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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | The Romance Of The Piano
Bach, J S: | Prelude & Fugue Book 2 No. 19 in A major, BWV888 Prelude & Fugue Book 2 No. 9 in E major, BWV878 | Brahms: | Intermezzo in A major, Op. 118 No. 2 | Chopin: | Prelude Op. 28 No. 15 in D flat major ‘Raindrop' Prelude Op. 28 No. 4 in E minor Prelude Op. 28 No. 6 in B minor | Debussy: | Préludes - Book 2: No. 5, Bruyères Préludes - Book 1: No. 8, La fille aux cheveux de lin | Mendelssohn: | Song without Words, Op. 19b No. 6 in A minor 'Venetianisches Gondellied' Song without Words, Op. 19b No. 1 in E major 'Sweet Remembrance' | Satie: | Trois Gymnopédies | Schubert: | Moments Musicaux, D780: No. 1 in C Moments Musicaux, D780: No. 6 in A flat |
Relaxing piano music by Brahms, Debussy, Chopin, Schubert, and more recorded on a very fine period instrument by Broadwood. | | | (also available to download from $10.50) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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| |  | ImpressionsGentle classical favourites to create a peaceful mood
Beethoven: | Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 ‘Moonlight': Adagio sostenuto Martin Souter (piano) | Chopin: | Nocturne No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 9 No. 2 Martin Souter (piano) Nocturne No. 15 in F minor, Op. 55 No. 1 Martin Souter (piano) Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21: II. Larghetto Bianca Sitzius (piano) Polish Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, Wojchiech Rajski | Debussy: | Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune Belgrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Igor Markévich Préludes - Book 1: No. 4, Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir Martin Souter (piano) | Grieg: | Peer Gynt: Morning Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, Libor Pesek Peer Gynt: Solveig's Song Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, Libor Pesek | Satie: | Gymnopédie No. 1 Martin Souter (piano) | Schumann: | Kinderszenen, Op. 15: Traümerei Martin Souter (piano) | Tchaikovsky: | Swan Lake, Op. 20 (excerpts) Belgrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Igor Markévich |
| | | (also available to download from $10.50) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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| |  | Great Ballet Classics
Berlioz: | La Damnation de Faust, Op. 24: Ballet des Sylphes Hungarian State Orchestra, Adam Fischer | Borodin: | Prince Igor: Polovtsian Dances Sofia National Opera Orchestra and Chorus, Boris Hinchev | Chopin: | Finale: Grand Valse Brilliante, Op. 18 from Les Sylphides Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Heinz Fricke | Delibes: | Sylvia: Les Chasseresses Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra, Janós Sandór Czardas (from Coppélia) Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Heinz Fricke | Gounod: | Faust - Ballet Music Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra,, Janós Sandór | Khachaturian: | Sabre Dance from Gayane Hungarian State Orchestra, Adam Fischer | Ponchielli: | Dance of the Hours (from La Gioconda) Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra, Andras Korodi | Tchaikovsky: | Swan Lake - Waltz from Suite Op. 20, No. 2 Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hans Vonk The Nutcracker: Waltz of the Flowers Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Peter Wohlert |
A celebration of dance and ballet in a memorable programme of musical highlights from the world of theatre, performed by some of the world's great orchestras. | | | (also available to download from $10.50) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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| |  | Piano Classics For Garden Lovers
Beethoven: | Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 ‘Moonlight': Adagio sostenuto | Brahms: | Intermezzo in A major, Op. 118 No. 2 | Chopin: | Prelude Op. 28 No. 15 in D flat major ‘Raindrop' Nocturne No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 9 No. 2 | Debussy: | Préludes - Book 1: No. 8, La fille aux cheveux de lin Arabesque No. 1 Préludes - Book 1: No. 4, Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir Préludes - Book 2: No. 7, La terrasse des audiences au clair de lune | Mendelssohn: | Song without Words, Op. 62 No. 6 in A major 'Spring Song' Song without Words, Op. 19b No. 1 in E major 'Sweet Remembrance' Song without Words, Op. 30 No. 6 in F sharp minor 'Venezianisches Gondellied No. 2' | Schumann: | Blumenstück, Op. 19 The Prophet Bird Op. 82 No. 7 Kinderszenen, Op. 15: Traümerei |
Romantic piano music chosen to evoke springtime. This relaxing programme of classics by composers such as Mendelssohn and Schumann includes such masterpieces as 'Spring Song', pastoral-style pieces and charming miniatures which describe spring and its flowers and birds in music. | | | (also available to download from $10.50) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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| |  | Phoenix Story
• A recital featuring some of Australia’s finest young musicians all in their early 20s, including the stunning twin cellists Pei-Jee Ng and Pei-Sian Ng who are beginning to make names for themselves internationally • Pianist David Tong’s second album for Melba following his spectacular debut CD (of Rachmaninov, Chopin and Liszt – MR301086) in 2005 • Beautiful Romantic repertoire – the Sonatas for cello and piano by Chopin and Rachmaninov – plus the world premiere recording of noted Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin’s Phoenix Story for two cellos • Recorded direct to disc using DSD (direct stream digital) technology – the same technology behind the SACD and one that ensures absolute maximum performance from a CD • Striking artwork from the renowned Ken Cato • Digipak with picture disc and 26-page colour booklet with essays and translations “All three artists show impressive technical accomplishment… As to the interpretations: all three players have the right instincts - projecting the intense lyricism of the Chopin and responding to the more dramatic contrasts of Rachmaninov's idiom.” Gramophone Magazine, January 2009 | | | Usually despatched in 4 - 5 working days. |
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| |  | Great Norwegian Performers 1945-2000, Volume 2
Chopin: | Impromptu No. 1 in A flat major, Op. 29 Nocturne No. 5 in F sharp major, Op. 15 No. 2 Mazurka No. 15 in C major, Op. 24 No. 2 | Grieg: | Ballade in G minor, Op. 24 Lyric Pieces Op. 43: No. 6 - To Spring | Kjerulf: | Spring Song, Op. 28, No. 5 | Rachmaninov: | Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Mariss Jansons | Scarlatti, D: | Keyboard Sonata K33 in D Major Keyboard Sonata K13 in G major | Sinding: | Frühlingsrauschen (Rustle of Spring), Op. 32 No 3 |
One of the most notable musicians in post-war Norway, Eva Knardahl was a vibrant and spirited figure in the musical life of the nation, performing, participating in public debate, and involving herself in various boards and committees. She was justly referred to as a breath of fresh air, both with regard to the richness of her musical expressivity, and to the manner in which she ardently defended her views. Eva Knardahl gave her official debut recital at the age of eleven and immediately came to the attention of the Norwegian public. At her debut concert she performed no less than three piano concertos, and it was soon clear that hers was a unique gift. Following studies with, amongst others, Mary Barratt Due, in 1947 at the age of 27 she moved to the USA. In 1952 she took up the post of pianist with the Minnesota Symphony Orchestra, and soon became recognised as the foremost artist on the instrument in that area of the United States. In 1965 she was encouraged to return to her native Norway by the conductor Karsten Andersen, and the next period of her life can be divided into two sections, the first being from 1965 to 1984 when she performed as a soloist, and the second from 1984 to1994 when she held the post of professor of chamber music at the Norwegian Academy of Music. Although her repertoire as a pianist included the concertos of Brahms, Beethoven and Mozart, as a result of her time in the States, the modern American piano tradition was very much in her veins, and she was a great champion of works like Leonard Bernstein’s 2nd Symphony, “The Age of Anxiety”. Her recordings of the complete works solo piano by Grieg for BIS in the 70’s are still considered to be amongst the best. | | | Usually despatched in 4 - 5 working days. |
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| |  | Ruhr Piano Festival Edition Vol. 17: Live recordings 2007
Beethoven: | Piano Sonata No. 4 in E flat major, Op. 7 Alexander Lonquich Variations (12) on a Russian Dance, WoO 71 Alexander Lonquich Piano Sonata No. 10 in G major, Op. 14 No. 2 Irina Zahharenkova Piano Sonata No. 25 in G major, Op. 79 Tamara Stefanovich Bagatelles (11), Op. 119: No. 3 in D major Tamara Stefanovich Bagatelles (11), Op. 119: No. 6 in G major Tamara Stefanovich Bagatelles (11), Op. 119: No. 7 in C major Tamara Stefanovich Bagatelles (11), Op. 119: No. 10 in A major Tamara Stefanovich Bagatelles (11), Op. 119: No. 11 in B flat major Tamara Stefanovich Bagatelles (6), Op. 126: No. 6 in E flat major Tamara Stefanovich | Casella: | Scarlattiana, Op. 44 arr. for two pianos by A Groethuysen Yaara Tal & Andreas Groethuysen | Chen Yi: | China West - Suite for two pianos Maki Namekawa & Dennis Russell Davies | Chopin: | Grande Polonaise Op. 22 Sun-Wook Kim | Haydn: | Piano Sonata No. 59 in E flat major, Hob.XVI:49 Tamara Stefanovich | Killmayer: | Lieder and ballads based on poems by Eduard Morike Roland Pontinen | Medtner: | Allegretto tranquillo from Sonata reminiscenza in A minor, Op. 38 No. 1 Olga Scheps | Müller-Wieland: | White detaches itself from black - 6 versions for piano Tamara Stefanovich | Rihm: | Goethe Songs : No. 1 An Zelter Christoph Pregardien & Siegfried Mauser Goethe Songs : No. 2 Gingo Biloba Christoph Pregardien & Siegfried Mauser Goethe Songs : No. 3 Hochste Gunst Christoph Pregardien & Siegfried Mauser Goethe Songs : No. 10 Heut und Ewig Christoph Pregardien & Siegfried Mauser | Saariaho: | Prélude Roland Pontinen Ballade Roland Pontinen | Schumann: | Fantasiestücke, Op. 111 Ben J Kim |
13 pianists from around the world are presented on this 3 CD set, recorded live at the Ruhr Piano Festival in 2007. The first CD presents music by Beethoven including the Sonata No.4 in E flat minor and the Sonata No.10 in G major. The second CD is entitled ‘Haydn to Medtner’ and features music by Haydn, Schumann, Chopin and Medtner. And finally, CD No. 3 presents a collection of contemporary piano pieces by Chen Yi, Jan Muller-Wieland and Wolfgang Rihm. As always with this series there are some delightful surprises. A very enjoyable series. | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Richter in Leipzig
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| |  | Artur Rubinstein plays Beethoven, Beethoven & ChopinRecording: Nijmegen, The Netherlands, 20 April 1963
This recital by Arthur Rubinstein (1887-1982) given in Nijmegen close to the Dutch border with Germany in 1963 can be considered an event of historical importance. Because of the pianist's refusal to play in Germany following the War, Rubinstein decided to give a concert as close to the border as feasible, which not surprisingly attracted a great deal of press attention at the time and because it was attended by many German music lovers who travelled from all over the Germany to see him. The recording made by the WDR in Cologne has never been available before either as a pirate or commercially. This is it's first ever release. The programme is a distillation from the full recital lasting over 90 minutes and has been overseen by the Rubinstein family. The titles are familiar to any Rubinstein collector but are given added vibrancy and presence by the excitement of the event caught live in excellent sound. This is far removed from the sometimes more careful Rubinstein of the recording studio. “This live recital has the added frisson of being played in Nijmegen, just a few miles from the German border, a country in which Rubinstein vowed never to play again after the horrors of the Nazi regime. Chris de Souza's excellent booklet reveals that Rubinstein was unusually nervous on the occasion, having decided to play to an audience which he knew might include former Nazis. So, although this is a mere snapshot of a 76-year-old legend, it is a vividly coloured one.
His Beethoven is direct and unmannered, a performance which truly inhabits the sonata's subtitle. Its famous presto coda is a real whiteknuckle ride that you feel might hurtle out of control any second (it doesn't). By contrast, the Brahms Intermezzo casts a warm glow over proceedings – magical, understated, inimitable. Carnaval, which follows, was another Rubinstein favourite and though his observation of some dynamics and repeats is cavalier, with playing of such charm and utter conviction it seems invidious to nit-pick. As was said of another pianist, why look for spots on the sun? The Chopin items are imbued with a lifetime's close friendship, and the comparative rarity (for Rubinstein) of Liszt's 12th Hungarian Rhapsody, an account that would turn many pianists half his age green with envy, is the cherry on top.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 “…although this is a mere snapshot of a 76-year-old legend… it is a vividly coloured one. His Beethoven is direct and unmannered… Brahms Intermezzo casts a warm glow over proceedings… The Chopin items are imbued with a lifetime's close friendship, and the comparative rarity (for Rubinstein) of Liszt's 12th Hungarian Rhapsody, an account that would turn many pianists half his age green with envy, is the cherry on top.” Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2008 “Right from the first bars of Beethoven's Appassionata, you know you are in the presence of a master in this historic recording, never before released. It dates from a 1963 recital in Nijmegen in Holland. The great pianist refused to step foot in Germany after the war but agreed to play a bus ride from the border, even though he knew former Nazis could be in the audience. Digital technology has brought the old WDR recording to life, transmitting every moment of nervous creativity in a fascinating testimony to a talent that endures beyond the grave.” The Observer, 27th July 2008 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Josef Hofmann - Acoustic recordings (1916-1923)
Chopin: | Waltz No. 2 in A flat major 'Grande Valse Brillante', Op. 34 No. 1 Recorded 13th February, 1918 Waltz No. 7 in C sharp minor, Op. 64 No. 2 Recorded 18th April, 1923 Nocturne No. 5 in F sharp major, Op. 15 No. 2 Recorded 19th April, 1923 Impromptu No. 4 in C sharp minor, Op. 66 'Fantaisie-Impromptu' Recorded 6th March, 1918 Berceuse in D flat major, Op. 57 Recorded 26th March, 1918 Polonaise No. 3 in A major, Op. 40 No. 1 'Military' Recorded 10th April, 1923 | Liszt: | Meine Freuden (Nocturne) Chants polonais (after Chopin Op. 74). Recorded 27th April, 1923 Polish Songs S480 No. 1 "Maiden's Wish" (after Chopin) Recorded 6th March, 1918 Waldesrauschen, S145 No. 1 Recorded 13th March, 1923 Tarantella, S. 162 No. 3 (from Venezia e Napoli) Recorded 2nd November, 1916 Hungarian Rhapsody, S244 No. 2 in C sharp minor Recorded in December, 1922 | Mendelssohn: | Song without Words, Op. 67 No. 4 in C major 'Spinning Song' or 'Bee's Wedding' Recorded 13th October, 1916 Rondo capriccioso in E major, Op. 14 Recorded 13th February, 1918 Song without Words, Op. 19b No. 3 in A major 'Hunting Song' Recorded 14th February, 1918 | Moszkowski: | La Jongleuse, Op. 52 No. 4 Recorded 14th February, 1918 Spanish Caprice Recorded 16th October, 1916 | Paderewski: | Minuet in G major, Op. 14 No. 1 Recorded 2nd November, 1916 | Rachmaninov: | Prelude Op. 23 No. 5 in G minor Recorded 20th April, 1923 Prelude Op. 3 No. 2 in C sharp minor Recorded 20th April, 1923 | Schubert: | Erlkönig, D328 arr. Liszt. Recorded 13th October, 1916 |
Josef Hofmann was one of the greatest pianists of any age. His unique abilities incorporated a technique second to none, and a clarity and pureness of tone that has probably never been heard since his death. Always in total command of everything he played, Hofmann presented each work with an impression of complete facility of execution. All works recorded in New York City “The recessed, wrong-end-of-a-telescope acoustic recordings are still truthful enough to display Hofmann's mesmerisingly fabulous virtuosity in Liszt's Waldesrauchen and Tarantella, and his full, rounded tone.” BBC Music Magazine, October 2008 ***** “Josef Hofmann is among music’s most jealously guarded legends. For his admirers (and they included Anton Rubinstein and Rachmaninov) he could do no wrong, and those fortunate enough to have heard him live during his heyday in America can reminisce by the hour, recalling unforgettable performances of a vast repertoire ranging from Beethoven’s Op. 111 Sonata to the major works of the great romantics.” Gramophone Magazine | | | (also available to download from $9.00) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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