Maurizio Pollini

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
When Maurizio Pollini took first prize in the 1960 Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw at age 18, the redoubtable Artur Rubinstein observed that "technically, he already plays better than any of us in the jury." Yet supplied with that foundation of a technique as solid as granite, Pollini is at the furthest remove from the superficial virtuoso showman. The intellectual's dream pianist, he is best known as the exemplar of an objective analytical acumen--similar in approach to Pierre Boulez--that is applied to an astonishing range of repertory, thanks to Pollini's catholicity of musical interests.

In his hands, the piano seems to become a kind of laboratory for scientific investigation. Consider how Pollini pursues his goal of "maximum clarity" here in works as diverse as Webern's Op. 27 Piano Variations, the selections from Debussy's Études, or the Schumann Arabeske (the last being one of Horowitz's most felicitous specialties). Although some detractors find a chilly absence of personality, Pollini's expression of the poetic intensity in Schubert's Drei Klavierstücke or Schumann's Piano Sonata No. 1 cuts to the heart of the early romantics, tottering on the edge with visionary concentration. His magnificent account of Liszt's B Minor Sonata leaves countless others in the dust, mapping out its larger structural edifice with an assured mastery that is one of Pollini's hallmarks (his father was, in fact, one of the leading Italian modernist architects of his day). And for sheer jaw-dropping pianism, listen to the orchestral trompe l'oreille Pollini achieves in the transcribed excerpts from Stravinsky's Petrouschka. --Thomas May

Maurizio Pollini, Music, Fryderyk Chopin, Claude Debussy, Franz Liszt, Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Igor Stravinsky, Anton Webern, Maurizio Pollini, 20th/21st Century Variations for Keyboard, Chamber Music & Recitals, Classical, Classical Artists, Classical Music, Collection of Etudes, Studies, or Exercises for Keyboard, Impromptu for Keyboard, Individual Dance for Keyboard, Keyboard, Romantic Sonata/Sonatina for Keyboard, Scherzo for Keyboard, Suite/Partita for Keyboard

Chopin: Nocturnes
Average customer rating:

Sublime

Stunning but ...

A Visionary fperformance

He's back!

HOLY COW!

Chopin: Nocturnes

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by Chopin | Chopin, Frédéric | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Nocturnes | Short Forms | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
Pollini, Maurizio | ( P ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

"Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Opp. 109, 110 & 111"

Beethoven, Mozart & Brahms Piano Concertos

Chopin: Etudes/Preludes/Polonaises

Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1

Intimate Voices

ASIN: B000B8ISNM
Release Date: 2006-04-11

Tracks:

No.1 In B Flat Minor: Larghetto
No.2 In E Flat Major: Andante
No.3 In B Major: Allegretto
No.1 In F Major: Andante Cantabile
No.2 In F Sharp Major: Larghetto
No.3 In G Minor: Lento
No.1 In C Sharp Minor: Larghetto
No.2 In D Flat Major: Lento Sostenuto
No.1 In B Major: Andante Sostenuto
No.2 In A Flat Major: Lento

Tracks:

No.1 In G Minor: Andante Sostenuto
No.2 In G Major: Andantino
No.1 In C Minor: Lento
No.2 In F Sharp Minor: Andantino
No.1 In F Minor: Andante
No.2 In E Flat Major: Lento Sostenuto
No.1 In B Major: Andante
No.2 In E Major: Lento
No.1 In E Minor: Andante

Amazon.com

Pollini's traversal of Chopin's 19 Nocturnes (he leaves out the pair of posthumous ones) is one of his finest recordings in years. His long-lined yet detailed performances are comparable to the very different ones that have long stood at the pinnacle of recorded sets. Not as serene as Artur Rubinstein's, not as philosophical as Claudio Arrau's, nor as warm as Ivan Moravec's, Pollini's interpretations have their own allure. One is the way he shapes the melodies with a natural flow enhanced by his tonal beauty, less lean and streamlined than his usual way with Romantic music. Another is his careful attention to dynamics, as in the subtle gradations of tone found in Op.9 No.1, Op. 15 No 2, and others in the set. Yet another is his detailed articulation that yields trills of feathery lightness and brings out inner details without unduly spotlighting them. His pianissimo playing is radiant, pearly runs are seamlessly strung together, and climaxes like that in Op. 37 No.1 ring out boldly. And this paragon of the objective modern style indulges in discreet rubatos that bring life to the musical line and make you feel the music behind the notes. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Sublime.......2007-05-13

I had previously owned Chopin's nocturnes, but Pollini blows everyone else away with his elegant and touching performance. I totally recommend this for anyone interested in classical music.

Stunning but ..........2007-03-24

Mr Pollini certainly has a way with Chopin. His earlier recordings of the etudes and polonaises could hardly be bettered. In the nocturnes, we find crystal clear fingerwork and clarity, a sense of romance and of drama. Perhaps, though, these performances are a little unsmiling. Listeners who, like me, have found great majesty and wonderment in Claudio Arrau's readings of the nocturnes may find Mr Pollini's performances technically stunning but a little cold and measured. Perhaps they are, but repeated playing proves that there is no one way to play the nocturnes. I have come to treasure both performances.

A Visionary fperformance.......2006-06-26

When I first purchased this recording, the rather austere interpretations disappointed me. I had been listening to the Pires earlier, and her much more traditional, romantic approach had made a deep impression(still a great accomplishment, better than almost all who precede her recording). However, after a few listenings, Pollini's incredible intellectual command and spiritual interpretation became evident. If someone has listened more romantic playing of these pieces such as Arrau's, then Pollini's may seem at first without any beauty or understanding of Chopin's intent because the doesn't linger of phrases, manipulate the tempo by rushing or slowing down in a dreamlike trance. Instead, Pollini finds the true essence in his perfect pianism and his visionary effort here. The sound of the recording is exemplary- I do wish they could have placed the microphones so as not to hear Pollini's occaisional and momentary gutteral utterances and breathing , but a small price to pay to hear Chopin's Nocturnes played with such insight, technique, and understanding. I rank this cd with his playing of the etudes, ballades, and preludes...all of the highest order.

He's back!.......2006-06-24

These recordings represent something of a return to form for Pollini, whose recordings in recent years have often sounded as if the score had been programmed into that hi-tech Yamaha player piano. Here one senses a sophisticated musical intelligence constantly making judgments and decisions. And, of course, his technique is still highly impressive. His articulation is a thing of wonder and his structural sense is a real asset in these pieces which can often seem diffuse. Still, the performances often seem defined by what is NOT done rather than any individual touches. Rubato is at a minimum and agogic hesitations nonexistent. They are very "come scritto" in what might be considered the Toscanini tradition. As such, they would be an excellent introduction to this music for new listeners.

A number of recent recordings could be considered more individual and detailed - Ciccolini, D'Ascoli, Ohlsson, even Hewitt. Not to mention the older recordings of Arrau, Francois and the wonderfully mannered Moravec.

A note on the recording: I found is surprisingly substandard for DG - shallow and muffled. Pollini deserves better.

HOLY COW!.......2006-06-19

According to the DG website, this set was supposed to be released in Novemeber of 2005 -- and it came out 7 months later! What an awful, miserable wait... I wish Pollini weren't on their back-burner, I think he's the best thing they have! This set is ridiculously good, amazing, excellent.

These pieces have always been special and important to me. As a result I've bought many complete performances (Arrau, Moravec, Rubinstein, Rev, Pires, Barenboim, Vasary, Francois) and quite a few partial performances...

I am mad that I had to wait so long to get these discs. But that's the greed in me speaking. I would pay anything for these discs, wait any amount of time. I am glad and grateful to have them.

As for the performances, I don't really know what to say... Pollini has evolved and developed SO much as an artist. He could always terrify and excite me, take my breath away, but he rarely made me cry. Here, me makes me cry again and again. These aren't necessarily the most sentimental pieces, and they're anything but "soft." It's just that his touch has become so delicate, so sensitive -- and his technique is all still there. So detailed, soaring, I'd go so far as to say visionary... I hope Pollini lives forever! I can't wait, can't want, must-force-myself-to-wait for his forthcoming Bach!

Average customer rating:

Perfection
Not even a single misstep
Simply Majestic
Simply Majestic
Excellent ....but sample Pollini's earlier recording.

Brahms: Piano Concerto in Bf No2, Op83
Johannes Brahms , Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra , and Maurizio Pollini
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Brahms: Klavierkonzert No. 1
Chopin: 4 Ballades; Fantaisie, Op. 49; Prelude, Op. 45
Beethoven: Diabelli Variations
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2; Piano Sonata No. 1
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 13, 14, 17, 21

ASIN: B000001GZ2
Release Date: 1997-10-14

Tracks:

Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 2 In B Flat Major, op. 83: 1. Allegro non troppo
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 2 In B Flat Major, op. 83: 2. Allegro appassionato
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 2 In B Flat Major, op. 83: 3. Andante
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 2 In B Flat Major, op. 83: 4. Allegretto grazioso

Customer Reviews:

Perfection.......2006-01-05

Even with the older Pollini/Abbado recording on the shelf and after the truly disturbingly bad version that the Italian master produced live on tv in a PBS season opening concert a few years ago, I could not withstand a recent sale to pick this version up.

