Mozart Recordings (1940-1945)

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This disc adds a major item to the discography of the legendary Budapest Quartet, the Divertimento for string trio. It's played superbly, with forward thrust that keeps the music always moving yet never slights its elements of song and poetry. The string quartets are performances that compare favorably in playing and sound with the Budapest's studio recordings, as does the piano quartet. Annotator Harris Goldsmith rhapsodizes enthusiastically about clarinetist Gustave Langenus and his playing here, but he sounds rushed and insensitive, and the recording often makes his tone sound like a harmonica. Still, there is much great playing here, and the 1940-45 performance recordings are better than you would expect. --Leslie Gerber

Album Description
The annotator of this release, Harris Goldsmith, writes: "What a stimulating and thought-provoking diversity for Mozarteans! With this release, listeners can welcome a brilliant addition to the legacy of recorded music." On this two-disc set Bridge Records issues five Budapest String Quartet Mozart performances- recordings never before released to the public in any format. Mr. Goldsmith opines that "at long last, we have the first truly satisfactory and inspired version the celebrated foursome made of the Clarinet Quintet, K. 581, and, to add to the bounty, it gives us a revelatory reading of the Quartet for Piano and Strings, K. 493, as well as characteristically vigorous accounts of two of the Haydn Quartets, K. 421 and K. 464. As a final treat we hear a magnificent Roisman-Kroyt-Schneider interpretation of the sublime Divertimento, K. 563."

Tracks:

Son Vergin Vezzosa - Paul Plishka
Eccomi... Oh! Quante Volte
Mira, O Norma
Santo Di Patria... Allor Che I Forti Corrono... Da Te Questo
Contro Un Cor Che Accende Amore - Nicolai Gedda
Che M'apporti? - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
Quel Sangue Versato Al Cielo S'innalza - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
Vorrei Spiegarvi, Oh Dio, K.418
Amor, Op.68 No.5

Tracks:

Martern Aller Arten
E Strano! E Strano!
Ah, Fors'e Lui
Follie! Follie!
Sempre Libera
Ces Murs Silencieux - Pardonnez-moi, Dieu De Toute Puissance - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
Toi! Vous! - Oui! Je Fus Cruelle Et Coupable! - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
N'est-ce Plus Ma Main? - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
Robert, Toi Que J'aime
Tu Ne Chanteras Plus?
Chere Enfant Que J'appele
Meine, Lippen, Die Kusen So Heiss
Wien, Wien, Nur Du Allein
Always Through The Changing

Customer Reviews:

RIP, BEVERLY SILLS 1929-2007.......2007-07-03

The great American diva's passing was announced today.

This wonderful CD set is a perfect compilation of her art as can be found anywhere. Her finest roles and performances are captured here, most of them derived from the Westminster/Audio Treasury recordings from her prime. Listening to them again demonstrates to me why she was so special, and such an inspiration to music lovers everywhere.

Brava Sills!.......2007-02-02

A very nice compilation of Sillsiana. The different cuts on this CD provide a nice illustration of her work. Let me briefly describe my response to a sampling of the works on this CD:

Bellini, I Puritani, "Son vergin vezzosa." Wonderful. Sutherland owns this--but so does Beverly Sills. Contemporary sopranos such as Netrebko and Gruberova have also sung this on their respective CDs, and while their product is nice, it simply does not compare. Sills is remarkably agile with her voice; the trills are well done; she cleanly hits high notes; the overall effect can only be described as wonderful.

Bellini, Norma, "Mira, o Norma". This is smoothly sung and very melodic. The technique that she exhibits does not overwhelm the music.

Rosini, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, "Contro un cor che accende amore." Again, her agile voice is well deployed. The florid singing is well done.

Donizetti, Roberto Devereaux, "Che m'apporti." Her clean, light voice matches well with this aria. Smoothly sung. Her "Quel sangue versato al cielo s'innalza," which follows, is well done. High notes cleanly hit, a smooth line.

Verdi, La Traviata, "E strano. . . .Sempre libera." Again, what agility! In "Sempre libera," she reveals a rich voice and, again, wonderful agility. This is an animated version of one of Verdi's showcase pieces.

Lehar, Giudetta. "Meine Lippen." A lot of fun! This is smoothly sung.

In the final analysis, this is a nice potpourri of Beverly Sills' repertoire. Those not familiar with her work will find this a nice entree to her oeuvre; those familiar with her will find this a good compilation.

Sills fits my bill.......2006-03-13

This recording is another in an all too small CD collection of Sills recordings. I eagerly await more.

The Great American Soprano.......2005-10-01

This is a great collecition featuring arias from the Classical and Romantic periods. Fabulous!!!!!

My Favorite Woman.......2005-08-05

I would have to say that when I first heard Beverly Sills sing, I was entranced. I couldn't take my eyes off of her and I became angry at any rustling around me, because I was afraid I would miss one note. It was so addictive....that is what she is....addictive! A c.d. will never properly capture her style. She is an amazing leader in opera, taking it into a new frontier and I believe this c.d. showcases that.

Christopher Parkening - The Great Recordings ~ By America's Preeminent Guitar Virtuoso

Average customer rating:

Excellent recording
Highly Recommended!
Amazing
A gentleman musical agreement!
Extreme virtuosity

Christopher Parkening - The Great Recordings ~ By America's Preeminent Guitar Virtuoso
Johann Sebastian Bach , François Couperin , Gabriel Fauré , Isaac Albeniz , Anonymous , Francisco Tarrega (y Eixea) , Silvius Leopold Weiss , Claude Debussy , Maurice Ravel , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Gordon Young , Georg Philipp Telemann , Heitor Villa-Lobos , Manuel de Falla , Manuel Ponce , Enrique Granados , Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco , Andrew York , Fernando Sor , Gaspar Sanz , Joaquin Rodrigo , and Christopher Parkening
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Duets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Fugues | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Christopher Parkening plays Bach
Simple Gifts: Christopher Parkening
The Christopher Parkening Guitar Method - Volume 2: Guitar Technique
In the Spanish Style / Christopher Parkening
Christopher Parkening - A Tribute to Segovia

ASIN: B000002RTR
Release Date: 1993-09-14

Tracks:

Fugue From Violin Sonata No. 1, BWV 1001 - J S Bach
Estudio brillante
Etude No. 1 In E Minor
Recuerdos de la Alhambra
Leyenda
Romance
Rumores de la Caleta
Capricho Arabe
Cantata 147: Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring
Well-Tempered Clavier: Prelude No. 1
Well-Tempered Clavier: Prelude No. 6
Cantata 140: Sleepers Awake
Prelude, Fugue, And Allegro: Allegro
Cantata 208: Sheep May Safely Graze
Les Barricades mysterieuses
Preambulo & Allegro vivo: Preambulo And Allegro vivo
Passacaglia
The Girl With The Flaxen Hair
Gymnopedie No. 1
Empress Of The Pagodas
Afro-Cuban Lullaby

Tracks:

Fourth Lute Suite: Praludium
Fairest Lord Jesus
Praise Ye The Lord, K. 339
Simple Gifts
Hymn Of Christian Joy
Cantata 29: We Thank Thee, Lord
Cantata 156: Arioso
Cantata 99: What God Hath Done
Canon
Dolly Suite: Berceuse
La Vida breve: Spanish Dance No. 1
Terezinha De Jesus
Prelude (In The Baroque Style)
Goyescas: Intermezzo
Prelude & Fugue No. 4 In E: Fugue
Evening Dance
Variations On A Theme Of Mozart
Canarlos
La Maja de Goya
El Noi de la Mare
Concierto de Aranjuez: Adagio - J. Rodrigo

Customer Reviews:

Excellent recording.......2007-05-12

If you are a fan of classical guitar than this is a must own set. I enjoy every moment.

Highly Recommended!.......2006-12-23

I would recommend this CD to anyone who loves music--period! Christopher Parkening is unquestionably one of the greatest classical guitarists of all-time. He embodies personal excellence like no other and is a brilliant artist. This CD is a must-have for any classical enthusiast. My favorite pieces include: Tárrega's "Recuerdos de la Alhambra," "Romance," Bach's "Prelude No. 6," and Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez." There are other versions of these pieces as well, but I always prefer Parkening's renditions, as they are oh so extraordinary--especially the recording of Aranjuez!! Other guitarists never seem to capture the essence of Rodrigo's musical masterpiece (e.g., Göran Söllescher in "Mad About Guitars"). But Parkening did! And the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was a perfect accompaniment.

This CD is definitely worth buying. Included is a CD booklet, which illustrates the history of Parkening's illustrious career, interesting tidbits about all 25 recorded pieces, and several photos of his early life to his "breathtaking performance" at Rodrigo's 90th birthday celebration at the Royal Festival Hall in London, 1992.

Amazing.......2006-05-08

I am not going to go into great detail. I am working on a degree in classical guitar and I can say this is something to strive for. His musical interpretation of the peices represented here are some of the best I've heard. His tone,color, and phrasing is incredible.

A gentleman musical agreement! .......2006-03-16

In guitar ` s playing there have been many renowned performers, gifted of exuberant technique. But curiously the Apollonian playing is not by itself strictly enough. The guitar is the instrument which is closer to heart as any other one. It demands from you passion and sentiment. There have been three well known guitarists, one of them from England and the other one from Spain and the third one from Japan whose sensibility was totally absent in their performances.

But fortunately for us, there have been notable interpreters that have been maintained a desired balance and contrast between brain and heart, achieving great distinction and total acknowledgement around the world. I would name seven primordial names along the instrument `s story. First of all: the mythic soloist Andres Segovia, Regino Sainz de la Maza, John Williams, Alirio Diaz, Manuel Berrueco, Siegfried Behrend and Christopher Parkening, among the most representative ones of a great list.

Christopher Parkening `s career has made a brilliant colorist, an impeccable and sensitive interpreter of this well reduced repertoire. His profound artistic conviction and convincing phrasing has been a perpetual motive of constant invitations and presentations around the world.

Extreme virtuosity.......2005-09-25

CP has become my chief inspiration to improve as a classical guitarist. His performances here are, without exception, phenomenal. He makes the most difficult pieces sound effortless. I prefer CP over John Williams because, while Williams is also unquestionably a master, he sounds a bit robotic to me at times. CP, on the other hand, never sacrifices musicality to precision. He sublimely maintains both.

Average customer rating:

perfect score for a perfect movie
Pleasant "ethnic" melodies
Third Man & Other Original Records
The first man of the zither
This is the one you're looking for.

