title: Fantastic

text: Came packaged great my husband and I love them


Bought this for my husband and he loves it. Came earlier then expected.


title: Could have been funnier

text: I wasn't too impressed with this collection. It was bearable for one car ride and now it's been re-gifted to someone else.


title: Five Stars

text: Perfect Condition thank you


title: Finally some real blues!

text: The entire CD is amazing from beginning to end.  I thinks it's be labeled as Chicago Blues, but to me it's just great blues.  Alex is the grandson of the legendary Willie Dixon, so I knew it was going to be something special.  The production, sound quality, musicians, everything about it is amazing!  I would highly recommend this CD to anyone who loves this style of music.


title: Five Stars

text: Great cd


title: Five Stars

text: Awsome cd


title: Shocked!

text: I was very disappointed because...  I thought this was a CD of all different sings but it's one song over and 15.00 for this was outrageous I should have read it better! Buyer beware I love Maverick City but this seller took advantage!  My opinion!  The price was ridiculous! I paid less for their new CD with Elevation Wirship a 5 star album!  10.00


title: Cassette tape vs CD

text: I owned this on cassette tape and the songs sounded so much better than on CD, but this is a great purchase.


title: Thom Chacon is an amazing artist, the best Americana singer/ songwriter of our era.

text: Each song is a masterpiece.


title: Five Stars

text: Love love love this color! Thank you!


title: Astonishing book and fun to read!

text: Hats off to Dr. Lipton for swimming against the stream and daring what no one else dared.  This book is a fascinating read and easy to understand for the non-scientist, I even found it suspenseful and hard to put down.  I only gave this four stars instead of five since I would have liked to see more documentation. But besides that, I definitely recommend this book!


title: Mom Christmas Gift

text: She loved it

user_id: AHYRQKHPFNWIDQEORPLBPHYYTEPQ


title: Blackberry Smoke ROCKS!!!!

text: Outstanding, best band in the land Blackberry Smoke along with Lynyrd Skynyrd.  A must have for any southern rock music fan or any fan of music for that matter.  .


title: Five Stars

text: LOVE THIS CD!


title: Italian POP, Very Good if you like this kind of Italian Pop. I Like it.

text: Eros Ramazzotti New Album sound very Good, Italian POP, I recommend 100% if you like this kind of music. I Like it.


title: Five Stars

text: ok


title: Gundam F91- Nifty!

text:
A great soundtrack to the ever-popular GUNDAM F-91.
Though the vocals are in Japanese, the instrumentals and keyboards can't be beat.
A definite Must-Have for any Gundam Fan!


title: Another great disc from one of the greatest bands of our ...

text: Another great disc from one of the greatest bands of our time. Still touring successfully and putting out fantastic music.


title: Car Talk Guys are great

text: Bought this for my husband - but we both enjoy them. Once again, the car talk guys are very entertaining.


title: Love it 💕

text: Run BTS is the jam


title: Happy Carat

text: Poster came folded but thats to be expected~ Album came in good condition! Would recommend!


title: Beautiful

text: I love this


title: Love my Party on the Prairie!

text: an absolutely delightful CD! Glad to have it!


title: Five Stars

text: What could NOT BE GOOD about Ed Sheeran?


title: Failure teaches one more than success

text: The lectures were entrancing and I loved learning to see from the teachers point of view. I have learned from these pivotal historical events more because they were failures much more than if everything when as planned. Well spent $.


title: Great cd.

text: Excellent songs and arrived early.

user_id: AHJVCTYGJHEAVOIYLUKUEBPRAKDA


title: Satisfied customer

text: Album was received as expected


title: Very complete compilation

text: It’s a very good cd and seems to present a terrific representation of their best music.  I was not a follower during their glory years, so I didn’t own any of their other CDs.  This is a good way to get their best.  Sound quality is fine.  It’s a lot of good music in one (actually two) CDs.


title: Loved it

text: As I understand it, Bernstein did not have an easy time with the orchestra when preparing the live performances that preceded the recording.  I don't know why. The interpretation is a little lush compared to Adrian Boalt's, but I loved it. And the recording is wide ranging and clear. I would recommend the recording to a friend.


title: Estimable Di Stefano

text:
The main contents of this CD come from a Deutsche Gramophon recital Di Stefano recorded in 1963. His voice by this time showed the wear from too much "open" singing in a strenuous repertoire, as well as from a high lifestyle he couldn't give up because, it was said, he loved it more than singing.
On the whole, the verismo numbers come off better than the Verdi, because his phrasing was, by then, somewhat impaired and the voice darkened and comparatively unresponsive,
Even so, his gifts for passionate communication and vocal coloration are manifestly present. Skip the "Celeste Aida" and listen to the sadness in the Luisa Miller aria, the dignity of the Otello excerpts, the desperation in the Girl of the Golden West Aria, and resignation of the Mefistofele piece. Quintessential Di Stefano is in the little known Calzare D'argento aria: passion, wonder, and even at this stage, a very beautiful voice.
The Italian Songs derive from a recording for Decca in the late 1950s. His voice is fresher, more lyrical. The arrangements are Mantovani-ish, but are easy to listen to. I prefer Di Stefano's Decca song recordings to his EMI because the voice is recorded with more space around it. All of Di Stefano's gifts are on display in these cuts.
This disc is well worth acquiring. The informed listener will get a lot of pleasure from it.


title: Wonderful Merry Widow

text: I had heard this performance on the radio when I was a young man, and had always liked it. Listening to it again brought back fond memories. The performance is lively and engaged, the humor brought in with a light touch--there is nothing as embarassing as opera singers trying too hard to be funny, and this performance by and large avoids the trap. All the singers are fine. Hermann Prey is a dashing Danilo, coping with the high tessitura of the part straight on, and only ducking a few of the higher notes. Edda Moser lacks a little of the vocal glamour of some other Merry Widows, but shirks nothing and makes a very sympathetic impression. As the second couple, Siegfried Jerusalem and Helen Donath are about perfect. Conductor Wallberg keeps the show moving briskly, but takes the time to enjoy the occasional lushness of mood and orchestration.Bravo.


The rating is reduced to four stars due to the recorded sound.  It's not as bad as that in Sardinia a week later, but this one in Spain is not real good.  The disc says "digital" but it is one channel, monophonic.  The fidelity is mediocre, being somewhat boxy, cavernous, and shrill in the tuttis.  This was 1999, but it sounds more like 1949.  Amazon reviewers debate whether
the Sardinia recording was a 'pirate' (surreptitiously recorded by someone in the audience).  There, as here, that would explain how a 1999 recording could be so poor.

As always with Kleiber conducting, the performances are exciting and propulsive.  Beethoven's 7th symphony was something of a specialty for him, he giving us a few recordings of it over the years.  He showed the ultimate in both approaches to it.  The '76 VPO and '82 Bavarian St. Orch. performances are very dramatic and hard driven.  On the other hand, his '83 Concertgebouw performance (DVD) is very lyrical with great joy, lilt and sparkle.  Which way would he go at the end of his career in this performance with the Bavarian Radio Orch. in Spain?  Well, something in the middle.  There is the dramatic symphonic thrust, but there is also some lyricism.  It is certainly an exciting and enjoyable performance despite the poor recorded sound.

Much the same could be said about this performance of Beethoven's 4th symphony.  It has some of both the dramatic, hard charging '82 Bavarian performance and the lyrical, sparkling '83 Concertgebouw performance (DVD).  It is certainly lively and exciting, again despite the poor recorded sound.

So, these Beethoven symphony performances, exciting and enjoyable as they are, are a fitting end to an amazing career for Kleiber.  It is disappointing that the poor recorded sound is not befitting of a career's end.


title: I got an incredible deal getting this CD!

text: I am a fan of Carlos Kleiber. This CD includes the three major pieces of Kleiber with a very affordable price. Thank you!


title: a great master. No question.

text: Stanislav Neuhaus never gained an international reputation. He didn't tour much in the West and died young. In most minds the name Neuhaus still refers to his father, the eminent teacher of Gilels and Richter. But Neuhaus fils was the real epitome of his father's aesthetic. A natural, hypersensitive artist with an opulent tone, a mysterious pianissimo, an ardent heart, and a dramatically rhetorical style. He played very much in the grand manner, taking risks with his superb technical command. This disk is one of the best; the Scriabin is sensational. The Scriabin concerto in particular, has never been matched. It remains one of the great recordings of the last century. I kid you not.


title: The master once more

text: If you can still find this, buy it. When he toured the Soviet Union, Petri's Franck was so stupendous it convinced the young Sviatoslav Richter to become a concert pianist. The Chopin is very fine although not particularly idiomatic. The Busoni items are naturally without peer. As sheer pianism this set may be the best of the three volumes.


title: Amazing music, Louis Armstrong at his finest in the big band era

text:
This CD of rare live broadcast recordings provides valuable insights into Louis Armstrong's live act in the mid-1930s. These live tracks are much more energetic and swinging that the studio recordings Armstrong was making at the time, with his dramatic trumpet playing taking more center stage. It also dispels the long held criticisms of his big band at the time. The band swings like mad, and top notch like Albert Nichols, Red Allen, and J.C. Higginbotham get their own solo spots on a few songs, showing that this group could compete with the best bands of the swing era. All this makes this CD essential listening for Armstrong fans.

The second disc of highlights from Louis' private tape collection are a nice bonus, giving insights into the life of a genius at home, how he acted around his friends and family, and what kind of music he liked to listen to in his own time. They are a nice curiosity and enjoyable to listen to, although I doubt I'll come back to them on a regular basis.


title: Dated, but still quite good

text: Performance wise, this older recording is very good, but not a bit better than that - and it's not a sonic demonstration quality disc.  A robust third, with an energetic finale to be certain.  Wand's Beethoven cycle burst through the scene in the mid-80's and was competition for the likes of Karajan, Bernstein and period instrument recordings popular at the time.  I've had his Beethoven and Schubert discs for years so just wanted to post a quick review - still a viable third, but not first choice, but enjoyable with a lean and rhythmic orchestra.


title: Exceptional recording and performance

text: I obtained this disc back in the middle 80's.  The performance and recording, as far as these 2 Brahms pieces go is a level of playing as good as anything in my entire collection.  The recording has MASSIVE dynamic range.  I've never seen another SEFEL disc in a store anywhere.  SEFEL has issued this recording with a few different album covers, but the music is the same.  The individualists (Verhey/Starker) play their instruments superbly, a level of clarity here captured wonderfully, superior to say (Karajan/Mutter/Menesis) somewhat congested and shrill to harsh DG BPO recording.  The Amsterdam Phil play with world class ensemble, although I don't know anything about them (still exist?) and the tempos and orchestral achievement are world class.  Let's hope a few people can obtain this recording, Brahms lovers in particular.


title: Remarkable performances, recordings and musicality

text: DENON was producing fully state of the art recordings and CD's in the mid-80's when I got this disc.  As I"m doing now, critically relistening to all my CD's with a new high end player.  I never noticed track 7 was the ubiquitos Rondo K.269 B flat major until I decided to write the review.  This has been overlooked for 20+ years.  No matter.  What immediately becomes apparent is the accurate recording capture.  Kantorow's violin is captured without digital glare, digital dithering or missing any lustre.  The sound board, the tension and pressure he applies to the string board is fully received and captured by DENONS studio microphones.  A "real" violin sound, accurate in time, space, pitch and ensemble position bristles through the recording.  This is wonderful.  A tiny bit of reverb is apparent with the main chamber capture and recording venue, but doesn't smear into lack of detail.  Hager gets a tuneful, balanced ensemble from the Netherlands Chamb Orch and a good Mozart lilt it is.  No rushing anywhere to be heard.  Mozart requires maximum clarity and precise ensemble or it fatigues the ear.  Kantorow treats the violin writing very seriously even though this is comparatively young Mozart.  Just listen if you can (maybe purchase on I-tunes) to the last 60 seconds of K. 207 (Violin Conc #1) with Kantorow's digging in to the violin line and his commitment to Mozart.  Notice how the Netherlands players "bloom" with Mozart's unique sonority.  The K269 (K261) is delightful.  Firm recommendation.  Mention should be made of the fact that the CD sounds far superior to the I-tunes online sample, maybe the download has more bandwith.  But these older DENON discs are models of clarity.


title: Brilliant interpretations, ultra sophisticated keyboard control

text: First rate piano sound for an obscure label (Schmalfuss' Chopin Waltzes appear on PILZ, Vienna Masters and other budget labels).  What makes these performances ideal (and they are ideal) is that, while Schmalfuss never had a recording contract with the "major labels", his keyboarding (ultimate finger control) and PHRASING never miss a single detail.  While sprightly tempos exist for the most part, the graceful quality, the refined lilt, the attention to note-to-note detail is amongst the best (if not the best) one can hope to encounter for ONE CENT.  For example in the Waltz #7 (op64 C#minor #2) the sheer clarity with detail and upbeat tempi - surpass what you've likely heard.  Compared to a particularly bland Jean Phillipe Collard (EMI) - this disc is a breath of fresh air.  Those finding Ashkenazy's Chopin Waltz interpretations somewhat "percussive" (and rushed) or lacking in elegance, will delight in the rather inventive, graceful, technically secured playing here.  Compared to classic Artur Rubenstein, and Dinu Lipatti - this recording (of course) is superior.  Lipatti's tempo, often faster, while Lipatti is technically quite competent, Schmalfuss' tempi allows for more clarity and detail.  Many will find Lipatti a bit frenzied.  While Rubenstein gives superb, well controlled tempi, Schmalfuss yields nothing in technique (not at all) or interpretive style with infinitely better sound, given the relative ages of the recording technology.  I won't go on comparing Chopin Waltz interpretations, but if this is an acceptable view of your idea of Chopin waltzes - under no circumstances should your collection lack this recording.


title: An unexpected treasure from CBS

text: CBS recordings weren't always the first thing that came to mind for recording quality.  Yet, here, on this well filled disc we have a perfectly clear recording that renders Dale Clevengers horns (French and natural horn) in superb tonal clarity.  Certainly, Mozart's horn concerti and the Rondo and fragment aren't his most tecnically accomplished or musically motivated compositions, but this is Genuine Mozart.  While not Don Giovanni, pleasing and tuneful still.  The Franz Liszt chamber orchestra play beautifully, with complete comprehension of Mozartean phrasing, ensemble balance and tempo.  A safe recommendation, with TELARCS nearly same coupling featuring Richard Stuart, Scottish Chamber Orch and Mackerras an equal or better choice sonically.


title: Stylish performances, marginal recordings

text:
Wand and his regional orchestra provided a stylish Beethoven 5th on this recording:  fleet, energetic, controlled, well paced and many other virtues.  Unfortunately, the sound in the fifth is congested, tonally thin and the orchestral texture, lacking in spatial clues, emerges from a single source without being very revealing of orchstral tambre, orchestral detail, midrange detail, or upper frequency presence and accuracy.  The oboe, far from being over sentamentalized in the first movement, near the ending, -- this recording, far from representing the oboe's squak, the mytery of the oboe, the "bleep" sound that emerges, is in fact the oboe.  Robbed of upper tambre, chopped off in upper harmonics - this recording is quite marginal.
The 8th, with a brisk pace, the same coherent conducting "structure" is present, Wand an obvious master, but the recording again, dismal, robs the 8th of the musical landscape, the grace, the lilt of the 8th - instantly apparent in say Haitink's 8th (Concertegebouw/Philips) or even Bernsteins' (VPO/DG) set with spritely ensemble.
So hard to recommend, certainly not a first pick for either symphony, based on the enourmous variety in the current CD catalog.


title: Well kept secret - Excellent Brahms 2, Succulent Haydn

text: Of Christoph Von Dohnanyi Brahms cycle with the Cleveland Orchestra, now of course a bit dated, while some occasional choppiness exists in his 1, 3, 4 - this second is an amazing recording of orchestral achievement.  Autumnal, warm, detailed, robust tempos and tonal accuracy.  Never shying away from brisk tempos, Dohnanyi doesn't push the Clevelanders to sloppy ensemble.  In a comparison with a similar coupling, Karajan/DG (Karajan last Brahms cycle) secures a less than sunny sound with a nice Haydn Variations.  The Teldec sound reveals great detail in an energetic, lively, sun soaked Brahms, without the DG harshness at climax output.  Bernstein/VPO/DG features much slower tempos.  DG discontinued Giulini's final VPO recordings.  However lavish Giulini's undertaking, his are somewhat uneven with interpretation and tempos.  So of the dozens and dozens of Brahms Sym 2 in the current catalog, used, digital, new release, cycles, analog, various coupling etc - here is a fine choice, full of energy in the Symphony with an absolutely succulent, gorgeous Haydn Variations.  Firm recommendation.


title: Brahms First symphony well played, fine recording

text: I own Karajan/DG/BPO (last version) Klemperer/EMI, this Christoph von Dohnanyi/TELDEC version and misplaced my Giulini/LAPD (DG).  This TELDEC recording of the great Cleveland Orchestra during Christoph von Dohnanyi conducting tenure is on balance as good as anything in the current catalog.  Stingy in length, with only a single symphony, but no matter at these used prices.  Tempo are well chosen, with no undue blasting, uneven orchestra section "climax" output or allowing the somewhat chromatic nature of Brahms scoring to become shrill sounding.  Christoph von Dohnanyi holds the Cleveland Orchestra in check, without the somewhat "overly smoothed" interpretation Karajan/DG/BPO presented.  The DG recording is far more reverberant as well, with that somewhat "dry" DG sound.  This recording is accurate, natural, tonally secure with just right dynamic range.  There are no surprises or shortcomings from first movement to last.  The disc (and Christoph von Dohnanyi Brahms 2nd w/succulent Haydn variations) can be confidently recommended for anyone needing a digital Brahms 1st, wanting to include American Orchestras in their collections (as I do) or supplementing Brahms symphony discs for comparison.


title: Extraordinary performance, fine sound, 70 minutes

text: I've had this disc for a long time.  1987 date info on jacket cover.  The recording is crystal clear.  You can hear the "boing" and pluck sound of an authentic harpsichord.  The liner notes state the Italian instrument is from 1693 with a recent "tune".  Pitch tuned to A = 415 hz; standard baroque tuning.  Woolley is a skilled harpsichordist.  19 various sonatas are recorded on the disc.  Beautifully performed.


title: Gorgeous Schubert from Solti & VPO and the CD's Golden era

text: Schubert might not be the first composer associated with Sir George, since Solti's wildy popular Wagner recordings established (among other things) Solti's reputation and popularity a few decades back.  Solti remained fully engaged with Operatic efforts during his career.  Solti's conducting style and recordings are not to everyone's taste.  Yet here is a stunning early 80's digital DECCA (then LONDON) recording, capturing the VPO on top form in crystal clear sound.  LONDON/DECCA were getting digital recordings right early on, while DG's recordings from that era are often sub-par.  Opening with a perfect Andante French horn theme, the playing is polished until the lively Allegro section ensues with more note perfect ensemble from the VPO.  A graceful 2nd movement featuring the plaintive and very lyrical writing for solo oboe - again more elegant Schubert sound from the VPO with Solti's never rushed tempos outlining the sheer skill mature Schubert possessed in writing for symphonic form.  When the Scherzo third movement arrives with it's opening "driving string theme" Solti maintains a steady tempo, the VPO maintains skillfull playing.  No need for affectations in the phrasing.  When the 4th movement arrives with thunderous themes. the great VPO trombones and horns reveal the unmistakeable Schubert rhythm.  Clean orchestral accomplishment right to the end.  Somewhat short on measure for a full CD, there is room for an 8th or overtures, but no matter.  Available for dirt cheap here on AMAZON, this is Schubert from the CD's golden era and a conductor of considerable stature.  Firm recommendation.


title: Grandioso!

text:
This wonderful collection of studio recordings (mainly produced by Walter Legge) supplies a rich portrait of the "middle Arrau", painted just before the starting of his great Philips period. The majority of the items has already been published as single CDs or in other box-sets, but something has been newly remastered and something else is now difficult to find. Besides, some pieces will never be recorded again (in studio) by Arrau: Schubert's "Wanderer" and March in E - D.606; Chopin's Sonata No. 3, Etudes, Allegro de Concert in A and Tarantelle in A flat (rec. 1939), Debussy's Tarantelle Styrienne (rec. 1939) and, therefore, they represent invaluable documents.
Something is mono, something else is stereo (see for details the track-list below), but the general sound quality is very good, even if not excellent.

The concert "companions" are an elegant and essential (but not cold! on the contrary!) Alceo Galliera (Beethoven - all the 5 -, Grieg, Schumann, Tchaikovsky No. 1, Weber's Konzertstuck) and a warm and flawless Carlo Maria Giulini (Brahms Nos. 1 & 2), both conducting an attentive and precise Philharmonia Orchestra. While Giulini's fame does not ask for any adjunctive comment, Alceo Galliera is today quite forgotten, if not considered nothing more than a good conductor or accompanist. This last point must be considered a cursory mistake. Indeed, Galliera performed and recorded together with the greatest soloists of his epoch - Arrau, Lipatti, Schnabel, Gieseking, Benedetti-Michelangeli, Anda, Haas, Haebler, and then Oistrackh, Fournier, Thibaud, Brain, Goossens, and, more, Callas, Schwarzkopf, Moffo, Gobbi, Gedda, Alva, etc. - therefore, if he is actually an accompanist, he is the accompanist of the Masters! Anyway, Galliera's performances are here excellent and very very refined, in the pattern of the best Italian conducting tradition, that is "drying" the orchestral score to its essentiality (that does not mean simplification, but improving musical meaning without overwhelming soloists' parts) and keeping it within its functional role, not trying to unnecessarily attract a spotlight on the "Maestro" and on his "bravura". As a matter of fact, if you attentively listen to Galliera's conduction, many passages, with the most elegant easiness, catch and masterfully express the composition nuances within a context-sensitive and meaningful approach.

In any case, the added value of this box-set is that it supplies a complete anthology concerning with Claudio Arrau as passing from the sparkling neoclassical approach of the 1940s' and of the first half of 1950s' (the zenith of this "first period" is, in my opinion, represented, on disc, by the famous recordings of Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1, Fantasia in E minor on Hungarian Folk Songs and of some of his Hungarian Rhapsodies, see: [[ASIN:B0000029P6 Liszt;Piano Conc.1/Fantasia]] or [[ASIN:B000065EQK Concerto Pour Piano N1]]), to the warmer and metaphysical interpretations of  the 1960s' and over. Therefore, here the recordings span from 1956 to 1962, but, in the last CD, there are also some retrospective recordings, very interesting for a stylistic comparison with the "first Arrau": the famous 1939 recording of Schumann's Carnaval (still considered a reference performance), the rare 1938 recording of Chopin's Tarantelle, Op. 43, and the 1939 recording of Debussy's Tarantelle Styrienne and Jardins sous la pluie.
Someone thinks that in the sixties Arrau (born 1903) started  his slow decline. This is not my opinion at all. The recordings here presented are superb interpretations of absolute value and, also if Arrau would have retired after their executions, many of them would be still unsurpassed. On the contrary, here Arrau has not still reached his zenith, but he is starting a fundamental period of transition towards it, where transition does not necessarily mean something poorer or less valuable. As a matter of fact, here, doubtless, Arrau still has (and, for a long time, will have) his virtuoso maximum strength and valuably enriches it with some marvelous new bud, another crop of his long-life "recherche". He is winning his enduring struggle against ego and vanity and his performances will be increasingly driven by soul and transcendency. Surely this sort of engrafting is difficult, risky and delicate and asks for courage and attentiveness; here, someway, we clearly feel that something will be soon overshadowed (not denied!) and, on the other side, that something has not yet completely accomplished and that none (Arrau himself!) can be sure of the forthcoming achievements. Indeed buds will not wither; indeed, in the brighter and warmer light of a different and higher kind of consciousness, gorgeous flowers will plentifully bloom. A starting transfiguration: Grandioso!

Track-list:
CD 1
Ludwig van Beethoven 1770-1827
Piano Concerto No. 1 in C, Op.15
[ 1] I. Allegro con brio 16.24
[ 2] II. Largo 10.55
[ 3] III. Rondo: Allegro scherzando 9.25

Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat, Op.19
[ 4] I. Allegro con brio 14.04
[ 5] II. Adagio 9.02
[ 6] III. Rondo: Molto allegro 6.33
Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Alceo Galliera
Recorded: 1 - 3.V. and 7.X.1958, No. 1, Abbey Road Studios, London
Producer: Walter Legge - Balance engineer: Harold Davidson & Francis Dillnutt
Recordings first issued in 1959 & *1960 by EMI Records Ltd. STEREO/ADD

[ 7] 32 Variations in C minor, WoO.80 12.23
Recorded: 13.IV.1960, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, London
Producer: Walter Jellinek - Balance engineer: Harold Davidson
(P) 1961 EMI Records Ltd. STEREO/ADD
This compilation and digital remastering (P) 1991 by EMI Records Ltd.

CD 2
Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op.37
[ 1] I. Allegro con brio 16.53
[ 2] II. Largo 10.58
[ 3] III. Rondo: Allegro - Presto 9.24

Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat, Op.73 "Emperor"
[ 4] I. Allegro 20.29
[ 5] II. Adagio un poco mosso 7.47
[ 6] III. Rondo: Allegro - Più allegro 10.42
Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Alceo Galliera
Recorded: 19 - 22.VI.1958, No. 1, Abbey Road Studios, London
Producer: Walter Legge - Balance engineer: Douglas Larter
Recordings first issued in 1959 by EMI Records Ltd. STEREO/ADD

CD 3
Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G, Op.58
[ 1] I. Allegro moderato 19.14
[ 2] II. Andante con moto 5.38
[ 3] III. Rondo: Vivace - Presto 10.06
Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Alceo Galliera
Recorded: 30 & 31.V.1955, No. 1, Abbey Road Studios, London
Producer: Walter Jellinek - Balance engineer: Neville Boyling
Recording first issued in 1956 by EMI Records Ltd. MONO/ADD
Digital remastering (P) 1991 by EMI Records Ltd.

Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53 "Waldstein"
[ 4] I. Allegro con brio 12.11
[ 5] II. Introduzione: Adagio molto - 4.17
[ 6] Rondo: Allegretto moderato - Prestissimo 10.39
Recorded: 1 & 22.XII.1956 and 19.V.1957, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, London
Producer: William Mann and Alan Melville - Balance engineer: Neville Boyling
Recording first issued in 1958 by EMI Records Ltd. MONO/ADD
Digital remastering (P) 1991 by EMI Records Ltd.

Piano Sonata No. 26 in E flat major, Op. 81a "Les Adieux"
[ 7] I. Adagio - Allegro (Les Adieux) 6.59
[ 8] II. Andante espressivo (L'Absence) 3.50
[ 9] III. Vivacissimamente (Le Retour) 6.04
Recorded: 4.IV.1958, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, London
Producer: Walter Jellinek - Balance engineer: Neville Boyling
Recording first issued in 1959 by EMI Records Ltd. MONO/ADD
Digital remastering (P) 1991 by EMI

CD 4
Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 "Appassionata"
[ 1] I. Allegro assai 10.26
[ 2] II. Andante con moto 7.05
[ 3] III. Allegro ma non troppo - Presto 8.12
Recorded: 11 & 12.IV.1960, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, London
Producer: Walter Legge & Walter Jellinek - Balance engineer: Harold Davidson
(P) 1961 EMI Records Ltd. STEREO/ADD
Digital remastering (P) 1991 by EMI Records Ltd.

Piano Sonata No. 22 in F major, Op. 54
[ 4] I. In tempo d'un Menuetto 5.59
[ 5] II. Allegretto 6.15
Recorded: 13 & 14.IV.1960, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, London
Producer: Walter Jellinek - Balance engineer: Harold Davidson
(P) 1961 EMI Records Ltd. STEREO/ADD
Digital remastering (P) 1991 by EMI Records Ltd.

Piano Sonata No. 7 in D, Op. 10 No. 3
[ 6] I. Presto 6.37
[ 7] II. Largo e mesto 10.12
[ 8] III. Menuetto: Allegro 2.50
[ 9] IV. Rondo: Allegro 3.55
Recorded: 6.X.1958 & 15.X.1959, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, London
Producer: Walter Legge - Balance engineer: Douglas Larter and Neville Boyling
Recording first issued in 1960 by EMI Records Ltd. STEREO/ADD
Digital remastering (P) 2011 by EMI Records Ltd.

Piano Sonata No. 24 in F sharp, Op. 78
[10] I. Adagio cantabile - Allegro ma non troppo 7.20
[11] II. Allegro vivace 3.00
Recorded: 8.IV.1958, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, London
Producer: Walter Legge - Balance engineer: Neville Boyling
Recording first issued in 1959 by EMI Records Ltd. MONO/ADD
Digital remastering (P) 2011 by EMI Records Ltd.

CD 5
Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major, Op. 101
[ 1] I. Allegretto ma non troppo 4.20
[ 2] II. Vivace alla Marcia 5.06
[ 3] III. Adagio ma non troppo, con affetto 2.40
[ 4] Allegro 8.07
Recorded: 30.XI & 1.XII.1956, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, London
Producer: Walter Legge - Balance engineer: Neville Boyling
Recording first issued in 1958 by EMI Records Ltd. MONO/ADD

Piano Sonata No. 31 in A flat major, Op. 110
[ 5] I. Moderato cantabile molto espressivo 7.15
[ 6] II. Allegro molto 2.16
[ 7] III. Adagio ma non troppo 3.53
[ 8] Fuga: Allegro ma non troppo 7.14
Recorded: 18.V.1957, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, London
Producer: Walter Legge & Alan Melville - Balance engineer: Neville Boyling
Recording first issued in 1958 by EMI Records Ltd. MONO/ADD

Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111
[ 9] I. Maestoso - Allegro con brio ed appassionato 9.01
[10] II. Arietta: Adagio molto semplice e cantabile 19.53
Recorded: 21 - 23.V.1957, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, London
Producer: Walter Legge & William Mann - Balance engineer: Neville Boyling & Edward Huntley
Recording first issued in 1958 by EMI Records Ltd. MONO/ADD
This compilation and digital remastering (P) 1991 by EMI Records Ltd.

CD 6
Johannes Brahms 1833-1897
Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op.15
[ 1] I. Maestoso 23.28
[ 2] II. Adagio 15.06
[ 3] III. Rondo: Allegro non troppo 12.54
Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini
Recorded: 21 - 23.IV.1960, No. 1, Abbey Road Studios, London
Producer: Walter Legge - Balance engineer: Harold Davidson
(P) 1961 EMI Records Ltd. STEREO/ADD
Digital remastering (P) 1988 by EMI Records Ltd.

CD 7
Carl Maria von Weber 1786-1826
Konzertstück in F minor, Op. 79
[ 1] Larghetto affettuoso 6.18
[ 2] Allegro passionato - Adagio 5.06
[ 3] Tempo di marcia - Più mosso 2.25
[ 4] Presto giojoso 4.31
Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Alceo Galliera
Recorded: 19.IV.1960, No. 1, Abbey Road Studios, London
Producer: Walter Legge - Balance engineer: Harold Davidson
(P) 1961 EMI Records Ltd. STEREO/ADD
Digital remastering (P) 2004 by EMI Records Ltd.

Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op.83
[ 5] I. Allegro non troppo 19.11
[ 6] II. Allegretto appassionato 9.17
[ 7] III. Andante* 12.05
[ 8] IV. Allegretto grazioso 9.57
* Raymond Clark, cello
Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini
Recorded: 21 & 22.IV.1962, No. 1, Abbey Road Studios, London
Producer: Walter Legge - Balance engineer: Francis Dillnutt
(P) 1962 EMI Records Ltd. STEREO/ADD
Digital remastering (P) 1988 by EMI Records Ltd.

CD 8
Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky 1840-1893
Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op.23
[ 1] I. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso - Allegro con spirito 21.20
[ 2] II. Andantino semplice - Prestissimo - Tempo I 7.46
[ 3] III. Allegro con fuoco 7.06
Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Alceo Galliera
Recorded: 18 & 19.IV.1960, No. 1, Abbey Road Studios, London
Producer: Walter Legge - Balance engineer: Harold Davidson
(P) 1961 EMI Records Ltd. STEREO/ADD
Digital remastering (P) 1991 by EMI Records Ltd.

Edvard Grieg 1843-1907
Piano Concerto in A minor, Op.16
[ 4] I. Allegro molto moderato - Cadenza - Tempo I 14.32
[ 5] II. Adagio 6.55
[ 6] III. Allegro moderato molto e marcato - Andante maestoso 10.46
Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Alceo Galliera
Recorded: 19 & 20.IV.1957, No. 1, Abbey Road Studios, London
Producer: Walter Legge - Balance engineer: Neville Boyling
Recording first issued in 1958 by EMI Records Ltd. MONO/ADD
Digital remastering (P) 2001 by Testament

CD 9
Franz Schubert 1797-1828
3 Klavierstücke, D.946
[ 1] Impromptu No. 1 in E flat minor 15.21
[ 2] Impromptu No. 2 in E flat 15.37
[ 3] Impromptu No. 3 in C 5.13
Recorded: 2 & 3.IX.1956, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, London
Producer: William Mann - Balance engineer: Neville Boyling
Recording first issued in 1959 by EMI Records Ltd. MONO/ADD
Digital remastering (P) 1988 by EMI Records Ltd.

Fantasy in C "Wanderer", D.760
[ 4] Allegro con fuoco ma non troppo 6.32
[ 5] Adagio 7.49
[ 6] Presto 5.15
[ 7] Allegro 3.22
Recorded: 22 & 25.X.1957, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, London
Producer: William Mann - Balance engineer: Harold Davidson & Neville Boyling
Recording first issued in 1959 by EMI Records Ltd. MONO/ADD
Digital remastering (P) 1988 by EMI Records Ltd.

[ 8] Allegretto in C minor, D.915 c6.05
[ 9] March in E, D.606 4.12
Recorded: 15.X.1959, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, London
Producer: Walter Legge - Balance engineer: Neville Boyling
Recordings first issued in 1959 by EMI Records Ltd. STEREO/ADD
Digital remastering (P) 2011 by EMI Records Ltd.

CD 10
Franz Schubert
6 Moments musicaux, D.780
[ 1] No. 1 in C 5.35
[ 2] No. 2 in A flat 7.11
[ 3] No. 3 in F minor 1.59
[ 4] No. 4 in C sharp minor 5.48
[ 5] No. 5 in F minor 2.08
[ 6] No. 6 in A flat major 9.00
Recorded: 3 & 4.IX.1956, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, London
Producer: William Mann - Balance engineer: Neville Boyling
Recording first issued in 1959 by EMI Records Ltd. STEREO/ADD
Digital remastering (P) 2011 by EMI Records Ltd.

Frédéric Chopin 1810-1849
Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op.38
[ 7] I. Allegro maestoso 14.44
[ 8] II. Scherzo: Molto vivace 2.41
[ 9] III. Largo 10.35
[10] IV. Finale: Presto non tanto 5.19
Recorded: 14, 24 & 25.IV. and 21.VI.1960, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, London

[11] Fantasy in F minor, Op. 49 13.11
Recorded: 21.VI.1960, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, London
Producer: Walter Jellinek - Balance engineer: Harold Davidson
(P) 1962 EMI Records Ltd. STEREO/ADD
Digital remastering (P) 2001 by EMI Records

CD 11
Frédéric Chopin
12 Études, Op.10
[ 1] No. 1 in C 1.55
[ 2] No. 2 in A minor 1.22
[ 3] No. 3 in E 4.31
[ 4] No. 4 in C sharp minor 2.16
[ 5] No. 5 in G flat 1.41
[ 6] No. 6 in E flat minor 2.53
[ 7] No. 7 in C 1.37
[ 8] No. 8 in F 2.23
[ 9] No. 9 in F minor 2.09
[10] No. 10 in A flat 2.14
[11] No. 11 in E flat 3.00
[12] No. 12 in C minor 2.27

12 Études, Op.25
[13] No. 1 in A flat 2.25
[14] No. 2 in F minor 1.43
[15] No. 3 in F 2.04
[16] No. 4 in A minor 2.18
[17] No. 5 in E minor 3.24
[18] No. 6 in G sharp minor 2.06
[19] No. 7 in C sharp minor 5.18
[20] No. 8 in D flat 1.09
[21] No. 9 in G flat 1.04
[22] No. 10 in B minor 4.29
[23] No. 11 in A minor 3.36
[24] No. 12 in C minor 2.29

3 Nouvelles Études
[25] No. 1 in F minor 2.05
[26] No. 2 in D flat 2.24
[27] No. 3 in A flat 2.04

[28] Allegro de concert in A, Op.46 12.22
Recorded: 15 - 22 & 29.VI. and 5.IX.1956, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, London
Producer: Alan Melville and William Mann - Balance engineer: Neville Boyling
Recording first issued in 1957 by EMI Records Ltd. MONO/ADD
This compilation & digital remastering (P) 2007 by EMI Records Ltd.

CD 12
Robert Schumann 1810-1856
Piano Concerto in A minor, Op.54
[ 1] I. Allegro affetuoso - Andante espressivo - Tempo I - Cadenza - Allegro molto 16.45
[ 2] II. Intermezzo (Andantino grazioso) 5.54
[ 3] III. Allegro vivace 11.14
Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Alceo Galliera
Recorded: 24.V.1957, Walthamstow Town Hall, London
Producer: Lawrance Collingwood - Balance engineer: Robert E. Beckett
Recording first issued in 1958 by EMI Records Ltd. MONO/ADD
Digital remastering (P) 2001 by Testament

Carnaval, Op. 9
[ 4] 1. Préambule 2.04
[ 5] 2. Pierrot 0.59
[ 6] 3. Arlequin 0.35
[ 7] 4. Valse noble 1.06
[ 8] 5. Eusebius 2.04
[ 9] 6. Florestan 0.51
[10] 7. Coquette. 0.57
[11] 8. Réplique 0.52
[12] 9. Papillons 0.40
[13] 10. A.S.C.H. - S.C.H.A. (Lettres dansantes) 0.46
[14] 11. Chiarina 0.45
[15] 12. Chopin 1.25
[16] 13. Estrella 0.32
[17] 14. Reconnaissance 1.49
[18] 15. Pantalon et Colombine 0.52
[19] 16. Valse allemande 0.31
[20] 17. Paganini (Intermezzo) 1.03
[21] 18. Aveu 1.00
[22] 19. Promenade 2.11
[23] 20. Pause 0.18
[24] 21. Marche des »Davidsbündler« contre les Philistins 3.32
Recorded: 3 & 4.IV.1939, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, London
Producer: Unknown
Balance engineer: Unknown
MONO/ADD - Digital remastering (P) 1991 by EMI Records Ltd.

Frédéric Chopin
[25] Tarantelle in A flat, Op.43 2.41
Recorded: ??.??.1938, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, London
Producer: Unknown - Balance engineer: Unknown
MONO/ADD Digital remastering (P) 1991 by EMI Records Ltd.

Claude Debussy 1862-1918
[26] Danse (Tarantelle styrienne) 4.54
[27] Estampes - No. 3 Jardins sous la pluie 3.35
Recorded: 4.IV.1939, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, London
Producer: Unknown - Balance engineer: Unknown
MONO/ADD


title: A truly Russian great symphony in Kurt Sanderling's masterful lecture.

text:
Rachmaninoff's name is obviously strongly associated with pianistic performances and piano compositions. This fact, very often, leads to put in background, if not to underrate, except the "Vespers", his non-pianistic compositions.

As a consequence of the disastrous Saint Petersburg 1897 première of his First Symphony, Rachmaninoff entered a long depressive crisis. Only by means of psychotherapy he was able to recover self-confidence in his composing capacities; it is not by chance that his second Piano Concerto (1901) is dedicated to his psychologist Nikolai Dahl.

This Second Symphony was composed during Rachmaninoff's retire in Dresden, where he and his family lived nearly as hermits, from 1906-07 winter to 1909-10 winter. It was a period of intense study and composition.
The first sketches did not satisfied a not yet self-confident Rachmaninoff, but, at the end, the new symphony was successfully premiered in St. Petersburg on 8 February 1908, under the baton of the composer himself (one of the main causes of the First Symphony flop is commonly attributed to Alexander Glazunov's bad conducting of the premiere).
The full success greatly contributed to Rachmaninoff's definitive psychological healing.

The symphony is constructed in the pattern established by Borodin and Balakirev, with an introductory first movement, the Scherzo as second movement, preceding the third slow movement - where the "dramatic sequence" reaches its climax -, while the fourth movement has a "recapitulative" function of all the themes previously exposed.

I like this work, attentively constructed, heartfelt, rich of interesting melodic ideas, harmonic solutions and orchestral colours; in particular, it is not "overloaded" of notes as, on the contrary, other Rachmaninoff's compositions are.
Not only the formal structure, but, and most important, also the alternation between intense sadness and serene, joyful, moments and accents is so idiomatically and truly Russian: very involving!

The great Kurt Sanderling (1912-2011) masters the idiom and he gives us a well balanced, warm and intimate interpretation. He had already recorded in 1956, for DG, the cut version of the work. Here, he obviously presents - as usual since 1968 first commercial recording of the complete symphony by Kletzky-Decca - the complete version (66'20"), that is the one which allows the work to correctly breath and to fully express its refined sentimental contents.
The understanding with the Philharmonia Orchestra is perfect (Sanderling was appointed Conductor Emeritus of the Orchestra), resulting in an attentive, precise and involving performance.

The 1984 DDD sound of this studio recording is excellent, pure and airy.

The thin booklet contains a brief, but interesting, account, in German, by Gottfried Blumenstein, also translated in English and French.

In my opinion, the direct competitor of this interpretation is the 1988 Gennady Rozhdestvensky-LSO recording, which gives us another great reading of this outstanding work.


title: "The Planets" which works best in my listening ambient.

text:
Everybody knows that "The Planets" is that kind of music which asks for an outstanding sound rendition as well as for a fine and attentive interpretation.
Colin Davis indubitably masters the idiom; the Berliner Philharmoniker are evidently able to convey all the needed orchestral colours and precision; Philips here employed a sort of special team of audio technicians; the recording took place in an already mature DDD epoch (11/1988), in the excellent Philarmonie Berlin ambient.
Therefore, in theory, this issue owns all the assets to be classified amongst the best ones of ever.

But a further fundamental, even decisive, role here is played by the hi-fi system used to reproduce the CD and by the listening ambient. These affect not only the sound, but also the judgement concerning interpretation, being the quality of the performance also based on a delicate balance of complex and refined, loud and soft, low and high, also dissonant, sonorities.

As a matter of fact, "The Planets" also aims at projecting the listener into an ethereal dimension and to make him live a mystical experience. The physical aspects of sound are a fundamental medium to accomplish this target.

This is a studio recording, the solution I prefer for this genre of music, where, in my opinion, pureness and precision are fundamental to accomplish an ethereal effect. Other persons could obviously prefer a live recording, to gain in terms of spontaneity and of continuity.

Therefore, in my opinion, it is very difficult, if not impossible or not useful, to attempt to exactly rate a particular interpretation within an actually very crowded list of virtually excellent performances, because here, along with, more or less shared, musical parameters, individual psycho-physical sensations play a decisive role.

I can only observe that here Philips sound, as usual, is placed on the warmer and rounder side, and that it favors powerful audio systems which work at their best with a wide spectrum of overtones and have to play in large rooms characterized by high absorption of reverberation. In general terms, many Philips recordings tend to quite directly catch the sound of instruments, rather than the sonorities produced by them within the ambient. That is why, whether Philips sound is not allowed to powerful breath in a sufficiently wide ambient, it might results a bit boxy.
Anyway, in my standard listening situation, this CD sounds exceptionally well and it produces an astonishing wrapping effect.
In different ambients, I too could prefer, in turn and in open order, DG, Decca, Teldec, Sony, EMI, etc.

As usual, here too, Colin Davis tends to prefer a bit slower paces. On the whole, his interpretation gives prominence to the intimate and mystical aspects of this ineffably mysterious music, rather than to the spectacular ones.
I like this approach and I suppose it is consistent with Holst's deep passion for astrology (to which he was introduced by his close friend Clifford Bax), but I have no sure elements to state that it is the right one in the composer perspective.

In conclusion, this performance works outstandingly well in my usual listening situation and, there, it is the one which conveys to me the most intense emotions.

The CD is a bit empty, but nowadays it is possible to buy it, or its 1989 original issue (see: [[ASIN:B00000E3VH Planets]]), at derisory prices.

Track-list:
1. Mars, the Bringer of War - 7:00
2. Venus, the Bringer of Peace - 8:03
3. Mercury, the Winged Messenger - 4:10
4. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity - 8:10
5. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age - 8:53
6. Uranus, the Magician - 5:52
7. Neptune, the Mystic - 6:46 (Frauenchor des Rundfunkchores Berlin/DDR - Dir. D. Knothe)


title: A must-have for every Arrau's fan and piano lover.

text:
This 20 May 1963 live recording represents one of the worthiest documents of the incomparable artistic heights Arrau could reach in a solo piano recital.
That night, in Lugano, he was really "on fire", in an evident state of transcendental inspiration.

In 1963, Arrau had already entered the new evolving path, which will lead him to further enrich his precedent "neoclassical" approach with the warmth and the colours coming from the different levels of emotive consciousness he was climbing, thanks to his lifelong fight he was definitively winning against Ego and vanity.

In Brahms' Händel Variations, the neoclassical approach seems to be still prevalent. But it is only an impression; under the surface of a still quite maniacal attention to details, the embers of a new fire are strongly perceptible. The vehemence and the intensity of new passions are no more under control and, contemporarily, they are not still completely liberated. To be in this turning point costs some wrong or unclean notes, abundantly paid back by vividness and interpretative deepness.

In Ravel, flames are allowed to completely burst out and Arrau leads us to unexplored heights of pianism and musicianship, creating, as the famed Italian critic and scholar Piero Rattalino points out in the booklet here enclosed, "one of the most amazing moments of piano concert".

In Liszt, and in particular in a breathtaking Mephisto Waltz, Claudio Arrau, clearly reaching a transcendental state of enlightened, spiritually aware, consciousness, let us listen to something never heard on disc. Only a complete abandon of every ego's constraints (and fears) can allow a performer to take that sort of risks in the name of a full rendering of music meaning.

Also the usually superficially performed Chopin's "Mes joies" here is given a new rank and it is treated as a very involving, deep and heart-felt little masterpiece.

In conclusion, the Arrau's lifelong "recherche" of interpretative truth here gives us one invaluable document of its sincerity and rightness: do not miss any occasion to have this CD!

Tracklist (70'10"):

J. Brahms
Händel Variations Op. 24 - 28'47"

M. Ravel
Gaspards de la nuit:
II. Ondine - 6'54"
III. Le Gibet - 6'46"
IV. Scarbo - 8'47"

F. Liszt
V. Gnomenreigen - 3'11"
VI. Mephisto Waltz - 11'33"

F. Chopin
7. Mes joies - 3'54"

A very good monophonic sound manages to catch quite all the incredible myriad of timbres, colours, nuances, overtones Arrau generously and constantly spreads along this unpaired performance.


title: THE Don Pasquale.

text:
The quality of this 1932 registration is simply astonishing for its epoch and it makes this edition both an invaluable historical document and a performance still very pleasant to listen to. Sound is clean and voices are very vividly rendered, but also the orchestra and the chorus, even if a bit muffled, are perfectly audible in all details. Obviously, there is the typical, but here not exaggerated at all, loss in harmonic sounds. On the market, you can find other editions of this unvaluable recording, but I own only this one and I am not able to supply advices for a choice (see, for instance: [[ASIN:B00002Z86Y Donizetti: Don Pasquale]], [[ASIN:B0011D1HL6 Donizetti: Don Pasquale (Carlo Sabajno)]], [[ASIN:B00000JBFR Tito Schipa Vol. 3  Donizetti: Don Pasquale]]).

The cast is simply stellar and teaches a great lesson of ease of vocal emission, perfect and clear diction, acting naturalness.

Ernesto Badini (1876-1937), here 56, is a, or "the", perfect Don Pasquale, experienced, natural, buffo, but not over-caricatured. As a matter of fact, Don Pasquale does not deserve a too mocking treatment, since he is not really evil and, on the contrary, he can be spontaneously generous and likable. He becomes "buffo" when he, definitely too aged, enters a world he does not master, that of women and "love affairs", where all his business experience is completely useless. Here Badini shows us the heights reached by a lost tradition of people who really knew the meaning of "recitar cantando" and masterfully managed the art of being highly expressive while easily and perfectly singing.

Afro Poli (1902-1988), destined to a great and long career, is here the youngest of the cast (14 years younger than Schipa!). Nevertheless, he perfectly plays the role of the wise and smart Dr. Malatesta, masterfully producing a mature voice and grasping and rendering all the facets of the "helmsman" of the story.

Adelaide Saraceni (1895-1995) perfectly renders the difficult role of "acting an actress", as Norina naturally is. In the meanwhile, she is the same able to render the tender and sincerely enamored soul of the courageous, vivacious and protective Norina. The gifted soprano has a perfect control not only of every belcanto virtuosismo, but also of the timbre of his voice (that is so rare!), being able to switch it from sweet, to smart, to harsh, therefore playing a very credible Norina, that is the hearth of the matter to make credible the entire story.
Adelaide Saraceni had a very long life, but not a long career, due to health problems; once retired, she put her mastery to the service of teaching, becoming one of the best singer trainer in Milan.

Tito Schipa (1888-1965) is... Tito Schipa! Obviously here he is playing one of his best suited roles. The idealistic, romantic, sincere, a bit divorced from reality, Ernesto gives him all the right occasions to put in evidence his best and, to some extent, unmatched skills of "tenore di grazia". It is not altogether true that Schipa's voice was a "light" or "small" one: the legendary Magda Olivero, in a interview, tells that Schipa had a really powerfull voice and a superb techinique that allowed him to make the tones marvellously floating and flowing in the air. Here all his capacities properly serve the role. The result is a splendid and credible Ernesto, maybe still unmatched.
I cannot be completely sure, but I think that this is the only studio (and, maybe, also "live") recording of a complete opera singed by Schipa: another point that makes this issue a must have.

The experienced Giordano Callegari plays with humour the little part of the false Notary, alias Carlotto. He was a tenor (not a bass as requested by the score and, hence, wrongly written on the back-cover) specialised in secondary roles like Gastone in La Traviata or Ruiz in Il Trovatore.

But the actual protagonist of this edition is Carlo Sabajno (1874-1938). Here, he does not only play the role of conductor. From 1904 to 1932, he had been the house-conductor of the Italian branch of the Gramophone Company, in fact a "general manager" of the recording projects, with responsibility for all aspects of production, from the selection of repertoire to the choice and the engagement of artists. This Don Pasquale is the penultimate issue (Otello recording started earlier, but it was completed as the last one) of this fruitful and very prolific collaboration, therefore it is the product of a lifelong experience in conducting and in recording. As a matter of fact, the inflexible Sabajno was one of the most outstanding representatives of the best Italian conducting tradition. Also in this occasion, he gives a gorgeous demonstration of his personal talent and of the heights reached by that school. Innate musicianship, attention to details without any affectation, exact comprehension of the composer's language and of the reciprocal roles of soloists, orchestra and chorus lead to a performance where intrinsic musical logic is the main driver and, therefore, everything flows smoothly and naturally, as the result of an intimate and instinctive artistic tension, not polluted by artificial intellectualistic structures.

The Orchestra and the Chorus of Teatro alla Scala are in their glorious prime and, due to their lasting and intensive partnership, the understanding with Sabajno is quite perfect. In conclusion, this is not only an idiomatic performance, but, by far, the best Don Pasquale ever recorded.

The booklet contains the libretto, the synopsis and some brief notes about Donizetti in Italian and in English.


title: Top-notch Performance

text:
This CD will not disappoint.  Its peformance uses period instruments, although I bought it before I had any idea of what "period instruments" meant.  To some people, period instruments are needed for "authenticity," but as far as I'm concerned, the sound and performance are the most important regardless of instruments used.
The solo and ensemble work in the Magnificat are all excellent.  I prefer the smaller sized choir's sound to a 100 voice Mahler symphony chorus's sound in Bach because the larger groups can overwhelm Bach's counterpoint.  I'm also impressed by the trumpet players who brilliantly negotiate their parts on valveless period instruments.  I definitely notice a difference in the sound of natural D trumpets to modern piccolo trumpets, and I think that the natural trumpets blend better with the whole group's sound.
The performance of Cantata 51 does not disappoint either.  The outer movements are beautiful duets between soprano and trumpet, and again I appreciate the natural trumpet's sound here in place of a piccolo trumpet.  Recordings with both instruments can be found and having heard both, I prefer this recording.  Mr. Steele-Perkins' playing is outstanding, and Ms. Kirkby's singing is also very beautiful.  This is a smaller scale work and does not need a large operatic voice, so the lighter sound of Ms. Kirkby's soprano and Mr. Steele-Perkins' natural trumpet are an excellent match.
This is an all around excellent CD and after repeated listening it has a permanent place in my top shelf.


title: All of Them Gems

text:
What more can one say about a CD that not only showcases Dvorák's original scoring for the Bagatelles, but also Dennis Russell Davies's brilliantly subtle arrangement for chamber orchestra?

I suppose I could go on about the way they're played, with delicacy and passion.  I could mention that this CD also contains the lovely Serenade for winds.  I could also mention a personal note about these pieces, how they are never played on my iPod until autumn comes around; then they are played rather frequently through the fall and winter months.

So I guess I just did say all of those things.  I will go on further to say that these are probably the nicest pieces that Dvorák ever wrote, and that he is one of the few nationalist composers I ever even bother with.  If you haven't heard these pieces, plunk down a few bucks and find out why today his music remains so popular.  (You can even listen to them in springtime if you like.)


title: One Star

text: Why is this cd 764 bucks? Are you insane?


title: ... what I wanted for a 94 year old who loved his music

text: Exactly what I wanted for a 94 year old who loved his music!  Happy memories for someone in hospice care!


title: Nice

text: Slit was a little short.


title: Beautiful, exhilerating, utterly accessible journey into the personal heart of the sacred

text: I have loved Bernstein's mass since it was first released, even more when I heard/saw it performed in Rockefeller Chapel on the South Side of Chicago.  Newer recordings just don't satisfy -- the rhythms, pulses, the yearning innocence and spitting cynicism are never captured just as Bernstein meant them except here -- though I admit not having heard any other versions he may have conducted.  There is something deeply touching in the rebirth of personal innocence and love of God that emerges from the collapse of top-heavy (mental) structures of belief, something easy to miss in the power-over hierarchies of Catholicism and other long-established religions.  It is this direct experience of love's redemption that makes this, for me, one of my favorite ever recordings.  If you buy this, I hope you will enjoy it, too.


title: One of the best Scarlatti performers

text: Although Sodergren is not well known in the USA, this recording of Scarlatti sonatas is one of the best, about the same level as Pletnev and Horowitz. Elegant, nuanced, with precise articulation, she is a pleasure to listen to and a worthwhile addition to the genre. Highly recommended.


title: Great music, horrible recording

text:
The music here is great but it was horribly transfered to CD.
On the first concerto for piano there is a skip between second and
third movement, and another one at the end of the first movement of
the second piano concerto, I guess I have to be realistic because this cd
was bought used at an amazon market place store. The music is good and sounds good
just those skips....


title: World's best artists

text: I wish music like this was more popular. These people need more credit.


title: Passable Performance

text: A disappointing show, one of which I do not need in my collection. There are two many low points in the performance. The big disappointment in the first set is Let it Grow. It lacks energy  its too sleepy and tired. The second set starts of with half a version of Bertha as they forget or  decided not to sing the big " test me test me  - jail house verse so half of a song is a waste. The Playing in the Band and Morning Dew are excellent but that is it for the second set. The Not Fadeaway suffers the same fate as Let it Grow, tired and lacking consistent energy. Plus the recording is undesirable in that Bob and Jerry are recorded on the same channel, which is difficult to get used to. Not an essential recording for the Dead. What was Dave thinking.


title: Wonderful Album!

text: This is a great recording of the music of Ketelbey!  Beautifully played, sung and conducted.  Delighted to get a great copy of the CD in it's original release with the gorgeous artwork!


title: A Mien to Move a Queen

text:
For some reason, Alfred Einstein never quite warmed to K 482 - a rare misjudgment from the Mozart maven - but his countryman Cuthbert Girdlestone knew a masterpiece when he saw one, aptly crowning it the “Queenliest” of Mozart’s concertos.

Advantage: Girdlestone. K 482 is everything an E flat concerto ought to be: proud, majestic, and free. It’s imbued with the spirit of Figaro.

In this EMI recording from the mid-80’s, Christian Zacharias aims more for pacific beauty than for drama. He doesn’t go for broke like Barenboim/ECO/BPO, Anda, or Edwin Fischer. He takes the tragic middle movement at a steady clip, finding the pathos via his amazingly variegated touch rather than in extremities of tempo. The Finale is carefree but perhaps a bit subdued, especially compared to Barenboim, Anda, and E. Fischer. The Dresden Staatskapelle - ably led by a perceptive, decidedly pre-HIP David Zinman - is all burnished gold and wine-darkened strings. The mini-wind serenades in both the Andante and in the self-contained Andantino section of the Finale are played with exquisite delicacy.. All-in-all, this is an introspective K 482, more night music than bravura showpiece. But Zacharaias - whose original cadenzas are always insightful - has the courage of his convictions, and that makes all the difference.

The other half of this disc is given to the great A Major K 488. Played with vigor and sparkle, the outer movements skip along with a boyishness bordering on insolence. Zacharias is as brilliant as ever here, finding felicities and plucky humor in every phrase. Does any pianist of recent vintage have such a wide range of touch, or deploy such subtle pedal effects?

The highlight of the A Major - and perhaps the entire disc - is the F sharp minor Adagio. In Zacharias’s (and Zinman’s) hands, late autumn itself is conjured, barren and lonely. Zinman earns his fee and then some by eliciting some of the softest, most sensitive string and wind playing you will ever hear. This A Major is a serious challenger to Uchida/Tate - yes, it really is that good.

Laurels to Zacharias for sure, but also plaudits to Zinman...these collaborations make one wonder what might have been had the still-young maestro avoided the siren call (thin and shrill, no doubt) of the HIPsters....alas!

At any rate, we grieve not, but rather find strength in what remains behind: a solid K 482, and a splendid K 488, recorded in the resounding acoustic of the Lucaskirche (a red-letter day for the EMI engineers).

These performances can also be found in an integral set (mature concertos only) released  by EMI first in 2002, then again in 2011 in a more compact clamshell box. This disc is but a sampling of its virtues. A word of caution: CZ recorded another cycle on the MDG label with the Laussane Chamber Orchestra...the EMI cycle is the one to have.

Five Stars, even with competition as thick as the bowl used for CZ’s 1980’s haircut.


title: Eternal Summer

text:
To my knowledge, DG has reissued Schneiderhan’s K.219 in OIBP as part of its “Originals” series (coupled with the Beethoven VC), as well as in its “Resonance” series alongside K.216 and K.218. But to date, I believe this “Eloquence” release is the only place one can find K.207 and K.211 on CD. This is a real shame because the performances are stellar in every way.

For starters Schneiderhan has the backing of the undiluted, full-scaled power of the Berliner Philharmonker at its peak, recorded in the legendary Jesus Christus Kirche.

On top of that, Schneiderhan was a sympathetic and insightful Mozartean who was not afraid to treat this music with reverence. Alive to the innate lyricism of these works, Schneiderhan shows his gift for poetry without overdoing it with rhetorical flourishes and “embellishments” such as those that mar many of today’s HIP readings.

That said, Schneiderhan does not shy away from using his own cadenzas - and while I am not a musicologist, I can say as a Mozart addict that they work splendidly - idiomatic and incisive without becoming obtrusive.

DG should really consider a wide re-release of this cycle, which I consider to be the only true rival to David Oistrakh’s legendary set with the same orchestra on EMI. As far as the individual performances go, Schneiderhan’s readings are taken at a slightly quicker pace than the Oistrakh/Berlin, but the weight of tone and legato phrasing is very similar between the recordings. Oistrakh is more inclined to unabashed Romanticism, where Schneiderhan is more classically oriented. The Berliners are on fire for both soloists. If these were the only two cycles of the Mozart VC’s in your collection I’d say you were doing all right.

Of course, there are many great individual performances of these works in the catalogue (Mutter/Karajan/Berlin in K.216 and 219, for example) and some sets that take a lighter, more classical approach (Grumiaux/Davis/LSO; Szeryng/Gibson/New Philharmonia; Perlman/Levine/VPO) that may be more or less appealing according to your taste.

But for sheer genius married to flawless, unapologetically large-scaled, golden-hued orchestral playing, Schneiderhan, Oistrakh and the immortals of the Berliner Philharmoniker have no rivals. Their eternal summer shall not fade.


title: Down the rivers of the windfall light

text:
Although Mozart's prolificacy was lifelong, 1784 was a special year for him. During this annus mirabilis, Mozart wrote no less than 6 piano concertos (all masterpieces, K.449 through K.459), the Quintet for Piano and Winds K.452 (in Mozart's own words, the greatest thing he had ever written), the great C Minor Piano Sonata (K.457) and the "Hunt" String Quartet in Bb (the fourth of the six "Haydn" Quartets). All of this in less than 12 months.

During this remarkable year, the 9 weeks between 2/9/1784 and 4/12/1784 stand out, transcending mere fecundity:

February 9, 1784: Mozart completes the Eb Piano Concerto K.449
March 15, 1784: Mozart completes the Bb Piano Concerto K.450
March 22, 1784: Mozart completes the D Major Piano Concerto K.451
March 30, 1784: Mozart completes the Quintet for Piano and Winds in Eb, K.452
April 12, 1784: Mozart completes the G Major Piano Concerto K.453

This is astonishing - some might even say miraculous - even for Mozart. In recent years many scholars and musicians - particularly of the HIP variety - have sought to demystify Mozart, to knock him down a peg or two. Musicologists have been keen to point out his flaws and seem obsessed with the prosaic details of his life and work, and HIP practitioners have endeavored to bring Mozart "down to earth" with roughed-up, sweaty, ugly sounding performances. The goal seems to be to endlessly remind us that Mozart a mere mortal. The Zeitgeist commands that we scoff at notions of divine inspiration. Mozart was nothing more, the musicologists tell us, than a very clever man.

Yet when we listen to the music we know better. And in spite of their ongoing efforts to mortalize Mozart, no musicologist has been able to sufficiently address the miracle of 1784. How did Mozart do it? How could any man create no less than 5 masterpieces in less than 9 weeks? It is one of the great mysteries of the universe, and one that no scholar, no matter how learned, will ever be able to answer - just as physicists will never be able to explain the deepest questions of existence.

This recording is a hidden gem of the catalogue. It pairs Walter Klien - one of the keenest Mozarteans who ever lived - with Stanislaw Skrowaczewski (SS) and the Minnesota Orchestra. Klien's way with this music is wonderfully idiomatic. His instrument of choice was a Bosendorfer Imperial, which allows for fortepiano-like transparancy without the hideous sonorities associated with period instruments. Klien is a master of legato - each note sparkles, but his touch is percussive enough to make Mozart's keyboard lines both sing and dance.

As a "B" label, Vox employed some scruffy regional ensembles - some not much more than pickup bands - to record the Mozart Concertos with Klien ([[ASIN:B009T2XPC0 Mozart: Complete Solo Piano Concertos (The Voxbox Edition)]] In the 60's and 70's he was paired with the Mainzer Kammerorchester with Gunter Kehr (K.414, K.456, K.467), the Pro Musica Orchester Wien & Paul Angerer (k.449), the Wiener Volksoperorchester with Peter Maag (K.451, K.488, K.491, K.537). In each of these recordings (none of which have been remastered to date) Klien shines, but the B-grade orchestras sound sour and rough. Whether that is more a function of poor engineering than the artistic shortcomings of the ensembles, we cannot know. Either way, it is a shame - considering Klien's immense talent - that these recordings sound as rough and harsh as they do.

Thankfully, we at least have this disc, the only Mozart Concerto performances featuring Klien in which the orchestra and sound engineering rise to the occasion. In K.453, SS leads the Minnesotans in spirited readings of the outer movements, and the Andante is full of such exquisite beauty and refinement that it qualifies as a "postcard from Cythera" (as reviewer BO'H would say!). Klien's playing of the Andante cadenza is deeply contemplative - and on his Bosendorfer, we get to luxuriate in those deep bass notes. SS's crisply articulated Rondo is a joy - both Klien and the ensemble impart a sparkling vitality to the Presto interlude at 5:20. This Presto interlude is one of Mozart's best surprises, and a archetypal example of what makes Mozart Mozart. Overall, there is an abundance of energy in play here, and happily, a lot of it is supplied by the Minnesotans.

K.595 has long been a subject of debate. Today's musicologists sneer at the notion that Mozart intended it as a farewell; accordingly, the HIP movement usually deprives their readings of this concerto of any sense of valediction. While the musicologists may be right, the HIP practitioners are surely wrong to play K.595 prosaically.

Whether Mozart realized it or not, the Bb Concerto he completed on January 14, 1791 is indeed his farewell to the genre. Alfred Einstein argued passionately that Mozart seemed to have a premonition about his fate; while we may never know if this is really true, the music itself tells us that Einstein may have been right after all.

Right from the start, the cellos and basses underline the Allegro with a sense of gravity. The happy tunes that follow are thus tinged with sadness - the sun is shining, but for the last time - and this signals that Klien and the Minnesotans see K.595 as more than just another item in the Koechel catologue, its status as the final piano concerto being something more than mere coincidence.

Any doubt one might have about the valedictory nature of this work is removed in the Larghetto - a vision of eternity - and Klien and the Minnesotans play it with a wistfulness that makes the heart ache. The Rondo, playful and childlike - a longing for the days of innocence - is sweet, charming, innocent, and sad. Arthur Hutchings wrote that "the sun never sets on any of Mozart's four piano concertos in Bb" - this is undoubtedly true, but in K.595, twilight is nigh.

This pairing is serendipitous. The sound is good, and the performances are brilliant. Marvel at the miracle of 1784. For 62 enchanted days, time let Mozart "hail and climb / Golden in the heydays of his eyes..."

"... And honoured among wagons I was prince of the apple towns
And once below a time I lordly had the trees and leaves
Trail with daisies and barley
Down the rivers of the windfall light."

-D. Thomas


title: a quick follow-up

text: I neglected to mention in a previous review that the documentation includes the full texts of every track on this CD, and a cordial invitation from Jessye herself to sing along with her and the choir if one desires. Regardless of how well or (in my case at least) poorly one can sing, this invitation is very hard to resist.


title: A Beakthrough Recording of a Breakthrough Collection

text:
I can only echo the other reviewer's recommendation.  This is the classic recording of Schütz's breakthrough collection, the 1619 *Psalmen Davids*.  These settings of Psalms (plus a couple of other scriptural passages) reflect the composer's studies in Venice with Giovanni Gabrieli. The latter's polychoral technique and characteristic harmonic rhythms are much in evidence, yet Schütz's distinctively "German/Lutheran" appropriation of this style has now begun in earnest, and will bear fruit in numerous future collections of motets, Symphoniae Sacrae (which also reflect his further studies with Monteverdi), *Geistliche Chormusik*, etc.

Hans-Martin Schneidt and the Regensburg Domspatzen (an all-male choir, with boy trebles and altos) were the first to record the *Psalmen Davids* complete.  There have since been at least two other contenders (Bernius and Rademan). but Schneidt's interpretations are still the best. His consort of period instruments may not be as refined in execution as today's HIP ensembles, but they play their parts (doublings and substitutions) with extraordinary panache.  The choristers sing with enormous vitality, too; their diction is spectacularly clear and articulate--though at times perhaps too forceful.  Schneidt seems to have inspired his forces to play and sing as if their lives depended on it.  This is passionate, earthy, even boisterous music-making.  Very Lutheran, as befits the Prince of Protestant Church Music, and Bach's greatest Lutheran predecessor.

I own both the original LP issue and an Archiv/Universal's reissue from about 25 years ago.  I have not heard the MHS incarnation, but assume that it must the identical remastering released by Archiv.  The sound quality on the CD incarnation I am familiar with is perhaps too aggressive--though I suppose that is suitable for such extrovert interpretations.  The Bernius recording (recently reissued in a very inexpensive Sony package) and the Rademann (of more recent vintage) offer smoother sound, though not necessarily more involving performances.  In fact, both seem relatively low-key when compared with Schneidt/Regensburg.  I would counsel all devout Sagittarians to purchase this as well as one of the more recent recordings previously mentioned.  They make for fascinating comparisons, interpretively and musicologically. In any case, don't miss this opportunity to obtain the Schneidt recording while it remains available (via a now-discontinued MHS issue).


title: A Generous and Inexpensive Anthology of a Great Violinist

text: Veteran collectors should check out Membran's recent "Milestones of a Legend" series--especially for historically important violinists.  This generous and inexpensive box devoted to studio and live perfomances by Zino Francescatti is nothing short of a revelation.  The remastered sound is variable, but most often tolerably good.  The one exception is the Bach E-Major Concerto with Szell and the Clevlanders, in which a tape defect (presumably) plays ping-pong with the sound between left and right channels.  Very distracting.  Occasionally the engineers (if indeed they deserve that honorific title) indulge in bass-boosting to the point of boominess.  But what playing!  Francescatti is a violinist whose recorded career I have largely ignored until now.  Though I have long enjoyed his stereo cycle of the Beethoven sonatas with Casadesus (some earlier, mono collaborations with Casadesus are included here), I had never heard his superb renditions of the standard concerto repertoire.  The Beethoven, Brahms and Tchaikovsky are particularly impressive.  Not everyone will take to this violinist's distinctive fluttery vibrato (if that's the right descriptor).  But once you get used to it, and to his tart-sweet tone characteristic of the "French school,"  you will be swept away by his total mastery of both instrument and music.  There is much repertoire to delight in here as well--from Bach to Prokofiev--and some outstanding partnerships with noted conductors of the time (especially Ormandy and the Philadelphians).  Strongly recommended, along with other volumes in this series (the ones devoted to Morini and Kogan are particularly desirable).


title: Rübsam's First Bach Cycle is a Winner

text:
This is now a rare item, as can be inferred from what "new and used" sellers are charging for it these days.  My review is therefore not a recommendation for prospective listeners to purchase this set, but rather (i)  a notabene to all Bach organ enthusiasts that it exists; and (ii) an implied plea for a reissue at a reasonable price level.

Do not confuse Rübsam's early 1970's Bach cycle for Phillips (which is being reviewed here) with his later, digital series for Naxos.  That latter series is something of a disaster; the playing is labored, with continuous, vertiginous manipulations of tempo sufficient to induce something like aural nausea.  The earlier cycle, on the other hand, is one of the very best ever recorded, and one of the first to engage a new approach to these works, with lighter registration, clean textures, brisk but not breathless tempos, snappy but not jerky articulation, and (in the free works) minimal changes of registration, or shifts of manual, within a given piece.  These priorities have latterly been taken to extremes, but in Rübsam's judicious and thoughtful application of them they work splendidly to mitigate any residue of ponderousness inherited from the Germanic "Urtext" school of Bach interpretation.  Yes, I love Walcha's recordings dearly, but they can seem heavy going when heard alongside the best of Rübsam's efforts.  Rübsam was unquestionably a pioneer.  His achievement, though, has tended to be overlooked in favor of Hurford's slightly later cycle, which takes a similar approach.  Of the two, I still prefer Herford's more imaginative registrations (and wider choice of instruments), particularly in the "free" works.  In the Chorale-based works, however, it is Rübsam who seems the more imaginative, not only in matters of registration, but in phrasing, articulation, and the tricky matter of textural balance (Rübsam gets the relation of cantus firmus to subsidiary voices just right).  Rübsam really shines (and outshines Hurford) in the trio sonatas.  Among the many versions of these works I have heard, I still favor the sublime playfulness of  Chapuis (whose integral cycle was recently reissued on an obscure label at budget price--and well worth investigating); but Rübsam is not far behind, and in many respects I prefer the latter's registration, and his more meditative approach to the slow movements.  But if you know Chapuis's renditions of the Trio Sonatas, you know what to expect from Rübsam; their approaches are, on the whole, quite similar: bold, vigorous, effortlessly meeting the exigent demands of these most virtuosic of Bach's organ works (I have yet to meet a professional organist who doesn't regard them as the acid test of organ technique).

The one mild disappointment in this outstanding set is Rübsam's somewhat low-key, and didactic rendition of *Kunst der Fuge*.  In the denser contrapuncti, he manages to keep the texture admirably clear; however, I was listening for depth--the haunting echo of Eternity that one discerns beneath the surface complexities of this astonishing collection--and rarely heard it in Rübsam's predominantly literalistic approach.  Turning to Walcha (or Rogg, for that matter), one discerns almost immediately what is missing in Rübsam's performance.  The Germans have a wonderful word for it:  *Andacht* (the very word used by Beethoven as an expresssion marking for the Kyrie of his Missa Solemnis:  "mit Andacht").

Whatever the limitations of Rübsam's *Kunst der Fuge*, this organist's overall achievement in this repertoire is considerable.  He offers a distinctive and refreshing approach to Bach that will not wear thin or tire the ear over the long haul of 16 CDs (or on repeated listenings).  His two instruments--a Metzler in Frauenfeld, Switzerland and a Marcussen in Freiburg, Germany--are perfectly disposed for German baroque repertoire.  As recorded by engineers who seem to know what they are about, the sound is always pleasing, whatever the registration or dynamic level.  Indeed, one could count this Bach cycle as among the most sensuously beautiful ever recorded.  Never a harsh or shrill sound emanates from these sets of pipes--or from your speakers.

Why, then, does this set languish in obscurity--and virtual unavailability--given its many virtues?  It is clearly the equal of the finest of the better-known Bach organ cycles, and superior to most others.  Let us hope for an affordable reissue soon!


title: Scherchen's *St John Passion*:  Imperfect in Execution, Sublime in Conception

text:
The substance of my review will be simply to endorse Ralph Moore's accurate and insightful comments.  I have known and enjoyed this recording since my college days (so long ago they were!), though it was not my first acquaintance with this great work.  Van Kesteren (Nazi though he may have been -- see the comments to Mr. Moore's review), had a voice and technique ideally suited to the role of Evangelist in the Bach Passions.  He does splendid work here, and the other soloists range from good (the strenuous Kmentt) to excellent (the underrated Phyllis Curtin).

However, it is Scherchen's highly dramatic, if idiosyncratic, conception of the piece that makes this recording worthwhile for nostalgia buffs and admirers of the conductor.  Scherchen's interpretive priorities may seem strange at first hearing--his tempi, for instance, are often extreme in both directions--yet they often reveal something essential about the music that gets covered over in more conventional interpretations.  Though his recording of the *St. John Passion* can't quite compare with his harrowing account of the *St. Matthew* and sublime rendition of the *Actus Tragicus*, it conveys a similar inwardness.  At his best, Scherchen had a unique capacity to draw the listener into an intimate discourse with the composer, as if the music were communicating directly with one's innermost being. I cannot explain exactly how he accomplished this; there's something ineffable about a great Scherchen performance.  For examples, I would direct the listener to the arias "Thou hast gone up on high" and "If God be for us" from either his mono or his stereo recording of *Messiah*; or, better yet, listen to the opening chorus-with-ariosi of BWV 106 and see if goosebumps are not raised with the hushed entrance of the bass at "Bestelle dein Haus!"

Well, I've gone on longer than I had anticipated, but Scherchen deserves more attention than he as received in recent years, and this reissue of his *St John Passion* in MCA's "Double Decker" series from the late 1980's is as good a place as any to being exploring his legacy.  Beware of sellers, though, who advertise the 2-CD set, but send you only one of the two discs.  These MCA Double Deckers were issued in a peculiar format, with the two CD's in separate jewel cases vertically arranged in a plastic casing.  Some sellers of used Double Deckers, in my experience, whether knowingly or unknowingly, send you only one of the two jewel cases.


title: An Outstanding Handel Anthology

text:
This anthology of Sir John Eliot's esteemed Handel oratorio recordings for the Phillips label (minus *Messiah*) is a must for Handelians and admirers of this conductor.  Though the label is now defunct (assimilated to Decca/Universal), and this box, originally issued to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the composer's death has been technically discontinued, many new and used copies are still available at decent prices.  Of course, you have to put up with the inevitable absence of librettos for the four works included, but given the high quality of these performances, few listeners are likely to complain. Gardiner's Monteverdi Choir sings with such perfect diction, balance and projection throughout, having the text at hand is not mandatory, even for those who are experiencing these great works for the first time.

Gardiner's 1984 studio version of *Solomon*, and his live recording of *Saul* from the 1988 Göttingen Festival are justly esteemed.  In my estimation--and I have been collecting and listening to Handel recordings since my youth--these are among the very finest Handel recordings ever made.  It is even more regrettable, therefore, that Gardiner makes some substnatial cuts in *Solomon*, preferring to conclude the work with "Praise the Lord," (as was common practice from the time of Beecham's infamous recording), and omitting one aria apiece for the Levite, Zadock, Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.  How any self-respecting Handelian could cut the Queen's entrance aria ("Every sight these eyes behold," so fetchingly done by Beecham) is beyond me, though perhaps Phillips imposed certain budgetary constraints (e.g., the entire work had to be presented on two CD's).  That caveat aside, Gardiner's version of this work still stands as the criterion against which all newcomers shall be judged; he balances intimacy and majesty perfectly;, and that central panel of the Judgment Scene in Act II (omitted in its entirety by Beecham, who probably considered it beneath his dignity to countenance lines such as "Can I see my infant gored?") has never been presented with such poignant dramatic fervor than here.  The Soloists, particularly Watkinson as the first-recorded mezzo Solomon (as per Handel's original intention) creates a character of almost uncanny sublimity, without a hint of sententiousness. The live performance of *Saul* is, in a word, terrific.  Alistair Miles makes the central character chillingly believable--without overdoing the villany--and all of the other principals to complete justice to their respective roles (Ragin is a bit lightweight as David, but sings his harp aria with great tenderness).

*Jephtha* and *Israel in Egypt* are nearly as good; the qualifier is due in part to the overly dry acoustic in the former and the omission of Handel's original Part I (based on the Funeral Ode for Queen Caroline) from the latter.  *Jephtha* bids fair to being the composer's greatest work--it is at any rate his most profound meditation on the human condition--and Gardiner's plumbs its depths more tellingly than any other (save perhaps for Somary's pioneering version for Vanguard, though in many respects it sounds dated from a stylistic point of view).  Nigel Robson garnered some criticism over the years for his less than glamorous vocalism. Yet he virtually lives the part; his is a truly haunting portrayal of hubris brought low by tragedy.  His rendition of "Waft her angels" will break your heart. Von Otter's scorching portrayal of Storge (Jephtha's wife) is also unforgettable. Lynne Dawson, too, is impressive as something more than a hapless victim; her Iphis manages to combine innocence and experience is just the right balance.  The voice is vulnerable, but neither fragile-delicate nor petulant (like Somary's Reri Grist).  Only Varcoe disappoints in the minor role of Zebul; the timbre of the voice is too light to provide suitable contrast with his brother, Jephtha. One is less disappointed then usual at the omission of his Act II aria.  The choral singing, as always with this group, is magnificent--fully responsive to Handel's kaleidoscopic changes of mood, tempo, texture and tonality (often within the same piece, as with the famous "O Lord, how dark are Thy decrees").  Gardiner's digital  *Israel in Egypt* from 1991 competes with his earlier Erato version, recorded before the conductor turned fully to period performance practice.  The Erato version conveys the drama of the "plague" choruses in Part One and the grandeur of the celebratory anthems in Part Two, with greater immediacy, and the soloists sound marginally more confident; the later account is less forceful, more nuanced, with  pronounced dance-rhythms (where appropriate) and lighter textures overall.  Listeners brought up on the old English Oratorio Tradition, might well prefer the earlier version, but the later one is ultimately more interesting (and far less bellicose than usual in this work).  The choral singing, which was already outstanding in the Erato recording, is even finer in 1991--more responsive to the text, more expressive, more articulate.

The recorded sound varies in quality, but is never less than good, and truly splendid in the studio for *Solomon.*  If you are just beginning to explore Handel's huge output in this genre beyond *Messiah*, this Gardiner box is a great place to start.  If you are a veteran Handelian looking for alternative versions of favorite oratorios, or a follower the conductor, this can also be strongly recommended.  There are four of Handel's greatest masterpieces here, four tremendous performances, and a reasonable price tag. Snap this up before it becomes unavailable or (as a "rare" item), too expensive to consider.


title: A Cherishable Set

text:
Schuricht was a venerable figure among German conductors of the mid-20th Century, though his recorded legacy is relatively unknown today. That is unfortunate, since he was a remarkably perceptive conductor, worthy to be placed alongside the greatest of his generation.  He favored straightforward, clear-headed interpretations entirely without artifice or  glamor-mongering.  His conductorial manner was, in a word, gentlemanly. Whether the composer be Baroque, Classical, Romantic or Modern, Schuricht ensures that the music is set forth with utter naturalness.  Some critics have complained of a certain dourness, and I can see their point. If you're looking for visceral excitement or monumentality, these qualities are generally absent in a Schuricht performance.  Instead, you will find a certain intimacy of expression that makes it seem as if the music is speaking directly to you, the listener. This cherishable set  from Scribendum contains the bulk of the studio recordings Schuricht made in the early stereo era for the "Concert Hall" label, with several European orchestras which he led or guest-conducted during this period.

Not every item in this set is equally well performed. The  SDR and SWR were hardly in the front rank among German ensembles at this time, and the same holds for the "Paris Opera Orchestra."  On the other hand, the Bavarian Radio Symphony and the Vienna State Opera Orchestra acquit themselves well for Schuricht.  The Schubert "Great C-Major" with the Süddeutsche Rundfunk orchestra sounds rather creaky in places, and the Brahms Fourth with the Bavarian forces will hardly replace Fürtwangler or Toscanini in anyone's affections.  However, the Bruckner and Mendelssohn (both specialties of the conductor) are splendid, with the Wagner, Strauss, Schumann, and Weber not far behind. The Paris orchestra gives fizzing renditions of three Mozart symphonies; these are wholly delightful (despite some slipshod ensemble and the absence of exposition repeats), not least because of the distinctive timbre of the Parisian winds,  Best of all, perhaps, are the Bach "Brandenburg Concertos" crisply and enthusiastically played by a fine Swiss chamber ensemble.  These are decidedly jolly readings, with robust but not inflated textures, snappy rhythmic articulation and incisive attack.  There is a fair amount of appropriately executed ornamentation, and the solo playing is first-rate.  The four concerti grossi by Handel (performed by a reduced BRSO) are also enjoyably light-hearted, even if the playing here is not quite as alert, nor the recording as vivid as in the Bach (the presumed harpsichord continuo is inaudible).

The Bruckner Seventh deserves special mention, given Schuricht's strong reputation as an advocate of this composer.  Schuricht manages successfully to convey this symphony's lofty and expasnive qualities with a minimum of fuss at flowing tempos.  Though the tempo of the Adagio may well seem too brisk for some listeners, Schuricht's effortlessly natural phrasing and intuitive grasp of structure amply compensate for any loss of gravitas.  Though this is a very fine performance, it doesn't quite measure up to Schuricht's best Bruckner recordings (such as his EMI studio versions of the composer's Third, Eighth and Ninth symphonies with the VPO, or the live broadcast performances from Stuttgart of the Fifth, Eighth and Ninth recently released in Hänssler Classic's Schuricht edition).  The problem is that the Hague Philharmonic is not quite up to the exigent demands of this monumental score.  The string timbre tends to be on the pallid side;and the wind and brass playing are, in a word, undistinguished.  Too bad Schuricht never got around to recording this work with the VPO as part of his Bruckner series for EMI.  Fans of the conductor, however, will appreciate the opportunity of hearing the conductor's distinctive take on this work, and are urged to listen past the imperfections in orchestral execution.

The recording quality throughout this set is reasonably good, though sometimes congested (as in the Schubert Ninth) and/or a bit cloudy (as in the Handel and Bruckner). Whatever the limitations, however, we must be grateful to Scribendum for resuscitating these historic recordings, long out of circulation. Overall, this gives the listener a splendid introduction to this "gentle giant" among Twentieth Century conductors.


title: A Great Performance That Deserves Reissue

text:
This is, quite simply, the most illuminating performance of the "St. Matthew" ever recorded.  Scherchen could be wilful and indeed eccentric, but here he provides an interpretation that is nothing short of revelatory.  You think you know this work inside and out?  Scherchen will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout.  Yes, there are inevitable flaws having to do with incorrect ideas of Baroque performance practice; yet it is amazing how far Scherchen's scaled-down ensemble anticipates the period performance practice of a generation later.  His soloists have their ups and downs, but Cuenod and Rehfuss, at the top of their form, give the most dramatically involving accounts of the Evangelist and Christus that I have heard (and I am familiar with nearly all of the recordings of this work).  The Viennese forces contribute some fine obbligato playing, though the chamber-sized chorus sings with a more pronounced vibrato than would be deemed acceptable today.  Otherwise the choral singing is sufficiently athletic to negotiate Bach's melismatic lines and sufficiently well balanced to keep the contrapuntal textures clear.  The old Westminster recording has been given a new lease on life in this MCA Millenium Classics transfer.  There is a hint of congestion here and there, but otherwise the sound is far superior than on any LP pressing I have heard.

The bad news, of course, is that this one and only reissue of Scherchen's classic *St Matthew* had limited distribution and shelf life even in the UK, where it originated.  I don't remember it ever showing up on these shores (and for several years I scoured the shelves at Tower Recrods and Virgin Megastore in Boston and New York trying to find it; eventually one lone copy turned up on the Amazon.com website).

For now listeners in search of this amazing recording will have to look for used copies at second-hand stores.  There are still many copies of the LP set out there, though those in good condition fetch a handsome sum.

So the question is:  When will Universal (who owns the rights to the Westminster catalog), or some enterprising  smaller label, do classical music lovers the favor of reissuing not only this sublime *St Matthew*, but also the dozens of other unique performances conducted by that great iconoclast, Herman Scherchen?

UPDATE:  Tahra has, at last, rectified the situation by reissuing this great recording as of November, 2010.  Prospective purchasers can find it on this website.

SECOND UPDATE: The Tahra reissue mentioned in the above "Update" has now presumably gone out of print; the asking price has skyrocketed.  I have noticed that some of the earlier, Millennium classics sets are available for considerably less cost.  Since I own a copy of the Millennium Classics reissue, I can attest to the high quality of the digital transfer, which enable one to hear this superb reading of the *St Matthew* in optimal monaural sound--rather than via those dismal, old Westminster pressings.

THIRD UPDATE (2016):  DG/Universal Italia has just issued a convenient bargain box containing a wide-ranging, representative survey of Scherchen's Westminster recordings (to which Universal owns the rights), under the title, "The Art of Hermann Scherchen." Since Scherchen's superb *St Matthew* is included in that set, which currently sells for just over $100.00, there is no need to consider purchasing this earlier Millennium Classics reissue for such ludicrously inflated prices as Amazon sellers are currently asking for.  Purchase the newly issued bargain box and you will get not only several of Scherchen's most famous Bach recordings, but also four-fifths of his Beethoven Symphony cycle,  plus*Christ on the Mount of Olives,* and *Wellington's Victory,* all of his Mahler and most of his Haydn recordings, several discs of Handel orchestral music, *Messiah* (stereo version), Mozart's *Requiem* (stereo version), LIszt Tone Poems and Hungarian Rhapsodies, and much else besides.


title: Five Stars

text: item as described and quickly shipped!!!


title: Rarities Late Romantic Russian Poems

text: This CD contains rarities poems of Sergei Lyapunov which are no Ionger played in concert halls. The music is late  romantic Russian inspired by Rimski-Korsakov and Balakirev (Eastren "Hassish" Poem) .In memory of Chopin poem make use of some  of his famous Etudes and Solemn overture is merely Russian late-romantic music.The quality of recording and performance of USSR<br />academic symphony under Svetlanov is mediocre.


title: Mahler dressed like Japanese

text: I shall start with a confession:I'm addicted to Mahler 10trh. This unfinished work have attracted many versions and the obsession to hear each one of the numerous versions and to own each one of them hit me hard. How hard? Even to pay more than 80$ for the Japanese version of this symphony namely the Samale and Mazzuca version which is available only from Japanese suppliers and the price accordingly. After listening to it I must admit it's the richest version I ever heard by tonality and the decorated thems added to each part of the work.Just wonderfull and a must to all Mahler 10th addicted like me who dont hesitate to spare an extra dime? just to enjoy the Arnheim Philharmonic Orchestra making marvellous under the button  of Martin Sieghart..