Plays Tchaikovsky

On this CD:

1. Piano Concerto No. 1, for piano & orchestra (or 2 pianos) in B flat minor, Op. 23
Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Performed by Minnesota Orchestra with Artur Rubinstein
Conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos

2. Impromptus (4) for piano, D. 899 (Op. 90) No.4, Impromptu in A flat
Composed by Franz Schubert
Performed by Minnesota Orchestra with Artur Rubinstein
Conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos

3. Pieces (8) for piano, Op. 76 No 2, Capriccio in B minor
Composed by Johannes Brahms
Performed by Minnesota Orchestra with Artur Rubinstein
Conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos

4. Liebesträume, notturno for piano in A-flat major No. 3 (O Lieb, so lang du lieben kannst), S. 541/3 (LW A103/3)
Composed by Franz Liszt
Performed by Minnesota Orchestra with Artur Rubinstein
Conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos

5. Romances (3) for piano, Op. 28 No.2, Romanze in F sharp
Composed by Robert Schumann
Performed by Minnesota Orchestra with Artur Rubinstein
Conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos

6. Myrthen, 26 songs for voice & piano, Op. 25 No 01, Widmung Liebeslied
Composed by Robert Schumann
Performed by Minnesota Orchestra with Artur Rubinstein
Conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos

7. Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) for piano, Op. 15 Träumerei Op.15 No.7
Composed by Robert Schumann
Performed by Minnesota Orchestra with Artur Rubinstein
Conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos

8. Arabeske for piano in C major, Op. 18
Composed by Robert Schumann
Performed by Minnesota Orchestra with Artur Rubinstein
Conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos

9. Songs (5) for voice & piano, Op. 49 Wiegenlied Op.49 No.4
Composed by Johannes Brahms
Performed by Minnesota Orchestra with Artur Rubinstein
Conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos

Tracks:

Overture To 'Tannhauser'
Domna, Pos Vos Ay Chausida
We Don't Merely Use Instruments, We Play On Them. And They Play On Us.
Hungarian Dance No.7
The Violin Is One Of The Most Tender And Beautiful Instruments Ever Invented.
Violin Concerto In D Major (Adagio)
But For A Long Time It Was Seen As The Instrument Of The Devil.
The Soldier's Tale: Triumphal March Of The Devil
The Manipulative Seductiveness Of The Gypsy Violin.
Csardas Music
The Violin And The Initiation Of Nature
The Four Seasons (Spring, Mvt 1)
Birds Are Again Evoked In The Second Concerto, Especially Music's Natural Favourite.
The Four Seasons (Summer, Mvt 1)
Like The Devil, The Violin Is A Master Of Disguise.
Old Viennese Dance No.3 'Schon Rosmarin'
The Menacing Sensuality Of Ravel's Tzigane: A Very Different Side Of The Violin:
Tzigane
Do We Now Have The True Measure Of This Instrument? Not Just Yet.
Caprice No.24
The Many Effects Of The String Tremolando: Brandenburg Concerto No.4 (Last Mvt)/From Joy To Fright/Quartettsatz In C Minor/The String Tremolo Practically Spells The World Agitato.
Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No.7)
Prokofiev's Tremolo In Romeo And Juliet Should Not Be Heard Just Before Bedtime.
Romeo And Juliet: Act IV
Vivaldi Use It To Illustrate The Shivering Of Travellers Crossing The Ice.
The Four Seasons (Winter, Mvt 1)
The Violin Muted
Clair De Lune
The Gentleness Of Muted Strings Persists Even When A Whole Orchestra Plays.
Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major, K.467 (Slow Mvt)
The Pizzicato Violin
Pizzicato Polka
In Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, The Accompaniment Is Pizzicato.
Violin Concerto No.2 In G Minor (Slow Mvt)
Varieties Of Pizzicato: Colas Breugnon (The People's Feast)/Now A Drier, Leaner, Hungrier Pizzicato. There's Not A Lot Of Comfort Here./Capriol Suite (Tordion)/The Use Of Pizzicato As 'Percussion'/Romeo And Juliet (Act I)/Mahler Used Pizzicato...
The Planets (Mars - The Bringer Of War)
The Technique Of Double-Stopping Enables The Violin To Play Duets With Itself./Sonata No.3 In C Major For Unaccompanied Violin (Fugue)/Now A Later Example Of The Same Technique
Hungarian Dance No.4
Double-Stopping Is A Standard Feature Of A Lot Of Folk Music.
The Four Seasons (Autumn, Mvt 1)
Now The Same Technique, But The Sound Might Have Come From Another World.
Bolero
Double-Stopping Can Only Approximate The Sound Of A Real Violin Duet.
Cadenza To The Violin Concerto By Brahms
Now Compare That With A Real Violin Duet.
Forty-Four Duos (No. 1: Teasing Song)
Another Duo By Bartok, Demonstrating The Violin's Rich Lower Register
Forty-Four Duos (No.2: Maypole Dance)
And Now What May Be The Most Beautiful Accompanied Violin Duet In History
Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
The Soul Of The Violin Is In Song; But What About This Weird Passage?
Violin Concerto No.1 In D Major (Mvt 2)
The Use Of Harmonies In The Orchestra Can Be Both Magical And Unsettling.
Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 1, Opening)
Tchaikovsky's Use Of Harmonics In The Sleeping Beauty Is Both Strange And Darling.
The Sleeping Beauty (Act II, No.15: Entr'Acte)
Ravel's Harmonics In Mother Goose Effect A Magical Transformation.
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
Stravinsky's Harmonics In The Firebird Transport Us Almost Into Another World./The Firebird (Introduction)
The Natural Upper Notes Of The Violins Have A Unique Emotional 'Grab'.
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Of The Afterworldsmen)
Still In Their Upper Register, The Violins Unleash The Energy Of A Young Colt.
Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No. 4)
Elsewhere, Britten Uses The Same High Register To Create A Very Different Mood.
Four Sea Interludes (Dawn) From 'Peter Grimes'
To End This Outing With The Violins, A Charming Little Elfin Dance
Elfenreigen

Tracks:

