La Gondola

On this CD:

1. Eine Nacht in Venedig (A Night in Venice), operetta (RV 510) Komm in die Gondel
Composed by Johann II Strauss
Performed by Marco Fornaciari, Christine Meyr

2. La biondina
Composed by Anonymous
Performed by Ugo Orlandi

3. La Biondina in Gondoleta
Composed by Italian Traditional
Performed by Ugo Orlandi

4. La Biondina in Gondoleta
Composed by Johannes Simon [Giovanni Simone] Mayr
Performed by Ugo Orlandi, Christine Meyr, Rosetta Pizzo, Francesco Signor

5. Anzoleta avanti la regata ("La su la machina"), for voice & piano (La regata veneziana) (Péchés de vieillesse, book 1)
Composed by Gioachino Rossini
Performed by Rosetta Pizzo

6. Anzoleta co passa la regata ("Ixe qua vardeli povereti"), for voice & piano (La regata veneziana) (Péchés de vieillesse, book 1)
Composed by Gioachino Rossini
Performed by Rosetta Pizzo

7. Anzoleta dopo la regata ("Ciapa un baso"), for voice & piano (La regata veneziana) (Péchés de vieillesse, book 1)
Composed by Gioachino Rossini
Performed by Rosetta Pizzo

8. Il Gondoliero
Composed by Giovanni Paggi
Performed by Claudio Ferrarini, Christine Meyr

9. La Gondola, for voice & piano
Composed by Antonio Buzzolla
Performed by Christine Meyr, Francesco Signor

10. Le Chant du Gondolier
Composed by Eduard Mezzacapo
Performed by Ugo Orlandi, Christine Meyr

11. El Dubio, for voice & piano
Composed by Franco Faccio
Performed by Christine Meyr, Rosetta Pizzo

12. La Gondola Nera for voice & piano (or orchestra)
Composed by Augusto Rotoli
Performed by Christine Meyr, Francesco Signor

13. In Gondola
Composed by Alfredo Catalani
Performed by Claudio Ferrarini, Christine Meyr

14. Canto Dei Gondolieri
Composed by Italian Traditional
Performed by Ugo Orlandi, Christine Meyr, Rosetta Pizzo, Francesco Signor

Tracks:

'Aria' - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
'Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring' - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Prelude No.1 In C Major, BWV 846 - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Minuet In G Major From Anna Magdalena Notebook - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Prelude No.22 In B-Flat Minor, BWV 891 - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
'Siciliano' - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
III. 'Rondo Alla Turca' - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
I. Allegro - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Fantasy In D Minor - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
II. Adagio Cantabile - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
I. Adagio Sostenuto - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Fur Elise - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
II. Minuet - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Impromptu Op.90 No.3 In G-Flat Major - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Moment Musicaux No.3 In F Minor - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Fruhlingslied (Spring Song) - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Venetian Gondola - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics

Tracks:

Waltz Op.64 No.1 In D-Flat Major Minute Waltz - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Prelude Op.28 No.15 Raindrop Prelude In D-Flat Major - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Nocturne Op.9 No.1 In B-Flat Minor - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Etude Op.10 No.12 Revolutionary - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Nocturne Op.27 No.2 In D-Flat Major - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
GRand Valse Brilliante Op.18 In E-Flat Major - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Nocturne Op.9 No.2 In E-Flat Major - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Etude Op.10 No.3 In E Major - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Prelude Op.28 No.20 In C Minor - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Prelude Op.28 No.4 In E Minor - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Waltz Op.69 No.1 In A-Flat Major Farewell Waltz - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Kindererszenen (Scenes From Childhood) Op.15 No.7: Traumerei (Dreaming) - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Fantasiestucke (Fantasy Pieces) Op.12 No.1: Des Abends (In The Evening) - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Widmung (Dedication) - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Consolation No.3 In D-Flat Major - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics
Aria - 50 Most Loved Piano Classics

Tracks:

Hungarian Dance No.5 In F-Sharp Minor - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
Intermezzo Op.118 No.2 In A Major - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
Waltz Op.39 No.15 In A-Flat Major - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
June - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
Berceuse - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
Tango - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
Granada - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
To A Wild Rose - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
Clair DE Lune - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
The Girl With The Flaxen Hair - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
Golliwogg's Cake Walk - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
Arabesque No.I - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
Gymnopedie No.I - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
The Maiden And The Nightengale - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
Prelude Op.3 No.2 In C-Sharp Minor - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
Prelude Op.23 No.5 Ini G Minor - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs
I. Pavane - 50 Most Loved Piano Songs

Customer Reviews:

Stunning Goldberg Aria.......2006-02-21

Who is the performer of that amazing recording of the Goldberg Aria??!?! It must be Gould.

Great CD.......2006-01-29

Nice set of songs. I enjoyed it a lot, I see no reason why anyone wouldn't like this CD set.

Piano Perfection!.......2005-10-16

Saw it on TV and thought the music was beautiful, but forgot to write the information down... but managed to buy it online (now I see it frequently at the music stores)and I absolutely love this album -- all my favorite pieces! (I'm not big on writing comments or reviews, but was compelled by the artistry and passion I heard throughout this CD!)

A Classic in Every Sense!.......2005-10-12

I overheard some people at the record store talking about this album - one guy was actually a piano teacher and couldn't stop raving about it. I bought the album on his recommendation and couldn't be happier - it's stunningly beautiful. Beethoven's "Moonlight" sonata is haunting and Chopin's "Minute Waltz" is spectacular in its precision and speed! This will make a great stocking stuffer at Christmas for my friends (... I'm getting them now cause I've gone to a couple places and they're out of stock). If you're into piano, this is truly a classic!

How disappointing.......2005-10-08

I was watching t.v. one Saturday and saw the ad for this CD. It promised that all pieces were "presented in their entirety." Hmmm, well sure if by "entirety" you mean only one movement of a particular piece. But if you are expecting, oh say, all three movements of Moonlight Sonata, then you'll be disappointed.

As for the pieces themselves, I was not impressed with the quality. I don't know whether that is a problem with the production process or the particular performers used. I was not moved by the performance of a single piece--and with 50 of the most loved piano classics, I epxected at least one to make me go "wow." I'm still waiting.

Finally, anytime you produce a CD and call it "The 50 Most Loved" anything, you are opening yourself up for criticism of the works selected. Where's the Rach 3? Mozart gets short shiff. I loved that Chopin's "Raindrops" was included but where was the "Heroic Polanaise"? The "Libestraume"? "Rhapsody in Blue"?

So, incomplete works, poor tone/lack of richness and depth in sound and questionable selection of "most loved" pieces. I'd save my money if I were you.

Franz Liszt: Complete Piano Music, Vol. 1

Average customer rating:

Planned spontaneity
One of the best Liszt CD's out there
Somehow I missed this one when it first came out
A Portrait of the Virtuosity and Mind of Franz Liszt

Franz Liszt: Complete Piano Music, Vol. 1

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

$6.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

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

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Similar Items:

Brahms: Variations and Fugue in B flat on a Theme of Handel; Schumann: Fantasia in C; Arabesque
Liszt: Complete Piano Music, Vol. 4
Liszt: Complete Piano Music, Vol. 3
Franz Liszt: Études d'exécution transcendante 1851 version
Liszt: Sacred Music Transcriptions

ASIN: B0000014FJ
Release Date: 1997-06-10

Tracks:

Danse Macabre, Op. 40: Danse Macabre, S555 - R240
Nuages gris (Trube Wolken), S199 - R78
Unstern: sinistre, disastro, S208 - R80
Reminiscences des Huguenots, Grande fantaisie dramatique sur des themes de l' opera Les Huguenots de Meyerbeer (2nd and final version), S412 - R221
La lugubre gondola I, S200: 1 - R81: 1
La lugubre gondola II, S200: 2 - R81: 2
Impromptu ('Nocture'), S191 - R59
Totentanz, 'Danse Macabre', S525 - R188

Amazon.com

The sound could be better, but Arnaldo Cohen's whirlwind technique and rapier temperament is tailor-made for the demanding transcriptions presented here. By contrast, the Brazilian pianist imbues the cryptic late Liszt works with tenderness and mystery. A disc no Liszt maven should pass up, especially at Naxos's bargain price. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

Planned spontaneity .......2007-03-24

People who shy away from ''classical'' - or ''serious'', as some would put it - music for its supposedly greater depth and sounder intellectual basis should make acquaintance with one of the funniest, wierdest and most imaginative composers of all time, the Hungarian virtuoso Franz Liszt. Totentanz is the closest thing to Iron Maiden and Andrew Lloyd Weber that we have in classical music. It always reminds me of "Fear of the Dark" and "Jesus Christ Superstar". It's so trivial, gratuitous, frenzied, shallow, pointless, ugly, flamboyant, showy and outright over-the-top that it borders on ridicule. One gets embarassed upon hearing it. Some of the music in this disc is so unashamedly bad and shallow that it becomes utterly funny and hugely entertaining. Arnaldo Cohen has succeeded more spectacularly than anyone before him in conveying the sheer excitement and the very well planned spontaneity of these pieces. His fiery playing and absolute command of dynamics and colour are breathtaking. He's undoubtedly one of the most intense and impressive pianists to have ever played this music (by the way, he's a great Schumann interpreter too). Other highlights of this recording are the irresistible and haunting ''Unstern: sinistre, disastro'' and the chilling ''Danse Macabre''. Nuage gris is an interesting attempt at atonality and the Impromptu is beautifully and masterly played. After all is said and done, it's a wonderful and exciting recording (provided you don't take some of these pieces too seriously). I've constantly found myself getting back to it lately. I dare to say it's a must-have.

One of the best Liszt CD's out there.......2006-06-29

I'm sure most of us are familiar with the countless CD's out there by Bolet, Brendel, Kissin, Horowitz, even Hamelin of encore Liszt pieces. You know the type: Liebestraume No. 3, Un Sospiro, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, La Campanella, Mazeppa et al. While these pieces are certainly good, I find myself tired of seeing these same types of recordings. It seems every professional pianist has his own Liszt CD of music that we've heard twenty other pianists play.

Then comes along Naxos' idea for the Complete Piano Music of Liszt (perhaps following Leslie Howard's success) and their first CD is probably one of the best Naxos Liszt CD's in existence. The musical selection and the pianist is what makes the CD shine. Before getting this CD I had never heard of Arnaldo Cohen, but this guy plays Liszt just right; superb, sensitive, stunning, and what other good adjective starting with an "s" I could think of.

The first piece, a piano transcription of Saint-Saens' 'Danse Macabre' is testimony to Liszt's ingenuity of transcription for the piano. There aren't that many recordings of this. Cohen's performance is chilling, exciting, and sounds like it's summoning a troupe of dancing skeletons from the piano. The second gloomy 'Nuages Gris' is a staple of late Liszt and is played solemnly as it should be, a soft and murky touch. The 'Unstern: sinistre disastro' is startling in its modernism and evocation of an impending misfortune or evil. As a composition it also shows Liszt's prolific genius.

Next on the list and going back to the Lisztomania days, the 'Reminiscences des Huguenots' by Cohen is, in my opinion, the best interpretation of this splendid fantasy. Leslie Howard's countless recordings of the first, second, final and other version pales in comparison. There is something about Cohen's flight and dynamics on the piano. His tempo and phrasing, his refusal to rush through tender moments, but also his sense enough to speed up a bravura section is quite refreshing. The piece is a great fantasy from Liszt's touring days.

The two 'La lugubre gondolas' are the most darkly disturbing and heartfelt pieces of the Romantic piano oeuvre. Only Alkan stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Liszt in making the piano a morbid and bleak instrument of sadness. Inspired by R. Wagner's death, they are amazing, haunting, beautiful and seductive.

If the choices so far haven't left me beyond contented, a colossal monster of a composition launches itself at the very end. The 'Totentanz' is an underappreciated work of Liszt. With all the Piano Concerto No. 1 and 2's out there, this one should be higher in its popularity. It's a work of genius, combining demonic power and at times grace together into an epic set of variations on the 'Dies irae' theme. What makes it outstanding on this CD in particular is that the work for orchestra and piano is transcribed to the single piano here; to me, the result and performance of Cohen's effort sounds better than Howard's playing.

Again, I must reiterate the original and exquisite repertoire on this CD; the choices of music here expose Liszt's great piano works that have sadly been under the radar for a while.

If you enjoy Liszt or any of the Romantic period piano music, this is a must-have. I think this CD is one of the best of Liszt that I own; highly recommended.

Somehow I missed this one when it first came out.......2003-06-28

I've only recently become familiar with the playing of Arnaldo Cohen, and I've gotten several of his recordings in the last month or so. I'm impressed by his red-blooded playing. He's not one of those cookie-cutter competition-winning note-spinners, but tends to put more of his own passion into the performance. Of course, that's important with repertoire on this Liszt disc. Just listen to the coruscating 'Danse macabre,' Liszt's arrangement of Saint-Saëns's symphonic poem. It will peel the paint off your listening-room wall.

He plays both versions of 'La lugubre gondola,' something we rarely get, and certainly not in recital. He manages to make them very different.

This is mostly late Liszt, the exception being the 'Huguenots' piece which, I have to admit, does go on a bit too long. That's Liszt's fault, not Cohen's. He does all that can be done with it.

I've always been struck by the unsettling 'Unstern' ('Dark Star', as some translate it, but I've come to think of it as Liszt's 'Black Hole' because it's so weird and modern-sounding) ever since I heard it as an encore played by Garrick Ohlsson years ago. It's one of those forward-looking, almost-atonal things that Liszt has, in latter years, gotten more and more attention for. Liszt subtitled it 'sinistre, disastro' and Cohen infuses those qualities into this strange little masterpiece; it is head and shoulders above Leslie Howard's pale performance from his complete Liszt traversal. The only other worthy competitor that I'm aware of is Pollini on DG.

Finally we have a chillingly effective performance of the solo piano version of 'Totentanz', Liszt's exhaustive workout on the Dies irae. I've always preferred it to the piano-and-orchestra version, which is more commonly heard and recorded.

This is volume one of Naxos' ongoing series of complete Liszt piano music; they are using a different pianist for each CD and they certainly picked a good one to start with.

Scott Morrison

A Portrait of the Virtuosity and Mind of Franz Liszt.......2000-04-25

This is a brilliant and wonderfully priced CD! If you enjoy the works of Liszt, then get this CD. The selected works here detail, in my opinion, the darker, more emotional pieces written/transcribed by Liszt. This includes Nuages gris and the 2 Lugubre gondola pieces, all considered to be "experiments" in mood and tonality. In Nuages gris, Liszt pours out some of his darker emotions, possibly related to the turmoils of his life with women, composition (and its critics, to which there were many), and old age (since this was one of his last works). Many dislike these darker works, but there are a few, such as myself, who find an inherant beauty to them. Of course, the album is also full of Liszt's virtuoso piano writing, which Mr. Cohen pulls off in fine fashion. Totentanz features some amazingly fast runs, while also filling in for the rest of the orchestra (this is an orchestral work of Liszt's which he condensed for piano). This album pays homage to the often misunderstood genius of Franz Liszt, and is a worthy addition to any collection. (Oh, and the price doesn't hurt either :)

Average customer rating:

Big Music-Little Money

Piano Classics

Manufacturer: Nimbus Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Gavottes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Ballads | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fugues | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Toccatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

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

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

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

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music

Tracks:

Pno Son in C, K.545: I. Allegro - Marta Deyanova
Pno Son in C, K.545: II. Andante - Marta Deyanova
Pno Son in C, K.545: III. Rondo: Allegretto - Marta Deyanova
Pno Son in A, K.331/300j: I. Andante Grazioso - Marta Deyanova
Pno Son in A, K.331/300j: II. Menuetto & Trio - Marta Deyanova
Pno Son in A, K.331/300j: III. Alla Turca: Allegretto - Marta Deyanova
Pno Son in F, K.332/300k: I. Allegro - Marta Deyanova
Pno Son in F, K.332/300k: II. Adagio - Marta Deyanova
Pno Son in F, K.332/300k: III. Allegro Assai - Marta Deyanova
Fant in c, K.475: Adagio - Allegro - Andantino - Marta Deyanova

Tracks:

Son No.8 in C, Op.13 'Pathetique': Grave - Allegro Di Molto Con Brio - Bernard Roberts
Son No.8 in C, Op.13 'Pathetique': Adagio Cantabile - Bernard Roberts
Son No.8 in C, Op.13 'Pathetique': Rondo - Allegro - Bernard Roberts
Son No.14 in c#, Op.27 No.2 'Moonlight': Adagio Sostenuto - Bernard Roberts
Son No.14 in c#, Op.27 No.2 'Moonlight': Allegretto - Bernard Roberts
Son No.14 in c#, Op.27 No.2 'Moonlight': Presto Agitato - Bernard Roberts
Son No.21 in C, Op.53 'Waldstein': Allegro Con Brio - Bernard Roberts
Son No.21 in C, Op.53 'Waldstein': Intro: Adagio Molto - Rondo: Allegretto Moderato - Bernard Roberts
Son No.26 in E flat, Op.81a 'Les Adieux': Das Lebewohl: Adagio - Bernard Roberts
Son No.26 in E flat, Op.81a 'Les Adieux': Abwesenheit: Andante Espressivo - Bernard Roberts
Son No.26 in E flat, Op.81a 'Les Adieux': Das Widersehen: Vivacissimamente - Bernard Roberts

Tracks:

Impromptus, Op.142 D.935: No.1 in f: Allegro Moderato - Marta Deyanova
Impromptus, Op.142 D.935: No.2 in A flat: Allegretto - Marta Deyanova
Impromptus, Op.142 D.935: No.3 in B flat: Andante (Theme And Vars) - Marta Deyanova
Impromptus, Op.142 D.935: No.4 in f: Allegro Scherzando - Marta Deyanova
Six Moments Musicaux, Op.94 D.780: No.1 in C: Moderato - Marta Deyanova
Six Moments Musicaux, Op.94 D.780: No.2 in a flat: Andantino - Marta Deyanova
Six Moments Musicaux, Op.94 D.780: No.3 in f: Allegretto Moderato - Marta Deyanova
Six Moments Musicaux, Op.94 D.780: No.4 in c#: Moderato - Marta Deyanova
Six Moments Musicaux, Op.94 D.780: No.5 in f: Allegro Vivace - Marta Deyanova
Six Moments Musicaux, Op.94 D.780: No.6 in A flat: Allegretto - Marta Deyanova
Impromptu, Op.90 D.899: No.3 in G flat: Andante - Marta Deyanova

Tracks:

Caprice in a, Op.33 No.1 - Martin Jones
Andante And Rondo Capriccioso, Op.14 - Martin Jones
Prld and Fugue in e, Op.35 No.1: Allegro Con Fuoco - Martin Jones
Prld and Fugue in e, Op.35 No.1: Andante Espressivo - Martin Jones
Study No.2 in F: Allegro Con Moto - Martin Jones
Prld And Fugue in f, Op.35 No.5: Andante Lento - Martin Jones
Prld And Fugue in f, Op.35 No.5: Allegro Con Fuoco - Martin Jones
Fant in e, Op.16 No.2: II. Scherzo-Presto - Martin Jones
Songs Without Words: Book I, Op.19: No.1 in E: Andante Con Moto - Martin Jones
Songs Without Words: Book I, Op.19: No.3 in A: Molto Allegro E Vivace (Hunting Song) - Martin Jones
Songs Without Words: Book I, Op.19: No.6 in g: Andante Sostenuto (Venetian Gondola Song) - Martin Jones
Songs Without Words: Book II, Op.30: No.4 in b: Agitato E Con Fuoco - Martin Jones
Songs Without Words: Book IV, Op.53: No.4 in F: Adagio - Martin Jones
Vars Serieuses in d, Op.54 - Martin Jones
Songs Without Words: Book V, Op.62: No.5 in a: Andante Con Moto - Martin Jones
Songs Without Words: Book V, Op.62: No.6 in A: Allegretto Grazioso (Spring Song) - Martin Jones
Songs Without Words: Book VI, Op.67: No.4 in C: Presto (Spinning Song) - Martin Jones
Songs Without Words: Book VII, Op.85: No.1 in F: Andante Espressivo - Martin Jones
Songs Without Words: Book VIII, Op.102: No.3 in C: Presto - Martin Jones
Songs Without Words: Book VIII, Op.102: No.4 in g: Un Poco Agitato, Ma Andante - Martin Jones
Seven Characteristic Pieces, Op.7: No.7 in E: Presto - Martin Jones
Klavierstucke: No.2 in g - Martin Jones

Tracks:

Etudes Symphoniques, Op.13: Theme - Shura Cherkassky
Etudes Symphoniques, Op.13: Etude I - Shura Cherkassky
Etudes Symphoniques, Op.13: Etude II - Shura Cherkassky
Etudes Symphoniques, Op.13: Etude III - Shura Cherkassky
Etudes Symphoniques, Op.13: Etude IV - Shura Cherkassky
Etudes Symphoniques, Op.13: Etude V - Shura Cherkassky
Etudes Symphoniques, Op.13: Etude VI - Shura Cherkassky
Etudes Symphoniques, Op.13: Etude VII - Shura Cherkassky
Etudes Symphoniques, Op.13: Etude VIII - Shura Cherkassky
Etudes Symphoniques, Op.13: Etude IX - Shura Cherkassky
Etudes Symphoniques, Op.13: Etude X - Shura Cherkassky
Etudes Symphoniques, Op.13: Etude XI - Shura Cherkassky
Etudes Symphoniques, Op.13: Etude XII - Shura Cherkassky
Carnaval, Op.9: Preamble (Quasi Maestoso) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Pierrot (Moderato) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Arlequin (Vivo) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Valse Noble (Un Poco Maestoso) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Eusebius (Adagio) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Florestan (Passionato) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Coquette (Vivo) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Replique (L'istesso Tempo) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Papillons (Prestissimo) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: A.S.C.H.-S.C.H.A. Lettres Dansantes (Presto) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Chiarina (Passionato) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Chopin (Agitato) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Estrella (Con Affetto) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Reconnaissance (Animato) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Pantalon Et Colombine (Presto) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Valse Allemande (Molto Vivace)/Paganini: Intermezzo (Presto) - Tempo I - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Aveu (Passionato) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Promenade (Comodo) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: Pause (Vivo) - Marta Deyanova
Carnaval, Op.9: March Des Davidbundler Contre Les Philistins (Non Allegro) - Marta Deyanova
Toccata in C, Op.7: Allegro - Mark Anderson

Tracks:

Vars On A Theme Of Paganini, Op.35: Book I - Martin Jones
Vars On A Theme Of Paganini, Op.35: Book II - Martin Jones
Hungarian Dances: No.1 Allegro - Martin Jones
Hungarian Dances: No.3 Allegretto - Martin Jones
Hungarian Dances: No.5 Allegro - Martin Jones
Hungarian Dances: No.10 Presto - Martin Jones
Gavotte - Martin Jones
Rhap in B, Op.79 No.1 - Martin Jones
Ballade in D, Op.79 No.1 - Martin Jones
Intermezzo in E flat, Op.117 No.1 - Martin Jones
Romanze in F, Op.118 No.5 - Martin Jones
Intermezzo in e flat, Op.118 No.6 - Martin Jones
Intermezzo in b, Op.119 No.1 - Martin Jones
Rhap in E flat, Op.119 No.4 - Martin Jones

Tracks:

Scherzo No.3 in c#, Op.39 - Vlado Perlemuter
Berceuse in D flat, Op.57 - Vlado Perlemuter
Ballade No.2 in F, Op.38 - Vlado Perlemuter
Etude in E, Op.10, No.3 'Tristesse' - Vlado Perlemuter
Etude in G flat, Op.10, No.5 'Black Key' - Vlado Perlemuter
Etude in c, Op.10, No.12 'Revolutionary' - Vlado Perlemuter
Etude in G flat, Op.25, No.9 'Butterfly' - Vlado Perlemuter
Etude in a, Op.25, No.11 'Winter Wind' - Vlado Perlemuter
Nocturne in c, Op.48 No.1 - Vlado Perlemuter
Nocturne in D flat, Op.27 No.2 - Vlado Perlemuter
Son No.2 in b flat, Op.35: Marche Funebre - Vlado Perlemuter
Prld in D flat, Op.29 No.15 'Raindrop' - Vlado Perlemuter
Prld in c, Op.28 No.20 - Vlado Perlemuter
Prld in A, Op.28 No.7 - Vlado Perlemuter
Prld in c#, Op.45 - Vlado Perlemuter
Barcarolle in F#, Op.60 - Vlado Perlemuter

Tracks:

Rhap Espagnole (Folies D'Espagne Et Jota Aragonesa) - Mark Anderson
Zwei Konzertetuden: Walderauschen - Mark Anderson
Zwei Konzertetuden: Gnomenreigen - Mark Anderson
Annees De Pelerinage - Troisieme Annee: Les Jeux D'eau A La Villa D'Este - Mark Anderson
Legendes: St. Francois D'Assise 'La Predication Aus Oiseau' - Mark Anderson
Legendes: St. Francois De Paule Marchant Sur Les Flots - Mark Anderson
3. Mephisto - Waltzer - Mark Anderson
Vier Kleine Klavierstucke: I. Sehr Langsam (Adagio) - Mark Anderson
Vier Kleine Klavierstucke: II. Moderato - Mark Anderson
Vier Kleine Klavierstucke: III. Sehr Langsam (Adagio) - Mark Anderson
Vier Kleine Klavierstucke: IV. Andantino - Mark Anderson
Annees De Pelerinage - Deuxieme Annee: Sonetto 104 Del Petrarca - Mark Anderson

Customer Reviews:

Big Music-Little Money.......2001-05-28

Most amount of songs for the least amount of money...its great...i still haven't listened to all of them because there is so much music on these cd's...its great...get this!! its a must have for the collector of classical music...

Joan Sutherland: BBC-Recitals 1958, 1960, 1961

Average customer rating:

What a steal!
Good Early Sutherland Concert Fare
sensational!
Bravissima!

Joan Sutherland: BBC-Recitals 1958, 1960, 1961

Manufacturer: Bella Voce Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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Similar Items:

The Art of Joan Sutherland
La Stupenda ~ The Supreme Voice of Joan Sutherland
Joan Sutherland: Her Spectacular Pasadena Concert
Joan Sutherland: Songs from Mozart, Bellini, Haydn, Handel, Donizetti
The Art of the Prima Donna

ASIN: B00000DFGW
Release Date: 1998-11-01

Tracks:

Also Hatt Gott Die Welt Geliebt BWV 68: My Faithful Heart - Joan Sutherland/Andre Navarra
Soirees Musicales No.IV: The Orgy - Joan Sutherland/Ernest Lush
The Loreley
Soirees Musicales No.I: The Promise
Soirees Musicales No.VII: The Gondola Ride
Soirees Musicales No.VI: The Alpine Shepherdess
Regret
Le Rossignol
Les Filles De Cadix
Speak
Tre Giorni Son Che Nina
Una Cosa Rara: Dolce Mi Parve Un Di
Il Fantastico Per La Musica: Che Dici
Samson: With Plaintive Note
When Daisies Died
My Mother Bids Me Bind My Hair
She Never Told Her Love
Zemira And Azor: Rose Softly Blooming
Cherry Ripe
Bergerette

Customer Reviews:

What a steal!.......2004-06-23

This recording of Sutherland's earliest records is absolutely brilliant!!! She soars through Arne and Handel as if it were the easiest music ever written. Whether you love Joan Sutherland, great singing or both: BUY THIS!

Good Early Sutherland Concert Fare.......2004-03-27

This CD is 67:52 in length and provides 20 songs and arias from three live BBC radio broadcasts, as follows: 2 from the Dec. 1958 broadcast, 8 from the Dec. 1960 broadcast, and 10 from the Dec. 1961 broadcast. None are well-known operatic arias; none have orchestral accompaniment; all but the first two are accompanied by her husband (and teacher/coach/conductor) Richard Bonynge at the keyboard. (The 1961 broadcast is devoted to eighteenth century music and is accompanied by Bonynge on harpsichord.)

The selections are relatively unconventional and unfamiliar--evidently a point with the concert choices made by Sutherland and Bonynge--which will be welcome and refreshing to many. As the notes point out, "This group is typical of the creative programs Sutherland and Bonynge would present for next 30 years. They created 15 different programs and appeared together 129 times in recital. . . . [They] loved to rediscover music and made a specialty of reintroducing the world to many forgotten bonbons, such as these." Dame Joan is in fresh, youthful voice (her international career began with her Covent Garden Lucia in 1959, and she was 32 to 35 when these recitals were broadcast) and sings handsomely throughout, often displaying an attractive mezzo-like fullness and warmth of tone. But Sutherland opera fans may be somewhat disappointed, not in the singing, but in the material here, which calls for little of the full-throated excitement, dazzling pyrotechnics, and brilliant high notes of her best opera recordings; this is more modest fare, and it is, appropriately, more modestly sung. The sound is decent, clean, eminently listenable monaural, no doubt from airchecks, but has this small annoyance: it is afflicted throughout with a residual level of pre-echo and post-echo that is clearly audible on a high-resolution playback system.

The indispensable Sutherland collections (apart from her complete opera recordings) are The Art of the Prima Donna (2 CDs, all 1960 recordings) and La Stupenda (2 CDs, recordings from 1959 to 1988); these should be owned by anyone interested in Sutherland, coloratura soprano singing, or simply great singing. This recital, while enjoyable, is certainly not of comparable importance. But if you are a Sutherland fan and would like to supplement her meatier operatic endeavors with engagingly sung concert fare from the early years of her international career, this is a good choice.

sensational!.......2000-08-10

this are sensational. what singing, what a voice. A MUST HAVE!

Bravissima!.......1998-11-30

Anyone who question Sutherland as the greatest coloratura soprano of all time should listen to this CD. She sings with complete control in all the arias. I think that Mozart had her in mind for the Constanza aria. Sutherland before 1975 as a dramatic coloratura soprano is simply without peer in this and any other century. A must have!

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Songs Without Words

Average customer rating:

Lovely Piano Miniatures
Excellent, delightful, colorful
Not professional quality playing
Ravishimg songs without words!
A lot of listening

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Songs Without Words

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Songs Without Words
Brahms: Works for Solo Piano
Chopin: The Complete Nocturnes And Impromptus
Mendelssohn: Piano Trios Op. 49 & Op. 66
Grieg: Lyric Pieces / Emil Gilels

ASIN: B00000417E
Release Date: 1994-02-15

Tracks:

Op.19: Sweet Remembrance
Op.19: Regrets
Op.19: Hunting Song
Op.19: En La Majeur
Op.19: Restlessness
Op.19: Venetian Gondola Song
Op.30: En Mi Bemol Majeur
Op.30: En Si Bemol Mineur
Op.30: Consolation
Op.30: En Si Minieur
Op.30: En Re Majeur
Op.30: Venetian Gondola Song
Op.38: En Mi Bemol Majeur
Op.38: Lost Happiness
Op.38: La Harpe du Po te
Op.38: En La Majeur
Op.38: Appassionata
Op.38: Duetto
Op.53: En La Bemol Majeur
Op.53: The Fleecy Cloud
Op.53: En Sol Mineur
Op.53: Sadness of Soul
Op.53: Folk Song
Op.53: La Fuite
Andante con Variazioni in E flat major, Op.82: En Mi Bemol Majeur

Tracks:

Op.62: May Breezes
Op.62: En Si Bemol Majeur
Op.62: Funeral March
Op.62: Morning Song
Op.62: Venetian Gondola Song
Op.62: Spring Song
Op.67: En Mi Bemol Majeur
Op.67: Lost Illussions
Op.67: En Si Bemol Majeur
Op.67: The Bee's Wedding
Op.67: The Shepherd's Complaint
Op.67: Cradle Song
Op.85: En Fa Majeur
Op.85: Adieu
Op.85: En Mi Bemol Majeur
Op.85: Elegy
Op.85: En La Majeur
Op.85: En Si Bemol Majeur
Op.102: En Mi Mineur
Op.102: En Re Majeur
Op.102: Tarantelle
Op.102: En Sol Mineur
Op.102: The Joyous Peasant
Op.102: Belief
Andante Cantabile e Presto Agitato in B: En Si Majeur
Variations in B flat major, Op.83: En Si Bemol Majeur

Customer Reviews:

Lovely Piano Miniatures.......2006-06-13

Felix Mendelssohn's "Songs Without Words" will always have a special place in my heart because one of the "Venetian Boat Songs", opus 19 no. 6 was the first work of serious music that I performed in a piano recital as a child. I have returned to the collection many times over the years, both to hear the music and on occasion to practice some of the pieces.

Mendelssohn composed eight sets of "Songs without Words", each consisting of six pieces, over a course of 12 years (1835, 1837, 1841, 1844, 1845, and two posthumously published sets in 1847). These works are romantic miniatures, characterized by their lyricism (the title of "songs" is apt), elegance, polish, grace, and imagination. Each piece is intended to capture for the listener a specific mood or emotion; they are of the type of romantic piano music sometimes referred to as a "character" piece, as are the individual sections of Schumann's Carnaval and Scenes from Childhood, Scubert's Impromptus, and Moments Musicaux, and much of Chopin. Many of the pieces in the collection have acquired nicknames over the years, but Mendelssohn himself only gave titles to five: the three "Venetian Boat Songs", the "Duetto", opus 38 no. 6, and the "folksong", opus 53 no. 5.

Mendelssohn's Songs were highly popular during the mid-19th Century but have subsequently been criticized by many for their alleged superficiality, their generally cheerful tone, and their lack of intense passion. I find the criticism misdirected. These pieces were composed for amateurs to play in their own homes. They have a flow and a beauty to them that I would not part with. It is sad that domestic music-making, people playing for themselves for the sheer joy of it, is becoming an endangered art.

This two-CD mid-priced Phillips set includes the complete Songs without Words performed by Ilse von Alpenheim. In addition, the compilation includes three of Mendelssohn's other piano works: two sets of variations and an andante cantabile. Ms. von Alpenheim was the wife of conductor Antal Dorati. Her recorded output was not extensive, but it includes the Haydn piano concertos with Dorati at the podium. Ms. von Alpenheim is a near-ideal pianist for Mendelssohn's Songs. She has an exquisite, polished, touch, a singing melodic line and flexible but controlled rhythm. She plays without mannerism. She neither prettifies these works nor attempts to find profundities in them. She offers the type of performance that one can imagine hearing in a home or in an intimate hall. I enjoyed relistening to these performances, score in hand.

Listeners will each find their own favorities in this collection. My favorites include the three Venetian Boat Songs, the first song in opus 62, the opus 62 no. 3 "funeral march" and the the first, and surprisingly romantic, work of opus 67,

Rehearing Mendelssohn's Songs brought me happy moments and made me want to turn to some of these works, including the Venetian Boat Song I played as a child and its two companions, on the piano. Amateur pianists and those who love the piano will enjoy this recording.

Robin Friedman

Excellent, delightful, colorful.......2005-03-21

This is a very expressive and colorful, but not overstated recording. I picked it up a number of years not knowing anything about the performer, but it was the only complete recording in the store at the time. I was impressed the first time I played it, but since then, my enthusuasm grows for it every time I hear it. Only later did I learn that in addition to being Antal Dorati's widow, that she has recorded all of Haydn's piano works and just a few other albums--I will surely be on the lookout for them. I only wish she had recorded more widely.

Not professional quality playing.......2005-02-03

I would avoid this set, despite its price and the fact that it includes all the Songs without Words. Alpenheim is simply not a professional quality pianist and was likely only recorded because of her husband, the great conductor Antal Dorati. Alpenheim doesn't have the technical proficiency or range of textures one would expect from a first-rate pianist but what is most annoying is her inability to shape the music's melodic line into an expressive whole. Look elsewhere.

Ravishimg songs without words!.......2004-12-17

Antal Dorati `s wife was an exquisite pianist wrought in the purest roots of the late Romanticism . Her Mendelssohn texture reveals the wide scope she had . Despoiled of that slender refinement which weakened seriously the score, she is more interested in extracting the dramatic nucleus instead the possible fireworks and the sweet charm of every piece .

The other three recommended versions would be in this precise order : Walter Gieseking , Annia Dorffman and Daniel Barenboim.

Pitifully Guiomar Novaes that incredible brazilian pianist just recorded several pieces but never as whole .

A lot of listening.......2002-09-13

This CD began a serious exploration of Songs Without Words for me that has included the Barenboim recording and others. I heartily don't recommend the latter as being incredibly fast and lacking any sensitivity. By contrast, this interpretation has kept me thinking and holds interest after many months. In fact, I'm on this space to purchase a replacement disc. I should also mention that it is very well recorded and retains the bass without boosting. If you appreciate Songs Without Words, this is the best recording I've found.

Average customer rating:

GREAT MUSIC, poor interpretation
Liszt looks to the future

Liszt: The Late Pieces

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Liszt Transcriptions of Berlioz, Chopin, Saint-Saëns
Liszt: Fantasy, Variations, Funeral Odes, Concert Solo
Liszt: Sonatas; Elégies; Consolations; Gretchen/Totentanz
Liszt: Complete Paganini Etudes
Liszt: Harmonies poétiques et religeuses

ASIN: B000002ZOA
Release Date: 1993-11-18

Tracks:

The Late Pieces: Schlaflos! Frage und Antwort S203
The Late Pieces: Trube Wolken (Nuages Gris), S199
The Late Pieces: Recueillement, S204
The Late Pieces: Toccata, S197a
The Late Pieces: Resignazione, S187a
The Late Pieces: Wiegenlied (Chant du Berceau), S198
The Late Pieces: Unstern! -- Sinstre, S208
The Late Pieces: Carrousel de Madame P-N., S214a
The Late Pieces: Sospiri! (Funf Klavierstucke No 5), S 192- 5
The Late Pieces: Schlaflos! [alternative version], S203
The Late Pieces: Klavierstuck in F Sharp Major, S193
The Late Pieces: Klavierstuck In E Major S192-1
The Late Pieces: Klavierstuck In A Flat Major S192-2
The Late Pieces: En Reve -- Nocturne, S207
The Late Pieces: Klavierstucke In F Sharp Major S192-3
The Late Pieces: Romance Oubliee S527
The Late Pieces: Klavierstucke In F Sharp Major S192-4
The Late Pieces: Die Trauergondel (La Lugubre Gondola)--I, S200-1
The Late Pieces: Die Trauergondel (La Lugubre Gondola)--II S200-2
The Late Pieces: RW--Venezia, S201
The Late Pieces: Am Grabe Richard Wagners S202
The Late Pieces: Abschied--Russisches Volkslied S251
The Late Pieces: (Slyepoi) (Der Blinde Sanger) S542a
The Late Pieces: Ungarns Gott, S543
The Late Pieces: Ungarisches Konigslied S544
The Late Pieces: Epithalam--Zu Eduard Remenyis Vermahlungsfeier S526
The Late Pieces: Mosonyis Grabgeleit S194
The Late Pieces: Dem Andenken Petofis S195
The Late Pieces: Trauervorspiel, Und ...
The Late Pieces: Trauermarsch, S206

Customer Reviews:

GREAT MUSIC, poor interpretation.......2004-10-10

Well, well... a Great Music indeed, extremely tragic and elegiac but... what a hurried and superficial interpretation by Mr.Howard! "Nuages gris" (I LOVE Marc-André Hamelin's one!) is very simple to play but paradoxically more difficult than "Mephisto-Valzer". It's not a matter of technical difficulties of course, but more "artistic" one. Howard simply doesn't know to sink in the deep darkness of Liszt late, gloomy masterpieces. I can't hear distress or hopless in that interpretation, it's just a plain reading, with almost no soul.

Looking at the duration of the present CD (79:41 min) I could think that such hurry is only to make 1 CD instead of 2. What a pity...

Mister Howard's incredible task (and courage) is really admirable (musicological one is astonishing!), but Liszt is not only supersonic octaves!

Liszt looks to the future.......1999-09-17

Liszt "hurled his lance further into the future than Wagner," and this CD shows just how far. Bartok said Liszt was the first modernist in music. Need I say more? Again, fabulous playing by Howard.

Liszt: Sonata for piano in Bm; Lugubre Gondola No1&2

Average customer rating:

The Liszt B minor played as a fascinating tone poem
Simply amazing!
simply very good
Simply amazing - and not only the Sonata
Simply amazing - and not only the Sonata

Liszt: Sonata for piano in Bm; Lugubre Gondola No1&2

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Chopin: 4 Ballades/Barcarolle, Op.60/Fantasie in F
Claude Debussy: Préludes
Franz Schubert: Impromptus D899 & D935
Liszt: Piano Concertos Nos.1 & 2; Totentanz
Ravel: The Piano Concertos; Valses nobles et sentimentales

ASIN: B000001GF5
Release Date: 1992-04-14

Tracks:

Sonate H-Moll In B Minor: Lento assa - Allegro energico-; Andante sostenuto-; Allegro energico
Nuages gris
La notte
La lugubre gondola 2
Funerailles

Amazon.com

Krystian Zimerman's brilliant, powerful account makes an extraordinary impression, both in its overall sweep and in its extremely fine resolution of textural detail. The pacing is excellent, the playing electrifyingly virtuosic yet disciplined, the interpretation impassioned yet dry-eyed and impressively controlled. The fugato is taken at an unbelievable clip and rendered with dazzling accuracy and effect. The recording, made in the concert hall of Copenhagen's Tivoli Park in 1990, achieves an outstanding balance between presence and ambience. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

The Liszt B minor played as a fascinating tone poem.......2006-08-30

I don't have much to add to the praise so deservedly lavished on Zimerman's 1990 account of the Liszt B minor sonata. As noted below, the piano sound is deep, ful, and realistic. Famous accounts by Horowitz and Pollini aren't recorded half as well. Zimerman plays with remarkable originality and variety--he's in a class by himself on that score.

Liszt invented the orchestral toen poem, and this pianist plays an abstract sonata as if it's full of people and places, shifting pscyhological moods and dreamy fantasy. He's ultra-Romantic in the sense that every shrede of imagination is being extracted before our ears. The fillers, mysterious fragments from the late Liszt, are played just as evocatively.

Simply amazing!.......2005-07-08

This is a truly amazing disc. Zimerman has it all: a great sound, a great overall vision of this exceptional work (probably the best work of Liszt) and a stunning virtuosity (listen to the fugato!). For me this is without doubt the best recording of the Liszt sonata, with all respect for all those other great recordings of great masters as Bolet, Argerich, Arrau, Gilels, Pollini, etc.
Do not even hesitate one second, buy this CD!

simply very good.......2005-03-09

That's really one of the best Liszt Sonatas I own on CD. It's probably the best, but that's very hard to tell, if you know Horowitz (let's go...), Argerich (see what my Steinway can bear), PLETNEV (maybe the most virtuosic interpretation), Gilels ("broad"), Curzon (incredibly risky), Cziffra (3 hands), Pogorelich (surprise), etc...
What I really like about this CD is the beautiful sound quality of the piano. Also listen to the other tracks, it's so abysmal Liszt-
I love it- and you will love it too....

Simply amazing - and not only the Sonata.......2002-12-26

Incredible - even compared to Horowitz's this Sonata-recording is breathtaking, but i would like to point out that the other performances on this CD are amazing as well: You hardly can get a good recording of the piano version of La Notte and Zimerman plays it so movingly (it is surely the best what You can find by now), La Lugubre Gondola is also played with much understanding although i prefer it to be a little slower and gloomier (like the Erno Szegedi-recording), the Funerailles is PERFECT!!! No other words to describe! Zimerman is not affraid of using the pedal (most pianists are) as indicated in the beginning of the piece, the funeral march makes one cry, the Chopinesque left-hand octaves in the second half are played with incredible evenness (i only heard such delicacy in that passage from Bolet before). The Nuages Gris is played well as well, although a bit too fast in the beginning i felt.
Alltogether - IF YOU LIKE LISZT'S MUSIC YOU HAVE TO GET THIS DISC.

Simply amazing - and not only the Sonata.......2002-12-26

Average customer rating:

A welcome addition to the canon of John Adams
wickedness to the fifth power
Simply great inspired music making, Seven Stars!

El Dorado/Black gondola

Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Minimal Techno | Techno | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
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John Adams: Harmonielehre

ASIN: B000005J3A
Release Date: 1996-10-15

Tracks:

El Dorado: Part I - A Dream of Gold
El Dorado: Part II - Soledades
Berceuse elegiaque (des Mannes Wiegenlied am Sarge seiner Mutter)
The Black Gondola

Amazon.com essential recording

John Adams's El Dorado is in some ways program music, with a twist. It's an imaginary accompaniment, he writes in the liner essay, to a diptych with the unmolested nature of the New World in one panel and that same world with man in it in the other panel. Certainly Adams's characterization of the piece's drama is apt, as it indeed bursts with fierceness at exactly the point where man comes to believe in dominating and subjugating nature, where any hint of the romantic tradition crashes headlong into a more radical revision of both minimalism and percussion-charged late-20th-century orchestration. The piece is aimed at the same subject occupying so many composers in 1992, the collision of worlds 500 years earlier in the Americas. Adams follows this big, broad-shouldered work with an orchestration of Franz Liszt's La Lugubre Gondola and a reduced arrangement of Ferruccio Busoni's Berceuse Élégiaque. Both are funereal works, elegiac in their temperament and brimming with a dramatic depth that compliments El Dorado's rises and crashing falls beautifully. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

A welcome addition to the canon of John Adams.......2003-05-04

John Adams' EL DORADO is a brief 30 minute work of searing impact. Anytime a composer deals with 'in the beginning' motifs, he/she is destined to be compared to Stravinsky's RITE OF SPRING. In the instance of Adams' vision of paradise both before and after the inclusion of Man the comparison is apt. This powerful two movement piece recorded in 1996 underscores the composers increasing infatuation with ends - both of man and of the universe. Though not plunging into the abyss this music definitely has the tenor of elegy for the past and fear for the future. This preoccupation with death is certainly evident in the other two works included on this CD: Adams' orcestrations of the Liszt Tristanesque "The Black Gondola" and Busoni's "Berceuse elegiaque". Given the inherent beauty in these two works Adams has 'interpreted' them with his own sumptious quality of orchestration and both pieces are stunningly elegiac and tender and disappear into the mists that so motivate Adams' current works. This is a beautiful collection of music with something for all those who are appreciating the ongoing musical output of this contemporary genius. Incidentally, the accompanying 'brochure' thankfully is devoted to John Adams' note on the works recorded. Very lovely writing, both as literature and as music.

wickedness to the fifth power.......1999-04-26

El Dorado is the epitome of all the power in the universe. It is packed full of extremes. I can not even begin to explain how incredibly rich in texture and rhythm this piece is. The piccolos and E flat clarinets are in their upper registers and the bassoons and bass clarinets rip it up in their lower registers. It is a journey through a jungle that you wish would never end. If you like Hindemith or Philip Glass, I would really recomend this little number.

Simply great inspired music making, Seven Stars!.......1999-04-10

This is all great music I'd like to give it seven stars. Adams is simply the best orchestrator around inheriting irrevocably Stravinsky's trust assets. "El Dorado" here you might think is a few feet away from movie music. So what! it is an inspired orchestral sound that does something and provides food for our imaginations. The opening mystery of the simplistic use of the maraca with intervals of punctuation(marimba & bassoon) is sheer restrained power. Adams does have structural problems however for he spends himself quickly, Why?, and we are left hanging with some of the fortunes of his previous music thrown in. I begin to hear the crowd(the musicians) gathering,the music becomes more clangorous and busy. Adams simply doesn't have control of density at all times. The Europeans know about density, but then they pay for it with a lack of momentum and direct communication. The two orchestrations are also great inspirations and perhaps a new genre on the postmodern scene, arrangements of objects that beg arranging. We need some new genre in music every ten years. Busoni was also a consummate colorist and like Adams was a transitional figure. I sense an intimate dialogue here which is what a good arrangement should be. The Listz as well is a challenge to orchestrate effectively. But then Adams chooses well, for Listz's music does have a timbral openness which invites this kind of realization.

Average customer rating:

Lotte Lehmann in her Prime

Mattia Battistini: Il re dei baritoni

Manufacturer: Preiser Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0000023QE
Release Date: 1997-03-18

Tracks:

I Puritani: Ah! Per Sempre Io Ti Perdei
I Puritani: Bel Sogno Beato
Maria Di Rohan: Bella E Di Sol Vestita
Tannhauser: Allor Che Tu Coll'estro
Tannhauser: Nel Rimirar Quest'adunanza Eletta
Tannhauser: Forier Di Morte...O Tu Bell'astro
La Traviata: Di Provenza Il Mar
Faust: O Santa Medaglia...Dio Possente
Amleto: O Vin Discaccia La Tristezza
Amleto: Come Il Romito Fior
Werther: Ma Come Dopo Il Nembo
Werther: Ah! Non Mi Ridestar
Thais: D'acqua Aspergimi - Mattia Battistini/Attilia Janni
I Pagliacci: Si Puo?
Tosca: Tre Sbirri, Una Carrozza
Le Soir

Tracks:

Guglielmo Tell: Resta Immobile
Linda Di Chamounix: Ambo Nati In Questa Valle
Linda Di Chamounix: Un Buon Servo Del Visconte - Mattia Battistini/Maria Moscisca
Lucia Di Lammormoor: Cruda Funesta Smania
Rigoletto: O Mia Gilda - Mattia Battistini/Maria Moscisca
La Traviata: Madamigella Valery? - Mattia Battistini/Maria Moscisca
L'Africana: Figlia Di Regi...Quando Amor M'accende
L'Africana: Averla Tanto Amata
Otello: Era La Notte
I Pagliacci: Decidi Il Mio Destin...E Allor Perche? - Mattia Battistini/Maria Moscisca
Quo Vadis?: Errar Sull'ampio Mar
Quo Vadis?: O Febea Pur Essa
Quo Vadis?: Amici, L'ora Attesa E Questa
Macbeth: Pieta, Rispetto, Amore
Nero: Imen! Imen!
Erodiade: Vision Fuggativa
Trauerwalzer No.2, D 365: Delizia

Tracks:

Don Giovanni: Deh! Vieni Alla Finestra
La Favorita: Vien, Leonora...Dei Nemici Tuoi
Ernani: Vedi Come Il Buon Vegliardo - Mattia Battistini/Elvira Barbieri/Giuseppe Tommasini/Vincenzo Bettoni
Il Trovatore: Mira D'acerbe Lagrime - Mattia Battistini/Elvira Barbieri
Un Ballo In Maschera: Ve', Se Di Notte Qui Colla Sposa - Mattia Battistini/Elvira Barbieri/Vincenzo Bettoni
Don Carlo: Per Me Giunto E Il Di Supremo
Faust: Per Di Qua...Stammi Ad Udir, Margherita - Mattia Battistini/Elvira Barbieri
Malia
Amour, Amour!
Culto
Ideale
O Ma Charmante
Mia Sposa Sara La Mia Bandiera
La Serenata
La Gondola Nera
Non M'ama Piu
Occhi Di Fata

Customer Reviews:

Lotte Lehmann in her Prime.......2006-07-08

Lotte Lehmann is one of the great German sopranos of the Twentieth Century. For many years, from her creation of the role of the Composer in the revised version of Richard Strauss's "Ariadne auf Naxos" in 1916 up to her departure in 1937 prior to the Nazi occupation of Austria, she was a star at the Vienna State Opera and a darling of the Viennese audience. She was also enthusiatically received at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, as well as the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

During the years of her prime Lehmann created a couple of Strauss's operatic heroines, including the Dyer's Wife in "Die Frau Ohne Schatten" and Christine in "Intermezzo." She also sang a great variety of roles ranging from Wagner's romantic heroines to the Italian verisimo parts by Giordano and Puccini. Puccini was said to have been one of her bigget admirers, especially for her renditions of Mimi in La boheme and Suor Angelica. However, her most famous roles were the Marshallin in Strauss's "Der Rosenkavalier" and Sieglinde in Wagner's "Die Walkure." This Preiser issue documents accoustic recordings of nearly all her more renowned roles, made between 1914 and 1925.

Although Lehmann later made more amenable electrical recordings of many of the arias here, as well as excerpts from "Der Rosenkavalier" and Acts One and Two of "Die Walkure," these accoustic recordings more often than not show her in fresher voice with a joyous freedom on top. Her hallmarks as a singing-actress, such as her always vivid enunciation of the text and her great variety of tonal colors and moods, are also evident even in the earliest of these recordings.

This set is one of the gems in Preiser's famous historic singers series and anyone interested in operatic singing should consider investing in this set. The CD transfer unavoidably contains some surface noise but the vibrancy and color of Lehmann's voice are faithfully recaptured.

Average customer rating:

Tribute to Brendel
Brendel and virtuosity

Alfred Brendel 3

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Polonaises | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Toccatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
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Alfred Brendel 2
Daniel Barenboim
Claudio Arrau 3 (III) (Great Pianists of the Century series) - Chopin / Debussy / Granados / Liszt / Mozart / Schubert (2 CDs)
Rudolf Serkin
Shura Cherkassky

ASIN: B00001IVP0
Release Date: 1999-09-14

Tracks:

Variations serieuses, Op. 54 - Alfred Brendel
Konzertstuck In F Minor, Op. 79: Larghetto affettuoso - Allegro passionato - - Carl Maria Von Weber
Konzertst F Minor, Op. 79: Adagio - tempo di Marcia - Piu mosso - Presto gioioso - Alfred Brendel
Piano Concerto No. 1 In D Minor, Op. 15: Maestoso - Poco piu moderato - Johannes Brahms
Piano Concerto No. 1 In D Minor, Op. 15: Adagio - Johannes Brahms
Piano Concerto No. 1 In D Minor, Op. 15: Rondo. Allegro non troppo - Johannes Brahms

Tracks:

Polonaise In F Sharp Minor, Op. 44 - Alfred Brendel
Annees de pelerinage: Premiere annee: Suisse: Vallee d'Obermann No. 6 (Live Recording) - Liszt, Franz
Annees de pelerinage: Premiere annee: Suisse: Orage. No. 5 - Liszt, Franz
Totentanz - Liszt, Franz
Annees de pelerinage: Deuxieme annee: Italie: Sposalizio No. 1 (Live Recording) - Liszt, Franz
Bagatelle sans tonalite (Live Recording) - Liszt, Franz
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 15 In A Minor: Radoczy March - Liszt, Franz
La lugubre gondola No. 1 - Liszt, Franz
Toccata: Preludio - Fantasia - Ciaccona (Live Recording) - Alfred Brendel

Amazon.com

Renaissance man Alfred Brendel remains one of the indisputable keyboard giants of the last several decades, and many a music lover has grown up with his Beethoven or Schubert as a point of departure. Though routinely depicted as an archetype of the modern pianist as predominantly analytical and heavily "cerebral" (albeit in a sense somewhat different from that of Maurizio Pollini), Brendel shouldn't be boxed into such easy categories--and much of the artistry represented on his third volume in the Philips series is a case in point. To be sure, Brendel's impressive intellectual candlepower is in ample evidence. Whether it's the richly figured "Variations sérieuses" of Mendelssohn or his invaluable Brahms First Piano Concerto (from 1986)--in fantastic sympathy with Abbado's Berliners--you can almost hear the process of thought translating into feeling in Brendel's phrasing. But there's also a corresponding passion, which grips you by the throat in the first movement of the Brahms and is breathtakingly beautiful in the second. Similarly, Brendel's Chopin (the F-sharp minor Polonaise here) may not seem as outright "poetic" as a more sentimental taste would dictate, but the sinewy, steely sense of structure he builds up conveys a sensuous energy as well. That's above all the case with the Liszt excerpts occupying most of disc 2. Brendel's strong associations with the Hungarian composer go beyond reclaiming a misunderstood talent; though accused at times of "overdoing" Liszt in the sense of taking him too seriously, Brendel actually revels in the gorgeous fabrics of sound from the Années de pèlerinage numbers and somehow balances the muscle-flexing virtuosity of Totentanz with a respect for its novel ideas-there's both surface and substance here. In fact, Brendel can leave you downright giddy with the coruscating peroration of his Hungarian Rhapsody No. 15. The enigmatic, labyrinthine Toccata of the Lisztian heir Ferrucio Busoni makes a perfect envoi, a study in self-reflexive high jinks but one deeply wed to the sensual sonorities of the keyboard. --Thomas May

Customer Reviews:

Tribute to Brendel.......2001-01-02

For those who think Brendel is purely a Mozartian with bits of Beethoven here and there, Brendel does show he has the capacity, both musically and technically, to pull off some excellent performances of some of the most difficult Romantic repertoire. The highlight of this CD is the Brahms Piano Concerto no.1, in which Brendel displays an inate understanding of the various nuances of the music. Possibly the most difficult of the 19th century concertos because of its length and awkward hand-positions required, Brendel displays an extremely impressive accuracy and sustains his interpretation throughout the entire piece. This performance is up there with the Curzon of 1962 and the Rubinstein of 1954. The Liszt Totentanz is quite incredible as well, a brisk tempo is sustained and the power and intensity never wavers. Definitely a great set of recordings!

Brendel and virtuosity.......1999-11-18

Brendel and Liszt seem at first glance an odd combination when one thinks of him playing quiet Schubert or Haydn. But in this selection of some live performances, he not only delivers his long aknowledged insight into the true meaning of the printed score, but brings the natural flair needed for this kind of music. His "Obermann" may not be as exciting as the Horowitz 1966 version, but nevertheless it is a reading that pulls the listener into a lengthy communion with the performer.

Best of all here is the Busoni which ends the recital. Played at incredible speed and nerve, can any performance be as daredevil as this?

Music Track: