At the Vienna State Opera

On this CD:

1. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Zu ihr! Zu ihr!
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Vienna State Chorus and Orchestra with Herbert Alsen, Karl Ettl, Hermann Gallos, Anny Konetzni, Max Lorenz, Georg Maikl, Maria Reining, Viktor Madin, Arno Schellenberg
Conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch

2. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Dich teure Halle
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Vienna State Chorus and Orchestra with Herbert Alsen, Karl Ettl, Hermann Gallos, Anny Konetzni, Max Lorenz, Georg Maikl, Maria Reining, Viktor Madin, Arno Schellenberg
Conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch

3. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Ich fleh' für ihn
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Vienna State Chorus and Orchestra with Herbert Alsen, Karl Ettl, Hermann Gallos, Anny Konetzni, Max Lorenz, Georg Maikl, Maria Reining, Viktor Madin, Arno Schellenberg
Conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch

4. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Erbarm dich mein
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Vienna State Chorus and Orchestra with Herbert Alsen, Karl Ettl, Hermann Gallos, Anny Konetzni, Max Lorenz, Georg Maikl, Maria Reining, Viktor Madin, Arno Schellenberg
Conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch

5. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Versammelt sind aus meinen Landen
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Vienna State Chorus and Orchestra with Herbert Alsen, Karl Ettl, Hermann Gallos, Anny Konetzni, Max Lorenz, Georg Maikl, Maria Reining, Viktor Madin, Arno Schellenberg
Conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch

6. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Von fernher tönten fromme Gnadenlieder
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Vienna State Chorus and Orchestra with Herbert Alsen, Karl Ettl, Hermann Gallos, Anny Konetzni, Max Lorenz, Georg Maikl, Maria Reining, Viktor Madin, Arno Schellenberg
Conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch

7. Lohengrin, opera, WWV 75 Heil, König Heinrich
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Vienna State Chorus and Orchestra with Herbert Alsen, Anny Konetzni, Margarete Teschemacher
Conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch

8. Lohengrin, opera, WWV 75 Was er verbirgt, wohl brächt' es ihm Gefahren
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Vienna State Chorus and Orchestra with Herbert Alsen, Anny Konetzni, Margarete Teschemacher
Conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch

9. Lohengrin, opera, WWV 75 Du Ärmste kannst wohl nie ermessen
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Vienna State Chorus and Orchestra with Herbert Alsen, Anny Konetzni, Margarete Teschemacher
Conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch

10. Die Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods), opera, WWV 86d Dämmert der Tag
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Vienna State Chorus and Orchestra with Herbert Alsen, Anny Konetzni, Hilde Konetzni, Set Svanholm, Else Schurhoff, Daga Soderqvist, Piroska Tutsek
Conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch

11. Die Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods), opera, WWV 86d Es ragt die Burg
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Vienna State Chorus and Orchestra with Herbert Alsen, Anny Konetzni, Hilde Konetzni, Set Svanholm, Else Schurhoff, Daga Soderqvist, Piroska Tutsek
Conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch

12. Die Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods), opera, WWV 86d Zu neuen Taten
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Vienna State Chorus and Orchestra with Herbert Alsen, Anny Konetzni, Hilde Konetzni, Set Svanholm, Else Schurhoff, Daga Soderqvist, Piroska Tutsek
Conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch

13. Die Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods), opera, WWV 86d Hoioho, Hagen!
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Vienna State Chorus and Orchestra with Herbert Alsen, Anny Konetzni, Hilde Konetzni, Set Svanholm, Else Schurhoff, Daga Soderqvist, Piroska Tutsek
Conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch

Tracks:

Pictures At An Exhibition: Promenade
Pictures At An Exhibition: Gnomus
Pictures At An Exhibition: Promenade
Pictures At An Exhibition: The Old Castle
Pictures At An Exhibition: Promenade
Pictures At An Exhibition: Tuileries
Pictures At An Exhibition: Bydlo
Pictures At An Exhibition: Promenade
Pictures At An Exhibition: Ballet Of The Unhatched Chicks
Pictures At An Exhibition: Samuel Goldenberg und Schmuyle
Pictures At An Exhibition: The Market At Limoges
Pictures At An Exhibition: Catacombs: The Roman Tomb
Pictures At An Exhibition: With The Dead In A Dead Language
Pictures At An Exhibition: The Hut On Chicken's Legs
Pictures At An Exhibition: The Great Gate Of Kiev
Night On Bald Mountain
Songs And Dances Of Death: 1. Lullaby
Songs And Dances Of Death: 2. Serenade
Songs And Dances Of Death: 3. Trepak
Songs And Dances Of Death: 4. The Field Marshal
Khovanshchina - Highlights: Prelude: Dawn Over The River Moscow
Khovanshchina - Highlights: Dances Of The Persian Slave Girls

