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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Friedrich Gulda plays Chopin
| | Epitaph for a Love Based on recordings of Gulda improvsations, compiled by Paul Gulda | Chopin: | 24 Preludes, Op. 28 Live, [11] from Graz, 10 May 1955; [13] from Zürich, 4 April 1955 Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11 (Orchestrated by Mily Balakirev). Decca Recording, Feb 1954 London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Adrian Boult Ballades Nos. 1-4 Live Trieste, 14 March 1955 Nocturne No. 13 in C minor, Op. 48 No. 1 Live Buenos Aires, 5 July 1960 Barcarolle in F sharp major, Op. 60 Live Buenos Aires, 5 July 1960 Nocturne No. 5 in F sharp major, Op. 15 No. 2 Live Buenos Aires, 19 May 1956 Waltz No. 14 in E minor, Op. post., KKIVa:15, B 56 Live Reggio Emilia, 7 March 1955 Nocturne No. 17 in B major, Op. 62 No. 1 Live Munich, Klaviersommer 13 July 1986 |
Gulda's hottest Chopin phase was the mid-1950s, when he regularly played the complete Preludes and complete Ballades in concert. Captured here are recordings from a variety of sources, all released for the first time, with the exception of the Piano Concerto recording, made for Decca (with whom he also recorded the Preludes and Ballades) Performances are sometimes fiercely virtuosic, sometimes dreamily spun-out. The Ballades in particular are carried off with great panache. First ever releases of 24 Preludes, 4 Ballades and single pieces. Special compiled improvisation, in which Gulda (among other things) muses over his (broken) relationship with Chopin. All newly mastered / remastered by Paul Gulda, who writes the liner notes. “There's a freedom to Gulda's approach which brings the music vividly to life, in a manner which would doubtless be frowned upon today – but then, he was the original "terrorist pianist" with a taste for free jazz, who played with Chick Corea.” The Independent, 26th February 2010 **** | 
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| Brahms - Piano Concerto No. 2
Joaquín Achúcarro (piano) This recording commemorates the 50th anniversary of Joaquín Achúcarro’s debut with the London Symphony Orchestra after winning the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic International Competition in 1959. Recorded at Jerwood Hall, St Luke’s, London, with Britain’s eminent conductor Colin Davis at the helm, Achúcarro delivers a consummate performance that brilliantly expresses his delicate and passionate style. Extra features include a substantial documentary about Achúcarro’s career and performances of solo piano pieces by Brahms, Chopin, Scriabin and Albéniz filmed in the beautiful setting of the Prado museum, Madrid. “Achúcarro’s approach is unorthodox in today’s stick-to-theletter-of-the-score, mechanically perfect musical world. His rubati seem excessive to some; to others, like a throwback to a Golden Age. For all of his reverence for the great composers whose music he plays, he maintains a healthy sense of their humanity as well. “Our duty is first of all to understand what composer does and wants, and then to try to deliver it the best we can, but also to serve the music,” he says. “And maybe sometimes the composer is wrong.” He adds, “People say you must follow the text. But if you follow the text, perhaps the music is not totally served.” … And he views what he does as a performer as an act of creation in its own right.” The Washington Post Extra features: Joaquín Achúcarro: 50 years on Documentary including interviews with Plácido Domingo, Simon Rattle and Zubin Mehta. Running time 131 mins Region code All regions Video codec: AVC/MPEG-4 Disc size: BD50 Picture format 1080i High Definition / 16:9 Sound format 2.0 & 5.1 PCM Menu language EN Subtitles EN/FR/DE/ES/IT |
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| |  | Chopin - Préludes
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| |  | Nikolai Demidenko plays Chopin
Nikolai Demidenko (piano) Debut release on ONYX from the legendary virtuoso and poet of the keyboard Nikolai Demidenko. Recognised as one of the great Chopin players of our time, he recently performed these works during the Chopin Experience weekend on BBC Radio 3. This is his first recording of the Preludes. Bryce Morrison in Gramophone magazine praised his last Chopin recital disc: "Demidenko's razor-sharp articulacy and immaculate dexterity are complemented by the finest musical grace and individuality" (Editor’s Choice, 2007) Demidenko won the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1978, recorded a highly acclaimed series of discs in the 80s and 90s (mainly on Hyperion) including a Gramophone award-winning disc of Medtner Concertos. As a young man he was widely acclaimed as a firebrand virtuoso but this was never the whole story and like a good wine his playing has matured gloriously. Now with new management. “At his best, Demidenko is a dazzling pianist… the Preludes… in his hands become a confection of enormous scope and variety… he imbues the swift numbers with a terrific urgency and excitement… and captures the individual moods… as well as Pires does in her vividly etched set.” Gramophone Magazine, February 2009 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Chopin - Preludes
Alexandre Tharaud (Steinway piano) 'I like to play the cycle of Preludes without interruption,
with the same tension, a certain underlying fear even in
the most serene preludes.' Two years after his CD
devoted to the Waltzes, Alexandre Tharaud returns to
Chopin, the composer he has played most often and who
has never failed to move him deeply. In addition to the
Preludes in A flat and Op.45 and the Trois nouvelles études,
he has provided the cycle with a more recent echo in
music by Federico Mompou. In their personality, their careers, their exclusive relationship with the piano, their
attention to sonority, and their inward melody, the two composers have much in common. “Conceiving the 24 Preludes as an uninterrupted whole, and complementing them with some all-too-rare Mompou miniatures, Alexandre Tharaud has recorded a breathtaking disc.” BBC Music Magazine, August 2008 ***** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| Chopin - Complete Preludes
“Pure magic, filigree detailing and gorgeous trills and turns. He has an almost feminine elegance and a command of technique that allows him to print a personal inflection even on a cascade of notes . . . How reassuring it is to see one so young putting poetry first . . . we were all on another planet.” Financial Times, August 2006 “Blechacz is a superlative pianist but an even finer musician, and this is playing of exceptional clarity and expressive beauty. Everything Blechacz does seems natural and organic, and his ability to phrase Chopin's long lines with an innate sense of time and space is a constant joy.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2007 *****  BBC Music Magazine
Instrumental Choice - December 2007 |
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| |  | Chopin - Preludes & Nocturnes
Chopin: | 24 Preludes, Op. 28 Prelude Op. 45 in C sharp minor (No. 25) Nocturne No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 9 No. 1 Nocturne No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 9 No. 2 Nocturne No. 3 in B major, Op. 9 No. 3 Nocturne No. 4 in F major, Op. 15 No. 1 Nocturne No. 5 in F sharp major, Op. 15 No. 2 Nocturne No. 6 in G minor, Op. 15 No. 3 Nocturne No. 7 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 1 Nocturne No. 8 in D flat major, Op. 27 No. 2 Nocturne No. 9 in B major, Op. 32 No. 1 Nocturne No. 10 in A flat major, Op. 32 No. 2 Nocturne No. 11 in G minor, Op. 37 No. 1 Nocturne No. 12 in G major, Op. 37 No. 2 Nocturne No. 13 in C minor, Op. 48 No. 1 Nocturne No. 14 in F sharp minor, Op. 48 No. 2 Nocturne No. 15 in F minor, Op. 55 No. 1 Nocturne No. 16 in E flat major, Op. 55 No. 2 Nocturne No. 17 in B major, Op. 62 No. 1 Nocturne No. 18 in E major, Op. 62 No. 2 Nocturne No. 19 in E minor, Op. 72 No. 1 Nocturne No. 20 in C sharp minor, Op. post. Nocturne No. 21 in C minor, BI 108 Prelude Op. posth. in A flat major (No. 26) |
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| |  | Chopin - Preludes
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