Third Man & Other Original Recordings
Anton Karas
Manufacturer: Jasmine Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

The Very Best of Anton Karas
The Third Man
The Third Man (50th Anniversary Edition) - Criterion Collection
Austrian Zither
Vienna, City of Dreams

ASIN: B00006J9M2
Release Date: 2004-04-05

Tracks:

Third Man Theme (The Harry Lime Theme) (Original Version)
Anton Karas Second Theme
Cafe Mozart Waltz (Original Version)
Carol Theme
That Dear Old Song (Original Version)
Rendezvous Waltz (Previously Unissued)
Farewell To Vienna (Previously Unissued)
Alt Wiener Tanz In C-Dur
Visions Of Vienna
Danube Dreams
Anton Karas Medley Pt. 1
Anton Karas Medley Pt. 2
Im In The Middle Of A Riddle (V. Kay Arment)
Where Do I Go From You? (V. Kay Armen)
Zither Rhythm Of Anton Karas
Vienna, Women And Song (Later Version)
Cherry Stones
Wo Grunes Kranzel Hangt
Silent Night, Holy Night
Vienna, City Of My Dreams
Vienna, Women And Song (Original Version)
Third Man Theme (Later Version)
Cafe Mozart Waltz (Later Version)
That Dear Old Song (Later Version)
Wenn Der Herrgott Net Will / The Third Man Theme (Brief Reprise)

Customer Reviews:

perfect score for a perfect movie.......2007-02-19

Carol Reed's veteran cinematographer Robert Krasker's quirky angles under Reed's direction perfectly framed the ready-made-for-an-art designer bombed out shadows and stark, isolated street lights of post-war Vienna and its underworld. Unique to cinema history the whole score (but for some canned incidental cafe music) was just the brilliant zither playing of Anton Karas, adding his nuances to every dramatic transition. Krasker won an Oscar, and Karas was nominated.

The "Third Man Theme" (also known as the "Harry Lime Theme") is alternately brittle, jaunty, bittersweet, romantic, wry, and even sardonic piece of music--which fits the mood of the story and the film perfectly -- that, once heard, can't be forgotten.

The "Third Man Theme" turned Anton Karas into a wealthy man after 28 years of toiling in obscurity an relative poverty in Vienna.

One night, Carol Reed was passing by a wine tavern where growers offer their own wines for sale directly, and heard Anton Karas's playing in the background. Reed had never heard a zither before and found the sound to be attractive. He approached Karas and persuaded him to play for him at his hotel, and made a recording, which Reed brought back to the studio to test. He liked the effect when the zither's sound was placed against the recorded dialogue and, ignoring the protests of many around him, hired Karas and brought him to London for 12 weeks.

Anton Karas screened the movie hundreds of times, devising music for each scene. The Third Man ended up with a vast amount of music, scored in virtually every scene of its 104 minutes. Ironically, the piece that became known as the "Third Man Theme" was something that Anton Karas had written two decades earlier and hadn't played in over 15 years. As he later explained to Reed, playing the zither for a whole night for tips was hard work, and one tended to play the easiest pieces the most often, to save the fingers.

Other zither players never got it to sound just right. The truth was that as recorded for the movie, "The Third Man Theme" was one of the first practical examples of overdubbing on a hit record, rivaling Les Paul's work--Anton Karas had gotten just the right effect working underneath Reed's kitchen table, and had gotten the piece just right by recording and mixing more than one zither part.

The Third Man was finished and prepared for release, and Reed and the production company, London Films, tried to raise interest in it through the music. None of the record companies, however, was interested in recording Karas or releasing the "Third Man Theme." The music was too strange and different, and although British movies had produced some soundtrack successes in the past, those were usually more conventional light classical pieces, not a jangly piece of music played on a central European folk instrument.

Pleasant "ethnic" melodies.......2007-01-22

The tunes on this disc have a nice, comforting sound. Some of the selections are haunting, some have a peasant-liveliness. Nothing great or revolutionary, but plain good zither music, very enjoyable.

Third Man & Other Original Records.......2006-11-10

We bought it for a friend. They loved it.

The first man of the zither.......2006-03-10

The CD didn't sound as good as the movie sound track. Ity sounded a bit rushed as if the sampling during the transfer was not sufficient

This is the one you're looking for........2004-04-26

You've been looking for the original version of the music in "The Third Man", right? Every other CD on the market wouldn't work for you. But lucky for you, this is the one! Don't go wrong.

Great Recordings Of The Century - Dinu Lipatti

Average customer rating:

Dinu Lipatti
Supremely sensitive musicianship
Not disappointed!
A pianistic genius silenced too soon.
The One to Keep

Great Recordings Of The Century - Dinu Lipatti
Dinu Lipatti
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Dinu Lipatti: Besancon Recital
Chopin: Waltzes Nos. 1-14
Dinu Lipatti plays Chopin, Enescu, Ravel, Liszt & Brahms
The Complete Chopin Recordings
Piano Concertos

ASIN: B00000IOBF
Release Date: 1999-05-04

Tracks:

Partita No.1 In B-flat, BWV 825: Prelude
Partita No.1 In B-flat, BWV 825: Allemande
Partita No.1 In B-flat, BWV 825: Courante
Partita No.1 In B-flat, BWV 825: Sarabande
Partita No.1 In B-flat, BWV 825: Menuets I&II
Partita No.1 In B-flat, BWV 825: Gigue
Chorale Prelude, BWV 599: Nun Komm, der Heiden Heiland - Bach
Chorale Prelude, BWV 639: Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ - Bach
Cantata, BWV 147: Choral: 'Jesu bleibet meine Freude' - Bach
Sonata No.2 In E-Flat For Flute & Harpsichord, BWV 1031: II. Sicilliano - Bach
Sonata in E (Kk.380) - Scarlatti
Sonata in D Minor (Kk.9) 'Pastorale' - Scarlatti
Sonata No.8 in A Minor (K.310): I. Allegro Maestoso
Sonata No.8 in A Minor (K.310): II. Andante cantabile con espressione
Sonata No.8 in A Minor (K.310): III. Presto
Impromptu in G Flat (D.899) No.3 - Schubert
Impromptu in E Flat (D.899) No.2 - Schubert

Amazon.com

It's easy to hear why these timeless recordings have virtually never been out of the catalog since Dinu Lipatti's untimely death in 1950 at age 33. Each movement of the Bach B-flat Partita is painstakingly detailed without sounding the least bit studied, unfolding with logic, eloquence, and a cogent sense of dance. The two Bach-Busoni chorale preludes are sculpted in long, singing lines. Then there's the effortless textural juggling Lipatti achieves to moving, spiritual effect in the Bach-Kempff Siciliano and renowned Bach-Hess "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring." By all accounts, Lipatti labored many hours perfecting the trills and various ornaments in the two Scarlatti sonatas, and it shows. The pianist's intense, impassioned Mozart A Minor Sonata reveals endless felicities of phrasing and touch with each relistening. Lastly, the two Schubert Impromptus, recorded at Lipatti's last recital, shimmer with concentrated, poetic refinement and serene joy that belie the fact that the pianist was mortally ill. Let's hope these cornerstone performances will be available for another 50 years at least. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

Dinu Lipatti.......2007-03-27

Superb artistry. In Lipatti's playing, you will hear much in familiar music that you had not heard before.

Supremely sensitive musicianship.......2006-12-02

Dinu Lipatti's interpretation of these Bach partitas carries such poetry and fluid grace - never showy or rushed - that these stand among some of the finest recordings out there. He really brings out the ebb and flow of the music so that it seems to breathe with the life he gives them. The other Bach pieces, including the Cantata, Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring, are equally captivating as is his interpretation of Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 8.

Included also on the CD are two Scarlatti pieces, played with real aristocratic poise and dignity and two of Schubert's Impromptus (899) from a live performance. The third Impromptu is absolutely magical.

Dinu Lipatti was a rare and special talent whose small recording output was cut tragically short in 1950 when he was only in his early 30s. These recordings are from the 40s and as such are of a certain sound quality (you can hear the needle go round the record with the Scarlatti) - but the sheer elegance of his playing breaks through any kind of mono barrier. As an aside, his interpretation of Chopin's Walzes comes extremely highly recommended and is widely considered as among the very best available.

This is piano playing at its very finest.

Not disappointed!.......2006-07-22

I bought this CD of Dinu Lipatti playing Chopin's Waltzes largely based on the customer reviews on Amazon. Wow! I am not disappointed. Lupatti's technical skill is awesome but there is a delightful and enchanting quality about this recording that goes far beyond the technical perfection. I've heard many renditions of Chopin's Waltzes, but this far surpasses them all. Absolute delight!

A pianistic genius silenced too soon........2006-02-12

Dinu Lipatti was one of several tragic musical geniuses from the post-World War II period who died far too young. (Others included the pianist William Kapell, the contralto Kathleen Ferrier and the violinist Ginette Neveu.) Lipatti died at about the same age as Mozart and Schubert, and his recordings of those composers on this disc demonstrate that his loss was almost as great a catastrophe for the art of music as theirs. Lipatti's pianism "flowed like oil," to borrow one of Mozart's favorite phrases; it was always elegant but never mannered, always reasonable but never dull, intensely spiritual but never in a grandstanding way. I remember reading an interview with Seiji Ozawa in which he said that Lipatti's recording of "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" was the only disc he would recommend to anyone who wanted to get acquainted with classical music; it was so beautiful and so warmly human, Ozawa said, that anyone who heard it would be hooked forever. Ozawa was absolutely right, and that recording is on this disc. Buy it.

The One to Keep.......2005-05-03

You can only imagine how GREAT would it be if only had Dinu Lipatti lived another thirty-something years!! He could be the greatest Pianist of all time.

Amazingly technical skills aside, his way of reaching the very essence and spirit of Bach, Mozart and Schubert as recorded on this album is yet to be surpassed. His tragic early death left a huge void behind yet to be filled by another ‘God’s chosen instrument’, and world still hasn’t found one. Today, with many new recordings and re-issues of old recordings keep coming out, you can get excellent renditions of those pieces of music from other musicians. But, Dinu Lipatti’s approach of these composers is simply sublime, far beyond your usual experiences of piano-playing… Karajan’s expression of Dinu Lipatti’s playing was, "no longer the sound of the piano, but music in its purest form." Musical world has seen many great musicians, Dinu Lipatti was one of the rare ones. He’s got a touch of sublimity.

If you like the inspirational music magnificently represented by an inspiring soul, this is the one to get and to go along with you. In fact, Lipatti had left only a few commercial recordings and they are all great, (with vary quality of sound recordings, though.)

Clara Haskil: Philips Recordings, 1951-1960

Average customer rating:

Excellent, I love it
Clara Haskil Returns!

Clara Haskil: Philips Recordings, 1951-1960

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Pierre Monteux Decca & Philips Recordings, 1956-1964
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The Complete Decca Reordings of Ataúlfo Argenta, 1953-1957
The Glory of Rostropovich: 80th Birthday Tribute

ASIN: B000G6BJK8
Release Date: 2007-01-09

Tracks:

Sonata In E Flat Major, KK 193
Sonata In B Minor, KK 87
Sonata In F Minor, KK 386
9 Variations On A Minuet By Jean-Pierre Duport, K 573
I Allegro Moderato
II Andante Cantabile
III Allegretto
I Modere
II Mouvement De Menuet
III Anime
I Nicht Schnell, Mit Innigkeit
II Sehr Rasch
III Frisch
IV Ziemlich Langsam
V Schnell
VI Ziemlich Langsam, Sehr Gesangvoll
VII Langsam
VIII Sehr Langsam
Variations On The Name Abegg, Op. 1

Tracks:

