5 comments about Bach: The Organ Works.

1. Afer listening to these CD's I must say that Peter Hurford is number one playing the organ. He certainly is very gifted and he is absolutley amazing with his pedal technique. He is an organist that plays so well that he makes anybody else look sub par. The only piece I was a little dissappointed with was BVW 577. I thought he should have used different registration's instead of the softer ones he used.



2. Like another reviewer here I grew up on Helmut Walcha's DG set on LP, and was also familiar with a number of other "great Bach organ work" collections.
   
   One can cavil over the way Hurford takes some of the pieces, I suppose, but his flair, imaginative registrations, and sheer musicality are hard to beat, and the recording too is fantastic.
   
   It's quite easy to listen to three or four CDs from this set in a row, which says something about how fertile Bach's imagination, but also how absorbing Hurford's performance, and how willing he is to avoid generic and worthy church-like interpretations. This is music and music-making of the highest quality.



3. A lot of reviews rave about this set. I just wish they would say why it's so good and I hope they're, well, comparing it to something. Most seem to like the "choice of registration" which maybe one way an organist sizes another up.
   
   Preferences in interpretation generally reflect the emphera of a time, and not absolutes. Choice one for this guy is probably Walcha. Dignified and insightful playing probably much more in line with what was expected of, and provided by, Bach way back when.
   
   This set is flashier and lighter in some ways, more bombastic in others--very much a late Twentieth Century effort. Superficial. It suits a less thoughtful approach to the music which isn't a bad thing and isn't necessarily "damning with faint praise." I just doubt if this is really what the music should sound like and I don't mean that in the same way when I say that about Gould's playing. Gould was highlighting an intense part of Bach's craft, pointing the way into the music so to say.
   
   This is a good set for those who like to shake the timbers with organ music; when it was first released in the early digital era it was marketed that way. Bach's music is pretty bullet-proof so it can stand this kind of approach. If you're not a hyper-critical listener, a period instrument hardliner, or a professional organist with strong well thought out opinions this is probably the set for you as the Walcha will sound dry and academic. On the other hand, if you are a powerful admirer of rock and roll classical this might actually be way too much Bach for you. I generally play this set (or Stokowski transcriptions) when I'm in a brain-dead mood and I want Bach-like stimulation without any work on my part. It's really quite nice.



4. A poor, jumpy, amateurish and unimaginative rendition of the pedal exercitium in g minor is what sticks to mind. Although its only an exercise i think it's worth more than that. More interesting stop combinations could have been used here. The toccata and fugue in d minor was too 'fancy' and was a boring affair overall with a silly choice of stops. I expected more from Peter Hurford. If this is the first time you've heard organ music please don't run away beacause of this. It can be so much more intersting.
   
   Overall i dont think these performances do Bach Justice. Better versions can be found at virtuallybaroque.com (not my site)and better still competely free.



5. Peter Hurford's traversal of the entire organ literature for London Decca is truly one of the greatest recorded achievements. All of the performances in this seventeen-disc set are immaculately played and perfectly performed. His vision, technicality, and sensibility make him a sensitive and authoritative interpreter of J.S. Bach's organ works. The records are mostly digital, crystal clear, and quite powerful. Hurford's command of his technique is astounding. I cannot stress how important this set truly is. I HIGHLY recommend buying this compilation. At about 8 dollars a CD, this is most certainly a steal.

1 comments about Piano by Candlelight Favorites.

1. Wanna start with a "grab-bag" of familiar classical themes? Then, this box set is for you. Chocked full of selections that are known by the novice, as well as the experienced, "Piano by Candlelight Favorites" is a very good beginning set.
   
   With the seemingly unfortunate demise of classical labels in the music industry, it is hoped that such compilations as this one might cause an upheaval in interest in the much-respected musical genre.
   
   And with the dollar buying less than it did in the past, this presentation offers much value for the buck.

5 comments about Tchaikovsky: The Ballets / André Previn.

1. 
   This is fine as a bargain, but there's a lot more that can be done with these works. In all his Tchaikovsky ballet performances Previn sounds correct and sensible, but in that virtue he misses a lot more. There isn't a grian of passion or fire in this performance and not much buoyancy or fun, either. I guess you could call tis a very English approach to the music, and UK critics seem to like Previn a great deal in Tchaikovsky. I think you need to go Russian, or Ansermet, or Monteux, or Karajan for the suites.



2. This collection of the complete ballets is absolutely spectacular. The orchestration, the tempo, the conducting, and the overall quality of music are absolutely immaculate, and have provided me with many hours of delightful entertainment. I particularly love the performance of Swan Lake and the Nutcracker on here. With the Nutcraker, the music really does paint pictures in your heads, of fairies and dancers and sugar plums and flowers etc. etc., and the Pervin's rendition here really does help with that. Wonderul music.
   
   As another reviwer commented, chopping up music for the sake of marketing one less CD is an absolute disgrace. The 3 stars is not for the quality of music (which deserves 5 stars), but rather for a uncultured uncivilized marketers who have commited an absolute travesty by cutting off sections from Swan Lake for the sake of CD space. Regardless, this set is well worth listening to as what is actually on the CD makes it worth the price.



3. Tchaikovsky's three ballets may well be his finest works. Each of these ballets -- Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and Nutcracker -- is a masterpiece of melody, orchestration, and compelling atmosphere. Together they represent a body of music of such a level of genius as to be worthy to stand with such other great collections as Beethoven's symphonies and Chopin's piano music. The performances of these ballets conducted by Andre Previn are outstanding -- only Richard Bonynge can compete with Previn in this reperoire. If you like music from the height of the Romantic era -- or simply great music, regardless of era -- treat yourself to this outstanding set.



