski .
Nevertheless this commented version is much more lyrical than the sixties . Thibaud with his flamboyant and nuance vibrato literally sings all along the work , Casals is the real master and commander in this performing and Cortot knows how enter with his cantabile without forcing or shade the principal voice .
The Schubert trio is anthological . To me it was the best recording till that overwhelming version of Stern , Istomin and Rose . You may well consider both of them as one two winners in all the discography .
This album is really a treasure file .
Casals was the most gifted musician - plenty of commitment and mercurial magnetism - in all the XX century . He was the Midas musician for excellence!

Good music, bad sound quality.......2004-02-26

This is indeed wonderful music and they do it right. The Schubert Trio No 1 is clearly played better than the Archduke. You can feel on piece that they really enjoy playing together.
The only drawback, which I find quite anoying, is the sound quality which is close to terrible. If you listen to it through headphones, the noise becomes overwhelming. It definitely worths as a document, not clear if it worths as a music record.

The joy of pure music making!.......2003-09-29

To me, this is what music making is all about.

The performance of Archduke on this disc is so loyal, so friendly, so charming and so so musical that one feels as though they are sitting down for an intimate exchange with the Old World herself.

Enjoy!

The greatest of all trios.......2003-09-29

When Alfred Cortot, Jaques Thibaud and Pablo Casals formed their trio in 1905, their intention was simply to make music together as three friends, each with a very busy solo career to maintain. They became, for reasons which the present recordings make very clear, THE trio. It was indeed fortunate that, after twenty years of their performing for one month out of each year together, the Gramophone Company persuaded them to commit a small representative selection of their repertoire to the new medium of "electrical" recording, introduced in 1925. It was this new medium which made the recording of chamber music viable for the first time.

The first recording to be made was also the best: the legendary Schubert trio Op. 99. Not only did it have the very real advantage of being recorded in London's Kingsway Hall, but the Cortot-Thibaud-Casals trio over twenty years had obviously made the piece their own. Of all the performances they committed to wax, this was the only one to be recorded without any re-taking. This means that the first "take" of each 4 minute side was the one that was released. This was certainly not true for Beethoven's "Archduke", which required many takes for a number of the sides. Clearly, they found this piece more difficult to penetrate.

The characteristics of this trio which made them great - far greater as chamber musicians than, for example, great virtuosi such as Heifetz, Rubinstein and Feuermann (who also recorded as a trio) - were their exemplary sense of give and take, their expressive range and their miraculous rhythmic flexibility. Just listen to Thibaud's marvellous tone in the slow movement of the Schubert - his use of vibrato ranges all the way from none (the very last note!) to continuous expressive vibrato where it's warranted. Casals plays sthe cello in every style possible, from non-vibrato "continuo" style to the expressive manner befitting the soloist. Both string players are not shy of portamenti, so uncommon in our modern clinical age, but to them (and probably to Schubert and Beethoven) an essential expressive device. Cortot is the glue that binds it all together. The wonderful flexibility displayed by each player also underscores another characteristic of this trio - a real sense of the music's structure and design. Clearly, these players knew each part of these trios, and not only their own.

Just listen to this particular transfer: the Kingsway Hall (Schubert) sounds marvellous and the tone of Cortot's piano (a beautiful instrument, impeccably tuned, by the way) is pure magic. The ear adjusts quickly to the recorded sounds of 1926 and 1928. There are innumerable features which make this recording great and it's futile to attempt to list them there. Much better to invest in a copy instead. If I were attempting to demonstrate great musicianship to a younger student, in ways that cannot be conveyed in words, I'd simply play them this recording of the Schubert. It speaks for itself and it's no accident that it has never been out of circulation since 1926.

The Archduke trio also provides compelling music making, although the sound (not recorded in the Kingsway, unfortunately) is not as good as that of the Schubert of two years before. Actually, for my money, part of the problem is with the work itself - it just doesn't seem to have the same tightness and unity as the Schubert. Cortot is also a little more prone to his famous penchant for hitting wrong notes, but it really doesn't matter: the music's all there.

Cortot, Thibaud and Casals also recorded the Mendelssohn d minor trio, the Schumann d minor and the Haydn trio, the "Gypsy " rondo. Also, a set of variations by Beethoven was included in the same sessions as the Schubert. Nothing is more musically rewarding than to listen to the greatest performers of the twentieth century in this repertoire. The world of Cortot, Thibaud and Casals is one which has now vanished-forever. There is simply no longer playing like this to be heard. No chamber music lover can afford to miss these definitive recordings. And, of all the transfers I've heard (over 40 years), beginning with the original HMV 78's, DB 947-50 (Schubert), this is the best. Strongest recommendation.

Great Recordings Of The Century - Beethoven; Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos / Furtwangler, Menuhin
Average customer rating:

Choosing between two versions from Menuhin and Furtwangler

Menuhin and Furtwangler Play Beethoven and Mendelssohn

The best of the romantic view

Huh?

Good, but Menuhin was sublime in Lucerne

Great Recordings Of The Century - Beethoven; Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos / Furtwangler, Menuhin
Wilhelm Furtwangler , Yehudi Menuhin , Philharmonia Orchestra , and Berlin Philharmonic
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by Mendelssohn | Mendelssohn, Felix | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Great Recordings Of The Century - Beethoven: Symphony no 9 / Furtwangler, Schwarzkopf

Furtwangler Conducts Beethoven - Beethoven: symphonies no 3,4,5, & 9, Leonore

Great Recordings Of The Century - Beethoven: Triple Concerto; Brahms: Double Concerto / Oistrakh, Rostropovich, Richter

Recordings 1942-1944, Vol. 1

Furtwangler Conducts Brahms - Complete Symphonies, etc / North German RSO, Berlin PO

ASIN: B00000IOBJ
Release Date: 1999-05-04

Tracks:

Violin Concerto In D, Op. 61: 1. Allegro Ma non Troppo (Cadence: F. Kreisler)
Violin Concerto In D, Op. 61: 2. Larghetto
Violin Concerto In D, Op. 61: 3. Rondo (Allegro) (Cadence: F. Kreisler)
Violin Concerto In E Minor, Op. 64: 1. Allegro Molto Appassionato
Violin Concerto In E Minor, Op. 64: 2. Andante
Violin Concerto In E Minor, Op. 64: 3. Allegretto Non Troppo- Allegro Molto Vivace

Amazon.com essential recording

Yehudi Menuhin and Wilhelm Furtwängler, born a generation apart and separated by a world at war, were nonetheless musical and philosophical soulmates. Their recording of the Beethoven Violin Concerto, made seven years after they first met, is one of the treasures of the EMI archive, a testament to a bygone era of spontaneous and deeply subjective music-making. There is a nobility to the reading that has never been equaled, an unforced passion that would be difficult for any of today's musicians to duplicate. The monaural recording is remarkably fine, with satisfying depth and abundant detail. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

Choosing between two versions from Menuhin and Furtwangler.......2006-01-01

In the Beethoven, reviewers here consistently prefer the live 1947 radio broadcast from the Lucerne Festival over this 1953 studio recording from London. I'm not sure the choice is that clear, however, until one knows the salient details.

