Fantasies & Realities: Solo & Chamber Music of 2

Track Listings

1. American Fantasy - I. Declaration

2. American Fantasy - II. Introspection

3. American Fantasy - III. Community

4. Chaconne and Variations

5. Three Moods for Brass Quintet I. Agog

6. Three Moods for Brass Quintet II. Pensive

7. Three Moods for Brass Quintet III. Capricious

8. Tapestries for Trombone Quintet

9. In The Land Of Wonder-Wander

10. Canzon for Brass Quintet

11. In Praise of Music - I. Thompson

12. In Praise of Music - II. Milton

13. In Praise of Music - III. Poe

14. In Praise of Music - IV. Anonymous

15. In Praise of Music - V. Shakespeare

16. In Praise of Music - VI. Emperor Ferdinand III

17. In Praise of Music -VII. Schiller

18. In Praise of Music - VIII. Doughty

Editorial Reviews
About the Artist
Dr. Sy Brandon (b. 1945 in New York, NY) is a professor emeritus of music from Millersville University, Millersville, PA where he taught low brass, composition, orchestration, music history, electronic music, and music industry for twenty four years. He received his B.S. and M.S. in music education from Ithaca College and his A. mus. D. in composition from the University of Arizona. His composition teachers have been Warren Benson, Elie Siegmeister, and Robert McBride.

Dr. Brandon has received numerous prizes for his compositions including first prizes in Kappa Gamma Psi Original Composition Contest (1963), WITF-FM Classical Composition Contest (1996), Tuba Universal Brotherhood Association Tuba Etude Composition Contest (1996), El Dorado Sacred Music Composition Contest (2000), and Franklin and Marshall College Wind Ensemble Composition Contest (2001). He received honorable mentions in the Roth NSOA Composition Contest (1969), NACWPI Composition Contest (1973 and 1976), International Trombone Association Contest (1974 and 1985), Symposium III for New Band Music (1977), Symposium for New Woodwind Quintet Music (1980), Bucks County Symphony Society Contest (1983), Tuba Universal Brotherhood Association Euphonium Etudes Composition Contest (1995), Britten-on-the Bay Composition Contest (1996), Diana S. Barnhart American Song Composition Contest (1998), New England String Ensemble Composition Contest (2000), Delius Composition Competition (20! 00), and Ithaca College Choral Composition Contest (2000).

Dr. Brandon has received over twenty commissions for his music from the Boise Philharmonic, York Symphony Orchestra, the Twentieth Moravian Music Festival, and numerous professional musicians and school music organizations. In December 2001, his "Olympic Prelude" was selected as the competition piece for the 11th Annual Australian Flute Festival Flute Choir Competition. He has been a recipient of an ASCAP Special Award annually since 1998.

During 1973-74, he was composer-in-residence at Boise State University and is presently a member of the American Music Center, the American Composers' Forum, and ASCAP. His music has been recorded by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra on the Albany Records Label, the Contemporary Record Society, Trutone Records and by the Swiss Duo Delimme on the Arizona University Label. His music is published by Warner/Chappell Music, T.U.B.A. Manuscript Press, Trombone Association Publishing, Theodore Presser Co. and Co-Op Press. Dr. Brandon's music has been performed both throughout the United States and abroad including performances by the United States Army, Navy, and Air Force Bands.

Album Description
This CD contains solo and chamber music of award-winning composer Sy Brandon. The performers are some of the top artists in the United States and includes several winners of the Co-op Press Recording Competition.

Fantasies & Realities: Solo & Chamber Music of 2, Music, Megan Lauterbach, Christie Vohs, Sy Brandon, The Golden Gate Wind Quintet, The Hartford Brass Quintet, Laura Koepele-Tenges, Alan Nichols, John Elmquist, Henry Henninger, John McClave, Justin Clark, Sara Albert, Tzu-Yang Chou, Kenyon Wilson, Chamber, Chamber Music, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Vocals, Miscellaneous, Pop

Vaughan Williams: Fantasies; The Lark Ascending; Five Variants
Average customer rating:

Iona Brown was very special

Superb

this England!

tallis and lark

smooth as silk

Vaughan Williams: Fantasies; The Lark Ascending; Five Variants

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Ralph Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 5

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Vaughan Williams - Serenade to Music · Five Mystical Songs · Fantasia on Christmas Carols · Flos Campi / Sixtieen Soloists · Thomas Allen · Nobuko Imai · Corydon Singers · ECO · Matthew Best

Vaughan Williams: Serenade to Music; The Lark Ascending; Fantasia on Greensleeves; English Folk Song Suite; In the Fen Country; Norfolk Rhapsody No. 1

Vaughan Williams: Orchestral Works

ASIN: B000004CVM
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis
Fantasia On Greensleeves
The Lark Ascending
Five Variants Of 'Dives And Lazarus'

Amazon.com

Marriner's evergreen 1972 recording of favorite shorter works by Vaughan Williams has yet to be surpassed for warmth of conception and smoothness of execution. The soloists in these accounts (among them William Bennett in the Greensleeves Fantasia and Iona Brown in the Lark Ascending) are all first-rate, and the Academy's strings play with polish and great beauty of sound. The analog recording is excellent, and Marriner's remarkable empathy for the music comes across effortlessly. Some listeners may prefer the richer sonority and arrestingly mystical manner of Marriner's 1993 digital remake of the Tallis Fantasia for Philips, but this disc offers the most desirable coupling of other works and remains a first choice for those interested in getting to know the composer's finest short essays. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

Iona Brown was very special.......2007-06-11

The Iona Brown recording of "Lark" here is famous in Britain and justifiably so. Brown, who died in 2004, grew up in the English countryside and had a deep experience of what Vaughan Williams was trying to capture. The rest of the CD is lush, crisp and wonderful -- the Academy's renowned strings at their early 70s peak. It's an analog recording (1972) and the sound is terrific. I don't think this recording has ever been out of print -- how many thousands of us owned the LP and bought the CD as soon as it came out.

Superb.......2007-03-16

This is an essential recording for any classical music collection. I've probably played this CD a thousand times, and I never grow tired of it. Wonderful music beautifully played - buy it.

this England!.......2006-12-14

It is perhaps impossible to hear Vaughan Williams' short works performed more beautifully and unforgettably than in this 1972 ADRM/Argo recording. Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields acquit themselves above reproach. Vaughan Williams - you love him or hate him - must be loved for his Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, that haunting and almost religiously uplifting setting of Medieval plainsong that is capable of shifting a driver to the side of the road in open-jawed amazement at the sheer evocative beauty of it.