I Von Fremden Landern Und Menschen
II Kuriose Geschichte
III Hasche-Mann
V Bittendes Kind
V Gluckes Genug
VI Wichtige Begebenheit
VII Traumerei
VIII Am Kamin
IX Ritter Vom Steckenpferd
X Fast Zu Ernst
XI Furchtenmachen
XII Kind Im Einschlummern
XIII Der Dichter Spricht
I Eintritt
II Jager Auf Der Lauer
III Einsame Blumen
IV Verrufene Stelle
V Freundliche Landschaft
VI Herberge
VII Vogel Als Prophet
VIII Jagdlied
IX Abschied
I Largo - Allegro
II Adagio
III Allegretto
I Allegro
II Scherzo: Allegretto Vivace
III Menuetto: Moderato E Grazioso
IV Presto Con Fuoco

Tracks:

I Molto Moderato
II Andante Sostenuto
III Scherzo: Allegro Vivace Con Delicatezza
IV Allegro Ma Non Troppo
I Largo - Allegro
II Adagio
III Allegretto
I Allegro
II Scherzo: Allegretto Vivace
III Menuetto: Moderato E Grazioso
IV Presto Con Fuoco

Tracks:

I Allegro
II Andantino
III Rondeau: Presto
I Allegro
II Romance
III (Allegro Assai)
Rondo In A Major For Piano And Orchestra, K386

Tracks:

I Allegro
II Romance
III (Allegro Assai)
I Allegro
II (Larghetto)
III (Allegretto)
I Allegro Con Brio

Tracks:

II Largo
III Rondo: Allegro
I Allegro
II Adagio
III Allegro Assai
I Allegro Affettuoso
II Intermezzo: Andantino Graziosos
III Allegro Vivace

Tracks:

En El Generalife
Danza Lejana
En Los Jardines De La Sierra De Cordoba
I Maestoso
II Larghetto
III Allegro Vivace

Customer Reviews:

Excellent, I love it.......2007-03-01

For anyone who likes to relive the golden era of pianists, a time when music itself was the core of a performance, this collection is a must have. The serene loneliness in Clara Haskil's interpretation of Mozart and Schubert was simply heartbreaking. Honest, elegant, and never self-centered, these memorable recordings deserve 5 solid stars.

Clara Haskil Returns!.......2007-02-04

Like many of the recent "Original Masters" reissues, this 7CD set of music performed by pianist Clara Haskil has been available since last July as an import, and now has finally been released in the U.S. In fact, all of the music contained on "Clara Haskil: Philips Recordings 1951-1960" has been reissued previously on CD, in two different box sets in the now out-of-print "Clara Haskil Legacy" series. Despite this, it is wonderful to have these classic performances back, particularly because those "Legacy" volumes were fetching outrageous prices as rare collector's items. Haskil was one of the legendary interpreters of Mozart and her Concerto recordings presented here of Nos. 9, 20 (two versions, mono & stereo), 23 & 24 (along with those she made for Westminster and DG -- see my reviews) are not to be missed. But also her Beethoven, Schumann and Chopin renditions are so delicately light and breathtaking, they cannot be overlooked, and they provide such a nice contrast to all the romantic ivory pounders out there. The first three CDs capture her sensitivity in various Sonatas, and they are most excellent. If you love great piano music and didn't have a chance to get these marvelous performances the first time around, don't miss out now!

Average customer rating:

badly remastered
Rachmaninov is the master
A Master of Musical Love
Classic Historic Rachmaninoff.

Rachmaninov: His Complete Recordings

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Vivaldi: Complete Cello Concertos
Bach: The Landowska Recordings
Brahms: Complete Piano Music
Rachmaninoff: Life, Works, Recordings
Grieg: Complete Solo Piano Music

ASIN: B000A2AD2S
Release Date: 2006-01-10

Customer Reviews:

badly remastered.......2007-06-25

"The Complete Rachmaninoff', at 2-3 times the price is a better deal. This version is re-mastered in a way that reduces surface noise, but, at the same time, removes much of the pianists' tone quality that comes through so well on the original LP release, as well as the more expensive set. Also, this album is lacking the documentation of recording dates that the LP and 'The Complete Rachmaninoff' provide. For the neophyte, the re-mastering reduces the magic of Rachmaninoff's tone. I would expect the connoisseur to be even more disappointed. There are bargains out there, but for this album, you get what you pay for.

Rachmaninov is the master.......2007-05-15

Some people like the recordings and some dont, but as a fan of Rachmaninov it would be a shame not to own these recordings. To hear a master composer from history play his own works is not that common. Just put the cd in your player put your headphones on and watch the black and white images appear in your mind as though you were at a concert in the 1930's looking on at the man sitting at the piano carefully but with feeling pounding each note into the air of time. If you don't like the scratchy recordings then obviously you are a spoiled brat who doesnt appreciate fine art.

A Master of Musical Love.......2007-01-18

There have been other brilliant composers and genius pianists as Rachmaninoff lived and afterwards. Yet, in my opinion, he is the real central figure of his days and, as far as I can feel, what there is of most modern up to now in classical music. I do not think it exaggerated to say that, after all these decades, someone is still to pick up the torch from his hands at that level of inspiration, just as he picked it up from Tchaikovsky. It is true that a few of his compositions seem quirky and cerebral: but more than a few are the masterpieces. His second Concerto is the concert of the century. And where do we find, for instance, a match for his etude tableau 39/5 in one hundred years? Or a simply revolutionary piece as his prelude 32/12 is?