Lucerne 1947: Historically, this is a touching momento of Menuhin's decision to appear with Furtwangler soon after the war, at a time when the conductor's de-Nazification was slow and painful. Menuhin's gesture helped to rehabilitate Furtwangler in circles that had condemned him, and this Beethoven concerto performance shows how musically sympathetic the two artists were. Menuhin is placed far forward in Lucerne, his tone bright and at times shrill but nonetheless warm enough to listen to without wincing. His technique is adequate to the piece but no more.

Furtwangler gives almost an identical accompaniment in both recordings, although the Lucerne Festival Orchestra is notably less polished than the Philharmonia in the studio. Sonics are good radio mono. Tempos are the same in both recordings except for the slow movement, which is 2 min. slower in Lucerne. Menuhin opens the finale firmly and in tune.

1953 London: This studio recording is in quite good mono for its day, and the Philharmonia sounds especially warm and inviting. One notes a metallic edge in both orchestra and soloist at loud volumes (I haven't heard the latest remastering, which might have solved this problem). Menuhin's technique is no longer adequate to the part, though his interpretation hasn't changed in six years. He is quite out of tune beginning the finale, with gravelly tone on the G string. In both performances his approach is cautious rather than free and rhapsodic.

Furtwangler's accompaniment has great depth and lyric flow, without the drama he is capable of in Beethoven, however. It's often said that he felt constrained in the studio and freer in concert, but in this case both accounts are quite similar.
After all is said and done, the difference isn't so much interpretive but technical--Menuhin had slipped too far by 1953, at least to this listener.

The final and most important question is whether these are deeply felt and noble performances. Surprisingly, I didn't find them so this time around, but I did ten years ago. Subjectivity plays a crucial part in the role of the listener. I can sympathize with people who feel ennobled by these readings even though they have dimmed for me.

The Mendelssohn concerto from 1953 isn't an afterthought. This was always one of Menuhin's best pieces, and here he preforms it with moderate tempos and the kind of personal expression perfectly matched to Furtwangler's own. There are more mercurial readings but few as emotionally sympathetic.

Menuhin and Furtwangler Play Beethoven and Mendelssohn.......2005-10-11

The thirteenth-century poet Rumi wrote that "the voice of the violin is the sound of the opening gate of paradise." I was swept away by this classic recording of the Beethoven and Mendelssohn violin concertos by Yehudi Menuhin and Wilhelm Furtwangler conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra in the Beethoven and the Berlin Philharmonic in the Mendelsshon. This disk is a reissue on the "Great Recordings of the Century" series. The recordings date from 1953.

Wilhelm Furtwangler was one of the last of the romantic conductors. His tempos in these concertos are deliberate and fluid and the orchestral sound is lush. He recorded the Beethoven concerto with Menuhin in 1947 and again, on the version given here, in 1953. The first version emphasizes the lyrical, gracious character of the work. The version here is more reserved, emphasizing the spiritual, lofty character that many listeners find in the Beethoven violin concerto.

The Beethoven concerto is remarkable for its breadth and spaciousness and for the opportunity it accords for interplay between orchestra and soloist. The orchestral part is unusually detailed and elaborate and much of the violin part, especially in the opening movement, is filigree and embroidery in the highest register of the instrument around the orchestral themes. There are beautiful melodies in this work together with dramatic passages. In the first movement, the new listener should focus on how the opening five-beats of the tympani come to pervade the entire movement. The second movement is a theme and variations with two deeply-moving and reflective interludes for the violin. For many listeners, this movement is the climax of the entire work. The third movement is a lively rondo, more unbuttoned than the first two movements, with a great deal of variety and a lively coda.

Joseph Joachim, the 19th century violinist who championed both the Beethoven and the Mendelssohn concertos, among many others, said in 1906 (celebrating his 75th birthday) that "the greatest, the most uncompromising" of the violin concerto's was Beethoven's but that "the most inward, the heart's jewel" is Mendelssohn's". Furtwangler and Menuin's rendition of this most-frequently played of the violin concertos brought Joachim's words home for me.

Unlike the Beethoven concerto, the soloist is almost always at the center of attention in the Mendelssohn. Menuhin plays with lyricism and passion -- this work is much more than a series of pretty tunes. The orchestral part is detailed and developed, if subordinate to the soloist, and Furtwangler and the Berlin Philharmonic are equal partners to Menuhin's playing. This work is in three connected movements. In the opening, the new listener should focus on the long cadenza for the violin which Mendelssohn places following the development rather than in its usual place before the coda. The transition passages between the first and the second movement and the second and the third also are of great importance in this work. The second movement consists of a long songlike theme and the third movement is a light Mendelssohn scherzo. The performance here brings out the depths of this concerto.

This modestly-priced CD is an ideal way for the new listener to get to know two masterpieces for the violin concerto -- and two of the great works of music. The quotations I used earlier in the review are taken from the discussion of the Beethoven and Mendelssohn concertos in Michal Steinberg's book, "The Concerto: A Listener's Guide." Listeners interested in exploring the concerto literature will enjoy reading Steinberg's book.

Robin Friedman

The best of the romantic view.......2005-05-28

I first encountered this recording in a blue box of LPs imported from Germany by Odeon; simply entitled "Furtwangler", the box contains Beethoven's 3rd and 5th symphonies in the Vienna Philharmonic studio version; the Bayreuth version of the 9th; and the Emperor Concerto with Edwin Fischer and the Violin Concerto with Menuhin, both with the Philharmonia. The set was reprocessed by German Electrola in "Breitklang", which was a "space-opening" technology just this side of fake stereo. For at least a year I listened to the Menuhin record without much feeling one way or the other. Then one day I flipped the "mono" switch on my amplifier. All of a sudden, the fake "noise" that infected Menuhin's tone was gone, and there was his remarkable, sweet, luminous tone, a rare sound that shines from the inside. I was enthralled. I listened spellbound to one of the most personal, communicative renditions of this great piece I'd ever heard.

