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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | York Bowen - The complete 78rpm Recordings
Bach, J S: | Capriccio from Partita No. 2 in C minor, BWV826 recorded 1923? | Beethoven: | Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58 recorded 1925 Aeolian Orchestra, Stanley Chapple Piano Sonata No. 13 in E flat major, Op. 27 No. 1 'Quasi una fantasia' (Andante) recorded 1923? Piano Sonata No. 24 in F sharp major, Op. 78 recorded 1927 | Bowen: | Suite No. 2, Op. 30: Finale ‘A Romp’ recorded 1925 The Way to Polden (an ambling tune) Op. 76 recorded 1925 Arabesque, Op. 20, No. 1 recorded 1925 Fragments from Hans Andersen, Op. 58 recorded 1926 (with spoken introductions) | Brahms: | Capriccio in B minor, Op. 76 No. 2 recorded 1925 | Chopin: | Ballade No. 3 in A flat major, Op. 47 recorded 1925 Scherzo No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 31 recorded 1926 Waltz No. 2 in A flat major 'Grande Valse Brillante', Op. 34 No. 1 recorded 1926 Polonaise No. 1 in C sharp minor, Op. 26 No. 1 recorded 1926 Étude Op. 25 No. 5 in E minor recorded 1927 Prelude No. 23 recorded 1927 Prelude No. 20 in C minor, Op. 28 No. 20 recorded 1927 Prelude in G major, Op. 28 No. 3 recorded 1927 | Cochrane: | Le Ruisseau recorded 1925 | Debussy: | Estampe No. 3 - Jardins sous la pluie recorded 1925 Arabesque No. 2 recorded 1926 | Gardiner: | London Bridge from Five Pieces recorded 1926 Gavotte from Five Pieces recorded 1926 | Liszt: | Eglogue from Années de pèlerinage - année 1: Suisse, S160 recorded 1925 | Mendelssohn: | Scherzo in E minor, Op. 16 No. 2 released January 1915 | Moscheles: | Etude, Op. 70 No. 5 recorded 1925 | Rachmaninov: | Prelude Op. 23 No. 5 in G minor recorded 1926 Polichinelle, Op. 3, No. 4 recorded 1925 | Schumann: | Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Op. 26 (Allegro) recorded 1926 | Schütt: | Etude Mignonne in D major, Op. 16, No. 1 released January 1915 |
In recent years York Bowen, the composer, has enjoyed a spectacular revival, but until now his talents as pianist (barring a late recording of his own music for Lyrita) have not been heard since the days of 78s. At the height of his success, in the first decades of the 20th century, Bowen was as much known as pianist as composer and frequently performed at the Proms amongst other things. His first recording, a very rare disc on the Marathon label, was released in 1915, but the bulk of his work was done for Vocalion; after they went bankrupt in 1927 he appears to have made no further 78s. Pride of place must go to Bowen’s Beethoven 4th Piano Concerto. This was the very first recording of the work and its neglect has been due to the fact that it was one of the last recordings to be made under the old acoustic process which was superseded the year the work was issued. Bowen’s pianism is extremely fluent and he plays his own cadenzas! Through all the featured works we hear a pianist who plays in the ‘grand manner’ and that, and his preference for romantic repertoire, reveal him as somewhat atypical of the English pianist of his time. Perhaps his nickname ‘the English Rachmaninov’ did indeed hit the nail on the head. | 
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| |  | Sviatoslav Richter
Sviatoslav Richter (piano) Filmed at the Barbican Centre, London, 29 March 1989 “This concert is beyond the impertinence of praise, one of the great musical experiences of a lifetime preserved despite Richter's hostility about the concert being filmed. His Mozart is muscular and intense, his Chopin astoundingly stormy or incredibly tender.” BBC Music Magazine, Proms 2008 ***** |
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Sviatoslav Richter (piano) Recorded 1972 & 1988 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Artur RubinsteinRecording: 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. “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 “…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, 2008 Awards Issue |
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| |  | Sviatoslav Richter - The Master Volume 9
Sviatoslav Richter (piano) Recorded - 1988-199 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Artur Rubinstein
Beethoven: | Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58 Recorded: Royal Festival Hall, London, 6 December 1967 London Philharmonic Orchestra, Antal Dorati | Chopin: | Étude Op. 25 No. 5 in E minor Recorded: BBC Studios, London, 9 November 1958 Scherzo No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 31 Recorded: Royal Festival Hall, London, 4 December 1968 | Saint-Saëns: | Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22 Recorded: Royal Festival Hall, London, 27 November 1957 BBC Symphony Orchestra, Rudolf Schwarz | Villa-Lobos: | A Prole do Bebê (The Baby's Family) - Suite No. 1 Recorded: BBC Studios, London, 9 November 1958 |
“Arthur Rubinstein never failed to please. And so it is with these superb performances of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 and Saint-Saens' Piano Concerto No. 2, recorded in the 50s and 60s in the Royal Festival Hall. Well worthwhile.” Gavin Engelbrecht, Northern Echo | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Chopin & Godowsky - ÉtudesFor the first time on record, Boris Berezovsky plays Chopin’s original etudes and Godowsky’s versions side by side allowing listeners to compare them.
“Berezovsky's technical command in Godowsky is formidable” BBC Music Magazine, 1st November 2005 “the truest successor to the great Russian pianists...the most interesting Russian pianist since Emil Gilels [with] a technique that can sweep all preconceived notions or sense of musical propriety into oblivion...a prodigious virtuoso....a young Russian titan of the keyboard [who] takes even the mightiest virtuoso repertoire in his stride” The Times  BBC Music Magazine
Instrumental Choice - November 2005 |
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| |  | Chopin - The Complete Recordings(recorded 1947, 1948 & 1950)
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| |  | Great Pianists - BusoniBusoni and His Pupils
Ferruccio Busoni, Egon Petri, Michael von Zadora (pianos) Recorded 1922-1952 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | EncoresPianist performs works by Chopin, Debussy, Moszkowski, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Scarlatti, Schubert, Schumann, Scriabin and his own Variations on a Theme from Bizet’s Carmen.
Vladimir Horowitz (piano) | | | Usually despatched in 4 - 5 working days. |
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Gramophone Magazine