Tracks:

Pictures At An Exhibition: Promenade
Pictures At An Exhibition: Gnomus
Pictures At An Exhibition: Promenade
Pictures At An Exhibition: Il vecchio castello - Promenade
Pictures At An Exhibition: Tuileries
Pictures At An Exhibition: Bydlo
Pictures At An Exhibition: Promenade
Pictures At An Exhibition: Ballet des petits poussins dans leurs coques
Pictures At An Exhibition: Samuel Goldenberg und Schmuyle
Pictures At An Exhibition: Promenade
Pictures At An Exhibition: Limoges: Le Marche
Pictures At An Exhibition: Catacombae: Sepulchrum Romanum - Cum mortuis in lingua mortua
Pictures At An Exhibition: La Cabane sur des pattes de poule
Pictures At An Exhibition: La Grande Porte de Kiev
6 Songs: Lullaby
6 Songs: The Magpie
6 Songs: Night
6 Songs: Where Art Thou, Little Star?
6 Songs: The Ragamuffin
6 Songs: On The Dnieper
Boris Godunov - Highlights: Shuisky: 'Long Live Our Tsar Boris Feodorovich!' (Prologue)
Boris Godunov - Highlights: Boris Godunov: 'My Soul Is Sad! (Prologue)
Boris Godunov - Highlights: Boris Godunov: 'I Stand Supreme In Power'
Boris Godunov - Highlights: Boris Godunov: 'Farewell, My Son, I Am Dying'
Boris Godunov - Highlights: Boris Godunov: 'Hark! 'Tis The Knell Of Death!'

Customer Reviews:

A Mussorgsky feast beyond praise.......2006-06-11

It was incredibly generous of DG to throw toegther these great performances--one of them legenday--in a bargain two-fer. The legendary performance, of course, is Richter's 1958 Pictures at an Exhibition performed in concert. The rights are owned by Philips, but I don't know if their latest remastering has been used here. The complaints about dreadful sonics are justified: the piano is far away and tinny, the Sofia audience coughs continuously--some of them are lucky to have left with their lungs intact--and there is a noisy exhaust fan in the foreground. It's a testimony to Richter's incandescent reading that it survives beyond all obstacles.

Another high point is the orchestral reading of Pictures under Giulini with the CSO. This was a famous recording in its day, because Giulini took the thrice-familiar music seriously, a bit slower than usual, adding many individual touches. Maybe his approach becomes ponderous and too serious at times, but it's one of a kind, and the solo winds in the orchestra are a delight.

Actually, I was most moved by Vishnievskaya's selection of songs, recorded in the Soviet Union with Igor Markevitch adding his superlative accompaniments--this is Mussorgsky singing of the highest order. But so is Fassbaender's Songs and Dances of Death, despite her lack of Slavic authenticity. Maazel bombs through Night on Bald Mountain with suitable thrills.

In all, this Panorama two-fer can't be faulted. It's one of the very best in the seeries, and several of the choicest things on it are otherwise out of print.

A STRONG REBUTTLE to the "bad" reviews........2006-05-19

155 minutes of music and one reviewer gives these CDs 1 star for couging here and there during 7 minutes of Richter's Pictures recital. Not continually mind you. I DON'T GET IT!
A reviewer doesn't like vocal music..so 2 stars. I DON'T GET IT! Just because one does not like "classical" vocals, doesn't mean they stink.
This is over 2 1/2 hours at single CD budget price. Geez...
Giulini gives a superbly recorded THRILLING performance of Pictures that, in my humble opinion, is second only to Reiner's. Also with the CSO 15 years earlier.
This 34+ minutes alone is worth the price of this collection.
The excerpts from Boris Gudonov are considered one of the best performances in the catalog (Karajan/VPO). 29 minutes and a good way to determine if you want to purchase the complete opera 3 CD set for over $30+ bucks.
Markevich/Vishnevskaya is considered to be the definitive version for the "6 songs".
The Kovanshchina prelude (Dawn on The Moskva River) is one the most heart rending themes in the canon. Simply gorgeous 6 minute piece of music.
I could go on and on.
Sure there are a few "gaffs" on these CDs. Maazel brings in Bald Mountain in under 10 minutes. Whew!
But hey...kudos to the orchestra for being able to play that well, that fast without stumbling over each other. Quite exhilerating acually.
And Then there is Richter's famous/"infamous" Pictures. Yes the annoying cough and a not so sonic recording. But anyone looking for just this track should already have been aware of this problem. "Classisists" have been talking about this problem for 50+ years. Obviously it can't be fixed. But still several coughs in 30+ minutes just makes it sound as live a performance as it is.
So let's recap...155 minutes of music with maybe parts of 15 minutes of minor problems for DISCOUNT bucks. Pretty good math I'd say. Equals 5 STARS where I come from.
Overall, this is an excellent CD for those who want Mussorgsky's major orchestral output in one package at a bargain price.
Top conductors, top orchestras, great performances and, except for Richter's Pictures, GREAT SONICS.
If you want a truly magnificent solo piano Pictures try Pletnev's on Virgin Classics. It will blow you away. And you get the bonus of his own piano transcription of Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty which is even better.
ENJOY!

Review for Richter's "Pictures" Only.......2006-04-24

I was thrilled to find that Deutsche Grammophon has reissued Sviatoslav Richter's famous Sophia performance of "Pictures." I have owned it on tape, but have until now not had it on CD. I was surprised by previous reviews of this edition, since I thought that the explosive coughing had been toned down substantially. My tape broke years ago, so maybe my memory is off. But the re-engineering of this performace has been one of the most needed "retrofits" in the entire classical catalogue. The sound quality of this edition is certainly much better than the old Polydor record.

I also will refrain from entering the "Is it the greatest Pictures ever?"-debate. It is my favorite. One sometimes hears critics dismiss the piano--thus Mussorgsky's--version as monochromatic. But Richter presents a much more percussive version than most others, which may be why some people don't care for it. (My dad played this piece with a more Romantic reading.) It's a matter of taste: I have never cared for the Ravel version, probably because the percussive aspect doesn't translate into orchestration.

I almost never write music reviews, since I'd hate to convince people to plunk down good money on a CD that conforms to my taste but not theirs. BUT, if you have enjoyed this performace in the past . . .

I give five stars to Richter recital, which amazes me still. I agree that his deliberate "clunkers" are distracting. But having listened to this performance for almost twenty years, it is the "correct" playing of Pictures that now jars me. If you love this performance, as I clearly do, you'll be happy to have this CD. Just don't Google the Hartmann pictures which inspired Mussorgsky. It's disillusioning, but they aren't very good!

A bad whooping cough in 1958 in Sofia, Bulgaria.......2006-04-17

I was listening to the magnificient percussion and
overall sound of this double release, from 2000, #469 169-2,
when throughout the 1st CD, which opens up with the Mussorgsky
number PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION, there's an irritating
musician in the room, exhibiting signs of a bad whooping cough,
thereby totally destroying the 20 minutes or so recording!

There are many soft passages throughout the number, and
it is just incredible that DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON allowed the
bad caugh distractions and irritations (cough! cough! cough!)
to stay on the tape!

Unbelievable! It's so bad, I thought about unloading this
art work, at a second hand music store for a buck and a half,
although I surely paid more than $20 for this double CD release
a few years ago.

I don't care much for the vocal pieces, either.

Aside from that, the remainder of the release is very strong,
so ...I can't bring myself to unload it....yet, anyway.

Giant performance!.......2005-06-03

Carlo Maria Giulini has been to my mind one of the most aristocratic, intelligent, wisdom and remarkable conductors in the last Century. Born in 1914, Giulini owns that special touch of genius that has been proved in several ocassions.
There are several works in the Symphonic repertoire whose meaning depends in last instance of your personal world's approach. The list wold be extremely long but briefly I would name five classic works: The Eroica, The First of Mahler, The Ninth of Bruckner, The fourth of Nielsen and this work.
What do you demand from this work? Fireworks, nostalgic approach, musical musculature,effectism or tonal poolish?
Besides a great amount of recorded versions, there is however, a relatively small number of succesful performances from the early forties with Arturo Toscanini, Guido Cantelli and Igor Markevitch in the fifties, Dorati in the sixties and then Markevitch again and Giulini in the seventies.
Giulini gives this work a remarkable stature, enriching the score with sumptuous details and rubatos, smart accents, inflexions, color sense and above all a noblesse spirit that personally I haven't listened in any other previous version.
Go for this golden treasure recording. But do not expect great fireworks exercises. Giulini never searched the gallery' s applause. He was a honest and original master by himself: his personal landmark.