This is a lovely rendition, a bit more detached than the earlier Luzerne collaboration of these two great artists, perhaps less passionate but with a compensating spiritual depth. Menuhin may not have been the virtuoso he was 7 years earlier, but he still had most of his technique and sound intact. Yes, there are intonation problems, especially in the opening of the first movement. But we are a far distance from the Menuhin who sounded like he was struggling, with persistent intonation, bowing and phrasing problems and a tone which sounded increasing frayed. He might not be here the incandescent light he had been; but he was still a major artist with a deep spiritual insight into this piece and enough technique to bring it off.

Furtwanger, of course, is marvellous. Each phrase is lovingly and plastically molded, the overall structure and balance of the piece is always evident, each part fits inexorably into the whole, and all is at the service of his unique, spiritual (there's that word again) insight. The Philharmonia sounds like his own.

Rating this performance against the Luzerne version is like rating Furtwangler's late-life VPO/BPO studio recordings of Beethoven symphonies against his war-years radio broadcasts. The latter versions of both are more passionate, white-hot, intense; the former are a bit more removed, not without passion or feeling but with a more balanced perspective. Each version has its place, each offers its own unique insight. Each is worth listening to. Each is, in its own way, an essential recording.

You may hear this piece performed differently; you will never hear it performed better.

Huh?.......2004-12-31

I have more records of Menuhin than you could dream of a music fan! I have every single recording he did from 1928 Ries La Capricciosa to the latest recordings of concerti in the box set Menuhin concerto collection EMI. So I think my judgement is valid, the Lucerne recording on testament I have and I agree it's far better! Go Testament!

Good, but Menuhin was sublime in Lucerne.......2004-08-04

This is certainly a good recording of the Beethoven, and Furt's accompaniment is at times nothing short of stunning. But whereas Menuhin is merely good here, he is absolutely sublime in his earlier recording in Lucerne (also with Furt), which is now available on Testament. The EMI recording is cheapter, obviously, but don't let that mislead you: the Testament would be a bargain at any price.

Great Recordings Of The Century - Beethoven: Piano Sonatas nos. 8, 14 & 23 / Barenboim

Average customer rating:

A one-man museum of romantic gestures
Mixed bag - more good than bad
enjoyable
Uninteresting throughout
Disappointing Set

Great Recordings Of The Century - Beethoven: Piano Sonatas nos. 8, 14 & 23 / Barenboim
Daniel Barenboim
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Great Recordings Of The Century - Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue, Concerto in F, American in Paris / Previn, London SO
Great Recordings Of The Century - Beethoven: Triple Concerto; Brahms: Double Concerto / Oistrakh, Rostropovich, Richter
Beethoven: Concerto for violin in D

ASIN: B00000K4FA
Release Date: 1999-09-14

Tracks:

Piano Sonata No. 8 In C Minor, Op. 13 'Pathetique': I. Grave - Allegro molto e con brio
Piano Sonata No. 8 In C Minor, Op. 13 'Pathetique': II. Adagio cantabile
Piano Sonata No. 8 In C Minor, Op. 13 'Pathetique': III. Rondo (Allegro)
Piano Sonata No. 14 In C Sharp Minor, Op. 27 No. 2 'Moonlight': I. Adagio sostenuto
Piano Sonata No. 14 In C Sharp Minor, Op. 27 No. 2 'Moonlight': II. Allegretto & Trio
Piano Sonata No. 14 In C Sharp Minor, Op. 27 No. 2 'Moonlight': III. Presto agitato
Piano Sonata No. 23 In F Minor, Op. 57 'Appassionata': I. Allegro assai
Piano Sonata No. 23 In F Minor, Op. 57 'Appassionata': II. Andante con moto
Piano Sonata No. 23 In F Minor, Op. 57 'Appassionata': III. Allegro ma non troppo - Presto

Amazon.com

Daniel Barenboim was in his mid-to-late 20s when he recorded all 32 Beethoven sonatas for EMI. His expansive tempos and rhetorical attitude, however, suggest the musings of a weathered veteran of the German school. At this stage in his career, there was no question that Barenboim¹s instinct for Beethoven's confrontational style was genuine and deeply felt. Yet, there's a self-conscious aura surrounding the pianist's accentuations, breath pauses, and tempo fluctuations. These expressive devices seem grafted onto the music, rather than emerging as organic components of a more internalized vision. True, Barenboim's torrential dash through the Moonlight Sonata's hard-to-control finale and the Appassionata's fiery opening pack a cathartic wallop. But Claudio Arrau's similarly conceived yet more technically polished and musically seasoned versions surpass Barenboim's aspirations to be the Furtwängler of the piano. Incidentally, Barenboim eschews Beethoven's crucial third-movement repeat in the Appassionata. For headlong brio and terse concentration, Rudolf Serkin's 1963 traversals of these oft-recorded "name" sonatas for CBS deserve a sonic facelift on the order of EMI's beautiful, lifelike remastering here. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

A one-man museum of romantic gestures.......2006-06-01

In his late twenties, in the first flush of fame on the EMI label, Barenboim did some remarkable things. His Brahms concertos with Barbirolli and the five Beethoven concertos with Klemperer have enormous virtues. Maybe he needed an older, steadier hand, because left to his own devices, Barenboim clearly wanted to be part of the Great Tradition without having the experience or depth required--at least not in the Beethoven sonatas. He was (and is) a strange case of enormous talent desperate to overreach.

Sometimes he relaxes into his natural musicianship, as in the flowing first movement of the Moonlight sonata. Sometimes he seems a bit lost and therefore resorts to the Arrau-Backhaus school of weighty seriousness, as in the opening of the Appassionata. At his worst he makes a hash of romantic cliches, as in the first movement of Les Adieux. "Mostly enjoyable," as one reviewer puts it, but the Amazon review is dead on target: too much feels self-conscious and applied from the outside.

Mixed bag - more good than bad.......2004-08-16

I was kind of surprised that the other reviewers here were in such ferocious debate over the CD, since I bought it before reading reviews, and liked it...but a few more listens have proven some of the criticisms (though not all).

