5 comments about Jacqueline du Pre - Favourite Cello Concertos ~ Boccherini, Dvorak, Elgar, Haydn, Monn, Saint-Saens, Schumann.

1. If you enjoy good cello music this is for you. Jacqueline du Pre is a master.



2. No complaint about the performance.
   
   But the recoding or A->D conversion somewhere went terribly wrong. The dynamic range seems set very low therefore the loud part of the music gets 'clipping'. For example, Disk 3, Track 1, between 0:40 to 1:10, you can clearly hear the distortion noise at the high level of the music (not your playback volume).
   
   What a pity, the recoding engineers simply not up to the job and ruined such a fine performance!



3. This is a wonderful collection of Jacqueline du Pre's work, both because it traces her development as an artist, her unique interaction with various conductors and her interpretations of a variety of composers. Jacueline du Pre is a cellist for all time.



4. Jacquline du Pres interprettation of some of the moast famous cello consertos is simply amasing. her music just flows with energy and abbowe all passion. she realy brings out the qaleties of the cello with intensety and softnes intertwined. music bursting with passion.



5. UNTIL I was fortunate enough to have heard them performed by Jacqueline du Pre!!!
   ABSOLUTELY STUNNING!!! Her superb playing, along with truly masterful
   interpretative skills, just "comes pouring out of the speakers!"
   Also, the orchestras were obviously truly inspired by these opportunities to perform and record with one of the greatest musicians of all time.
   The sound quality is excellent, as is the separation and clarity of both the soloist's and orchestral performances. The overall dynanism is also top notch - I found I had to lower the volume substantially from my normal
   system loudness levels.
   I've enjoyed this set so much I'll probably wind up buying everything from Amazon that EMI has produced with Jacqueline du Pre's name on it!

5 comments about Mozart: Piano Sonatas.

1. Mozart's piano sonatas are like listening to ice cream. They are just music. And I mean this in the most positive sense. Mozart's good artistic taste manifests itself in being profoundly unpretentious and self-effacing. As Raymond Chandler said, "There is no great and important art; there is only art... and precious little of that."
   Mozart's music is inconsequential as music so rarely is. It asks very little of the listener and provides so much. It is for this reason that it is perfect background or atmospheric music. It GOES with things in the way that Schubert (e.g.) does not. I recommend eating vanilla ice cream while listening to Mozart piano sonatas. This will afford you an experience of synesthesia that blows the mind.



2. The quality of these recordings is terrific and the price is right! I play the CDs on my office computer for background music that energizes me and doesn't distract me from the details of my work. This music is perfect for that!



3. This is my favorite set of Mozart piano sonatas, next to the Mitsuko Uchida collection from Philips. Eschenbach's performance is unadorned by needless trivialities, revealing a deep reverence for Mozart' score. Instead of taking liberties with the music, Eschenbach provides a pleasurable listening experience that can be relied upon again & again. Both his playing & the DG sound are impeccable, making this set of Mozart piano sonatas a thoroughly worthwhile acqusition.



4. Fabulous music. Simple, direct, un-affected peformances that are a delight to listen-to over and over again. At times the playing is utterly sublime. These performances are technically perfect in a smooth sense - and totally absorbing.



5. If you were to clump all of the composers of the classical era together, mix them up, and listen to them willy-nilly in a blind hearing test, you'll never be able to tell the difference between them... until you hear Mozart. Mozart's era was not rich in harmony. To me, Haydn wrote the same symphony over and over. Stamitz and Gossec... love 'em, but they were also prisoners of this classical harmony. But Mozart was able to put his fingerprint on all of his music. You can pick his music out blindly with ease because it is unmistakingly Mozart. That's why we have a mostly Mozart festival and not a mostly Kraus (who?) festival.
   
   As this cd shows, Mozart's music was sublime. But even he struggled with using this "harmony of the day". If you were to study the catalogues of Mozart's symphonies, sonatas, and chamber music, let's face it; you would hear a lot of turkies before you made it to the peacocks. We would have to wait until Chopin until the harmonies fattened up a little.
   
   Having said that, you have to completely hail Mozart for taking what was available to him in his day and creating some of the most sublime music with it. It would be like for the next ten years all the world had available to eat was peas, and 200 years from now one man became immortal for the many interesting ways he was able to manipulate peas into a meal.

5 comments about Puccini - Turandot / Sutherland · Pavarotti · Caballé · Ghiaurov · Krause · Pears · LPO · Mehta.

1. I bought the recording in the tape form years ago. I could not listen to it any more because of the wear after I played it too many times. Fortunately, technology came to the resue, CD!!!
   
   The tenderness, emotion, range, and capacity, from a delicate note to a full blown key, Luciano Pavarotti's voice is from Heaven. No tenor recordings came close to the quality of singing of this one.
   
   Joan Sutherland is the sweetest Liu that I have ever heard. Better still, the voices of the two, Joan Sutherland and Luciano Pvarotti, were the best combination ever. Add to this, we get Montserrat Caballe as the princess.
   
   What more can one ask for?



2. Siempre he pensado que en la obra maestra de Giacomo Puccini, que por cierto dentro de algunos días completara 82 años de haberse estrenado, abusa un poco del registro agudo y sobreagudo para dar forma a la pauta; igualmente en la modulación de la intensidad y volúmen orquestal; pero hay que pensar que no estaba terminada para cuando murió prematuramente; la embergadura de semejante obra deja pasmado al escucha más docto y exigente; es en si una obra de tales magnitudes que desde su entrada se prevee la exigencia a cada uno de los integrantes del reparto; basta decir que los solistas principales (prima donna e primo uomo) cantan con "la integral" del registro, al tope de sus posibilidades vocales; es una obra extraordinariamente difícil y exigente para los cantantes; por ende se necesita un equipo como este; nos muestra cosas interesantes y por demás geniales; Joanine canta como nunca antes me la hubiera imaginado, con una canto plano, sin coloratura, con exigencias dramáticas incoercibles; bien era conocido el dominio del reino sobreagudo, pero en esta ocasión fue mas allá de todo lo que imaginé; perfecta!!; el Calaf que apesar de lo que digan sus detractores, Pavarotti también sobrepasa lo esperado, que manera de emitir sus sobreagudos, que manera de mostrarse hasta cierto punto dramático (siendo una voz lírico spinto); un calaf que desde mi punto de vista llena perfectamente su rol; la maravilla de Caballé en su rol de Liú, con magistral dominio del pianissimi y con su perfecto dominio del legatto; corta participación pero perfecta también; el emperador de los Bajos, Nicolai Ghiaurov como Timur, espléndida voz ya también extinta, pero que con un rol pequeño llega hasta la fibras más profundas y sensibles, basta mencionar la escena del suicidio de Liú y de la plañidera voz quebrada por el llanto y la desesperación, saca lágrimas!!; la participación de los roles menores también a su nivel; la orquesta un tanto "stacatta" pero con una volumen correcto y bien temperada; coros ni que decir.... necesaria y obligada también...



3. This version is certainly the best for me.
   Joan Sutherland has always been my favourite, I was lucky enough to have seen her performing several times.
   She is exceptional.



4. Good performance. CD had a "dimple" on the media side. Two tracks were unreadable. Getting a replacement from Amazon was easy and quick. Amazon e-mailed a postage-paid label. Slapped on on the box and dropped in a mailbox. Amazon promptly shipped a replacement. Painless and prompt.



5. Puccini - Turandot / Sutherland · Pavarotti · Caballé · Ghiaurov · Krause · Pears · LPO · Mehta
   
   This recording brings together some of the most remarkable talents in the world of opera who reached their peaks during my lifetime. Sutherland, Pavarotti and, of course, Mehta. Given that it's a Puccini piece (one of my favourite composers) you'd expect me to rave a bit. Lots of exclamation marks and other grammatical expressions of temporary insanity.
   
   Oh, it's a pleasant-enough piece of work and undoubtedly an audio snapshot of Pavarotti at his best working with Sutherland (who was better). There simply couldn't be a better choice than Mehta to bake all of this into something irresistible and terribly bad for you. And yet, and yet.
   
   Yes, it is pleasant-enough and perhaps it's Puccini's choice of storyline that begins to reign it in and hold it back from the finish line of fist-pumping, wild-eyed ecstacy (do opera lovers do that?). Sadly, no-one has ever managed to marry European melodic forms with a Chinese theme and produce an offspring that had that 'carry-you-away' quality. (And, no, nothing by Gilbert & Sullivan qualifies as an exception to that.)
   
   Perhaps its the recording standards of 1990 that keep this from being audio heroin. I don't know - all I know is that I find it pleasant-enough and a decent accompaniment to other tasks that leave have my mind free to listen.
   
   Operatic muzak? Not quite but not a great deal more either.

5 comments about Bach - The Complete Brandenburg Concertos / Pearlman, Boston Baroque.

1. I bought this recording after seeing rave reviews here on Amazon and elsewhere. Mostly those reviews are justified. The sound is outstanding, whether because of the period instruments or the quality of recording. The many voices are brought out, especially in the first concerto, as they rarely are on other recordings. The musicianship is outstanding.
   
   Now the things I didn't like (but others may like them):
   
   1. The tempi are way too fast for my taste. One of my favourite movements, the last "allegro" of the third concerto, is played prestissimo, which entirely spoils it for me. And it is not the only one. Most movements are faster than normal, none are slower.
   
   2. In the solo bits -- particularly the cadenza in the fifth concerto -- there is too much rubato. Too often rubato is used as an excuse for disentangling the fingers rather than to add to the music. If it is such a good idea, why is it never used (unless explicitly scored) in the orchestral sections?
   
   3. Bach wrote only two cadence chords for the middle movement of the third concerto. A cadence concludes a movement, but what do they conclude here? Obviously an impromptu movement that a soloist is supposed to conclude. Some performers oblige (eg, Neville Marriner/Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields; the long out-of-print Harry Newstone/Hamburger Kammerorchester). Some cop-out by introducing an extraneous slow movement, from another Bach piece, that ends in the same chords (eg, Menuhin/Bath Festival Orchestra). But the worst sort of cop-out is to just play those two chords and nothing else. Which is what these performers do. Pearlman states sonorously, in the liner notes, that "there is no reason to suppose that anything else is meant to be supplied here..." Oh yes, there is. To play just those chords and nothing else is "musical nonsense" (as I recall the liner notes to the Newstone LP saying.) Moreover, though improvisation fell out of favour in 20th-century classical music, it was an important part of music from before Bach (the Handel/Scarlatti duel is famous) up until Liszt and beyond.
   
   If things like the above bother you, don't buy these CDs -- at least, not without hearing them first.



2. This two CD music set is wonderful, I have listen to it every week and am delighted to have added it to my collection. Worth the money.



3. If you are a lover of the baroque era, then this 2-CD collection performed by Boston Baroque is as good as it gets. The recordings have a faster tempi which sounds very good on most of these concertos and they are crisp and clear. The transitions, from the end of one , to the beginning of the next concerto are particularly good...they appera continuous. This is a collection that I had been looking for a long time and finally managed to find.



4. This is a fantastic set of Concertos with a unique period sound, brisk pace and clear articulation. I highly recommend this distinct recording for those individuals with an interest in J.S. Bach and/or the famous Brandenburg Concertos.
   
   Highly recommended.



5. I am just knocked out by Boston Baroque's performances and the technical perfection of their recordings. This music is still very much alive in these good hands. If you like Bach and you have a decent sound system, you'll play this one for your friends.

5 comments about Beethoven: The Complete Symphonies and Piano Concertos.

1. I had to get this set after trying to get through the ninth on the Cluytens set, which I found to be a total disaster, though I liked the 5,6 and 7th. I'm holding off on the rest of that set, but, has anyone noticed two very odd sounding brief passages about 3/4 of the way into the first movement of the Klemperer recording of the 5th? I've liked the 6th, 7th and 8th, and haven't gotten to the rest. Somewhat slow at times, but that has never been an issue for me, and they all have a kind of thrust and weight that the Cluytens lack though I like both approaches. So, I'm interested in hearing from people about these two odd passages in the latter part of the 5th, first movement, where there is a sharp loss of volume and an emphasis on a brief passage that repeats twice and isn'tlike any other I've ever heard. Thanks, Gary



2. For me, this is the top choice for stereo Beethoven cycles. Klemperer conducted with a grandeur that is sadly not to be found among today's conductor's. His "Eroica" is still among the best around alongside Furtwangler, Abendroth & Weingartner. His 9th is easily a top 10 choice, behind a couple by Furtwangler (of course), Weingartner, Reiner and Fricsay. The rest of the set is also very solid, especially 4 and 6 (one of the very best, after Walter and Bohm) without a subpar performance in the bunch. As an added bonus, you get a high caliber set of the piano concertos by Barenboim and Klemperer, though not quite of the quality of Fleisher/Szell or Kempff/Van Kempen. When you factor in the cost (You can usually find it for under $40) this great set is a steal.



3. These are classic, fine performances of the Beethoven symphonic and piano concerto canon by one of the great artists of the 20th century. They are not necessarily the most passionate or electrifying of Klemperer's recorded legacy; those belong to many of the live performances recorded from the early 1950's through the early 1960's. So why get this set (besides the price, which is a steal)?
   
   The answer is that these are by far the best recorded of Klemperer's Beethoven performances and showcase his extraordinarily meticulous attention to balance, phrasing and dynamics. Always present is the nearly unique command of long-term tension and release, the command of the structure of each symphony or concerto as a whole, and the innate sense of musical drama which makes his performances so satisfying. The Philharmonia is ideally suited to Klemperer's vision, with its sure-footed brass, solo-quality first-chair winds and elegant but light strings. Klemperer may not have cared particularly about orchestral sound - his was most often called granitic -- but the results are certainly beautiful. And the recorded sound allows us to hear all of this. EMI lavished its skills on these recordings, making them in the marvelous acoustics of Kingsway hall; they sound warm, detailed and natural.
   
   Klemperer's vision of Beethoven is powerful and uncompromising. Yes, the tempi are slow in the faster movements, but there is a fierce intelligence and indominable spirit that radiates through these performances and makes them towering and, at their best, earth-shaking. Klemperer had a special affinity for Beethoven. Both men's lives were compromised by chronic health issues and pain: for Beethoven, the deafness and chronic indigestion and bowel-problems; for Klemperer, the brain tumor, resulting partial paralysis, broken bones, and the manic-depression. Both men were notoriously cranky and crabby. And yet both men created (or recreated) music which expresses the human spirit's triumph over adversity as well as music of extraordinary beauty.
   
   No-one would call Klemperer's Beethoven crisp or fleet. Even though he was a truly 20th century conductor in eschewing the rhetorical gestures of romanticism and focusing on the holy writ of the score, he was enough of a child of 19th century Germany to favor a massive and hortatory approach, with prominent brass, thundering tympani and dramatic underlining.
   
   In the concerti, the young Barenboim and the old Klemperer seem to cancel out each other's idiosynracies to produce some of the finest performances of the concerti on record. Again, these are recorded in splendid sound which barely shows its age.
   
   At this price, there is no reason not to purchase this set. Whether this will be your favorite Beethoven symphony set will depend on your personal taste; but it is important enough to reward your careful listening, even if it's only from time to time.



4. Otto Klemperer... I admire him very much. Because, he conducted and performed the music just it should be, in the manner directly of composer. He didn't add his personal feelings to music, like Karajan. He just interpreted in the way, how it must be. And his majestic, grand character directly touches the soul of the listener.
   
   Especially, in Beethoven and Mahler (who personally know him), he is really referance. In that box-set, you will find the darkest, most noble, unsentimental but so deep, most philosophic readings of the Beethoven Symphonies. Klemperer, as you know, sometimes takes the tempi slower than normal, but because of the all notes must be heared cleanly and the all notes must have an meaningful expression. You will impressed especially when you listen 3 (Eroica), 5 and of course 9th Sym. By the way, this set includes so impressive Leonore No. 3 and dramatic Coriolan Overtures, they are really worth to listen and experience the majesty of Klemperer.
   
   By the way, Piano Concertos are very good too. Barenboim is a good pianist, who have a very beautiful color when he's playing. He has a deep character too, but everyone is not love always his performances. OK, he is not Wilhelm Kempff, but anyway, he is a great musician.
   
   But, you should buy that, especially for Klemperer's performances of Symphonies. Highly recommended.



5. I have ordered this set and then returned it and had a replacement set sent. Both sets have had one CD that has music missing in bits and pieces. I assume that all sets have been cut from the same master set, since both sets I have received are flawed.

5 comments about Mozart:The Complete Piano Sonatas and Variations.

1. I love classical music. I've learned to listen without being hyper-critical; just lsitening with my heart. Barenboim is a gifted muscian, and this performance is yet another example of Daniel's control of the keyboard. Endless hours of great musical listening.



2. i had to wait a while for this CD set, but it arrived in good condition & the seller kept in contact frequently



3. As an amateur pianist and Mozart lover, I own the complete piano sonatas by three different artists: Uchida, Maria Joao Pires, and Barenboim. I have listened to each set hundreds of times, and after buying Barenboim, side by side. For me, this interpretation is so far above the others (though much more so compared to Uchida than to Joao Pires), that I have only listened to Barenboim for the past year. One reviewer below points out that the 3 CDs of piano variations are not necessary, and I agree. However, the price is very reasonable, and I simply omitted the last 3 CDs when I loaded this into my iPOD.
   You will treasure this performance each time you listen.



4. It is something near to a cleansing experience to listen through the Mozart piano repertoire as performed by Daniel Barenboim.
   
   For starters, Mozart achieves his sparest, cleanest, most limpid lines when writing for solo piano. Then comes Daniel Barenboim, whose reading of Mozart is crisply and unemotionally classical. Not for him the drawn-out keyboard soliloquy. On the contrary, Barenboim gives us Mozart, only Mozart, and nothing but Mozart, clean and shimmering as sparkling mineral water.
   
   This is not to say that Barenboim as pianist is unfeeling. On the contrary, the Fantasia in C Minor - to choose just one example with almost random lack of care - is quite moving. But not with a flourish. Rather, with almost sinewy restraint. The presentation represents a fine grasp of the master composer, nurtured with discipline across the length and breadth of the voluminous sonatas.
   
   Indeed, the sheer volume of the Mozart piano sonatas is intimidating. It is astonishing to imagine one man having mastered it as Barenboim has. EMI Classics has done us the favor of collecting these two gentlemen's asynchronic collaboration in one set, affordable at that.
   
   If Mozart is a musician for the ages and Barenboim a performer who left a formidable imprint on the twentieth century, their collaboration as represented in these recordings is a watershed that will need to be referenced by students of classical piano for at least another hundred years, or until people can only remember as far back as the Dixie Chicks.
   
   Buy Barenboim on Mozart before that happens, and so stick your thumb in the dike against the evil day.



5. As a pianist myself, I love Barenboim's playing. He does not play Mozart too Beethoven like. His performances are usually VERY good, and this is one example. Also includes the complete variations, which are very nice. The sound quality is excellent. Very highly recommended.
   
   "The sonatas of Mozart are unique: too easy for children, too difficult for adults. Children are given Mozart to play because of the quantity of notes; grown ups avoid him because of the quality of notes." - Artur Schnabel

5 comments about Bruckner: The Complete Symphonies.

1. Bruckner è sempre stato il compositore che mi affascinava di più sebbene
   fino a poco tempo fà avessi sentito solamente la nona sinfonia all'interno di una raccolta della Reference Recordings. Ho successivamente comprato la nona appunto (RR) e la sesta che ho trovato ad un prezzo stracciato (Edizioni Telarc diretta da Jesus Lopez-Cobos). Se la nona della RR è veramente superba sia dal punto di vista dell'esecuzione che dell'incisione la sesta della Telarc è sicuramente superiore in quanto dinamica rispetto l'incisione che stiamo analizzando della EMI ma la qualità della ripresa e l'esecuzione sono assolutamente sotto tono!
   Devo riconfermare ciò che ho letto più volte su Eugin Jochum e la sua maestria nel riprodurre il messaggio musicale di Bruckner.
   Sono rimasto veramente stupito dalla qualità generale dell'incisione EMI anche considerando il prezzo a dire poco incredibile, in Italia penso sia impossibile trovare un cofanetto di nove sinfonie di questo valore musicale ed artistico ad un simile prezzo. Assolutamente consigliatissimo!



2. I have listened to Bruckner for more years than I'd care to admit, but these recordings by Eugen Jochum are like hearing him for the first time. It is startling how good these recordings are, and what freshness Jochum brings to the more familiar Bruckner offerings...the 3rd, 4th, 7th, 8th and 9th. Electrifying is not too strong a word to describe them. In addition, these EMI recordings are an astonishing value. Buy and listen for yourself. I dare you not to be transfigured by the music-making.



3. Bruckner fans can find other recordings of certain symphonies that might reveal some aspect of the music that this set does not. But I think those recordings are far and few. I know their are Jochum fans (and I am one)who find his DG recordings to be superior. Except for the Fourth with the Berlin Philharmonic I have not listened to any of them.So they may be better. But it is a little hard for me to conceive of that being the case because I have found that Jochum has pulled off something nearly miraculous here.I first bought this set back in the very early Nineties when it first was released on CD. I was swept up in the sheer passion,exuburance and religous devotion that is on display. Like other reviewers I think a lot of the credit goes to Staatskapelle Dresden.I find them so involved with Bruckner's music and the thought world he inhabited that any point of criticism would be nearly useless. "The petty cavils of petty minds",as Samuel Johnson said of some of Shakespeare's critics.Yes this will be a set I could live with for some time( I already have!) And I would still recomend getting this remastered version because it is superior to the first version and the box takes up far less room. I don't have the same problem that some people have with the Nowak versions. I do prefer the 1877 version of the 3rd symphony to be superior to Nowak's. But I find Georg Tintner's recording on Naxos to be interesting but it is too ungainly and sprawling. So I would prefer the Nowak,though I don't care for some of the cuts. But even if you have reservations about versions I would still urge you to check out Jochum. I think he will convince you.Enjoy!



4. The other complete set of Eugen Jochum conducting Bruckner's symphonies, of course, is the series he recorded for DG in stereo between 1958 and 1967 with the Bavarian RSO or (in Symphonies 1, 4, and 7-9) the Berlin Philharmonic, following a number of recordings of individual symphonies he made in the pre-LP days. Although Jochum's basic conceptions remained consistent over the years, that earlier set finds Jochum more consistently alert and a shade more vibrant than in this valedictory go-round with the canonical Bruckner symphonies, taped in the late 1970s. By comparison, the overall impression here is of slightly lower voltage, although the flip side is that this cycle is also just that much more serene, and aptly so (Bruckner's music has been described as "blazing calm").
   
   Even so, this boxed set has a lot to recommend it, whether or not in preference to the DG cycle. There is the burnished and responsive delivery of the great Dresden orchestra, perhaps the oldest in Europe. There is EMI's warm and atmospheric sound, which in this remastering is considerably better focused and more detailed than in the first CD incarnation of this cycle. This cycle's Seventh and Ninth Symphonies arguably make a deeper impression than their counterparts in the DG series--even if the DG cycle compensates with more successful readings of the Fourth and Eighth. Above all, there is Jochum's lifelong identification with Bruckner's music (but NOT, as another reviewer suggested, due to a personal relationship between the conductor and the composer, who had died six years before Jochum was born!). Personal preference will dictate whether you go for the DG or EMI cycle; either way, you will hear Bruckner via one of the last exponents of a more flexible, less "monumental" (and also less stolid) approach to this composer's music.



5. This box set of Bruckner symphonies, on EMI, conducted by Jochum, receives a lot of praise, and, due to its very low price, is a first choice for listeners who are just beginning to get into Bruckner. These new listeners, having little basis for comparison, add their own praises, and so the cycle continues. An incautious purchaser might really believe that they are buying "the best of the best" for only $[price]. Well, perhaps, in their case, they might be. After all, once we can take technical competence for granted, we can only really argue based on our personal tastes. Can Jochum's (or anyone's) performances _objectively_ be called "the best"? No.
   
   Though you'd hardly know it from the reviews below, not everyone rates Jochum at the top of Bruckner interpreters, and even if they do, they may not rate these recordings as representing his best work. My own feeling is that Jochum is a terrible Bruckner conductor: his rhythms are weak, his phrasing is haphazard, his rhetorical gestures are all wrongheaded (speeding up when he should slow down and vice versa) and lack emotional conviction, and his performances lack the "magic" that other conductors can bring to these transcendent works. Also, the Dresden brass in these recordings often sound like a chorus of kazoos (!), and there is definite weakness in the trumpets.
   
   Jochum's admirers will strongly disagree, but I think they _might_ agree that, for listeners whose tastes will not tolerate these performances, there do exist valid (albeit more expensive) alternatives. Karajan's box set is rightly called a landmark, with B6 the only weak link. Haitink's set is a classic. Wand is certainly worth listening to. Tintner's performances of rarely-heard versions are of more than academic interest. Barenboim's Berlin set is a bit of an acquired taste but undeniably sounds great. Solti is energetic and enjoyable. There are others I haven't mentioned - and then there are discs of individual recordings, unavailable in box sets, which are arguably where the real Bruckner gold is to be found.
   
   So you may agree or disagree with my assessment of Jochum's EMI set. But before you put your hard-earned money into this purchase, at least compare a few of the samples available here at Amazon. You may find that other performances are more satisfying to you. Or perhaps less satisfying. Either way, you owe it to yourself to check these things out yourself, and not just rely on popular opinion.

5 comments about William Kapell Edition (Box Set).

1. I wrote my doctoral dissertation on William Kapell (we share the same school, and my teacher was a student of his), and to still see the outpouring of admiration and love for Kapell's art is still very moving for me.



2. I heard William Kapell play the Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini with the fledgling Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in the late 1940's or very early 1950's. My only memory of the occasion is that I was enthralled. Kapell has held me in thrall ever since.
   
   A few years later, in the middle 50's, I bought Kapell's recording of the same work, with Fritz Reiner and the Robin Hood Dell Orchestra (alias of The Philadelphia Orchestra). I still have that LP, though I wore it out long ago. It was the beginning of my musical education. But since 1998, we have had this wonderful box of reissues from the vaults of RCA. The sound is mostly excellent, considering the age of the monophonic originals. To this day, Kapell's Rachmaninov Rhapsody remains-in my opinion-the most impassioned, yet the most musical, reading of the piece ever recorded. No one had, or has, Kapell's combination of white-hot temperament, technical brilliance, and musical insight. We have had musical geniuses; technical wizards abound. It is the combination of these gifts, as Kapell possessed them in particular, married to his incendiary passion, that made him unique.
   
   He was still learning, and he was learning at such an astounding rate! He had moved from Khachaturian to the most unforgettable Chopin B minor Sonata ever recorded in little more than a decade. His deep throated, noble, and articulate Bach has caused some to speculate that Glenn Gould might have found his inspiration in Kapell. One Gould biographer, and a New York critic, wrote that the reverse was true. The critic acknowledged the error, in print, noting that Kapell could not have been influenced by Gould's style since he had been dead for two years by the time of Gould's debut recital in New York City in 1955.
   
   The lyrical side of romantic music is not what Kapell was or is known for, not his "style" as people remember him now. But listening to the lyrical music in this set shows a side of him that was, nevertheless, as real as any, and perhaps more revealing. It also gives us a notion of what we might have expected of William Kapell had he lived a normal span of years and played a normal variety of music. In a live performance, he plays Chopin's Nocturne, Op. 9, No. 1, with melting legato and exquisite timing: his innate sense about when to tug on the beat and when to surge forward makes the music breathe. His use of dynamic variety demands the greatest respect: at one point, the repetition of a melodic phrase is but a pale echo of its first statement. His tonal palette is no less wondrous. When a deep bass note suddenly appears, early in the A section of the ABA structure, it sounds-not loud nor quiet, not muffled nor distinct-but awesomely subterranean. Kapell begins the piece without much sustaining pedal, but in the B section, he subtly adds more and more. Then, when the A section returns near the end, the pedal disappears. This dramatic change in color-along with Chopin's change of key-seems like the parting of clouds. We are in the hands of two masters here, Chopin and Kapell. Kapell gave this performance in Carnegie Hall in February of 1945, when he was twenty-two years old.
   
   In the Bach and Chopin works I've discussed, the steely, percussive tone that some speak of is nowhere to be heard. Rather, we hear a full, rich, and complex piano tone. In the Chopin Sonatas, the Debussy pieces, and the Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Debussy, and Albeniz, the sound Kapell produces is beautiful and varied.
   
   He was a chamber musician of the first order, as his collaborations with Heifetz prove. (He was one of the very few musicians who had the force of personality to make Heifetz accompany HIM. And you can hear it.) And if you've never heard Rachmaninov's great Cello Sonata, played here with the grand Russian/German cellist Edmund Kurtz, you're in for a treat. There are several fine, modern stereo recordings, but this one is special. The piano part is very important-Rachmaninov did write it, after all-and Kapell is magnificent. This was Rachmaninov's next published work after the 2nd Piano Concerto, to give you an idea of its melodic grandeur. If there is a flaw here, it is that the piano is recorded too far back, relative to the cello.
   
   Kapell died on October 30, 1953. He had just turned thirty-three. He played his last recital in Geelong, Australia, on the 22nd. It included the Chopin 2nd Piano Sonata which contains the well-known "Marche funèbre." That performance is included here, transferred from the original acetates. It is a great performance but very hard to listen to now, in light of what was to follow just over a week later. I am writing this one day short of the 52nd anniversary of Kapell's death. Had he lived until today, he would be younger than either Earl Wild or Ivan Moravec, both of whom are still making magnificent music. For those of us who love William Kapell's music, it is heartbreaking to consider, and fruitless. Thank Heaven we have recordings like the ones in this set. They are essential for any lover of good music.
   
   John Pendley



3. During the last century we have had many tragic losses in the arts, often affecting men and women who are at the peak of their careers, shimmering with excellence, only to be silenced by death and all too often, by accidental death. The names of Anton Webern, Fritz Wunderlich, WG Sebald, Sylvia Plath, Dinu Lipatti, and so many others arise, but none as tragic as the death of William Kapell in 1953.
   
   William Kapell is still considered by most as the America's greatest pianist, even fifty odd years after his death at the age of 31 in a plane crash. Those who heard him perform still rhapsodize over the magic he created. Those of us who are left with only recordings, such as this spectacular boxed set of all of his recordings, can only be uplifted by the man's genius, his extraordinary technical facility, and his intuitive, profound approach to the great works of music.
   
   All styles of music were easily accessible to Kapell. Listen to the Mozart, Bach, Scarlatti, Paganini and Mendelssohn and try to imagine performances of more clarity and finesse than these. His Chopin is well represented in this set and glows with the uncanny power and tenderness that Chopin combined in his works. His works for solo piano by Rachmaninov and Shostakovich are the gold standard, and yet his Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Mussorgsky and Liszt raise the bar for excellence that has since not been excelled. Joyously this set includes concerti including Prokofiev, Beethoven, Khachaturian, and Rachmaninov with the various conductors who saw Kapell's gifts and championed them.
   
   The memory of this great artist is felt throughout the year, but never as acutely as on October 29th which marks the date of his cruel death. The world was brightened for too short a time by William Kapell, yet because of his recorded legacy his legend lives on. This is an impossibly fine box set of treasures. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, October 05



4. In listening ot this collection, I think of the other 20th century pianistic genius who died tragically young: Dinu Lipatti (d. 1950). Both men excelled at Chopin but each had a thoroughly individual sound. In addition to Chopin, the Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev are especially fine. Highly recommended.



5. Piano enthusiasts might find this set incredible, but I prefer my music to be pleasant. Consider your tastes before buying.

5 comments about Bach: Concertos.

1. There are nineteen concertos in this collection, twelve of which are for one or more harpsichords. The remaining seven are concertos for various other instruments including violin, oboe, etc. A potential buyer should be aware that many of Bach's harpsichord concertos are re-arranged versions of these other concertos - and in some cases both versions are in this collection. For example, the three violin concertos (including the "double" concerto) are presented in both their original and harpsichord arrangements. Two oboe concertos, whose original versions have been lost, are reconstructed from harpsichord concertos that Bach arranged from those originals. Both the reconstructed oboe and harpsichord versions are in this set. So the listener should not be surprised to hear the same tunes repeated on different CDs in this collection. (It's because of this repetition that I rated the collection four stars instead of five.) One concerto for harpsichord and recorders is even a re-arranged version of Brandenburg #4 - although the Brandenburg concertos themselves are not present.
   
   Despite the repetition of material, the performances themselves are superb. I typically find the work of the English Concert to be top notch and this set is no exception. My favorites are the violin concertos BWV 1042 and BWV 1043, which are so well presented I consider them the best versions of these works I have yet heard. In some recordings by other orchestras, the violinists play with too much vibrato. A single note can quiver so much it sounds like it hovers between two notes. But here Simon Standage restrains the vibrato and lets his notes sing out with a delightful precision, as do the other players.
   
   There are more concertos for harpsichord here than concertos for other instruments. I actually prefer the latter over the former. To me the harpsichord is a somewhat weak instrument for concertos. Although its sound is charming and evokes the feeling of the old world orchestra, it can sometimes seem overpowered by the accompanying instruments. But this is not to criticize the playing of Trevor Pinnock or the others. They produce the authentic sound they are looking for with grace and precision. Perhaps the feeling I get of the harpsichord being weak comes from comparing the harpsichord versions of the violin concertos with the violin originals, which are so magnificent.
   
   When all is said and done, I am happy I purchased this music. Listening to it is like being transported back to the early 18th century, when these pieces were fresh and new. I'm sure Bach would be pleased if he could hear what a wonderful job the English Concert did with his work.



2. I purchased these recordings nearly 20 years ago, when Deutsche Gramophone was still selling them as five individual discs, and at over $20 per disc. With the re-release of the set of all five discs in a single, price-reduced "Collectors Edition" box set, the price has fallen by more than half, making this one of the outstanding values for high-quality Bach recordings on today's market.
   
   But what about the performances? Here's the best way I can sum it up. Having listened to these disks for some two decades, in the car, on the main home stereo system, on portable equipment, on the boom box, and etc., etc., it is, I imagine, inevitable that one ends up memorizing nearly every note. And with that familiarity comes the ability to detect flaws in the performance, missteps, missed beats, the occasional off-tone instrument. Here's the rub: it is difficult to locate any significant flaw in the performances. These performances are about as perfect as one can get, but having said that, there is more. The sound reproduction of this recording remains near or at the top of any Bach recordings with which I've become familiar, and remains in my own thinking the de facto standard by which other performances should be measured.
   
   Sound too good to be true? Pick up a set and see for yourself. And then relish the thought that you paid $40 for a set worth far more.



3. ...and cheap to boot. This, paired with the Brandenburg Concertos/Overtures compilation from Arkiv (also featuring Pinnock and the English Concert), gives any new Bach fan a fairly complete account of Bach's instrumental orchestral output. This particular package includes all of Bach's keyboard concertos (played exceptionally well by Pinnock), all of his violin concertos, and also his Triple Concerto (Harpsicord, Flute and Violin), several works for Oboe and Oboe D'Amour, and several double concertos (2 violins, and oboe and violin). Highlights are the D Minor Harpsicord concerto BWV 1052, the C Major concerto for 2 Harpsicords BWV 1061, the Oboe D'Amour concerto BWV 1055, the double concerto BWV 1060, and the violin concertos.
   This set sounds fantastic and is a great value to boot. Strongly recommended for those who loved Bach's Bradenburg concertos and Overtures and are looking for something new to sink their teeth into.



4. This is undoubtedly the best Back box set I have heard. These Concerto's for Harsichord, Violin, Flute and Oboe are among the finest in classical music. Although the Harpsichord volume level could have been a bit higher overall the recordings are very good. I am very pleased with this CD set with so much music at a very good price. This is truly a collectors gem.



5. Pinnock is good performer...I drop one start because BWV 1052-58
   Might sound better when it's played piano.

5 comments about Beethoven: The Piano Concertos.

1. This CD set is a digital re-mastering of the original "Stereophonic" London recordings from 1973. The sound is crisp and clear, and enhances the masterful technique of Vladimir Ashkenazy and Sir Georg Solti's well-paced leadership. You would never know you were listening to an ADD rather than a direct digital recording. The dynamic range of this digital re-mastering is far superior to the original LPs... the pianissimos are very soft and vibrant, and the fortes take your breath away. The recording engineers obviously took great pains to 'lift' the sound of the piano up a notch or two above the orchestra, and I was greatly pleased to discover that I could now hear much more of the solo instrument than I could on the original LPs. Although Ashkenazy's technique is not as free and dynamic as Bernstein's, he is very accurate, and hits every note in perfect sync with the orchestra. Solti was at the peak of his career here, and the Chicago symphony plays wonderfully in compliment to Ashkenazy. At $14.97 for three disks, and several bonus tracks (including Fur Elise) which were not part of the original LP boxed set,this recording is a great buy. Highly recommended!



2. the article was in good condition and i had a smooth and prompt delivary



3. All I can comment right now, is the performance of the Beethoven piano concerto 1 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra was poor. The playing was stiff, the orchestra was below what they should be. I thought I even heard some off key notes from the band! Disappointed. Maybe I am just so used to how Martha Argerich plays it... However the rest of the discs are fantastic, what a contrast!!!!!!



4. Ashkenazy is more sweet in his playing than profound, Solti and the CSO are on fire, and the Decca sound is excellent! Good job!



5. After purchasing Ashkenazy's complete set of the Mozart concertos, I decided to get this one of the Beethoven concertos. Although some of the reviewers had voiced complaints about this set, I felt that it couldn't be that bad. Indeed, it's not that bad, but its not that good either.

   To me, it seems as if Ashkenazy has no sense of style. His approaches to these concertos are more lyrical and romantic rather than classical. Take the first, for example. Ashkenazy treats the piano line as if he were playing Chopin. Solti, on the other hand, seems to feel that louder is better. Thus we have a very bizarre dialogue between piano and orchestra in the C major concerto. The second isn't much better. Although Ashkenazy gives a much better reading, Solti again feels that the CSO must play as forcefully as possible. The concerto is rather bland in the first place and Ashkenazy's approach is nothing special. The third concerto is wonderfully played by both Ashkenazy and the CSO. Ashkenazy treatment of the piano line is more classical while Solti's boisterous approach actually works in this powerful work. However, poor recording conditions (the evident hiss in the background) ruin the largo. The G major concerto is the most interesting in the set. Solti's treatment of the orchestra accompaniment is quite inspired - this is Solti at his most tender. However, Ashkenazy's icy interpretation is detached, it seems as if he and Solti are on two entirely different pages. Although the recording is remarkable in its beauty, Ashkenazy's lack of warmth leaves a chilling cloud over the performance. The fifth is nothing special. Solti is back to being loud and Ashkenazy gives a good, routine performance.

   All in all, even at a budget price, this set is not highly recommended.