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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Romantic Masterpieces
A four DVD Box, an attractive Christmas offer, brings famous masterpieces to the viewer in the form of firstclass concert performances by all-star casts and a highly informative documentary where musical examples are introduced by experts helping to understand the work's structure.The bonus films also trace locations relevant to the composition, allowing the viewer to embark on a journey back to the time and place in which the work was written. …interpreted by an all-star cast: "Mr. Shaham and indeed Brahms could do no wrong. The violinist is a virtuoso and a player of deeply intense sincerity." The New York Times "Mr. Abbado… is one of a few international conductors at the height of the profession…" The New York Times "One of the last old-style maestros" The Guardian [on Kurt Masur] "It's the Schumann concerto, most of all, that audience members will be unable to forget." The New York Times [Martha Argerich] | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Ilona Timchenko plays Schumann & Brahms
Russian pianist Ilona Timchenko is one of the two winners of the Abstract Securities Landor Competition 2007, impressing the panel with her virtuoso technique and the stunning beauty of her playing. The recital combines works from three closely aligned figures in German 19th Century composition, Johannes Brahms and Robert Schumann and his wife Clara. On the recording, Clara Schumann’s intricately worked 3 Preludes and Fugues opus 16 separate two of the most formidably virtuosic and acutely emotional works in the Romantic canon, Robert Schumann’s passionate and impulsive Kreisleriana opus 16, dedicated to Clara, and Brahms’ Paganini Variations Books 1 and 2. Although a rare visitor to the UK, Ilona Timchenko, who is on a long-term contract with Landor Records, is a regular guest at many of the world’s leading concert halls, including Vienna’s Musikverein, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire. “Cradling Clara Schumann's three Preludes andFugues between two outsize challenges, Ilona Timchenko links three composers closely entwined both personally and professionally.
More importantly, her warmth in Clara's Men- delssohnian B flat Prelude and Fugue, where a much-neglected composer doffs her hat to academe, is complemented by an astonishing sense of Robert's ominously schizophrenic fantasy in his Kreisleriana. Clara herself feared for her husband with his sudden dive into the darkest regions of Romantic poetry (Intermezzo 2 from section 2) and it is here that Timchenko, with her superb sense of the outgoing and interior sides of Schumann's teeming imagination, reveals herself in total accord with such richness and complexity. Her stealthy view of the final gnomic march, alive with eerie voicing and cross-accentuation, has rarely been equalled; again it is her formidable command and poetic commitment that make such a musical rather than merely athletic experience of Brahms's Paganini Variations. Romantically free, even in the theme, she takes nothing on face value.
Potton Hall's sound is rich and full, if a trifle bass-heavy, but this is among the most commanding and musically fascinating of all new and recent piano issues.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 “…performances characterised by immense musical and technical resource. ..her warmth in Clara's Mendelssohnian B flat Prelude and Fugue, where… is complemented by an astonishing sense of Robert's ominously schizophrenic fantasy in his Kreisleriana. …it is her formidable command and poetic commitment that make such a musical rather than merely athletic experience of Brahms's Paganini Variations. ...this is among the most commanding and musically fascinating of all new and recent piano issues.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2009 | | | Usually despatched in 4 - 5 working days. |
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| |  | Paderewski - A Selection of his US Victor Recordings 1914-1941
Beethoven: | Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 ‘Moonlight': Adagio sostenuto | Chopin: | Waltz No. 5 in A flat major, Op. 42 Nocturne No. 5 in F sharp major, Op. 15 No. 2 Mazurka No. 37 in A flat major, Op. 59 No. 2 Mazurka No. 38 in F sharp minor, Op. 59 No. 3 Étude Op. 25 No. 7 in C sharp minor Étude Op. 25 No. 8 in D flat major Étude Op. 25 No. 9 in G flat major 'Butterfly' | Debussy: | Préludes - Book 1: No. 12, Minstrels | Liszt: | Ständchen - Horch, horch! die Lerch (No. 9 from Zwölf Lieder von Franz Schubert, S558) La leggierezza - Étude de concert No. 2, S144 Spinnerlied aus Der fliegende Holländer S440 | Mendelssohn: | Song without Words, Op. 67 No. 4 in C major 'Spinning Song' or 'Bee's Wedding' | Paderewski: | Melody in G Op. 8 No. 3 Minuet in G major, Op. 14 No. 1 Recorded address on the observance of the golden anniversary of Ignacy Jan Paderewski’s American début | Rachmaninov: | Prelude Op. 32 No. 12 in G sharp minor Prelude Op. 3 No. 2 in C sharp minor | Schubert: | Impromptu in B flat major, D935 No. 3 | Schumann: | Warum, Op. 12, No. 3 | Wagner: | Tristan und Isolde: Prelude to Act 1 arr. by E. Schelling |
Ignacy Jan Paderewski (piano) Jan Paderewski enthralled the world with his artistry for more than half a century. Immensely popular as a recitalist (he played in Madison Square Garden to 20,000 people), he came to recording as late as 1911, leaving an important legacy. These recordings, mostly from the 1920s and some unpublished on 78rpm, show Paderewski as a uniquely eloquent interpreter of Beethoven, his compatriot Chopin, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Liszt, Wagner, Rachmaninov, Debussy and his own compositions. Whether performing in grand Romantic style, with scintillating virtuosity, or as if confiding intimate secrets, Paderewski possessed what Henry James memorably described as “exhilarating goodness”. “Systematic treatment of Paderewski's large discography is long overdue….it is bound to entice historic piano recording collectors.” Classics Today “The oddities were odd: the out-of-synch hands, the sometimes bemusing understatement. But what artistry and grace… Gorgeous tonal range too (as in Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata) from the ageing master-pianist - surprisingly good sound.” BBC Music Magazine, February 2009 ***** “Despite (and often because of) such old-fashioned devices as the asynchronisation of hands and exaggerated rubato, there is playing of incomparable beauty on these 20 discs; many pianists today could learn much from listening to Paderewski's clarity of line, luminous tone and artful use of the pedals. All in all, much to treasure...” Gramophone Magazine, March 2009 “A choice selection of the Polish master's prolific recorded output Despite (and often because of) such old-fashioned devices as the asynchronisation of hands and exaggerated rubato, there is playing of incomparable beauty on these 20 discs; many pianists today could learn much from listening to Paderewski's clarity of line, luminous tone and artful use of the pedals.
These (mainly) electrical sides were the first to approach capturing successfully the pianist's unique sound (Ward Marston has done the audio restoration here) though the earliest, a 1914 acoustic of Schumann's “Warum?”, is astonishingly successful for its time.
Producer Jonathan Summers has chosen short pieces representative of the more than 70 titles Paderewski recorded in America between 1914 and 1931. The most substantial works are Schubert's B flat Impromptu (9'06”), lyrical and heartfelt, and of the Prelude to Tristan und Isolde (7'38”) arranged by Paderewski's pupil Ernest Schelling. Elsewhere there are the celebrated recordings of the Wagner-Liszt Spinnerlied and one of many of the pianist's own ubiquitous Minuet in G; of particular interest are the two Chopin studies and Rachmaninov titles unpublished on 78rpm, the first (and only) movement of the Moonlight in which bars 34-42 are played with an accelerando and crescendo – an interesting idea – and Rachmaninov's famous Prelude the final page of which is executed with surprising ferocity. All in all, much to treasure.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 | | | (also available to download from $9.00) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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| |  | Schumann & Elgar - Piano Quintets
Two of the great piano quintets ever composed played by a superb quintet of musicians headed by Lars Vogt and Christian Tetzlaff. Two piano quintets, two very different works. Excellent performances recorded live at the Spannungen Festival 2007. “Lars Vogt is equally subtle and acutely penetrating in Schumann and Elgar… Teztlaff and his fellow strings have almost ideal tone and expressive touch in the first-movement second theme of the Schumann, but at the equivalent point in the Elgar tension and understanding flag temporarily.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2009 **** “The opening of Elgar's Piano Quintet is one of his most extraordinary utterances. In the right hands, it can pack a real emotional punch, its anguish conveyed via the most sparing of means. And that is certainly the case in this live recording… This starry line-up well captures the work's ambiguity and the players aren't afraid to reveal its darkness where others... glory more in its Brahmsian antecedents.” Gramophone Magazine, May 2009 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Elgar, Boccherini & Schumann - Cello Concertos
Pierre Fournier (cello) Cologne & Baden-Baden Radio Orchestras, Rosbaud & Solti | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | German Romantic Masterpieces
All the tracks are taken from recordings made in Moscow between 1955 and 1958. | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Alfred Brendel Editionincluding the complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas and Concertos
Balakirev: | Islamey - Oriental Fantasy | Beethoven: | Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15 Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra, Wilfried Boettcher Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 19 Orchestra of the Vienna Volksoper, Heinz Wallberg Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37 Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Heinz Wallberg Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58 Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Heinz Wallberg Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 73 'Emperor' Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Zubin Mehta Fantasia for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra in C minor, Op. 80 Stuttgart Lehrergesangverein & Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra, Wilfried Boettcher Piano Sonatas Nos. 1-32 (Complete) Quintet in E flat major for piano and winds, Op.16 Eroica Variations, Op. 35 Variations (5) on 'Rule Britannia', WoO 79 Variations (7) on 'God save the King', WoO 78 Variations (12) on a Russian Dance, WoO 71 Variations (6) on an original theme 'Die Ruinen von Athen', Op. 76 Variations (32) on an Original Theme in C minor, WoO 80 Variations (7) on the Quartet 'Kind, willst du ruhig schlafen', WoO 75 Variations (24) on Righini's Arietta 'Venni amore,' WoO 65 Variations (6) in G major on the duet 'Nel cor più non mi sento' from the opera La Molinara by Giovanni Paisiello, WoO 70 Eight variations in F major on Tändeln und Scherzen (by Süssmayr), WoO 76 Variations (13) on the Arietta 'Es war ein alter Mann', WoO 66 Variations (10) in B-flat major on the duet 'La stessa, la stessissima' from the opera Falstaff by Antonio Salieri, WoO 73 Variations (6) in F major on a Swiss Song, WoO 64 Variations (9) on the Aria 'Quant' è più bello', WoO 69 Variations (6) on an original theme in G major for Piano, WoO 77 Variations (8) on the Romance 'Une fièvre brûlante', WoO 72 Rondo in G major, Op. 51 No. 2 Allegretto in C minor,WoO 53 Ecossaises (6) in E flat major, WoO 83 Für Elise (Bagatelle in A minor, WoO59) Polonaise in C major, Op. 89 Diabelli Variations, Op. 120 Bagatelles (11), Op. 119 Bagatelles (6), Op. 126 Rondo a capriccio in G major, Op. 129 ‘Rage over a lost penny' Rondo in C major, Op. 51 No. 1 Bagatelles (7), Op. 33 Andante Favori in F, Wo057 Piano Piece in B flat major WoO 60 | Chopin: | Polonaise No. 6 in A flat major, Op. 53 'Héroïque' Polonaise No. 4 in C minor, Op. 40, No. 2 Polonaise No. 5 in F sharp minor, Op. 44 Polonaise No. 7 in A flat major, Op. 61 'Polonaise-fantaisie' Andante spianato & Grande Polonaise, Op. 22 | Haydn: | Keyboard Concerto No. 11 in D major, HobXVIII:11 Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Paul Angerer | Liszt: | Wandererfantasie (Schubert), S366 Vienna Volksoper Orchestra, Michael Gielen Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat major, S124 Piano Concerto No. 2 in A major, S125 Totentanz, S126 for piano & orchestra Piano Sonata in B minor, S178 Après une lecture du Dante, fantasia quasi sonata (Années de pèlerinage II, S. 161 No. 7) Miserere du Trovatore, S433 Lucia di Lammermoor: Sextet (Donizetti) Réminiscences de Norma, S394 Overture zu Oberon, S574 Benediction Et Serment - Deux Motifs De Benvenuto Cellini S396 Pilgerchor aus Tannhäuser S443 Grandes Études de Paganini (6), S. 141 Tarantella, S. 162 No. 3 (from Venezia e Napoli) Hungarian Rhapsody, S244 No. 15 in A minor 'Rákóczy Marsch' Hungarian Rhapsody, S244 No. 3 in B flat major Hungarian Rhapsody, S244 No. 2 in C sharp minor Hungarian Rhapsody, S244 No. 13 in A minor Hungarian Rhapsody, S244 No. 8 in F sharp minor Hungarian Rhapsody, S244 No. 17 in D minor Csárdás obstinée, S. 225 No. 2 Invocation (Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, S. 173 No. 1) Benediction de Dieu dans la solitude (Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, S. 173 No. 3) Pensée des Morts (Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, S. 173 No. 4) Funérailles (Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, S. 173 No. 7) Cantique d'amour (Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, S. 173 No. 10) Sonetto 47 del Petrarca (Années de pèlerinage II, S. 161 No. 4) Sonetto 104 del Petrarca (Années de pèlerinage II, S. 161 No. 5) Sonetto 123 del Petrarca (Années de pèlerinage II, S. 161 No. 6) | Mozart: | Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat major, K271 "Jeunehomme" I Solisti di Zagreb, Antonio Janigro Piano Concerto No. 14 in E flat major, K449 I Solisti di Zagreb, Antonio Janigro Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major, K453 Orchestra of the Vienna Volksoper, Paul Angerer Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major, K503 Pro Musica Orchestra, Vienna, Paul Angerer Piano Concerto No. 19 in F major, K459 Orchestra of the Vienna Volksoper, Wilfried Boettcher Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K466 Orchestra of the Vienna Volksoper, Wilfried Boettcher Piano Concerto No. 22 in E flat major, K482 Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Paul Angerer Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat major, K271 "Jeunehomme" Orchestra of the Vienna Volksoper, Paul Angerer Rondo for Piano & Orchestra in D major, K382 Orchestra of the Vienna Volksoper, Paul Angerer Piano Sonata No. 8 in A minor, K310 Variations (9) in D on a Menuet by Duport, K573 Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orchestra No. 10 in E flat, K365 with Walter Klien (piano) Orchestra of the Vienna Volksoper, Paul Angerer Sonata for 2 pianos in D major, K448 with Walter Klien (piano) Orchestra of the Vienna Volksoper, Paul Angerer Quintet for Piano and Winds in E flat, K452 members of the Hungarian Quintet | Mussorgsky: | Pictures at an Exhibition (piano version) | Prokofiev: | Piano Concerto No. 5 in G major, Op. 55 Vienna State Opera Orchestra, Jonathan Sternberg | Schoenberg: | Piano Concerto, Op. 42 Symphony Orchestra of Southwest German Radio Baden-Baden, Michael Gielen | Schubert: | Piano Sonata No. 19 in C minor, D958 Piano Sonata No. 15 in C major, D840 'Reliquie' 16 German Dances D783 4 Impromptus, D899 Moments Musicaux (6), D780, Op. 94 Klavierstücke (3), D946 Fantasie in C major, D760 'Wanderer' 4 Impromptus, D935 | Schumann: | Fantasie in C major, Op. 17 Études symphoniques, Op. 13 | Stravinsky: | Petrushka - suite |
The complete Vox, Turnabout and Vanguard solo recordings Alfred Brendel retires this year from public performance. He will give his last recital in December at Vienna’s Musikverein, in the city where he came to prominence over half a century ago. The recordings he made then for young American labels established in the wake of the Second World War, harnessing young talent in classic repertoire, have stood the test of time. They put down a marker for the music that Brendel would come almost to ‘own’ in the eyes of the piano-music-loving public: the Beethoven concertos and sonatas, Mozart concertos, Schubert, Liszt and Schoenberg. He would later bring deepening insights to the core of the Austro-German repertoire that was his mainstay, but these early recordings are of far more than merely historical value: they are the first, impetuous explorations of a true keyboard lion. Thus there is also music we don’t associate with Brendel, and to which he chose not to return, especially from Russia: Balakirev, Mussorgsky, Prokofiev and Stravinsky. In sum, and at a specially reduced price, this is essential listening for anyone interested in piano music and in the career of one of the greatest living pianists. Many of these performances have scarcely been available on CD: this is the first time they have been gathered together as a set Extensive booklet notes by pianophile Ates Orga, including a conversation piece with Brendel. | | | Usually despatched in 4 - 5 working days. |
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| |  | Schumann - Piano Works & Chamber Music V
Eric Lesage continues his flamboyant exploration of Robert Schumann's solo piano repertoire, recorded in the outstanding acoustic of La Chaux-de-Fonds.This series will be completed in 2010, the anniversary of Schumann's birth. | | | (also available to download from $21.25) | Usually despatched in 4 - 5 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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| |  | Lorraine Hunt Lieberson & Julius Drake
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson - 1 March 1954 - 3 July 2006 Wigmore Hall Live are proud to release on their Archive series this very special 1999 live recital by the great, beloved American born mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson who tragically died in 2006. The dramatic intensity and passionate commitment to her material earned her countless comparisons to Maria Callas. Noted for her interpretation of Handel and Bach, this recital of lieder by Schumann and Brahms demonstrates the breadth of her repertoire and her meticulous artistry. After her death, she won the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Performance for her Rilke Songs and again in 2008 for her performance of her husband's Neruda Songs “…Hunt Lieberson brings a rare translucency of tone to Brahms at his most impassioned and his most intimate. When it comes to Schumann's Mignon songs… we hear a pure, pearly line of longing, with a sense of shy questioning in her supple shaping of each phrase. All of these qualities come together in one of the finest recordings of Frauenliebe und-Leben currently available.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2008 ***** | | | Usually despatched in 3 - 4 working days. |
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| |  | Elisabeth Schwarzkopfbroadcasts from 1961-1970
Works by: Brahms, Gluck, Mahler, Menotti, Mozart, Schubert, Schumann, Strauss, Verdi & Wolf
Booklet Notes:Tracklisting in English, French, German. Among the rediscovered treasures of the BBC archives are two recitals by soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, filmed in 1961 and 1970.At the time, she was at the peak of her powers and was accompanied by the world's greatest accompanist: Gerald Moore. Footage of a public concert, filmed exclusively by French television further illustrates Elisabeth Schwarzkopf's musical excellence. Here, the soprano's voice melds wonderfully with the orchestra's instrumental sonorities in works by Mozart Verdi and Strauss. Her anthology of German Lieder takes us on a journey through the imaginative world of Mozart, Schubert and Wolf. These two recitals allow us to re-encounter Schwarzkopf in her favourite repertoire. "The pristine beauty of her lyric soprano and the charm of her person, combined with hard work and innate intelligence, lent her performances a compelling authority" The Guardian "…one of the most dazzling artists of her time" The New York Times “In two recitals with Gerald Moore Schwarzkopf is incomparable in her communication of German art-song. She is handicapped in the orchestral recital by Klobucar's poor conducting.” BBC Music Magazine, January 2009 **** | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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Gramophone Awards 2009