Pathetique: A very good rendition. Some people take exception with the slow intro, but I rather like it. The disc's booklet says Barenboim considers the sonata "the birth of the Romantic era" and doesn't "politely evade" the slow intro - definitely true. I think it gives the piece a darker cast, a bit of real color - and makes the following first movement seem even more furious. The slow movement's taken a bit fast, but then I have been told that I advocate VERY slow tempi for both this and the Fur Elise...so probably it isn't a bit fast really. Only real complaint - a few wrong notes in the outer movements, but nothing to skip the CD over.

Moonlight: When I agree with my mom, you KNOW it's done right. And we both agree that the first movement is done beautifully, heartbreakingly. I don't like the scherzo, no matter how it's played, so I can't tell you if it is played well. The finale is played very well, and here Barenboim shows his technical skill. (EDIT: Okay, maybe not. He's outdone by budget-disc phenom Jeno Jando, who plays it 30 seconds faster and nails every. single. note. WOW - knockout performance for Mr. Jando...but the Barenboim is still okay.)

Appassionata: First two movements done well, and I like the tempo on the slow movement (it's actually, well, slow), but the whole skipping-part-of-the-finale thing is not good, not excusable, and only barely forgiveable. (I also reviewed a version of Mozart's 41st where the finale is sliced up - I hate that kind of "edit". grr)

So there are some flaws, including wrong notes in the first track and rather dull moments elsewhere (plus the big omission), but the rest of it is just fine and Dan Barenboim does NOT deserve the fiercely angry comments of some reviewers on this page. Consider buying this CD if you are really fanatical about the sonatas here, but if you want just one version of them, look elsewhere first.

One final comment: the producer is one Suvi Raj Grubb, a bald Indian guy who just so happened to produce several Itzhak Perlman recordings. This guy must have had an eye for talented young musicians!

enjoyable.......2004-05-15

The exceedingly slow tempi of the Pathetique's opening bars and the Appassionata's Andante con moto were definitely the two things I noticed right off the bat about this recording. A criticism might be that Barenboim plays either with extreme languor or with extreme speed.

However, this recording has grown on me since I first listened to it. While I was certainly accustomed to faster playing, it later seemed to me that Barenboim was savouring each note, and that there was a lot of contemplation behind every strike of the key. Certainly as a listener, one has the time to think about every chord and appreciate the notes and melodic lines that Barenboim draws out, particularly in the Appassionata's second movement.

I do not own the recordings by Schnabel or Brendel so I can't compare. I would say, though, that this recording by Barenboim was a valuable addition to my collection. By virtue of his perhaps exaggerated tempi and dynamics, the listener receives the impression that Barenboim feels the music and is not just going through musical motions of crescendo, diminuendo, articulation, etc. I mean that this is generally a less sterile performance than others. The instrument itself complements this aspect, as its tone and clarity have not been stripped of resonance (as I find many recordings are wont to do).

In short: 4 stars. If you know your Beethoven, then be forewarned that Barenboim's tempo decisions might put you off. For a casual listener, though, I'd definitely recommend this disc.

Uninteresting throughout.......2004-03-29

Barenboim's playing of these three famous sonatas perfectly summarizes his playing of the other twenty-nine: unfelt, not musical, forgetting dynamic accents and staccato marks, too loud in the forte and too soft in the piano sections. I don't hear any spontaneity here, nor freshness, drama or even passion. These are party recordings at their best. The slow movements of all three sonatas are uniformly flat that it's hard to keep your attention with them. The fast movements suffer either from thorough dullness (he plays all the notes of the first movements of both Pathetique and Appassionata but that's about it) or, even worse, dullness in combination with banging (the final movements of all three sonatas). I've never heard the main theme in the last movement of the Appassionata sound this boring. Nor have I heard anyone play the movement's last minute this ugly. And he omits the repeat! The Mondschein's final: same story. There are SO many better recordings of these three sonatas that it's rather ashaming to see EMI put Barenboim's recordings in the 'great recordings of the century' series. EMI is that company that has a load of great Beethoven recordings by Edwin Fischer lying in its store vaults, but seemlingly prefers to release mediocre, dull readings like these. Anyway, if you want to hear these pieces in better renditions, you'd best go for Arrau's disc with these three sonatas on Philips (which is cheaper too), Brendel's two-fer with the 'favourite' sonatas or Gilels' recordings on DG. For an entire sonatas set, Kovacevich is also recommended. Barenboim's readings of Beethoven are thoroughly uninteresting and don't deserve any attention in such a crowded catalogue.

Disappointing Set.......2002-04-30

I was truly distraught when I brought this disc home and listened to the opening bars of the "Pathetique": the tempo was so slow it actually belied the concept of "tempo." So slow the music seemed to pull apart at the seams. I'm usually all for a more extreme reading of tempo markings, particularly with Beethoven, but there has to be some restraint, and I think Barenboim missed the mark here. Too bad, because the playing is otherwise excellent, and he hits the nail on the head, it seems to me, with the more energetic allegros. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend a disc of sonatas wherein each of the slow movements serves as an annoying distraction to the superior performances of the fast movements. Try Brendel (3rd cycle), Kempff, or Schnabel for a more even reading of some of the most wonderful music ever composed.

Great Pianists of the Century ~Historical Recordings Spanning the Period from 1927 till 1993. 5 CD Boxed Set

Average customer rating:

Great Pianists of the Century ~Historical Recordings Spanning the Period from 1927 till 1993. 5 CD Boxed Set

Manufacturer: Stemra Brilliant Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000NW9AW4

Product Description

CD1 contains Sergei Rachmaninov playing Schumann; Arthur Rubinstein playing Chopin; Joseph Lhevinne playing Chopin and Strauss; Vladimir Horowitz playing Liszt, Chopin and Rimsky-Korsakov. Disc Two contains Frederic Lamond playing Liszt; Alfred Cortot playing Chopin; Benno Moisiewitsch playing Wagner and Liszt; Ignaz Friedman playing Mendelssohn; Leopold Godowsky playing Chopin; Vladimir Sofronitsky playing Scriabin; Solomon playing Chopin; Disc Three features Dinu Lipatti playing Schumann; Walter Gieseking playing Mozart; Artur Schnabel playing Beethoven and Schubert; Emil Gilels playing Schumann and Claudio Arrua playing Balakirev; Disc Four features Sviatoslav Richter playing Rachmaninov, Chopin and Tchaikovsky and Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli playing Debussy; Disc Five features Earl Wild playing Liszt and Thalberg, Alred Brendel playing Mozart and Liszt; Martha Argerich playing Liszt and Prokofiev; Nikolai Lugansky playing Rachmaninov and Mendelssohn.

