The Italian Collection, Volume 2

Track Listings
1. Manfredini Piano Concerto in B flat - Allegro    
2. Manfredini Piano Concerto in B flat - Grave    
3. Manfredini Piano Concerto in B flat - Allegro    
4. Paisiello Piano Concerto in F major - Allegro    
5. Paisiello Piano Concerto in F major - Largo    
6. Paisiello Piano Concerto in F major - Allegretto    
7. Paisiello Piano Concerto in C major - Allegro    
8. Paisiello Piano Concerto in C major - Larghetto    
9. Paisiello Piano Concerto in C major - Rondo    

Editorial Reviews
All Music Guide, 2004
"Extraordinarily flexible and extravagantly colourful"

Yorkshire Post, December 2004
"Felcja Blumental's big and bold performances placed her among the finst pianists of the 20th century"

Album Description
The Italian Collection Volume 2

While Eighteenth-century Europe was awash with Enlightenment ideas of progess and rationality, of new-found forms of self-expression and self-determination, composers were, by-and-large, still reliant either on the church or royal patrons for a decent living. Even the most enlightened of monarchs continued to wield enormous power, making and breaking careers without pausing for breath. Both composers represented here spent some years at the Russian court of the mighty Catherine the Great where life was not always easy for them, despite being influential figures of their day. Even at this relatively progessive court where intellectual giants like Voltaire and Diderot were welcomed by the self-styled ‘philosopher on the throne’, composers were little more than functionaries, promptly delivering music for a range of purposes: opera to reflect Catherine’s wealth and power; occasional pieces to celebrate the Empress; and marches dance music and didactic works for the court’s pleasure.

Vincenzo Manfredini
Concerto in B Flat Major
Vincenzo Manfredini (1737-1799) reached the Russian court in St Petersburg in his early twenties after leaving Italy for Moscow with his brother, a noted castrato and teacher. He was soon appointed as maestro di cappella to Pyotr Fedorovich who, on becoming Emperor Peter III in 1762, promoted him to the enviable position of maestro of the Imperial Court’s Italian opera company. Peter reigned for only six months as Emperor before being forced to abdicate by his wife, Catherine, who became Empress of Russia and confirmed Manfredini in his position. Despite her many reforms, free-thinking court and links to Europe’s great artistic personalities, Catherine the Great was no fan of music, but maintained the opera company for the prestige it brought to her rule. The position proved something of a poisoned chalice for Manfredini, who appears to have made no lasting impression with his operatic and occasional works. And with the arrival of the brilliant opera buffa composer, Baldassare Galuppi in 1765, Manfredini was downgraded to composing ballet music and teaching harpsichord to the heir apparent, Paul Petrovich.
After leaving the court in 1769, Manfredini continued composing operas for a time but was soon devoting most of his time to writing and teaching. His writings reveal a man in tune with Enlightenment thought, grappling with the changing nature of music, the social status of composers and the role music has to play in public life. Although a composer of many operas, he argued for the ascendancy of instrumental music and thus it is fitting that his best known work is the Concerto in B Flat Major. The work shows off the principles of the classical concerto form in a delightful fashion - from the contrasting thrusting and lilting themes of the opening allegro, through a poised, thoughtful slow movement to the finale’s bright, punchy dance in duple time.

Giovanni Paisiello
Piano Concerto in F major
Piano Concerto in C major
While Manfredini’s influence rested largely in his writings, Giovanni Paisiello (1740-1816) became one of the most successful, sought-after and prolific opera composers of his day, producing over 90 stage works in 35 years. Born in Taranto, Italy, he began staging his operas in Bologna in 1764, before moving on to Naples where he managed to complete an astonishing 40 operas in just 10 years. While his music had the approval of the King of Naples, he seems to have lost royal favour through attempting to wriggle his way out of a marriage contract, a misdemeanour that put him in prison for a time.
By 1776, Catherine the Great had stepped in, eager to secure the services of the latest operatic star composer to become her maestro di cappella. So, only 14 years after Manfredini, Paisiello found himself in the same court, under the same monarch and in a similar musical position. However unsympathetic to

The Italian Collection, Volume 2

The Italian Collection, Volume 2, Music, Vincenzo Manfredini, Giovanni Paisiello, Alberto Zedda, Jörg Faerber, Michiyoshi Inoue, Salzburger Festspielorchester, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn, Felicja Blumental, Concerto, Piano Concerto
Arturo Toscanini Collection, Volume 51: Overtures
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Interesting Overtures
  • An Amazing Collection of Unique Overture Performances!
 Arturo Toscanini Collection, Volume 51: Overtures

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000003EY4
Release Date: 1992-09-15

Tracks:

  1. Zampa: Ov
  2. Hansel Und Gretel: Prld
  3. Colas Breugnon: Ov
  4. Die Zauberflote: Ov
  5. William Tell: Ov
  6. The Bartered Bride: Ov/Die Verkaufte Braut
  7. Mignon: Ov
  8. La Forza Del Destino: Ov
  9. Der Freischutz: Ov

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Interesting Overtures.......2006-02-01

This RCA Victor compilation is indeed quite interesting. While it includes some familiar recordings that had been included on various RCA LPs, including the Victrola series in the late 1960s, there are a few recordings that had previously only been available on the original 78-rpm issues. Generally, the performances are all top-notch.

Anyone who has listened to recordings of Toscanini's rehearsals (let alone witnessed them) can attest to how hard he worked even on shorter workers. A particularly good example is Naxos' release of the rehearsal of Debussy's rarely heard "Scottish March" from 1940; Toscanini spent a great deal of time on refining the NBC Symphony's performance, possibly because the work was less familiar to the musicians. Relatively few people have ever heard that remarkable, delightful work; however, it is treated with great precision in Toscanini's hands.

Conductor Charles Gerhardt, who was present at many Toscanini performances and recording sessions, cited the Maestro's performance of the overture to Herold's "Zampa." This is a frequently performed work, even if the opera itself is largely neglected. Toscanini managed to bring out the most exciting, lively, and brilliant playing from the NBC musicians in this 1952 "studio" recording from Carnegie Hall. It is a good example of how Toscanini strived for the best in ALL of the music he conducted.

The overture to Humperdinck's "Hansel und Gretel," also taken from a 1952 recording session in Carngie Hall, is another treasure. This music, too, is quite familiar and is given a fresh approach in Toscanini's hands. He truly brings out the Wagnerian influences in the music so that the spectacular use of brass is magnificent. The softer, tender passages, including the famous prayer, are handled with great sensitivity.

The first time I heard Toscanini's recording of Dmitri Kabalevsky's overture to his opera "Colas Breugnon," I was absolutely amazed. This is very challenging music; it requires great precision and energy from the musicians and, fortunately, Toscanini succeeded remarkably. The music is extremely syncopated, too. This piece was frequently played on his 1950 American tour with the NBC Symphony and was undoubtedly a delight for all who heard it.

The broadcast concert performance of the overture to Mozart's final opera, "The Magic Flute," is especially wonderful. It is a good demonstration of Toscanini's great love for the music of Mozart. There is an energy and enthusiasm that one rarely hears in this very familiar music. It is one of the better-sounding recordings taken from a broadcast in Studio 8-H.

Toscanini's 1953 recording of the famed overture to Rossini's "William Tell" became the gold standard for all conductors and orchestras who played it. Certainly Toscanini recognized that many associated the finale with "The Lone Ranger" on radio and television. (One reads of Toscanini's delight in sitting close to his television set and marveling at the early programs he watched with family and friends. He would shout "look!" whenever something caught his attention.) However, RCA included his 1939 Studio 8-H broadcast on this disc; as with many of his earlier recordings, this one truly excels with the precise, exciting playing of the storm and the chase music, while the introduction and the calm after the storm are again played with incredible sensitivity.

Smetana's "The Bartered Bride" is best known for its overture and dances. Toscanini's performance is particularly showy and delightful. There is a relentless energy in this performance.

The recording of Thomas' overture to "Mignon" originally appeared on a single 12-inch 78-rpm disc. It was recorded in Carnegie Hall, since producer Charles O'Connell felt it was a better venue for commercial recordings than Studio 8-H. The overture is a medley of familiar tunes from the opera, including the particularly difficult soprano solo. The NBC strings especially excel in this recording.

There are several recordings of the overture to Verdi's "La Forza Del Destino," including the OWI film that Toscanini made with the NBC Symphony in Studio 8-H in 1943 (one of the rare opportunities to SEE Toscanini conducting). This version, which was originally issued on a 78-rpm disc, is one of the best. There is more energy and excitement than in the later recording that was first issued on LPs.

Finally, there is a vibrant performance of the overture to "Der Freischutz." Although the sound is not up to the more familiar 1952 recording, this is certainly a very fine rendition. It is yet another chance to hear the NBC strings at their best. One person who had attended NBC broadcast concerts said that Toscanini, who had been a cellist, was especially good in building a strong string section and this is quite true. The wind section also excels in this recording.

4 out of 5 stars An Amazing Collection of Unique Overture Performances!.......1998-11-17

Only Toscanini at his most intense could inspire an orchestra to such an outpouring of passion as can be heard here in evergreens like the "William Tell" overture, the Verdi "Forza del Destino" overture, and Herold's "Zampa".

Many of the recordings were re-done by Maestro in the early fifties: here the forties' 78s are included, though the earliest (William Tell, 1939) still sounds quite fine in the decent monaural transfers.

These would not all be my favorites of the versions conducted by Maestro that have appeared on LP and CD: the "Mignon" of Thomas makes a greater impact in the high-fidelity recording of 1952, as does the "Freischuetz" Overture. The Kabalevsky "Colas Breugnon" Overture, recorded here on a 78 rpm disk in 1946, does not have the passion, panache, and lively spirit of a broadcast of that same year, available on Dell'Arte. And I take issue with the inclusion of a rather scrappy, poorly played, and scratchy transcription disk from 1946 of the Smetana "Bartered Bride" Overture; an earlier NBC concert performance from 1939 (about to be issued by Naxos but not in the U. S.) has better sound and cleaner playing. One wonders why the Maestro approved this later and inferior performance.

However, the spectacular recording of the 1952 "Zampa" has never sounded better! It is nearly the equal of any recording made that year, by any record company! So much for the canard that "Toscanini records always sounded bad!" Nothing could be further from the truth!
The Italian Collection, Volume 1
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		The Italian Collection, Volume 1

    Manufacturer: Brana Records
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    All Works by ViottiAll Works by Viotti | Viotti, Giovanni Battista | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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    ASIN: B0007CGY88
    Release Date: 2005-01-10

    Tracks:

    1. Viotti Piano Concerto in G Minor - Allegro maestoso
    2. Viotti Piano Concerto in G Minor - Adagio non troppo
    3. Viotti Piano Concerto in G Minor - Rondo
    4. Platti Piano Concerto No. 1 in G major - Allegro assai
    5. Platti Piano Concerto No. 1 in G major - Largo
    6. Platti Piano Concerto No. 1 in G major - Allegro assai
    7. Platti Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor - Andantino molto mosso
    8. Platti Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor - Adagio
    9. Platti Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor - Allegro

    Album Description

    There is often a tendency to think of composers such as Bach, Mozart and Beethoven as titanic geniuses who entered the world fully-formed, musical heavyweights of such stature that they stand alone in history. But, of course, there were countless composers who enjoyed local and international fame in their lives but have been undeservedly hidden by the long shadow cast by the musical titans. This disc of concertos by Viotti and Platti brings back into the light concertos by two who deserve a place in the pantheon of composers of immense talent, energy and no little influence on some the greats who followed them.

    Giovanni Battista Viotti - Piano Concerto in G minor

    Viotti is chiefly remembered for elevating performing standards to a high artistic level and as one of the crucial figures in the development of modern violin playing. He was also the first to realise the musical value of Stradivari's violins and to prove as much to his audiences and to posterity. Many of these instruments played and introduced by Viotti himself have been passed down through generations of virtuosi and remain in the hands of today's star players, such as Pierre Amoyal.

    Viotti's 29 violin concertos are by far the most satisfying of his works, both artistically and historically. Not only are they inventive vehicles for technical display, enough to test any soloist, but are testament to his brilliant musical imagination. For the first time in this genre, the full resources of the violin and orchestra are gradually being brought into play. Influences from Parisian musical life in the 1780s add operatic drama and symphonic breadth to these concertos. Presented here in a reworking for piano by the German pianist and composer Daniel Steibelt, Viotti's attractive and forceful personality shine through his Concerto No.19 in G minor, composed towards the end of his decade in Paris. The scope is huge for its day: dark, dramatic passages mingle with filigree fingerwork, bold statements and delicate note-spinning reminding us both of Viotti's Classical base and of his influence on Beethoven and his contemporaries - and even, at times, taking us further! , into the dramatic light and shade of the German Romantic spirit of Mendelssohn and Weber

    Giovanni Benedetto Platti Piano Concerto No. 1 in G major Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor

    Just as Viotti's active musical life was sandwiched between the great composers of the Classical era, so Giovanni Benedetto Platti (before 1692 - 1763) had the misfortune to be around when the titans of the Baroque era - Bach, Handel, Rameau and Domenico Scarlatti - bestrode their age. The goal of most composers at this time was to secure a decent living in the courts of the nobility, and this is exactly what Platti did, moving from Italy to enter the service of the Prince-Archbishop of Bamberg and Würzburg. Little is known of his life before he entered into service in 1722, but there are hints that his teachers may have included both Albinoni and Vivaldi.

    At the Prince-Archbishop's court Platti seems to have been a master of a good many trades including singing, playing the harpsichord, violin, cello, flute and oboe in performances of compositions by himself and others. The job of a court musician was, naturally, to reflect the sophistication and respectability of courtly life and the magnificence and munificence of his lord and master. Platti's compositions range from church music, including a masterly Requiem, through numerous concertos to sonatas for various combinations of instruments.