Average customer rating:

Peculiar Amazon indexing

100 World's Best Loved Melodies

Manufacturer: Madacy Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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The Most Relaxing Classical Album in the World...Ever!

ASIN: B0009VNBR4
Release Date: 2005-07-05

Tracks:

Blue Danube
Waltz of Flowers
Waltz No. 1
Waltz of the Snowflakes
Naila Waltz
Spanish Dance
I Dream of Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair
Sugar Plum Fairy
Dance of the Comedians
Camptown Races
Carnival of the Animals Finale
Dance of the Clown [From "A Midsummer Night's" Dream]
Dance of the Hours
Dance of the Swans [From "Swan Lake"]
Faust Ballet
Tritsch Tratsch Polka
Hungarian Dance
Dance of the Priestesses
Overture from "William Tell"
Toreador Song [From "Carmen"]
Overture from "Carmen"
Samson & Delilah
Ride of the Valkyries
Baracole from "The Tales of Hoffmann"
Scheherazade
Water Music - The Hornpipe
Nocturne
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
Hungarian Rhapsody
Prde L& Arlenne
Preer Gynt Suite No. 1 Anitra's Dance
Liebestraum
Adagio from "The New World Symphony"
Flight of the Bumblebee
Ave Maria
Air on a G String
Neapolitan Song
Violin Concerto
Serenade No. 4

Tracks:

When You Wish Upon a Star
Chances Are
Calcutta
Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White
Gigi
They Call the Wind Maria
Memories Are Made of This
Catch a Falling Star
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
So in Love
Begin the Beguine
Misty
Little Things Mean a Lot
Embraceable You
It Might as Well Be Spring
On the Street Where You Live
Moment to Remember
Anniversary Song
Golden Days
Theme from a Summer Place
Tonight
Lullaby of Broadway
Easter Parade
Tenderly
Young at Heart

Tracks:

Claire de Lune
Piano Concerto No. 1
Minute Waltz
Piano Concerto
Fantasy Impromptu
Piano Sonata No. 20 - Finale
Swan
Polonaise No. 6
Waltz in C Minor
1812 Overture
Light Cavalry Overture
Nutcracker Overture
Marche Militaire
Tannhauser Overture
Radetsky March
Tragic Overture
Triumphal March
Tales of Vienna Woods
Emperor's Waltz
Waltz. Wine, Women and Song
Voice of Spring
Fledermaus Overture
Skater's Waltz
Roses from the South
Romance
Symphony No. 5
Mer
Moonlight Sonata
Capriccio Espagnol
Lohengrin
Symphonie Fantastique
Greensleeves
Souvenir
Lonely Heart
Die Meistersinger
Polovtsian Dance

Customer Reviews:

Peculiar Amazon indexing.......2007-06-08

A search for Deep Purple's "Smoke on [in] the water," brought up this title. I rate it only #1 because I could not locate the "Smoke on the Water" listing. Amazon seems to be having an indexing problem.

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The Classics at the Movies: Romance

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00004TC40
Release Date: 2002-01-01

Tracks:

Jean De Florette: Overture To La Forza Del Destino - Hungarian State Opera Orchestra
A Room With A View: O Mio Babbino Caro - Alexander Rahbari
A Room With A View: Firenze E Come Un Albero Fiorito - Johannes Wildner
A Room With A View: Doretta's Dream - Luba Orgonasova
The French Lieutenants Woman: Adagio From Piano Sonata No. 17 - Jeno Jando
Doctor Zhivago: Lara's Theme - Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra
Out Out Of Africa: Adagio From Clarinet Concerto - Ernst Ottensamer
Heat And Dust: Tales From The Vienna Woods - Ondrej Lenard
The Portrait Of A Lady: Impromptu No. 4 - Jeno Jando
The Portrait Of A Lady: Andante From String Quartet No. 14, 'Death And The Maiden' - Kodaly Quartet

Beethoven: Fidelio (performance at Vienna State Opera, 12 October 1953)

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A classic that no one should miss out on

Beethoven: Fidelio (performance at Vienna State Opera, 12 October 1953)
Ludwig van Beethoven , Martha Modl , Alfred Poell , Rudolf Schock , and Wilhelm Furtwangler
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000DOBY
Release Date: 1993-01-19

Tracks:

Ouverture 'Fidelio'
1. Duett 'Jetzt, Schatzchen, Jetzt Sind Wir Allein'
2. Arie 'O War' Ich Schon Mit Dir Vereint'
3. Quartett 'Mir Ist So Wunderbar'
4. Arie 'Hat Man Nicht Auch Gold Beineben'
5. Terzett 'Gut, Sohnchen, Gut, Hab' Immer Mut'
6. Marsch
7. Arie Mit Chor 'Ha! Welch' Ein Augenblick!'
8. Duett 'Jetzt, Alter, Jetzt Hat Es Eile!'
9. Rezitativ & Arie 'Abscheulicher! Wo Eilst Du Hin?'
10. Finale 'O Welche Lust!'
'Nun Sprecht, Wie Ging's?'
'Ach! Vater, Eilt!'

Tracks:

11. Introduktion
& Arie 'Gott! Welch' Dunkel Hier!'
12. Melodram 'Wie Kalt Ist Es In Diesem Unterirdischen Gewolbe!'
& Duett 'Nur Hurtig Fort, Nur Frisch Gegraben'
13. Terzett 'Euch Werde Lohn In Bessern Welten'
14. Quartett 'Er Sterbe! Doch Er Soll Erst Wissen'
7. (Dialogue) 'Vater Rocco! Veter Rocco!'/'Es Schlagt Der Rache Stunde!'
15. Duett 'O Namenlose Freude!'
Ouverture 'Leonore Nr. 3'
16. Finale 'Heil Sei Dem Tag'
'Des Besten Konigs Wink Und Wille'
'Du Schlossest Auf Des Edlen Grab'
'Wer Ein Holdes Weib Errungen'

Customer Reviews:

A classic that no one should miss out on.......2006-11-04

First a word of caution: this is NOT the Oct 12, 1953 performance as advertised, but rather the studio recording that followed in its wake. That said, I disagree with John Ardoin's assesment that this is unsatisfactory. Furtwangler is incredibly inspired here, molding Fidelio into one coherent stream of music in a way that most conductors are unable to do. Klemperer was also able to do this, but (I know I'm in the minority here) I find his concept of Fidelio lacks spontaneity. There are just too many highlights to mention them all, suffice it to say that already in the overture, whipped up to an ecstatic frenzy like I've never heard before, you know you're in for something really special. Added to this, the Vienna Philharmonic play like gods (the winds descend from the heavens), the singers are either very good or truly extraordinary (some disagree, but I think Modl and Windgassen each give just the right balance of nobility and suffering, not to mention fine vocalism each), and the recording quality is excellent for the period, quite listenable even if you don't usually like historic recordings.

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Past vibes
Gieseking Playing Mostly Non-French Repertoire!

Walter Gieseking, Piano

Manufacturer: Andante
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Lullabies & Berceuse | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0006PV5YY
Release Date: 2005-02-22

Customer Reviews:

Past vibes.......2007-03-26

The industrial age gave birth to the first widely held public concerts as well as the musical conservatory. The Paris Conservatoire appeared in 1795, the Royal Academy in 1830, The prosperity of this period generated an ever-growing embourgeoisement of the populace whose urge to imitate wealthy tastes created a demand for musical artists. This was the heyday of Paganini, Liszt, and later Paderewski,. To serve this rising clamor for culture great musical performance traditions developed in France, Germany, and, fuelled primarily by the upper classes, in Russia. From these beginnings came the great names of the 20th century concert stage: Robert Cassadeus, Artur Rubinstein, and Artur Schnabel among many others. In contrast Walter Gieseking rose via a different route. Largely an autodidact, Gieseking began formal study only relatively late in his artistic development Still, he became one of the great pianists of the period, a remarkable interpreter of Beethoven, Ravel, and, as we shall see, Rachmaninoff.

This album contains a number of live and some studio recordings whose hisses, pops, and even one very bad scratch assail the fine musicianship but fortunately fail. One can actually hear the sound engineers struggling to remaster these problems, now bringing the orchestra forward, now the piano in what is a mostly vain attempt to highlight the dominant passages. The original recording conditions must have been nightmarish. Still, Gieseking's spectacular playing shines through. He gives us a stirring performance of Beethoven's Waldstein, an intelligent Schumann concerto in A major Op. 54 ( a personal favorite of mine.) He performs sweetly romantic renditions of several Bach partitas, though I much prefer his contemporary Landowska's more powerful exegeses His interpretation of Beethoven's Emperor with the great Bruno Walter conducting stands as a landmark for both men. Brahms, Grieg, Debussy, Richard Strauss, and others are also represented.

But what I found most satisfying of all was the interpretation of the Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 3. This is a live 1940 performance with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, and I cannot help but wonder if the bombs had yet fallen on Amsterdam. Gieseking's takes the first movement andante which is to say a good deal slower than Rachmaninoff's directions to go allegro ma non tanto. Yet Gieseking has found something more than even the composer himself seems to have imagined. I own any number of recordings of this piece from the gentle Ashkenazy to the muscular Argerich. Gieseking alone has found an understanding of the third which I find surprisingly correct and even illuminating. He also has the help of a wonderful piano whose perfect harmonic coloration transcends the years in keeping with Gieseking's outstanding musicianship.

I have avoided the topic of Gieseking's controversial nazi connections because the historical record, as far as I have been able to understand it, remains vague. He played widely during the nazi era and did nothing to distance himself from the party. Like many Germans he obtained official "denazification" in the early fifties and briefly resumed his worldwide concert career until his death in 1956.

I strongly recommend this album. Perhaps new sequential imaging techniques will restore these recordings to their original form. Then we will all be able to own a bit of eternity.

Gieseking Playing Mostly Non-French Repertoire!.......2005-03-12

As time goes on people have tended to forget that Walter Gieseking (1895-1956) was a pianist with a very broad repertoire; he has been remembered primarily for his playing of French music (Debussy, Ravel) or French-influenced music (Scriabin), and many reissues of his many recordings in those areas are readily available. This 4CD collection from Andante contains music that is mostly from the non-French area: Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, Grieg, Schumann, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, and even the little 'Ständchen' of Richard Strauss in Gieseking's own transcription. Since Amazon has not, as of this writing, specified the set's contents I will do so here:

CD1: Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 (Rosbaud, Berlin State Opera Orch., 1937), No. 5 (Walter, VPO, 1934), two movements from Bach's Partita No. 1

CD2: Beethoven: Waldstein Sonata; Bagatelle in E flat, Op. 33, No. 1; Bach: Partita No. 5 in G; Beethoven: Sonata No. 28 in A, Op. 101; Brahms: 5 Intermezzi from Opp. 76, 116, 118, 110; Debussy: Réverie; Strauss: Ständchen, Op. 17, No. 2

CD3: Grieg: Piano Concerto (Rosbaud, Berlin State Opera Orch., 1937); Grieg: Cradle Song & French Serenade; Schumann: Piano Concerto (Furtwängler, BPO, 1942); Mozart: Sonata No. 16 in C, K. 545

CD4: Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 (Mengelberg, Concertgebouw, 1940); PC No. 3 (Mengelberg, Concertgebouw, 1940)

Many of these recordings are live and there is slight audience noise and applause. In general the sound is remarkable for the time. As for the playing, Gieseking was a master of musicality and had a lovely touch. There are a number of noticeable clinkers in the live performances, none of them particularly awful and some of them rather endearing. His playing is characterized by a liveliness and élan as well as subtle phrasing, voicing of chords, and clearly delineated polyphony. I particularly liked his somewhat Romantic Bach, his hellbent-for-leather Beethoven fast movements (the Waldstein is fabulous in that regard). I don't know of any other Gieseking recording of the First Beethoven PC, but of course he recorded the Emperor several times. This one is wonderful, atmospheric, and he manages that hesitant transition from II to III with a suspenseful fermata before he plunges headlong into the Rondo. The Rachmaninoff Third is a little weak technically (and the sound is not the best, either) but the Second is one of the better ones I know.

All in all, this collection is worth having--although it is a little pricey. There is not a bad performance in the lot, and some of them are simply superb--the Waldstein, First and Fifth Beethoven PCs, Schumann and Grieg PCs, Rachy 2, the little Mozart C major sonata beloved by all young piano students, Debussy 'Réverie.'

This one will happily be given space on my shelves.

4CDs: ca. 5 hrs

Scott Morrison