4. These are good performances of each of these great ballets. The performances could, however, be a bit more vibrant.

   What really ruins this box set is the packaging. EMI bureaucrats decided that rather than running Sleeping Beauty over to a third disc (disc five, by the way, which plays for forty minutes) that they would cut two movements from this great ballet. Presumably these bureaucrats would also cut Joyce's Ulysses in order to bring the book in at the primo manuscript page length in order to keep costs down. Personally, I prefer to hear what the composer wrote in full, rather than what some bureaucrat or some conductor thinks is preferable cost wise or aesthetically.

   Once again, boos and hisses to EMI who continually are doing such things (see my review of their Lehar, Merry Widow reissue).




5. If you are looking for the three ballets Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and Nutcraker in a single set, this is the best one out there. DO NOT repeat DO NOT buy Herbert Von Karajan's 60's recording with the Weiner Philharmonic under the cd label of Decca "Legends". That is the worst one. It has excerpts from the ballets rearranged for concert suites. This cd is far superior in that it has the entire ballets in 3 disks. Andre Previn is a marvelous conductor and the London Philharmonic is known the world over. The music of Tchaikovsky comes alive in a colorful and expressive fashion, although not as masterfully rendered as any of the ballets conducted under the baton of Antal Dorati. If you are looking for an individual recording of the Sleeping Beauty or the other ballets(full score in addition to divertissements and variations) get the recordings with Dorati conducting. But the music to these ballets are excellent. You wil love the Swan Lake's powerful main theme, the spell-casting music of the Sleeping Beauty (from the Introduction to the Apotheose) and the festive and lyric Nutcraker. This is the best ballets ever made and by the genius of the man known as Peter I. Tchaikovsky. Viva Tchaikovsky !

5 comments about Mahler: Symphony No. 3 In D Minor - Horenstein.

1. What more can be said in praise of a recording that has captivated Mahler devotees for nearly two generations? Along with Bernstein's NYPO recording, this counts as a Mahler Third for the ages. Mahler's Third is a nortoriously difficult piece to bring off: It is Mahler's longest symphony, and can seem an incoherent patchwork. The sprawling first movement, with its harrowing evocation of lifeless winter's hold on nature giving way to progressively more raucous incursions of destabilizing spring, demands a conductor who can encourage maximal flexibility while maintaining discipline. Not an easy task--but one which Horenstein manages to fulfill in excelsis--despite some fluffs from the LSO and an oddly balanced recording (recessed strings, aggressive brass and percussion). If Bernstein manages to convey a more haunting sense of atmosphere in the opening movement, and more rustic charm in the second and third movements, Horenstein surpasses him in the fourth movment's harrowing Nietzsche setting, and Norma Proctor's rendition of the text is both warmer and more nuanced than Martha Lipton's for Bernstein. Horenstein points up the irony more effectively than Bernstein in the faux-naive fifth movement, with its evocation of morning bells and penitential dialogue. Both conductors give searching renditions of the sublime concluding Adagio, though Horenstein--with a fractionally brisker tempo and a more disciplined manner overall-- keeps more in reserve for the climactic moments, whereas Bernstein tends to wear his heart on his sleeve from the first measure (but what a generous heart it is!).
   
   If Unicorn had given Horenstein better sonics, and if the LSO had been at the peak of its form, those considerations might have tipped the balance in favor of Horenstein over Bernstein (who draws fabulous playing from the NYPO on this occasion, and who gets one of Columbia's better recordings of the early-stereo era). As it is, I would call it a draw, while noting that Horenstein is, in the end, the more searching expositor of Mahlerian irony, and therefore also one who can respond fully to Mahler's shifting moods without falling into rhetorical excess (as Bernstein can sometimes do).
   
   If you have not yet discovered Jascha Horenstein's genius as a Mahler interpreter, here is your opportunity--expensive though it may be at import prices. Urgently recommended.



2. I have to respect L. Johan Modée's review because he compares the performance to the score and finds the performance lacking. However, I don't have the score (nor an Ormandy recording) to compare it to so I have to go with my gut feeling. I have always felt that this is an excellent--if not definitive--recording of the third. It just sounds right, even if it isn't played exactly the way Mahler indicated. If better recordings exist then I could change my loyalty after hearing one. But for now. This is it.



3. From the first bars of this enormous Symphony you can feel the authoritarian death 's call; this spiritless atmosphere must permeate the entire hall and connect you immediately with Thanatos; after this frightening introduction comes a dreamlike state to reinsert the initial theme with major chilling intensity.
   
   The Third Symphony, composed between 1893 and 1896 belongs to "Symphonic Cantatas genre"; an enriched canvas with orchestral colors and iridescent textures; the whole orchestral mass, a children chorus, contralto and feminine chorus. This is a true nature 's claim for dissolving as reality. According to own Mahler 's words: " My Symphony will be something the world has not listened yet." Indeed, the entire nature has its own voice and tells such deeper secrets anticipated perhaps in dreams.
   
   The perpetual and fascinating score is characterized for this changing character of the Symphonic language, the alternation of the Apollonian and Dionysian, nocturnal ardors and mysticisms those fabulous timbering inventions always noisy, childhood `s celestial condition and the sublimated innocence, expressed as love.
   
   It is useless to admit this is my favorite Mahler 's Symphony; a magic journey through the memory 's labyrinths that anticipated the nocturnal shadows in Schoenberg `s Verklaerte Nacht , loaded of that precognitive tragedy, repressed nostalgia for a world which will never be the same, the dreamy remembrances of those walks in the forest and pantheist charm permeated by a cosmic gaze.
   
   Horenstein underlines magnificently this aspect, and it deserves a special place at the moment to rank it among the most celebrated, expansive and heartfelt recordings ever made.
   
   A must-have in your personal collection.



4. This was a celebrated recording that went for high prices in the old days, and for the sake of Horenstein's conducting, listeners had to overlook a scrappy LSO and pinched sonics. I'm not sure it's worth it anymore. Horenstein was not a technical conductor, and we are used to hearing Mahelr done now by virtuoso orchestras in top form.
   
   In addiiton, I must report on the minority side that I don't find magic in this reading, despite my love of the Mahler Third. Horenstein is at his best in the grave "O Mensch, gib acht" movement and the long-limbed finale, although even there he displays an occasional lack of intensity. Basses and cellos are under-recorded throughout, which seriously mars the first movement. If you can adjust to an inward Mahler Third rather than a thrilling orchestral and emotional display, Horenstein is one of a kind. (Am I being paranoid, or is there a whiff of chauvinism in the way English critics lavishly praise this recording--the only one of the Mahelr Third made in Britain at the time--while voicing reservations about the indisputably great Bernstein performance from New York?)
   
   In fairness, the fact that Amazon reviewers overwhelmingly adore this recording, however mysterious I find it, echoes the general run of professional critics.



5. As virtually every other reviewer here says, this is one of the all-time great Mahler Thirds; at or near the top on almost everyone's list...but don't get taken to the cleaners by some "opportunist" charging like $85 for it on the marketplace! First of all, inexplicably it does turn up in used CD bins occasionally; but, most importantly, as of the time I'm writing this review, the reissue label Brilliant Classics, has issued it as part of a boxed set of Mahler Symphonies. Now, granted, none of the other performances in the box are likely to make your top 10 list--and it's a little bit difficult to understand why, having licensed it, Brilliant decided to market it that way--but at less than $70 on Amazon (and cheaper elsewhere) it's a helluva lot better than paying $85 for a "mint used" copy!

2 comments about Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 31.

1. Well, not bad, but Ive heard Liszt performed with much more flare on the whole.



2. Arthur Rubinstein was surprisingly ambivalent toward the music of Liszt. This CD, Volume 31 of RCA's reissue of the pianist's complete recordings, contains virtually his entire repertoire of Liszt's music, except the Sonata in b minor. Rubinstein chose his Liszt carefully, constrasting virtuoso works alongside more intimate pieces.

   The Hungarian Rhapsody No. 10 was a Rubinstein specialty. Apparently, he recorded the work as far back as 1910. That recording, on the Polish Favorit label, has unfortunately been lost. Rubinstein performs the glissandi passages with rare control, carefully balancing them with the left hand passages and building an effective link to the coda. Throughout this piece, and the other virtuoso works, Rubinstein has all the brilliance of certain Liszt "specialists" without the vulgarity one often hears.

   Liszt's more contemplative works are also served well here. This is particularly true in the Consolation No. 3, which is vastly improved over the pianist's 1937 recording.

   RCA was forever trying to persuade Rubinstein to record the concerto of Anton Rubinstein (no relation). The pianist was savvy enough to recognize the obvious marketing ploy, "Rubinstein plays Rubinstein." In the end, he confined himself to a few short works, which were issued on 7-inch 45RPM records.

   With the exception of the Valse-oubliee, Rubinstein never recorded any of these works in stereo. That is a pity, as there are those who will not purchase mono recordings, no matter how well remastered. The loss is theirs. These natural sounding gems were recorded in 1950, 1953 and 1955.

4 comments about The EMI Record of Singing, Vol. 3 1926-1939.

1. All 4 of the customer reviews, of Vol. 3, are very right. The REAL "trick", though, is to try to find the other Volumes of the EMI, total reissue. Sometimes some of the other Volumes are available from classical sellers/auctioneers, such as Lawrence Jones/Polyphony, and others. In any case, this is one of the penultimate collections of the great EMI archives, and unmatchable .. anywhere else.



2. This series, produced by EMI in the days of LPs, is one of the great achievements of the gramophone - they rightfully belong up there with the Decca Ring, the EMI Callas series, and any other candidates you care to name. Together they provide a truly comprehensive survey of singing right through the age of recording up to the early days of the LP. Sadly, to the best of my knowledge, only Volumes 3 & 4 have appeared on CD - the very earliest era of recording and the period up to the introduction of electrical recording methods that were originally on Volumes 1 and 2 really deserve to be heard again.
   
   Volume 3, the collection under discussion here, covers the period from 1926-1939. This was a veritable Golden Age of Singing - in Wagner it was the era of Leider, Schorr and Melchior; the Italian School included the likes of Gigli, Muzio and Pinza and so it goes on through a broad representative range of French, English and Slavic singers. One of the great strengths of this series is that the best-known singers tend to be represented by less familiar repertoire, so it's more unlikely that collectors will duplicate material they already know well. And, of course, there is a huge range of other singers you probably won't have heard and some you may well not even have heard of. They all have something to tell us, though, about the times in which they worked, the styles of singing that were current then and the high standards that prevailed in the inter-war years. In some ways, the most surprising thing here is the strength in depth of the less familiar Schools, the French and the Anglo-American. It is good to be reminded just how good the likes of Georges Thill, Eide Norena or Pierre Bernac were - or from the UK, Isobel Baillie, Walter Widdop and Heddle Nash. Then there are the discoveries like the delightfully named Lulu Mysz-Gmeiner in a Brahms folksong or the black American, Roland Hayes, who sings Monteverdi with piano accompaniment totally unauthentically by today's standards, but with an attractive reedy tenor voice that reminds me a lot of the underrated Wilfred Brown.
   
   This set, now available from Testament, is a real treasure-trove. The transfers are all well-researched and of the highest quality. Anyone with an interest in how the art of singing has evolved over the last hundred years or so, or who just has a passion for glorious singing, should snap up this set of CDs - especially this volume as it displays a Golden Age of Singing.



3. An installment in the ultimate collection of opera and concert singer recordings. If you really want to know how the great singers of the first half of the 20th century -- virtually all of them who recorded -- sang, this is the set. By 1926 (the beginning date here) the electrical (as opposed to acoustic) recording system was in general use. Unlike the recording horn, the microphone was able to capture a pretty faithful impression of the singers sound and style, including dynamic nuances and tone shadings. Many of these singers were near the end of a long career, and had studied with the great bel canto teachers. There's a huge variety of music here, and huge variety of singing styles. Makes you realize how similar everyone sounds today -- the cult of tyrannical conductors and the mass media marketing has caused today's singers to sing everything the same way: almost all the sopranos today sing "Un Bel Di" or an art song the same way, for example.

   So fork out your money and buy this set while you can. Soon the mass media will have stamped out the few remaining classical music radio starions and the only way you'll be able to hear good music is by listening to your own collection.




4. Well, it does seem a lot of money for one CD! In fact, although Amazon's resident typo gremlin counts it as one CD, it's really a box set of 10 CDs and as soon as I can, I'll be buying it! I have had the LP box set of this survey of world singing for many years and it, plus Volume 4 (which is on the EMI label on 7 cds) gives a fantastic summary of the greatest singers of the first half of the 20th Century. They are divided by singing category -- from soprano through to bass -- and Testament, which has done a great job in bringing from darkness some of the gems of the EMI back-catalogue, have brought us here one of the greatest singing compilations ever assembled. It's an aural history of immeasurable value -- 10 discs of this quality is a bargain! Anthony Clarke Sydney Australia

5 comments about Beethoven: Complete String Quartets.

1. Well, I really do not understand those who acclaim this recording with 5 stars. I sincerely urge you to go back to Busch or Budapest or the Lindsays or the Vegh or the Takacs.
   Concerning the late string quartets which should be core of this recording, I will give this recording 2 stars. 1 more star is for their Op.18 quartets.
   They can surely play this music, yes, but I highly doubt that they "know" and feel deeply at heart this music.
   A safe and boring and idle interpretation of the music. I want more intensity, more depth, more spiritied approach to this kind of music, but the Quartetto Italiano fails in every aspect that I can appreciate.
   Listen to the slow movement of the late quartets. Well, slow, but not touching. Especially that variation movent in Op.131. Very dull performance. And listen to the fast movements. Again, no concrete music making here.
   
   These people shine in their Haydn or maybe Debussy or Ravel, certainly not in Beethoven. Overall, they are just average performances, for the late quartets, a huge dissapointment.



2. I can't add much to the praise stated over and over here----but I must say the warmth and deep feeling brought out by this quartet makes this set consistantly rewarding.
   
   The "Quartetto Serioso" still blows me away every time I hear it. And the bright pluckiness (pun intended) of the first movement of the 'Harp" quartet always lifts my spirits. I only mention these 2 because these solitary quartets are somewhat overlooked and undervalued, it seems.
   
   The Lindsays (some others too) tend to be more speedy and energetic----but this isnt always what is desired. I prefer the Lindsays in Op. 130's Presto, which is really quick, light and whimsical---and just has more sparkle than the Italians. But I have a feeling a boxed set of all 16 quartets with the Lindsays (and I hope they do this some day!) would have more shortcomings than this set.
   
   In the Razumovsky no.3, I would recommend the Budapest quartet's 1960 recording over the Italians, mainly because of their performance of the strange 2nd movement. The Budapest quartet often sounds cold and detached-----and this is a cold, weird movement-----so they are perfect, in this case!
   
   I must also commend the fine design of this boxed set. I like the neat little envelopes containing the cd's, rather than the typical plastic box with loose cd's flopping around and falling out when you open it, hinges that come undone, etc., etc.!!



3. These were the first recordings of these works that I encountered as a young listener. I purchased the set on LP's and more or less steered clear of these works for a number of years until I heard other performances. Quartetto Italiano's boring performances of these dynamic masterpieces are among the worst on the market. In fact, the only set I can recall that would fall into this dismal class would be that by the Orford Quartet on the Delos label. I don't own the set on CD, but I have gone back to my old LP's on occasion only to find that my original impression of these performances was absolutely correct. If you're an insomniac, don't hesitate to grab either set.



4. Such complete works as this - spanning the composer's lifetime - make for an excellent study in the composer's musical evolution. Although termed "early" works, Beethoven's first Op. 18 Quartets were composed when he was around thirty, having dozens of brilliant compositions behind him. These first quartets show both the 'restrained' classical forms and mannerisms of Haydn but with notable evolutions like the introduction of deeply emotional and tragic writing (the slow movement of the No. 1 for example).
   
   The "middle period" quartets (op. 59, 74, 95) shows Beethoven at his most "Heroic" style composing broad, sweeping, and increasing complex part writing - so much that the fickle Viennese audiences used to Haydn's and Mozart's classical style were not quite sure what to think of them.
   
   Even more abstract to audiences (outside Beethoven's quartet friends) were the late works (Op. 127, 130-135) which progress to totally new ideas, sounds and organization. These included unusual, frequent and unexpected shifts in dynamics, tempo and key modulations. But most historic was an intangible emotive quality Beethoven introduced to music which might be termed "spirituality." What is most amazing is that these musical revolutions all were developed when in Bethoven's final years lived in a state of sadness, illness, deafness and isolation. Yet, having a lifetime of notes and music in his head, his composing skills were not limited at all by this deafness but perhaps even more focused. With their highly evolutionary form and spiritual nature, the late quartets are in a category of their own and have provoked many an analysis as to their meaning and connection to Beethoven's final years.
   
   The Quartetto Italiano show why they were a legendary quartet in the 60's and 70's with a remarkable performance of great depth here. Complementing them is a vibrant Philips recording in spite of its 60's heritage. The sound is very good but just a little shy of depth and richness as compared to the modern DDD recordings like the new Takacs recordings (but absolutely nothing to deter purchase). Their playing is masterful, dramatic and probing - all while maintaining their characteristic smooth and emotive style that has endeared them for generations. However, in some movements it seems the Italians don't quite find the right flow and essence and sound stagnated compared to others (the e-minor Op. 59 for one).
   
   Other notable quartets for these works include the Takacs, Emerson, Busch, Vegh, Talich, Alban Berg and Lindsay Quartets. All the above are rated 3/3 stars by Penguin Guide, so competion is fierce and it really comes down to what stylistic nuances most appeal to you (Best to pick a set and focus on the intricacies of the music vs. comparing quartet A to B too much). Other reviews below give some insights into the comparitive performance as each brings something different and insightful to the music. My first choices would be the Takacs or Alban Berg.
   
   But, as far as value and quality of performance, this neatly-packaged Philips complete set of 10 CD's is a good historic choice - although the superb Alban Berg set on EMI is a great value too. The Takacs and Lindsay sets are the most expensive. Compositions - 5 stars, Performance - 4 stars, Sound - 4 stars.



5. Whilst I enjoyed the Lindsays Op.127 more thsn the rendition in this set, one doesn't make the whole and there is such consistency here. Each peace is given the attention it deserves and in some cases more - not every piece written by a master is a masterpiece.
   
   Overall and specifically, a fantastic set, a credit to the group and whilst the perfect place to start with these sometimes seemingly impossibly sublime works, I would have no objection to finishing with them as well.

5 comments about Jacqueline du Pré - The Concerto Collection.

1. 
   This year, Jacqueline du Prè should be it her 62, but as you know the cruel fate was a undesirable barrier that took over the world one of the maxim exponents of this instrument.
   
   Jacqueline was born blessed by the touch of genius. Her vibrant performances, inner fire, unequaled vitality, first-class musicality and overwhelming sonority, made of her the undeniable Goddess of the cello in the second half of the past Century.
   
   Who has been (Casals is the only exception)capable to play Elgar's Cello Concerto with major inspiration than her?
   
   On the other hand , I don't know about other version that matches with her in Saint Saens Cello Concerto. Her Haydn performance is exquisite hovered by an atmosphere, so typical of the musical genius. And the Dvorak Cello Concerto may be cited together with Casals-Szell and Piatigorski-Munch.
   
   The huge loss her death meant for the musical world, in spite of the fact twenty years have elapsed since that sad departure have left a place absolutely to be replaced.
   
   Her throne still remains empty.



2. Of the six or seven cd albums that I have by Jacqueline du Pre, this album contains the meat and potatoes of du Pre's repertoire. Happily, she doesn't disappoint at a time when she was still physically healthy and developing musically. The Boccherini Concerto arranged by Grutzmacher, I believe she owns. The Monn Concerto is excellent and the Delius is a romantic dream. Don't miss this one, if you want hear the breadth of her short-lived talent.



3. Like other reviewers, I just want to say that this set lacks the famous Elgar recording by Jackie Du Pre. The Elgar performance on this CD is dull in comparison to her more famous performance. So, you will have to buy a separate CD for the Elgar. Other than that, this is a great set to have. I love the two Haydns especially.



4. This is a comprehensive collection of Cello performances by a thrilling artist. Unfortunately, despite reviewer MacFarlane's assurances to the contrary, the producer of this CD has failed to include Jacqueline du Pre's *famous* and greatest performance of the Elgar Cello, and this is the reason for witholding a star. Ms.du Pre's famous performance of Elgar's Cello Concerto, Opus 85, was performed live in Philadelphia on November 27-28, 1970, with conductor-husband Daniel Barenboim, not Conductor Barbiroli. This Amazon review, comparing the two performances will indicate why this CD loses points for not featuring the Barenboim performance: <> The performance with Barenboim was formerly available on Sony. Today the Amazon search engine only turned it up one time in six search attempts using the SAME words! Elusive, but an essential recording nonetheless! Because confusion persists between the Elgar performances and conductors, it is necessary to persist in citing that it is Jacqueline Du Pre's performance with BARENBOIM which is so revered. Besides, the Sony disc which has the favored performance with conductor Barenboim, is also known for Barenboim's brilliant interpretation of the Elgar Enigma Variations. Daniel Barenboim's talent is becoming more and more visible and worthy of following closely. He's doing great things outside of music as well, so put his name in the Google search engine and find out!



5. If there is one word for describing Jacqueline du Pre, it is MUSIC. She was the embodiment of music itself, because she gave all to the music she played. Some do not like her playing because it is too emotional. I echo the other reviewer's sentiments in that music is there to be played. Played with emotion. Music is about transmitting emotion to the listener, and du Pre was one of the best examples of how that could (and should) be done. Here, EMI has remastered and reissued most (I say most, because one concerto - the Lalo- has been omitted in this otherwise full compilation of du Pre's concerto recordings) of du Pre's concerto recordings. The Haydn concerto in C, is undoubtedly one of the most touching accounts, with its romantic sentiments. The same can be said of the Haydn in D and the Monn concerti, with the broad tempi, quite relaxed, and very opposite of Period performances Completely incorrect stylistically, but the performances are so moving and involved that all the fuss about stylistic correctness is throuwn out the window. I dare say that one is not going to get a more impassioned account of the Haydn C major concerto. It is among my absolute favourites. The Boccherini concerto is another matter. The version du Pre plays is not the original, but a mixture of the original, with bits borrowed from other Boccherini cello concertos, combined with Romantic styling by Grutzmacher (the 'editor' of the concerto). I don't like it as much as the Haydn concertos, but still it receives a bravura performance by du Pre with the English Chamber Orchestra under Barenboim. The Schumann and Saint-Saens concerti are unsurpassed for their passion and imaginativeness. The Schumann is tragic, but ends triumphantly, in a way that only du Pre could make it sound like that. The Saint-Saens is a less musically significant piece, but in du Pre's hands, it sounds like an important work. Dvorak's cello concerto is one of the greatest pieces in the cello repertoire, with its grand writing and poignancy. While du Pre's Dvorak concerto is not the best version one can buy, for the recording quality is notoriously horrible, with the orchestra sounding so distant from the cellist (who is placed far too forward) it is certainly one of the most outspoken and yes, impassioned accounts, interpretation-wise. Emotionally, it outdoes the justly famous Rotropovich/Karajan version. But the other Dvorak piece in this collection, the Silent Woods, is so touching that one is bound to cry at some stage of the 6-minute piece. The Delius concerto is a very rhapsodic, but a very engmatic one. Technically it is very demanding, because for once the technical difficulties are really due to the musical difficulties. It is hard to make sense of the work unless you are absolutely sure of its musical structure. But du Pre makes this sound easy, fully capturing the rhapsodic nature of the work, and sings beautifully. It was du Pre's first concerto recording, under one of the most arrogantly aristocratic conductors (arrogant to soloists, I mean, as he didn't regard them highly. But for du Pre, he was more than generous), Malcolm Sargent. The Elgar had to be included, didn't it? I mean, it is one of the great classics of the century. So there is nothing more to say about the Elgar. The Strauss tone-poem Don Quixote is a strange work, because it has a solo cello part (with a solo vioin and viola, who are usually members of the orchestra), a solo part that can be a soloist or the principal cellist from the orchestra cello section. It is strange, because the cello part is the most significant solo part, yet 80 per cent of the time it is outplayed by the orchestra, because the 'solo' cello plays the part of the orchestral cello section. But as to this performance, it was a run-through for a concert. Klemperer was supposed to be the conductor but he pulled out at the last minute and Boult was engaged. This historical recording does not sound like a run-through, although it si a bit messy at times ensemble-wise. But du Pre plays with absolute commitment. Her playing of the Finale must be one of the most poignant ever. The conductor's 'bravo' and the unanimous applause of the orchestra adds to the magic. I apologise for the long review, but if you have read this far, then I will say if you like du Pre and the cello, then this set is essential, and at mid price for CDs that would otherwise be full price and in single CDs, it is a bargain.

5 comments about Delibes: The 3 Ballets.

1. I bought this set because of the very favorable review in Penguin, and have not been disappointed.
   Vic



2. Tchaikovsky's music often seems to dominate the world of ballet. But it's worth remembering that Tchaikovsky himself admired Delibes, whose work elevated music for the ballet to new heights.
   Coppelia is the best known and most often performed of the Delibes ballets. It's easy to see why: the mazurka is lively, the czardas stirring. The music for the mechanical dolls has a wonderful music-box quality, and the melodic waltz of the hours is every bit as memorable as Tchaikovsky's waltz of the flowers.
   Sylvia is seldom performed in its entirety, but the pizzicatti is instantly recognizable. Balanchine added the Sylvia pas de deux to his production of Coppelia, an interpolation that is often copied. (An oddity of ballet history: Coppelia was performed en travesti, with women taking the men's parts - hence Coppelia has no pas de deux of its own.)
   La Source was originally created as a kind of musical contest, with half written by Delibes and half by Minkus. This album includes the full score, so you can judge for yourself why Delibes stayed in Paris and Minkus went to Russia.
   My only criticism is the awkward way the three ballets are divided among four CDs. But conductor Bonynge has a definite flair for 19th century music. He has done us all a favor by putting full-length versions of all three Delibes ballets in this boxed set.



3. Los ballets de Delibes marcan un punto de ruptura en la tradición de la música para ballet, ya que se puede decir que hasta este momento, la música que acompañaba a los bailarines prácticamente no tenía la menor importancia, solo era un fondo adecuado para que las estrellas de la danza hicieran sus evoluciones en el escenario. Delibes cambió esto al crear música realmente grandiosa, la cual puede escucharse perfectamente de forma independiente. Fue tal el impacto que tuvo Delibes sobre sus predecesores, que el mismo Tchaikovsky reconoció la enorme influencia que ejerció sobre sus obras maestras, los ballets "el lago de los cisnes", "la bella durmiente" y "el cascanueces". Los tres ballets de Delibes ("La source", "Coppelia" y "Sylvia") en la actualidad siguen representándose con cierta frecuencia en los escenarios (sobre todo los dos últimos), y junto con el "Gisselle" de Adam y los tres mencionados de Tchaikovsky, forman la base sobre la que se construyó prácticamente todo el ballet moderno; así que si Ud. es aficionado a este tipo de representaciones, estos discos deben estar en su colección. La interpretación de Bonynge a estos ballets de Delibes lo identifican fácilmente como uno de los mejores directores "de foso", llamados así debido a sus estupendas conducciones a música de escenario, como óperas y ballets. Si le interesa este disco, le recomiendo muchísimo también la colección con los 3 ballets completos de Tchaikovsky, también con Bonynge, verá que no se arrepentirá y que los escuchará con placer una y otra vez.



4. Leo Delibes had a special talent for writing captivating ballet music. Tchaikovsky, the greatest ballet composer of all, was an ardent admirer of Delibes' ballets. While Coppelia is Delibes' masterpiece, both Sylvia and La Source are worthy compositions. You will never hear these works performed better than in these recordings by Richard Bonynge -- THE oustanding conductor of 19th century stage and programmatic music. This set is both a bargain and a treat.



5. Not only are the ballets under-rated and obscured, Leo Delibes (1836-1891) continued to be forgotten figure in French Romantic music. Whereas Piotr Illyich Tchaikovsky of Russia, his near contemporary, was the instrumental force in the development of ballets after the mid 19th century, so was Delibes. His ballets, especially Sylvia (to which Tchaikovsky greatly admired) continued to be popular until the 1920s, when productions of these works decreased noticeably.

   Recordings therefore play an important role of allowing us to explore and appreciate the "hidden treasures." What is even more wonderful is that rival complete recordings of these works are now available (except La Source, which is still under one recording). The three ballet compilation was taken from previously recorded works under Bonynge on separate 2-disc sets (Bonynge recorded Sylvia twice, one with the National Philharmonc and the other with the Swiss Romande Orchestra, both equally well played, with polish, passion, and affection).

   Richard Bonynge, always a pioneer in recording neglected works of composers (like Offenbach, Lehar, Strauss, Adam, and so forth), brough out the passion and discipline from his orchestras in this entire 4-compact disc set. The National Philharmonic (with Coppelia), the New Philharmonia (with Sylvia), and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House (with La Source) provided us with sparkling, affectionate performances. The compilation is well done with the recording sound very realistic and natural (and sparkling as well).

   The other complete recordings of the ballets, such as those featuring Dorati/Fistoulari in the Mercury Living Presence Recordings (3 CD set) or Zinman under Philips (in Coppelia) or Mogrelia under Naxos (in Sylvia) are also well done. However, Boynynge has the upper hand in the emotionism and excitement he and his orchestras were able to bring out, although Dorati/ Fistoulari were not far behind. Furthermore, the London Decca compilation of the ballets offers us the best overall sound surrounding the performances of the ballets. The London Decca recordings are most effective in bringing out the vividness Delibes' ballets require. the recordings are just simply fresh and natural. Extremely well done.

   Highly recommendable and an obvious first-choice! (although the Dorati/Fistoulari recordings are close runner ups while the others are not too far behind).

   Well, think hard.

5 comments about Bach: Sacred Cantatas.

1. The big CD collection of Harnoncourt is really to recommend to everybody who is interested in.
   It is a wonderful collection, with alle the works of Bach.The whole Box is amazing and every song is fantastic.
   It also looks very good wehn you put it into the shelf.
   The price is really justified in accord to the number of CD and the quality you get.



2. If you like your Bach with a heavy Bernstein beat, operatic sopranos, and a huge concert hall sound, or in contrast if you would like to hear Bach as his parishoners did, then these recordings are probably not for you. If you want excellent recordings of the Bach Cantatas using period instruments and boys' voices, to include the occasional flaw, then this discounted, but still pricy set is for you. Here, for the first time, anyone can explore and study the marvels of Bach's Jahrgaenge close to the way it was meant to be heard.
   
   When one considers that Bach had to produce a new cantata each week, and that the performers were local musicians, then one should not expect a perfect performance. When one recalls that the Cantata merely served to reinforce the message of the week according to the church calendar, one should not expect consistently brilliant music. To this, add the fact that the parishioners would have much preferred someone not so old fashioned as Bach to produce their church music. Set up so perfectly for failure, Bach produced some of the most perfect music ever written. Here, bad Bach does not exist.
   
   The use of boys' voices is brilliant. A boy soprano simply does not sound like a woman. A good boy soprano's voice is clear and pure, without the extreme tremolo found in "trained women sopranos." The result is Bach at its purest.
   
   In the mid to late 1950's, preforming Bach on original instruments became an interesting experiment. One group attempting this was the Bach Aria Group, directed by Frank Brief, who performed at the Town Hall in New York City. Over a two year span, Mr. Brief decided that it might be interesting to use a boy's choir instead of a women's choir once each year. He chose the Columbus Boychoir (now called the American Boychoir) of which I was a member for those two occasions. From the critical reviews, the results were very well accepted. Mr. Brief, however, did not go the full way. Instead of using boy soprano soloists, he called on women sopranos such as Beverly Sills. While they gave outstanding performances, it was not "original Bach." But when we asked why didn't he use a boy soprano, Mr. Brief responded that boys' voices could not be sufficiently trained to do Bach justice.
   
   These recordings belie this judgement. Bach did know what he was doing! Highly recommended.



3. Had this set not been made, then the history of performance practice in the last quarter of the 20th century and beyond would have proceeded very differently. Had this set not been made we would not have many of the current leading figures in the field of early music performance, nearly all of whom were in some way connected with the performance revolution which found its most profound expression in these recordings. For it was during the 14 or so years of this recording project (between 1971 and 1985) that three of the greatest musicians of our time, Gustav Leonhardt, Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Frans Bruggen forever altered the public's perception of the surviving remnants of Bach's fabled, but rarely heard, "Jahrgaenge", or yearly cycles of church cantatas. For this reason alone, this recording is of profound importance.

   Leonhardt, with his consort in Amsterdam, and Harnoncourt, with his Concentus Musicus of Vienna shared the task of recording, with an unmatched team of vocal and instrumental soloists, Bach's roughly 200 surviving "concerti sacri", perhaps a further hundred being lost to us. It was a repertoire more honoured in the history books than experienced in performance. This enterprise changed that state of affairs for ever.

   The arguments which are now sometimes made (chiefly by those who are unaware of the extraordinary and revolutionary step which these performances represented), decrying the slightly "raw" (I prefer "vocal") sound of original instruments, or the occasional shakiness of a boy soprano soloist, miss the point of this enterprise, which was to present the music in a new way using Bach's own contemporary resources. Leonhardt and Harnoncourt are the first to insist that using "historical instruments" makes sense because those are simply the best tools for the job. Re-constituting something old has never been their aim. Rather, their idea was to break free of the mindless tradition of performance which took no account of the sounds that Bach actually had in his head when he created his "well-regulated" music for the churches of Saxony. And how does this work in practice? We are left to marvel at an extraordinary level of accomplishment on the part of nearly everyone associated with this project, vocally and instrumentally.

