Plays Schumann Grieg & Tomeoni

1. Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54
Composed by Robert Schumann
Performed by La Scala Theater Orchestra with Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli
Conducted by Antonio Pedrotti

2. Erotik, lyric piece for piano, Op. 43/5
Composed by Edvard Grieg
with Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli

3. Allegro for piano
Composed by Pellegrino Tomeoni
with Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli

Product Description

Amazon.com
The legendary Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli made only one studio recording of each of these concertos, on wartime Telefunken 78s, although several of his live performances of each have been issued also. This is the better-sounding of two current competing issues, by a considerable margin. Another one on Fonit Cetra CDO 510 has unacceptably fuzzy sound, and lacks one of the two fillers present on this CD. The performances here are splendidly played, but I think some of the live performances are even better and have better orchestras. For those who collect Michelangeli, it's good to have these early recordings available in listenable quality. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

WRONG LISZT, RIGHT LISZT.......2004-06-26

The Liszt concerto here is the first and not the second, for the benefit of anyone else who is trying to obtain this disc in the hope of finding the latter. I'm not now aware of any recording by Michelangeli of the second concerto. So far as I can tell, this performance of the first is the one that helped him win the Geneva competition at age 19 and elicited the exclamation from Cortot `A new Liszt is born'.

The Liszt performance is from 1939, and is perhaps slightly better recorded than the Schumann and Grieg, both dating from 1942. I own later performances of all three works by him. The later Liszt account, from his infamous Japanese tour, is preferable to this by virtue of recorded quality, the later Grieg and Schumann seem to me better as performances also. This is, I should say, strictly a record for Michelangeli-collectors. He was a notorious maverick - moody, unreliable and elusive - and his public repertory, when he deigned to put in an appearance at all, was very small. For me, the fascination in tracking his development is not just in his monumental greatness but also in his unpredictability. In some works, e.g. this Liszt concerto, he changed his interpretation very little, in others like the Schumann he changed it slightly, and in others like the Grieg he changed it spectacularly. From what I hear on this record, he seems to have been in a rather demure phase in 1942. The last movement of the Schumann is a very restrained `allegro vivace', and the first movement is downright slow. I adore Lipatti's high-velocity readings of both movements, but they don't have to be done that way and if I had to name my outright favourite performances of both the Schumann and the Grieg I would still unhesitatingly plump for Cherkassky whose speeds in the outer movements are quite moderate. What M seems to do here in the Schumann is loiter. Apart from an astonishingly leisurely first movement, he drops down a gear at the second subject of the finale. Some retardation at this point is perfectly reasonable, and Backhaus for one carries off the trick very successfully, but there are limits surely.

In the Grieg and the Liszt it's easier to form a clear view of the performances. This Grieg is rather like a lower-voltage version of the extraordinary account that he recorded later with the New Philharmonia under Fruehbeck de Burgos. The phrasing is quite similar, in particular a gorgeous suggestion of birdsong in the slow movement that he plays up spectacularly in the later version. The tempi of the outer movements in this performance are a bit slower, but the real difference is in the `charge'. His later version is the most vivid and electric I think I have ever heard from anyone, and I wonder whether the photograph of him dripping with perspiration on the leaflet with that BBC record was taken at the conclusion of the performance, as I suspect it probably was. In the Liszt he may have decided that he had a winning formula that he didn't want to change, and if so I would back his decision. I own other performances of it by Richter, Cziffra and Ogdon, all on top form, but Michelangeli has them licked. The recording here doesn't do justice to that amazing finger-power, and the quality on the Japanese performance is nothing outstanding either, but through owning it I'm able to appreciate what his audience in 1939 must have heard and wondered at.

Customer Reviews:

Dinu Lipatti: In memoriam! .......2006-06-06

One of the most accented features of Schumann `s Piano Concerto Op. 54 to remark, is its fascinating dynamic character, its poetic imagery but above all its showy mystery. It `s one of the best known pieces of this genre, but what it really engages me its kaleidoscopic character. Filled of Romantic lineage, but also an obsessive and voluptuous charm. You can notice there are not long musical phrases (as Tchaikovsky' s First or Chopin's First, for instance). Its filled of brief but scented arpeggios that denote anguish, spring's thirst, love, passion, visible Pantheist character and an accented bucolic character.

So, that's precisely the reason why this is a so difficult work to play. That crowd of encountered feelings and enraptured visions requires from the soloist a profound understanding of the score. You must search beneath the score and turn continuously your approach. If you just focus around the simple fact this another Romantic Concerto which must sound hyper romantic; sorry you made a terrible mistake, because that's is just one of the multiple aspects that conform this expressive Concerto.

Dinu Lipatti has always been one of the most successful pianists who really felt , knew and understood the overall sense of this Op. And given the fact of having so many times played by almost most of pianists, the number of successful version hardly surmounts the dozen.