Legendary Recordings: The Originals From the Deutsche Grammophon Catalogue

Average customer rating:

Legendary Recordings: The Originals From the Deutsche Grammophon Catalogue

Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Ballads | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Toccatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Barcarolles | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000001GPV
Release Date: 1996-01-23

Tracks:

Stravinsky - trois Mouvements De - Maurizio Pollini
2. Chez Petrouchka - Maurizio Pollini
3. La semaine grasse. Con moto - Allegretto - Maurizio Pollini
Prokofiev - Klaviersonate NR. 7 - 1. Allegro - Maurizio Pollini
2. Andante caloroso - Maurizio Pollini
3. Precipitato - Maurizio Pollini
Webern - Varoatopmem Fur Klavier - 1. Sehr massig - Maurizio Pollini
2. Sehr schnell - Maurizio Pollini
3. Ruhig fliessend - Maurizio Pollini
Boulez - deuxieme Sonate Pour Piano - Maurizio Pollini
2. Lent - Maurizio Pollini
3. Modere, presque vif - Maurizio Pollini
4. Vif - Maurizio Pollini

Tracks:

Konzart fur Violine, Streicher und Continuo a-moll BWV 1041- (Allegromoderato) - ORIGINALS
Andante - ORIGINALS
Allegro assai - ORIGINALS
Konzert fur Violine, Streicher und Continuo E-dur BWV 1042 - Allegro - ORIGINALS
Adagio - ORIGINALS
Allegro assai - ORIGINALS
Konzert fur 2 Violinen, Streicher und Continuo d-moll BWV 1043 - Vivace - ORIGINALS
Largo ma non tanto - ORIGINALS
Allegro - ORIGINALS
Romanze fur Violine und Orchester Nr. 1 G-dur op.40 - ORIGINALS
Romanze fur Violine und Orchester Nr. 2 F-dur op.50 - ORIGINALS

Tracks:

Allegro non troppo - ORIGINALS
Adagio - ORIGINALS
Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivace - ORIGINALS
Allegro moderato - ORIGINALS
Canzonetta. Andante - ORIGINALS
Finale. Allegro vivacissimo - ORIGINALS

Tracks:

Chopin - Scherzo # 3 C # min op39 - Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Brahms - Rhapsodies op79: # 1 Agitato Hmoll - Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Brahms - Rhapsodies op79: # 2 Molto Passionato G min - Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Prokofiev -Toccata, opus 11 - Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Ravel -Jeux d'eau - Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Chopin - Barcarole F # maj op 60 - Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Liszt - Hungarian Rhapsody # 6 - Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Liszt - B minor Sonata: Lento assai - Allegro energico - Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Grandioso - Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Cantando espressivo - Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Pesante - Recitativo - Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Andante Sostenuto - Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Quasi Adagio - Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Allegro Energico - Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Piu Mosso - Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Cantando Espressivo senza slentare - Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Stretta quasi presto - Presto - Prestissimo - Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Andante Sostenuto - Allegro moderato - lento assai - Franz Liszt (1811-1886)

Tracks:

La Mer - 1: Debussy / De l'aube a midi sur la mer - Mussorgsky:Pictures at an Exhibition/Debussy:La Mer/Ravel:Bolero
La Mer - 2: Jeux de vagues - Mussorgsky:Pictures at an Exhibition/Debussy:La Mer/Ravel:Bolero
La Mer - 3: Dialogue du vent et de la mer - Mussorgsky:Pictures at an Exhibition/Debussy:La Mer/Ravel:Bolero
Pictures - 1: Mussorgsky / Promenade - Mussorgsky:Pictures at an Exhibition/Debussy:La Mer/Ravel:Bolero
Pictures - 2: Gnomus - Mussorgsky:Pictures at an Exhibition/Debussy:La Mer/Ravel:Bolero
Pictures - 3: Promenade - Mussorgsky:Pictures at an Exhibition/Debussy:La Mer/Ravel:Bolero
Pictures - 4: Il vecchio castello - Mussorgsky:Pictures at an Exhibition/Debussy:La Mer/Ravel:Bolero
Pictures - 5: Promenade - Mussorgsky:Pictures at an Exhibition/Debussy:La Mer/Ravel:Bolero
Pictures - 6: Tuileries - Mussorgsky:Pictures at an Exhibition/Debussy:La Mer/Ravel:Bolero
Pictures - 7: Bydlo - Mussorgsky:Pictures at an Exhibition/Debussy:La Mer/Ravel:Bolero
Pictures - 8: Promenade - Mussorgsky:Pictures at an Exhibition/Debussy:La Mer/Ravel:Bolero
Pictures - 9: Ballet des petits poussins dans leurs coques - Mussorgsky:Pictures at an Exhibition/Debussy:La Mer/Ravel:Bolero
Pictures - 10: Samuel Goldenburg und Schmuyle - Mussorgsky:Pictures at an Exhibition/Debussy:La Mer/Ravel:Bolero
Pictures - 11: Limoges: Le marche - Mussorgsky:Pictures at an Exhibition/Debussy:La Mer/Ravel:Bolero
Pictures - 12: Catacombae: Sepulchrum Romanum - Mussorgsky:Pictures at an Exhibition/Debussy:La Mer/Ravel:Bolero
Pictures - 13: Cum Mortuis in lingua mortua - Mussorgsky:Pictures at an Exhibition/Debussy:La Mer/Ravel:Bolero
Pictures - 14: La cabane de Baba Yaga sur des pattes de poule - Mussorgsky:Pictures at an Exhibition/Debussy:La Mer/Ravel:Bolero
Pictures - 15: La grande porte de Kiev - Mussorgsky:Pictures at an Exhibition/Debussy:La Mer/Ravel:Bolero
Bolero - Mussorgsky:Pictures at an Exhibition/Debussy:La Mer/Ravel:Bolero

Tracks:

Tod und Verklarung op. 24 (Death and Transfiguration) - R.Strauss
Metamorphosen (Metamorphoses) - R.Strauss
Fruhling (Spring) - R.Strauss
September - R.Strauss
Beim Schlafengehen (Going to Sleep) - R.Strauss
Im Abendrot (At Gloaming) - R.Strauss