Let's face it. Although Pollini does not quite have the dexterity of a Hamelin, his amazing analytical skills, understanding of the score and experience still afford him the status of "greatest living pianist". Even with the steadily increasing quality of audio recordings it takes Pollini's live performances of Debussy preludes, Chopin's Funeral march or Beethoven's Hammerklavier to truly appreciate what can be done on 88 keys.

In this live recording, which nowadays means live with later edits/re-recordings where necessary, Pollini even surpasses his previous standard setting of this work. While the previous version may have had a little more fire here and there, this second recording is a clear first choice.

Throughout the work there is an amazing balance between the details and the big picture. Never before had I heard such a clear realization of Brahms' process of variation throughout the first movement. Without going overboard in a Rachmaninov type fashion the second movement exactly fulfils the appassoniato counterbalance that the composer intended by adding it to the already assembled three other parts.
Some may object to the emotional restrain of the third movement and may prefer Gilel's version, but to me this fits better into the big picture.
The final movement is playful, yet never trivial.

The piano playing and Abbado's accompaniment are both standard setting. The recording is superb.

I must object, though, to the brevity of this cd. DG could easily have added Brahms Opus 116, which Pollini should be more than ready to record.

Not even a single misstep.......2003-01-13

It's hard to imagine a more perfect balance of soloist/conductor temperaments than Pollini and Abbado manage here. There's really nothing that goes even momentarily wrong in this live recording. Unfortunately, if you buy the companion CD of Pollini, Abbado and the BPO performing Brahms' **First** Piano Concerto, you'll find it's a real letdown compared to this.

Simply Majestic.......2001-05-21

Maurizio Pollini shines in this majestic recording of the concerto. I consider this work to be one of Brahms finest and own many recordings of it. However, I have found that the sound and quality of this recording beats ALL of them. This recording is highly recommended to all music lovers. This recording should be one of the cornerstones of anybody's music collection.

Simply Majestic.......2001-05-21

Excellent ....but sample Pollini's earlier recording........2001-04-26

Pollini has been playing this work for many years, and this live recording is excellent. Wonderful playing by soloist and orchestra alike, and the recording is well balanced. The piano is perhaps slightly more forward than one might hear in the concert hall, but make no mistake, the BPO come through wonderfully. The slow movement is especially beautiful. Abado is as ever a wonderful accompanist.

Pollini and Abbado made mid-1970s versions of both concertos on DG (but with the Vienna Philharmonic rather than the Berlin Philharmonic), and those recordings are now available on a DG twofer. I slightly prefer the earlier version of No. 2, apart from perhaps in the slow movement.

That earlier performance has more youthful drive and is more exciting, especially in the first two movements. On the other hand this later one has perhaps greater authority and depth of tone, and the recording is fuller, although the earlier analogue recording still sounds well. The only snag is that the earlier performance of No. 1 is not so good.

Tracks:

24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 1 In C Major: Agitato
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 2 In A Minor: Lento
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 3 In G Major: Vivace
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 4 In E Minor: Largo
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 5 In D Major: Allegro molto
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 6 In B Minor: Lento assai
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 7 In A Major: Andantino
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 8 In F-Sharp Minor: Molto agitato
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 9 In E Major: Largo
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 10 In C-Sharp Minor: Allegro molto
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 11 In B Major: Vivace
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 12 In G-Sharp Minor: Presto
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. In F-Shapr Major: Lento
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 14 In E-Flat Minor: Allegro
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 15 In D-Flat Major: Sostenuto
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 16 In B-Flat Minor: Presto con fuoco
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 17 In A-Flat Major: Allegretto
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 18 In F Minor: Allegro molto
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 19 In E-Flat Major: Vivace
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 20 In C Minor: Largo
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 21 In B-Flat Major: Cantabile
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 22 In G Minor: Molto agitato
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 23 In F Major: Moderato
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 24 In D Minor: Allegro apassionato

Customer Reviews:

One of Pollini's greatest early recordings.......2006-03-18

Pollini took time off after his spectacular early success to mature as a musician, and when he returned to concertizing around the time he made this classic recording of the 24 Preludes (1975), he had achieved a combinaiton of fire and ice, intelligence and passion, that has propelled his career ever since. These are eminently aristocratic readings, yet under the controlled surface one hears tantalizing hints of anger, melancholy, and ecstasy--Pollini's secret is to hold the entire Romantic arsenal at his command and then hide it from sight (making him the anti-Horowitz).

DG's sound is a bit wooden and boxy, which deprives us of the sensual quality of the piano. That's the only flaw to be found in this utterly mesmerizing recital. As other reviewers have pointed out, what sets this set of Preludes apart is that Pollini turns these miniatures into a single work that holds one's fascination from first to last.

The standard.......2005-09-22

I bought this recording in vinyl in the early 80s and am still astounded by Pollini's ability to make each prelude individual but still part of a complete opus. I later have bought recordings of this work by Argerich, Perahia, Lortie, Kissin, Ashkenazy, Alexeev, and Pires. All bring special qualities to this incredible work that stands as one of the peaks of piano compostition, but I have found no other recording that matches Pollini's intellectual control, his passion, or comprehensive technique. As a student of these works, I believe that this recording is the benchmark, a truly sublime reading of one of Chopin's most diverse and important works.

Chopin: 24 Preludes, Opus. 28.......2005-08-13

this is an excellent recording, I believe in l975, of Pollini.

Wonderful.......2005-03-17

Pollini is without a doubt one of the best pianists of the 20th century. Every performance on this CD is exemplary. You can really sense Pollini's emotions bursting out in the fifteenth and sixteenth preludes. Sound quality is very good. Highly recommended.

An underappreciated classic.......2004-03-24

Pollini's famous recordings of Chopin's 1st concerto and etudes are justly acclaimed, but this choice album is begging for reissue in the "Originals" series. Pollini masterfully plays these microcosmic works as a cycle with trademark technical assurance and in a warmer tone than the etudes album--there is no lack of delicacy in the F-sharp major and F major preludes, for instance. Riveting from the opening C major prelude to the cataclysmic D minor conclusion (a favorite encore of his), this remains my preferred version of this opus despite more-or-less competitive alternatives by Cortot, Argerich, Pogorelich, Moravec, Freire, Kissin, Sokolov, Arrau, Perahia, Rubinstein, and Ashkenazy.

Average customer rating:

Warm, passionate, breathtaking Brahms
Pollini dominates the field, again
great brahms from abbado,but pollini...
Brahms and Pollini Mix like Oil and Water...
Great Brahms...recording disappointing

Brahms: Klavierkonzert No. 1

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Brahms: Piano Concerto in Bf No2, Op83
Chopin: 4 Ballades; Fantaisie, Op. 49; Prelude, Op. 45
Beethoven: Die Streichtrios (The String Trios)
Brahms: Works for Solo Piano
Piano Quintet in F Min / Complete String Quartets (1, 2, 3)

ASIN: B00000I0L7
Release Date: 1999-02-09

Tracks:

Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 1 In D Minor, Op. 15: Maestoso
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 1 In D Minor, Op. 15: Adagio
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 1 In D Minor, Op. 15: Rondo: Allegro non tropo

Customer Reviews:

Warm, passionate, breathtaking Brahms.......2007-05-27

Just like Beethoven, the orchestrals works of Brahms can tolerate many different interpretations. At first I thought the tempos here were a little on the slow side. But the music is played with so much passion and warmth, the slow tempos did not bother me at all. More importantly, this is a live performance and therefore has real spontanaiety. This version, while almost totally different in approach, rivals my other favorite recording, Serkin and Szell from 1968. An outstanding recording.

Since I bought this at the flea market for only 2 bucks, I had no quibble with the brevity of this CD. However, DG could have easily added a Mozart concerto and still had room to spare. At 17 bucks, this CD is clearly not worth the money. However, there is another version on a double set with lots of other music at about the same price. Or you can use the valuable Marketplace service.

Since I am on the subject of price, I wonder if the classical record companies are going to ever realise the competition from download services. The 17 dollar CD needs to become history.

Pollini dominates the field, again.......2005-09-24

It is hard to udnerstand how Pollini can outshine every competitor of his generation in almost everything he plays, with the exception of Mozart and perhaps the Beethoven concertos. In both Brahms concertos he is towering, masterful, a titan of heroic tehcnique but without sentimentality or fussiness. I almost never play the ponderous First Concerto, except to hear him march through it with such marvelous command. Abbado offers orchestral support in the same large-scale mode.

great brahms from abbado,but pollini..........2004-10-22

abbado is,as usual, perfect as a brahms interpretor,and his conception of this work is especially impressive.the recording of the same piece with brendel is also of first quality.but pollini is hardly a man for this job.this is ultra romantic score,and that is how it should be played.with great sensitivity,and,at the same time, monumentaly.no other major brahms composition is as lyricall and poetic as this,and those are the qualities that pollinis reading misses most.still,as far as orchestral part is conserned,there is no one better than abbado to make it sound just right.those interested in this work should,however,look for another pianist,and my recommendation is that it should be either schnabel or leif ove andsnes.but bravo for abbado!

