Ligeti: Works for piano & cembalo

On this CD:

1. Etudes Book 1, (6) for piano, complete
Composed by Gyorgy Ligeti
Performed by Erika Haase

2. Etudes Book 1, (6) for piano, complete
Composed by Gyorgy Ligeti
Performed by Erika Haase

3. Etudes Book 1, (6) for piano, complete
Composed by Gyorgy Ligeti
Performed by Erika Haase

4. Etudes Book 1, (6) for piano, complete
Composed by Gyorgy Ligeti
Performed by Erika Haase

5. Etudes Book 1, (6) for piano, complete
Composed by Gyorgy Ligeti
Performed by Erika Haase

6. Etudes Book 1, (6) for piano, complete
Composed by Gyorgy Ligeti
Performed by Erika Haase

7. Invention, for piano
Composed by Gyorgy Ligeti
Performed by Erika Haase

8. Capriccio No. 1 for piano
Composed by Gyorgy Ligeti
Performed by Erika Haase

9. Capriccio No. 2 for piano
Composed by Gyorgy Ligeti
Performed by Erika Haase

10. Musica ricercata, 11 pieces for piano
Composed by Gyorgy Ligeti
Performed by Erika Haase

11. Passacaglia Ungherese, for harpsichord
Composed by Gyorgy Ligeti
Performed by Erika Haase

12. Hungarian Rock (Chaconne), for harpsichord
Composed by Gyorgy Ligeti
Performed by Erika Haase

13. Continuum, for harpsichord
Composed by Gyorgy Ligeti
Performed by Erika Haase

Ligeti: Works for piano & cembalo, Music, Gyorgy Ligeti, Erika Haase, Capriccio/Caprice for Keyboard, Chaconne for Keyboard, Chamber Music & Recitals, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, Invention for Keyboard, Keyboard, Keyboard Work Entitled "Piece" or "Stück", Keyboard Work with Descriptive or Unclassified Title, Passacaglia/Passacaglia and Fugue for Keyboard

György Ligeti Edition 3: Works for Piano (Etudes, Musica Ricercata) - Pierre-Laurent Aimard
Average customer rating:

A nice mico-view of Ligeti's work

Very Nice Piano Studies. Not the best Ligeti

Perfect Ligeti.

good cd

Ligeti on cd, hooray

György Ligeti Edition 3: Works for Piano (Etudes, Musica Ricercata) - Pierre-Laurent Aimard

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Ligeti, György | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music
Aimard, Pierre-Laurent | ( A ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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Ligeti, György | ( L ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
Aimard, Pierre-Laurent | ( A ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
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György Ligeti Edition 1: String Quartets and Duets - Arditti String Quartet

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

György Ligeti Edition 6: Keyboard Works (Piano, Harpsichord, Organ) - Irina Kataeva / Pierre-Laurent Aimard / Elisabeth Chojnacka / Zsigmond Szathmáry

Ligeti: Mechanical Music

The Ligeti Project II: Lontano / Atmosphères / Apparitions / San Francisco Polyphony / Concert Românesc - Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra / Jonathan Nott

ASIN: B0000029P0
Release Date: 1997-01-21

Tracks:

Piano Etudes (Book One): I. De'sordre - Molto vivace, vigoroso, molto ritmico
Piano Etudes (Book One): II. Cordes a' vide - Andantino con moto, molto tenero
Piano Etudes (Book One): II. Touches bloque'es - Presto possibile, sempre molto ritmico
Piano Etudes (Book One): IV. Fanfares - Vivacissimo molto ritmico, con allegria e slancio
Piano Etudes (Book One): V. Arc-en-ciel - Andante molto rubato, con eleganza, with swing
Piano Etudes (Book One): VI. Automne a' Varsovie - Presto cantabile, molto ritmico e flessibile
Piano Etudes (Book Two): VII. Galamb borong - Vivacissimo luminoso, legato possibile
Piano Etudes (Book Two): VIII. Fe'm - Vivace risoluto, con vigore
Piano Etudes (Book Two): IX. Vertige - Prestissimo sempre molto legato, sehr gleichmassig
Piano Etudes (Book Two): X. Der Zauberlehrling - Prestissimo, staccatissimo, leggierissimo
Piano Etudes (Book Two): XI. En suspens - Andante con moto, (avec l`e'le'gance du swing)
Piano Etudes (Book Two): XII. Entrelacs - Vivacissimo molto ritmico, sempre legato, con delicatezza
Piano Etudes (Book Two): XIII. L'escalier du diable - Presto legato ma leggiero
Piano Etudes (Book Two): XIV. Coloana infinita' - Presto possibile, tempestoso con fuoco
Musica ricercata: I. Sosenuto - Misurato - Prestissimo
Musica ricercata: II. Mesto, rigido e cerimoniale
Musica ricercata: III. Allegro con spirito
Musica ricercata: IV. Tempo de Valse (poco vivace - a' l'orgue de Barbarie)
Musica ricercata: V. Rubato. Lamentoso
Musica ricercata: VI. Allegro molto capriccioso
Musica ricercata: VII. Cantabile, molto legato
Musica ricercata: VIII. Vivace. Energico
Musica ricercata: IX. Adagio. Mesto - Allegro maestoso
Musica ricercata: X. Vivace. Capriccioso
Musica ricercata: XI. Andante misurato e tranquillo
Piano Etudes (From Book Three): XV. White on White

Customer Reviews:

A nice mico-view of Ligeti's work.......2007-03-11

In the notes that accompany this CD, Ligeti explains that his piano compositions are the way he made up for his inadequacies as a player. It's hard to argue that he didn't reach his goal. These superbly-performed pieces provide a clear view of many aspects of Ligeti's work--his humor, his lyricism, his ear, and sometimes his little obsessions.

The most obvious technical requirement of this music is touch. In some of the etudes, complex voicings are required at very low dynamic levels. In others, the ability to bring out multiple voices is paramount. Aimard is perfect. His technique is so assured that we can easily get to the music and not be sidetracked by prowess.

Those who know Ligeti's music know how protean he could be. Like a good athlete, he was willing to take on enormous risks. Sometimes the result felt intellectualized and tiresome. But more often than not, the music soared. This is certainly true of the Etudes on this disk. They are studies in the truest sense of the word--one may focus on a particular set of intervals, another on a texture, yet another on a rhythm. Each one is fascinating and the collection holds together nicely. There are even hints of Nancarrow!

Ligeti himself felt ambiguously about the "Musica Ricercata", and it isn't hard to see why. The first piece is based on only two pitches (with octaves); the second on three and so on. It sort of proves a point, but what point? By the time you get to the fourth piece, it starts to get good, but the listener has to regain some flagging energy. The third piece is actually the basis of the opening of "6 Bagatelles for Wind Quintet".

So while I have little quibbles, I still recommend this disk strongly. It's great music, beautifully played.

Very Nice Piano Studies. Not the best Ligeti.......2006-09-02

Volume 3 of the Gyorgy Ligeti Edition on Sony has gotten a boatload of very positive reviews, above, from people who probably know a lot more about music, especially piano music, than I do, but I maintain, from my position as a rank amateur who just happens to like listening to a wide range of classical music, that this disc is neither the very best piano music nor the most interesting Ligeti.

Don't get me wrong. I think almost all of the studies on these tracks are good, maybe even almost as good as Chopin and Liszt, but I don't think so. We don't hum Ligeti etudes the way some people hum Chopin etudes or dances for piano. And, a few of the passages sound like the scene from 'Ghostbusters' where Bill Murray tickles the very high keys on Sigourny Weaver's piano as they enter her apartment to track down some particularly awesome apparitions of Zuel (sic) and Gozer (sic sic).

If you are looking to touch only the high points of Ligeti's music and don't have the compulsioin to own everything, you can pass on these and not be missing too much of the good stuff. Check out his choral and a capella works for the really hot stuff.

Perfect Ligeti........2005-10-19

The own György Ligeti was asked about who was the pianist more complete in his piano works; he talked about Pierre-Laurent Aimard, whose a close relation with the XXth Century music is very well known (Boulez, Messiaen, Berg, Schönberg, Carter...) all around the world. He talked too about Volker Banfield, who has recorded some of the Etudes for Wergo, but not so good as Aimard recordings, in my opinion.

What we find in this CD, 3rd of an outstanding series, is the technical perfection made piano playing, in the hands of Aimard, who plays absolutely all the notes full of perfection, sense and correction, from the dynamic to the tempo, from the correct attack to the prodigious use of the pedal. If you are used to a romantic piano you can feel this versions a little cold or dry, but this is because Aimard goes directly to the heart of the XXth Century style of piano playing, in the line that comes from Schönberg-Berg-Webern and that goes in a different way of playing than the century before, so you can be lost in some sense about the way he understand the use of the piano, the playing, the technique, the echoes, the silences...

You'll find in this CD the Musica Ricercata, a work from Ligeti's first period, very easy to understand for those who are not used to listen this kind of "modern" music. It has many folk motives, used in a way very close to Bartók's style. One of this pieces (Musica ricercata: II. Mesto, rigido e cerimoniale) was taken by Stanley Kubrick for his last film Eyes Wide Shut, with an outstanding presence in the film associated to the worries and pressure over the main character; Ligeti says about this piece that it was a knife against the stalinist regime because of this style of music, sinister, innovative and forgiven in the communist Europe. The film's version is slower than this by Aimard, more "cinematographic" but slower than the score asks. Aimard's version in this piece and in the full pieces are outstanding.

The rest of the CD it's based on the Etudes, books I & II, both of them complete. Those are pieces much more modern than the Musica Ricercata, some of them, in the words of Ligeti with some links and inspiration on Nancarrow's works. We are listening in this case some of the most complex works for piano written in the XXth Century, and many of them authentic jewels of the genre. The Aimard versions for Sony are the better I know from the French pianist, who have recorded some of them in other CDs, like his great recording from de Carnagie Hall (Warner), but not so good like this outstanding CD.

So, if you are looking for perfection in Ligeti's piano music performances don't doubt about this CD; if you want to discover the piano of the XXth Century this could be a great door to go into, because of the music, because of the performing and because of a perfect recording and booklet.

good cd.......2005-08-23

This is a great cd if you are interested in piano music. I personally enjoyed "Mesto, rigido e cerimoniale", which was most famously used in the Kubrick film, Eyes Wide Shut. The rest of the cd is very enjoyable as well.

Ligeti on cd, hooray.......2005-08-01

We all owe Stanley Kubrick a big debt of gratitude for exposing us to Ligeti who, with Cage and Stockhausen among others, influenced the evolution of popular music while maintaining a continuum to our classical past.

The recording quality in this series is outstanding, and it is a delight to see the breadth of this series. Having many works of Ligeti from the Wergo vinyl catalog of the 70's, I selected the piano works for the fun of discovery.

Those of you who enjoy this piano stuff should try to find Nina Deutsch's recording of Charles Ives: Solo Piano Music.

György Ligeti Edition 4: Vocal Works (Madrigals, Mysteries, Aventures, Songs) - The King's Singers / Philharmonia Orchestra / Esa-Pekka Salonen

Average customer rating:

An important modern composer for voice.
Another Entry into the Ligeti Library
Contains some good mature writing with some frankly dull early works
where's the dead weight?
Excellent in parts, but lumbered with much dead weight

György Ligeti Edition 4: Vocal Works (Madrigals, Mysteries, Aventures, Songs) - The King's Singers / Philharmonia Orchestra / Esa-Pekka Salonen
Gyorgy Ligeti , Esa-Pekka Salonen , Rosemary Hardy , Christiane Oelze , The King's Singers , Philharmonia Orchestra , Philip Lawson , Bruce Russell , Sibylle Ehlert , Phyllis Bryn-Julson , Omar Ebrahim , Irina Kataeva , David Hurley , Pierre-Laurent Aimard , Stephen Connolly , Malena Ernman , Eva Wedin , and Robert Chilcott
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

Musical Theater | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

A Cappella | Folk | Styles | Music

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Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
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György Ligeti Edition 2: A Cappella Choral Works - London Sinfonietta Voices
György Ligeti Edition 6: Keyboard Works (Piano, Harpsichord, Organ) - Irina Kataeva / Pierre-Laurent Aimard / Elisabeth Chojnacka / Zsigmond Szathmáry
Ligeti: Mechanical Music
György Ligeti Edition 1: String Quartets and Duets - Arditti String Quartet
György Ligeti Edition 3: Works for Piano (Etudes, Musica Ricercata) - Pierre-Laurent Aimard

ASIN: B0000029P3
Release Date: 1997-01-21

Tracks:

Nonsense Madrigals: I Two Dreams And Little Bat
Nonsense Madrigals: II Cuckoo In The Pear-Tree
Nonsense Madrigals: III The Alphabet
Nonsense Madrigals: IV Flying Robert
Nonsense Madrigals: V The Lobster Quadrille
Nonsense Madrigals: VI A Long, Sad Tale
Le Grand Macabre: Mysteries Of The Macabre
Aventures
Nouvelles Aventures: Sostenuto
Nouvelles Aventures: Agitato molto
Der Sommer
Harom Weores-dal: I Tancol a Hold feher ingben
Harom Weores-dal: II Gyumolcs-furt
Harom Weores-dal: III Kalmar jott nagy madarakkal
Ot Arany-dal: I Csalfa sugar
Ot Arany-dal: II A legszebb virag
Ot Arany-dal: III A csendes dalokbol
Ot Arany-dal: IV A bujdoso
Ot Arany-dal: V Az ordog elvitte a financot
Negy lakodalmi tanc: I A menyasszony szep virag
Negy lakodalmi tanc: II A kapuban a szeker
Negy lakodalmi tanc: III Hopp ide tisztan
Negy lakodalmi tanc: IV Mikor kedves Laci batyam

Amazon.com

Rejoice! The world-premiere recordings of six Ligeti works are cause for celebration. Three of the pieces are recent (1988-93), and three were written during Ligeti's youth in Hungary. In the liner notes, Ligeti movingly describes the artistic climate under the Communist regime. One of the highlights, the third of six Nonsense Madrigals is a beautiful setting of the English alphabet. The other premieres are Mysteries of the Macabre sung by the brilliant Sibylle Ehlert, and a Hölderlin poem arranged for soprano and piano. The earlier premieres are settings of Hungarian poets, for one or three voices and piano. This is a stunning set, encompassing Ligeti's adventurous, polyphonic side and ample heartfelt poignance as well. --Robert Regile

Customer Reviews:

An important modern composer for voice........2006-08-26

'Gyorgy Ligeti Edition 4' composed by Gyorgy Ligeti and performed under the direction of Esa-Pekka Salonen is at least as entertaining as the second title in this series, even if it does not include any of Ligeti's works which were used on the sound track of '2001'. Like his 'a capella' works, this disk shows a great range of styles, going from central European folk dances to some phrases which sound as if they are being done by the Limelighters!. To the voices, the instruments add a lot of pops, whistles, and hoots which are beyond the range of the human voice, but the human and the mechanical sounds meld well to produce a really enjoyable sample of modern music.

