Bartok: Piano Works

1. Hungarian Peasant Songs (15), for piano, Sz. 71, BB 79 No. 1, Rubato
Composed by Bela Bartok
with Klara Wurtz

2. Hungarian Peasant Songs (15), for piano, Sz. 71, BB 79 No. 2, Andante
Composed by Bela Bartok
with Klara Wurtz

3. Hungarian Peasant Songs (15), for piano, Sz. 71, BB 79 No. 3, Poco rubato
Composed by Bela Bartok
with Klara Wurtz

4. Hungarian Peasant Songs (15), for piano, Sz. 71, BB 79 No. 4, Andante
Composed by Bela Bartok
with Klara Wurtz

5. Hungarian Peasant Songs (15), for piano, Sz. 71, BB 79 No. 7, Allegro (Old Dance Tunes)
Composed by Bela Bartok
with Klara Wurtz

6. Hungarian Peasant Songs (15), for piano, Sz. 71, BB 79 No. 8, Allegretto (Old Dance Tunes)
Composed by Bela Bartok
with Klara Wurtz

7. Hungarian Peasant Songs (15), for piano, Sz. 71, BB 79 No. 9, Allegretto (Old Dance Tunes)
Composed by Bela Bartok
with Klara Wurtz

8. Hungarian Peasant Songs (15), for piano, Sz. 71, BB 79 No. 10, L'istesso tempo (Old Dance Tunes)
Composed by Bela Bartok
with Klara Wurtz

9. Hungarian Peasant Songs (15), for piano, Sz. 71, BB 79 No. 11, Assai moderato (Old Dance Tunes)
Composed by Bela Bartok
with Klara Wurtz

10. Hungarian Peasant Songs (15), for piano, Sz. 71, BB 79 No. 12, Allegretto (Old Dance Tunes)
Composed by Bela Bartok
with Klara Wurtz

11. Hungarian Peasant Songs (15), for piano, Sz. 71, BB 79 No. 13, Poco piu vivo (Old Dance Tunes)
Composed by Bela Bartok
with Klara Wurtz

12. Hungarian Peasant Songs (15), for piano, Sz. 71, BB 79 No. 14, Allegro (Old Dance Tunes)
Composed by Bela Bartok
with Klara Wurtz

13. Hungarian Peasant Songs (15), for piano, Sz. 71, BB 79 No. 15, Allegro (Old Dance Tunes)
Composed by Bela Bartok
with Klara Wurtz

14. Suite, for piano, Sz. 62, BB 70 (Op. 14)
Composed by Bela Bartok
with Klara Wurtz

15. Romanian Folk Dances (6), for piano (Román népi táncok), Sz. 56, BB 68
Composed by Bela Bartok
with Klara Wurtz

16. Mikrokosmos, 153 Progressive Pieces for piano, Sz. 107, BB 105 Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm
Composed by Bela Bartok
with Klara Wurtz

17. Sonata (1926), for piano, Sz. 80, BB 88
Composed by Bela Bartok
with Klara Wurtz

18. Hungarian Folksongs from Csík (3), for piano (Három Csík megyei népdal), Sz. 35a, BB 45b
Composed by Bela Bartok
with Klara Wurtz

Tracks:

Piano Etudes (Book One): I. De'sordre - Molto vivace, vigoroso, molto ritmico
Piano Etudes (Book One): II. Cordes a' vide - Andantino con moto, molto tenero
Piano Etudes (Book One): II. Touches bloque'es - Presto possibile, sempre molto ritmico
Piano Etudes (Book One): IV. Fanfares - Vivacissimo molto ritmico, con allegria e slancio
Piano Etudes (Book One): V. Arc-en-ciel - Andante molto rubato, con eleganza, with swing
Piano Etudes (Book One): VI. Automne a' Varsovie - Presto cantabile, molto ritmico e flessibile
Piano Etudes (Book Two): VII. Galamb borong - Vivacissimo luminoso, legato possibile
Piano Etudes (Book Two): VIII. Fe'm - Vivace risoluto, con vigore
Piano Etudes (Book Two): IX. Vertige - Prestissimo sempre molto legato, sehr gleichmassig
Piano Etudes (Book Two): X. Der Zauberlehrling - Prestissimo, staccatissimo, leggierissimo
Piano Etudes (Book Two): XI. En suspens - Andante con moto, (avec l`e'le'gance du swing)
Piano Etudes (Book Two): XII. Entrelacs - Vivacissimo molto ritmico, sempre legato, con delicatezza
Piano Etudes (Book Two): XIII. L'escalier du diable - Presto legato ma leggiero
Piano Etudes (Book Two): XIV. Coloana infinita' - Presto possibile, tempestoso con fuoco
Musica ricercata: I. Sosenuto - Misurato - Prestissimo
Musica ricercata: II. Mesto, rigido e cerimoniale
Musica ricercata: III. Allegro con spirito
Musica ricercata: IV. Tempo de Valse (poco vivace - a' l'orgue de Barbarie)
Musica ricercata: V. Rubato. Lamentoso
Musica ricercata: VI. Allegro molto capriccioso
Musica ricercata: VII. Cantabile, molto legato
Musica ricercata: VIII. Vivace. Energico
Musica ricercata: IX. Adagio. Mesto - Allegro maestoso
Musica ricercata: X. Vivace. Capriccioso
Musica ricercata: XI. Andante misurato e tranquillo
Piano Etudes (From Book Three): XV. White on White

Customer Reviews:

A nice mico-view of Ligeti's work.......2007-03-11

In the notes that accompany this CD, Ligeti explains that his piano compositions are the way he made up for his inadequacies as a player. It's hard to argue that he didn't reach his goal. These superbly-performed pieces provide a clear view of many aspects of Ligeti's work--his humor, his lyricism, his ear, and sometimes his little obsessions.

The most obvious technical requirement of this music is touch. In some of the etudes, complex voicings are required at very low dynamic levels. In others, the ability to bring out multiple voices is paramount. Aimard is perfect. His technique is so assured that we can easily get to the music and not be sidetracked by prowess.

Those who know Ligeti's music know how protean he could be. Like a good athlete, he was willing to take on enormous risks. Sometimes the result felt intellectualized and tiresome. But more often than not, the music soared. This is certainly true of the Etudes on this disk. They are studies in the truest sense of the word--one may focus on a particular set of intervals, another on a texture, yet another on a rhythm. Each one is fascinating and the collection holds together nicely. There are even hints of Nancarrow!

Ligeti himself felt ambiguously about the "Musica Ricercata", and it isn't hard to see why. The first piece is based on only two pitches (with octaves); the second on three and so on. It sort of proves a point, but what point? By the time you get to the fourth piece, it starts to get good, but the listener has to regain some flagging energy. The third piece is actually the basis of the opening of "6 Bagatelles for Wind Quintet".

So while I have little quibbles, I still recommend this disk strongly. It's great music, beautifully played.

Very Nice Piano Studies. Not the best Ligeti.......2006-09-02

Volume 3 of the Gyorgy Ligeti Edition on Sony has gotten a boatload of very positive reviews, above, from people who probably know a lot more about music, especially piano music, than I do, but I maintain, from my position as a rank amateur who just happens to like listening to a wide range of classical music, that this disc is neither the very best piano music nor the most interesting Ligeti.

Don't get me wrong. I think almost all of the studies on these tracks are good, maybe even almost as good as Chopin and Liszt, but I don't think so. We don't hum Ligeti etudes the way some people hum Chopin etudes or dances for piano. And, a few of the passages sound like the scene from 'Ghostbusters' where Bill Murray tickles the very high keys on Sigourny Weaver's piano as they enter her apartment to track down some particularly awesome apparitions of Zuel (sic) and Gozer (sic sic).

If you are looking to touch only the high points of Ligeti's music and don't have the compulsioin to own everything, you can pass on these and not be missing too much of the good stuff. Check out his choral and a capella works for the really hot stuff.

Perfect Ligeti........2005-10-19

The own György Ligeti was asked about who was the pianist more complete in his piano works; he talked about Pierre-Laurent Aimard, whose a close relation with the XXth Century music is very well known (Boulez, Messiaen, Berg, Schönberg, Carter...) all around the world. He talked too about Volker Banfield, who has recorded some of the Etudes for Wergo, but not so good as Aimard recordings, in my opinion.

What we find in this CD, 3rd of an outstanding series, is the technical perfection made piano playing, in the hands of Aimard, who plays absolutely all the notes full of perfection, sense and correction, from the dynamic to the tempo, from the correct attack to the prodigious use of the pedal. If you are used to a romantic piano you can feel this versions a little cold or dry, but this is because Aimard goes directly to the heart of the XXth Century style of piano playing, in the line that comes from Schönberg-Berg-Webern and that goes in a different way of playing than the century before, so you can be lost in some sense about the way he understand the use of the piano, the playing, the technique, the echoes, the silences...

You'll find in this CD the Musica Ricercata, a work from Ligeti's first period, very easy to understand for those who are not used to listen this kind of "modern" music. It has many folk motives, used in a way very close to Bartók's style. One of this pieces (Musica ricercata: II. Mesto, rigido e cerimoniale) was taken by Stanley Kubrick for his last film Eyes Wide Shut, with an outstanding presence in the film associated to the worries and pressure over the main character; Ligeti says about this piece that it was a knife against the stalinist regime because of this style of music, sinister, innovative and forgiven in the communist Europe. The film's version is slower than this by Aimard, more "cinematographic" but slower than the score asks. Aimard's version in this piece and in the full pieces are outstanding.

The rest of the CD it's based on the Etudes, books I & II, both of them complete. Those are pieces much more modern than the Musica Ricercata, some of them, in the words of Ligeti with some links and inspiration on Nancarrow's works. We are listening in this case some of the most complex works for piano written in the XXth Century, and many of them authentic jewels of the genre. The Aimard versions for Sony are the better I know from the French pianist, who have recorded some of them in other CDs, like his great recording from de Carnagie Hall (Warner), but not so good like this outstanding CD.

So, if you are looking for perfection in Ligeti's piano music performances don't doubt about this CD; if you want to discover the piano of the XXth Century this could be a great door to go into, because of the music, because of the performing and because of a perfect recording and booklet.

good cd.......2005-08-23

This is a great cd if you are interested in piano music. I personally enjoyed "Mesto, rigido e cerimoniale", which was most famously used in the Kubrick film, Eyes Wide Shut. The rest of the cd is very enjoyable as well.

Ligeti on cd, hooray.......2005-08-01

We all owe Stanley Kubrick a big debt of gratitude for exposing us to Ligeti who, with Cage and Stockhausen among others, influenced the evolution of popular music while maintaining a continuum to our classical past.

The recording quality in this series is outstanding, and it is a delight to see the breadth of this series. Having many works of Ligeti from the Wergo vinyl catalog of the 70's, I selected the piano works for the fun of discovery.

Those of you who enjoy this piano stuff should try to find Nina Deutsch's recording of Charles Ives: Solo Piano Music.

Average customer rating:

Microcosmos
Great value with a few flaws
eeh, I guess I don't like Bartok that much
Best classical value out there
5 Stars for the music and performance

Bartok: Complete Solo Piano Music

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

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Improvisation | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Rondos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Noels | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music
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Bartok: The Piano Concertos
Béla Bartók: The 6 String Quartets - Takács Quartet
Complete Piano Works of Scriabin
Bartok: Violin Concertos, Viola Concerto, 6 Duo for 2 Violins, Violin Rhapsodies; Yehudi Menuhin
Brahms: Works for Solo Piano

ASIN: B00008X5AY
Release Date: 2003-05-27

Amazon.com

Sàndor, still active at 90 as this reissue appears, was a student of Bartók and a preferred interpreter of his music. Since this set appeared on nine LPs in the early 1960s, it has been the standard for Bartók's piano music; in this fine-sounding reissue, it still is. Sàndor can hit hard enough for such virtuoso pieces as the Piano Sonata and "Out of Doors," but he also retains the romantic element heard in the composer's own playing which tempers the harsher qualities of the music. While this collection isn't quite as complete as advertised (some early, insignificant piano music by Bartók is omitted), it includes all of Bartók's significant piano music, including such relatively obscure gems as the Bagatelles, eight Improvisations, and many delectable folk arrangements which will appeal even to listeners who think Bartók is too challenging for them. Vox's recorded sound, superbly remastered, resists obsolescence as effectively as Sàndor's performances. Even with the inclusion of the early books of "Mikrokosmos," which will appeal mostly to piano students, this set is worth several times the asking price. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Microcosmos.......2007-03-08

Sándor was a champion not only of Bartók's music but also of Bartók's style of playing. He often complained that people were too quick to see Bartók as ultra-modern, and to fail to appreciate the rich seam of lyricism that also runs through his music.

The piano music is dominated by short pieces, many of them written for piano students, notably the collections "Microcosmos" and "For Children". These, together with suites of folk dance arrangements, make up the bulk of the solo piano output.

Sandór plays these short, and often simple pieces, with neither too much nor too little art. As a gifted teacher, he knew unerringly how much music each of these small vessels held. The result is beguiling - but be warned: no-one can listen to the 153 short pieces of Microcosmos end-to-end. This is an anthology to be dipped into, not swallowed whole.

The remastering is pretty successful (fortunately - some of Vox's CD reissues are plagued by severe deterioration of the original tapes). And it's for half nothing-what's not to like?

Great value with a few flaws.......2006-07-28

I am not a Bartok expert by any scale, but I do like the way these pieces, without exception, are played. There are, however, a couple of other problems.

As mentioned by an earlier reviewer, very few of the works are split into tracks - Mikrokosmos is divided into 7 for each of its six volumes, and to accomodate for a full CD. In these seven tracks there are 121 songs. I would have much preferred if the songs had been split into tracks. Almost the entire CD set is this way - Fifteen Hungarian Songs is one track, Fourteen Bagatelles, etc. It is very annoying when one wants to hear a particular song in those tracks and not the others.

Another detriment to the collection is the recording quality. It is decent most of the time, but in loud sections the piano buzzes. One might be able to ignore it, but I think that it detracts from the passion of the forte quite a bit.

Overall, for $18 it is pretty decent, but if you are like me and like to keep your music library neatly organized (and aren't extremely cheap), I would not recommend this set.

eeh, I guess I don't like Bartok that much.......2006-07-25

I like the fact that Bartok is into the folk tradition and all, but he just tends to forget the fact that melody has to be SOMEWHERE in the music. I'm all for creative expression when you're sitting alone at the piano, but abstract music should be reserved for performance art. I like playing some of your stuff Bela, but I just don't want to listen to you.

Best classical value out there.......2005-10-05

To put this set in perspective, for months I would go to my local Tower Records fishing for worthwhile classical CDs at least once a week. One of the discs that sat in the bins the longest was a single CD of Bartok piano music, played by Zoltan Kocsis. It was Volume 7 of a complete series. This CD listed for $17.99, and as long as I went to that Tower Records, it did not budge an inch, nor was its price amended.

Now, Kocsis is one of the greatest pianists alive, and if anyone is worthy of commanding a premium, it is him. And to be fair, that CD is going to be re-released on October 11 as part of a Collector's Edition - eight CDs, $63.97 MSRP. But it's already going up against this little gem, which contains five CDs with all of the truly great solo-piano works by an internationally recognized Bartok specialist for $21 - not much more than the cost of one CD from the other set. This kind of value is not to be taken lightly.

I came to this set with my impression of Sandor informed by his complete Prokofiev - ultra-hard, sometimes rhythmically slack, always melodically lacking in some way or another. But he held a very special feeling for Bartok, and saved his best playing for the great Hungarian. In passages like the first of the Three Csik Dances, the opening of the Improvisations Op. 20, or in the Ten Easy Pieces, there is a simplicity, charm and wistful homesickness that is quite touching. In pieces like the Out of Doors suite, the Sonata, or the Burlesques, there is a vicious, impulsive energy, a wicked sense of humor and an overabundance of overtones. It is never mindless, inappropriate or even overly harsh - it's just very, very loud.

In this set I like best the endless landscape of the Sonatina, the unusual colors and fragrances in the Etudes, the brilliantly conceived Bear Dance (the last of the Ten Easy Pieces), and the multifaceted, complex, gorgeous Improvisations. Any fan of Bartok should hear these.

5 Stars for the music and performance.......2005-04-04

This is a fantastic deal, but the problem with this Collection stems from the fact that the pieces are often not separated by tracks. This is especially annoying for the Children's Pieces and Mikrokosmos. There are so many pieces, one wears out the fast forward button and still may miss the particular piece one is looking for. The booklet is fairly insightful, and the performer is widely hailed as the supreme interpreter of Bartok's piano music. So aside from this slightly annoying at times and ridiculously annoying at other times flaw, this is one of the best deals in Classical music. Don't hesitate. Add it to the cart.

Average customer rating:

WOW
From the Keyboard
From the Top, and from the heart.
Michael Hawley

Christopher O'Riley At The Break

Manufacturer: From the Top
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Mazurkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Musettes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00005RG4Y
Release Date: 2001-10-01

Tracks:

Guastavino: Cantilena, No. 4
Rachmaninoff: Etude-Tableau in D Major, Op. 39, No. 9
Rameau: Le Rappel des Oiseaux
Rachmaninoff: Daisies, Op. 38, No. 3
Delibes-ORiley: "Viens, Mallika!" from Lakme
Rachmaninoff: Etude-Tableau in f#-minor, Op. 39, No. 3
Chopin: Prelude in F# Major, Op. 28, No. 13
Debussy: La Fille Aux Cheveux De Lin
Rameau: La Villageoise
Davies: Farewell to Stromness
Severac Ou L'on Entend Une Vielle Boite A Musique
Rachmaninoff: Prelude in G Major, Op. 32, No. 5
Milhaud: Corcovado
Rachmaninoff: Prelude in c minor, Op. 23, No. 7
Rachmaninoff: Lilacs Op. 21, No. 5
Rachmaninoff: Prelude in g# minor, Op. 32, No. 12
Rachmaninoff: Prelude in D Major, Op. 23, No. 4
Rameau: Musette En Rondeau
Mozart: Gigue in G Major, K. 574
Rameau: Rigaudons 1 & 2
Rameau: Tambourin
Guastavino: Mariana
Prokofiev Masquers
Schumann: Zart Und Singend from "Davidsbundlertanze" Op. 6
Chopin: Mazurka in e-flat minor, Op. 6, No. 4
Bartok: Finale, Fifteen Hungarian Peasant Dances
Chopin: Prelude in d minor, Op. 28, No. 24
Poulenc: Babar et Celeste
Guaraldi: Christmastime is Here

Album Description

"Christopher O'Riley At the Break" is the new compact disc by the renowned concert pianist and host of "From the Top," the hit public radio showcase for America's best pre-collegiate classical musicians.

This collection of 29 works for solo piano is a compilation of pieces O'Riley played on "From the Top," which is heard on more than 200 radio stations nationwide. These pieces were performed at the mid-point of the broadcasts, a required break of approximately 2 minutes during which many stations insert locally generated announcements.

According to Chris O'Riley, "It depends on one's local station, and its own use of `the breaks.' This collection serves as a fondly renewed acquaintance with some favorites of mine as well as some pieces a bit further off the beaten path. For other listeners, this is a great group of exquisite miniatures - a premiere entree into many new worlds."

From the Top is a creation of Concert Productions, Inc. in association with WGBH Radio Boston and New England Conservatory, its home and educational partner. Public Radio International distributes the program. From the Top receives support from the U.S. Department of Education, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, as well as individuals, foundations and corporations.

Customer Reviews:

WOW.......2002-09-01

As a fan of From the Top, and a young classical singer myself...I adore Chris O'Riley and his fabulous piano playing. Each work is played with emotion and meticulous care, creating a truly wonderful listening experience!

I highly recommend this sparkling disk to any fan of From the Top, or those who just enjoy classical music! Purchase today!~Bravo

From the Keyboard.......2002-03-09

Fans of NPR's popular show "From the Top," a showcase for young classical musicians, will recognize Chris O'Riley as the show's fun loving host. Thanks in no small part to O'Riley's easygoing way with kids and his fine accompaniments, the show not only presents good music, but manages to be playful and funny as well. This collection of 29 piano pieces are taken from those O'Riley plays during the mid-program break on the show, and demonstrate the depth and range of his talent. Included with the CD information are short notes by O'Riley in which he describes his connection to each piece and what he is trying to accomplish when he plays it. Particular favorites of mine include Guastavino's Cantilena, No. 4, Rachmanioff's Lilacs, Op. 21, No. 5 and Rameau's Tambourin. However, fans of Chopin, Debussy, Prokfiev and Mozart will also find something to satisfy. This is a CD that I will be returning to again and again

From the Top, and from the heart........2002-01-26

Gorgeous music beautifully played. This is a wonderfully eclectic set of pieces, some familiar, many rare, all of them played with warmth and personality. I love Christopher's eclectic tastes. The Guastavino pieces were new to me, and they're gems. The Rameau is exquisitely played. The Rachmaninoff is familiar, but it's awfully nice to hear it played with a fresh personal feeling. Pieces like the Milhaud, or Poulenc's "Babar and Celeste", or O'Riley's own transcription of the Delibes, or Maxwell-Davies' "Stromness" -- all of them are wonderfully evocative. The program notes are every bit as thoughtful and engaging as you'd expect given such a marvellous selection and such stylish playing.

There are some real treasures here. And you might also enjoy "From the Top," the public radio show O'Riley hosts. Best thing to happen to music since Bernstein's Young Person's concerts.

MJH

Michael Hawley.......2002-01-26

This truly is a collection of gems, both in the selection and in the playing. Christopher O'Riley has wonderful eclectic taste, a beautifully lyric style, and a knack for finding out of the way and not-yet-known treasures (and putting new luster on the regular old treasures!). The pianism is exquisite: beautiful touches in the Rameau, and especially in the delicate Rachmaninoff pieces. Several of the pieces, like the Guastavino (which are fabulous) and Davies' "Farewell to Stromness" (wonderfully evocative of those tough, remote Scottish isles), and his own arrangement of that beautiful Delibes -- these were very happy discoveries for me.

All of these little pieces (though some are not so little!) are full of love and life. The thoughtful program notes were appreciated and enjoyed as well. The sound is great.

It's a wonderful CD. Buy it. And listen to the radio show, too: FROM THE TOP. Best thing to happen to music since Bernstein's Young People's concerts.

Tracks:

Toccata In C Minor - Martha Argerich
Sonata In C Major - Arturo Bendetti Michelangeli
Piano Sonata In D Major - Christoph Eschenbach
Piano Sonata In D Major - Christoph Eschenbach
Piano Sonata In D Major - Christoph Eschenbach
Rondo In A Minor, K. 511 - Mitsuko Uchida
Fuga From Piano Sonata No. 31 In A-Flat - Emil Gilels
Inpromptu No. 2 In E-Flat - Sviatoslav Richter
Moment Musicans No, 2 In A-Flat - Andras Schiff
Ballad No. 2 In A- Flat Op. 23 - Arturo Benedettie Michelangeli
La Campanella From 'Paganini' Etudes - Jorge Bolet
Romance In F Sharp - Claudio Arrau
Spinning Song From Songs Without Words, Op. 67 - Daniel Barenboim

Tracks:

Capriccio In B Minor From Eight Piano Pieces Op. 76 - Stephen Bishop-Kovacevich
Intermezzo In A Major From Siz Piano Pieces, Op.118 - Radu Lupu
Melody In F Major, Op.3, No.1 - Shura Cherkassky
Souvenir De Porto Rico, Marche Des Gibaros - Ivan Davis
Etude En FormeDe Valse - Magda Tagliaferro
Vers La Flamme, Op. 72 - Sviatoslav Richter
Prelude In B-Flat, Op.23 No. 2 - Vladimir Ashkenazy
Prelude In B Minor, Op. 32, No. 10 - Alicia De Larrocha
Navarra From Iberia - Alcia De Larrocha
The Girl With Flaxen Hair From Preludes-Book 1 - Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli
L'Isle Joyeuse - Alexis Weissenberg
Menuet From Le Tombeau De Couperin - Jean-Yves Thibaudet
Six Roumanian Folk Dances, BB 68, Sz 56 - Zoltan Kocis
Six Roumanian Folk Dances, BB 68, Sz 56 - Zoltan Kocis
Six Roumanian Folk Dances, BB 68, Sz 56 - Zoltan Kocis
Six Roumanian Folk Dances, BB 68, Sz 56 - Zoltan Kocis
Six Roumanian Folk Dances, BB 68, Sz 56 - Zoltan Kocis
Six Roumanian Folk Dances, BB 68, Sz 56 - Zoltan Kocis
Bewegte Achtel From Three Piano Pieces, Op.11 - Mitsuko Uchida
Variations On 'I got Rhythm' For Piano And Orchestra - Wener Haas

Customer Reviews:

excellent artists!.......2004-05-20

I don't understand quite where the other reviewer is coming from. This is a treasure-trove of piano music by some of the best classical pianists of the last century. If you want a musical anthology of some of the best by some of the best, pick it up!

Enescu, Bartók, Szymanowski: Works for Violin & Piano

Average customer rating:

A sensation nonetheless
Frolicking with Ida and Vladimir
Wow

Enescu, Bartók, Szymanowski: Works for Violin & Piano

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Polish | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
ASIN: B00004DTQT
Release Date: 2000-06-13

Tracks:

Mythes, Op.30: I La Fontaine d'Arethuse
Mythes, Op.30: II Narcisse
Mythes, Op.30: III Dryades et Pan
Violin Sonata No.3, Op.25: I Moderato malinconico
Violin Sonata No.3, Op.25: II Andante sostenuto e misterioso
Violin Sonata No.3, Op.25: III Allegro con brio, ma non troppo mosso
First Rhapsody: I Moderato
First Rhapsody: OO Allegretto moderato
Romanian Folkdances: I Stick Dance
Romanian Folkdances: II Sash Dance
Romanian Folkdances: III In One Spot
Romanian Folkdances: IV Dance Of Buchumi
Romanian Folkdances: V Romanian Dance
Romanian Folkdances: VI Fast Dance

Tracks:

Sonata In G Major, Op.30 No.3: I Allegro assai
Sonata In G Major, Op.30 No.3: II Tempo di minuetto
Sonata In G Major, Op.30 No.3: III Allegro vivace
Sonatina In G Minor, D408: I Allegro giusto
Sonatina In G Minor, D408: II Andante
Sonatina In G Minor, D408: III Allegro vivace
Sonatina In G Minor, D408: IV Allegro moderato
Waltz, Op.39 No.15
Tambourin chinois, Op.3
Schon Rosmarin
Zapateado, Op.23, No.2
Hebrew Melody
Scherzo tarantelle, Op.16
Malaguena, Op.71 No.6
Danza No.1 From la vida breve
Notturno e Tarantella, Op.28: Notturno
Notturno e Tarantella, Op.28: Tarantella
Roxane's Song From King Roger
Romanian Folkdances: I Joc cu bata
Romanian Folkdances: II Braul
Romanian Folkdances: III Pe loc
Romanian Folkdances: IV Buciumeana
Romanian Folkdances: V Poarga romanesca
Romanian Folkdances: VI Maruntel

Amazon.com

The new CD was recorded and issued to celebrate the 75th birthday of a legendary violinist who has never become a mainstream superstar. As Haendel's early recordings--like the ones on the bonus CD included here, or the concerto recordings on Testament--demonstrate, she has long been a patrician interpreter of the highest musical and technical standards. In fact, she may be a shade too patrician for some of the repertoire on this recording. With Ashkenazy in uncommonly vigorous and assertive form, Haendel, although always in command of the music and her instrument, doesn't play these mostly folk-based Eastern European showpieces with the kind of flair they invite. She is always sensible and never exactly sleepy, but her Enescu, for example, is much more polite than Menuhin's. The bonus CD, though, despite showing its age and mild lingering effects of Decca's noisy 78s pressings, gives us a more powerful, exciting Haendel, and it's worth more than the asking price of the set. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

A sensation nonetheless.......2003-12-07

Dependent upon what "mainstream" in the editorial review stands for - if that means Elman, Oistrakh, Perlman: the most selling violinists in the biggest market, Haendel is indeed off the mainstream. Otherwise, the more selling, the more they are off the mainstream instead, as most of the cases turn out to be.

But Haendel in this case did make it clear that she herself was not happy with the record. The causes? There are quite a number of them. Ashkenazy is a celebrity and he is selling. But is he the right partner for her for this repertiore? Could Eschenbach or even Zimmermann be a better choice? Would we have something quite different if this record comes out a decade or two ( or even three) earlier...?

In any event, not many of us are equally familiar with these pieces and so to many of us, they are fresh and appealing like nothing else. Haendel is still deservingly the Queen of the Violin, and hopefully Ashkensazy is as selling as ever.

Recommended for those who relish either Eastern Europe music or the drama and lyricism of Haendel's playing, or both.

Frolicking with Ida and Vladimir.......2000-08-04

Nearly a generation before Glenn Gould's towering 1955 recording of the Goldberg variations, Ida Haendel had recorded Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Kreisler and others on Decca. About a generation after Gould's 1982 swansong reprise of the Goldbergs, Ida Haendel was still firing on all eight cylinders (or was it four? Her birth year is variously reported as 1928 and 1924). This 2-CD set captures important fragments from both the early and more recent stages of this remarkable career.

Ida Haendel was wisked out of Poland by her parents in 1939, landed in London, studied with Carl Flesch and Henryk Szering and others, and by Henry Roth's count produced 83 phonograph records. On the first disk here, Ms. Haendel is graciously accompanied by superstar Vladimir Ashkenazy, who is especially exuberant and in top form technically as well. The two quite obviously had a fine old time frolicking together through Eastern European music by Enescu, Bartok and Szymanowski. The second disk, an extraordinary bonus, is a bit scratchy at times, but Haendel's youthful virtuousity is clearly revealed through the haze.

Wow.......2000-07-30

I just got this CD yesterday and am still listening and absorbing, but it has to be said that the bonus CD is truly remarkable, while the Haendel/Ashkenazy coupling in Szymanovsi's "Mythes" is stunning...very heroic and convincing music making done by both artists.

Bartok/Martinu/Janacek: Orchestral Works

Average customer rating:

Nice mix of 20th century compositions

Bartok/Martinu/Janacek: Orchestral Works

Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000423H
Release Date: 1995-04-11

Tracks:

Music for strs, perc & celestra: I. Andante tranquillo
Music for strs, perc & celestra: II. Allegro
Music for strs, perc & celestra: III. Adagio
Music for strs, perc & celestra: IV. Allegro molto
Con for string qt & Orch: I. Allegro vivo
Con for string qt & Orch: II. Adagio
Con for string qt & Orch: III. Tempo moderato
Capricio for pn & chm ens: I. Allegro
Capricio for pn & chm ens: II. Adagio
Capricio for pn & chm ens: III. Allegretto
Capricio for pn & chm ens: IV. Andante

Customer Reviews:

Nice mix of 20th century compositions.......2001-07-04

These are wonderful recordings. It's my favorite rendition of Bartok's masterful Music for Strings, Percussion & Celeste (oddly described by the liner note writer as "abstract" - I would say intensely melodic...). The Clevelanders perform marvelously, and Dohnanyi's conducting leadership is on-target. It's too bad that he has not recorded more of Bartok's works - and this will probably be "it" considering the scope of Boulez's project with the CSO and the general collapse of the orchestral CD market. London/Decca's engineers capture all of the nuances of the piece with outstanding balance and clarity.

I was not familiar with the Martinu piece, so I can only report that it is an eminently listenable and enjoyable composition. The Janacek "Defiance" concerto is an illuminating "surprise" ending to the CD. I would have trouble playing this with two hands - to think that it is a left hand only piece (written for Otakar Hollmann, who lost his right arm in World War I) is mind-boggling. The performance by pianist Joela Jones and members of the CO is outstanding.

Tracks:

Six Little Preludes: Prelude In E Major BWV 937
The Little Keyboard Book: Preambulum In G Minor, BWV930
Book of Harpsichord: Le Coucou (The Cuckoo)
Variations On 'Ah Vous Dirai-je Maman', K265
Fur Elise, Wo059
Wilder Reiter (Wild Rider)
Volksliedchen (Little Folk Song)
Album for the Young: Frohlicher Landsmann Von der Arbeit Zurrend (The Merry Peasant Returning From Work)
Nocturne In C Minor, Op Posth
Excercices dans tous les tons majeurs et mineurs, G136: Etude No. 1,
Exdercices dans tous les tons majeurs et mineurs, G136: Etude No. 2, G136
Jeux d'Enfants (children's games): La Toupie (The Top), Arr Lucien Garbon
Dolly: Berceuse (Cradle Song) Op 56, Arr Alfred Cortot
Album For The Young, Op.39: Maman
Album for the Young. Op.39: Tchaikovsky - Valse from op 39
Prole do bebe , Book 1 (The baby's Dolls): O Polichinello (Punch)
Prole do bebe, Book 1(The Baby's Dolls): A Pobresinha (The Rag Doll)
Prole do bebe, Book 1(The Baby's Dolls): Moreninha (The Paper Doll)
Chansons naives: Jolivet - Chansons naives No 1
Chansons naives: Jolivet - Chansons naives No 3
Music for Children: Waltz, from op 65
Children's Corner: Dr Gradus ad Parnassum
Children's Corner: The Little Shepherd
Le Petit Negre (The Little Black Boy)
Ten Easy Pieces: An Evening in the Country
For Children, Book 1: Andante
For Children, Book 1: Swineherd's Song
For Children, Book 1: Moderato
For Children, Book 1: Jest
Three Pieces: Danse Noble
Three Pieces: Nostalgie du pays (Homesickness)
Three Pieces: Chant des moissons (Song of the Harvests)
Minature Variations

Customer Reviews:

An absolutely tiptop collection of piano miniatures.......2000-02-25

It amazes me that Livia Rév is not better known. These are performances that are not showy, not virtuosic, but RIGHT. And the repertoire is, of course, dear to the hearts of most of us.

Average customer rating:

A Gem!

For Children

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Children's Music | Styles | Music

Children's Music | Imports | Stores | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music

$9.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

Instrumental | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0007PHASS
Release Date: 2005-04-12

Customer Reviews:

A Gem!.......2007-03-18

I've owned this disc from its original 1993 issue since shortly after it came out; now it is available on Hyperion's budget label, Helios. I had never heard of the Hungarian pianist Livia Rév, but she quickly became a favorite and I've since bought everything of hers I could find. I did not originally think I would be playing this collection of miniatures very often. Indeed, I think I got the CD primarily because I wanted to hear the unfamiliar Bartók and Jolivet pieces. I soon found that I reached for this disc often and here it is some fourteen years later and I still do. (In fact, the reason I came here to Amazon today to write this brief review is that I had once again listened to the disc last night and was charmed all over again.)

None of the music here is particularly virtuosic. But it is all beautiful. The tone of Rév's piano is particularly rich and marvelously recorded. And she is an exceedingly sensitive and musicianly player. There are subtleties of inflection, dynamics and rubato that make every piece, no matter how familiar, interesting and engaging.

But I must break off writing here because I want to go back and listen again to the last five pieces here, by composers I imagine most of us have never heard: the Pole, Milosz Magin, and the Slovenian, Janez Maticic.

Scott Morrison

Average customer rating:

Encore!

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Tangos | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Improvisation | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
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Little Girl Blue
Gladrags
Symphonic Dances & Songs from West Side Story
Piano Fantasy: Music for Two Pianos
Gershwin: I Got Rhythm (Music for 2 Pianos)

ASIN: B0000027ZV
Release Date: 1993-10-19

Tracks:

Polka
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Average customer rating:

Bartok - Piano Works (2 CD Set)

Manufacturer: Brilliant Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000S92JWU

Product Description

CD 1 BÉLA BARTÓK (1881-1945) Piano Works 1. ALLEGRO BARBARO, Sz. 49 2:31 3 RONDOS ON FOLK TUNES, Sz. 84 2. Andante 3:06 3. Vivacissimo 2:29 4. Allegro molto 2:37 THREE HUNGARIAN FOLK TUNES, Sz. 66 5. Andante tranquillo rubato 0:56 6. Allegro non troppo un poco rubato 1:04 7. Maestoso 1:36 SUITE, Op. 14, Sz. 62 8. Allegretto 1:48 9. Scherzo. 1:49 10. Allegro molto 2:09 11. Sostenuto 2:53 PIANO SONATA, Sz. 80 12. Allegro moderato. 13. Sostenuto e pesante 14. Allegro molto 15. DANCE SUITE, Sz. 77: Index: 1. Moderato 2. Allegro molto 3. Allegro 16:39 16. RUMANIAN FOLK DANCES, Sz. 56: Index: 1. Der Tanz mit der Stabe 2. Braul 3. Der Stampfer,4. Tanz aus 4:37 17. 15 HUNGARIAN PEASANT SONGS, Sz. 71: Index: 1. Rubato 2. Andante 3. Poco rubato 4. Andante 5. Scherzo 12:45 Total: 69:58 Zoltán Kocsis, piano (1-14) András Schiff, piano (15-17) CD 2 MIKROKOSMOS, excerpts 1. No. 124 Staccato / No. 146 Ostinato 3:24 2. No. 113 Bulgarian Rhythm / No. 129 Alternating thirds / No. 131 Fourths / No. 128 Peasant Dance / 4:07 3. No. 120 Fifth chords / No. 109 From the island Bali / No. 128 Bagpipe 4:19 4. No. 100 In the style of a folksong / No. 142 From the diary of a fly / No. 140 Free variations 3:36 5. No. 133 Syncopation / No. 149 Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm (2) / No. 148 Six Dances in Bulgarian R 4:11 6. No. 108 Wrestling / No. 150 Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm (3) / No. 151 Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhy 3:43 7. No. 94 Tale / No. 152 Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm (5) / No. 153 Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm (6 4:03 8. No. 126 Change of time / No. 116 Melody / No. 130 Village joke / No. 139 Merry Andrew 3:58 9. No. 143 Divided arpeggios / No. 147 March 3:59 10. No. 144 Minor seconds, major sevenths 4:09 11. 11. No. 97 Notturno / No. 118 Triplets in 9/8 time / No. 141 Subject and reflection 4:04 12. No. 136 Whole-tone scale / No. 125 Boating / No. 114 Theme and inversion 4:19

Track Listings:

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Malice In Wonderland EP-Vol. 1

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Beverly Hills Cop II: The Motion Picture Soundtrack Album