Greensleeves is emblematic of the English countryside and its melody, easily dismissed as the primped-up stuff of 'Rule Brittania' shops but so much more worthwhile than all that. Iona Brown's violin on 'The Lark Ascending' sounds as though crafted to play this piece once - enduringly- and then tossed like unused Eucharistic wine.

How, one wonders in aesthetic and rationally unguarded moments, could a nation that produced such music have lost an Empire? Or, more accurately, how could a people capable of such lyricism have done otherwise than believed - for an historical blink of an eye - in its own superiority?

That a coterie of *English* musicians should produce the definitive recording of these works is poetically appropriate.

That listeners of many tongues should listen and wonder at Williams' temperamental genius is simply a musical fact on the ground.

Begin Vaughan Williams with this recording. The rest are derivative.

tallis and lark.......2006-10-06

Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis was a piece of music John Williams discovered in a house of sorts during the war in a dresser.He loved to visit small villages to hear local music. This piece and Lark Ascending are, in my mind, the finest music ever written. I love Beethoven, Willie and Lobo, Miles Davis, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Nina Simone, Pat Metheny, Patrick O'Hearn, John Lee Hooker, I can go on. But it's these 2 pieces that completely consume the listener, pull you in and stop you dead in your thoughts....to dream. Lark Ascending was literally a piece of music written with the author watching a lark(bird) in a small, cozy valley rising up from the floor, singing all the way up. I have given away these CD's 6 and 7 times over because guests at my house are so touched after the music is over, especially after a jug of wine. Thank you for reading, Greg-Fresno, CA.

smooth as silk.......2006-09-30

I too fell for this music in college long ago, and carry it inside me everywhere I go. I have listened to Lark and Tallis many times when I was worried about school or work, and hum them in my mind when I need an emotional lift. Interesting comment about the Japanese connection -- when listening to Lark I sometimes imagine an English countryside with stream, and sometimes a Japanese.

Marriner is a genius at small orchestra. I like the famous Barbirolli version of Tallis too, but it was Marriner's I fell in love with. A great collection to own. If you love this, don't miss RVW's Serenade to Music on Hyperion - an awesome musical setting of Shakespeare that is as satisfying as Lark and Tallis.

Billy Joel: Fantasies & Delusions, Op. 1-10

Average customer rating:

great CD
At best, a sincere attempt by a layperson
Lovely piece of wrting played very well
Unbelievable... unforgettable!
Richard Joo is the pianist in the world - I heard him live!!!

Billy Joel: Fantasies & Delusions, Op. 1-10
Billy Joel , and Richard Joo
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Billy Joel - Fantasies and Delusions: Music for Solo Piano, Op. 1-10
Streetlife Serenade
The Bridge
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ASIN: B00005Q6KS
Release Date: 2001-10-02

Tracks:

Reverie (Villa D'Este)
Waltz # 1 (Nunley's Carousel)
Aria (Grand Canal)
Invention In C Minor
Soliloquy (On A Separation)
Innamorato
Suite For Piano (Star-Crossed)
Sorbetto
Delusion
Waltz # 2 (Steinway Hall)
Waltz # 3 (For Lola)
Fantasy (Film Noir)
Air (Dublinesque)

Amazon.com

For nearly a decade now, Billy Joel has devoted himself to writing instrumental classical music. The results heard on Fantasies & Delusions show the "Piano Man" firmly rooted in Romanticism and short, expressive works that cover a range of moods. There are hints of Schumann and Chopin throughout the 10 solo piano compositions; Joel may wear his influences on his sleeve, but at least he has great influences. Some critics may scoff, but this is a solid debut--not a "classical crossover" attempt filled with infectious pop melodies, but an impressive recording of new piano works played solidly by Richard Joo. As with his pop creations, Joel doesn't strive for the cutting-edge and he certainly doesn't traverse the depths of human emotions (though the 11-minute "Soliloquy, Op.1" sounds a little overwrought). This is still a pleasant classical album that's infinitely listenable (and head and shoulders above recent "classical" works penned by Paul McCartney and other pop stars). --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews:

great CD.......2007-05-09

Amazing. It is very light, not serious. A very enjoyable CD

At best, a sincere attempt by a layperson.......2007-03-01

I understand that Joel has a limited classical background. It shows in all of the pieces. They are, however, a sincere attempt at classical composition. He tries different approaches, like drama, wistfulness, and even a motoric element. But it's obvious that he needs to listen to more classical discs and brush up on his knowledge of classical repertoire.

Nice try though.

Lovely piece of wrting played very well.......2006-12-31

For all that say this is a hollow initation of past composers should remember that there has been little groundbreaking compsition for the last 50 years (maybe 100) and what is groundbreaking I can barely stand listening to. It is not Chopin .... it not supposed to be.

Listen for what it is and you will find it lovely piece of wrting played very well.

Unbelievable... unforgettable!.......2006-12-01

Wow! This is a great classical album. It's perfection. A hundred years from now, if only one recording of Billy Joel survives, I hope it's this one.

Richard Joo is the pianist in the world - I heard him live!!!.......2006-03-07

I have to say that the performance on the CD by Richard Joo is impeccable! However, I have had the fortune to hear him perform live and I must say that he is absolutely the BEST pianist that I have ever heard!!!! I have been in the classical music business for years and have heard countless pianists, but RICHARD JOO is in a league of his own. Especially when he performs "serious" classical pieces. So, if you ever get a chance to hear him live, DON'T MISS IT!!!! I have definately become his fan.

György Ligeti Edition 2: A Cappella Choral Works - London Sinfonietta Voices

Average customer rating:

Surprising Variety in Modern A Capepella Choral works
Mostly unlistenable....
a handful of great Ligeti works.
brilliant choral music
Exquisite use of the voice

György Ligeti Edition 2: A Cappella Choral Works - London Sinfonietta Voices

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Ligeti: Mechanical Music

ASIN: B0000029OX
Release Date: 1997-01-21

Tracks:

A Cappella Choral Works: Night
A Cappella Choral Works: Morning
A Cappella Choral Works: Far from home 1
A Cappella Choral Works: Far from home 2
A Cappella Choral Works: Far from home 3
A Cappella Choral Works: Far from home 4
A Cappella Choral Works: Solitude
A Cappella Choral Works: Two Canons 1
A Cappella Choral Works: Two Canons 2
A Cappella Choral Works: Kings of Bethlehem
A Cappella Choral Works: The Fugitive
A Cappella Choral Works: Lux aeterna
A Cappella Choral Works: Wedding Song
A Cappella Choral Works: Songs from Inaktelke 1
A Cappella Choral Works: Songs from Inaktelke 2
A Cappella Choral Works: Songs from Inaktelke 3
A Cappella Choral Works: Songs from Inaktelke 4
A Cappella Choral Works: Songs from Matraszentimre 1
A Cappella Choral Works: Songs from Matraszentimre 2
A Cappella Choral Works: Songs from Matraszentimre 3
A Cappella Choral Works: Songs from Matraszentimre 4
A Cappella Choral Works: Widow Papai
A Cappella Choral Works: Three phantasies after Hrlin 1
A Cappella Choral Works: Three phantasies after Hrlin 2
A Cappella Choral Works: Three phantasies after Hrlin 3
A Cappella Choral Works: Hungarian Etudes 1
A Cappella Choral Works: Hungarian Etudes 2
A Cappella Choral Works: Hungarian Etudes 3
A Cappella Choral Works: Heigh, Youth! 1
A Cappella Choral Works: Heigh, Youth! 2
A Cappella Choral Works: Easter
A Cappella Choral Works: Hortobagy 1
A Cappella Choral Works: Hortobagy 2
A Cappella Choral Works: Hortobagy 3
A Cappella Choral Works: From a high mountain rock
A Cappella Choral Works: Double-Dance from Kallo 1
A Cappella Choral Works: Double-Dance from Kallo 2

Amazon.com essential recording

A vast audience received its first exposure to the music of György Ligeti through Stanley Kubrick's use of his haunting "Lux Aeterna" (despite the composer's lack of consent) in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey. This collection--part of Sony's invaluable Ligeti edition--places "Lux aeterna" in the context of Ligeti's other a cappella choral works, which together provide an overview of the evolving phases of one of the 20th century's most intriguing composers. In his booklet notes to the disc, Ligeti recalls the influence of Bartók and Kodály on his early folkloric compositions, from arrangements of traditional material to free, polyrhythmically inflected inventions on Hungarian folk texts, a format that allowed him some degree of experimental freedom from the strictures of "socialist realism" before he fled the Hungarian Communist regime. The breakthrough "Lux aeterna" is a classic example of Ligeti's trademark technique of "micropolyphony," enveloping the listener in mesmerizingly dense textures of cloudlike harmonies. From Ligeti's late period comes a triptych of "Hölderlin Phantasies." Their 16-voice polyphony transcends the simplistic distinction between tonality and atonality to explore "new kinds of half diatonic, half chromatic harmonies." The resulting sound world of fragmentary, dislocated epiphanies mirrors the unfathomable richness of the great visionary poet to uncanny effect. Throughout, the acoustical balance and conviction of the London Sinfonietta Voices give vivid shape to Ligeti's genius. -Thomas May

Customer Reviews:

Surprising Variety in Modern A Capepella Choral works.......2006-08-24

This 'A Cappella Choral Works', the second volume in a collection of Gyorgy Ligeti compositions contains one of the pieces of music which contributed to making '2001, A Space Odyessy' such a profoundly interesting film. This piece, 'Lux aeterna' which is the textbook example of 'SciFi' music, is very different from many of the other pieces on this recording. In fact, one is really impressed by the wide variety of styles, where you have some peasant songs which sound a lot like sea chantys and other pieces which are definitely liturgical. One can certainly thank Stanley Kubrick for bringing Ligeti to our attention.

Mostly unlistenable...........2006-08-23

Not even good for background music/noise as the voices get really loud in certain parts and almost silent.

I bought this CD and am returning it. It's just more & more of the sameness throughout the whole CD.

I realize that Ligeti is avant garde but I heard that if you like Gregorian chant (which I do) this CD is similar. I don't think it is. It's very disquieting and full of tension (great, if that's the mood you're looking for).

a handful of great Ligeti works........2004-09-06

As a compilation, musically speaking, Edition 2 is probably my least favorite of the Sony Ligeti Edition collection. Many of the pieces come from traditional Hungarian sources, conceived while Ligeti was still in his early years. They are pretty, but also pretty straightforward and conventional, and other than their simple pleasantness and occasionally yummy dissonances, they aren't really mindblowing like the best Ligeti. They are often very beautiful though. However, Edition 2 DOES feature one of the most harrowing, apocalyptic compositions of 20th century Western music, _Lux aeterna_. The profound tension in the quiet web of micropolyphonic voices is just devastating. Also great are the other later pieces, _Drei Phantasien nach Friedrich Holderlin_, three wild polyphony pieces from German literature, and _Magyar Etudok_, three very complex Hungarian etudes for 16 voices. Those pieces are all outstanding but honestly I think everything I've heard by Ligeti is worth hearing. Check out Ligeti edition 4 for more vocal works, some of which are the best of Ligeti's works.

brilliant choral music.......2003-07-21

This cd is beautiful to listen to.From Ejszaka to Kallai Ketto
is brilliant. Ligeti choral works is the first cd have got choral music on it and i love it.Now im going to get the other two cds in the ligeti edition.
(the vocal works & le grand marabre)

Exquisite use of the voice.......2002-07-11

Bringing Ligeti's works to a wider public was one of the great services Stanley Kubrick performed for the world when Lux aeterna was included in the soundtrack for 2001: a Space Odyssey.

This album is a collection of a cappella choral works and which highlights Ligeti's great talent and skill in the use of the voice as a musical instrument. He, together with Yoko Ono, have excelled in this field though from different, sometimes conflicting directions.

When I listen to this I revel in it's glory. The sounds are ethereal and atmospheric, ghostly and angelic in a way that no-one but the composer can make them sound. I never want those sounds to end and in a way it is like having a sort of dependence.

I could go on and on and on about this but I had better stop. This is one essentila component of anyone's classical music collection yet it really defies categorisation. This is timeless, awesome music, not just for a generation but for a world. Lest Zeus strike me with a thunderbolt, these voices are sweeter and more angelic than the voices of the angels themselves.

Tracks:

Symphony No. 3 In E-flat Major, Op. 97: 'Rhenish' - Lebhaft
Andante And Variations In B-Flat Major
Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13
Toccata In C Major, Op. 7
Kreisleriana, Op. 16
Piano Concerto In A Minor, Op. 54: Allegro Vivace
Carnaval, Op. 9
'Dedication', Op. 25/1
Symphony No. 4 in D Minor, Op. 120: Introduction - Vivace
Papilons, Op. 2
Op. 25-3: 'The Nut Tree'
Symphony No. 3 In E-flat Major, Op. 97: 'Rhenish' - Lebhaft-Schneller
Piano Quintet In E-flat Major, Op. 44: Allegro ma non troppo
Piano Concerto In A Minor, Op. 54: Allegro affettuoso
Carnaval, Op. 9: Waltz
Album For The Young, Op. 68: The Merry Farmer
Scenes From Childhood, Op. 15: Dreams
Cello Concerto In A Minor, Op. 129: Nicht au schnell
Symphony No. 3 In E-flat Major, Op. 97: 'Rhenish' - Feierlich
Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46, No 1
Lyric Suite, Op. 54-2: Norwegian Rustic Dance
Op. 12 No. 4: Elf Dance
Op. 35, No. 1: Norwegian Dances
Elegiac Melodies
Op. 64, No. 4: Symphonic Dances
Op. 35, No. 2: Norwegian Dances
Op. 5-3: 'I Love Thee'
Op. 43, No. 1: Butterfly
Op. 65, No. 6: Wedding Day At Troldhaugen
Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46, No. 3: Anitra's Dance
Peer Gynt Suite No. 2, Op. 55, No. 4: Solveig's Song
Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46, No. 4: In The Hall Of The Mountain King
Piano Concerto In A Minor, Op. 16: Allegro moderato; Allegro marcato
Holberg Suite, Op. 40: Prelude: Allegro vivace
Lyric Suite, Op. 54, No. 3: Dance Of The Dwarfs
Homage To Chopin
Sigurd Jorsalfar Suite, Op. 56, No. 3: Homage March
Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46: Morning Mood
Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46: The Death Of Aase
Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46: Anitra's Dance
Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46: In The Hall Of The Mountain King
Peer Gynt Suite No. 2, Op. 55: III The Return Of Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt Suite No. 2, Op. 55: IV Solveig's Song

Robert Schumann: Kinderszenen/Kreisleriana

Average customer rating:

I hate this CD!
One phenomenal artist!
Argerich According to Taste
One of the best Schumann performences

Robert Schumann: Kinderszenen/Kreisleriana

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Schumann: Kinderszenen Op15

ASIN: B000001G4S
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Kinderszenen Op.15: About Foreign Lands And Peoples
Kinderszenen Op.15: Curious Story
Kinderszenen Op.15: Catch Me If You Can
Kinderszenen Op.15: Pleading Child
Kinderszenen Op.15: Happiness
Kinderszenen Op.15: Important Event
Kinderszenen Op.15: Dreaming
Kinderszenen Op.15: At The Fireside
Kinderszenen Op.15: Knight Of The Hobby Horse
Kinderszenen Op.15: Almost Too Serious
Kinderszenen Op.15: Frightening
Kinderszenen Op.15: Child Falling Asleep
Kinderszenen Op.15: The Poet Speaks
Kreisleriana Op.16: Agitatissimo
Kreisleriana Op.16: Con Molta Espressione, Non Troppo Presto
Kreisleriana Op.16: Molto Agitato
Kreisleriana Op.16: Lento Assai
Kreisleriana Op.16: Vivace Assai
Kreisleriana Op.16: Lento Assai
Kreisleriana Op.16: Molto Presto
Kreisleriana Op.16: Vivace E Scherzando

Customer Reviews:

I hate this CD!.......2004-12-12

I hate this CD! I choose to listen to it primarily for the Kreisleriana, one of my favorite pieces of Schumann -- and then, to my chagrin, I get sidetracked by Kinderscenen, the first piece on this disc. Once I hear the lovely opening strains of "From foreign lands and peoples," I am "hooked" and must finish listening to this piece in its entirety before I get to hear the Kreisleriana. What a horrible predicament . . . to have two stunning performances of two entirely different works by the same composer and same artist on a single CD!! Seriously, though, while Martha Argerich needs no endorsement -- certainly not from a mere mortal like me -- the interpretations on this disc are nothing short of extraordinary. The alternately gentle ease, whimsical jerkiness, and general loveliness with which she plays the Kinderscenen truly presents this as a piece not for children, but for adults about children with all of their profound yet innocent thoughts and delights. One loses oneself in this musical panorama of childhood brought forth by Ms. Argerich. Regarding Kreisleriana, it is best that I say nothing and simply insist that everyone who loves music owes himself or herself the hearing of this romantic, mysterious, yet subtle masterpiece of Schumann brought forth through the mind and fingers of Ms. Argerich. (I truly feel indebted to her, knowing her aversion to solo playing, that she has graced us with these recordings, of which the purchase price is as nothing when compared with the inestimable value of the production.) This is a performance that is at once intensely passionate and caressingly beautiful. Thunderously powerful and quietly mysterious -- all as Schumann intended . . . but almost never realized in the concert hall, so difficult is the performance of this work both technically and interpretively. In closing, while I still adore the (justly) legendary Kreislerianas of Kempff and Horowitz, there's just something about Argerich here that makes the heart beat a bit faster.

One phenomenal artist!.......2004-09-26

For those fortunate enough to have heard Martha Argerich in concert are well aware of her innate musicality and brilliance of execution. Though she is usually associated with the "barn-burner" repertoire she has always been equally at home in the gentler tenderness of such works as in this recordings Kinderszenen by Robert Schumann (paired with an equally successful reading of the Kreisleriana). Yes, she does have her own ideas about tempi and dynamics, but this music is, after all, form the Romantic Era when just such personality traits were de rigueur with performers (and composers performing their own works!). Argerich never gets in the way of the composer's markings, she just leans into the inner voices and there finds interpretations that sing. Her nonchalant (read 'unfussy') opening of 'Von fremden Landern und Menschen' is childlike innocence itself, and when she approaches 'Ritter con Steckenpferd' we are on a wild ride of technical finesse. The balance of the recording (made in 1984) is up to the old standards set by DGG. This is an enormously satisfying CD of two wonderful cycles from Schumann's repertoire for the piano alone.

Argerich According to Taste.......2000-06-19

Last Summer I finally had the opportunity to hear Argerich live in concert (Prokoviev, not Schumann -- but it hardly mattered). I felt my musical appreciation life was complete. As recent New York Times articles have said, Argerich in concert inspires something very like the 'Lisztomania' phenomenon in the 19th century. Live, sitting at the piano, fingers often moving so fast they can't be followed with the eye, yet always poised like doing this were the most natural thing in the world, Argerich seems more an elemental force or goddess than a human pianist...at least to people who become involved in her music making. (At the concert I attended she received a 15-20 minute nonstop standing ovation -- no exaggeration -- so it seemed everyone was involved.)

This is all by way of saying that Argerich's recordings don't in my experience -- possibly can't -- live up to her live performances. And so what some people hear as 'virtuosity for its own sake' (quoted from above review), may be the most thrilling music ever heard by the people in the studio at the time she recorded it. Or maybe she needs a concert hall audience, and the studio technicians heard brilliant virtuosity.

As to this recording, I find it to be for the most part vintage Argerich. There are passages that are either too briskly stormed through or that didn't translate onto record and needed to be heard live (microphones are not ears and do change the sound -- that's why there's no perfect stereo system). But if you are able to get into Argerich's sound world -- one of profound emotional intelligence and dynamism -- then what could sound like caprice begins to thrill. The Gramophone reviewer noted Argerich's identification with the child's point of view in Kinderszenen, and I hear that as well. That performance is full of wonder and impulse and 'seeing what's on the other side of that door.' The Kriesleriana is a wild, passionate ride, but with great concentration and intensity in the slow movements. Her tempi, as always, are fast -- almost like the rest of the world is moving in slow motion to her. The sound on the LP was crystal clear, a little light in the bass, neither rich and warm nor cold nor brittle -- just raindrop clear: a typically good DG recording.

If you like Argerich, this is a marvellous disc. If you often have reservations about her playing, you will almost certainly have them again here; though I heartily recommend attending at least one of her concerts at the earliest opportunity.

One of the best Schumann performences.......2000-06-02

I loved Argerich's interpretation of those pieces. No Doubt that this is one of the best recordings of the 20th century! a must.

Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon

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Horowitz: A Digital Legacy

Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Original Jacket Collection: Vladimir Horowitz
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Horowitz Live and Unedited [includes Bonus DVD]

ASIN: B00008RWRI
Release Date: 2003-10-14

Customer Reviews:

Horowitz: A Digital Legacy.......2004-11-15

This set includes all of the recordings Vladimir Horowitz did for Deutsche Grammophon in the 1980s, including his historical concert in Moscow.

While the context of his return in Moscow is moving, the studio recordings are simply wonderful. The sound quality is impeccable. The Steinway piano sounds warm but yet crisp and sharp. Horowitz still has plenty of power, and if you don't have a good sound system, you will notice that your speakers will literally fail, due to the overwhelming wall of sound that Horowitz creates in the intense parts.

The tender moments are just as exciting, as they are enhanced by the very quiet and clear digital recording process. Liszt's Standchen and Mozart's Piano Concerto No 23 are only two of a myriad of highlights contained on this boxed set. Having these high quality digital recordings of this piano legend is a blessing that you can't afford to miss. And at this price, it's simply irresistible.

Tracks:

Quotation Of Dream: Day Signal
Quotation Of Dream
Quotation Of Dream: How Slow The Wind
Quotation Of Dream: Twill By Twilight
Quotation Of Dream: Archipelago S.
Quotation Of Dream: Dream-Window
Quotation Of Dream: Night Signal

Amazon.com

Sometimes, even while you are listening, it can be very difficult to understand how Takemitsu created such exquisitely beautiful music using so much dissonance. As the brief Day Signal opens the disc, for example, you're more likely to think of the glory of sunrise than of the discords. And Quotation of Dream, which quotes freely from Debussy's La Mer, is nearly as beautiful as its source. Rather than waste time figuring out how Takemitsu's spacing of notes and imaginative scoring influences our perceptions, it's much more rewarding just to relax and let the music wash over you. Knussen, who leads amazing performances here, has programmed the disc for a continuous listening experience, although the novice should probably listen only to a couple of pieces at one sitting. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

More of the bland stagnance of Takemitsu's later symphonic work.......2007-06-03

It's inexplicable that so little of Takemitsu's extraordinary film music has been released in affordable editions outside Japan, while compilations of his boring, overtly derivative late orchestral output have enjoyed inclusion on releases by the likes of DG. Then again, DG hasn't had a good string of releases since the late '70s, so I don't expect too much from that fallen giant.

"Quotation of Dream" is easily one of Takemitsu's worst compositions and an absolute waste of time: a meandering exercise that tediously quotes Debussy's "La Mer" and recycles portions of Takemitsu's own "Dream/Window." Technically, this piece is as expertly constructed as all of Takemitsu's work, but that doesn't make it any less counterfeit of its' source material, or any less embarrassing for it. Why should I listen to this tiresome pablum when the compositions it borrows from are readily available?

"How Slow the Wind," "Twill by Twilight" and "Archipelago S." are typical examples of Takemitsu's late orchestral works: they assume a lovely sound and were composed with ingenious design, but that doesn't make them even remotely interesting or memorable.

There are a few works on this disc that are worth hearing. The aforementioned "Dream/Window" is a brilliant, beautiful twelve-tone composition that's infused with the drifting, dreamlike sonority common of his works - an aesthetic which is almost anathema to the rigorous character of most serialist compositions.
Also notable are "Day Signal" and "Night Signal," a pair of dissonant, evocative fanfares that bookend the album's content. These brass-voiced compositions seem almost facile to the ear at first listen, but repeated plays distinguish the cleverness of these little pieces as antiphonal movements.

None of the negative comments of this review should obscure the fact that Takemitsu was a truly gifted and intuitive composer. But it's inexplicable that so much of his best (and in many cases, most accessible) works of film, piano, chamber and electronic/tape music remain either out of print (often since being released on LP) or entirely unavailable for domestic consumption of his North American and European listeners when the least of his orchestral oeuvre is readily on hand.

There's nothing that I can say against these performances by Knussen conducting the LS. They're excellent, informed executions of mostly mediocre compositions. However, I'd much rather hear Knussen performing the best of his own small (but distinguished) oeuvre!

The production is decent: as transparent and pristine as most of the best digital recordings. These compositions don't demand any venture into extreme registers, but the soft passages are capably, audibly reproduced without any loss of their inherent subtlety.

Really enjoying this one.......2006-04-29

I have only recently begun listening to Takemitsu. Was introduced at a guitar recital. I have been slowly accumulating more of his compositions. For me, this is possibly the best.

Composition intrigues me perhaps more than any other aspect of music, and this fellow was clearly inspired. I would liken his music to that of Alan Hovhaness, but without some of the more brash moments of that composer. I can also hear the influence of Debussy, but Takemitsu takes the listener in many enjoyable directions throughout this CD.

The playing and recording are also top-notch.

A fine collection of late works and an ideal introduction.......2004-12-11

QUOTATION OF DREAM is the first of Deutsche Grammophon's several collections of pieces by late Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu, who thankfully has been getting ever-more attention since his untimely death in 1996. Takemitsu was a mainly self-taught composer, and because of this there seems to be little that connects him to his serialism- or minimalism-inspired colleagues. Nevertheless, Takemitsu's own path is fascinating, exploring Japanese and Western compositional principles in isolation and in combination and striving to transcend them both. These pieces, several of them related by shared thematic materials. are lovingly performed by the London Sinfonietta conducted by Oliver Knussen, who was a friend and admirer of Takemitsu.

The disc is framed by two antiphonal fanfares written in 1987, "Day Signal" and "Night Signal", together called "Signals from Heaven". They are closely related, both using dissonance to suggest the changing of the skies, but with one inverted from the other to suggest an opposite tone.

A quip of Takemitsu was "I am self-taught, but I consider Debussy my teacher." The first major work here, "Quotation of Dream - Say sea, take me!" (1991), is a tribute to Debussy using quotations from his "La Mer" as if the composer was trying to recreate the piece he had just woken up from dreaming. The title also refers to its use of some material from "Dream/Window", an earlier composition present on this disc. "Quotation of Dream" is a lovely tribute to the composer's greatest inspiration, but the majority of the work comes only from Takemitsu. His use of a zig-zag of harmony, of orchestral colour that comes forth and recedes like waves is nothing you have ever heard before in orchestral music.

"How Slow the Wind" (1991), inspired by a poem by Emily Dickinson, is rather more brooding. It's most interesting moments occur toward the end, when cascading woodwind sounds and the faintly mechanical notes of two Swiss cowbells transform the work into something different. This is one of Takemitsu's most impressive works,

"Twill by Twillight (in memory of Morton Feldman)" (1988) is an experiment with a musical "tapestry", where a theme "weaves" through the piece. The piece is pretty music, but does little to make itself memorable and for me remains the low point of this collection.

The title of "Archipelago S." for twenty-one players (1993) refers to the landscapes of Seattle, Stockholm, and the islands of the Sato Inland Sea . The piece has an innovative stage layout, with the players grouped into five "islands": a five-person brass group, two mixed seven-piece groups, a clarinet sitting to the right, and a clarinet sitting to the left. The effect is indeed somewhat nautical and this recording exploits the space well.

"Dream/Window" (1985) is probably the most important composition on this disc. Every note of this piece is of the greatest delicacy, and the work as a whole is so crystalline and fragile that one feels one will break it just by listening to it. Though Takemitsu's later works are impressive, they have never seemed to me to acheive the perfection of "Dream/Window". What is surprising is that this work is true twelve-tone music, yet with Takemitsu's skill it does not sound dull or scientific.

If you ever think that modern-classical music is written only by dispassionate ivory-tower robots like Pierre Boulez, the works of Takemitsu will show you that contemporary techniques can, under the right hands, touch the emotions as much as the intellect. While it takes some time to get used to (nearly six months for me), this is probably the single best introduction to the music of Toru Takemitsu. And one should certainly listen to this before getting the other DG "20/21" discs, which are rather more specialised (with, for example, one having traditional Japanese pieces and the other flute and guitar works).

Another world.......2003-10-18

Toru Takemitsu was one of the late 20th century's most individual composers whose scores use primarily the traditional instruments of western classical music. Perhaps in part because he wrote film scores in addition to concert pieces, his art is highly communicative and un-academic. It has the double merit of being about as far as you can get both from gnarly, dissonant modernism and from pretty-pretty New Age ear candy.

Quotation of Dream includes seven pieces from the last decade of Takemitsu's life (he died in 1996), including the premiere recording of the title piece. The disc begins and ends with fanfares that, while perhaps effective as aural bookends, are to my ears undistinguished. The music that lies in between, however, is extraordinarily compelling.

Takemitsu's style in these works is generally meditative, with frequent slow, quiet passages, strings predominating. But there are dramatic incidents and color as well: flaring brass, rising like a mountainous island from a tropical sea; raindrops of chimes; drawn-out woodwind lines weaving sinuously through swirls of massed violins. The music sometimes pivots around silent pauses, like the empty spaces in Zen painting. In Quotation of Dream, twin pianos (played by Paul Crossley and Peter Serkin, respectively) dominate the foreground with gentle cascades of notes while orchestral clouds form in the background.

The musical language is often reminiscent of Debussy and Ravel; in mood (though not in technique) it can resemble the slowest and most mysterious moments in music of the second Viennese school (Schoenberg, Berg, Webern et al.). The subtlety and elusiveness probably owe something to the composer's Japanese heritage. But this is no cut-and-paste job; the overall impression is startlingly original.

I have not read the liner notes, and have no idea of what Takemitsu is trying to "say," or what these scores "mean." I would also suggest that those considerations are pretty irrelevant: the important thing is the sound world that he has created, which is both other-worldly and bracing.

Oliver Knussen, a contemporary British composer and a friend of Takemitsu, conducted the London Sinfonietta in these recordings. It is apparent that that he helped the players, who sound expert, get "inside" the music.

Anyone who already knows and appreciates Takemitsu's sensibility need not hesitate to acquire this disc. It can also be recommended for all but the most determinedly "mostly Mozart" classical devotees.

The presentation is not ideal. Deutsche Grammophon has never excelled at digital recordings, and the sound of this disc, while detailed and transparent, is a bit bright and clinical. The disc is contained in one of those cardboard containers that some labels are now trying to get you to accept in lieu of the standard jewel case because it's cheaper to produce (but not cheaper for you to buy). The atmospheric sepia-toned photo on the cover has a fat round sticker on it that shouts "World Premiere Recording"; if you try to peel off the sticker, it leaves ineradicable shreds. The plastic tray with the central claw ring is glued to the cardboard. Take care not to break the plastic, because there is no way you can replace it.

Takemitsu draws you into his dream world.......2002-04-07

These pieces from Takemitsu's maturity represent the pinnacle of achievement for this gifted composer. Without regard to trends and fashion in contemporary music has has created his own sound universe. A peaceful, yet oddly non-somnolent, serenity informs virtually every bar of these wonderful pieces. The music is beautiful, lush and imaginative at every turn and despite strong ties to the French impressionists it is creative and unique and infused with Takemitsu's personal stamp and his nature-mystical aesthetic. The sound and the performances are first rate and Oliver Knussen must be congratulated on doing such a fine job in bringing these excellent pieces to life. If you love Takemitsu, you will love this CD. If you are new to Takemitsu, this is a wonderful introduction to one of the 20th century's finest composers.
Recommended without reservation.

Average customer rating:

Nice CD

Great Film Fantasies (Hybrid SACD]

Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000EGDB8I
Release Date: 2006-03-28

Customer Reviews:

Nice CD.......2007-03-01

I do like this film scores on this SACD. They have been well recorded. I don't find myself listening to them all the time, but these make great background songs for any home movie/photo projects. The surround processing sounds good. I was not just totally impressed however, so I give this one only 4 stars.

Scottish Fantasies for Violin and Orchestra with Rachel Pine (2 CDs)

Average customer rating:

Scottish fantasies at their best
really, really good

Scottish Fantasies for Violin and Orchestra with Rachel Pine (2 CDs)
Max Bruch , Sir Alexander Mackenzie , and Sir John Blackwood McEwen
Manufacturer: Cedille
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ASIN: B0009VI5GG
Release Date: 2005-06-28

Tracks:

Max Bruch: Scottish Fantasy, Op. 46
Pablo de Sarasate: Airs ecossais, Op. 34

Tracks:

Sir Alexander Mackenzie: Pibroch Suite, Op. 42
Sir John Blackwood McEwen: Scottish Rhapsody ("Prince Charlie")
Rachel Barton Pine.Alasdair Fraser: Medley of Scots Tunes
Video Documentary: "The Making of Scottish Fantasies"

Album Description

Rachel Barton Pine's brand new disc of Celtic flavored works is the first to present Bruch's beloved Scottish Fantasy in an insightful and virtuosic interpretation that highlights its Scottish roots. The album also features Sarasate's Airs Ecossais* and two pieces by Scottish composers: Mackenzie's Pibroch Suite and McEwen's Scottish Rhapsody "Prince Charlie."* Ms. Pine's own Medley of Scots Tunes,* arranged and performed with famed Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser is also included.

As a bonus, the package includes a video documentary on the making of Scottish Fantasies.

Customer Reviews:

Scottish fantasies at their best .......2006-11-15

This double CD is a real treasure, and a showcase of both the musicianship and scholarship. Rachel Barton Pine has researched both the composers and the history of the performances of the works she has recorded. She has produced the most attractive booklet which goes with the CDs, in which she teaches the subject in an effective, friendly and captivating way. Particularly interesting is her documentation of Sarasate's familiarity with Scottish fiddling. Rachel Barton Pine has also a very attractive and informative web site on which one can find information about this project. Just "Google" her and her site comes right up. I think that her web site is great. One can find the schedule of her concerts and all sorts of interesting educational things. I only wish that all great performers would do the same.
Rachel Barton Pine is a virtuoso, but her musicianship shines and it makes her virtuosity just a tool. She is so much more than the flying fingers. In a winning combination with Maestro Alexander Platt, an immensely talented conductor, they have produced a classic which will be listened to for years to come. There may never be a comparable Scottish Fantasy and Pibroch Suite performance. Mr. Platt leaves no note unexpressed. As opposed to the lesser conductors, who sometimes overpower the soloist, or who seek their own limelight at the expense of the soloist, Mr. Platt achieves a perfect union of the soloist and the orchestra, just as it should be. The Scottish Chamber Orchestra is also at its best.
These records' main value is in the interpretation, which is insightful and elegant. There are no over-interpretations, however, in which the soloist or orchestra would push their own detailed view of this music. Instead, certain dreaminess is allowed, and the listeners can build their own Scottish Fantasies and become active participants in this music.
Sarasate's Airs écossaise is a totally charming piece. The Medley of Scots Tunes, by Rachel Barton Pine and Alasdair Fraser, a master Scottish fiddler, is an event. I admit to listening to it consecutively eight times, and would have listened to it more times, but was afraid of a total addiction.
The great art of fiddling, the artists' dreams about their countries of origin, pictures of beautiful Scotland, and the musical finesse and musicianship are all the impressions you will come out with after listening to these great recordings.
This review is dedicated to Dr. Andrew B. Dempster for his birthday. Andrew has shown me his native country, Scotland, and guided me through its history. I came back with wonderful memories, and a book of music sheets on Scottish fiddling, my most precious music sheets ever.

really, really good.......2005-06-30

A very pleasant, often lively, evocative and enjoyable set of CDs. The video documentary included in the second CD tells about how Barton Pine studied Celtic/Scottish music before making her recording, and the extra work shows in her ability to render the Bruch as a far lovelier recording than any other violinst has. She finds the tensions, the delicacies and the warmth of this piece. Add to that, the Sarasate is also beautifully done -- sorry it was so short a piece. On the second CD, the Mackenzie and the McEwen, not heard that often, are also really well done. This isn't fiddling -- you get true classical versions of the folk tunes hidden in these selections. Because of that, Barton Pine brings out nuances that were never before explored, and she does it by showing you just how good, how rich, this music can be. The final piece, Barton Pine's arrangement of scottish tunes, is also enjoyable --a fun way to end an album that is both relaxing and delightful. Highly recommended.

Bach-Busoni: Chaconne; Beethoven: Rondos; Schumann: Kreisleriana

Average customer rating:

Kiss, Kiss, Kissin!
Coarse, external pianism--a sad disappointment
Very natural and glittering, but somewhat facile
addictive cd
Buy it for the Bach-Busoni!

Bach-Busoni: Chaconne; Beethoven: Rondos; Schumann: Kreisleriana

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000GV4A
Release Date: 1999-01-12

Tracks:

Chaconne in D Minor
Rondo, Op.51 No.2 In G Major
Rondo a capriccio, Op.129 ('Rage Over A Lost Penny')
Kreisleriana, Op.16: Ausserst bewegt
Kreisleriana, Op.16: Sehr innig und nicht zu rasch
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Kreisleriana, Op.16: Schnell und spielend

Amazon.com essential recording

As a preteen, Kissin had a technique most pianists would envy. His solo recordings since have revealed a predilection for Schumann's music, each showing signs of greater interpretive maturity. Now, he uses a combination of great abandon and even greater control to produce a stunning performance of Kreisleriana. The piece is one of the last of Schumann's quixotically titled piano works consisting of generously scaled, poetic movements (eight, in this case) in which technical prowess is absolutely necessary in order to clarify the textures but hardly sufficient to deliver the full expressiveness of this lovely music. Busoni's virtuosic Bach transcription is played with great imagination, and Beethoven's delightful Op. 129 is as wittily performed as it is written. --Paul Turok

Customer Reviews:

Kiss, Kiss, Kissin!.......2007-04-10

Kissin is one of my favorite pianists and in my humble estimation one of the rightful heirs to the aristocracy established by the Horowitzes, Richters, Ashkenazis, etc. I have always found Schumann rather "enigmatic" and his writing for the keyboard peculiar. I never really cared for him until I heard Kissin and Yundi Li play him. They both bring such youthfulness and exuberance to a tired venue. I am sick of those dull recordings long thought as the "poetic" standards. B-o-r-i-n-g. Move over and let the new generation have a whack at things! I want to hear ferocity, unbridled virtuosity and intensity. These are too often lacking in classical music where artists tend to fall back on the elitist, reactionary quality of classical music. Classical music can be electric and too often this is not communicated by artists.

I am all for poetry, when it is required, but too often Schumann and Schubert come off as dull and lacklustre. If classical music is to survive we must explore ways to attract a new crowd for the 21st century. Because of generational shifts in society the old audiences are dwindling away, we must fill those halls with new blood. Artists like Kissin and Li can attract them. We must allow the Kissins and Lis to make this their time and hear what they have to say and stop whining about the likes of Horowitz and the old guard. Their time has ended. "Time moves forward, not backwards, nor tarries with yesterday..." Khalil Gibran. Allow the new generation of pianists to shine on their own merits. The Heavens glow in the evening with all manner of stars and constellations, different in intensity and character.

Coarse, external pianism--a sad disappointment.......2006-03-18

For the past decade the whisper among piano connoisseurs has been "What happened to Kissin?" He is still publicly adored, and no doubt he's become the richest virtuoso since Horowitz. On the evidence of this CD, however, something magical has been lost. What was once spontaneous, innately sensitive musicality has turned coarse and external. This is most shockingly evident in the Kreisleriana, because Schumann was one of the young Kissin's best composers.

Naturally, there is sitll a complete musician at work here. The Schumann contains many inspiring moments and a flood of dazzling technique. Nobody seriously believes that technqiue is enough in Schumann, though--where's the poetry, the inwardness? I'd say that the earlier pieces come off even worse. The Bach-Busoni is stiff and bombastic, a parody of Bach in the grand mananer, while the Beethoven Rondos sound perfunctory and clipped. I don't blame Kissin if he's bored with being a public idol--he's had to fill the part for most of his young life--but one longs for him to find his better self again.

Very natural and glittering, but somewhat facile.......2006-02-09

All three pieces are difficult in various ways. The Bach-Busoni has prismatic changes in theme transformations, odd hand positioning, and technical difficulties galore. Kissin handles all the above easily. This is Busoni at his most exciting. However, a certain depth is lacking. I guess I wanted to hear more of Bach in this piece.

This is the best Krieslieriana I have heard. It is played with a technical proficiency that only Kissin can muster. Again, it is extremely exciting and on the first few listenings, it captivates your attention well. However, after repeated listenings, I was wanting just a little more. I wanted more of the angst that Schumann wrote in his most soulful and yet schizoid work.

The Beethoven is again, technically glittering. No hesitations here. These are excellent interpretations of light showy pieces.

Overall, do buy this CD for Kissin's technique and naturalness.

addictive cd.......2004-07-09

First time I heard Kissin play on the stage, nearly seven years ago, I was captivated by his music--not just his technique. To this day, his playing is thrilling and exhilarating to me. And this CD is certainly on the top of all his recordings I own (now, if I were to compare his CDs with all the other CDs I have, ALL of his CDs would be on the top with some Beethoven playings by some well-known pianists on the bottom). His playing of Chaconne is addictive. I'm so glad we don't have to buy tapes these days, because a tape that is playing ten hours everyday would not survive long, and I would have to get another one and another one--
Also, with CD, you can just repeat track one over and over again. I'm not saying that I don't like his Beethoven or Schumann in the CD, but I just don't listen to them as much. I think that Kissin is the Horowitz of my day--boy, I would do anything to see Horowitz playing live, but well, that ain't gonna happen, so Kissin is good. His playing, at times, might not be the best, but is never disappointing.
So Mireille Wastwater, I certainly agree whole lot more with you and don't agree AT ALL with Kalle Kuusava (I'm not quite sure if we have the similar-functioning ears, and Alfred Brendel is one of those "golden age" pianists, well, I guess we don't). The only complaint about Kissin that I have is that he doesn't quite fully understand the different aspects of humanity (well, he grew up on the stage with a piano and applause), and hence, his playing, at times, sounds like that. For instance, I'm not sure if he would ever be able to understand Schumann at the time of his writing Kreislerina--Kissin is whom Schumann wanted to be, so bad enough to try something that would even permanently disable his fingers. Yet, I do hear that Kissin shares Schumann's feelings and other composers' feelings as well; some almost all, some just a little, and most anywhere in between. Kissin has the technique and the musicality, but no, he's not perfect.

Buy it for the Bach-Busoni!.......2004-01-01

Kissin's technique is undoubtfully phenomenal. The Bach-Busoni Chaconne on this CD is given an excellent, virtuosic, and passionate reading. The Beethoven Rondo op. 51 no. 2 is given a very sensitive and thoughtful performance. The Rondo a capriccio performance is very exciting and at times humorous. This CD is highly recommended for these works. I personally bought it for the Bach-Busoni. The Schumann is not really played as well as these other pieces. It is surely virtuosic. But I don't think in this recording he understands Schumann all to well yet. Horowitz is still KING in the Kreisleriana, his 1969 recording is unforgettable, surely a contender for one of the best recordings of all time. Kissin's performance just doesn't compare to the Horowitz. On the other hand, Kissin's newer recording of the Schumann Sonata op. 11 and Carnaval is superb and highly recommended.
I'd recommend this CD for the Bach-Busoni and Beethoven rondos, and they really are spectacular recordings, if you are looking for an excellent performance of the Kreisleriana, Horowitz is my top choice.

Music Track:

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Kristallnacht

1. American Fantasy - I. Declaration
2. American Fantasy - II. Introspection
3. American Fantasy - III. Community
4. Chaconne and Variations
5. Three Moods for Brass Quintet I. Agog
6. Three Moods for Brass Quintet II. Pensive
7. Three Moods for Brass Quintet III. Capricious
8. Tapestries for Trombone Quintet
9. In The Land Of Wonder-Wander
10. Canzon for Brass Quintet
11. In Praise of Music - I. Thompson
12. In Praise of Music - II. Milton
13. In Praise of Music - III. Poe
14. In Praise of Music - IV. Anonymous
15. In Praise of Music - V. Shakespeare
16. In Praise of Music - VI. Emperor Ferdinand III
17. In Praise of Music -VII. Schiller
18. In Praise of Music - VIII. Doughty