One could go on with a list of marvelous compositions either created or played by him and many reviewers already pointed so much of great in his recordings. So a good thing to do here is what a previous reviewer also did: to say something special about one favorite piece of the box-set. My forerunner pointed to Rach's rendering of Haendel's "Harmonious Blacksmith" and I agree with each word he wrote about it. Now I should like to declare my amazement about his version of "Leise flehen", initially a Swansong written by Schubert and later transcribed by Liszt.

Hopefully Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and other singers will not mind my saying this, but Rachmaninoff unveils and exposes such a treasure in this song that now its original lyrics only seem to obstruct the inestimable wealth in piano notes below them at all other known recordings: the piece is infinitely more beautiful when left to the pianist alone. Rach's playing is warm and generous, just like Schubert's creative Geist, and the result is light-years ahead of the usual rough, squared, catacomb mood with which people bring the composition along with singers.

Impossible not to love, but there is more to that. After listening so many times to this piece that never ceases to stun me, I came to conclude that in fact very few people could manage to play the `leise flehen' like this, even among good pianists. As expressed here, its notes speak to their listener in such frank, open, and direct way - like a true friend making an important confession - that only a man with Rachmaninoff's `heart of gold' could manage to convey its meaning.

Ahhh, maybe we're talking about technique... To have a most noble heart, then, is THE decisive technical prerequisite for communicating these notes, otherwise they will simply not come out at all.

Notes: Here are a few opinions about the pieces mentioned above; hopefully they will be helpful for persons who don't know Rachmaninoff's works and stimulating for those who already know them. 1) As far as I am aware, besides Rachmaninoff only Valentina Lisitsa recorded the Leise flehen in a solo version. It can be found in her 2005 DVD with the Swan Songs program. 2) The etude tableaux 39/5 is not in this box set; many performers have played it, but none as Van Cliburn, who simply operates a miracle in the CD "My Favorite Rachmaninoff". His playing and the vertigo sensation it leaves behind are so powerful that I am sometimes afraid to listen to him. 3) Horowitz, the wizard, masters the prelude 32/12 in his CD "Horowitz Plays Scriabin" and in his legendary 1986 Moscow recital; the prelude is also in Rach's box-set. 4) About the second concerto, there are so many recordings, most of which I have not heard; my favorite performer is Benno Moiseiwitsch, a sublime piano poet much admired by Rachmaninoff himself. None of the recordings I've heard of the concerto, including the two available by its own composer, reach the climax of its third movement as Moiseiwitsch does in a 1944 movie called "Battle for Music". It is only a short excerpt from one of his wartime presentations with the LSO, but long enough to show how it sounds when perfectly done. The excerpt is also in the movie "The Art of Piano", in which the entire footage involving Rachmaninoff and Moiseiwitsch is simply a gem (however much historically unprecise).

Classic Historic Rachmaninoff........2006-01-14

If you're a tad bit confused between this boxed set and "The Complete Recordings" boxed set from 1992, fear not. Both this and "The Complete Recordings" are exactly the same. The only difference is in the cover art and packaging. Also, the price of this recent reissue is half as much as the original edition. If you have the original edition, there's no need to buy it again. If you don't own this already, then this present edition is the one to get mainly because of its reduced price tag.
With this out of the way, onto the music itself:
The Rachmaninoff Complete recordings collection includes everything the great Russian composer/pianist recorded between the years 1919 and 1941. Besides recording historic versions of his own classic Piano Concertos, his "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paginini" as well as conducting his own Third Symphony and Isle of the Dead, Rachmaninoff also recorded arrangements of works by such great composers ranging from Bach, Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert to most importantly, Chopin. These recordings are also included in this mammoth set alongside more obscure works by Mussorgsky, Daquin, Henselt and Dohnanyi.
The sound quality varies throughout the set ranging from highly listenable to sounding as if it were transferred by placing a microphone directly into the horn of an old grammophone. Despite the variants of sound quality, one cannot deny that this music as well as these recordings are important and historic.
The CD booklet gives a brief insight to Rachmaninoff's history as a recording artist as well as a breakdown of the tracks themselves. The only major flaw with this present edition is the fact that there are no recording dates listed anywhere in the liner notes. Considering that these are historic recordings dating from the very birth of the recording age, it would've definitely been helpful to be able to identify the year in which each work included here was recorded. Considering that I do not own the original edition of this set, there's a good chance that the first edition included the dates of the recordings. Not so here though. This is the reason why this reviewer docked this set one star.
Apart from this, this present edition or Rachmaninoff's complete recordings is a must for the die-hard Rachmaninoff fan. You get to hear the genius at work not only with his own material but with works by others as well. There are also a few note worthy collaborations such as a full disc of duets with legendary violinist Fritz Kreisler, an appearance by mezzo soprano Naddejda Plevitskaya on the arrangement of the traditional tune "Powder and Paint" and a fabulous four-hand piano rendition of Rachmaninoff's own "Italian Polka" with his daughter Natalie as second pianist (which actually sounds like a homemade wax-cylinder recording).
With this said, if you can get around guessing when these recordings were made, this is some great and historic music from one of the very best composer/musicians of our time - the one and only, the great Sergei Rachmaninoff.