Another Entry into the Ligeti Library.......2005-10-22

The solo voice and choral works of György Ligeti are rarely heard, with the exception of performances in some of the better university and college choral programs. This richly entertaining and fascinating recital once again survey's Ligeti's influence on contemporary music by scanning his career from early to current works, this time for the human voice.

The 'Nonsense Madrigals' as performed by the King's Singers are wildly funny and endearing. Here are compositional techniques that reflect the long career in instrumental composition that has influenced them. Esa-Pekka Salonen, long a devotee of Ligeti's music, conducts the Philharmonia when ensemble support is indicated ('Mysteries of the Macabre' excerpts form his opera "Le Grand Macabre" as perfectly intoned by Sibylle Ehlert; the various forms of 'Aventures & Nouvelles aventures' with soloists Phyllis Bryn-Julson, Omar Ebrahim and Rose Taylor). The remainder of the works are for voice and piano and are honored by the performances by the likes of pianists Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Irina Kataeva and vocalists Christiane Oelze, Rosemary Hardy, Malena Ernman and Eva Wedin.

The music recorded here may be new to many but it is fine, accessible Ligeti for the novice and true treats for the followers. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, October 05

Contains some good mature writing with some frankly dull early works.......2005-09-30

The fourth volume of Sony's "Gyorgy Ligeti Edition" series of the contemporary Hungarian composer's collected works is dedicated to vocal works, especially those that use instrumentation. Like with all installments in Sony's series, performances are by the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Salonen with Aimard and Kataeva on pianos. The vocal performances here are by the King's Singers.

The earliest pieces on the disc were written before Ligeti fled to the West following the Hungarian uprising, and among these the "Harom Weores-dal" (Three Weores songs) were composed while Ligeti was still a student. Sandor Weores was one of the greatest Hungarian poets of the last century, and was especially skilled in writing poems that hid deep philosophical insights behind child-like verse. This makes his poems especially suitable to be set to music (Peter Eotvos has tackled some of his more complex poetry). Ligeti's settings are quite traditional, and for lovers of contemporary repertoire that can even mean dull; Aimard must have been bored by the simple piano writing when he's tackled the composer's later "Etudes". Still, the music does complement the imagery of Weores well. The following two works by "prehistoric Ligeti" were composed as a way out of the straitjacket of socialist realism. The first, "Negy lakodalmi tanc" (Four wedding dances) takes folklore as a refuge, and the second "Ot Arany-dal" (Five Arany songs) sets to music the poems of the pre-revolutionary and accepted poet Jozef Arany. These early works don't hold up well against the rest at all.

After Ligeti came to the West, his music changed greatly. "Aventures" and "Nouvelles Adventures" were composed in the mid-1960s and are very reminiscent of the theatrical project of the music avant-garde of that time. They use a soprano, contralto, and baritone backed by orchestra and articulating nonsense text (notated in the score with the International Phonetic Alphabet) seek to express all emotions without using words. I think the pieces have aged quite well, though I know that others disagree. I don't know if this performance was satisfactory to Ligeti for, although he allowed it to appear on this disc, another performance can be found on volume five of Teldec's "Ligeti Project".

"Mysteries of the Macabre" is a setting for chamber ensemble of the zany solo by the Chief of Secret Police (a coloratura soprano) from the composer's sole opera "The Grand Macabre". Even for those who dislike the opera--and it is a work that leaves no one ambivalent--this is an exciting work, perhaps the high point of the disc. The seven minutes of vocal acrobatics here have been called the most challenging piece ever composed for coloratura soprano, and yet Sibylle Ehlert carries it through gloriously. Note that an alternate setting using trumpet in place of soprano can be found on the first volume of Teldec's "Ligeti Project".

"Nonsense Madrigals" for voices a capella (1988-1993) is the most recent work here, a collection of six English-language pieces based on favourite meaningless writers, such as Lewis Caroll, William Brighty Rands, and Heinrich Hoffmann. The finest of these is surely Ligeti's setting of the English alphabet, a diatonic but non-tonal "labyrinth" of polyrhythms. It combines the best of the micropolyphony sound of his 60s works with his newer interest in non-Western metrics. In the course of putting these together, he also set Hoelderlin's "Der Sommer".

The liner notes are fine, containing remarks on the pieces by Ligeti as well as the sung text and many photos. All in all, this is a three-star installment. If you are interested in the work of Ligeti but haven't gotten anything from "Gyorgy Ligeti Edition" yet, try the third volume (piano works) or the first (string works). Save this one for later.

where's the dead weight?.......2004-12-08

This is an amazing disc, one of the best in Sony's monumental Ligeti Edition series.

On Sony's Ligeti Edition 4, the _Nonsense Madrigals_ were premiered. These six pieces for six voices, composed in the late-80s/early-90s, are some of the composer's finest offerings. Writes Ligeti, "They are virtuosic works in which I have tried to create a non-tonal but diatonic harmony as well as rhythmic labyrinths." The songs set different pieces of strange poetry against each other in tightly meshed counterpoint, with humorous melodic lines and overwhelming musical imagination. Ligeti also colors the arrangement with nonsense phonetic sounds.

_Mysteries of the Macabre_ takes the three arias of the Chief of the Secret Police from Ligeti's wonderful opera (_Le Grand Macabre_) and rearranges them. This has been called the most difficult music ever written from coloratura soprano, but you wouldn't know it listening to Sibylle Ehlert. Amazing!

Contrary to another reviewer, I think the harsher, earlier avant-garde vocal works (_Aventures_ and _Nouvelles Aventures_) have aged very well. They are comprised of meaningless vocal sounds with chamber orchestra accompaniment. Their pure chromaticism was something Ligeti would later abandon, but even with the prevailing seriousness of the Darmstadt school, these pieces are quite witty and amusing and consistent with Ligeti's goal of composing idiomatically for instruments (including voice), given that the music is pretty much atonal.

This disc also features pieces for one or three voices and piano from Ligeti's early Hungarian days. Because of stifling artistic conditions under Communist rule, the pieces are consonant and accessible.

I assure you that there is no other avant-garde vocal music like Ligeti's. Very highly recommended!

Excellent in parts, but lumbered with much dead weight.......2003-11-26

Gyorgy Ligeti has not been greatly known for his music for solo voice--indeed it was not until 2000 that he completed his first mature song cycle--but this disc conveniently collects all his solo vocal music before then along with the Nonsense Madrigals for six voices, the Aventures and Nouvelles Aventures for three voices and some early socialist realism for three voices.

The Nonsense Madrigals are without doubt the highlight of the disc. These wonderfully witty a capella works were written for the performers on the disc, the King's Singers, who reward Ligeti with a wonderful reading of all six songs. Five of the songs are based on nonsense poems, with the remaining item being a setting of the alphabet. These vary wildly in style from the complex counterpoint of the first through the floating Lux Aeterna-like harmonies of the alphabet setting, to the bizarre backbeat in the finale.

Less worthwhile is Mysteries of the Macabre, a medley of the three coloratura arias from Ligeti's opera Le Grand Macabre, with reduced scoring arranged by the opera's first conductor, Elgar Howarth. While these are certainly entertaining, they don't add anything to the opera.

Aventures and Nouvelles Aventures are works from the 1960s, and to be honest it shows. Their verbal shrieks, contortions and phonetic texts--along with the fragmentary accompaniment--are very much of their time. They aren't devoid of musical interest, or humour, but nothing can hide the fact that they, unlike almost all of Ligeti's other avant-garde works, haven't aged well.

Der Sommer is a brief Hoelderlin setting for soprano and piano dating from 1989. Even though this song reuses the lamento motif prominent in the finale of the Horn Trio and the Sixth Etude, the general style and use of minimal material reminds me as much of Ligeti's countryman Gyorgy Kurtag as of Ligeti himself.

The rest of the disc is taken up with songs written from before Ligeti escaped from Hungary. The Three Weores Songs are from 1946 and 1947, during Ligeti's first year at the Budapest Conservatoire, and I'm sure they must have made it very clear that Ligeti was an outstanding student. Couched in a language derived from Bartok and Stravinsky, but going further than either, they have a splendid rustic feel. Sadly, the Stalinist ousting of the short-lived post-war regime made it impossible for Ligeti to continue along this direction and still be performed. Hence the Five Arany songs are pallid in comparison, and even if the last of the folk-song transcriptions that end the disc is infuriatingly catchy, the cycle as a whole is very minor Ligeti.

Tracks:

Indulo - March - Allegro
Polyphonic Etude - Allegro comodo
Three Wedding Dances: The Cart Is At The Gate - Allegro
Three Wedding Dances: Quickly Come Here Pretty - Andantino
Three Wedding Dances: Circling Dance - Allegro
Sonatina: Allegro
Sonatina: Andante
Sonatina: Vivace
Allegro
Capriccio No. 1 - Allegretto capriccioso
Invention - Risoluto
Capriccio No. 2 - Allegro robusto
Monument
Selbstportrait mit Reich und Riley (und Chopin ist auch dabei)
In zart fliessender Bewegung
Passacaglia ungherese - Andante
Hungarian Rock - Vivacissimo molto ritmico
Continuum - Prestissimo
Ricercare - Omaggio a Girolamo Frescobaldi
Two Studies For Organ: Harmonies - Rubato, sempre legatissimo
Two Studies For Organ: Coulee - Prestissimo, sempre legato
Volumina

Customer Reviews:

More 'sci-fi' inspired music.......2006-08-31

This 6th installment of the Gyorgy Ligeti Edition contains one (Harmonies) of Ligeti's three pieces used by Stanley Kubrick in the '2001' soundtrack. For that reason alone, this CD is a bit more interesting than some of the others in this series. To me, as a representative of the average listener who happens to like a very broad range of musical styles, this CD is more interesting than Ligeti's string compositions, but not as interesting as his choral works.

Part of the attraction may be the mystery of exactly what instrument is it which is performing some of these pieces. This mystery is simply not there when the pieces are done by violins and their relatives.

While the mystery instumentation is nothing more than an organ, the performers make this hoary monster do a lot more than I am used to hearing in my local church.

The whole series is a wealth of 'new' or 'alternate' music, but this disk is just a bit more rewarding than some of the others.

Piano pieces are lesser works, but the rest is fantastic.......2004-03-22

Gyorgy Ligeti Edition 6 "Keyboard Works", a installment of Sony's attempt to present Ligeti's collected works, includes the composer's pieces for harpsichord and organ, as well as a number of piano works which were not previously included in Gyorgy Ligeti Edition 3 "Piano Works". As on that third volume, the piano works are performed by Pierre-Laurent Aimard, whom Ligeti considers the ideal pianist for his works, and this time accompanied by Irina Kataeva. Elisabeth Chojnacka performs on harpsicord, and Zsigmond Szathmary on organ.

Some of "Five Pieces for Piano Four-Hands" are among the earliest of Ligeti's works, written when the composer was a mere 20 years old. All these early piano pieces are rather immature, a simple exploration of an instrument Ligeti encountered later in life than usual. Some, like "Three Wedding Dances" show much progress, but are rooted in peasant folk rhythms and bear little resemblance to the Ligeti of later years. I am a great fan of Ligeti, but frankly these first piano works are dull. One notable exception is the sequence "Capriccio No.1-Invention-Capriccio No. 2" which, although written in 1947, is reminiscent of Ligeti's superb "Musica Ricercata" series for piano featured on volume 3.

"Three Pieces for Two Pianos" dates from twenty-five years later, when Ligeti had already made his micropolyphonic breakthrough (and was in some cases beginning to abandon it). The halting, jerking "Monument" is, I think, the first appearance on this disc of the Ligeti we all know and love. "Selbstportrait mit Reich und Riley (und Chopin ist auch dabei)" is a tribute to the two American minimalist composers and includes a brief allusion to Chopin's music, which Ligeti considers protominimalist. It is indicated to be played "Presto: so schnell und so gleichmaessig wie moeglich", and Aimard and Kataeva really handle the unforgivingly flowing nature of the piece.

The three harpsichord pieces are quite interesting because they are generally unknown. The highlight is "Hungarian Rock" (1978), a frenetic piece which sounds like video-game music gone horribly wrong. Chojnacka really shines here and on the following "Continuum" (1968), which in its eerie micropolyphony stands with the best of his works of the 1960's.

Ligeti's organ pieces are subtle and I'm not sure I "get" them yet. "Ricercare" (1951) is Ligeti's first exploration of the instrument. "Harmonies" (1967) is rather reminiscent of the Ligeti's "Atmospheres" in its waves of sound and concentration on pure timbre, and the following "Coulee" continues this in a considerably higher range.

The organ pieces, and the disc, end with "Volumina" (1961/62), one of Ligeti's earliest hits in the West. This is one of Ligeti's finest works, and the sound quality of this performance is much better than the 1968 recording recently reissued by Deutsche Grammaphon. (This is in itself surprising, as DG's reissues usually sound better than more recent recordings.) It might even be a better performance, as I find it difficult to judge the earlier recording because of its inaudibility.

The booklet contains, as usual, notes written by Ligeti himself and, as always, they are full of enlightening anecdotes and humorous remarks. Here you can read about how the first rehearsal "Volumina" burnt out the organ of Gothenburg's cathedral, and how--in a parenthetical remark that could be dead serious or a joke--Ligeti "will be overcome by revenge fantasies" forever eagainst the repressive regimes of Hungary.

While I think Ligeti is the greatest living composer, and the two series collecting his works are certainly worth getting, the unexciting piano pieces make this a lesser installment in Gyorgy Ligeti Edition. This should wait until one already has, for example, the first volume "String Quartets" or the second "A Capella Choral Works."

Some gems in this uneven keyboard music collection.......2003-11-26

Volume 6 of Sony's Ligeti Edition is largely devoted to piano pieces not included in Volume 3 (Etudes, Musica ricercata), along with his harpsichord and organ pieces. This means that it doesn't have as consistently high a standard of music, but there's still enough meat here to keep the listener interested.

The disc starts with a collection of previously unrecorded early pieces for two pianos. Most of them aren't particularly interesting, but the Polyphonic Etude (written as early as 1943) is a striking premonition of Ligeti's later preoccupations. For that matter, fans of the Musica ricercata (or the Six Bagatelles) will recognize the first two movements of the 1950 Sonatina. Kataeva and Aimard bring off these minor pieces with aplomb.

Following this, we hear the Invention (a rather dry attempt at writing hyper-chromatic Bach) and the two somewhat Bartokian Capriccios. Again, these are minor Ligeti; Kataeva's recording of them probably isn't quite as good as Ullen's on BIS (fill-ups to his underrated reading of the first two books of Etudes), but it's still perfectly acceptable.

After this, we reach mature Ligeti. The three pieces for two pianos are amongst the closest Ligeti got to American minimalism--indeed the middle movement is somewhat clumsily entitled Selbsportrait mit Reich und Riley (und Chopin ist auch dabei). Kataeva and Aimard play well here, without entirely erasing memories of the Kontarsky brothers on a now-reissued recording for DG.

No complaints at all about Elisabeth Chojnacka's rendition of the harpsichord pieces. The mean-tone tunings of the Passacaglia ungherese and Hungarian Rock counterpoint their intentionally bland rhythm. The gem amongst the three pieces, though, is Continuum, a frantic toccata throwing up strange patterns and illusions, which comes off wonderfully here.

The four organ pieces end this disc. The Ricercare (the organ version of the last piece in Musica ricercata) is a gloomy chromatic Frescobaldi pastiche, while Harmonies is an apparently simplistic set of chords distorted by tampering with the organ's pressure mechanism. Coulee, by contrast, is an organ version of Continuum, which sounds remarkably different from the original. Last of all, is the graphically scored tone-cluster piece Volumina. This is a phenomenal, apocalyptic piece, a clear ancestor of the Requiem, and is exceedingly powerful in live performance. Unfortunately, I don't feel Zsigmond Szathmary's performance here comes close to matching Gerd Zacher on DG or the phenomenal Hans-Ola Ericsson on BIS (my own favourite for the complete organ works, coupled with an excellent Schoenberg Variations on a Recitative).

Despite reservations, then, this disc is still worth considering--particularly as Sony's website indicates that the company is in the process of deleting the entire Ligeti Edition.

brilliant music.......2003-06-17

just listen to the five pieces for piano four hands, and you will know what i'm talking about. I'm going to try and get all this editions of ligeti.

Delightful.......2003-05-04

A delightful introduction to Ligeti, for me--very accessible and winning, from student work for piano that recalls Stravinsky, to "Self-Portrait with Reich and Riley" (one reason I bought this) to "Volumina" (the other reason). A wonderfully diverse keyboard CD, from simple to profound. If it's not Ligeti's most momentous work, I wouldn't fault the CD: the performers are excellent, and so's the engineering.

Average customer rating:

Aimard's a bit aseptic, but very musical and interesting
Why have I given this cd 5 stars?
Few recitals are so spirited and exciting!
A Thrilling Recital Disc
Dissapointing

Pierre-Laurent Aimard at Carnegie Hall

Manufacturer: Teldec
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Inventions | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
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Debussy: Images; Études
Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1-5
Ravel: Gaspard de la nuit; Carter: Night Fantasies; Two Diversions; 90+
György Ligeti Edition 3: Works for Piano (Etudes, Musica Ricercata) - Pierre-Laurent Aimard
Olivier Messiaen: Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus

ASIN: B000063TEB
Release Date: 2002-06-25

Tracks:

Berg: Piano Sonata
Beethoven: Sonata No. 23 in F-Minor Op. 57: Allegro assai
Beethoven: Sonata No. 23 in F-Minor Op. 57: Andante con moto
Beethoven: Sonata No. 23 in F-Minor Op. 57: Allegro ma non
Liszt: Legendes, No. 2 "St Francis de Paule marchant sur les flots"
Debussy: Images pour piano: Reflets dans l'eau
Debussy: Images pour piano: Poissions d'or
Etudes for piano, book 1: Cordes a vide
Etudes for piano, book 1: Automne a Varsovie
Der Zauberiehrling
Messiaen: Vingt Regards sur ;'Enfant Jesus: Premiere communion de la
Debussy: Douze Etudes pour piano: Pour les huit doigts

Amazon.com

Pierre-Laurent Aimard is a remarkable pianist, and this concert, taped live at Carnegie Hall in December 2001 (and only barely touched up), is living proof. The Berg actually sounds perfectly Classical, the Beethoven is clearly, beautifully played (with only the final movement slightly lacking in thrills), and the Liszt is less aggressively showy than it can be. The two Debussy "watery" works are gorgeous--misty yet easy to make out--and the Ligeti come across as approachable, sensible, and fascinating, instead of mere clusters of sound, which can often be the case. And nobody beats Aimard in Messiaen: the seven-minute piece of Vingt regards whets one's appetite for the whole work. Aimard is never a sentimentalist and he never dances on the keys; the playing is full-bodied and exciting. This was clearly quite an event, but it works just as well piece-by-piece. Highly recommended. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Aimard's a bit aseptic, but very musical and interesting.......2006-11-02

The pendulum has swung far away from personality pianists like Horowitz and Rubenstein who were bigger than the music they played, at least so far as audience appeal went. Aimard is definitely of another breed, the superb technicians and sensitive musicians who almost erase their persoanlities. (Only Martha Argerich seems like a throwback to the grandstanders of yesterday, and she is sixty.) Here we get a superb Berg sonata that makes it sound as lyrical as Schumann.

It's followed by a somewhat aseptic Appassionate, however. Every note's in place, and there's a breahttakig continuity that seamlessly gathers everything into one onrush of feeling. but the feeling doesn't go that deep. By comparison, Pollini, who's so often accused of coldness, is actually much more intense and fervent. However, once you get used to Aimard's self-effacement, there's no denying his musicality. This is especially helpful in the Liszt, which is clen-lined but still expansive without indulging in glitz or cheap theatrics.

He's on more familiar ground with the Debussy and Ligeti pieces that follow. Their vocabulary comes as naturally to him as Beethoven came to generations of German pianists. It's startling to find three French virtuosos (Grimaud, Thibaudet, and Aimard) with such big international careers, but audiences don't demand personalaity or tradition anymore. One can't imagine Serkin or Gieseking at home in Ligeti and Messiaen, yet Aimard's range extends even to Charles Ives. This live Carnegie recital shows him off at his best, and there's nno denyig that his playing can be warm and satisfying. He and Grimaud are among the best Beethoven exponents among the new breed. It just takes a bit of adjustment.

Why have I given this cd 5 stars?.......2004-06-12

The playing is always insightful, intelligent and fascinating. Throughout the recital there is never a dull moment, Pierre Laraunt Aimard has an uncanny ability, similarly to Michelangeli and Richter, to summon the work of art almost from the depths or bowels of the earth, and render the piece with visionary sweep. The pieces evolve and metamorphose in the most astonishing manner.
By all accounts this is a staturesque performance. One may disagree with certain readings, for example the Beethoven or Liszt, yet is this not true of all great artists? Great artists do not sit on the fence, they are visionary and although many will find the Beethoven to astringent at times, (the linear harmonic development is quite asperse)not for one second does the listener remain indifferent.
Aimard's forte seems to be in the soundworld of the Debussy and Ligeti. He brings to these pieces a unique tonal translucence; a liquid, pensive sheen graced with a sense of the ineffable.
In the Berg Sonata, Aimard is able to shape and nurture the contrapuntal strands, with cohesive and spontaneous inflection. This is something quite special, it is the best Berg I've ever heard. The Berg's majestic progression is amply projected and the rhetoric of the sonata leaves the music floating..afterwards.
The Messiaen is perfectly controlled. The atmosphere Aimard creates is spiritual. Many performers of Vingt regards etc, often lose the spiritual dimension, which after all inspired Messiaen. Aimard, though, seems to be fully aware of this,(he was after all taught by Yvonne Loriod, Messaien's wife)and so the performance sets a new precedent for the performance of Messiaen. The ending is out of this world...the audience are left in awestruck silence.
This CD presents so many directions. Aimard has the potential to explore so much music, and as such this is a phenomenal recital. For someone to sit down on the piano stool and issue forth music of such divine essence, such intellect and panache....it's up to you!

Few recitals are so spirited and exciting!.......2004-03-30

This is an absolutely spectacular disc with revelatory playing. It is often said that today's pianists aren't very interesting compared to artists of the past, but Pierre-Laurent Aimard proves exactly the opposite here. His recital at Carnegie Hall in December 2001 was a great event and it has fortunately been captured on disc. Throughout the whole disc you can feel the thrill that hangs over the event, particularly because of Aimard's spellbinding playing. I attended a splendid recital by him some time ago, and this disc contains exactly the same excitement that I felt over there. What makes Aimard's playing so fascinating is that he has a great `control' over his music, combined with a beautifully clear toucher, high expressivity and a gorgeous tone throughout. At every moment you listen to an artist who is in full command of the music he plays, however difficult the piece is. And what is more, he can also keep the longest and most complex structures in his hands. This is probably one of the great benefits of Aimard's modern training, as most modern music requires an enormous amount of concentration and clarity. He plays in fact all pieces on this disc with the same full-bodied, clear and expressive approach, and it works wonderfully as much in Beethoven as it does in Ligeti. It's also interesting to note that the program isn't an arbitrary combination but very well thought out: the first part consists of two densely architectural works, the Berg and Beethoven sonatas, while the second part contains three different kind of visual and imaginative pieces, evolving from Liszt and Debussy to Ligeti.

The Berg sonata opens the recital, and here you immediately hear how much Aimard gets to the core of this highly complex and powerful, dramatic composition: the whole performance is brought out with a commanding and strong attitude, with a great feeling of sphere and tonal colour that keeps the listener in awe for the entire 11 minutes of the piece. The next piece on the disc is no less a work than Beethoven's Appassionata. Aimard turns in what is one of my very favourite versions of this piece. I have probably practiced this sonata myself more than any other work, and am always most interested to hear a new take on the sonata. I've always admired, among others, the intellectuality of Brendel, the drama of Arrau and the personality and forcefulness of Kovacevich, but Aimard seems to unite all these visions into one all-encompassing performance. He never looses grip of the tension in the first movement, and then follows the theme with variations which is very bold, solemn and also a little spiced. And I don't know of a more intense and exciting performance of the sonata's final, except Richter's perhaps.

Some less structured but rather impressionistic works form the second half, and here Aimard is just as much thrilling and uplifting. The Liszt Legende is truly amazing, played with so much vision and religiosity. But what is really remarkable here, is the gigantic tension bow Aimard creates: during the first five minutes he sustains one long crescendo! From the first mysterious left-hand waves to the blasting (though not bombastic) climax, to the final quietness, this is one superbly engaging performance. The Debussy works are filled with mystery and suggestiveness, but always perfectly clear and fresh, just as you might expect in works that resemble this `watery' sphere. Then there are the two Ligeti etudes: the subtle meanness of Cordes a vide and the mysterious and explosive Automne a Varsovie. The latter etude has the pianist playing in four (!) different tempos, as the booklet says. The piece begins softly but with a lot of unrest, and this ever develops and finishes into a mass assault at the bass keys. Aimard plays through the piece with the same full control as always and you've got to hear how he performs the last minute of this piece!

As a finish of the recital, three encores follow, all with their own interesting contents. First comes Ligeti's amazing `die Zauberlehrling' (with a kind of piano pyrotechnics you seldom hear; actually I hardly believed I was hearing a piano!). One of Messiaen's twenty `Regards' is the second encore, a peaceful piece with a funny dance rhythm and disturbing atonal chords in the mid part. Here, Aimard may be at home more than anywhere else, and his performance is incredibly moving and beautiful. Finally, there's a Debussy etude, `Pour les huit doigts' which is played with unbelievable virtuosity and swiftness.

The audience is extremely enthusiastic (ok, it's Carnegie Hall but even then!) and with very good reason. Solo recitals seldom get this good nowadays. What also adds to the pleasure of this disc, is the fact that everything is presented as naturally as possible: only the most urgent flaws (coughs etc.) were removed and for the rest everything sounds as it did in the hall. Additionally, there are hardly any cuts in the applause if I have listened well: it all adds to the feeling of being in that hall yourself. In conclusion, this is an extremely satisfying, exciting and insightful disc that no one should miss. You owe it to yourself to hear this. My highest possible recommendation.

A Thrilling Recital Disc.......2002-10-26

I'd only heard Aimard play Ligeti and Messiaen on disc, and it was a revelation for me to hear him play Beethoven, Liszt and Debussy. Although the Ligeti etudes lack the elan of his playing on his previous recording of the Books I and II, you can hardly argue with the man's love and conviction in the interpretation. The Appasionata is sublime. Apart from Brendel's EMI recording and Richter's, this is my favorite interpretation. There's a thrilling tightrope-walking here, between brio and control. It's an aristocratic sturm-und-drang performance that never preens in academia or rigid classicism. The Berg sonata is passionate, and the Liszt's Legende is poetic. His offering of Debussy is tantalizing here, especially given that in the CD booklet, he lets us know that his next recording will be of Debussy. All in all, a highly recommendable disc.

Dissapointing.......2002-08-02

After hearing Aimard's excellent recordings of messiaen and ligeti and attending an exciting live performance of bartok's 2nd piano concerto with the paris orchestra, i was looking forward to the release of his carnegie hall recital. Unfortunately, i have to report that this is not a satisfying performance to say the least. Even though Aimard once again proves himself brilliant when it comes to clarify the textures of modern berg, messiaen, and ligeti, this excess of clarity for its own sake has very unfortunate results in the music of beethoven, liszt, and debussy. The Appassionata sonata runs pretty well (though rather uneventful) the first two movements as the work is laid out precisely and with great attention to structure - but the final movement, where a sense of angst must be portrayed, lacks any emotional commitment from Aimard. Then, the Liszt St. Francis Legend receives an absolutely straight performance where the left hand runs are played evenly but with no attention to dynamics - here Liszt tried to represent waves whereas Aimard seems simply to be running through the keys as if this was an excersize. Played this way, the work never raises to the religious climax Liszt intended. And then, Debussy is played deliberately and down to earth - again, the music is robbed of any composer-intended message.
Aimard is a fine musician when it comes to twentieth century works, and maybe he should have stuck with that repertoire where his gifts for clarity are welcome. From the performance in this recital of Liszt and Beethoven particularly, i have the impression that it is not music he enjoys and he programmed them just to please the New York public. It is a pitty - pianists such as Polini and Uchida have proved already that audiences in the United States are ready for recitals of Schonberg, Boulez, Ligeti - Aimard could have stayed in the repertoire he seems to favor. Finally, a word for the label - the full recital should have been issued in a double cd priced for one as was Mikhail Pletnev's carnegie hall recital of 2000.

Average customer rating:

Unheralded brilliance
Excellent!!!!!!!

Messiaen, Carl Vine, Respighi & Ligeti

Manufacturer: Pro-Piano Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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Scarlatti Sonatas

ASIN: B00000DMV0
Release Date: 1998-10-13

Tracks:

From 'Vingt Regards Sur L'Enfant Jesus': XI. Premiere Communion De La Vierge
From 'Vingt Regards Sur L'Enfant Jesus': XIII. Noel
From 'Vingt Regards Sur L'Enfant Jesus': XV. Le Baiser De L'Enfant Jesus
Son: I.
Son: II. Leggiero E Legato
From 'Three Preludes On Gregorian Melodies': No. 1 Molto Lento
Notturno
From Musica Ricercata: I. Sostenuto-Stringendo-Prestissimo-Sostenuto
From Musica Ricercata: III. Allegro Con Spirito
From Musica Ricercata: VII. Quiero (Poco Rubato)-Cantabile-Molto Legato

Album Description

Sergei Babayan, Piano
Olivier Messiaen (1867-1916): From "Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant Jésus" (1944)
XI. Première communion de la Vierge
XIII. Noël
XV. Le baise de l'Enfant Jésus

Carl Vine (born 1954): Sonata (1990)
I.
II. Leggiero e legato

Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936): From "There Preludes on Gregorian Melodies" (1921)
No. 1 Molto lento
notturno

György Ligeti (born 1923): From Musica Ricercata (1951-1953)
I. Sostenuto-Stringendo-Prestissimo-Sostenuto
III. Allegro con spirito
VII. Quieto (poco rubato)-Cantabile-Molto legato

Respighi: Notturno

Customer Reviews:

Unheralded brilliance.......2004-07-08

A couple of friends sent me this CD, justifiably effusive about it, and I must agree with them: this is one hot pianist. The first-prize winner in the 1989 Robert Casadesus International Piano Competition, Sergei Babayan is apparently well known to connoisseurs of fine piano playing, but from the evidence here, deserves the widest possible audience. His amazingly strong technique is well presented by Pro Piano Records' sound here, too, which which puts you right up near the instrument. (The recording itself was made in Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood.)

Babayan's unusual menu begins with three selections from Messiaen's Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant Jesus (sections 11, 13, and 15) with the pianist bringing out every piercing emotion in these monumental works. Let's hope that at some point he will record the entire cycle. Perhaps most unusual is Carl Vine's Piano Sonata, written in 1990 for the Sydney Dance Company. (This work must have been a choreographer's dream.) It is a real dazzler, with relentless, darting cross rhythms that tickle the ear, and I don't think it is premature to call it one of the great piano sonatas of the 1990's. The two Respighi pieces are also alluring, with Babayan finding just the right touch to express their delicate, luminous sonorities. They also make a nice break between some of the more intense (and difficult) works before and after them.

Perhaps the best are saved until last: selections 1, 3 and 7 from Ligeti's Musica Ricercata, written in the 1950's. Ligeti posed himself the problem of writing a cycle of short piano works in which No. 1 dwells on a single note (in this case, A), escalating in complexity all the way to the final one, No. 11, which uses all 12 notes in the octave. If you can't imagine how anyone could create music under such restrictions, here is the evidence.

One of my first thoughts after hearing this marvelous project was to muse on how many pianists are out there doing terrific work, virtually out of sight of the general public. Babayan is on the faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Music, and to be heartily commended for his commitment to nurturing young pianists. But I do hope he carves out more time in the recording studio. For most listeners, this little-known, spectacularly talented artist will be a real find.

Excellent!!!!!!!.......2001-03-05

Upon my first listening to this CD, I thought it was incredible. The only pieces that I had heard before were the Respighi Notturno, and the Musica Ricercata by Ligeti. I havent spent much time listening to the Messaien, but, what i have heard is extremely good. The Carl Vine Sonata is an AMAZING piece!! I had heard his name before, but not any of his music. Babayan plays it extremely well. His technique is incredible. I would definitely buy this cd if you are interested in good piano music or post-modern style music.

Average customer rating:

Piano Classic Masterpieces (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Mazurkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Polonaises | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Ballads | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

Average customer rating:

The definitive Ligeti piano recording

Ligeti: Piano Works

Manufacturer: Dynamic Italy
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Inventions | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Caprices | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00005Q6NJ
Release Date: 2001-09-25

Tracks:

Etudes, Deuxieme Livre: No.7. Galamg Borong
Etudes, Deuxieme Livre: No.8. Fem
Etudes, Deuxieme Livre: No.9. Vertige
Etudes, Deuxieme Livre: No.10. Der Zauberlehrling
Etudes, Deuxieme Livre: No.11. En Suspens
Etudes, Deuxieme Livre: No.12. Entrelacs
Etudes, Deuxieme Livre: No.13. L'Escalier Du Diable
Etudes, Deuxieme Livre: No.14. Columna Infinita
Capriccio No.1
Capriccio No.2
Invention
Musica Ricercata: 1. Sostenuto
Musica Ricercata: 2. Mesto, Rigido E Cerimoniale
Musica Ricercata: 3. Allegro Con Spirito
Musica Ricercata: 4. Tempo Di Valse (Poco Vivace - 'A L'orgue De Barbarie')
Musica Ricercata: 5. Rubato. Lamentoso
Musica Ricercata: 6. Allegro Molto Capriccioso
Musica Ricercata: 7. Cantabile, Molto Legato
Musica Ricercata: 8. Vivace. Energico
Musica Ricercata: 9. Adagio. Mesto
Musica Ricercata: 10. Vivace. Capriccioso
Musica Ricercata: 11. Andante Misurato E Tranquillo

Customer Reviews:

The definitive Ligeti piano recording.......2002-05-08

A Hot release. Ligeti is now a well acknowledged composer. Just listen to his works to be spellbound. His most famous are maybe the soundtracks for 2001: A Space Odyssey and the one for Eyes Wide Shut (featured in this CD as Musica Ricercata no.2)
His music is captivating and the beautiful Chung, who has racked up top reviews from all leading music magazines in the world, has no rivals in all fields. Compare her beautiful, elegant and at once exhilarating playing to other recordings by Aimard (until now the only reliable account) or others and you will definitely find this exceptional disc superior. Great sound quality for definition and spaciousness and an encouraging essay by Danilo Prefumo on the works. Chung has proved herself extensively on the concert platform and in the recording studio (Mendelssohn Concerti is a favourite recording of mine), and this new Ligeti album shows her versatility, impeccable technique and an artistry that has no equals.

Average customer rating:

Lots of Great Music... Cheap!
They are giving it away!

Piano Dreams (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Mazurkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Ballads | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Rondos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

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

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

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

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music

Tracks:

Fur Elise - Various Artists
Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major: II. Andante - Various Artists
Traumerei - Various Artists
The Venetian Gondola - Various Artists
Intermezzo In E Flat Major Op.117, No.1 - Various Artists
Piano Concerto No.2 In F Minor, Op.21: II. Larghetto - Various Artists
Des Abends - Various Artists
Suite Bergamasque: Clair de Lune - Various Artists
Spring Song In A Major, Op.62, 6 - Various Artists
Piano Sonata In C Major, K. 330: II. Andante cantabile - Various Artists
Nocturne In B Major Op.9 No.3 - Various Artists
Piano Concerto No.1 In D Minor, Op.15: II. Adagio - Various Artists

Tracks:

Moonlight: Piano Sonata No.2 In C Sharp Minor Op.27 - I. Adagio sostenuto - Various Artists
Ave Maria - Various Artists
Piano Concerto No. 23 - Various Artists
Romance In F Sharp Major Op.28, 2 - Various Artists
Nocturne No.13 In C Minor Op.48 - Various Artists
Piano Concerto In A Minor Op.16 - II. Adagio - Various Artists
Song Without Words In E Major, Op.19, 1 - Various Artists
Arietta Op.12 No.1 - Various Artists
Piano Concerto No. 2 In B Flat Major Op.19 - II. Adagio - Various Artists
Moment Musical In A Flat Major - Various Artists
Chants sans Paroles (Souvenir de Hapsal) - Various Artists
Piano Concerto No.9 'Jeunehomme' - II. Andante - Various Artists

Tracks:

The Saisons: Barcarole - Various Artists
Duetto In F Major - Various Artists
Piano Sonata In F Major K.332: II. Adagio - Various Artists
Impromptu In A Flat Major D.899 No.4 - Various Artists
Piano Concerto No. 3 In C Minor: II. Largo - Various Artists
Einsame Blumen - Various Artists
Prelude Op.28 No.15 In D Flat Major 'Rain Drops' - Various Artists
Intermezzo In A Minor Op.76 No.7 - Various Artists
Paganini Etude No. 3 'La Campanella' - Various Artists
Prelude Op.28 No.2 In B Flat Major - Various Artists
Nocturne For The Left Hand - Various Artists
Piano Concerto No.1 In E Minor Op. 11: II. Romanze - Larghetto - Various Artists

Tracks:

Of Foreign Countries & People, Op. 15, 1 - PIANO DREAMS
Impromptu In G Flat Major - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Concerto No. 1 In B Flat Minor: II. Andante semplice - PIANO DREAMS
Waldszenen Op. 82: Abschied - PIANO DREAMS
Nocturne In D Flat Major, Op. 27, 2 - PIANO DREAMS
Impromptu In B Flat Major D. 935 No. 3: Tema con Variazioni - PIANO DREAMS
Romance In F Major Op. 118, 5 - PIANO DREAMS
Sonetto 123 del Petrarca - PIANO DREAMS
Barcarolle In F Sharp Major Op. 60 - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Sonata In A Major K.331: I. Andante grazioso - PIANO DREAMS

Tracks:

Melody In F - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Sonata No. 8 'Pathetique': II. Adagio cantabile - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Concerto No. 12 In A Major: II. Andante - PIANO DREAMS
The Spring - PIANO DREAMS
Pictures At An Exhibition: The Old Castle - PIANO DREAMS
Impromptu No. 3 In G Flat Major Op. 51 - PIANO DREAMS
Moment Musical No. 1 In C Major - PIANO DREAMS
Intermezzo In C Sharp Minor Op. 117, 3 - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Sonata No. 3 In B Minor Op. 58: III. Largo - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Concerto No. 2 In B Flat Major Op. 83: III. Andante - PIANO DREAMS

Tracks:

Humoresque In G Flat Major - Various Artists
Notturno Op. 54, 4 - Various Artists
Impromptu In A Flat Major D. 935 No. 2 - Various Artists
Prelude In F Sharp Major Op. 28 No. 13 - Various Artists
Piano Sonata No.23 'Appassionata': II. Andante con moto - Various Artists
Prelude No. 25 In C Sharp Minor Op. 45 - Various Artists
Intermezzo In B Flat Minor Op.117, 2 - Various Artists
Moment Musical No. 6 In F Minor - Various Artists
Phantasie Pieces Op.12: Warum? - Various Artists
Piano Sonata No. 2 In B Flat Minor: III. Marche funebre - Various Artists
Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major Op. 15: II. Largo - Various Artists

Tracks:

Love Dream No. 3 - PIANO DREAMS
Berceuse In D Flat Major - PIANO DREAMS
Der Schmetterling Op.43 No.1 - PIANO DREAMS
Intermezzo In A Major Op. 118, 2 - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Sonata In B Flat Major D.960: II. Andante sostenuto - PIANO DREAMS
Mazurka In G Minor Op.24 No. 1 - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Concerto No. 18 In B Flat Major K.456: II. Andante un poco sostenuto - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Sonata No. 12 In A Flat Major Op. 26: I. Andante con variazioni - PIANO DREAMS
Mazurka In C Minor Op. 30, 1 - PIANO DREAMS
Waldszenen, Op. 82: Vogel als Prophet - PIANO DREAMS
Ah, vous dirai-je Maman: 12 Variations - PIANO DREAMS

Tracks:

Waltz In A Major Op.39 No.15 - Various Artists
Prelude In F Major Op.28 No.23 - Various Artists
Piano Sonata In C Major K.545 'Sonata facile': II. Andante - Various Artists
Piano Concerto No.5 In E Flat Major Op.73 'Emperor': II. Adagio un poco mosso - Various Artists
Mazurka In B Minor Op.24 No.4 - Various Artists
Pianno Sonata In B Major Op. Posth. 147 D.575: II. Andante - Various Artists
Bagatellen, Op.126: III. Andante Cantabile e gracioso - Various Artists
Ballad No.2 In F Major Op.38 - Various Artists
Intermezzo In F Minor Op.118,4 - Various Artists
Nocturne No. 16 In E Flat Major Op.55,2 - Various Artists
Songs Without Words Op.67: Spinnerlied - Various Artists
Klaviersonate D. 959: II. Andantino - Various Artists
Piano Concerto No.17: II. Andante - Various Artists

Tracks:

Nocturne In C Sharp Minor Op. Posth. - PIANO DREAMS
Recuerdos del Viaje No. 6: Malaguena - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Concerto No.26 In D Major K.537 'Coronation Concert: II Larghetto - PIANO DREAMS
Mazurka In C Sharp Minor Op. 30, No. 4 - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Concerto In G Minor Op.50: II. Adagio - PIANO DREAMS
Valse Obliee No. 1 - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Sonata In B Flat Major D.960: I. Molto moderato - PIANO DREAMS
Invitation To The Dance - PIANO DREAMS

Tracks:

Romance In E Minor - PIANO DREAMS
Folk Song Op. 12 No. 5 - PIANO DREAMS
Nocturne No. 12 In G Major Op. 37, 2 - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Concerto No.4 In G Major Op.58: II. Andante con moto - PIANO DREAMS
Impromptu In C Minor D899 No. 1 - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Concerto No.14 In E Flat Major K.449: II. Andantino - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Sonata In A Minor Op. Posth. 143 D.784: II Andante - PIANO DREAMS
Berceuse - PIANO DREAMS
Prelude In A Flat Major Op. 28, 17 - PIANO DREAMS
Piano Sonata In G Major Op. 78, D.894: I. Fantasy - PIANO DREAMS

Customer Reviews:

Lots of Great Music... Cheap!.......2006-03-18

This is a ten CD box set with a huge number of great classical piano pieces. Most are played by Jeno Jando, who gets high marks from the Penguin Guide to Compact Discs and DVDs (highly recommended in its own right for the novice and experienced classical music CD buyer) for his playing on budget labels. You will recognize many of the pieces and they will serve as a jumping off point for additional exploration of classical piano. At roughly $2 each, you can't lose!

They are giving it away!.......2000-02-22

The Laserlight label also offers a similar box set of orchestral selections "Meditation - Classical Relaxation". At the time of this writing, that boxed set enjoys a much higher sales ranking than this one. This boxed set deserves to be discovered too. Don't let the low price fool you, these are excellent recordings.

Average customer rating:

Piano Dreams (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD