Chopin: Piano Sonatas #2 & 3, Ballades, Op. 23,38,47 & 52, Scherzi Op. 20, 31, 39 & 54; Cecile Ousset [Original recording remastered]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This 2-CD set presents some of Chopin's most beloved masterpieces--the two great Sonatas and the complete Scherzi and Ballades--in splendid performances. Perhaps the most immediately striking characteristic of Cécile Ousset's playing, apart from her consummate mastery of the instrument, is its extraordinary clarity and transparency, no matter how full the texture. She must use the pedal very sparingly. Her passage-work is brilliant, her runs are like chains of flawless pearls, no matter how fast the tempo. Even the Presto Finales of the two sonatas are crystal clear. Every line stands out, and the balance between her hands is perfect. Musically, her most immediately striking characteristic is her uninhibited, surging romanticism. She has the courage to follow the dictates of her heart, pushing forward and pulling back with the ebb and flow of the music; she also freely changes the tempo along with its changing moods, but her transitions are always poised and controlled, and there is plenty of time to enjoy and caress melodic and harmonic details. Above all, she brings out all of Chopin's mercurial emotions, from inward reverie and melancholy, mysteriousness, elfin delicacy, majestic grandeur and solemnity, poetry, ardor, humor, to soaring ecstasy and serene resignation. Unfortunately, she is badly served by the recorded sound, which is harsh, clangorous and tinny; though she obviously commands a large range of colors and nuances, they must be surmised rather than being actually heard. The recordings were originally made in 1987 and 1988, this compilation dates from 2003; surely the beauty of the music and the high quality of the playing deserve better technological results. --Edith Eisler

Tracks:

Carnival Of The Animals - Bruno Canino
Vocalise, Op.34 No.14 - Lynn Harrell
Thais - Julian Lloyd Webber
Adagio - Janos Starker
Apres Un Reve - Bruno Canino
Adagio - Julian Lloyd Webber
Ave Maria - Julian Lloyd Webber
Adagio - Julian Lloyd Webber
Traumerei (Dreaming) - Bruno Canino
Notturno: Andante - Julian Lloyd Webber
Sicilienne - Bruno Canino
An Die Musik, D547 - Bruno Canino
Reverie - Julian Lloyd Webber
Prayer - Bruno Canino
Ebben? Ne Andro Lontana - Bruno Canino
Salut D'amour, Op.12 - Bruno Canino
Valse Sentimentale, Op.15 No.6 - Samuel Sanders
Kol Nidrei, Op.47 - Julian Lloyd Webber

Tracks:

Air (Air On A G String) - Julian Lloyd Webber
Clair De Lune - Julian Lloyd Webber
Elegie, Op.24 - Jullian Lloyd Webber
Andante - Heinrich Schiff
Romance In D Minor, Op.62 - Julian Lloyd Webber
Beau Soir - Bruno Canino
Sicilienne, Op.78 - Bruno Canino
Panis Angelicus - Julian Lloyd Webber
Nocturne In E Flat Major, Op.9 No.2 - Julian Lloyd Webber
Cantabile - Samuel Sanders
Liebesleid - Samuel Sanders
Adagio Ma Non Troppo - Janos Starker
Bereuse - Julian Lloyd Webber
Cantilena - Julian Lloyd Webber
Melodie, Op.20 No.1 - Julian Lloyd Webber

Customer Reviews:

really like it.......2007-03-05

This is the first classical cd I have ever bought. The two-disc album was a great price. I really love the performance of Lynn Harrell. I like the collection of Adagios because they are perfect to fall asleep to or study to.

Average customer rating:

Like the Brahms, Avoid the Chopin and Franck

Brahms, Chopin & Franck: Cello Sonatas
Johannes Brahms , Fryderyk Chopin , Cesar Franck , Daniel Barenboim , and Jacqueline du Pre
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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French Music for Cello and Piano
Brahms: Symphony No. 4; Tragic Overture; Schicksalslied
Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3
Bach: Cello Suites
Jacqueline du Pre In Portrait

ASIN: B0002XV306
Release Date: 2005-02-15

Tracks:

I. Allegro Non Troppo
II. Allegretto Quasi Menuetto
III. Allegro
I. Allegro Vivace
II. Adagio Affetuoso
III. Allegro Passionato
IV. Allegro Molto

Tracks:

I. Allegro Moderato
II. Scherzo (Allegro Con Brio)
III. Largo
IV. Finale (Allegro)
I. Allegro Ben Moderato
II. Allegro
III. Recitativo - Fantasia (Ben Moderato - Molto Lento)
IV. Allegretto Poco Mosso

Customer Reviews:

Like the Brahms, Avoid the Chopin and Franck.......2006-12-14

The Chopin and Franck recordings were made while Jacqueline duPre was ill and near the end of her life. As heroic as it may have been to make these recordings in that condition, the quality suffers. The Brahms sonatas are tighter; they have the usual Jacqueline duPre warmth to the sound, and they are much better. If it comes down to buying this album or one with just the Brahms, and there is a price reason to choose the Brahms, I'd pass on this one. But if you can get this compilation for the same price as just the Brahms sonatas, you might as well, unless you don't want any subpar recordings in your collection.

Average customer rating:

Cello Moods

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Gentle Dreams: The Best of Julian Lloyd Webber
Lullaby
Unexpected Songs
Julian Lloyd Webber plays Andrew Lloyd Webber
Cello Adagios

ASIN: B00000IX78
Release Date: 1999-05-11

Tracks:

Panis Angelicus
Chanson De Matin
Salut D'Amour
Jackie's Song
Reverie
Air On A G String
Meditation from Thais
Japanese Traditional: Sakura, Sakura
Ave Maria
String Quartet No.2: Nocturne
Melodie Op. 20 No.1
Nocturne, Op.9 No.2
Cello Concerto In B Flat: Adagio
Organ Sonata No.11 In D Minor, Op. 148: Cantilena
Kol Nidrei, Op.47

Average customer rating:

"Real" classical music for little ones
Very Relaxing, yet still super
Just what we harried ADULTS need to unwind!
Beautiful bedtime music for babies
Peaceful, beautiful, soothing piano music

Perchance to Dream

Manufacturer: Delos Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Mazurkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Fugues | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Inventions | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Reverie: Carol Rosenberger
Such Stuff As Dreams
Water Music Of The Impressionists
Singing on the Water
Jazz for Kids: Sing, Clap, Wiggle and Shake

ASIN: B0000006X2
Release Date: 1992-05-22

Tracks:

Short Story
My Deal Little Mother (Mein Mein)
Andante from Sonata in C, K. 545
Erinnerung (Remembrance)
Sehr Langsam (Very Slowly)
Abendlied (Evening Song)
Schlummerlied (Slumber Song)
Mignon
Des Abends (Evening)
Berceuse, Op. 56, No. 1
Prelude Op. 28, No. 7 in a Major
Mazurka Op. 68, No. 2 in a Minor
Adagio from Sonata in F Major, Hob Xvi:23
Sinfonia V in E-Flat Major
Prelude in C Major from the Well-Tempered Clavier
Aria in G Major from the Goldberg Variations
Andante from Sonata in a Major, Op. 120, D. 664
Intermezzo Op. 117, No. 1
Bagatelle, Op. 119, No. 1
Adagio Cantabile from Sonata Op. 13 (Pathque)

Amazon.com

This is a lovingly-presented and very touching recording. Solo piano works by such composers as Kabalevsky, Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Schumann, and Ravel come together in this collection intended to promote restfulness and calm in both children and adult listeners. With Carol Rosenberger's gentle playing, it succeeds marvellously. This disc is absolutely ideal for bedtime or times of quiet reflection. It might serve well in the car during traffic jams, too. Rather than just throwing together performances packaged on a theme (as a number of record companies are doing), Delos and Rosenberger seem to have tailored the interpretations to achieve the desired musical goal here. The liner notes have a lively section just for young readers. --Gwendolyn Freed

Product Description

Music for Babies/Childrem

Customer Reviews:

"Real" classical music for little ones.......2003-02-27

I bought this CD for my elder son when he was tiny; he listened to it nightly (and often for afternoon naps), and his little brother is continuing the tradition. What I like best about this compilation is that this is REAL music - real Brahms, Mozart, etc - and not watered-down versions or arrangements of the classics (like the vast majority of "classical" compilations on the market these days). (I suppose I am just a crank about this, but I grew up listening to real music, and I want my kids to do the same.) The performances are gentle and understated - not what you would want in a concert, but just right for sedating a small one.

Very Relaxing, yet still super.......1999-06-16

This CD is just wonderful for babies and adults and children. It has a good blend of music to introduce children to beautiful classical music. I think that the playing is just superb.

Just what we harried ADULTS need to unwind!.......1999-02-12

An almost perfect combination of selections for relaxing background music, which is played frequently as our dinner music.

I would have appreciated a little less "electronic doctoring" as some notes (especially the lower range) don't sound quite "true", but then again it could be my ears!

Anyway, am delighted that it does what it was designed to do...provide an enjoyable time of relaxation. Thanks.

Beautiful bedtime music for babies.......1999-01-04

This CD was given to us as a gift when our daughter was born and we always play it when putting her down for a nap or to sleep for the night. When we travel, we take it along to ensure that she will fall asleep as easily on the road as she does at home.The music is absolutely lovely and very soothing for infants and adults alike. We even ordered a second copy in case we were ever to lose or wear out the first one!

Peaceful, beautiful, soothing piano music.......1998-10-22

This is one of the most peaceful, soothing and beautiful CD's I have ever heard. I think it would put you or your baby to sleep every night. The music selection is wonderful and the artist has a beautiful technique on the piano. I loved it.

Chopin: Piano Sonatas Nos. 2 & 3; Scherzo No. 3 in C sharp minor

Average customer rating:

MUSICAL MAENAD

Chopin: Piano Sonatas Nos. 2 & 3; Scherzo No. 3 in C sharp minor

Manufacturer: Polygram Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Scherzo | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Martha Argerich Plays Chopin: The Legendary 1965 Recording
Chopin: Piano Concertos nos. 1 & 2 / Dutoit, Argerich
Chopin, Liszt: Piano Concertos / Martha Argerich, London Symphony Orchestra
Chopin: 26 Préludes, etc / Martha Argerich
Prokofiev, Ravel: Piano Concertos, etc / Martha Argerich

ASIN: B00000E3EB
Release Date: 1987-12-10

Tracks:

Piano Sonata No.2 In B Flat Minor, Op.35 - I- Grave - Doppio Movimento
Ii- Scherzo
Iii- Marche Funebre. Lento
Iv- Finale. Presto
Scherzo In C Sharp Minor Op.39 - Presto Con Fuoco
Piano Sonata No.3 In B Minor, Op.58 - I- Allegro Maestoso
Ii- Molto Vivace
Iii- Largo
Iv- Presto Ma Non Tanto

Customer Reviews:

MUSICAL MAENAD.......2005-09-08

Considering how many performances of the Chopin sonatas the musical great and good keep offering us I might have expected to find a set that approaches some theoretical ideal by now. The nearest I have yet come to that is from Cziffra in his 2-disc all-Chopin issue. I don't for one instant suppose that this evaluation will be universally shared, but it's the standard I go by although I'm open to other possibilities. The first thing I look for is clear individuality, and I doubt that any player shows more of that than Argerich does. She starts well (better than Cziffra does) and finishes badly, but the overall standard is 5-star material all the same. Music-lovers who have been around for a while know what to expect from her by now, and she gives it to us without compromise in the B flat minor. The opening phrase is bold and declamatory, the first two movements are torrential, and I am completely convinced by them. There are other ways of doing them, but as Serkin used to say to his pupils `It has to be one thing or the other'. There's no way of getting the best of every world. In particular she even outdoes Cziffra in one respect - the handling of the big repeated chords at the end of the exposition without strain - where up to now he had seemed to me to lead the field. It says a lot for her performance that I actually welcomed the first movement repeat, I think for the first time in my life. In the strange last movement only three performances seem to me outstanding - Michelangeli, Cziffra and now Argerich, each as different from the others as can be. Michelangeli is deep-toned, gliding and hardly human. Cziffra is cold and cheerless beyond words, with a sudden eruption near the end, the authority for which I would like to know. Argerich increases the volume at the same point, although not in the hair-raising way Cziffra does. Her reading is ghostly, and I was spellbound by it. The funeral march is a piece that I have never liked, and that is really where Cziffra scores. Neither of them, thank goodness, makes the repeats - Michelangeli makes every last one and the thing is interminable, even played by him. Argerich's tempo is distinctly fast, not so far as I recall quite as fast as Rachmaninov's but fast enough to make it tolerable. What Cziffra achieves is the miracle of making it interesting, with the melody-monotone sharply distinguished from the trudging chords, and that alone delivers him a narrow win on points when I'm the referee.

In the B minor the issue is a lot more clear-cut to me. Argerich delivers a lively and strong account of the opening movement, with the repeat once again observed. I'm not sure to this day that anyone has ever done this movement in general better than Rubinstein. There is a passage quite near the start where the left hand comes swarming up menacingly from deep bass until the music flowers out in euphony that is better done than I ever heard. There is another sequence near the end of both exposition and recapitulation where a short theme is given first quietly and then in a full-toned ornamented variation, and Rubinstein draws from the latter one of the loveliest sounds I ever heard from the instrument. Against this there is the problem of what to do with the first half of the development section. With Rubinstein there is almost a sense of relief when he gets that passage over and done with, and I feel something similar about Lipatti's treatment of it. Argerich seems determined to `do something' with it, and I sense she may have an uneasy feeling that something needs to be done, that it can't just be left to speak for itself. Now just listen to Cziffra -- he sails through it with a sublime naturalness, and for once the entire development section coheres as a unity. It's much the same story with the trio of the scherzo. Here Argerich may have felt that there was nothing that could be done, and the passage is dry and uninteresting, as it often turns out. The possibility of that never even seems to have occurred to Cziffra. Argerich takes the main sections of the movement at a rocketing speed, much as Pollini does. Cziffra's tempo is only a minuscule fraction slower, but the difference in sheer quality from either of them is enormous and the dazzling glitter of it is simply wonderful, out of their class. In the slow movement I would say Argerich is far too emphatic in the opening phrase, but much more importantly she plays the berceuse theme exquisitely. The problem here again is with the self-repeating phrases that follow, which don't fully hold my attention from her, as they don't from most players. When one sees Cziffra discussed it's generally a matter of his virtuosity, but here more than in the other two passages I've instanced there is something else that seems to me almost more significant about him - a sublime innocence and simplicity, thoroughly characteristic of him if people were only noticing, that marks a true child of the gods.

But oh dear me the last movement! It is a `galop', and the `presto' is qualified by an important `ma non tanto'. Is Argerich in for some speed-record? We know what wonderful fingers you have dear lady, but Lipatti and Cziffra and Pollini have those too, and they have more sense than to play the movement like this. The scripture tells us that there is a creature that can outpace a galloping horse, and it is the ostrich. However God hath deprived her of wisdom neither hath He imparted to her understanding, and she makes a bad role-model.

As a makeweight there is the C# minor scherzo. This is played with despatch as one would expect, but for me in this piece there is Horowitz and there is everyone else, even Argerich. Criticisms or none, I still have no problem with giving a qualified 5 stars to another welcome recital from a truly great and truly individual artist who will not, she tells us, be giving us any more solo work now. I am all the more grateful for what's available.

Chopin: Piano Works [Etudes - Impromptus - Sonatas - Concertos - Mazurkas - Polonaise - Berceuse]

Average customer rating:

It's Analog, But He's Digitally Right On
More outstanding Chopin from an unjustly neglected pianist
this is the chopin to buy.
BRILLIANT!!!
Vasary's Chopin Etudes - Finally on CD.

Chopin: Piano Works [Etudes - Impromptus - Sonatas - Concertos - Mazurkas - Polonaise - Berceuse]

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Mazurkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Polonaises | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Lullabies & Berceuse | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Chopin: Piano Works [Nocturnes - Waltzes - Ballades - Scherzi]
Rachmaninov: The Complete Piano Concertos
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas
Debussy: Favorite Piano Works
Chopin: Sonata in B-flat minor, Berceuse, etc.

ASIN: B0009F2EN2
Release Date: 2005-08-09

Tracks:

No.1 In C Major: Allegro
No.2 In A Minor: Allegro
No.3 In E Major: Lento Ma Non Troppo
No.4 In C Shapr Minor: Presto
No.5 In G Flat Major: Vivace
No.6 In E Flat Minor: Andante
No.7 In C Major: Vivace
No.8 In F Major: Allegro
No.9 In F Minor: Allegro, Molto Agitato
No.10 In A Flat Major: Vivace Assai
No.11 In E Flat Major: Allegretto
No.12 In C Minor: Allegro Con Fuoco
No.1 In A Flat Major: Allegro Sostenuto
No.2 In F Minor: Presto
No.3 In F Major: Allegro
No.4 In A Minor: Agitato
No.5 In E Minor: Vivace
No.6 In G Sharp Minor: Allegro
No.7 In C Sharp Minor: Lento
No.8 In D Flat Major: Vivace
No.9 In G Flat Major: Allegro Assai
No.10 In B Minor: Allegro Con Fuoco
No.11 In A Minor: Lento-Allegro Con Brio
No.12 In C Minor: Molto Allegro, Con Fuoco
Allegro Assai Quasi Presto
Andantino
Tempo Giusto
Allegro Agitato

Tracks:

I. Grave-Doppio Movimento
II. Scherzo
III. Marche Funebre
IV. Presto
I. Allegro Maestoso
II. Scherzo. Molto Vivace
III. Largo
IV. Finale. Presto Non Tanto
Allegro Non Troppo
Allegretto
Lento
Vivace
Introduction And Variations On A German National Air ('Der Schweizerbub') In E Major, Op.Posth.
Poco Mosso
Andante
Maestoso

Tracks:

I. Allegro Maestoso
II. Romance. Larghetto
III. Rondo. Vivace
I. Maestoso
II. Larghetto
III. Allegro Vivace

Customer Reviews:

It's Analog, But He's Digitally Right On.......2007-03-11

I first listened to Tamás Vásáry rendition of Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor in the late 1960s when I was 15 or 16 years old, studying piano and very much interested in "big time" younger pianists. The concerto came to me as a gift from Dad on a DG vinyl pressing of decent quietness and dynamic range, and it quickly became my favorite classical record. Vásáry appeared to be 30 years old or so back then--a bit of an Eastern European analog of our own Van Cliburn, though with a style I preferred to the young Texan's, especially in the Chopin.

Now that you know the nostalgic side of this, I can say that this set of CDs comes through very, very well audially (considering that the original recordings were made in the 1960s). It appears that DG may have recorded the concertos at 30 inches per second on reel-to-reel tape, hence there are no instances of tape oversaturation and distortion, and the background hiss while present, does not directly compete with even the quieter passages. DG clearly devoted its then-best technical efforts to this then-young artist. And with reason.

Vásáry has a reputation as a phenomenal technical and interpretative virtuoso, and this comes through in the recordings. His young fingers are forever fluid but precise, and for sheer joyful tunefulness, Vásáry's interpretations fit Chopin's spirit wonderfully well. Younger ears than mine may fault the late-1960s' audio quality, but the sheer musicality and precision of playing places these recordings near the top of the heap. The fact that the set is attractively priced helps make this set a great gift for a lover of music trying to build a basic classical library. This is Chopin wonderfully played.

More outstanding Chopin from an unjustly neglected pianist.......2006-12-16

As with his recordings of the Scherzi and ballades, Vasary proves himself one of a handful of really great Chopin interpreters. I found his Etudes far more 'poetic' (yes, these etudes are no mere studies in barn-storming virtuosity) than Perahia's, his sonatas as involving as Ashkenazy's and nearly all the other pieces on par with the best. Maybe most remarkable are the two concertos that I hadn't heard since their days as LPs in the 1960s. They sound every bit as good now, and, for my money, they would be the versions to choose among all others. I hear Vasary several times over the years in concert hall, but unfortunately he never really repeated those pianistic marvels of his youth. To be treasured.

this is the chopin to buy........2006-10-21

when i put cd 1 in my audio and played track one, i was taken by surprise. i've been weaned on pollini's etudes, and thought them definitive. but etude no. 1 from the op. 10 sets is completely different form pollini's. simply put, there's no pollini pounding in vasary.
vasary's playing may strike you as fragile. there certainly is an amorphous sound to it, compared with the straight-out expression of confidence in pollini and the almost burdensom romanticism in kissin. vasary's chopin does not wear it's heart out on the sleeve, if you catch what i'm trying to say. no where else would you find such dignity, such poignant playing.
rubinstein perhaps represents a suitable alternative precisely because he presents different perspectives of chopin. rubinstein's chopin is inspired and masculine. vasary's chopin is full of feminine dreaming.
you'll get hooked once you check these out. horowitz and kissin don't stand a chance against vasary. rubinstein, pollini, and argerich (with her unorthodox, fiery expressions) are good supplements.

BRILLIANT!!!.......2006-01-17

I am surprised to find that my experience is very similiar to the other reviewer of these works!Listening in my car to a Deutsche Grammophone cassette,a compilation of CHOPIN piano pieces by several Artists,I was completely taken by surprise to listen to 2 of Chopin's Nocturnes and one of His ETUDES-WINTER WIND being played Like no other Performer that I have heard(I have listened to Ivan Moravec's Nocturnes and Juana Zayas's Etudes as well as Murray Perahia.The Playing by this unknown Artist was much more flowing and natural,spontaneous.The Etude was a Tour De Force,with Stunning Vitality.I was eager to get back Home just to find out who this Supreme Artist was!I peered through the inlay of the cassette through my reading Glasses.I found the name TAMAS VASARY against those Pieces!
I am glad that the complete set of Etudes and Nocturnes by this Supreme Artist is Available now on CDs.I need to ask my friends in the USA to get it for me!

Vasary's Chopin Etudes - Finally on CD........2005-09-05

Back in 1981, I stumbled upon an unlabeled cassette recording of the Chopin op. 10 Etudes. Greatly impressed, I spent the next eighteen years searching and listening to dozens of recordings of the Etudes in an effort to identify the pianist and recording. Meanwhile, I was finding no match for the sheer musicality of what I was hearing on the cassette. At last I discovered that the mystery pianist was Tamas Vasary, in a recording he made in the 1960's and available once again as part of this freshly-released, 3-CD box set. Here one will find technique and pianism aplenty as Vasary demonstrates his mastery of the assorted technical problems found in the Etudes. But unlike many pianists, some of whom see the mastery of these problems (or, in some cases, the avoidance of them) as the end or goal in playing the Studies, Vasary keenly perceives, and never loses sight of, the truth, beauty and poetry behind this music, and compromises nothing in his pursuit. In the playing of that counterpoint passage in op. 10 #4, for example, one will not hear the pedal being used as a crutch, or whitewash, as it often is in this instance. Rather, one will hear, with perfect clarity combined with a wonderful, round tone, music of a composer who was, after all, a great fan and disciple of that master contrapuntist, J.S. Bach. A first regard for musicianship and, above all, a love for the music itself, clearly is in evidence in Vasary's recording. Get it - even though you already have a recording of the Etudes.

Average customer rating:

Perfect!
brilliant, youthful, poetic Chopin from one of the best

Frederic Chopin: Sonatas Nos. 2 & 3

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Chopin: Piano Concertos Nos.1 & 2
Chopin: Impromptus/Fantaisie Impromptu/Barcarolle/Berceuse
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 17, 18, 26
The Aldeburgh Recital
Chopin: Études, Opp. 10 & 25

ASIN: B00000252E
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

I. Grave
II. Scherzo
III. Marche Funebre
IV. Finale: Presto
I. Allegro Maestoso
II. Scherzo: Molto Vivace
III. Largo
IV. Finale: Presto, Ma Non Tanto

Amazon.com

Chopin's Second Piano Sonata is one of the most powerful and terrifying pieces of music written in the 19th century. Its funeral march is already famous (you know the tune, even if you don't know that you know it), but what makes the piece so extraordinary is its finale--a 90-second ride through hell that has been described as "the sound of the wind sweeping over a graveyard." Next to this expressionist masterpiece, the Third Sonata sounds rather more conventional, but in Murray Perahia's capable hands, it's no less compelling. A true keyboard poet, Perahia has turned in performances of both sonatas that have long stood as among the finest available. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Perfect!.......2005-03-18

This is one of those few "absolutely perfect" works of art or nature one comes across in one's liftime. It's like Michelangelo's "David" or the best moonrise you've ever seen over a desert mountain. It's shocking, it's so good. It will leave you overwhelmed. I've never heard any other recording of Chopin come anywhere close to being as magic as this. Anyone who can do this kind of sorcery, if only once, should be showered with garlands and their name should be praised for centuries. I always thrill when I discover a friend has never heard this and I can play it for them. Just thinking about the preformance/the recording, actually hurts in a wonderful way--the piano playing is so sublime. I'm filled with longing. That does it! I'm going to finish typing this sentence, get up, turn on my CD player and play this perfect angel of a recording right now!

brilliant, youthful, poetic Chopin from one of the best.......2001-06-10

Perahia has long been one of my favorite pianists, so there is a certain bias to my review. I was somewhat disappointed in his recent Chopin disc (ballades, etc) but nevertheless, I have 4 different recordings of these sonatas (rubinstein, pollini, Ax, and this one), have listened to them all dozens of times, as well as many others, and this is one of the best. Any pianist will tell you that these are among the most technically and musically demanding pieces in the romantic repertoire, and Perahia gets all the power and poetry these pieces require. At the same time, he loses none of the introspection and thoughtfulness. I don't think any pianist has ever played the slow movement of the 3rd sonata with greater tenderness. And in the phenomenal rondo that closes out this piece he just builds momentum like few pianists can do, most peak way too soon, and then have to crash through to the end. The familiar 2nd sonata is also thoughtfully played but lacks nothing in drama, especially the opening movement and the finale. The second movement is full of rhythmic energy and has plenty of brilliante. This is Perahia 20 years younger, but he was great then, as he is now.

Average customer rating:

The Art of Ruggiero Ricci

Manufacturer: Vox (Classical)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0001NPTX4
Release Date: 2005-10-18

Average customer rating:

Masters of the Bow: Cello

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000095J86
Release Date: 2003-05-13

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The Swan - Maurice Gendron
Sarabande - Janos Starker
Pezzo - Maurice Gendron
Vocalise - Nina Kotova
Gigue - Pierre Fournier
Allegro Con Brio - Pablo Casals
III. Rondo (Allegro) - Christine Walevska
III. Largo - Ton Koopman
Intermezzo - Bruno Canino
Silent Woods - Mischa Maisky
Introduction & Polonaise Brillante For Cello And Piano In C Major, Op. 3 - Maurice Gendron
The Flight Of Bumble Bee - Julian Lloyd Webber
II. Andante - Scherzo - Lynn Harrell

Tracks:

Ave Maria - Mischa Maisky
Langsam, Mit Innigem Ausdruck - Gerhard Oppitz
Rasch Und Feurig - Heinrich Schiff
Nocturne - Julian Lloyd Webber
Allegretto - Mstislav Rostropovich
Kol Nidrei - Lynn Harrell
Scherzo Tarantelle - Heinrich Schiff
Abendlied - Tibor De Machula
Guitarre - Maurice Gendron
Elegie - Lynn Harrell
Irish Tune - Julian Lloyd Webber
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Apres Un Reve No. 1 Op. 7 - Lynn Harrell
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William Kapell Edition Vol.2 - Chopin: Sonatas; Mendelssohn, Schumann, Mozart

Average customer rating:

The everlasting genius' flame!

William Kapell Edition Vol.2 - Chopin: Sonatas; Mendelssohn, Schumann, Mozart

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000040JEA
Release Date: 2000-02-08

Tracks:

Sonata No.2 In B Minor, Op.35: Allegro maestoso
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Customer Reviews:

The everlasting genius' flame! .......2006-07-13

Febrile intensity, visceral enthusiasm, steeled fingering, unsurpassed poetry are some of the most praised epithets I would employ to resume in very brief words, the Promethean pianist per excellence, the unerring perfection of his unequaled sound.

Honesty, prodigious skillfulness and profound commitment will be the eternal feature of this distinguished artist.

The transcendence of these performances by far, surpasses all what the words may express. The Third sonata `s crystalline poetry and ethereal phrasing seems to emerge from the recording and literally hover all the hall. His artistic status allowed to achieve such expression level, and the only version which gets close in poetry is Dinu Lipatti.

The Nocturne Op. 9 is loaded of profound sentiment and transcendent lyricism as well as the Waltz Op. 18' s performance possesses such lyrical flight, charm, elegance and notorious élan, that one might state there is not any other version played with such sublime perfection, mercurial vehemence and aristocratic refinement.

The Second Sonata's performance is tinged of precognitive mood, dark poetry, featured of plumbed presages. This piece was performed just one week before the final flight in Australia Oct. 22 1953.

This album is a must-buy, due it's utopian to believe or even think to obtain such level of cathartic experience in the present times, due it does not seem the aim in the artistic minds of the actual generation of pianists. On the other hand, the creator imagination and inner fire he played is the consequence and not the cause of a spiritual attitude.

In memoriam!

Track Listings:

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

Levity (Score) [Soundtrack]

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Best Of [Import]

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