Brahms and Pollini Mix like Oil and Water..........2003-07-07

Don't get me wrong, Pollini is and always will be one of my favorite pianists; it's just that his temperament is diametrically opposed to that of Brahms. Brahms is warm, lush, and emotional while Pollini is dry, precise, and clinical. This style never suits Brahms well, and this CD quickly pales in comparison to such mature interpretations as Arrau's or Rubinstein's. For example, the entrance of the piano in the first movement is characterized by a passionate and willful longing; Pollini simply gives us a boring, metronomical account devoid of depth or substance. In my opinion, he should stick to Beethoven and composers of the 20th century (listen to his recordings of Beethoven's late Sonatas and Stravinsky's Petrouchka) because it is disappointing to hear such a masterful pianist miss the point so completely. If you purchase this CD, I can assure you that you will be musically unsatisfied.

Great Brahms...recording disappointing.......2000-04-01

I would agree with most everything the reviewer from Chicago said. Abbado and the BPO are on great form and Pollin sounds wondeful.

I have one major beef and that is the recording. I can not understand why DG balanced the piano so far forward in the sound picture. It does not sounds natural and masks some of the orchestral detail. When you have such playing as the BPO gives you and it gets lost there is something wrong. Also the orchestra is not mere back ground. Brahms wrote such detail to be heard and some of the details in this recording are not heard.

Tracks:

12 Etudes Op. 10: No. 1 C-dur: Allegro
12 Etudes Op. 10: No. 2 a-moll: Allegro
12 Etudes Op. 10: No. 3 E-dur: Lento, ma non troppo
12 Etudes Op. 10: No. 4 cis-moll: Presto
12 Etudes Op. 10: No. 5 Ges-dur: Vivace
12 Etudes Op. 10: No. 6 es-moll: Andante
12 Etudes Op. 10: No. 7 C-dur: Vivace
12 Etudes Op. 10: No. 8 F-dur: Allegro
12 Etudes Op. 10: No. 9 f-moll: Allegro, molto agitato
Etudes Op. 10: No. 10 As-dur: Vivace assai
Etudes Op. 10: No. 11 Es-dur: Allegretto
Etudes Op. 10: No. 12 c-moll: Allegro con fuoco
12 Etudes Op. 25: No. 1 As-dur: Allegro sostenuto
12 Etudes Op. 25: No. 2 f-moll: Presto
12 Etudes Op. 25: No. 3 F-dur: Allegro
12 Etudes Op. 25: No. 4 a-moll: Agitato
12 Etudes Op. 25: No. 5 e-moll: Vivace
12 Etudes Op. 25: No. 6 gis-moll: Allegro
12 Etudes Op. 25: No. 7 cis-moll: Lento
12 Etudes Op. 25: No. 8 Des-dur: Vivace
12 Etudes Op. 25: No. 9 Ges-dur: Allegro assai
12 Etudes Op. 25: No. 10 h-moll: Allegro con fuoco
12 Etudes Op. 25: No. 11 a-moll: Lento - Allegro con brio
12 Etudes Op. 25: No. 12 c-moll: Molto allegro, con fuoco

Tracks:

24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 1 C-Dur: Agitato
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 2 a-moll: Lento
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 3 G-Dur: Vivace
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 4 e-moll: Largo
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 5 D-Dur: Allegro molto
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 6 h-moll: Lento assai
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 7 A-Dur: Andantino
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 8 fis-moll: Molto agitato
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 9 E-Dur: Largo
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 10 cis-moll: Allegro molto
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 11 H-Dur: Vivace
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 12 gis-moll: Presto
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 13 Fis-Dur: Lento
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 14 es-moll: Allegro
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 15 Des-Dur: Sostenuto
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 16 b-moll: Presto con fuoco
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 17 As-Dur: Allegretto
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 18 f-moll: Allegro molto
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 19 Es-Dur: Vivace
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 20 c-moll: Largo
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 21 B-Dur: Cantabile
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 22 g-moll: Molto agitato
24 Preludes Op. 28: Nr. 23 F-Dur: Moderato
24 Preludes Op. 28: No. 24 d-moll: Allegro apassionato

Tracks:

Polonaise Op. 26: No. 1: Allegro appassionato
Polonaise Op. 26: No. 2: Maestoso
Polonaise Op. 40: No. 1: Allegro con brio
Polonaise Op. 40: No. 2: Allegro maestoso
Polonaise Op. 44
Polonaise Op. 53
Polonaise-Fantasie Op. 61

Amazon.com essential recording

Chopin may have distrusted romanticism, yet no other romantic composer has worn as well. His music both stings and sings with harmonic adventurousness, together with an uncanny instinct for the geography of the keyboard. The Op. 28 Préludes exemplify Chopin's genius for telegraphing big ideas into snug spaces, while his Études provide an index to his pianistic idiom. Pollini fares best in the Préludes, where his aristocratic pacing and cool control allow the music's mood swings to speak for themselves. The Études glitter with icy accuracy, but the Polonaises lack Rubinstein's rhythmic snap and generosity of spirit. Still, Pollini's unruffled pianism remains the envy of every conservatory student and competition aspirant. DG's analog sonics are fully competitive. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

Impecable!.......2005-11-09

Pollini's interpretation and execution of the 24 etudes is superb, as are his polanaises. His preludes however, no.19 especially, I feel, have a touch of delicacy which it could do without. Where marked 'vivace' it is played closer to 'presto'. Apart from this however it is a first class performance, and fully worthy of the 5 stars I have given it.

Matt

Superb Playing.......2005-08-24

While sometimes a little faster than generally performed (as my teacher put it "because he can!") Pollini exeplifies near flawless technique with wonderful interpretation of Chopin. The only complaint I personally have, is that the playing seems a bit technical, and not as much emotion is put into the actual peices. Though Etudes are not generally known for their musicality, Pollini, I feel, could still be afford a little more push/pull in some of the selections.

Pollini does bring a new freshness to the set of preludes. Overplayed and sometimes butchered by the amateur pianist, Pollini peroforms these preludes masterfully and brings them to a level that I've rarely heard.

Other than my minor complaint, I feel that for any student or teacher willing to complete, add or update their library this is a great choice. Pollini delivers a crystal clear performance, worthy of any listener. Easily one of my favorite recordings in my collection!

Really extraordinary performance of the Preludes and Etudes!.......2005-02-25

It takes a very great artist to be able to play pieces which have been overperformed and overtaught, and bring something fresh to the table. Pollini does just that, especially in his performances of the Preludes and Etudes.

I would love to take a poll of the pianists and piano teachers here to see how many times they have taught the Chopin Preludes. From my own experience, I've taught these pieces so many times that I find myself dreading teaching #4 (e minor), #6 (b minor), #7 (A Major) or #20 (c minor) -- and I think we forget that these pieces are actual music and NOT "teaching pieces".

Pollini succeeds in taking these over-played pieces and transforming them back into "music". It's really nothing short of amazing. As I listened, I began noticing secondary melodies I'd never heard, particularly in #5 (D Major), #13 (F-Sharp Major), and #14 (e-flat minor). The F-Sharp Major Prelude is particularly gorgeous -- almost heart-rendingly so in the middle section. The g-sharp minor Prelude has exactly the right sense of fire and drive to bring this piece across; the A-Flat Major, E-Flat Major and F Major Preludes are nothing short of ravishing.

I bought this CD collection on suggestion of a friend of mine (also a pianist) who has experienced the same kind of burn-out I have with Chopin pieces which are over-taught and over-played, and/or over-interpreted to the point where the pieces become parodies of themselves. (I never heard so much bad, truly affected Chopin playing as I did at the school where I initially trained as a pianist!).

Pollini's Chopin is a real breath of fresh air -- restrained, elegantly timed rubatos; enough pedal to effect tonal coloring without the overpedalling so common in so many Chopin performances; a sense of drama in the playing combined with an edge of restraint so the pieces are never "over-played"; and he has an uncanny ability to convey a strong sense of structure to these pieces.

I can say quite honestly that the performances of the Preludes and Etudes on this CD have the force of a revelation. The proof of this is that after hearing the CD (many times), I have decided to learn all 24 Preludes (plus the C-Sharp Minor Prelude, op. 45) and play them all in a recital.

The Polonaises aren't quite as spellbinding as the Preludes and as riveting as the Etudes; but the Preludes and Etudes make this a compelling collection. I strongly and enthusiastically recommend this CD compilation!

About the Etudes.......2001-02-14

This album may be the best Chopin package on the market, especially given the bargain price. That said, an out-of-print CD featuring a young Vladimir Ashkenazy, recorded in Moscow in 1959/60, would be an even better choice (with respect to the Etudes) should it ever again become available. In that legendary recording, Ashkenazy's technique - especially in Op. 25, No. 6 - sends chills down the spine, and he infuses more life into the music than does Pollini. The Ashkenazy of that vintage should not be confused with his older ghost, currently available on the London/Decca label.

What Pollini offers here are whistle-clean performances of (some of) Chopin's major solo works. Pollini's approach, if somewhat clinical, is refreshing for its lack of affectation or excess. He does not belabor the music as many other Chopin performers are inclined to do, and he plays with solid technique throughout.

This Music Doesn't Need A Title.......2001-02-09

I really like this CD because (1) I am a big Chopin fan, and (2) I know these pieces well. Chopin's good point is his romanticism. The tracks on this CD are full of his deep, pasionate feeling for his native Poland, even though he was half French and lived outside Poland in such places as Majorca. He was the archetype of the romantic exile, and did his best to live up to this image by writing appropriately evocative music.

Average customer rating:

Raw and Primal Power
Only Pollini
It's his style and it works.
Pollini-Chopin, The Meeting of Two Immovable Objects
A compelling performance almost ruined by shallow, glassy sound

Chopin: Etudes

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Chopin: Twenty Four Préludes Op.28
Arthur Rubinstein - Chopin 19 Nocturnes (Vol. 49)
Chopin Etudes
Chopin: Polonaises / Maurizio Pollini
Chopin: The Complete Nocturnes And Impromptus

ASIN: B000001G5H
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

12 Etudes Op.10: No. 1 C-dur: Allegro
12 Etudes Op.10: No. 2 a-moll: Allegro
12 Etudes Op.10: No. 3 E-dur: Lento, ma non troppo
12 Etudes Op.10: No. 4 cis-moll: Presto
12 Etudes Op.10: No. 5 Ges-dur: Vivace
12 Etudes Op.10: No. 6 es-moll: Andante
12 Etudes Op.10: No. 7 C-dur: Vivace
12 Etudes Op.10: No. 8 F-dur: Allegro
12 Etudes Op.10: No. 9 f-moll: Allegro, molto agitato
12 Etudes Op.10: No. 10 As-dur: Vivace assai
12 Etudes Op.10: No. 11 Es-dur: Allegretto
12 Etudes Op.10: No. 12 c-moll: Allegro con fuoco
12 Etudes Op.25: No. 1 As-dur: Allegro sostenuto
12 Etudes Op.25: No. 2 f-moll: Presto
12 Etudes Op.25: No. 3 F-dur: Allegro
12 Etudes Op.25: No. 4 a-moll: Agitato
12 Etudes Op.25: No. 5 e-moll: Vivace
12 Etudes Op.25: No. 6 gis-moll: Allegro
12 Etudes Op.25: No. 7 cis-moll: Lento
12 Etudes Op.25: No. 8 Des-dur: Vivace
12 Etudes Op.25: No. 9 Ges-dur: Allegro assai
12 Etudes Op.25: No. 10 h-moll: Allegro con fuoco
12 Etudes Op.25: No. 11 a-moll: Lento - Allegro con brio
12 Etudes Op.25: No. 12 c-moll: Molto allegro, con fuoco

Customer Reviews:

Raw and Primal Power.......2007-03-09

I am not an expert but I must share my own personal thoughts about this disc before I fall over dead. Not much more can be said but I have heard the third of Chopin's etudes played by probably fifty some pianists.

Whenever I hear it I always felt it expressed a love for one to another. Like a sonic love poem. Love has different levels. There is eros, filias, and agape to name a few. In the past I have heard pianists play this with too much eros or with too much of a animal type love. After all we are humans. We have a higher side to us.

And that is where Pollini takes his pedestal. Sure his third etude is maybe a bit faster and a bit restrained, but in the end the love he expresses is transcendental. It is a raw, primal, masculine, powerful love bursting forth like I never heard before. Perhaps it is the depth of Chopin's soul properly expressed for the first time. And yes like any fine wine it takes time to acquire a taste for it (multiple listenings).

Thank you Herr Pollini, now I can die.

Only Pollini.......2006-09-06

Beautifully clear.....however I feel that Chopin would have played it with more passion....expression. I love it but I meant to order Chopin's Polonaises....oh well, next time....thank you Amazon. You did well as usual.

It's his style and it works........2006-05-08

Hello, I am a music graduate in classical piano from a university in hamilton ontario...

I read an earlier review that complains about Maurizio's 'lack of expression'

If he knew anything about this artist then he would know that THIS WAS HIS INTENT...(he recorded the etudes a second time later in his career)

This recording of the chopin etudes was intentionally performed with a cool and calculating style....

and yes it does not do justice to chopin's music, I don't think any performer should avoid the composer's original intent....

but he is forgetting that a lot of the hype that goes into classical music, is based on the performer manipulating the composers music to make something new out of music that has been recorded a million times over...

and although I do agree with the reviewer's judgement of the ocean etude...(since I've played it myself and know the score inside out) I still think that maurizio's format works for him, it makes an impact on the listener

Etude no. 3 in E major sounds dreadful and rushed... but again, I've heard lots of pianists ignore the composers written indications on the score to bring something 'new' to the piece of music.

I believe that this is all he is trying to do, classical artists try to create a distinguishable style by recording old music in a new way, yet it is frowned upon... because it's not JAZZ music (where a composition is an outline and not made to the letter) so, the complete score allows people to look at a classical composition critically and make arguments against a performers interpretation.

classical music shows more proof in the score when someone is doing something erroneous....or something merely prodigal..

Listen to Vladimir Ashkenazy's recordings of the Chopin Etudes if you would like a more sensitive interpretation, and (arguably) is closer to the composers intent/personality.

Just remember that if the music is old enough to exist before a composer could make his own recording of it....

then 'authentic interpretation' will always be in a grey area.

Pollini-Chopin, The Meeting of Two Immovable Objects.......2006-03-19

We will never hear Chopin's own critique of this performance, but I would imagine he would be just as stunned by Pollini's titanic virtuosity as I was the first time I heard this recording. Chopin dedicated his opus 10 (etudes 1-12) to none other than Franz Liszt. I mention this because Pollini plays this opus as though it was written by Liszt. Did Chopin intend opus 10 nos. 1-12 to be played in this Lisztian style? I would argue yes for the simple reason that this is a set of ETUDES, therefore the use of a mammoth technique is not out of place. Pollini's performance is captivating in it's accuray and power, as well as it's beauty (listen to opus 10 No.3).

I remember the first time I heard this album. I was 15 years old, sitting in my parents' minivan in the parking lot of the store at which I had just bought the CD. From the first BOOM of etude op10 No.1 to the last thunderous chord of op25 No.12 I sat transfixed, almost dazed by what I was hearing. It was a life altering experience for me. I was a mediocre piano student not too serious about my piano study. Hearing Pollini made me realize the possibilties of the piano and triggered an absolute resolve to master the instrument. Ten years later, I have mastered all of op.10 and some of opus 25. The reason I mention my background is I feel that I may offer some insight into what technical problems the pianist faces when tackling Chopin's etudes.

Opus 10 No.1 is comprised entirely of r.h. arpeggios with a chorale accompaniment. On the surface it doesn't sound extraordinarily difficult, but when we delve deeper we find the arpeggios are super wide with intervals of as much as a sixth between thumb and index finger and a fourth between the 4th and 5th fingers! At a tempo of 176! It's insane!!!

Opus 10 No.2 also doesn't sound particularly demanding until one realizes that the chromatic scales in the r.h. are played with mostly the 4th and 5th fingers! Try playing a chromatic scale in this way and you will instantly understand the difficulty.

Opus 10 No.3 is, by Chopin's own words, I paraphrase, "In all my life I have never heard a more beautiful melody." Apart from the tumultuous middle section and all of its chromatic tri-tones, the
piece is easy to play but maddeningly hard to play WELL.

Opus 10 No.4 sounds very demanding but is actually one of the easier etudes! There is lots of chromatic passagework along with quickly modulating descending diminished seventh chords. Proper phrasing and rhythmic control are the keys to mastering this etude.

Opus 10 No.5 is arguably the easiest etude. Its l.h. staccato chords are enveloped by a twirling r.h. accompaniment composed entirely of black keys. Proper r.h. arm rotation makes this etude totally effortless.

(I'll finish my analysis later.)

p.s. Garrick Ohlson's recording of the etudes is every bit as good, if not better, than Pollini's.

A compelling performance almost ruined by shallow, glassy sound.......2006-03-18

Pollini took pains as a young artist to mature to his fullest before giving concerts, and this 1972 recital of Chopin Etudes is a leap ahead of his debut disc on EMI. However, despite the alluring technique and aristocratic bearing, his pianism isn't fully fledged yet. Too much of the music is played for surface values without really searching deeper. By 1975, when he came to record the 24 Preludes, Pollini had grown considerably, and even now his artistry seems to gain in depth year by year--his recent Beethoven is quite miraculous.

I am not a piano fancier, so it satisfies me to own this recording of the Etudes and no other. Even so, the performance is badly hampered by glassy, harsh sound. One can't listen at loud volume to the sonority of the instrument thanks to the brittle edge of DG's inferior sonics. With remastering, Pollini's musicianship would certainly acquire another dimension of power and beauty.

Average customer rating:

Full of transcendence, but not much of the humor Beethoven also put in there.
Pollini at the peak if his powers
Beethoven steals the show
Great!
Pollini's Diabelli Variations: a testament?

Beethoven: Diabelli Variations

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Beethoven: Die Späten Klaviersonaten
Beethoven: piano sonatas op 54:57
Maurizio Pollini ~ Schubert - Wanderer-Fantasie · Schumann - Fantasie op. 17
Chopin: 4 Ballades; Fantaisie, Op. 49; Prelude, Op. 45
Beethoven opp. 10 & 13, Sonatas 5-8

ASIN: B00004XQJX
Release Date: 2000-09-12

Tracks:

Tema. Vivace
Var. 1. Alla Marcia maestoso
Var. 2. Poco allegro
Var. 3. L'istesso tempo
Var. 4. Un poco piace
Var. 5. Allegro vivace
Var. 6. Allegro ma non troppo e serioso
Var. 7. Un poco piegro
Var. 8. Poco vivace
Var. 9. Allegro pesante e risoluto
Var. 10. Presto
Var. 11. Allegretto
Var. 12. Un poco pio
Var. 13. Vivace
Var. 14. Grave e maestoso
Var. 15. Presto scherzando
Var. 16. Allegro
Var. 17
Var. 18. Poco moderato
Var. 19. Presto
Var. 20. Andante
Var. 21. Allegro con brio - Meno allegro
Var. 22. Allegro molto (alla 'Notte e giorno faticar' di Mozart)
VAr. 23. Allegro assai
Var. 24. Fughetta. Andante
Var. 25. Allegro
Var. 26
Var. 27. Vivace
Var. 28. Allegro
Var. 29. Adagio ma non troppo
Var. 30. Andante, sempre cantabile
Var. 31. Largo, molto espressivo
Var. 32. Fuga. Allegro
Var. 33. Tempo di Menuetto, moderato (ma non tirarsi dietro)

Customer Reviews:

Full of transcendence, but not much of the humor Beethoven also put in there........2005-10-23

Diabelli was a minor composer and music publisher. He had a brilliant idea for promoting himself and his publishing company by recruiting fifty of the most illustrious composers of the Austrian Empire to supply a single variation on a waltz he had written. Everyone who was anyone in the music world responded. The work was published in 1824 as the"Vaterländische Künstlerverein" and included composers such as Liszt, Czerny, Schubert, Hummel, Kalkbrenner, and Mozart's son, Wolfgang.

Beethoven, one of the supreme masters of the variation form, began working on some ideas for this "cobbler's patch" of a waltz, as he called it. He soon had several good ideas and continued developing these into one of the major works of his late period and one of the great examples of the variation form of all time. A pianist as important as Alfred Brendel has referred to "The Diabelli Variations' as the greatest of all piano works. The collected set of variations were published in 1824. Beethoven's set was also published in that year, but as a separate volume. Its importance was immediately recognized and maintained its stature ever since, no matter the musical fashions.

Muarizio Pollini has long been heralded for his technical wizardry and he has many fans who also love his approach to the music he plays. Others find that they feel held at a distance and that his playing lacks the warmth and friendliness of other great artists. No matter which side you fall on, you can find this recording brilliant and insightful. This is widely acclaimed recording and it deserves the praise it gets.

While I do believe that it is wrong to criticize and author for not writing the book you want or the artist for not taking your preferred approach to the music, I do have one quibble with Pollini's interpretation. One of the very important aspects of this work is its humor. This is a masterwork with very serious musical aspects as analysts have been pointing out since its publication, but they also note that it is funny. No, Beethoven is not a cheap joke maker, but the work does have some laugh out loud moments.

One of the things a pianist needs to pull this work off, is the ability to tell a joke and Pollini may lack that ability. The pianist must not only be able to smile, but have be able to communicate a knowing wink with his listeners. I shouldn't fault him for that, and I really don't, because he brings so much great work to this recording. But I have never felt the humor in this recording. Plenty of transcendence, but not a single nudge to the ribs. Nor have I read anything about this recording commenting on its humor, or heard anyone tell me they laughed at this or that variation. For me, the dizzying aspects of the work begin from the waltz itself. Every variation has such wide contrast, or such witty parody, or anything else Beethoven spins off that it is hard not to think of this work as a huge mystical scherzo.

Still, if you love this work, this is a recording you should hear and enjoy. However, I will keep looking for a pianist who "gets it".

Pollini at the peak if his powers.......2005-02-02

I'm sure this recording will serve as another document in the Great Pollini Debate (one of the greatest pianists of all time or "mere mechanicus," as Mozart put it?). As one who's been on the "anti-Pollini" side, let me say at once that this is one of the greatest performances of the Diabelli Variations I've ever heard. What impresses first of all is the clarity and power of Pollini's playing--for example the left hand in 16 and the right hand in 17, the miraculous articulation of the right hand triplets in 7 and the left hand runs in 25. But Pollini is also capable of great tenderness--the flowing simplicity of the fughetta (24) and the beautiful balancing of chords in 20 and 29. Best of all are the last three variations: the dignity of 31, the bracing and energetic (but not hectic) fugue, and the delicacy of 33 (Maurizio, you ol' charmer!). Recorded sound is not exactly sensuous, but it fits Pollini's playing to a T. The only down side is Pollini's singing, which is becoming more intrusive with time. The odd thing about his singing is that it's most intrusive in loud passages (6, 9, the loud chords in 17). I imagine he thinks we can't hear him when the music's loud. Perhaps some producer ought to say, "MAURIZIO, WILL YOU JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!" But honestly this is a minor porblem in just a few variations. All told, this great performance belongs in the collection of every Diabelli lover.

Beethoven steals the show.......2001-09-30

Pollini's greatest achievement in this recording is to let Beethoven flow in all its complexity to show us how deeply he has studied this masterpiece and how it was concocted: In 1819, the Viennese music publisher Anton Diabelli circulated a waltz of his own invention to 50 composers, each of whom was requested to contribute a variation to the collective project. Beethoven at first disdained the theme as a "cobbler's patch" on account of its mechanical sequences, and then overreacted to Diabelli's invitation, conceiving not one, but 23 variations, 10 fewer than the final number. Recent study of Beethoven's musical manuscripts from 1819 has cast a revealing light on the structure and import of this great work, his longest and one of his most cognitively and emotionally demanding pieces for piano. After having set the composition aside for several years, Beethoven expanded his draft from within in 1823, adding variations 1-2, 15, 23-26, 28-29, and 31 to the pre-established order, while greatly elaborating on the conclusion.

No other work by Beethoven is so rich in allusion, humour, and parody. Trivial or repetitious features of the waltz, such as the C major chords repeated ten-fold in the right hand in the opening bars, can be mercilessly exaggerated, as in variation 21, or dissolved into silence, as in variation 13. Inconspicuous elements of the theme, such as the ornamental turn heard at the outset, can assume astonishing importance, as in variations 9 and 11, which are based throughout on the turn. Several variations allude to Mozart, Bach, and other composers. The most obvious of these is the reference, in the unison octaves of variation 22, to "Notte e giorno faticar" from the beginning of Mozart's Don Giovanni. This allusion is brilliant not only through the musical affinity of the themes -which share, e.g., the same descending fourth and fifth- but through the reference to Mozart's Leporello. Beethoven's relationship to his theme, like Leporello's relationship to his master, is critical but faithful. And like Leporello, the variations after this point gain the capacity for disguise. Variation 23 is an étude-like parody of pianistic virtuosity alluding to the Pianoforte-Method by J.B.Cramer, whereas variation 24, the Fughetta, shows an affinity in its intensely sublimated atmosphere to some organ pieces from the third part of the Clavierübung by Bach.

The work as a whole consists of one large form with three distinct regions. The opening variations remain close to basic parameters of the theme (such as its metre) and show gradually increasing freeedom, which at last turns into dissociation in the contrasting canonic variations Nos. 19 and 20, and in No. 21, in which the structural parts of each variation half are themselves placed into opposition. In performance time, these variations represent the midpoint. A sense of larger formal coherence is created through unusually direct reference to the melodic shape of the original waltz in three variations inserted in 1823 -Nos. 1, 15, and 25. In No. 25 the waltz is reincarnated as a humorous German dance, but this image is gradually obliterated in the interconnected series of fast variations culminating in No. 28, in which harsh dissonances dominate every strong beat throughout.

After Variation 28, we enter a transfigured realm, in which Diabelli's waltz, and the world it represents, seem to be left behind. A group of three slow variations in the minor culminates in Variation 31, an elaborate aria reminiscent of the decorated minor variation of Bach's Goldberg set, while also foreshadowing the style of Chopin. The energetic fugue on E flat that follows is initially Handelian in character; its second part builds to a tremendous climax with three subjects combined simultaneously before the fugue dissipates into a powerful dissonant chord. An impressive transition leads to C major, and to the final and most subtle variation of all: a Mozartian minuet whose working-through through rhythmic means leads, in the coda, to an ethereal texture, strongly reminiscent of the famous Arietta movement of Beethoven's own last sonata, Op 111, composed in 1822. Herein lies the final surprise: the Arietta movement, itself influenced by the Diabelli project, became in turn Beethoven's model for the last of the Diabelli Variations. The end of the series of allusions thus became a self-reference and final point of orientation within an artwork whose vast scope ranges from the ironic caricature to sublime transformation of the commonplace waltz.

Great!.......2001-05-27

This is an engaging and (dare I say it?) entertaining recording of Beethoven's Diabelli Variations. In this performance, the many distinctive moods of this work, from the playful (Var. 5) and exhuberent (Variations 23), to the quietly introspective (Var. 24), the eerie (no's 14 and 20), the graceful (Var. 8), the irreverent (what else could you call Beethoven's choice of theme?), and the immensely personal world of the final variations, are vividly presented, full of individuality, yet, with an understanding of the relationship of each one to the variations around it and the work as a unified whole. Although this interpretation is `intellectual', it is by no means `studied', and the work unfolds naturally and with authority in this emotionally satisfying performance. Highly recommended.

Pollini's Diabelli Variations: a testament?.......2001-03-21

I always thought that Beethoven's Diabelli Variations were the piece that suited best Pollini's art and hoped that someday he would decide to record them. But, as ready as I have been, Pollini's interpretation has spoiled all my expectations. Surely, his Diabelli have the same stature with the definitive version of the last Beethoven piano sonatas he signed with Deuschte Gramophon but they are not in the same vein.

Here we find a more moving interpreter, vulnerable and almost fragile in expression. Listen to Variations 7, 8, 11, 13, the hesitant lightness of the basses sounding like a kind of barcarole. Variation 20 is played with supreme abandon as an agonizing heartbeat while variation 24 (fughetta) made one regret even more that Pollini has not recorded Bach's Well tempered Klavier. As to Variations 31 and 33, they sound profoundly dramatic by means of sheer reserve and projection in the unknown.

Could one expect to listen to a more interrogative version? Polllini plays those variations as if he had no straight answer and kept wondering and wandering about aimlessly expressing thus surprising humility in his approach of this masterpiece.

I have several versions of Diabelli Variations respectively by Pludermacher, Brendel (DG, Vox), Kovacevich, Arrau and above all Richter. Yet, Pollini is second to none. Apparently less authoritative than Richter, he is at the same time more human.

Pollini has provided a stunning answer for those who still doubted his capacity to show pure sensitivity.

Luigi Nono: Como una ola de fuerza y luz, for Soprano, Piano, Orchestra & Magnetic Tape (1971-72) / ...sofferte onde serene... For Piano & Magnetic Tape (1976) / Contrapunto dialettico alla mente, for Magnetic Tape (1968) - Maurizio Pollini / Claudio Abbado
Average customer rating:

Luigi Nono, Avant-Garde Superstar!

Massive Orchestral Violence

Revolutionary music.

get it while you can

Nono masterpiece plus two, with Pollini and Abbado

Luigi Nono: Como una ola de fuerza y luz, for Soprano, Piano, Orchestra & Magnetic Tape (1971-72) / ...sofferte onde serene... For Piano & Magnetic Tape (1976) / Contrapunto dialettico alla mente, for Magnetic Tape (1968) - Maurizio Pollini / Claudio Abbado
Luigi Nono (Composer) , Maurizio Pollini (Piano) , Slavka Taskova (Soprano) , Claudio Abbado (Conductor) , Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra , Rome RAI Chamber Choir , and Nino Antonellini (Director)
Manufacturer: Deutsche Gram. Ger.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by Nono | Nono, Luigi | ( N ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Luigi Nono: Fragmente; Hay que caminar

Luciano Berio: Corale (Sequenza VIII), for Violin, 2 Horns & Strings / Chemins II (Sequenza VI) / Chemins IV (Sequenza VII) / Ritorno degli Snovidenia, for Cello & Small Orchestra / "Points on the Curve to Find...", for Piano & 22 Instrumentalists - Pierre Boulez

Xénakis: Pléïdes

Luciano Berio: Laborintus 2

Tristan Murail: Gondwana; Désintégrations; Time and Again

ASIN: B00000E3Z2
Release Date: 1988-07-25

Tracks:

Como Una Ola De Fuerza Y Luz: Beginning
Como Una Ola De Fuerza Y Luz: I. Interno Dolce
Como Una Ola De Fuerza Y Luz: II. Duro Deciso
Como Una Ola De Fuerza Y Luz: Piano Entry
Como Una Ola De Fuerza Y Luz: III. Dolcissimo Sereno
Como Una Ola De Fuerza Y Luz: Orch Entry
Como Una Ola De Fuerza Y Luz: Orch And Pno Entry
.....Sofferte Onde Serene... - Maurizio Pollini
Contrappunto Dialettico Alla Mente - Liliana Poli/Cadigia Bove/Marisa Mazzoni/Elena Vicini/Umberto Troni...

Album Details

Luigi Nono was One of the Most Original and Influential Composers to Emerge from Post War Italy. Having Always Guided by a Keen Awareness of Social Unity (He Joined Italy's Communist Party in 1952) Nono's Works Often Take the Form of Highly Empowering Expressive Public Spectacles. Here Among Others, Two of the Composers More Famous Longstanding Champions of his Work Mauricio Pollini and Claudio Abbado Perform Three of the Composers Most Evocative Works- the 'sofferte Onde Serene' and 'contrappunto Dialettico Alla Mente' Written Specifically for Them. If You Enjoy the Efforts of Stockhausen and Ligeti, Nono Will Certainly Be of Interest as Well.

Customer Reviews:

Luigi Nono, Avant-Garde Superstar!.......2006-09-09

You know what, in all honesty I don't really care about Luigi Nono's politics whatsoever. Does anyone here have a deep insight into his political ideas other than mentioning he was some sort of radical Marxist? If you have read extensively about Nono and are fascinated by how his socio-political ideas come into bloom via his unique music, well don't be offended by my comments because like I said earlier, his politics don't mean much to me. I am much more fascinated by his creation of a singular sound world and at this he is one of the original voices of the past century, along with other modernist notables, anyone from Stravinsky, Bartok, Schoenberg, Webern, Berg, Prokofiev, Shostakovich and the more avant-garde frame of modernism like Boulez, Xenakis, Stockhausen, Ligeti, etc. Wow, I was just dropping names like some jerk at an avant-garde music dinner party. Are there such parties? Ha!

Anyway, back to Luigi Nono, I really had some good listening fun with this CD. The main work is "Como una ola de fuerza y luz" (composed 1971-72), which means, "Like a wave of light and strength" in English. An intriguing title and very enigmatic music. It is half an hour long and mixes moments of dreamy quiet with intense, massive orchestral explosions. Just to think how much the idiom of Nono and his avant-garde cohorts was blatantly ripped off by Hollywood film composers for decades up to the present day. Mostly of course in fashion for sci-fi and horror films. Gotta love those Hollywood hacks, like Elliot Goldenthal for one example.

I want to mention that Maurizio Pollini plays the piano parts in this work and there is a soprano part amidst the orchestral violence and electronic studio tinkering. Claudio Abbado conducts the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Pollini, that magnificient Italian pianist, whose technique is a wonder to behold on his other recordings is much misused on this CD. The second work, "...soffete onde serene..." (composed 1976), features him prominently but it's just a lot of piano banging, not much work for a prime, superstar virtuoso.

The final selection on this record is "Contrappunto dialettico alla mente" (a tape composition from 1968), this is the most overtly political selection you will find on this whole disc. You get complete translations in the booklet and you can find out for yourself the anger that Luigi Nono wanted to convey about the various political upheavals taking place during the late 1960's. There is even one attack against American imperialism and the war in Vietnam. Yikes! To be honest, this final work which runs 19 minutes, 51 seconds is quite unintentionally funny. It electronically varies different human voices together in crazy ramblings. This sound experiment can actually give you a good, hearty laugh at the avant-garde hijinks which were so prevelant during this era in musical and political history. I found it very entertaining and stimulating as an aural, environmental landscape. Every person I played it to have responded with laughter and mocking fun. I certainly don't imagine this was Nono's intention or did the man have a wicked sense of humor to go along with his high-minded intellectualism? Nonetheless, nowadays you can hear similar crazy electronic experimentalism on various public radio outfits late at night.

This CD is a very entertaining venture into the world of the European avant-garde. For such a cheap price and with very fine sound, certainly consider exploring this alien terrain, I'm sure it's unlike most of the music you listen to unless you're already a die-hard modernist convert.

Massive Orchestral Violence.......2003-11-06

Having posessed this disc for quite a few years I was surprised to see it again here. This is not music for the faint of heart. Ultimately this music is about destruction - maybe the lyrics are not, but the music itself is. Nono went on to other musical ideas later on in his career, but this truly is Nono at his most ruthless on the ear. This music demands a very high end stereo system and either no neighbors or deaf neighbors. The last movement of Como una ola... is pretty uncompromising. I find it the apex of anger, hatred and violence in music that I have heard so far out of the Nono catalog. The performances on this disc are first rate. No other recording (yes, there are others) approaches the intensity of this. Buy this if you are extremely agitated yourself or want to be.

Revolutionary music........2003-08-31

Luigi Nono (1924-1990) was one of the 20th century's most radical composers. Nono, who fought against the Fascists in the Italian Resistance during World War II, studied both music and law in the post-war years before joining the Italian Communist Party in 1952. During the mid- to late-1950s, Nono taught at Darmstadt, the center of European serialism, and with Boulez and Stockhausen was the foremost exponent of that music on the continent. Nono married Schoenberg's daughter, Nuria, in 1955, and severed his ties with Darmstadt in 1959, after delivering a lecture entitled "The Presence of History in the Music of Today." This lecture was the composer's most notable public statement concerning his own radical Marxist politics, and the 1960s and 1970s saw Nono taking an increasingly active role the affairs of the Communist Party, for which he served on the Central Committee.

Like Pollini, Abbado, and Berio, Nono's worldview was permanently shaped by the subjection of Italy to the Fascism of Mussolini. All turned to Marxism in response, and Nono's deeply held political beliefs are on display throughout this magnificent collection of works from the late 1960s and early '70s. Unlike Stockhausen and Boulez, Nono saw in serialism a revolutionary musical grammar with implications extending beyond the realm of the purely musical into the realm of the political. Nono's adoption of serialism was a response to the domination of capitalism, imperialism, and the continued subjugation of the many by the few. Nono's music, which is initially forbidding and inaccessible, can be understood as the embodiment of Marx's concept of the unity of theory and practice. This is a revolutionary music, through which the composer expresses his hope for a world of true freedom rather than slavery, alienation, and mass murder.

"Como una ola de fuerza y luz" is dedicated to the memory of Lusiano Cruz, whose name is repeated in the work by the soprano vocalist (in this case, Slavka Taskova). Cruz, a Chilean revolutionary, died in 1971, two years before the Kissinger-planned coup which led to the death of Marxist president Salvador Allende and the installation of the Fascist Augusto Pinochet, who murdered Chileans en masse for the next 17 years. Nono's text implores the dead Cruz to "keep on glowing, young as the revolution in every one of your peoples' struggles." This powerful piece features thundering piano work from Nono's fellow Marxist, Maurizio Pollini, whose virtuosity is offset by the composer's jarring tape manipulations. A beautifully conceived and executed work.

Pollini again contributes his piano skills to 1976's "... sofferte onde serene. . . ." Moments of lyricism are contrasted against Nono's magnetic tape arrangements, and the result is a stunning mixture of opacity and accessibility. A challenging, but ultimately satisfying work.

"Contrappunto dialettico alla mente" (1968) again sets overtly political texts in Nono's pursuit of a total political engagement, "ideological and technical." Using words from Malcolm X and an anti-Vietnam War pamphlet, Nono crafts a work that is a reflection of the warped society it criticizes: terrifying, overwhelming, remorseless. The shrieking voices and intimations of violence echo the horrific destruction of the late-1960s. This is one of Nono's most important and ideologically characteristic works.

Obviously, this is not music for everyone, but for the openminded and discerning listener, this disc contains treasures. Nono's work is among the most vital and dynamic to emerge from the 20th century avant-garde, and in our modern world of Fascism, war, and imperialism, the political message which lies behind Nono's music has never been more relavent.

get it while you can.......2003-08-30

I agree 100% with Autonomeus, this is a "must own"; I was excited to see they reissued it. The last piece "Contrapunto dialettico alla mente" is a classic from the tape-manipulation genre, mixing sounds of leftist 60s speeches with interesting effects. I don't think it's available anywhere else, so worth getting for this masterpiece alone. The sung line (in Italian) "Whitey wants you, n*gg**, to go to Vietnam and die" gives me shivers every time, even after hearing this piece many times. The second piece "...sofferte onde serene..." is a subtle complex piece admired by pianists but difficult to get a hook into for listeners. This is a great performance of it though. In my opinion this version of "Como una ola de fuerza y luz" isn't as good as the other recorded rendition--which is not what you'd expect considering it's Abaddo (who's excellent with Nono) and Pollini (who's Pollini)! Part of it is the singing; the passion of the singer on the other version is superior, maybe because she speaks Italian. Also, though Pollini's piano is noticably better in this rendition, something is missing from his overall performance. Maybe Nono is too--dare I say--raw for Pollini? Still, this performance is different enough from others that it is worth owning. Overall, terrific CD.

Nono masterpiece plus two, with Pollini and Abbado.......2003-06-16

This is the original recording of one of Nono's masterpieces, with Maurizio Pollini on piano and Claudio Abbado conducting. "Como una ola de fuerza y luz" ("Like a Wave of Strength and Light") was written in 1971-2 commemmorating the death of a friend of Nono's, Luciano Cruz, a Chilean leftist opponent of Pinochet. A 30-minute piece, it features soprano voice, piano, orchestra, and electronics. It is incredible in every aspect, and though challenging, it is one of Nono's more accessible works, the perfect introduction to the work of one of the late 20th century's greatest composers. "...sofferte onde serene..." ("serene waves suffered"), for piano and magnetic tape, is a fantastic 14-minute piece featuring Pollini in the Schoenberg/Webern tradition. Finally, "Contrappunto dialettico alla mente" is a startling radical 20-minute piece for vocals and electronics, with lyrics from Malcolm X and an anti-Vietnam war flier among other sources. The booklet contains the complete text, thankfully, since the vocals are all in Italian.

Tracks:

1. Allegro
2. Andante
3. Allegretto - Finale, Presto
1. Allegro Maestoso
2. Andante
3. Allegro Vivace Assai

Customer Reviews:

Gorgeous playing, with Pollini in a dual role.......2007-04-18

Pollini follows in the footsteps of Bernstein, Barenboim, and Perahia among pianists who have tried their hand at conducting Mozart from the keyboard. All have been successful, and Pollini is, too. Granted, he probably didn't need to conduct the Vienna Phil. at all, so naturally do they take to Mozartean style, but here they are in gorgeous form, and beautifully caught by DG. On that score this CD has far better sound than Bernstein and Perahia ever got in their day, but Bernstei, also leading the Vienna Phil, produced a deeper interpretation than Pollini does. Which is not to say that anything here sounds amateur or half-hearted.

The high spirits of the great G major concerto K. 453 are infectious, with alluring woodwind playing adding a special lift. The finale transports us into the world of the Magic Flute in its sparkling fantasy. The C major concerto K. 467 could use a more rousing, forceful opening, but that's a quibble given the superb standard of musicianship here. The muted, floating slow movement (associated for decades with the Swedish fil Elvira Madigan--please forget I mentioned it) receives the most ethereal string playing imaginable.

As for Pollini the pianist, I've never been much taken with his earlier ventures into Mozart, feeling that he was stiff and chilly. But time has brought a thaw. His amazing control is still in evidence, but phrases pour out more warmly and naturally than before. He reminds me herer of Michelangeli, who was also prone to be a touch too precise in Mozart, unable to free himself up. My reservation with Pollini is that I don't hear a great deal of individuality or personality. If this CD depended solely on his pianism, I wouldn't be as enthusiastic, but the orchestra and recording really are special.

Maurizio Pollini Edition - Schoenberg: The Solo Piano Music, Piano Concerto; Webern: VAriations Op. 27

Average customer rating:

Lonely modernist landscapes. Perfect music for the isolated soul
dost thou savor dissonance?
fugitive beauty
A great Schoenberg collection reissued, with bonuses

Maurizio Pollini Edition - Schoenberg: The Solo Piano Music, Piano Concerto; Webern: VAriations Op. 27
Maurizio Pollini , Arnold Schoenberg , and Anton Webern
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Arnold Schoenberg: Serenade/Five Pieces For Orchestra
Copland: Piano Sonata; Piano Fantasy
Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Webern, etc / Maurizio Pollini
Alban Berg: Lulu Suite/The Wine/Lyric Suite
Schoenberg: Piano Concerto

ASIN: B00005RRXZ
Release Date: 2003-02-11

Customer Reviews:

Lonely modernist landscapes. Perfect music for the isolated soul.......2007-06-02

I'll come out and say, Schoenberg is not a composer I really care about. I revel in the beauty of Verklarte Nacht but things like Pelleas und Melisande, Gurrelieder, Pierrot Lunaire, Variations for Orchestra, etc. don't appeal to me. Overall, it's Webern who appeals to me in more of his output, not Schoenberg.

But then there is Schoenberg's solo piano music which seems far more personal than the rhetorical works like Variations for Orchestra. Pollini is a master pianist who has been dedicated to modern repertoire all his life, this CD is a testament to his advocacy and understanding of this music.

Apart from the solo piano music, you also get the piano concerto with Abbado leading the Berlin Philharmonic. I am not won over by the Concerto as much as the solo pieces. In this work, Schoenberg being full aware of the great German tradition, tries to fuse the form of the romantic concerto with his own brand of new modern logic. In particular, the Robert Schumann concerto doesn't seem too far from Schoenberg's mind. It's because this harkens back to the old, traditional form that many pianists who don't normally explore modern repertoire have come to record the Schoenberg piano concerto. I am thinking of Alfred Brendel and Mitsuko Uchida. Pollini, on the hand, is of course a modern specialist, so this concerto is right up his alley.

For this Pollini Edition re-release, not only do you get the piano concerto as an extra, they also throw in Webern's Variations for solo piano, making this CD a winner on all fronts. Listen to the solo pieces, alone at night and be captured by the unique way that Schoenberg distills the essence of modern alienation.

dost thou savor dissonance?.......2005-05-13

Schoenberg's solo piano music is small in quantity, but tremendously important in so many respects that an excellent performance is necessary for any listener of 20th century modernism. I would guess, however, that these works would pose a formidable task for the performer. Consider op.11, the three small pieces for piano. This work at last exploded the Western conventions of tonality. At the time, Schoenberg's atonal mode of expression was new and highly intuitive, so traditional interpretational paradigms would probably not serve the musician well. Thus even as the technical difficulties are overcome, the intellectual challenge remains great. Perhaps this is why so few pianists ever tackle twentieth century piano music (among other reasons). Pollini is considered one of the premiere Schoenberg interpreters, and the evidence is strong in his favor. His performance here is emotionally powerful but also cool and calculated. (The idiosyncratic Glenn Gould's performances of Schoenberg's works are also recommended.)

The vestiges of tonality still linger in Schoenberg's op.11, at least in the first two pieces. The third really drove home the possibilities of atonality, though -- the musical argument is evasive to the inattentive listener, and even those of diligent concentration are hard pressed. Schoenberg's end here was to create a more egalitarian music, a radical chromaticism where each tone is important in itself rather than in its relation to the central key. One cannot help but feel the excitement of the composer in these works, something for which pollini must be commended.

It is good that these solo works are presented in chronological order, as it enables the listener to chart the fascinating development of Schoenberg's approach. I do not wish to discuss these works in detail. I will make only cursory remarks to explain why I think they are interesting. The six piano pieces of op.19 are necessarily short musical dictums that, once capitulated, need not be further developed. They are just little ideas, but they are powerful in their succinctness. In op.23, Schoenberg experiments in finding an organizational principle for atonal music. He applies serialism. Listening to these small pieces is highly valuable for the listener of serial music, because it trains one to recognize the permutations of tone rows; op.23 applies the serialist method to small groups of notes rather than the full chromatic scale. Op.25 is the first fully 12-tone work - the six pieces are all developed from manipulation of a single tone-row. It is inventive and exciting, not to mention difficult to play. Several years later Schoenberg returned to solo piano music with op.33, two short pieces structured more along a chordal idiom than a melodic one.

Alone, Schoenberg's solo piano music is some of the best of its genre of the twentieth century. This disc is worth having for that alone. This edition includes other pieces, tho': Schoenberg's piano concerto, and Webern's outstanding Variations for solo piano. DG has a disc of the solo piano music by itself, but there is no reason to get that when this edition exists. The piano concerto, op.42, is a dramatic 12-tone work, one of my favorites of the 20th century. It is a drastically modern work, full of vivid colors and restless, percussive solo parts, yet Schoenberg sometimes manipulates the tone row for the deployment of quasi-tonal orchestral waves. Despite its rigorous structure and uninviting dissonances by the ream, the work maintains a degree of romanticism -- something the Darmstadt school may have derided, but this listener feels it functions on an effective emotional level. Webern's Variations may have been more to the preference of folks like Boulez and Nono -- it is systematically certain in its serialist methodology (Schoenberg was more relaxed in the application of the 12-tone structures). In addition to being deliciously dissonant and innately raw, it is an exciting display of virtuosity. Pollini shines here as with his Schoenberg interpretations.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

fugitive beauty.......2004-09-06

Pollini is fantastic with Schoenberg's piano pieces. This chronological presentation allows you to hear the progression from the atonal works to the later 12-tone compositions. Adorno held the atonal works to be the highest pinnacle of expression, and it's easy to hear why he was so impressed. I find it amazing to compare Schoenberg and the painter Kandinsky. They were friends, and participated in a joint revolution across types of art, Schoenberg pushing dissonant chromaticism into outright atonality as Kandinsky did the same with painting, pushing Impressionism's blurring of the object to total abstraction. Then, in the 1920s, Schoenberg developed his 12-tone system as Kandinsky developed a parallel system of abstract forms at Bauhaus in Weimar and Dessau. I strongly prefer Kandinsky's Bauhaus work to his earlier period, while with Schoenberg, I enjoy both. I prefer the earlier atonal piano pieces, but I prefer the serialist string quartets (3rd and 4th -- see my review of the Arditti Quartet recordings on Montaigne). His "Suite for Piano" and other 12-tone works incorporate a pure, Baroque structure, and mark a phase of consolidation. The earlier works seem to document the dissolution of the ego, and Pollini conveys them as fleeting, fugitive beauty.

This disc (part of the huge Maurizio Pollini Edition on DG) includes the entire solo piano music, which was previously available in the "20th Century Music" series -- it had a bright yellow cover -- and it adds Schoenberg's "Piano Concerto," with Pollini and the Berlin Philharmonic, with Claudio Abbado conducting, as well as a short work by Webern. The Concerto is a wonderful, energetic piece, not the dour, taxing thing I suppose many might imagine. With its addition, what was already indispensable becomes doubly so.

A great Schoenberg collection reissued, with bonuses.......2003-11-30

Maurizio Pollini's traversal of the solo piano music of Arnold Schoenberg was always a classic of modern music recordings, and this reissue makes it all the more attractive by adding the piano concerto and Pollini's classic recording of Webern's variations to the mix.

The Three Piano Pieces are from the early days of Schoenberg's atonal period, and the first two have fairly strong tonal echoes still. The first alternates passion and ambivalance, while the central slow piece has increasingly tense ruminative melodies over an ostinato figure that increases the tonal feel to the work. In contrast, the radical finale is a torrent of atonal notes whose intensity sweeps away the pensive thoughts from the second piece.

The Six Little Piano Pieces are amongst Schoenberg's finest works. Many are mere wisps of sound, averaging less than a minute each, they evoke fleeting memories, thoughts, then are gone. The finale, an elegy for Schoenberg's mentor Gustav Mahler, is a near-silent ghost of a funeral march.

The Five Piano Pieces are perhaps most famous because the last of them was the first published piece of serial music. The first is slow and tightly knit, the second an explosion of energy. Next comes a slow piece with an almost improvisatory feel and a second energetic one. The last is a rather discursive waltz that applies the new serial technique in a fairly simplistic way.

The Suite is a step backwards in many ways. Gone are the near-improvisatory, concise structures of the previous pieces; instead Schoenberg returned to traditional forms while writing serial melodic lines. I find this the least impressive work on the disc: while well-written I feel it is also rather too dry.

The two brief pieces, opus 33, return more to the atmosphere of the earlier five piece set, though this time in a serial idiom. They are more discursive, more improvisatory, more lyrical, and a lot more fun to listen to. Indeed, they point the way to the lyricism of the piano concerto that was to arrive a decade later.

Schoenberg's piano concerto is a work very popular with pianists (I've heard close on a dozen different pianists play it live in the last few years), even though it has yet to fully break through to mainstream audiences. Written in a four-movement form that plays without a break, this work allows constant echoes of tonal harmony through its serial structure. An ambivalent first movement is followed by a violent scherzo, an anguished slow movement and a more optimistic finale. This is one of the most accessible of Schoenberg's serial pieces, and also one of the best.

Webern's piano variations are in truth a three-movement sonata lasting about six minutes, of which only the finale is in variation form. A moderately-paced opening movement is followed by a witty miniature scherzo with off-center accents, before the final variation set. Crisp, clear and thoroughly atonal, this is one of the great works of the Viennese serial school.

Pollini's performances range from good to outstanding, and only occasionally does he hint at the overly clinical playing that can mar his playing of Romantic-era music. Those versed in this repertoire will probably already have the 20th Century Classics edition of the solo piano Schoenberg, but if not, and you want to explore these remarkable works, I know no better way to do so than with this disc.

Track Listings:

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

The Best of the Joe Perry Project: The Music Still Does the Talking

A Medieval Tapestry

14:59 [Import]

Scott Joplin: The Complete Rags, Marches, Waltzes & Songs

Between Flesh and Divine

#1 R&B Hits [Box set]

A Chorus Line [Cast Recording] [Karaoke]

A Message from Newport

You're a Long Time Dead So What's the Hurry? [Import]

Yehudi Menuhin Beethoven Violin Concerto & Romances

Yatra

Yo Soy Tango Como Vos

Zarzuela En Tres Actos

State Street Ramblers, Vol. 2

Jim Hall & Pat Metheny