Chopin: Works for Cello & Piano

On this CD:

1. Sonata for cello & piano in G minor, Op. 65, CT 204
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Louise-Andree Baril, Therese Motard

2. Nocturne for piano in B major, Op. 32/1, CT 116
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Louise-Andree Baril, Therese Motard

3. Nocturne for piano in F sharp major, Op. 15/2, CT 112
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Louise-Andree Baril, Therese Motard

4. Nocturne for piano in C sharp minor, KK Anh.Ia/6 (doubtful)
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Louise-Andree Baril, Therese Motard

5. Fantasy-Impromptu for piano in C sharp minor, Op. 66, CT 46
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Louise-Andree Baril, Therese Motard

6. Waltz for piano in A minor, Op. 34/2, CT 208
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Louise-Andree Baril, Therese Motard

7. Introduction and Polonaise brillante for cello & piano in C major, Op. 3, CT 148
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Louise-Andree Baril, Therese Motard

Customer Reviews:

badly remastered.......2007-06-25

"The Complete Rachmaninoff', at 2-3 times the price is a better deal. This version is re-mastered in a way that reduces surface noise, but, at the same time, removes much of the pianists' tone quality that comes through so well on the original LP release, as well as the more expensive set. Also, this album is lacking the documentation of recording dates that the LP and 'The Complete Rachmaninoff' provide. For the neophyte, the re-mastering reduces the magic of Rachmaninoff's tone. I would expect the connoisseur to be even more disappointed. There are bargains out there, but for this album, you get what you pay for.

Rachmaninov is the master.......2007-05-15

Some people like the recordings and some dont, but as a fan of Rachmaninov it would be a shame not to own these recordings. To hear a master composer from history play his own works is not that common. Just put the cd in your player put your headphones on and watch the black and white images appear in your mind as though you were at a concert in the 1930's looking on at the man sitting at the piano carefully but with feeling pounding each note into the air of time. If you don't like the scratchy recordings then obviously you are a spoiled brat who doesnt appreciate fine art.

A Master of Musical Love.......2007-01-18

There have been other brilliant composers and genius pianists as Rachmaninoff lived and afterwards. Yet, in my opinion, he is the real central figure of his days and, as far as I can feel, what there is of most modern up to now in classical music. I do not think it exaggerated to say that, after all these decades, someone is still to pick up the torch from his hands at that level of inspiration, just as he picked it up from Tchaikovsky. It is true that a few of his compositions seem quirky and cerebral: but more than a few are the masterpieces. His second Concerto is the concert of the century. And where do we find, for instance, a match for his etude tableau 39/5 in one hundred years? Or a simply revolutionary piece as his prelude 32/12 is?

One could go on with a list of marvelous compositions either created or played by him and many reviewers already pointed so much of great in his recordings. So a good thing to do here is what a previous reviewer also did: to say something special about one favorite piece of the box-set. My forerunner pointed to Rach's rendering of Haendel's "Harmonious Blacksmith" and I agree with each word he wrote about it. Now I should like to declare my amazement about his version of "Leise flehen", initially a Swansong written by Schubert and later transcribed by Liszt.

Hopefully Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and other singers will not mind my saying this, but Rachmaninoff unveils and exposes such a treasure in this song that now its original lyrics only seem to obstruct the inestimable wealth in piano notes below them at all other known recordings: the piece is infinitely more beautiful when left to the pianist alone. Rach's playing is warm and generous, just like Schubert's creative Geist, and the result is light-years ahead of the usual rough, squared, catacomb mood with which people bring the composition along with singers.

Impossible not to love, but there is more to that. After listening so many times to this piece that never ceases to stun me, I came to conclude that in fact very few people could manage to play the `leise flehen' like this, even among good pianists. As expressed here, its notes speak to their listener in such frank, open, and direct way - like a true friend making an important confession - that only a man with Rachmaninoff's `heart of gold' could manage to convey its meaning.

Ahhh, maybe we're talking about technique... To have a most noble heart, then, is THE decisive technical prerequisite for communicating these notes, otherwise they will simply not come out at all.

Notes: Here are a few opinions about the pieces mentioned above; hopefully they will be helpful for persons who don't know Rachmaninoff's works and stimulating for those who already know them. 1) As far as I am aware, besides Rachmaninoff only Valentina Lisitsa recorded the Leise flehen in a solo version. It can be found in her 2005 DVD with the Swan Songs program. 2) The etude tableaux 39/5 is not in this box set; many performers have played it, but none as Van Cliburn, who simply operates a miracle in the CD "My Favorite Rachmaninoff". His playing and the vertigo sensation it leaves behind are so powerful that I am sometimes afraid to listen to him. 3) Horowitz, the wizard, masters the prelude 32/12 in his CD "Horowitz Plays Scriabin" and in his legendary 1986 Moscow recital; the prelude is also in Rach's box-set. 4) About the second concerto, there are so many recordings, most of which I have not heard; my favorite performer is Benno Moiseiwitsch, a sublime piano poet much admired by Rachmaninoff himself. None of the recordings I've heard of the concerto, including the two available by its own composer, reach the climax of its third movement as Moiseiwitsch does in a 1944 movie called "Battle for Music". It is only a short excerpt from one of his wartime presentations with the LSO, but long enough to show how it sounds when perfectly done. The excerpt is also in the movie "The Art of Piano", in which the entire footage involving Rachmaninoff and Moiseiwitsch is simply a gem (however much historically unprecise).

Classic Historic Rachmaninoff........2006-01-14

If you're a tad bit confused between this boxed set and "The Complete Recordings" boxed set from 1992, fear not. Both this and "The Complete Recordings" are exactly the same. The only difference is in the cover art and packaging. Also, the price of this recent reissue is half as much as the original edition. If you have the original edition, there's no need to buy it again. If you don't own this already, then this present edition is the one to get mainly because of its reduced price tag.
With this out of the way, onto the music itself:
The Rachmaninoff Complete recordings collection includes everything the great Russian composer/pianist recorded between the years 1919 and 1941. Besides recording historic versions of his own classic Piano Concertos, his "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paginini" as well as conducting his own Third Symphony and Isle of the Dead, Rachmaninoff also recorded arrangements of works by such great composers ranging from Bach, Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert to most importantly, Chopin. These recordings are also included in this mammoth set alongside more obscure works by Mussorgsky, Daquin, Henselt and Dohnanyi.
The sound quality varies throughout the set ranging from highly listenable to sounding as if it were transferred by placing a microphone directly into the horn of an old grammophone. Despite the variants of sound quality, one cannot deny that this music as well as these recordings are important and historic.
The CD booklet gives a brief insight to Rachmaninoff's history as a recording artist as well as a breakdown of the tracks themselves. The only major flaw with this present edition is the fact that there are no recording dates listed anywhere in the liner notes. Considering that these are historic recordings dating from the very birth of the recording age, it would've definitely been helpful to be able to identify the year in which each work included here was recorded. Considering that I do not own the original edition of this set, there's a good chance that the first edition included the dates of the recordings. Not so here though. This is the reason why this reviewer docked this set one star.
Apart from this, this present edition or Rachmaninoff's complete recordings is a must for the die-hard Rachmaninoff fan. You get to hear the genius at work not only with his own material but with works by others as well. There are also a few note worthy collaborations such as a full disc of duets with legendary violinist Fritz Kreisler, an appearance by mezzo soprano Naddejda Plevitskaya on the arrangement of the traditional tune "Powder and Paint" and a fabulous four-hand piano rendition of Rachmaninoff's own "Italian Polka" with his daughter Natalie as second pianist (which actually sounds like a homemade wax-cylinder recording).
With this said, if you can get around guessing when these recordings were made, this is some great and historic music from one of the very best composer/musicians of our time - the one and only, the great Sergei Rachmaninoff.

Average customer rating:

Mstislav Rostropovich: Cello Concertos

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000M05VMK
Release Date: 2007-04-10

Tracks:

Allegro Non Troppo
Allegretto Con Moto
Tempo Primo
I. Nicht Zu Schnell
II. Langsam
III. Sehr Lebhaft
Song Of The Troubadour Op.71

Tracks:

Introduction And Polonaise Brillante Op.3
Intermezzo
Chorus Of The Polovtsian Maidens/Dance Of The Polovtsian Maidens
Adagio
Elfentanz Op.39
An Einsamer Quelle
IV. Nicht Zu Rasch
I. Mit Humor ('Vanitas, Vanitatum')
III. Nicht Schnell, Mit Viel Ton Zu Spielen
Aria 'Vouchsafe, O Lord'
Moto Perpetuo Op.11

Average customer rating:

INCREDIBLE TECHNIQUE, PHRASING,TONE
Very good technique....tone...no
Wow

Amanda
Isaac Albeniz , Fryderyk Chopin , Manuel de Falla , Enrique Granados , Ernesto Lecuona , Franz Lehar , Thelonious Monk , Gioachino Rossini , Cyril Scott , Carl Maria von Weber , and Amanda Pepping
Manufacturer: Summit(Classical)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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

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ASIN: B000AMPZL2
Release Date: 2005-09-13

Tracks:

Asturias Leyenda De La Suite Espanola
Cordoba
Andalucia
Gitaneras
Malagunea
Lotus Land
Andaluza, Spanish Dance No.5
Scherzo
Muzurka
Frasquita
Malaguena
El Pano Moruno
Seguidilla
Asturiana
Jota
Nana
Cancion
Polo
The Willow Song
Danse Espagnol
Round Midnight

Album Description

Amanda Pepping, one of the rare company of female trumpet virtuosi, enjoys a diverse career as an active soloist, ensemble musician, and music teacher. She has had dozens of solo engagements in the last few years. This CD is a collection of many of Pepping's favorite pieces.

Customer Reviews:

INCREDIBLE TECHNIQUE, PHRASING,TONE.......2007-06-28

I don't know what music the first comment was referring to when he said she doesn't have good tone. Amanda Pepping is superb in every aspect of her playing. Fast, articulate, great phrasing, technique, and tonal quality. He needs to get his trumpet out and match what she does. (If he even plays at all). I think he can probably play "Twinkle, twinkle, little star".

T.A.

Very good technique....tone...no.......2005-10-21

She's got some very impressive technique, especially from what you hear on the first track...all that rapid firing! wow

But when you talk about tone, which I believe is the essence of trumpet playing, she does not produce a rich enough tone

If you want to listen to INSANE technique while still retaining a beautiful tone, listen to Maurice Andre, his Carnival of Venice was quite impressive

Wow.......2005-09-20

Amanda Pepping is most definitely in the elite company of the small sorority of female trumpet virtuosi. Brava!

Grieg, Schumann& Chopin : Works for Cello & Piano

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Grieg, Schumann& Chopin : Works for Cello & Piano

Manufacturer: BBC Music Magazine
ProductGroup: Music
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Kaleidoscope: Piano Encores

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000FIHMG2
Release Date: 2006-05-08

Tracks:

Wein, Weib Und Gesang
The Swan (Carnival Of The Animals)
Tambourin
Waltz-Poem Iv For Left Hand Alone
Moment Musical In F Minor, D. 870 No. 3
Tango, Op. 165 No. 2
Alt. Wien
Kaleidoscope, Op. 40 No. 4
Melody In F, Op. 3 No. 1
Nocturne In C Sharp Minor, Op. 19 No. 4
Waltz In D, Op. 42 No. 3
Autrefois, Op. 87
Capriccio Espagnole, Op. 37
Prelude In D Major, Op. 11 No. 5
Polka De W.R. (After Behr: Lachtauben)
Nocturne No. 15 In F Minor, Op 55 No. 1
Ballade No. 3 In A Flat, Op. 47

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An excellent introduction to both the life and the work

The Life and Works of Frédéric Chopin

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00005MKG5
Release Date: 2001-07-17

Tracks:

Chopin And The Soul Of The Piano - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Berceuse, Op.57 - Idil Biret
Chopin The Pole - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Polonaise in g - Idil Biret
Early Education - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Vars On A German Air - Idil Biret
Encounters With The Polish Peasantry - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Mazurka in G - Idil Biret
Chopin As Industrious Pupil - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Son in c (Opening) - Idil Biret
He Finds His True Voice As A Composer - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Rondo A La Mazur, Op.5 - Idil Biret
The Fun-Loving Teenager - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Ecossaise, Op.72 No.3 - Idil Biret
Onset Of Illness And The Death Of A Sister - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Nocturne in e - Idil Biret
Hats Off, Gentlemen! A Genius! - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Vars On 'La Ci Darem La Mano', Op.2 - Idil Biret
The Influence Of Paganini - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Souvenir De Paganini - Idil Biret
The First Etudes - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Etude in c#, Op.10, No.4 - Idil Biret
Success In Vienna - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Nocturne in c# - Idil Biret
Chopin In Love - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Polonaise - Idil Biret
Stagnation, Celebrity And The First Con - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Con in f, Op.21 - Idil Biret
Return Of Vitality And Inspiration - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Con in e, Op.11 - Idil Biret
Farewells And The Final Departure From Poland - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser

Tracks:

Europe And Chopin In Crisis - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Scherzo No.1 in b - Idil Biret
Arrival In Paris - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Waltz in E flat, Op.18 - Idil Biret
Paris, Politics, Poles And Performance - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Impromptu in A flat, Op.29 - Idil Biret
Chopin And The Opr - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Andante Spianato, Op.22 - Idil Biret
Chopin And Kalkbrenner - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Etude in G flat, Op.10, No.5 - Idil Biret
The Cholera Epidemi; The Fashionable Teacher - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Etude in C minor, Op.10, No.12, The 'Revolutionary' - Idil Biret
Teaching In Earnest - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Etude in a, Op.25, No.4 - Idil Biret
Souplesse Avant Tout! - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Nocturne in b flat, Op.9, No.1 - Idil Biret

Tracks:

The Woodzinska Affair - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Nocturne in B, Op.32, No.1 - Idil Biret
An Elegant, Pale, Sad Young Man - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Nocturne in D flat, Op.27, No.2 - Idil Biret
George Sand And A Majorcan Winter - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Prlds, Op.28 - Idil Biret
Misanthropy, Hypocrisy And Prejudice - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Mazurkas - Idil Biret
At Nohant: An Idyllic And Creative Summer - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Impromptu in F# - Idil Biret
The Idyll Continues - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Sonata in b flat: Funeral March And Finale - Idil Biret

Tracks:

The Return To Paris - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Ballade No.4 in f - Idil Biret
Chopin Grows Moody, Petulant And Volatile - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Son No.3 in b, Op.58: Finale - Idil Biret
Failing Health And Mounting Tensions - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Barcarolle, Op.60 - Idil Biret
The Break With Sand; Illness; London - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Prld in F#, Op.28, No.8 - Idil Biret
Scotland, London, Paris; Decline And Death - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Polonaise in A flat, Op.53 - Idil Biret

Customer Reviews:

An excellent introduction to both the life and the work.......2001-08-10

Not having known very much at all about Chopin, I cannot vouch for the accuracy in the Naxos entry in their CD and cassette Biography series; but I can vouch for the enjoyment (NA 421912) afforded me.

Written and produced by Jeremy Siepmann, this audio-bio not only tells the strange story of Chopin's life but also includes generous examples of his music, drawn from the bottomless pit of Naxos musical CDs. An excellent idea was to use actors for the voices of Chopin (Anton Lesser), George Sand and other females in his life (Elaine Claxton and Karen Archer), and other male acquaintances (Neville Jason). It is the kind of reading that would fascinate even if the work were fictional.

His letters are particularly fascinating, especially as they are read dramatically by the small cast; and one would rather hear about all his faults--physical and psychological--from people who knew him well. Perhaps his strange epistolary relationship with his Titus is dwelt upon a bit too much, but such are the times (then and now).

Tracks:

Soir Sur La Plaine
Orientale
Nocturne Et Allegro Scherzando
Nocturne Et Allegro Scherzando
Sicilienne
Romance
Invocation: Adagio
Menuet Vif Et Gigue: Legerement; Moderement
Non Troppo Vivo
Musette Vive: Presto
Minuet And Dance Of The Blessed Spirits: Lento Dolcissimo
Sostenuto
Andantino
Traumerei: Andante
Gavotte En Rondeau: Moderato
Sarabande: Larghetto
Moderato
Maestoso
Assez Lent
Moderato, Quasi Fantasia-Vif
Alla Barcarolla, Moderato
Andantino
Vif Et Joyeux
Moderato Quasi Allegretto

Customer Reviews:

Pleasant French Flute/Piano Music Mellifluously Played.......2006-05-27

If you're like me, you'd never heard of Philippe Gaubert (1879-1941). In his day he was a famous French flutist and conductor. For years he was the flute professor at the Paris Conservatoire. This is the third CD in a series of Gaubert's music featuring the Boston Symphony's second flutist, Fenwick Smith, himself a flute professor at the New England Conservatory. But it is the first issue to come my way. The contents of the CD include original pieces by Gaubert -- firmly in the by-then conservative and mostly dreamily lyrical French impressionist mold -- and a dozen never-before-recorded transcriptions for flute and piano of mostly very familiar works, e.g., the minuet from Boccherini's Quintet in E (known to many from its use in the Alec Guinness film, 'The Ladykillers'), Schumann's Träumerei, a Chopin prelude, a Schubert impromptu, etc.

All of the music is suavely played by Smith and his accompanist, pianist Sally Pinkas and it makes for a pleasant but hardly intellectually engaging 77 minutes. This is music to daydream to and one can hardly deny there is sometimes a need for that.

Scott Morrison