Introduction To The Viola
Viola Concerto (Mvt 1)
Khatchaturian Gets A Very Different Sound From It: Fuller, Fruitier, More Exotic.
Gayane Suite No.1 (Armen's Solo)
Very Nearly The Whole Of The Violin's Upper Register Is Also Available To The Viola.
Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'
The Viola Can Bring A Special, Rich Twanginess To Pizzicato That The Violins Lack./Don Quixote/Berlioz Drew Sounds From It That Retain Their Metallic Strangeness Even Today.
Harold In Italy (Mvt 4)
The Muted Viola: Intimate, Gentle, Poignant In Dvork
Cypresses (No.9)
The Massed Violas Of The Modern Symphony Orchestra In Mahler
Symphony No.4 (Mvt 3)
The 'Period' Viola In Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No.6 (Last Mvt)
The Cello: A Voice Of Unique Nobility
Suite No.1 For Unaccompanied Cello (Prelude)
Brahms And The 'Soul' Of The Cello
Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat Major (Mvt 3)
Most Orchestral Composers Tend To Emphasize The Cello's Lower Register.
Cantata 'Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben', BWV 147 (Soprana Aria: Bereite Dir, Jesu)
In The Time Of Beethoven The Cello Remained As Fundamental As Ever.
Symphony No.3 'Eroica' (Finale)
But The Cello Is Not Condemned To Spend Its Life In The Basement.
Elfentanz, Op.39
Not Only In Recital Showpieces Like That Is The Cello Is Used In Its Highest Register.
The Protecting Veil (Opening)
A Cello With An Identity-Crisis: The Pizzicato Flamencan
Flamenco
Double-Stopping In The Lower Reaches Of The Cello's Range
Solo Suiet For Cello And Piano (Sardana)
It's In The Middle Register That The Cello Really Comes Into Its Own.
Oriental Dance, Op.2 No.2
It Was To The Cellos That Beethoven Gave Two Of His Most Famous Themes./Symphony No.5 (Mvt 2)/Still More Famous Than That Theme Is This One From The Ninth Symphony.
Symphony No.9 (Finale)
Introduction To The Double-Bass
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Elephant)
But The Double-Bass Can Be Intensely Expressive And Graceful.
Elegy No.1 In D Major
The Range Of The Double-Bass Is The Greatest Of All The String Instruments/Allegro Di Concerto, 'Alla Mendelssohn'/And It's Also Capable Of Very Considerable Virtuosity.
Capriccio Di Bravura
Double-Bass Solos In Orchestral Scores Are Rare But Often Memorable./Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 3)/In His Third Symphony Mahler Makes A Very Different Use Of The Instrument./Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1)
The Double-Bass Muted In Prokofiev/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Kije's Wedding)/In Another Work Prokofiev Uses The Double-Bass To Enhance The Winds./Romeo And Juliet (Act III)/And He Combines The Bass Clarinet With A Shivering Tremolo From The Double-Basses....
Symphony No.5 (Mvt 3)/So Much For The Strings/On Now To The Winds

Tracks:

The Antiquity And Magic Of The Flute
Prelude A L'Apres-Midi D'Un Faune
The Versatility And Agility Of The Flute
Orchestral Suite No.2 In B Minor (Badinerie)
The Flute In Fifteenth-Century Spain
Sa'Dawi
Other Flutes: The Bass And Alto
Chamber Music No.II
The Piccolo - Aptly Named
La Naissance D'Osiris (Mvt 6)
From A Piccolo Of The Eighteenth Century To One Of Its Descendants In The Twentieth
Suite No.1 For Small Orchestra (Valse)
A Variety Of Techniques
Chamber Music No.II
Flutter-Tonguing. But Tchaikovsky Got There Eighty Years Before.
The Nutcracker (Act II, No.2: Scene)
From The Transverse To The Vertical: The Baroque Recorder
Recorded Suite In A Minor (Menuet II)
An Unfamiliar, Early Vision Of The Instrument
Naelden, Naelden
The Bachian Oboe
Cantata 'Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott', BWV 80 (No.7: Duetto)
Introduction To The Cor Anglais Or 'English Born'
Symphony No.9 'From The New World' (Mvt 2)
The Loneliness Of The Cor Anglais
The Swan Of Tuonela
The Cor Anglais Joins The French Horn In Haydn.
Symphony No.22 'The Philosopher' (Opening)
Introduction To The Oboe D'Amore, Beloved Of Bach - But Also Of Ravel
Bolero
The Clarinet Family: Boxing The Compass, From The Depths Of The Bass Clarinet.../The Egyptian (Violence)/...To The Raucous And Squealy.../Taras Bulba (The Death Of Ostap)/...To The Shrill And Complaining...
Petrushka (No.8: Peasant With Bear)/...To The High Sprits Of A Playful Puppy./Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)/And To The Downright Jazzy/Romeo And Juliet (Act II)
As The High Clarinets Tend To Be Loud, So The Bass Tends To Be Soft:
Gayane Suite No. 1 (Mvt 5)
The Bass Clarinet Is Used By Most Composers Mainly As A Colouring Agent.../Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/...But It Does Occasionally Get A Whole Tune To Itself./Iberia (Almeria).
The Range Of The Normal Clarinet Parts Goes Quite High...
The Snow Maiden (Scene 5: Melodrama)
...And Quite Low.
Peter And The Wolf (The Cat)
The Clarinet As Concerto Soloist
Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
But That's Not The Instrument Mozart Wrote It For; This Is:
Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
Introduction To The Saxophone
Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 4)
The Soprano Saxophone Has Quite A Different Feel To It.
L'Arlesienne Suite No.1 (Minuet)
The Little Sopranino Sax Goes Even Higher.
Bolero
The Most Famous Use Of The Saxophone Is In An Orchestration By Ravel.
Pictures At An Exhibition (The Old Castle)
The Saxophone Can Be Quite Contagiously Good-Humoured.
Sax-O-Phun
The Puffa-Puffa Image Of The Bassoon
Peter And The Wolf (Grandfather)
The Bachian Bassoon, In Accompanimental Mode
Cantata 'Weichet Nur, Betrubte Schatten' ('Wedding Cantata'), BWV 202 (Aria No.1)
Bizet Leaves The Puffa-Puffa Image Out, Allowing The Bassoon To Sing./Carmen Suite No.1 (Les Dragons D'Alcala)
And Ravel, Also In Spanish Mode, Does Likewise.
Bolero
The Bassoon As A Voice Of High Seriousness, Indeed Desolate Loneliness
Symphony No.3 (Opening)
The Eerie Bassoon In Its Highest Register
The Rite Of Spring (Opening)
Stravinsky Now Draws On Its Lowest Register, Lonely And Melancholy.
The Firebird Suite (1919, Berceuse)
The Bassoon As Concerto Soloist, Avoiding All Exaggeration
Bassoon Concerto In G Minor (Finale)
The Deep-Voiced Contra-Bassoon, As A Fairy-Tale Beast
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
The French Horn Under Its Woodwind Hat
Wind Quintet, Op.43 (Last Mvt)
Now A More Prominent Role, In A Woodwind Quintet From An Earlier Era
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Mvt 2)
The Horn In Harmonious Blend With Strings In Another Quintet
Horn Quintet, K.407 (Finale)

Tracks:

The Trumpet As Virtuoso Soloist
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Last Mvt)
The Special Brillance Of Paired Trumpets
Concerto In C For Two Trumpets, RV537 (Mvt 1)
The Ceremonial Trumpet
Fanfare For The Common Man
Trumpets And Drums - An Incomparable Alliance
Messiah (The Trumpet Shall Sound)
The Versatility Of The Trumpet, From The Most Public To The Most Lonely
Piano Concerto In F (Slow Mvt)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of The City/An American In Paris/The Trumpet As Recruitment Officer/The Soldier's Tale (The March)/The Trumpet As Swaggerer
Carmen Suite No.2 (Habanera)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of Strength And Courage
Carmet Suite No.2 (Toreador's Song)
The Trumpet Muted/Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Opening)/The Trumpet As The Voice Of Weariness
Billy The Kid
The Trumpet As Character Actor
Pictures At An Exhibition (No.6)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of God
Mass In B Minor ('Et Exspecto')
The Birth Of The Trombone
Aenmerckt Nu Hier
The Birth Of The Brass As A Family
Canzon 12 In Double Echo
The Trombone In The Eighteenth Century
Trombone Concerto In B Flat Major (Finale)
The Tone Of The Tenor Trombone/Romance For Trombone And Organ/The Memorable Voice Of The Bass Trombone/Requiem (Mvt 2)/But The Bass Trombone Is More Than An Instrumental Bullfrog.
Hosannah
The Trombones Become Part Of The Orchestra.
Symphony No.5 (Finale)
The Wagnerian Trombone:/Overture To 'Tannhauser'
The Trombone As Caricaturist
Pulcinella (No.19: Vivo)
The Trombone As Raspberry/Concerto For Orchestra (Intermezzo)
The Horn And The Hunt
Horn Concerto No.4 In E Flat, K.495 (Finale)
The Challenging Horn Of The Baroque
Abaris Ou Les Boreades (Menuet)
The Scarcity Of First-Rate Players In Handel's Time
Walter Music (Minuet 1)
The Horn As Magician/The Firebird Suite (1919, Finale)
Horns And The Sound Of Nobility
Overture To 'Tannhauser' (Opening)
The Special Sound Of The Horn In Its Higher Register
Mass In B Minor ('Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus')
The Trumpet-Like Sound Of Massed Horns
Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1, Opening)
The Tuba - Unfairly Maligned?
Symphony No.6 (Mvt 3)
The Tuba Perfectly Cast By Ravel
Pictures At An Exhibition (Bydlo)

Tracks:

Introduction. And We Begin With A Bang.
Fanfare For The Common Man/The Bass Drum On The Battlefields/Wellington's Victory, Op.91 (Opening)
At The Opposite Extreme Is The Triangle.
Piano Concerto No.1 In E Flat (Scherzo)
Categories Of Percussion: Tuned And Untuned. The Side Drum
Overture To 'La Gazza Ladra' - The Thieving Magpie (Opening)
The Side Drum In An Effective But Unexpected Role/Clarinet Concerto (Mvt 1)
The Tambourine. One Of The Oldest Instruments In The World
Den Hoboecken Dans
Even Older Is The Originally Oriental Gong.
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
No Single Instrument Can Match The Gong In Evoking The Breaking Of Waves./Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'/But Gongs Don't Have To Be Struck To Be Effective.
Gymnopedie No.2
The Cymbals Are Generally Discovered Early In Life./The Sanguine Fan/And They Do More Than Clash Together Loudly. They Can Be Clashed Together Softly./Studio Example: But They Needn't Be Clashed Together At All/Studio Example: They Can Be Lightly...
Other Untuned Percussion Instruments Include The Whip.: Piano Concerto In G Major (Opening)/And Here Are No Fewer Than Twenty, Cracked By Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (Act I, Scene 5)
More Versatile Than The Whip Are The Wood Blocks.../Studio Example/...Which Crop Up All Over The Place In Twentieth-Century American Music.
Rodeo (Hoe-Down)
Related To The Wood Blocks, By Sound, Are The Castanets./Jota Aragonesa/But The Castanets Were Also Used By Monteverdi Back In The Seventeenth Century.
Scherzi Musicali (Damigella Tutta Belle)
A Still Earlier Example From Fifteenth-Century Spain
Yo M'Enamori D'Un Aire
The Birth Of The Bongo
Symphonic Dances From 'West Side Story'
From The Streets Of New York To The Blacksmith's Shop/Il Trovatore ('Anvil Chorus')
Desert-Island Decibels: Grand Canyon Suite (On The Trail)/Arcana
From One Vegetable To Another: The Humble Squash, Or Marrow/Huapango
Onwards To The Tuned Percussion. First, The Timpani
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Introduction)
But The Drum Roll Can Be More Effectively Frightening Than The Big Bang.: Symphony No.2 'Resurrection' (Mvt 3)
Not One Drum Roll, But Many/Grand Canyon Suite (Sunrise)/Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)
Taking Advantage Of Tunability
Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Mvt 2)
The Russian Composer Rodion Shchedrin Takes A Downward Turn./Carmen Suite (Changing Of The Guard)/Tuned, Yes; But For The Truly Melodic We Must Look Elsewhere.
Introducing The Glockenspiel/Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
Saint-Saens And The Xylophone
The Carnival Of The Animals (Fossils)
Ravel And The Xylophone
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
Introducing The Marimba/Carmen Suite (First Intermezzo)
Introducing The Vibraphone
The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Narange Dolce)
The Vibraphone Goes Russian.../Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)/...And Is Joined By The Marimba./Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
Introducing The Hungarian Cimbalom
Folk Dances
The Cimbalom And The Symphony Orchestra
Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 3)
Introducing The Tubular Bells
Hary Janos Suite (Viennese Musical Clock)
A More 'Up-Front' Approach From Rodion Shchedrin
Carmen Suite (Introduction)
But The Bells Can Also Make The Sinister Even More Sinister./Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
Introducing The Celeste
The Nutcracker (Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy)
Magic, In The Use Of Collective Percussion
Miroirs (La Vallee Des Cloches)
Plucked Instruments: The 'Undercover Percussion'/Carmen Suite (Scene)
A Prime Case In Point Is The Harp, Irresistible To The Romantics./The Nutcracker (Act II, No.1: Scene)/The Non-Solo Harp As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Hungarian Rhapsody No.1
The Traditionally Subservient Role Of The Harpsichord In The Baroque Orchestra
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Slow Mvt)
The Piano: King Of The Tuned Percussion/Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Mvt 3)/And A Quarter Of A Century After That:
Petrushka (Russian Dance)
The Anti-Romantic Piano As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra
Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Last Mvt)

Tracks:

Keyboard Instruments In The Orchestra - The Most Powerful Of Them All:
Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Finale)
But Things In Handel's Day Were Very Different.
Organ Concerto In B Flat, Op.4 No.3 (Last Mvt)
The Organ Is Difficult To Classify.
An Unexpected, Organ-related Guest
Concerto Pour Zampogna (Last Mvt)
Peasant-Fancying... And A Touch Of The Roaming Cowboy
Les Miserables (Drink With Me)
Outside Artefacts And The Power Of Association
Mahler's Sleighbells
Symphony No.4 (Opening)
A Roll-Call Of Some Unusual Guests/The Typewriter/Parade
Chains, And More/Integrales/An American In Paris/Sandpaper Ballet
Purpose-Built Oddities: Wind Machines/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Opening)
Don Quixote (Variation VIII)
National Calling Cards: The Guitar For Spain/Concierto De Aranjuez (Finale)
And The Guitar's Poor American Relative, The Banjo/Washington Breakdown
And Poorer Still, The Mouth Organ/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Packing Up)
The Balalaika For Russia/Romeo And Juliet (Act II: No.14)
The Maracas For Mexico/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (El Desayuno)
The Bongos And Congas And A Whole Wealth Of Other Drums For Africa And Central America/Studio Example
The Sitar Of India/Evening Raga: Bhapoli
The Accordion For France (Especially Paris)/Paris Canaille
The Zither For Vienna/The Third Man (Theme)
The Cimbalom For Hungary/Folk Dances
The Guitar As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Rondena
There Are Whole Orchestras Of Balalaikas./Sveit Mesiats
The Effect Of The Wordless Human Voice, Used Purely As An Instrument/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
Nocturnes
Instruments And the Imitation Of Nature. The Clarinet As Cuckoo
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Cuckoo)
The Flute As An All-purpose Aviary
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aviary)
The Oboe As Duck
Peter And The Wolf (The Duck)
The Recording Of Reality. Does It Work As Well?
The Pines Of Rome (The Pines Of The Janiculum)
The Recording Of Reality Electronically Reborn In New Guises
Cantus Articus - Concerto For Birds And Orchesra (Mvt 2)
Beethoven Turns Avian: Cuckoo, Nightingale, And Quail
Symphony No.6 'Pastoral' (Andante Molto Mosso)
Some Improbable Casting: The Violin As Braying Donkey
The Carnival Of The Animals (Persons With Long Ears)
A Truly Orchestral Hee-haw To Be Reckoned With
Overture To 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
A Thunderstorm In A Million
Symphony No.6 'Pastoral (Allegro-Allegretto)
the Instrumental Depiction Of A Silent World
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aquarium)
Saint-Saens' Menagerie Takes A Curtain Call.
The Carnival Of The Animals (Finale)

Tracks:

The Grouping Of Instrumental Families. An Additive Approach. First, Two Violins
Forty-Four Duos (No.4)
A Great Contrast, Of Both Pitch And Character: Violin And Viola
Duo For Violin And Viola In B Flat Major, K.424 (Finale, Vars 1 & 2)/Studio Example
Arrival Of The Standard String Trio: Violin, Viola, And Cello
String Trio In B Flat (Menuetto)
The String Quartet: Two Violins, Viola, And Cello
String Quartet In F, Op.18 No.1 (Mvt 3)
The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Viola
String Quartet No.5 In D, K.593 (Adagio)
The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Cello
String Quintet In C (Mvt 3)
The String Sextet: Two Violins, Two Violas, And Two Cellos
String Sextet In B Flat (Mvt 2)
The String Octet: The Standard String Quaret Times Two
Octet In E Flat, Op.20 (Mvt 1)
Double The String Octet: A Fully Fledged String Orchestra
String Symphony No.2 (Finale)
The Massed Strings Of A Symphony Orchestra
Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis
Contrasts Of Pitch And Instrumental 'Colour' In The Woodwind Section
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Theme)
In The First Variation It's The Horn That Gets The Lion's Share.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 1
In Variation Two The Torch Is Handed To The Bassoon.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 2
In Variation Three The Oboe Leads.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 3
Variation Four: Conversation Before Returning To A Solo-dominated Texture
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 4
And Variation Five is Dominated By The Clarinet.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 5
The Next To Be Featured Is The Virtuoso Flute.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 6
Individual Farewells And A Closing Chorus
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 7
A Mixed Group: Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, String Quartet, And Double-Bass
Octet In F (Mvt 3)
The Early Classical Symphony Orchestra Of Haydn And Mozart
Symphony No.29 In A, K.201 (Finale)
Strings, Wind, But No Brass. What Haydn And Mozart Never Knew
Canzon 28
Beethoven's Fifth: Two Horns, Two Trumpets, And Three Trombones Join The Team.
Symphony No.5 (Finale)
From Beethoven To The Massive Orchestras Of Berlioz, Wagner, And Mahler
Beethoven Changed The Face Of The Symphony And The Orchestra Forever
Symphoy No.6 'Tragic' (Mvt 1)
The Cult Of Orchestral Elephantiasis Reaches Its Peak.
Symphony No.1 'Gothic' (VI: Te Ergo Quaesumus)
When Large Doesn't Necessarily Mean Loud: Debussy
Images (Gigues)
A Crisis Of Confidence; The Orchestra's Survival Hangs In The Balance, But It Still Develops. The Ondes Martenot:
Turangalila Symphony (Chant D'amour 1)
The Advent Of The 'Early Music' Movement Brings A New Vitality And Freshness.
Balle De Xerxes (Gavotte En Rondeau)
Computer And Synthesiser: Friends Or Foes?
Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
A Speculative Look Ahead/Mass In B Minor ('Dona Nobis Pacem')

Customer Reviews:

Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!.......2007-04-04

This set lends itself to greatly enhancing one's knowledge of the orchestra, instruments in it, and their usage. I am a huge music buff, and I still picked up a great deal I previously did not know. I highly recommend this for all who wish to understand the origin of music, as well as the processes that are employed to create music!

Beginner or Expert.......2007-03-12

This CD is excellent for the beginner or expert! To be able to haear the instrumets separately and then together really provides a good education. and/or refresher. The book thaty comes with the CD is alomost worth the price by itself!

Very Informative and Enjoyable.......2006-11-20

Whether you're a music novice or pro, "The instruments of the Orchestra" is a very worthwhile purchase. The 7 CDs, with a total of 8 hours, are expertly narrated by Jeremy Siepmann. He's a great speaker, very much like the late Leonard Bernstein was. Mr. Siepmann takes you on an unforgetable musical journey covering the origins and use of the various orchestral instruments throughout musical history. The balance between his narration and a wealth of musical examples, which range from snippets to entire movements, is superb. The comprehensive enclosed booklet is excellent and faithfully follows the 7 CDs in content. Even with my 40+ years of music training I still learned new things from this wonderful collection. Considering the excellence of the content, and a cost that translates to about $5 per disc, this collection is a great value. Grab it, you won't regret that you did. Five solid stars!

Frank's view.......2006-08-19

This boxed set of CD's with booklet achieved all I had hoped that it would. There are good samples of individual instruments and well done commentary on each. The only drawback was that some of the samples were too brief and could have been longer, hoiwever I guess this fits in with time constraints of the medium. It has given me a lot of clues as to future purchases of CD's for listening to individual instruments. Altogeth a satisfactory purchase and a welcome addition to my collection.

Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra.......2003-11-08

I've listened to classical music for years and am interested in composition. I bought this CD set to learn how an orchestra and its instruments work. I thought the CDs would be a nice but boring lecture. They aren't! Not only are they FUN but they are informative as well. I learned a huge amount from each CD and couldn't wait to listen to the next one.

The narrator and writer is a great speaker and holds your attention well. He is definitely knowledgeable. He provides musical examples for each point he makes, so you get to "hear" what he just talked about. I'd say the CDs are about 65% music and 35% narration. You'll learn about the range of instruments, some history, different ways to play them, how they sound, and how they are used in the orchestra. This CD set was a great learning experience and is sold at such a low price!

I recommend this CD for those who want to learn about classical music and those who know about it but are interested in learning more about the inner workings of an orchestra. You'll learn much useful information. For instance, the Rite of Spring (with that eerie start) is written for bassoon! I never knew a bassoon could sound like that but now I do.

Tracks:

Pno Con No.1 in b, Op.23: Allegro Non Troppo E Molto Maestoso
Pno Con No.1 in b, Op.23: Andantino Semplice
Pno Con No.1 in b, Op.23: Allegro Con Fuoco
Piano Concerto No.2 in B-flat, Op.83: Allegro Non Troppo
Piano Concerto No.2 in B-flat, Op.83: Allegro Appassionato
Piano Concerto No.2 in B-flat, Op.83: Andante
Piano Concerto No.2 in B-flat, Op.83: Allegretto Grazioso

Customer Reviews:

Horowitz and Toscanini.......2005-12-31

For interpretation, I prefer the live concert performance that Vladimir Horowitz and Arturo Toscanini gave of the Tchaikovsky first piano concerto in 1943. That performance has also been digitally remastered by RCA Victor and it is very exciting, even including the applause at the end of both the first and third movements. That event took place in Carnegie Hall, as did the 1941 recording session included on this CD.

For many music lovers the 1941 recording, long available on 78-rpm discs and later on vinyl LPs, was the benchmark for interpretation of the Tchaikovsky concerto. It has been digitally remastered and remains an exciting, dramatic performance. Yes, there is some surface noise from the original sources (presumably 78-rpm disks since relatively few of RCA Victor's metal masters still remain from that era), but the performance more than makes up for any scratches or blemishes. This is one of the very Romantic interpretations of the concerto and it is an absolute treasure. It certainly shows how well Toscanini and Horowitz worked together.

The Brahms second piano concerto was recorded in 1940, also in Carnegie Hall, and this, too, is the epitome of Romantic performances. This is another extremely difficult work for the soloist and Horowitz was more than equal to the tasks. It is a wonderful recording of one of the longer piano concertos from the Romantic Era, a virtual symphony since it is in four movements rather than the usual three.

These are performances to enjoy over and over from two exceptional musicians, working with the top-notch orchestra that David Sarnoff assembled in 1937 for Toscanini.

Get Set for an Amazing Ride!.......2003-08-16

I'm not sure that these recordings are what you would call the
"definitive" performances of these two giants of the piano
repetoire, but they are certainly the most exciting and galvanic
performances of them you will find anywhere. Okay, so the
recordings date from 1941 and the sound is somewhat scratchy and
flat. So what? This is Horowitz at his absolute peak as a performer and Toscanini, while placing his orchestra completely
at the service of his soloist, makes sure Horowitz never engages
in the eccentricities, neuroses or exhibitionism that marred some of his subsequent concerto recordings.
There may be a few minor mistakes in the orchestra here and there
but I can't hear them. Horowitz is flawless and and daring to a
degree that only he could pull off. Certainly, you will never hear anyone take these two concertoes at a faster clip, and yet,
for all their formidable technical difficulties, not a single
note is missed or out of place. Every phrase is articulated with
incredible precision, nuance and feeling. You can actually start chuckling at how IMPOSSIBLY good it all is! The Brahms
Concerto is particularly astounding. The story goes that Horowitz heard a performance of this piece once in Berlin, fell in love with it, but thought he could do it better and taught it
to himself in six weeks! I believe it! His playing here is that
masterful and that sensitive!
This is the Horowitz of legend. Thank God these performances
were recorded! Compared to these HEROIC interpretations of these
two great concertoes, everybody else (and I mean that) simply
WIMPS out!
There are a lot of great recordings of these two pieces out there
by some truly great pianists, and they may have better sound, but
nothing matches this for its combination of technical brilliance,
daring and emotional commitment. There is a FIRE to these
recordings that simply has no equal.

Horowitz Plays Mussorgsky, Scriabin, Prokofiev, and others

Average customer rating:

Horowitz Review
No better place to hear musical genius!
Incredible performance, scratchy sound.
I undoubtedly declare that Horowitz is the best.
Horowitz is amazing as usual, BUT...

Horowitz Plays Mussorgsky, Scriabin, Prokofiev, and others

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Horowitz Encores
Horowitz Plays Scriabin
Prokofiev: Sonata No.7/Toccata, Op.11/Barber: Sonata, Op.26/Kabalevsky: Sonata No.3/Fauré: Nocturne No.13/Poulenc: Pr
Horowitz Plays Rachmaninoff/Concerto for Piano in Dm; Sonata for Piano No2/Vladimir Horowitz, Pianist
Horowitz: The Last Recording

ASIN: B000003F1S
Release Date: 1992-03-10

Tracks:

Promenade
The Gnome
Promenade
The Old Castle
Promenade
Tuleries
Bydlo
Promenade
Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks
Samuel Goldenberg & Schmuyle
Limoges-The Market
Catacombs
Con Mortuis In Lingua Mortua
The Hut on Fowl's Legs
The Great Gate at Kiev
Etude Op.2 No.1 in C-Sharp Minor
Prelude, Op. 11, No. 5 in D
Prelude, Op. 22 No. 1 in G-Sharp Minor
Danse Excentrique
Sonata No. 9 , Op. 68: Sonata No. 9 , Op. 68 - Black Mass
Dumka, Op. 59
Variations On A Theme From 'Carmen'
Sonata no. 7, Op. 83: III: Sonata no. 7, Op. 83: III. Precipitato
Humoresque, Op. 10, No. 5
Barcarolle, Op. 10, No. 3
Serenade To The Doll, No. 3, Children's Corner
The Stars And Stripes Forever

Amazon.com essential recording

Horowitz's Pictures is one of his most controversial recordings. In true Romantic tradition, he made changes in Mussorgsky's much-maligned score. Ignore those strict constructionists who hold that the composer's word is law, and you'll revel in the sheer high spirits and unabashed virtuosity of this electrifying performance. Few make this piece as exciting as Horowitz. The fillers offer his inimitable versions of various Russian favorites along with his not-to-be-missed transcriptions of Carmen highlights and a Sousa Stars and Stripes Forever as you've never heard it. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Horowitz Review.......2007-01-10

This recording was made in 1947 and the recording quality reflects that. It sounds like the CD was made from a scratchy record with no clean up.

I have heard better Horowitz performances. This one is very mechanical, without much color or feeling.

No better place to hear musical genius!.......2005-08-22

Horowitz' arrangement of Stars and Stripes Forever is possibly the most incredible piece I have ever heard (and I don't even like that song very much.) If you have never heard it in its entirety, you have really been missing something. The first half is really good but the second half is mind-blowing. Horowitz was a genius!!!

The other works on the disc are great too but I prefer more recent recordings such as Evgeny Kissin's Pictures at an Exhibition. Of course it's not that Evgeny plays it better than Vladimir but the recording quality has much improved since 1947.

Whatever you do, don't miss Stars and Stripes Forever. You will never forget it.

Incredible performance, scratchy sound........2000-12-17

A very good CD, but some of the titles are also on the Encores CD, and all the titles except the Rachmaninoff (recorded in 1979) are in mono. Besides the Rachmaninoff, the recording dates range from 1928 (whew!) to 1956. That said, this is Horowitz! It's great! I'd pay the money for the Prokofiev and Danse Excentrique alone. I just want to warn you that this is not the crystal-clear CD sound we're used to.

I undoubtedly declare that Horowitz is the best........2000-12-03

You may know that Horowitz is a TOP pianist. But there is a one more. This recording is the most suitable recording that shows the differences beteween Horowitz and other pianists. In other words, this recording represents the genuine playstyle of Horowitz. One of the conspicuous specialty of Horowitz is ffff. The Grate Gate At Kiev (Pictures at an Exhibition) needs exteremly strong finger power.(Self-confidence of piano touch) Also to "Prokofiev sonata No.7","The Stars and Stripes Forever", the same can be told. I want to say, It`s needless to say who is the second, at least in these pieces. ( the gap between 1st and 2nd is too wide )(And, I`m not saying abut all the pieces of Horowitz. I`m only telling you about the pieces in this record.) I have an absolute pitch, and can compose a little.So believe me. Have a nice day!

P.S. To music lover who want`s to listen awesome 'Carmen Vars.' : Horowitz recorded 'carmen vars' not only once. (because it revised several times.) Carmen.V. in this CD is different from "Horowitz Encore". After buing this record, listen carefully the samples (in Horowitz Encore). They are not the same. (Both has it`s tastes.)

Horowitz is amazing as usual, BUT..........1998-09-27

Horowitz is amazing as we have all come to expect, but at the time that Mussorgsky's PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION was recorded, recording techiniques had not been perfected as they have today. The rest of the CD is outstanding. If you are a Horowitz fan, I highly recommend this recording.

Shura Cherkassky plays Rameau, Haydn, Chopin, Liszt, Hindemith & Berkeley

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A Perfect Piano Recital

Shura Cherkassky plays Rameau, Haydn, Chopin, Liszt, Hindemith & Berkeley

Manufacturer: Wigmore Hall Live
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Gavottes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Mazurkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Polkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Ballads | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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Volodos Plays Liszt
Leonard Pennario: The Early Years 1950-1958
Haydn: Piano Sonatas

ASIN: B000MEYHXK
Release Date: 2007-05-22

Tracks:

Gavotte Variee
Presto
Adagio-
Vivace Molto, Innocentemente
Ruhig Bewegt
Sehr Lebhaft
Massig Schnell
Fuge: Lebhaft
Ballade No.3 In A Flat Major Op.47
Nocturne In F Sharp Minor Op.48 No.2
Mazurka In F Sharp Minor Op.59 No.3
Mazurka In G Major Op.67 No.1
Prelude Op.23 No.5
Prelude Op.23 No.6
Polka Op.5
Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 In C Sharp Minor
October: Chant D'Automne

Customer Reviews:

A Perfect Piano Recital.......2007-06-19

This disc was recorded at Wigmore Hall on October 29, 1993, and shows, once again, how vibrant Shura Cherkassky played a mere two years before his death. The recital begins with a Gavotte by Jean-Philippe Rameau, a favorite piece for Mr. Cherkassky that he plays with great elegance. A sonata by Joseph Haydn (composed ca. 1781 - 1782) continues the program, and is charmingly played with nimble dexterity, particularly in the rondo finale.

The Haydn is followed by the longest piece on the program - the Hindemith Sonata No. 3 (1936), which was a favorite work of Mr. Cherkassky. The Sonata is an engaging work written in a neo-classical style that came to dominate Hindemith's music. Chopin dominates the middle of the concert with four pieces - the Ballade No. 3, Nocturne in F-sharp, Mazurka in F-sharp and Mazurka in G. The Nocturne is beautifully phrased and delicately nuanced, arguably among the best performances of this music. There are three pieces by Sir Lennox Berkeley: two preludes from his opus 23 that are engaging and nicely played and a charming Polka that is satiric along the lines of Shostakovich and is a nice bravura piece.

The Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 concludes the concert with Mr. Cherkassky giving a superb account with nice touches of drama and virtuosity, and the disc concludes with an encore: Tchaikovsky's October from The Seasons.

The music is beautifully recorded; there is applause after each selection and I detected only a single cough during the Chopin Nocturne. The booklet describes each piece in detail with pictures of the composers and there is a nice biography of Shura Cherkassky. This is another great Cherkassky recital and one that should not be missed.

Amadeus Quartet Plays Bruckner, Smetana, Verdi

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RARE BRUCKNER...

Amadeus Quartet Plays Bruckner, Smetana, Verdi

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Brahms: Complete String Quartets, Quintets & Sextets

ASIN: B0009ND438
Release Date: 2005-07-12

Customer Reviews:

RARE BRUCKNER..........2007-05-03

.
We have a new winner in the Best Bruckner contest: the Amadeus' reading of the Quintet is very clear and episodic, thus rendering the musical architectonics vividly.

In honor of Norbert Brainin--1st violin of the Amadeus--DGG has issued for the first time on CD the Amadeus' readings of Bruckner, Verdi, and Tchaikovsky. Nice!--especially the Bruckner.

cf. Bruckner: String Quintet F major/String Quartet C minor
.

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Rachmaninov of majestic poise, technique
Making sense of the second

Simon Trpceski Plays Rachmaninoff

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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Simon Trpceski Plays Tchaikovsky, Scriabin, Stravinsky, Prokofiev
Chopin: Sonata No. 2; 4 Scherzos
Chopin: Ballades, Mazurkas, Polonaises
Saint-Saëns: The Complete Works for Piano & Orchestra
Rachmaninov: Moments musicaux

ASIN: B0006SGEQA
Release Date: 2005-02-01

Tracks:

Prelude Op.23 No.2 In B Flat Major
'Siren' Op.21 No.5
Prelude Op.23 No.1 In F Sharp Minor
Prelude Op.23 No.10 In G Flat Major
Prelude Op.32 No.12 In G Sharp Minor
Lullaby
Prelude Op.32 No.2 In B Flat Minor
'Margaritki' Op.38 No.3
The Flight Of The Bumblebee
Prelude Op.23 No.5 In G Minor
Prelude Op.23 No.4 In D Major
Scherzo
Prelude Op.3 No.2 In C Sharp Minor
I. Allegro Agitato
II. Non Allegro
III. Allegro Molto-Poco Meno Mosso-Presto

Amazon.com

This is only Simon Trpceski's second recording, but it sounds like the work of a far more experienced pianist. Although the opening Prelude (Op. 23, No. 2) starts things off with quite a bang, the pianist is quite up to the challenge. He then goes on to offer a very well-planned recital, alternating familiar and unfamiliar items and offering a wide variety of moods. The producer has even varied the amount of time between tracks, adding to the impression that we are listening to a real recital. Best of all, Trpceski proves to be a gifted Rachmaninov player. He offers tonal variety in his playing which is sometimes even reminiscent of Richter--the highest praise this reviewer has to offer. And in the bombastic Second Sonata, Trpceski plays with such conviction and resource that he has convinced at least one previously-skeptical listener that this piece is actually worth hearing. Even if your collection is already well supplied with Rachmaninov piano music, this disc is still worth a try. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Rachmaninov of majestic poise, technique.......2005-04-07

The name Simon Trpceski, until I heard this disc, was but a name in passing this past year or so, among those of so many pianists, but no longer. This all-Rachmaninov program includes the 1931 revised edition of the Sonata No. 2, eight etudes (the famous C-Sharp Minor from the five pieces of Opus 3, five from Opus 23, two from Opus 32), and five transcriptions. Transcriptions for two of the composer's most familiar songs (Daisies or "Marguerites", 'Margaratki' if you will, and Lilacs or 'Siren'' from his Opus 38) are here and also the composer's last transcription - of a cradle song written by a young Tchaikovsky, possibly for the wife of Rimsky-Korsakov.

The first track on this disc sets things immediately ablaze with the celebrated B-Flat Major Prelude from Opus 23, as several writers have noted already. What got me were the cascades of octaves and thirds at pianissimo, seamlessly from what had preceded it and the same way with the rapid filigree that spins off from everything toward the end. Lilacs (from the composer's Opus 21 collection of twelve songs) is turned into a shimmering Debussy-esque landscape of colours and half-tones, without losing any sense of line. Ironically, Daisies, with tune similar in character to that found in Sadko, Trpceski delivers with the greater melodiousness and with also a wild flourish (marked mezzo forte) at the end - whereas Ashkenazy, to opposite ends, opts for understatement. The composer's last set of songs from which Daisies come are settings of prominent Russian Symbolist poets of the period to music.

In the two preludes that follow Siren', Trpceski engages us in controversially slow takes on each, and each featuring quite steeply terraced climaxes for both - especially on a more than usually despairing F-sharp Minor that opens Opus 23 (less defiant, as especially with the deleted Kocsis on Philips, than usual) and also for the gentle, Chopinesque G-Flat from Opus 32, the Orientalesque episode (again) toward the end of which wafts an abundance of fragrance here. I despair, however, for not being able to report that any risk-taking, such as cited above, makes for any vulgar playing in the least from this pianist.

Trpceski is equally unabashed at taking on the climax of the celebrated D Major cavatina from Opus 23, though stopping well short of making Mario Lanza out of it, by the end of page 1, as with Van Cliburn. Add on the slow-tempo list the famous G Minor, during which Trpceski makes something truly haunting and spectral for the retransition to the reprise of the A section, and emotionally firm, reticent about his way of it the entire way. Somewhat lachrymose is the opening of the B-Flat Minor Prelude (strategically followed here by 'Margaratki') but midway challenges Kocsis (again) in bringing the daemonic element in it to the forefront as well. Flight of the Bumblebee spins off very deftly as it should, yet Gramophone is not alone in having found the Mendelssohn Scherzo from MND a bit heavy-handed. The transcription of the Tchaikovsky romance is played with gentle pathos, and just as weightlessly as so much before, breaks into the beautiful filigree that Rachmaninov has composed for a coda to it. The G-sharp Minor Prelude is brilliantly, coloristically dispatched at moderate tempo and without any showiness, a la Horowitz or Cliburn.

The B-Flat Minor Sonata ends this disc in the same tonality as and much the same way as it had begun. Perish the thought that is for any lack of technique that Trpceski chooses the revised version (the more frequently played at competitions), over the original. This now could indeed be called its definitive interpretation on disc. The illusion that Trpceski builds of this music not having been truncated (or of perhaps being the original or a bowderlization instead) may seem a bit recidivist. He finds such fullness of expression, that it had to have been for the greater simplicity that Trpceski chose it - and he follows it entirely. It could perhaps serve as a referendum for those who hear a growing chill or fragmentation with late Rachmaninov a little more than perhaps did the composer himself.

The unassuming display of bravura, the cliff dropping cascades of octave and thirds for the segue into the Recapitulation, played in such a way to hear them all as the simple legato harmonic progression they are is again almost terrifying, and without grandstanding by way of jumping over to the original version of the last four measures up to the Recapit, as at least almost all the bowdlerizations on disc give you, including the newest one on DGG. Similar happens with so much of the development section of the finale, and during which Rachmaninov rewrote some accenting (from what it is in the Original Version). Trpceski's poise and tastes are at such a high level, that rest assured, he would not have missed the right accenting (and which most notably Kocsis at least almost alone entirely gets), had he picked the original, and for which Horowitz both times uses the original notation.

The slow movement is played with great tenderness, the right sense of being completely at rest, and beautiful tone, as are the Meno mosso sections of the two outer movements. A possible encore for this program could have been perhaps the G Major Prelude from Opus 32, a piece I was introduced to by the wonderful EMI recording by a young Geza Anda, playing of which Trpceski might remind a few listeners. There is nevertheless a full 69 minutes of playing time here - no reason at all for complaint. Richter or the composer may be the last word on simplicity for a few of the preludes here. This is, however, playing not to be missed.

Making sense of the second.......2005-02-15

Down through the years I've heard many recordings and performances of Rachmaninov's second piano sonata; however, due to (I'm sure) something lacking within me, I've never been able to appreciate the work. This recording with Simon Trpceski "turned the light on" for me, and for once I actually liked the work and was emotionally moved by it. His technique is astounding and , to me for the first time, it did not sound as if the pianist was pounding the piano with his fists-the work's beautiful melodies were revealed to me for the first time.
The shorter works on the recording are also played very well, but the second sonata, for me is the standout.
The sound and musical programming are also outstanding!

Pletnev Plays Tchaikovsky-Grand Sonata/Children's Album

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Pletnev Plays Tchaikovsky-Grand Sonata/Children's Album
Tchaikovsky , and Mikhail Pletnev
Manufacturer: Moscow Studio
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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Mikhail Pletnev ~ Domenico Scarlatti - Keyboard Sonatas

ASIN: B0002IQMOI
Release Date: 2004-09-07

Tracks:

I. Moderato E Risoluto
II. Andante Non Troppo, Quasi Moderato
III. Scherzo: Allegro Giocoso
IV. Finale: Allegro Vivace
Morning Prayer
Winter Morning
Mama
The Young Rider
March Of The Toy Soldiers
The New Doll
The Sick Doll
The Doll's Funeral
Waltz
Polka
Mazurka
Russian Song
Peasant Playing Accordion
Kamarinskaya
Italian Song
Old French Song
German Song
Neapolitan Song
Nanny Tells A Story
The Witch
Sweet Dream
Song Of The Skylark
In Church
The Organ Grinder's Song

Album Description

These keyboard works by Tchaikovsky are under-represented in the catalogues, and no finer interpretations are available at any price. These are brilliant modern digital recordings from 1987.

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Kreisler plays Kreisler

Kreisler plays Kreisler

Manufacturer: Classica D'oro
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Mazurkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Fritz Kreisler Plays Kreisler
The Kreisler Album
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ASIN: B00005OAJ6
Release Date: 2001-10-16

Tracks:

A May Breeze
Romance, Op.94
La Precieuse In The Style Of Couperin
Ser Espagnole, Op.20 No.2
The Old Refrain
Der Opernball: Midnight Bells
Chanson & Pavane In The Style Of Couperin
Ballet in G
Larghetto
Caprice Viennois
Chinois, Op.3
Gavotte
Rondo
Rondino On A Theme By Beethoven
Mazurka, No.4 Op.67
Poupee Valsante
Humoresque, Op.101 No.7
Andante Cantabile
Hymn To The Sun
Chanson Hindoue

Tracks:

Londonderry Air - Franz Rupp
Lotus Land, Op.47 No.1 - Franz Rupp
Jota No.4 - Franz Rupp
Danza Espanola - Franz Rupp
Schon Rosmarin - Franz Rupp
La Gitana - Franz Rupp
Liebesleid - Franz Rupp
Liebesfreud - Franz Rupp
Scherzo Alla Dittersdorf - Kreisler Str Qt
Str Qt in a - Kreisler Str Qt
Str Qt in a - Kreisler Str Qt
Str Qt in a - Kreisler Str Qt
Str Qt in a - Kreisler Str Qt
Son: Adagio - Fritz Kreisler
Chansons Sans Paroles - Fritz Kreisler
Ste No.3: Air - Fritz Kreisler
Aubade Provencale In The Style Of Couperin - Fritz Kreisler

Customer Reviews:

Kreisler plays Kreisler.......2007-06-02

I purchased three different CD's of Kreisler Music for my sister. We both love it and would recommand all his music. The are very beautiful.

Sol Gabetta Plays Tchaikovsky, Saint-Saëns, and Ginastera

Average customer rating:

You Will Not Hear A Purer, More Beautiful Cello Tone Anywhere!

Sol Gabetta Plays Tchaikovsky, Saint-Saëns, and Ginastera

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

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Russian Album

ASIN: B000G04RVW
Release Date: 2007-02-06

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Born in 1981 in Argentina into a French-Russian family, Sol Gabetta is a strikingly talented, brilliant cellist and, judging from her photographs, a winsome beauty. After winning her first contest in Argentina aged ten, she captured awards at various prestigious European competitions, including the Tchaikovsky in Moscow and the ARD in Munich. Now embarked on a flourishing concert career, this is her debut recording. The program pays homage to the countries of her birth and heritage, with Ginastera's "Pampeana" No. 2 in its orchestral version, and two staples of the virtuoso repertoire: Saint-Saëns' Concerto No. 1 and Tchaikovsky's "Rococo Variations," followed by three of the composer's less-familiar pieces. All display her natural, effortless technique, her warm, rich tone, charm, and youthful exuberance. Gabetta sometimes takes excessive liberties: very fast and very slow tempi, sentimentality and explosiveness, and a habit of swelling long final notes and tearing them off with an accent. She plunges into the Concerto with fiery abandon, but after a super-romantic first movement, the second is beautifully delicate, subdued and graceful. Tchaikovsky's Rococo Theme is all smiling charm; the Variations have lots of character but the contrasts are somewhat exaggerated. His "Pezzo capriccioso" is brilliant; the Andante from his first String Quartet and the Nocturne from his Six Piano Pieces, in his own arrangements, are slow and melancholy. Ginastera's four-part "Pampeana" alternates slow, sensuous sections with fast unbridled dances, all played with genuine idiomatic feeling. An exciting young cellist to watch. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

You Will Not Hear A Purer, More Beautiful Cello Tone Anywhere!.......2007-03-07

Cellist Sol Gabetta produces a pure, almost vocal, tone in her cello playing that makes this instrument sound more beautiful than I have ever heard the cello sound. Naturally, the cello's sound is deeper than that of a violin, but it need not have the harsh, wailing, almost abrasive sound too often associated with cello playing. This is particularly true of Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations, which is a sweet, lyrical work that needs more from a cellist than simply a dazzling display of virtuosity and, more importantly, should not sound heavy and mournful. Gabetta's approach suits this work perfectly, enveloping the listener in the glorious sounds of the cello, in perfect concert with the orchestra. In this performance, you can actually hear every note of the cello, allowing the listener to appreciate Tchaikovsky's beautiful melodies (based on Baroque themes). In short, you have never really enjoyed the Rococo Variations until you have heard this performance.

This CD also features Tchaikovsky's three other works for cello and orchestra, given stunningly ravishing accounts by Gabetta. These are not mere "filler" works; instead, they represent Tchaikovsky at his creative best, and it is wonderful to have all his works in this genre on one CD, especially when given such lovely performances. The CD also features Saint-Seans' Cello Concerto No. 1, given a fetching performance here, which highlights its lyrical qualities more than its rhapsodic qualities, which succeeds once again in drawing attention to the purity of Gabetta's tone. Indeed, throughout the work, she produces a consistently light and pleasant tone, as befitting music by this composer. The CD finishes with a wonderful 8 minute work by Argentinean composer Alberto Ginastera from 1950 that is exciting, colorful and inventive. This recording is the first recording of the work in its cello/orchestra version (the original was cello/piano). Gabetta once again does not disappoint, delivering a thrilling performance.

The Munich orchestra plays very well on these recordings and the sound quality is bold and clear with a close focus on the cello. Perhaps the only drawback to this is that it seems that one can hear the cellist's movements and breathing at times. (If others also find this to be the case, please note so in the "comment" section under this review or in your own review.)

Those who have been waiting for a cellist with a pure, singing tone (to rival what some violinists bring to that instrument), wait no more! Sol Gabetta has just such a tone and these performances are an absolute must-have for those looking for a beautiful cello sound.