   Gustav Leonhardt was well aware (and hopeful) that subsequent generations would likely improve upon aspects of performance which still remained to be sorted out. But, as he said, it was a start. Indeed, when he and Harnoncourt were jointly awarded the Erasmus prize in the Netherlands in 1980, he remarked, with singular modesty and self-awareness: "It was not done well, but it is remarkable that it was done at all". This tells us more about Leonhardt's famous humility, than it does about the standards of these performances, which are usually (with few exceptions) very high indeed. In many instances they will never be surpassed. What we have here is a glimpse of one of music's "golden" ages captured forever on disc. What the listener will marvel at is the extraordinary assuredness of technique and style which is evident in every one of these cantata performances.

   The solo vocal contributions of Kurt Equiluz, Max van Egmond, Paul Esswood, Marjanne Kweksilber (BWV 51) are simply without equal, and the current generation of fine Bach singers would be the first to concede their enormous debt to the participants in this great enterprise (their teachers, in many cases). The choirs should also be singled out for attention: Wiener Sangerknaben, Tolzer Knabenchor, Hannover Knabenchor, Choir of Kings College, Cambridge as well as directors Heinz Hennig, Gerhard Schmidt-Gaden, Philippe Herreweghe, David Willcocks and Hans Gillesberger. So Europe's finest were all involved in this.

   The instrumental soloists: Frans Bruggen, Walter van Hauwe, Kees Boeke, Anner Bylsma, Jurg Schaftlein, Lucy van Dael, Sigiswald, Wieland and Bart Kuijken, Ton Koopman, Bob van Asperen, Lidewij Schiefes, Alice Harnoncourt, Herbert and Herwig Tachezi, Erich Hobarth, Friedemann Immer - to list only the more familiar names - have created a whole world of intelligent and vital performance which has transformed musical thought in our time. No-one in any area of musical performance has remained untouched by the ideas which are so forcefully presented here (even those who'd be the last to admit it). The fundamental idea of treating each period's music as a vital and representative product of its time is one which now extends to music of all periods, signaling the fulfilment of one of Leonhardt's and Harnoncourt's chief aims: to eliminate the artificial distinction between mainstream and "early" music, and, instead, to treat all music with proper respect for its origins and context.

   What this recording continues to offer the listener is the experience of hearing the music for the first time, which the technical polish of subsequent surveys cannot quite match. For the young person wishing to learn about music, there is no better starting point than investing in this set, now available at a fraction of its original cost (unfortunately, minus the scores, which were one of the hallmarks of this series in its first incarnation on LP.

   It seems pointless to list highlights, but one might start with the following: BWV 1, 6, 8, 11, 13, 19, 23, 29 and so on. The list is endless. Better still, buy the set and begin a life-time's voyage of discovery instead. Bach, Leonhardt and Harnoncourt: you can't do better than that. Oh, and we should also acknowledge the contribution of the founder recording producer for this project, Wolf Erichson (even though he didn't stay with Teldec to the end of it). Without him, the revolution in informed and intelligent music performance on recordings would never have happened.




4. This complete set of Bach sacred cantatas is not only a bargain price, but it contains some of the most profound interpretations these pieces ever had. Recorded during the 1970s on period instruments, with some of most prodiguous singers (Equiluz, Esswood) and an outstanding orchestral support, this is the best integral collection of cantatas there is. In order to restore the forgotten sence of baroque music, instrumentation is reduced to a minimum, the continuo is supported with antique instruments such as the basoon, tenors have been thoughtfully selected as NON-operatic. Another reconstructionist aspect was the use of boy choirs, which in later recordings Harnoncourt gave up. Boy choirs are not only authentical, but have the advantage of pitch purity. While in some arias (such as the extraordinary duet "lobe den herren" - BWV 137) this seems an excellent choice, in most it fails in more or less apparent manner.

   While Herreweghe's or Gardiner's new interpretations are CERTAINLY better in both orchestral and vocal support, they all are greatly in debt of Harnoncourt/Leonhard, for it's always simple to improve something ALREADY existing instead of breaking new grounds (as this stellar 1970's recording did). Not to be forgotten is the fact newer version bring a sence of lightness which pleases anyone's ears, but it's manytimes inappropriate for the content of the music.




5. This set of almost 200 cantatas is, without a doubt, a milestone in recording history, and that alone makes it valuable. There are now at least two other competing sets on the market (Helmuth Rilling's complete set--on modern instruments, alas!--and Ton Koopman's period performance set still in the works), but this one, warts and all, still captivates and draws the listener into the world of Bach's cantatas like no other.

   I would argue that no one can really claim to know Bach without knowing both his organ works and his cantatas. After all, this is the music that occupied him for most of his professional life. Most of these cantatas were written as part of his duties at Leipzig, and while in the hands of any lesser composer that might have meant uninspired music cranked out week by week out of necessity, Bach rarely, if ever, had an off day. Each cantata is a little world unto itself, a place you can retreat to for 20 minutes and either reflect on their spiritual message (which, be warned, is sometimes grim indeed), or just lose yourself in the beauty and grace of the melodic lines.

   Harnoncourt and Leonhardt choose to keep these performances intimate; this is not the Bach of the concert hall; these are direct, personal expressions that work well in the private space of one's living room. Some of the playing sounds a bit shaky by today's standards--apparently some of the soloists were still discovering how to play period instruments that had not been heard in centuries--and the boy soloists seem to strain at their parts sometimes, especially in the earlier recordings, but that only adds to the charm: I much prefer the uncertain readings to letter-perfect performances offered by others. The performances actually draw the listener's attention away from the playing itself, forcing attention on the music and the text, which is entirely consistent with the nature of these pieces.

   For those who don't want to spend the 500+ dollars all at once, Teldec also offers these in six-CD sets at a great budget price. They're worth every penny. My only disappointment is that the CD package doesn't include the scores, as the old Telefunken vinyl sets did. But that's perfectly understandable. This set reminds us why Harnoncourt and Leonhardt were once at the forefront of the period-instrument movement. Let's hope that Teldec keeps these recordings in print for a long, long time.