This is certainly, one of them. And the rest of the dozen to my mind in strict order would be: Ivan Moravec and Vaclav Neumann (my first choice, by far), Lipatti, Sviatoslav Richter, Samson Francois, Wilhelm Kempff, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Serkin, Walter Giesking, Artur Rubinstein, Van Cliburn, Eugene Istomin and Guiomar Novaes.

In what Grieg concerns one of thge most pyramidal achievements that conform with the Rubinstein version with the Dallas Symphony and Dorati, a magnificent peformance of Radu Lupu, Walter Gieseking and Guiomar Novaes the most pyramidal recordings ever made.

Lipatti the maestro.......2005-01-10

Ever since these two concerti were first recorded, I have considered them to be the ultimate expression of these pieces. The Grieg has never been surpassed by anyone in my opinion. While one might quibble about the interpretation of the Schumann, it stands well above any other competition.

Better Lipatti Is Found Elsewhere.......2004-05-12

Dinu Lipatti and Clara Haskil were the greatest pianists that Romania ever produced. Lipatti was tragically cut down by leukemia in his early 30's and made only a handful of records. Unfortunately, neither of these particular performances show him at his best - and both are available elsewhere in somewhat better sound. Lipatti confided to his friends that he really chafed under the "classical" restrictions imposed by Karajan in this Schumann recording. His far better and more poetic live 1950 account with Ansermet was once available on London CD 425968-2, coupled with Haskil's lovely 1947 Beethoven 3rd with Carlo Zecchi and the London Philharmonic. Other accounts of the Schumann piano concerto that I cherish are the wonderfully rapt live account with Walter Gieseking and Furtwangler (now in a DG box set), the Benno Moiseiwitsch/Otto Ackermann/Philharmonia on Testament, the Yves Nat/Eugene Bigot account on Dante, Gulda/Andreae and the VPO on Decca, and Haskil's recording with Otterloo and the Hague Philharmonic on a Phillips CD. I am a great admirer of Sviatoslav Richter, but I think all of these are preferable to him in the concerto. Most of these CDs are sadly out of print - they are most definitely worth hunting down.

I have never found Lipatti (or, for that matter, Solomon) all that magical in the Grieg piano concerto. In stereo I prefer Curzon/Fjelstad (coupled with the Gulda/Andreae Schumann on Decca). The live Michelangeli concert performance on BBC Legends (with de Burgos) is quite simply the most dazzling on disc - and I am generally not much of a Michelangeli fan.

Bottom line: I would pass on this CD. There are simply too many superior alternatives worth hearing.

AN IMMORTAL.......2003-09-07

How many music-lovers aged under 50 have even heard of Lipatti, I wonder. He was Rumanian and lived from 1917 to 1950, continuing to give recitals when obviously at death's door from a combination of leukaemia and rheumatoid arthritis. It's a genuine tragic-romantic story but it needs no sentimentalising because this contemporary of Richter and Michelangeli easily stands comparison with either of them. It would be a rough but reasonable generalisation to say that he is the same kind of player as they are -- super-virtuoso but not in the 'exhibitionist' (said with no disrespect) tradition represented by Horowitz and continued by Cziffra, another contemporary. Lipatti was nearly as fastidious and perfectionistic as Michelangeli himself, and I urge any lover of great playing who does not know these performances or this performer to get hold of these accounts of the Grieg and Schumann at this modest price, however many others they already have. The Grieg is big, majestic and forceful, not unlike Michelangeli's version in a sense. For all it amounts to, the Grieg concerto has been luckier than it deserves in the interpreters it has found. Schumann's is another matter, a lovely and most loveable romantic masterpiece. In this Lipatti resembles nobody! The intermezzo has the beautiful lyric tenderness and smoothness that Lipatti was famous for, the central andante in the first movement is as full of affection and Innigkeit as I have ever heard, but the thing that makes the real impact in both the outer movements is the tremendous pace Lipatti takes them at. If that sounds wrong to you, all I can say is hear it for yourself. It's hard to put the effect into words, because no other version known to me is really similar and I doubt if there is a similar version anywhere. The opening chordal flourish will lift you out of your chair, the upward-rushing crescendo at the end of the exposition is stupendous (is this really the Schumann concerto we're talking about? Yes, and I bet Schumann would have loved it), and the finale, taken very fast, is a tumbling glory of great fingerwork, superb diablerie and enormous sensitivity at the same time, although I think I detect a creeping increase in tempo. Michelangeli is more 'mainstream', definitely slowish and I would say one for collectors rather than for anyone looking for a safe version. The Richter performance I have is the nearest to Lipatti's in overall approach, but the recorded quality is not all it might be. My general recommendation for a version that is both 'standard' in its approach yet full of personality and individual touches is by Serkin, but it may not be currently available. I also have a special affection for Backhaus's bucolic reading, though it may be even harder to locate by now. My own special favourite, and also in the Grieg, is by Cherkassky, cool and reflective, exquisite in the central andante of the first movement and with wonderful crystalline fingerwork, but also difficult to find these days. But when all is said and done, look at the price of this Lipatti disc. Treat yourself.