Great Recordings Of The Century - Mozart: Clarinet Concerto, Sinfonia Concertante / Meyer, Vonk

Average customer rating:

For Mozart On His 250th Birthday
We're Raised In a Mechanical World After All
No better or worse than the regular clarinet
The most convincing I've yet heard
An Instant Classic

Great Recordings Of The Century - Mozart: Clarinet Concerto, Sinfonia Concertante / Meyer, Vonk
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Hans Vonk , Sabine Meyer , Diethelm Jonas , Staatskapelle Dresden , Sergio Azzolini , and Bruno Schneider
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000I7W8
Release Date: 1999-03-09

Tracks:

Clarinet Concerto in A, K.622
Clarinet Concerto in A, K.622
Clarinet Concerto in A, K.622
Sinfonia Concertante in E flat, K.297b
Sinfonia Concertante in E flat, K.297b
Sinfonia Concertante in E flat, K.297b

Amazon.com

No timbral difference separates this midprice reissue of one of the best-loved concertos by Mozart from its previous, full-priced equivalent. There's a bit more ambience and warmth and less stridency on top. If you own the original CD, there's no need to replace it, but first-time buyers should snap up these sensitive, stylish performances in their Great Recordings of the Century guise. One of the main attractions is the extended compass and deliciously "woody" tone of Sabine Meyer's basset clarinet. The clarinetist's fleet, effortless dispatch of the Clarinet Concerto's outer movements is a delight to the ear, and her improvised (or so they seem!) flourishes fit into their environment as if Mozart had written them himself. Whatever arguments have arisen over the Sinfonia Concertante's authenticity, no controversy marks this fetching interpretation by Meyer and colleagues. Hans Vonk lets the Dresden Staatskapelle be their gorgeous, collective self, although the less-caloric Orpheus Chamber Orchestra boasts greater transparency in its version. Meyer's interpretation of the Clarinet Concerto has ripened since this 1992 recording, and some listeners might prefer her more playful and overtly dramatic remake with Claudio Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic. Still and all, Mozart lovers will find both a bargain and a gold mine upon acquiring this disc. Warmly recommended. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

For Mozart On His 250th Birthday.......2006-01-28

It is one of the single greatest concertos ever composed for any instrument, composed by a man whose 250th birthday is being celebrated on this very day.

Mozart's celebrated Clarinet Concerto has received an endless number of recordings over the decades, many of them exquisitely done. But this particular 1990 recording by clarinettist Sabine Meyer for EMI, with the late Hans Vonk leading the Dresden State Orchestra (Staatskapelle Dresden), is particularly brilliant in the way it brings out the work's inherent poignancy, and with it the knowledge that the great Wolfgang completed the work with only two months left in his life.

Since it is known that the work was composed with a basset clarinet in mind, this is how Meyer performs her solo part on this recording (as well as on her later recording with Claudio Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic). But it never sounds like she is resorting to period-instrument fussiness in her solo role. The joyous outer movements are balanced by the haunting and touching slow movement to which Meyer brings out the gorgeous expressiveness of her instrument. Vonk and the Dresden orchestra accompany her with a good deal of panache.

Using the far lesser-known Sinfonia-Concertante for clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and horn was a very cagey move, given that the authenticity of this piece insofar as it relates to the Mozart canon is doubted by some musicologists. The performance by Meyer (using a modern clarinet), members of her own Sabine Meyer Wind Ensemble (Diethelm Jonas [oboe]; Bruno Schneider [horn]; and Sergio Azzolini [bassoon]), and the Dresdeners under Vonk pretty much certifies that this is indeed a true Mozart composition, full of warmth and wit in its writing.

This is a recording that genuinely lives up to EMI's claim of it being one of the Great Recordings of the Century, and is well recommended, especially for this day when we honor the great Mozart's birthday.

We're Raised In a Mechanical World After All.......2004-05-21

Her playing is brilliant, and so is her tone.

And very accurate in terms of the written score too. And her tone is so dark especially in the bass. She uses the German system, i.e. using a string instead of a clip for holding the weed. Her tone is nonetheless more sweet than bitter. That makes one wonders how that kind of tone could be transcendental? And whether that was the kind of tone that appealed to Mozart so much?

More seasoned audience may prefer Carl Leister, a real German maestro. His tone may not be that bright, but he mixes perfectly well with the other woodwinds and the orchestra and more importantly, his playing is poetic.

Nearly all great musicians are poetic particularly those of the older generation, including Dohnanyi (composer/pianist), Casals, Rachmaninoff, Cortot, Bartok, Rubinstein, Rampal, Arrau, Richter, Michelangeli: their tempi are never that rigid, and their scales are never that "perfectly" even. Not even Heifetz or Backhaus, Rachmaninoff or Gilel or Glenn Gould or even Pletnev (Kissin is perhaps an exception)... Yet, they are so full of life, vivid and effective. Well, when Carl Leister comes to the second movement of thesame concerto, like these great muscians of the past, his sweet-bitter tone is apt to break your heart...

Sure the Sabine has music in her pocket. Does she really play from her heart? Doesn't she sounds more like a small part of a big machine that turns around at the dictation of Karajan's baton? With her tone is so outstanding, her tempi so metronome correct and her playing so cautious... So, what is her statement ( or personal interpretation ) on this piece of music? And where is the poetry??

All in all, I rate Meyer one star lower than Galway the flutist albeit the style of the two are so close.

No better or worse than the regular clarinet.......2002-07-17

I may be a dummy, but I didn't hear much difference between the instrument on this one and the regular clarinet. I have no problem with this CD, it's excellent, but I feel as if the slow movement of the Clarinet Concerto could have broken my heart a bit more.

The most convincing I've yet heard.......2001-12-17

The fact that Ms. Meyer has made yet another recording of this work has me in anticipation, especially when some say it is even better than this 1990 recording. That is hard to imagine.* As someone who's often felt existsing interpretations just don't quite do it, I was thrilled to discover this disc. Meyer gets the balance of pathos, playfulness, innocence, and naivete just right. Tempi are brisker than most performances but to me sound just right. The tone is dark and almost smokey at times, partly because she plays a basset clarinet for which the work was written, partly because she is a superb colorist who gets a maximum of impact with a minimum of flashy external effect. The slow movement plumbs the depths like I've never heard excepting maybe Reginald Kell, only Meyer has even more technique than Kell! In the first movement, though, she finds more depth and profundity in the development without ever really seeming to push--she is just such a natural with this music. And although this is not billed as a "period performance," she ad libs ornametations in the concerto very much in line with what reports tells went on in Mozart's day, giving the whole performance a very improvisatory feeling. (By contrast, Anthony Pay does no such ornamentations on his recording with Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music, a recording that IS billed as "period" or "authentic," but which comes off a bit dutiful and dull.) The finale is as rolicking as one could wish for, without the heavy-handed tendency some take of playing the secondary theme as a dark and mysterious portent of death or misfortune. Vonk and the Staatskapelle Dresden accompany her with energy and clarity (listen to those airy strings!), maybe sounding a *little* too Romantic at times, but only *slightly* so. Sonics are warm and first-rate. This truly is a "Great Recording of the 20th Century."

*Post script later: Having now listened to the later live recording with Claudio Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic, I can state that this Vonk CD is to my ears the better recording. Meyer is wonderous on both, but Abbado and the BPO skate over the music, missing inner textures and lines in the process. The strings in that recording sound overly smooth (Karajan would have been scourned if he'd performed it so "slick") and through much of the performance everyone seems on autopilot. It may be the autopilot of a Gulfstream GV, but it's still autopilot.

An Instant Classic.......2001-03-05

I usually associate the amazing performances in EMI's "Great Recordings of the Century" series with definitive mono releases from the 50s, like Furtwangler's Beethoven 9th, or even great analog stereo dates from the 60s & 70s like Perlman's Paganini Caprices or his Brahms Violin Sonatas with Ashkenazy, or (though I'm not a big opera fan) Karajan's Strauss operas. But it takes a truly special recent digital recording, an instant classic if you will, to earn the GROTC label -- like Perlman's Beethoven Violin Concerto or this album of Mozart's Concertos. Hans Vonk leads one of the world's great orchestras, the Staatskapelle Dresden, through Mozart's Clarinet Concerto and Sinfonia Concertante, which is a concerto for four winds. The soloists are all amazing, with clarinetist Sabine Meyer leading the pack. This is Mozart at its best -- these are truly magnificent works and performances.

Great Recordings Of The Century - Hummel, L. Mozart, Telemann, Vivaldi: Trumpet Concertos / Andre, Karajan

Average customer rating:

Andre & Karajan Make Magic

Great Recordings Of The Century - Hummel, L. Mozart, Telemann, Vivaldi: Trumpet Concertos / Andre, Karajan
Maurice Andre , Herbert von Karajan , and Berlin Philharmonic
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000I7WD
Release Date: 1999-03-09

Tracks:

Trumpet Concerto In E Flat: Allegro con spirito
Trumpet Concerto In E Flat: Andante
Trumpet Concerto In E Flat: Rondo
Trumpet Concerto In D: Adagio
Trumpet Concerto In D: Allegro moderato
Trumpet Concerto In D: Adagio
Trumpet Concerto In D: Allegro
Trumpet Concerto In D: Grave
Trumpet Concerto In D: Allegro
Trumpet Concerto in A flat: Allegro
Trumpet Concerto in A flat: Sarabande
Trumpet Concerto in A flat: Presto

Customer Reviews:

Andre & Karajan Make Magic.......2003-07-22

At first look, this disc may come as a surprise to you. Herbert von Karajan is not generally regarded as an accompanist, or as a conductor of baroque or classical-period material, yet here he is with trumpeter Maurice Andre in brilliant recordings of Trumpet Concertos by Hummel, L. Mozart, Telemann and Vivaldi. Another thing Karajan is not generally known for is the great recordings he made for EMI (and to a lesser extent Decca), as most associate him exclusively with the Berlin Philharmonic and the DG label. Many of his great EMI recordings have been released recently in the "Karajan Edition" series, but a few, like this title, have now been included as part of the "Great Recordings of the Century" series (though mostly his opera recordings). My only problem with this fine disc is that it is basically a straight reissue (aside from remastering) of the original vinyl LP, which means it only logs in at just over 45 minutes. But my dissatisfaction stems only from the fact that I am greedy, and would love to have had more to savor from this wonderful collaboration between Andre and Karajan.

Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon

Average customer rating:

MUST HAVE THIS IN YOUR COLLECTION OF HOROWITZ
Horowitz: A Digital Legacy

Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Horowitz Live and Unedited [includes Bonus DVD]

ASIN: B00008RWRI
Release Date: 2003-10-14

Customer Reviews:

MUST HAVE THIS IN YOUR COLLECTION OF HOROWITZ.......2007-07-13

If you have any Horowitz music in your collection. THEN YOU MUST GET THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS ON DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON. Quality of recording is superb.

Horowitz: A Digital Legacy.......2004-11-15

This set includes all of the recordings Vladimir Horowitz did for Deutsche Grammophon in the 1980s, including his historical concert in Moscow.

While the context of his return in Moscow is moving, the studio recordings are simply wonderful. The sound quality is impeccable. The Steinway piano sounds warm but yet crisp and sharp. Horowitz still has plenty of power, and if you don't have a good sound system, you will notice that your speakers will literally fail, due to the overwhelming wall of sound that Horowitz creates in the intense parts.

The tender moments are just as exciting, as they are enhanced by the very quiet and clear digital recording process. Liszt's Standchen and Mozart's Piano Concerto No 23 are only two of a myriad of highlights contained on this boxed set. Having these high quality digital recordings of this piano legend is a blessing that you can't afford to miss. And at this price, it's simply irresistible.