Tracks:

Gute Nacht - ORIGINALS
Die Wetterfahne - ORIGINALS
Gefrorne Trn - ORIGINALS
Erstarrung - ORIGINALS
Der Lindenbaum - ORIGINALS
Wasserflut - ORIGINALS
Auf dem Flusse - ORIGINALS
Rck - ORIGINALS
Irrlicht - ORIGINALS
Rast - ORIGINALS
Frstraum - ORIGINALS
Einsamkeit - ORIGINALS
Die Post - ORIGINALS
Der greise Kopf - ORIGINALS
Die Kr - ORIGINALS
Letzte Hoffnung - ORIGINALS
Im Dorfe - ORIGINALS
Der sthe Morgen - ORIGINALS
Tchung - ORIGINALS
Der Wegweiser - ORIGINALS
Das Wirtshaus - ORIGINALS
Mut! - ORIGINALS
Die Nebensonnen - ORIGINALS
Der Leiermann - ORIGINALS

Tracks:

Andante sostenuto - Moderato con anima - Moderato assai, quasi Andante - Allegro vivo - Tchaikovsky
Andantino in modo di canzone - Tchaikovsky
Scherzo. Pizzicato ostinato. Allegro - Tchaikovsky
Finale. Allegro con fuoco - Tchaikovsky
Andante - Allegro con anima - Tchaikovsky
Andante cantabile con alcuna licenza - Moderato con anima - Andante mosso - Allegro non troppo - Tempo 1 - Tchaikovsky

Tracks:

Valse. Allegro moderato - Tchaikovsky
Finale. Andante maestoso - Allegro vivace - Molto vivace - Moderato assai e molto maestoso - Presto - Tchaikovsky
Adagio - Allegro non troppo - Tchaikovsky
Allegro con grazia - Tchaikovsky
Allegro molto vivace - Tchaikovsky
Finale. Adagio lamentoso - Tchaikovsky

Tracks:

Moderato - Sviatoslav Richter
Adagio sostenuto - Sviatoslav Richter
Allegro scherzando - Sviatoslav Richter
Allegro non tropo e molto maestro- Allegro con spirito - Sviatoslav Richter
Andantino semplice - Prestissimo -Tempo I - Sviatoslav Richter
Allegro con fuoco - Sviatoslav Richter

Tracks:

Russia Under the Mongol Yoke - Serge Prokofiev
Song About Alexander Nevsky - Serge Prokofiev
The Crusaders in Pskov - Serge Prokofiev
Arise, ye Russian People - Serge Prokofiev
The Battle on the Ice - Serge Prokofiev
The Field of the Dead - Serge Prokofiev
Alexander's Entry into Pskov - Serge Prokofiev
The Adoration of Veless and Ala - Serge Prokofiev
The Enemy God and the Dance of the Spirits of Darkness - Serge Prokofiev
Night - Serge Prokofiev
The Glorious Departure of Lolly and the Sun's Procession - Serge Prokofiev
Kij 's Birth - Serge Prokofiev
Romance - Serge Prokofiev
Kij 's Wedding - Serge Prokofiev
Troika - Serge Prokofiev
Kij 's Burial - Serge Prokofiev

Tracks:

Symphonie No. 35 D-dur KV 385: Allegro con spirito (5:32) - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Symphonie No. 35 D-dur KV 385: Andante (4:50) - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Symphonie No. 35 D-dur KV 385: Menuetto - Trio (3:32) - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Symphonie No. 35 D-dur KV 385: Finale. Presto (3:53) - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Symphonie No. 36 C-dur KV 425: Adagio - Allegro spiritoso (7:58) - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Symphonie No. 36 C-dur KV 425: Andante (7:16) - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Symphonie No. 36 C-dur KV 425: Menuetto - Trio (3:32) - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Symphonie No. 36 C-dur KV 425: Presto (5:53) - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Symphonie No 38 D-dur KV 504: Adagio - Allegro (10:22) - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Symphonie No 38 D-dur KV 504: Andante (8:34) - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Symphonie No 38 D-dur KV 504: (Finale.) Presto (6:17) - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus

Tracks:

Symphonie No. 39 Es-dur KV 543: Adagio - Allegro - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Symphonie No. 39 Es-dur KV 543: Andante con moto - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Symphonie No. 39 Es-dur KV 543: Menuetto. Allegretto - Trio - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Symphonie No. 39 Es-dur KV 543: Finale. Allegro - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Symphonie No. 40 g-moll KV 550: Molto allegro - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Symphonie No. 40 g-moll KV 550: Andante - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Symphonie No. 40 g-moll KV 550: Menuetto. Allegretto - Trio - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Symphonie No. 40 g-moll KV 550: Allegro assai - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Symphonie No. 41 C-dur KV 551: Allegro vivace - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Symphonie No. 41 C-dur KV 551: Andante cantabile - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Symphonie No. 41 C-dur KV 551: Menuetto. Allegretto - Trio - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Symphonie No. 41 C-dur KV 551: Molto allegro - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus

Tracks:

Die Moldau (Vltava) - ORIGINALS
Vysehrad - ORIGINALS
Les Prdes, Symphinc Poem no. 3 - ORIGINALS
Mazeppa, Symphinc Poems no. 6 - ORIGINALS
Ungarische Rhapsodie Nr. 4 - ORIGINALS

Tracks:

Introduccion y escena - Grace Bumbry. Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
With the Gypsies: In the Evening - Grace Bumbry. Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Song of Suffering Love - Grace Bumbry. Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
The Apparition - Grace Bumbry. Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Dance of Terror - Grace Bumbry. Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
The Magic Circle: Song of the Fisherman - Grace Bumbry. Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Midnight: The Spells - Grace Bumbry. Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Ritual Fire Dance: To chase away the Evil Spirits - Grace Bumbry. Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Escena - Grace Bumbry. Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Song of Will-o'-the-Wisp - Grace Bumbry. Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Pantomima - Grace Bumbry. Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Dance of the Game of Love - Grace Bumbry. Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Finale: The Bells of Dawn - Grace Bumbry. Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Dance of the Miller's Wife - Grace Bumbry. Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Dance of the Neighbours - Grace Bumbry. Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Dance of the Miller - Grace Bumbry. Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Danza final - Grace Bumbry. Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Introduction-The Firebird and its Dance - Grace Bumbry. Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Variation of the Firebird - Grace Bumbry. Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
The Princesses' Round - Grace Bumbry. Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Infernal Dance of King Kashchei - Grace Bumbry. Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Lullaby - Grace Bumbry. Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Final - Grace Bumbry. Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin

Tracks:

1. Allegro - Dvorak, Antonin - Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich
2. Adagio ma non troppo - Dvorak, Antonin - Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich
3. Finale: Allegro moderato - Dvorak, Antonin - Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich
Moderato quasiAndante - Dvorak, Antonin - Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich
2. Tema. Moderato semplice - Dvorak, Antonin - Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich
3. Variazione I. Tempo del Tema - Dvorak, Antonin - Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich
4. Variazione II. Tempo del Tema - Dvorak, Antonin - Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich
5. Variazione III. Andante sostenuto - Dvorak, Antonin - Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich
6. Variazione IV. Andante grazioso - Dvorak, Antonin - Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich
7. Variazione V. Allegro moderato - Dvorak, Antonin - Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich
8. Variazione VI. Andante - Dvorak, Antonin - Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich
9. Variazione VII. Allegro vivo - Dvorak, Antonin - Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich

Tracks:

Antonin Dvorak: 1. Allegro con brio - Dvorak
Antonin Dvorak: 2. Adagio - Dvorak
Antonin Dvorak: 3. Allegretto grazioso - Molto vivace - Dvorak
Antonin Dvorak: 4. Allegro, ma non troppo - Dvorak
Antonin Dvorak: 1. Adagio - Allegro molto - Dvorak
Antonin Dvorak: 2. Largo - Dvorak
Antonin Dvorak: 3. Scherzo. Molto vivace - Dvorak
Antonin Dvorak: 4. Allegro con fuoco - Dvorak

Tracks:

Mass No. 1 in d: Kyrie - Anton Bruckner
Mass No. 1 in d: Gloria - Anton Bruckner
Mass No. 1 in d: Credo - Anton Bruckner
Mass No. 1 in d: Sanctus - Anton Bruckner
Mass No. 1 in d: Benedictus - Anton Bruckner
Mass No. 1 in d: Agnus Dei - Anton Bruckner
Mass No. 2 in e: Kyrie - Anton Bruckner
Mass No. 2 in e: Gloria - Anton Bruckner
Mass No. 2 in e: Credo - Anton Bruckner

Tracks:

Jochum,stader,hellmann,haefliger,borg - Messe Nr. 2 E Moll Ftstimmigen Chor Und Blasorchester: Iv Sanctus - Anton Bruckner
Jochum,stader,hellmann,haefliger,borg - V. Benedictus - Anton Bruckner
Jochum,stader,hellmann,haefliger,borg - Vi. Agnus Dei - Anton Bruckner
Jochum,stader,hellmann,haefliger,borg - Messe Nr.3 F-Moll Fi, Chor Und Orchester: I. Kyrie - Anton Bruckner
Jochum,stader,hellmann,haefliger,borg - Ii. Gloria - Anton Bruckner
Jochum,stader,hellmann,haefliger,borg - Iii. Credo - Anton Bruckner
Jochum,stader,hellmann,haefliger,borg - IV. Credo (Forts.-Cont.) - Anton Bruckner
Jochum,stader,hellmann,haefliger,borg - IV. Sanctus - Anton Bruckner
Jochum,stader,hellmann,haefliger,borg - V. Benedictus - Anton Bruckner
Jochum,stader,hellmann,haefliger,borg - Vi. Agnus Dei - Anton Bruckner

Tracks:

Symphonie Nr. 1 C-moll Op. 68: Un poco sostenuto - Allegro - Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic
Symphonie Nr. 1 C-moll Op. 68: Andante sostenuto - Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic
Symphonie Nr. 1 C-moll Op. 68: Un poco allegretto e grazioso - Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic
Symphonie Nr. 1 C-moll Op. 68: Adagio - Allegro non troppo ma con brio - Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic
Symphonie Nr. 1 B-dur op. 38 Fruhlings - Symphonic: Andante un poco maestoso - Allegro molto vivace - Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic
Symphonie Nr. 1 B-dur op. 38 Fruhlings - Symphonic: Larghetto - Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic
Symphonie Nr. 1 B-dur op. 38 Fruhlings - Symphonic: Scherzo. Molto vivace - Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic
Symphonie Nr. 1 B-dur op. 38 Fruhlings - Symphonic: Allegro animato e grazioso - Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic

Tracks:

Klavierquartett Nr. 1 g-moll op.25: Piano Quartet #1 in G minor op. 25: I. Allegro - Brahms, Johannes
Klavierquartett Nr. 1 g-moll op.25: II. Allegro ma non troppo - Brahms, Johannes
Klavierquartett Nr. 1 g-moll op.25: III. Andante con moto - Brahms, Johannes
Klavierquartett Nr. 1 g-moll op.25: IV. Rondo alla Zingarese: Presto - Brahms, Johannes
Balladen Op. 10: Ballades op. 10: 1. Andante - Allegro - Andante - Brahms, Johannes
Balladen Op. 10: 2. Andante - Allegro non troppo - Molto staccato e leggiero - Andante - Brahms, Johannes
Balladen Op. 10: 3. Intermezzo. Allegro - Brahms, Johannes
Balladen Op. 10: 4.Andante con moto - Brahms, Johannes

Tracks:

Kammerkonzert fur Klavier und Geige mit 13 Blasern: Chamber Concerto: Thema scherzoso con variazioni - Igor Stravinsky and Alban Berg
Kammerkonzert fur Klavier und Geige mit 13 Blasern: Adagio - Igor Stravinsky and Alban Berg
Kammerkonzert fur Klavier und Geige mit 13 Blasern: Rondo ritmico con introduzione - Igor Stravinsky and Alban Berg
Kammerkonzert fur Klavier und Geige mit 13 Blasern: Dumbarton Oaks: Tempo giusto - Igor Stravinsky and Alban Berg
Kammerkonzert fur Klavier und Geige mit 13 Blasern: Allegretto - Igor Stravinsky and Alban Berg
8 Instrumental - Miniaturen: Con motto - Igor Stravinsky and Alban Berg
8 Instrumental - Miniaturen: 8 Instrumental Miniatures - Igor Stravinsky and Alban Berg
Ebony Concerto: Allegro moderato - Andante - Moderato - Con motto - Moderato - Vivo - Igor Stravinsky and Alban Berg

Tracks:

(Symph. Fantastique) Passions Largo: Allegro agitato e appassionato assai - ORIGINALS
(Symph Fant) A Ball: Vals. Allegro non troppo - ORIGINALS
(Symph Fant) Scene in the Country: Adagio - ORIGINALS
(Symph Fant) March to the Scaffold: Adagio - ORIGINALS
(Symph Fant) Dream of a Sabbath Night: Larghetto - Allegro - ORIGINALS
Cherubini: Anacreon - Overture - ORIGINALS
Auber - La Muette de Portici - Overture - ORIGINALS

Tracks:

Sonate No. 8 c-moll op.13: Grave - Allegro di molto e con brio - Wilhelm Kempff
Sonate No. 8 c-moll op.13: Adagio cantaile - Wilhelm Kempff
Sonate No. 8 c-moll op.13: Rondo. Allegro - Wilhelm Kempff
Sonate No. 14 cis-moll op. 27 No. 2: Adagio sostenuto - attacca - Wilhelm Kempff
Sonate No. 14 cis-moll op. 27 No. 2: Allegretto - attacca - Wilhelm Kempff
Sonate No. 14 cis-moll op. 27 No. 2: Presto agiato - Wilhelm Kempff
Sonate No. 21 C-dur op.53: Allegro con brio - Wilhelm Kempff
Sonate No. 21 C-dur op.53: Introduzioe Adagio molto - attacca - Wilhelm Kempff
Sonate No. 21 C-dur op.53: Rondo Allegretto moderato - Wilhelm Kempff
Sonate No. 23 f-moll op.57: Allegro assai - Wilhelm Kempff
Sonate No. 23 f-moll op.57: 2. Appassionata - Andante con molto - attacca: - Wilhelm Kempff
Sonate No. 23 f-moll op.57: 3. Appassionata - Allegro, ma non troppo - Presto - Wilhelm Kempff

Tracks:

I. Allegro ma non troppo - Schneiderhan, BPO, Jochum
II. Larghetto - Schneiderhan, BPO, Jochum
III. Rondo. Allegro - Schneiderhan, BPO, Jochum
I. Allegro aperto - Schneiderhan, BPO, Jochum
II. Adagio - Schneiderhan, BPO, Jochum
III. Rondeau. Tempo di Menuetto - Schneiderhan, BPO, Jochum

Tracks:

Konzert fur Klavier und Orchester Nr. 4 G-dur op. 58: Allegro moderato - Wilhelm Kempff, Berliner Philarmoniker
Konzert fur Klavier und Orchester Nr. 4 G-dur op. 58: Andante con moto - Wilhelm Kempff, Berliner Philarmoniker
Konzert fur Klavier und Orchester Nr. 4 G-dur op. 58: Rondo Vivace - Wilhelm Kempff, Berliner Philarmoniker
Konzert fur Klavier und Orchester Nr. 5 Es-dur op. 73: Allegro - Wilhelm Kempff, Berliner Philarmoniker
Konzert fur Klavier und Orchester Nr. 5 Es-dur op. 73: Adagio un poco mosso - Wilhelm Kempff, Berliner Philarmoniker
Konzert fur Klavier und Orchester Nr. 5 Es-dur op. 73: Rondo Allegro - Wilhelm Kempff, Berliner Philarmoniker

Tracks:

Symphonie Nr. 9 d-moll op. 125: Ouverture - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphonie Nr. 9 d-moll op. 125: Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphonie Nr. 9 d-moll op. 125: Molto vivace - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphonie Nr. 9 d-moll op. 125: Adagio molto e cantabile - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphonie Nr. 9 d-moll op. 125: Presto - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphonie Nr. 9 d-moll op. 125: Presto (chorus) - Ludwig Van Beethoven

Tracks:

Symphonie Nr. 5 C-moll op. 67: I. Allegro con brio - ORIGINALS
Symphonie Nr. 5 C-moll op. 67: Andante con moto - ORIGINALS
Symphonie Nr. 5 C-moll op. 67: Allegro - ORIGINALS
Symphonie Nr. 5 C-moll op. 67: IV. Allegro - ORIGINALS
Symphony Nr. 7 A-dur op. 92.: I. Poco sostenuto - vivace - ORIGINALS
Symphony Nr. 7 A-dur op. 92.: Allegretto - ORIGINALS
Symphony Nr. 7 A-dur op. 92.: Presto - ORIGINALS
Symphony Nr. 7 A-dur op. 92.: IV. Allegro con brio - ORIGINALS

Tracks:

Konzert fvier und Orchester Nr. 1: I. Allegro moderato-Allegro - G Anda-piano, Radio-Symphonie-Orchester-Ferenc Fricsay
Konzert fvier und Orchester Nr. 1: II. Andante - G Anda-piano, Radio-Symphonie-Orchester-Ferenc Fricsay
Konzert fvier und Orchester Nr. 1: III. Allegro molto - G Anda-piano, Radio-Symphonie-Orchester-Ferenc Fricsay
Konzert fvier und Orchester Nr. 2: I. Allegro - G Anda-piano, Radio-Symphonie-Orchester-Ferenc Fricsay
Konzert fvier und Orchester Nr. 2: II. Adagio-Presto-Adagio - G Anda-piano, Radio-Symphonie-Orchester-Ferenc Fricsay
Konzert fvier und Orchester Nr. 2: III. Allegro molto - G Anda-piano, Radio-Symphonie-Orchester-Ferenc Fricsay
Konzert fvier und Orchester Nr. 3: I. Allegretto - G Anda-piano, Radio-Symphonie-Orchester-Ferenc Fricsay
Konzert fvier und Orchester Nr. 3: II. Adagio religioso - G Anda-piano, Radio-Symphonie-Orchester-Ferenc Fricsay
Konzert fvier und Orchester Nr. 3: III. Allegro vivace - G Anda-piano, Radio-Symphonie-Orchester-Ferenc Fricsay

Music Review:

Music Review

music review

Music Review

Chaps: A History [Import]

Guitar Concerto 1 / Concerto for Guitar

Gnomenreigen

Christmas Sounds

Hiya [Import]

Magic of Healing Music: Kapha

Germany's Greatest Hits

Rap Music rap_music_43

Flashbacks! Live 1995-1998 [Import]

Evgeny Kissin Plays Brahms

In Trio [Import]

Emociones: Linea Azul, Vol. 7

Exitos Latinos

Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 20 & 22

Do the Don't