    The two keyboard concertos presented here make fascinating listening. They are beautifully wrought three movement pieces where the keyboard is moving toward the Classical concerto's genuine solo role, while their structure and orchestral texture remain with one foot firmly in the Baroque camp. The slow movements display sensitively written parts for the performer which may well serve to illustrate Platti's apparent contact wit
    The Telarc Collection, Volume 2
    Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    • Nice, diverse collection
    		 The Telarc Collection, Volume 2

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    ASIN: B000003D69
    Release Date: 1992-01-28

    Tracks:

    1. The Magnificent Seven - Elmer Bernstein
    2. Symphonie Fantastique: March To The Scaffold - Hector Berlioz
    3. The Planets: Mars, The Bringer Of War - Gustov Holst
    4. Piano Concerto No. 3 In D Minor, Op. 30: Finale, Alla breva - Sergei Rachmaninoff
    5. Vespers Op. 37: Bogoroditsye Devo - Sergei Rachmaninoff
    6. Symphony No. 31 In D Major 'Hornsignal': Menuet, Trio - Franz Joseph Haydn
    7. Prince Igor: Polovetsian Dances - Alexander Borodin
    8. Turandot: Nessun dorma! - Giacomo Puccini
    9. Tea For Two - Bobby Short
    10. Symphony No. 1 in D Major, Op. 25 'Classical': Finale, Molto vivace - Sergei Prokofiev
    11. Concerto In E-Flat Major: Allegro - Vincenzo Bellini
    12. Carmen Suite: Les toreadors - Georges Bizet
    13. Sonata No. 6 In F Major, Op. 10, No. 2: Presto - John O'Conor
    14. Quartet in G minor: Assez vif et bien rythme - Claude Debussy
    15. Schwanda The Bagpiper: Polka - Jaromir Weinberger
    16. After Hours: Cotton Tail - Andre Previn
    17. Movie Love Themes: Flashdance...What A Feeling - Giorgio Moroder

    Customer Reviews:

    3 out of 5 stars Nice, diverse collection.......2005-10-04

    I picked this up in a 50-cent cutout bin with no sleeve or case about 8 years ago. It's an interesting mix of selections, from serious classical (Rachmaninoff) to jazz (Ellington) to pop adaptations (Flashdance theme). The latter is actually one of the more intriguing cuts on the disc. Though I wouldn't rank it as "one of the world's finest sounding recordings", it's a rousing orchestral arrangement of the Flashdance theme conducted by its composer, Giorgio Moroder. If all you've ever heard is the Irene Cara radio hit, it will make you appreciate this song in a new light. The sound quality of the rest of the disc is superb, esp. "The Magnificent Seven" theme, which makes a nice audio system demonstration track.
    The Opera Rara Collection Volume 1
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      		The Opera Rara Collection Volume 1

      Manufacturer: Opera Rara
      ProductGroup: Music
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      ASIN: B00000C2BP
      Release Date: 1998-09-08

      Tracks:

      1. Mercadante Orazie Curiazi - Anthony Michaels-Moore/Alastair Miles
      2. Donizetti Gabriella Di Vergy - Della Jones
      3. Meyerbeer Dinorah - Deborah Cook,/Alexander Oliver//Christian Du Plessis
      4. Donizetti Rosmonda D'Inghilterra - Renee' Fleming
      5. Rossini Ricciardo E Zoraide - Bruce Fort/William Matteuzzi/Nelly Miricioiu
      6. Donizetti Ugo Conte Di Parigi - Janet Price/Della Jones/Yvonne Kenny
      7. Nicolini I Baccanali Di Roma - Yvonne Kenny
      8. Offenbach Christopher Columbus - Marilyn Hill Smith/Johanna Peters
      9. Donizetti L'Assedio Di Calais - Della Jones/Nuccia Focile/Christian Du Plessis
      10. Mercadante Virginia - Bruce Ford
      11. Pacini Maria Regina D'Inghilterra - Nelly Miricioiu/Mary Plazas
      12. Donizetti Gabriella Di Vergy - Ludmilla Andrew/Christian Du Plessis
      13. Meyerbeer Il Crociato In Egitto - Diana Montague
      14. Rossini Armida - Bruce Ford/William Matteuzzi/Paul Austin Kelly
      15. Offenbach Robinson Crusoe - Yvonne Kenny
      16. Donizetti Emilia Di Liverpool - Sesto Bruscantini/Chris Merrit
      17. Mayr Medea In Corinto - Jane Eaglen
      18. Pucitta La Caccia Di Enrico IV - Della Jones/Marilyn Hill Smith
      19. Donizetti Maria De Rudenz - Nelly Miricioiu
      20. Mercadante Il Brindisi - Bruce Ford/Alastair Miles
      Symposium Opera Collection Volume 4
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        		Symposium Opera Collection Volume 4

        Manufacturer: Symposium
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        All Works by BeachAll Works by Beach | Beach, Amy Marcy Cheney | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Delibes, Léo | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
        All Works by GounodAll Works by Gounod | Gounod, Charles | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
        Koechlin, CharlesKoechlin, Charles | ( K ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
        All Works by MascagniAll Works by Mascagni | Mascagni, Pietro | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
        All Works by MassenetAll Works by Massenet | Massenet, Jules | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
        All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAll Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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        All Works by SchubertAll Works by Schubert | Schubert, Franz | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
        All Works by VerdiAll Works by Verdi | Verdi, Giuseppe | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
        All Works by WagnerAll Works by Wagner | Wagner, Richard | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
        Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
        Vocal & SongVocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
        Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
        Vocal & SongVocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
        RomancesRomances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
        Modern & 20th CenturyModern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
        Romantic (c.1820-1910)Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
        FrenchFrench | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
        GermanGerman | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
        ItalianItalian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
        ASIN: B00004SD1H
        Release Date: 2000-07-25
        Torna a Surriento, Vol. 2
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          		Torna a Surriento, Vol. 2
          Roberto Murolo
          Manufacturer: Joker La Canzone
          ProductGroup: Music
          Binding: Audio CD
          ASIN: B000MATTGE
          Arturo Toscanini Collection, Volume 71
          Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
          • Toscanini's first recordings
          • For Fanatics of Toscanini & Collectors of Very Old Records
          		 Arturo Toscanini Collection, Volume 71

          Manufacturer: RCA
          ProductGroup: Music
          Binding: Audio CD

          All Works by BeethovenAll Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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          All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAll Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
          All Works by MendelssohnAll Works by Mendelssohn | Mendelssohn, Felix | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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          SuitesSuites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
          ClassicalClassical | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
          RomanticRomantic | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
          Incidental MusicIncidental Music | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
          MarchesMarches | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
          GeneralGeneral | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
          Theatrical, Incidental & Program MusicTheatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
          GeneralGeneral | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music
          GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
          Toscanini, ArturoToscanini, Arturo | ( T ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
          GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
          Classical (c.1770-1830)Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music | Cantatas | Romances
          Romantic (c.1820-1910)Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
          ItalianItalian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
          Classical MusicClassical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
          Opera & VocalOpera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
          ASIN: B000003EY9
          Release Date: 1992-04-14

          Tracks:

          1. Sym No.1, Op.21 in C: IV: Adagio; Allegro Molto E Vivace
          2. Sym No.5, Op.67 in c: IV: Allegro
          3. La Damnation De Faust: Rakoczy March
          4. L'Arlesienne Ste No.2: Farandole
          5. Carmen: Aragonaise (Act IV Entr'acte)
          6. Don Pasquale: Ov
          7. Gagliarda (No.2, Antiche Aire E Danze, Set I, After Vincenzo Galilei)
          8. Fete Boheme (No.4, Scenes Pittoresques)
          9. Scherzo
          10. A Midsummer Night's Dream: Wedding March
          11. Sym No.39, K.543 in E flat: Menuetto
          12. Sym No.39, K.543 in E flat: Finale
          13. Le Quai Du Porte De Famagouste (Act I Prld) (No.2, La Pisanelle Ste)
          14. Il Segreto Di Susanna: Ov

          Customer Reviews:

          4 out of 5 stars Toscanini's first recordings.......2006-03-03

          Many famous conductors had already been making recordings for several years when Arturo Toscanini was finally persuaded by the Victor Talking Machine Company in Camden, New Jersey, to make some orchestral recordings with the Scala Orchestra in 1920-21.

          The Italian ensemble had been touring the U.S. and they took time out to make a series of 78-rpm acoustical discs in the "church" studio at Camden. Some of Enrico Caruso's later recordings also took place in this very large facility, which utilized a very large horn to pick up as much of the orchestra as possible. Sometimes, smaller horns were connected to the recording equipment to record principal players.

          Admittedly, the acoustical process had limited frequence response. By 1920 and 1921, when these recordings were made, the process had reached its highest possiblities, so much more could be recorded. Already, however, Bell Laboratories was developing a new recording process that would use carbon microphones to pick up more sound; that process would be adopted by Victor in the spring of 1925 to record the Philadelphia Orchestra under Leopold Stokowski.

          Despite the limited possibilities of acoustical recordings, they always had very good bass tones and they sounded quite good when played on a full size Victrola. Some of this can be approximated, however, through digital technology and it's actually possible to hear more today than was possible on vintage phonographs.

          One good thing about Toscanini's acoustical discs is that they give us an idea of the remarkable energy he utilized in his earlier performances. There is is incredible playing by the Italian musicians in most of the recordings. A particularly good example is the overture to "Don Pasquale," which has virtually the same playing time as Toscanini's 1952 recording with the NBC Symphony Orchestra. The woodwinds are particularly excellent in this performance and, quite remarkably, one can even heard the tympani (rarely used in American acoustical recordings).

          Overall, these are exciting glimpses of Toscanini in his "younger" years, long before the more famous NBC Symphony concerts and recordings. They are often very charming and very delightful. They certainly have historical value. Toscanini would not record again until 1926, when he made a single 78-rpm electrical recording for the Brunswick Company with the New York Philharmonic. But that's another story...

          2 out of 5 stars For Fanatics of Toscanini & Collectors of Very Old Records.......1998-09-17

          There are no other acoustical recordings available of standard repertoire classical orchestral pieces quite like these unique disks!

          Toscanini and his La Scala Orchestra worked like fiends before a large recording horn in Camden, New Jersey, in 1921 to accomplish these Red Seal sides, which were "state of the art" in the period before the microphone and electronics were wedded to the phonograph. But to today's ears, the results are peculiar and uningratiating: the balances strange, the instrumental timbres odd, the pickup close and claustrophobic. Yet the intensity and precision of these propulsive readings contrast dramatically with the cranky, clumsy, and affected recordings made by other maestros during the acoustical period that ended around 1925.

          Violin and piano solos, and the singing voice, were taken down well by the acoustical process: we can still enjoy Caruso, Kreisler, Heifetz, or Rachmaninoff's old Red Seals. But most if not nearly all collectors "cut off" their interest in orchestral recordings made before about 1926 or '27, when the early electrical engineers learned how to record a fairly wide and natural dynamic range, and to pick up the acoustical ambience of a real recording hall.

          Toscanini displays his severe precision, and is fully the man you would expect from his broadcasts of the thirties and forties: once, during the old NBC radio show "Toscanini - The Man Behind the Legend" in the sixties, a composite was made of the 1921 Beethoven 5th excerpts herein and the famous broadcast recording from 1952. Heard over transcontinental network AM radio, there wasn't too much audible difference in style, balance, and interpretation (not to mention sound); but audited today, from digitized transfers, there seem to be several orders of magnitude of difference. The old acoustic is merely a funky sounding oddity, while the 1952 audiotape of the radio/TV simulcast has exceptionally realistic, crisp high fidelity and accuracy (not significantly inferior in detail to any number of modern stereo all-digital recordings!)

          At least this set provides the opportunity of hearing some unusual pieces under the Maestro's direction: the pleasant excerpt "Le quai du porte de Famagouste" from the "Pisanella" Suite by Pizzetti (recorded in stereo in the sixties by Gardelli on a superb Decca / London LP); the "Gagliarda" from one of Respighi's "Ancient Dances and Airs" suites; and the "Fete Boheme" from Massenet's "Scenes Pittoresques" Suite. I once owned a mint-condition copy of the last item on a single-sided Victor Red Seal 78 rpm disk, and I can testify that one cannot really do much to enhance the sound of an acoustical recording!

          At least this issue is much better than the very highly compressed copy issued on a private LP by the Clyde Key / Toscanini Society in the sixties: so much audio limiting was done to squeeze all the recordings onto two sides of one LP that the transfers were vastly inferior to the relatively vital sound of the actual shellac disks; this "purist" authorized edition by RCA is much to be preferred.
          FELICJA BLUMENTAL : The Italian Collection, Volume 2
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            		FELICJA BLUMENTAL : The Italian Collection, Volume 2

            Manufacturer: Brana Records
            ProductGroup: Music
            Binding: Audio CD

            ClassicalClassical | Indie Music | Stores | Music
            GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
            ASIN: B0007UXJAG
            Release Date: 2005-02-17

            Album Description

            Felicja Blumental

            The Italian Collection, Volume 2

            Vincenzo Manfredini : Piano Concerto in B flat major

            Felicja Blumental : Piano
            Conductor : Michiyoshi Inoue
            Mozarteum Orchestra of Salzburg
            Recorded : Klessheim Castle, Salzburg, 1972

            Giovanni Paisiello : Piano Concerto in F major

            Felicja Blumental : Piano
            Conductor : Alberto Zedda
            Torino Symphony Orchestra
            Recorded : Conservatory Verdi, Torino, Italy

            Giovanni Paisiello : Piano Concerto in C major

            Felicja Blumental : Piano
            Conductor : Jörg Faerber
            Wüttemberg Chamber Orchestra
            Recorded : Wüttemberg

            The Romatic Approach, Volume 2: A Special Collection of Music From Italy and France
            Average customer rating: Not rated
              		The Romatic Approach, Volume 2: A Special Collection of Music From Italy and France

              Manufacturer: Celestial Harmonies
              ProductGroup: Music
              Binding: Audio CD

              BalletsBallets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music
              QuartetsQuartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
              GeneralGeneral | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
              GeneralGeneral | Fauré, Gabriel | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
              All Works by MascagniAll Works by Mascagni | Mascagni, Pietro | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
              All Works by MassenetAll Works by Massenet | Massenet, Jules | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
              All Works by PucciniAll Works by Puccini | Puccini, Giacomo | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
              Ravel, MauriceRavel, Maurice | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
              All Works by RespighiAll Works by Respighi | Respighi, Ottorino | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
              All Works by RossiniAll Works by Rossini | Rossini, Gioacchino | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
              All Works by SatieAll Works by Satie | Satie, Erik | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
              All Works by VerdiAll Works by Verdi | Verdi, Giuseppe | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
              All Works by VivaldiAll Works by Vivaldi | Vivaldi, Antonio | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
              All Works by DebussyAll Works by Debussy | Debussy, Claude | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
              GeneralGeneral | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
              SuitesSuites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
              GeneralGeneral | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
              Ballets & DancesBallets & Dances | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
              General ContemporaryGeneral Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
              GeneralGeneral | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music
              ViolinViolin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music
              GeneralGeneral | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music
              GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
              CompilationsCompilations | Classical | Styles | Music
              RomancesRomances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
              Romantic (c.1820-1910)Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
              GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
              FrenchFrench | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
              ItalianItalian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
              Traditional VocalistsTraditional Vocalists | Compilations | Pop | Styles | Music
              ASIN: B0000007Y7
              Release Date: 1995-11-30

              Tracks:

              1. Cavalleria Rusticana: Intermezzo - Mascagni
              2. Clair de Lune - DeBussy
              3. Six Preludes For Small String Orchestra: Prelude V For Strings - Romantic Approach
              4. Berceuse - Faure
              5. Sonata For Strings No. I, 2nd Movement - Rossini
              6. Concerto: Largo For Mandolin And Strings - Vivaldi
              7. La Boutique Fantasque: Nocturne - Respighi
              8. Crisantemi - Puccini
              9. String Quartet, 2nd Movement - Verdi
              10. Notturno Op.70, No.1 - Romantic Approach
              11. String Quartet, 3rd Movement - DeBussy
              12. Thais: Meditation - Massenet
              13. String Quartet, 3rd Movement - Ravel
              14. Gymnopedie No.1 - Satie

              Album Description

              What makes music Romantic? Like beauty, Romanticism is in the eye or ear of the beholder. As a musical movement, it is generally associated with 19th century Europe, but The Romantic Approach, Volume One was a collection of 20th century American works, all of which had some fairly obvious Romantic elements. That first recording may have surprised listeners who felt that contemporary America has produced very little Romantic art. The Romantic Approach, Volume Two, on the other hand, includes the very heart of the Romantic literature. Of all the countries in the world, France and Italy have been those most associated with things romantic; even the sounds of their languages are musical, and that songlike quality has certainly colored much of the music (classical or otherwise) of these two countries.

              The Romantic Approach, Volume Two, contains music by some of the greatest French and Italian Romantics: Puccini, Faure' Debussy, Respighi, and numerous others are included. Many of them will be familiar to opera lovers, and that is probably not a coincidence. Opera means high drama, star-crossed lovers, emotions writ large upon a grand stage - the very essence of Romanticism already existed in the opera world, which was a central part of the musical life of France and Italy. The Romantic Approach, Volume Two, reflects this: beautiful melodies from two opera favorites, Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana and Massenet's Thais, are included; and three of the greatest operatic composers, Rossini, Puccini, and Verdi, are all represented by typically soulful instrumental works. But unjustly neglected masterpieces from gifted French and Italian composers Jean Francaix and Guiseppe Martucci are included as well, and the collection is rounded out with emotional, evocative works by Maurice Ravel and Erik Satie.

              Like the earlier volume, this collection is centered around the sounds of the instrumental family that is most often associated with Romantic music: the strings. Whether it is singing cellos, soaring violins, or sighing mandolins, the instruments of the string family have an uncanny ability (in the right hands) to express a full range of emotion, and some of the most Romantic music ever written has the sounds of a string quartet or a full string orchestra at its heart.
              The Italian Collection, Volume 2
              Average customer rating: Not rated
                		The Italian Collection, Volume 2

                Manufacturer: Brana Records
                ProductGroup: Music
                Binding: Audio CD

                All Works by PaisielloAll Works by Paisiello | Paisiello, Giovanni | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
                GeneralGeneral | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
                GeneralGeneral | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
                PianoPiano | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music
                GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
                Salzburg Chamber OrchestraSalzburg Chamber Orchestra | ( S ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
                ClassicalClassical | Indie Music | Stores | Music
                ASIN: B0007CGY8I
                Release Date: 2005-01-10

                Tracks:

                1. Manfredini Piano Concerto in B flat - Allegro
                2. Manfredini Piano Concerto in B flat - Grave
                3. Manfredini Piano Concerto in B flat - Allegro
                4. Paisiello Piano Concerto in F major - Allegro
                5. Paisiello Piano Concerto in F major - Largo
                6. Paisiello Piano Concerto in F major - Allegretto
                7. Paisiello Piano Concerto in C major - Allegro
                8. Paisiello Piano Concerto in C major - Larghetto
                9. Paisiello Piano Concerto in C major - Rondo

                Album Description

                The Italian Collection Volume 2

                While Eighteenth-century Europe was awash with Enlightenment ideas of progess and rationality, of new-found forms of self-expression and self-determination, composers were, by-and-large, still reliant either on the church or royal patrons for a decent living. Even the most enlightened of monarchs continued to wield enormous power, making and breaking careers without pausing for breath. Both composers represented here spent some years at the Russian court of the mighty Catherine the Great where life was not always easy for them, despite being influential figures of their day. Even at this relatively progessive court where intellectual giants like Voltaire and Diderot were welcomed by the self-styled `philosopher on the throne', composers were little more than functionaries, promptly delivering music for a range of purposes: opera to reflect Catherine's wealth and power; occasional pieces to celebrate the Empress; and marches dance music and didactic works for the court's pleasure.

                Vincenzo Manfredini
                Concerto in B Flat Major
                Vincenzo Manfredini (1737-1799) reached the Russian court in St Petersburg in his early twenties after leaving Italy for Moscow with his brother, a noted castrato and teacher. He was soon appointed as maestro di cappella to Pyotr Fedorovich who, on becoming Emperor Peter III in 1762, promoted him to the enviable position of maestro of the Imperial Court's Italian opera company. Peter reigned for only six months as Emperor before being forced to abdicate by his wife, Catherine, who became Empress of Russia and confirmed Manfredini in his position. Despite her many reforms, free-thinking court and links to Europe's great artistic personalities, Catherine the Great was no fan of music, but maintained the opera company for the prestige it brought to her rule. The position proved something of a poisoned chalice for Manfredini, who appears to have made no lasting impression with his operatic and occasional works. And with the arrival of the brilliant opera buffa composer, Baldassare Galuppi in 1765, Manfredini was downgraded to composing ballet music and teaching harpsichord to the heir apparent, Paul Petrovich.
                After leaving the court in 1769, Manfredini continued composing operas for a time but was soon devoting most of his time to writing and teaching. His writings reveal a man in tune with Enlightenment thought, grappling with the changing nature of music, the social status of composers and the role music has to play in public life. Although a composer of many operas, he argued for the ascendancy of instrumental music and thus it is fitting that his best known work is the Concerto in B Flat Major. The work shows off the principles of the classical concerto form in a delightful fashion - from the contrasting thrusting and lilting themes of the opening allegro, through a poised, thoughtful slow movement to the finale's bright, punchy dance in duple time.

                Giovanni Paisiello
                Piano Concerto in F major
                Piano Concerto in C major
                While Manfredini's influence rested largely in his writings, Giovanni Paisiello (1740-1816) became one of the most successful, sought-after and prolific opera composers of his day, producing over 90 stage works in 35 years. Born in Taranto, Italy, he began staging his operas in Bologna in 1764, before moving on to Naples where he managed to complete an astonishing 40 operas in just 10 years. While his music had the approval of the King of Naples, he seems to have lost royal favour through attempting to wriggle his way out of a marriage contract, a misdemeanour that put him in prison for a time.
                By 1776, Catherine the Great had stepped in, eager to secure the services of the latest operatic star composer to become her maestro di cappella. So, only 14 years after Manfredini, Paisiello found himself in the same court, under the same monarch and in a similar musical position. However unsympathetic to

                Track Listings:

                1. The Music of Dmitri Shostakovich: Prelude & Scherzo/Con Piano/Orchestra/Tpt
                2. The Secular Songs of Henry Purcell, Vol. 2
                3. Thea Musgrave: Choral Works
                4. Toucher
                5. Victory at Sea [Soundtrack]
                6. Violin Improvisations
                7. Vivaldi: Sacred Music, Vol. 5
                8. Wagner: Wesendonck-Lieder; Arias
                9. We Sing of Christ
                10. Yehudi Wyner

                Track Listings

                track listings

                Track Listings

                Fall of the House of Usher [Import]

                Keiko Toyama Plays Mozart Piano Concertos

                Hope and Desire

                Ella Sings Gershwin [Import]

                Extended Versions (Live) [Live]

                Little Things [CD-single] [Enhanced] [Import]

                Live at Carnegie Hall [Import] [Live] [Original recording remastered]

                Liszt Transcriptions of Berlioz, Chopin, Saint-Saëns

                Lips That Taste of Tears

                John Cage Diary: How to Improve the World (you will only make matters worse)

                Mardigras 1960 [Live]

                Lo Mejor de la Salsa, Vol. 3

                La Herencia Continua

                The Complete Imperial Recordings Of Roy Brown

                Mercy, Mercy