I Love Dinu Lipatti and Dutton, but..........2003-06-14

Don't get this CD! The reason is that the exact same recording of the Grieg Concereto is available on an EMI References CD that couples it with Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 (Otto Ackermann/Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich). Furthermore, the very same Schumann Concerto is available on an EMI "Great Recordings of the Century" disc that also features Mozart's 21st Piano Concerto (Karajan/Lucerne Festival Orchestra). Lipatti is so good, and his recordings so scarce, that anyone interested in him should not settle on purchasing just two concertos when for a little more money they can get four. I am surprised that Dutton released this, they are usually so good about licensing and issuing unique historical recordings. I hope Dutton doesn't turn into another Classica D'Oro -- with them you have to really pay attention in order not to buy redundant product!

Paolo Vairo Plays Beethoven, Rachmaninov, Schumann, Liszt, Grieg, Khachaturian

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Paolo Vairo Plays Beethoven, Rachmaninov, Schumann, Liszt, Grieg, Khachaturian

Manufacturer: Stradivarius
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Toccatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00008FUSU
Release Date: 1995-12-20

Tracks:

Son, Op.26: Andante Con Vars
Son, Op.26: Scherzo
Son, Op.26: Marcia Funebre
Son, Op.26: Allegro
Warum?
Aufschwung
Notturno No. 3
Voruber
Papillon
Zug Der Zwerge
Barcarola
Umoresca
Toccata

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Ingrid Jacoby Plays Grieg and Schumann

Manufacturer: Musical Heritage Society
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000RGI7IE

Product Description

Edvard Grieg: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16; Robert Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54;

Schubert, Schumann, Grieg - Piano Pieces

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Schubert, Schumann, Grieg - Piano Pieces

Manufacturer: The Piano Library, Fono Enterprise
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000A6ZG08

Product Description

Schubert, Franz Sonata for Violin and Piano in A, D 574 1. I. Allegro moderato 6:24 2. II. Scherzo. Presto. Trio 4:18 3. III. Andantino 3:59 4. IV. Allegro vivace 5:04 Sergey Rachmaninov, piano Fritz Kreisler, violin Recording: 1928 Schumann, Robert Carnaval Op. 9 5. Préambule 2:13 6. Pierrot 1:07 7. Arlequin 0:33 8. Valse noble 1:02 9. Eusebius 1:27 10. Florestan 0:47 11. Coquette 0:58 12. Réplique 0:24 13. Sphinxes 0:36 14. Papillons 0:39 15. A.S.C.H. - S.C.H.A. (Lettres dansantes) 0:38 16. Chiarina 1:07 17. Chopin 0:45 18. Estrella 0:24 19. Reconnaissance 1:23 20. Pantalon et Colombine 0:50 21. Valse allemande 0:51 22. Paganini (Intermezzo) 1:15 23. Aveu 0:45 24. Promenade 1:52 25. Pause 0:16 26. Marche des "Davidsbündler" contre les Philistines 3:04 Sergey Rachmaninov, piano Recording: 1929 Grieg, Edvard Hagerup Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45 27. I. Allegro molto ed appassionato 8:59 28. II. Allegro espressivo alla Romanza 6:40 29. III. Allegro animato 7:25 Sergey Rachmaninov, piano Fritz Kreisler, violin

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Plays Schumann, Grieg, Franck

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Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Plays Schumann, Grieg, Franck

Manufacturer: Aura Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000UX58Y
Release Date: 2003-11-25

Martin Werner plays Schubert, Schumann, Grieg, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Felder

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Martin Werner plays Schubert, Schumann, Grieg, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Felder

Manufacturer: Guild
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000MCIB2K
Release Date: 2007-04-03

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Percy Grainger Plays...

Manufacturer: Pearl
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fugues | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000000WXW
Release Date: 1993-01-21

Tracks:

Toccata And Fugue In D Minor: Toccata
Toccata And Fugue In D Minor: Fugue
Prelude and Fugue in A minor: Prelude
Prelude and Fugue in A minor: Fugue
Fantasia And Fugue In G Minor: Fantasia
Fantasia And Fugue In G Minor: Fugue
Ich Ruf Zu Dir
Sonata No. 2 In G Minor, Op. 22: I. So rasch wie moglich
Sonata No. 2 In G Minor, Op. 22: II. Andantino
Sonata No. 2 In G Minor, Op. 22: III. Scherzo
Sonata No. 2 In G Minor, Op. 22: IV. Rondo
Etude In B Minor, Op. 25, No. 10
Etude In C Minor, Op. 25, No. 12
Wedding Day At Troldhaugen
Pour Le Piano: Toccato
Grainger Lectures On Debussy's Pagodes
Estampes: Pagodes
Golliwog's Cakewalk
Molly On The Shore

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Paolo Vairo Plays Beethoven, Rachmaninov, Schumann, Liszt, Grieg, Khachaturian

Manufacturer: Stradivarius
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD