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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1Torino 3.5.60
This recording presents the sensational debut of Maurizio Pollini in Paris. Accompanied with Haydn’s Symphony No. 102, these are live performances from 03.05.1960 with the Orchestre National de Paris and Paul Kletzki conducting. | 
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| |  | Chopin: Piano Concertos 1 & 2
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| |  | Shura Cherkassky plays Chopin Piano Concertos
Shura Cherkassky (1909–1995) enjoyed a long career of over seventy years, rising to the forefront of internationally acclaimed concert pianists, first in America (where his family emigrated to escape the Russian Revolution), and after 1961 in London, where he lived until his death in 1995. A pupil of the legendary Josef Hofmann at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, Cherkassky made his concert debut in Baltimore at the age of eleven, touring Australia and South Africa in 1925, and thereafter building up what was almost an obsession for foreign travel as he satisfied an incessant demand for festival appearances, solo and concerto recitals. He moved to California in the 1940s, appearing at the Hollywood Bowl with Sir John Barbirolli and Leopold Stokowski, and after the war, he developed his second, European career, scoring an outstanding success in Hamburg in 1946 and in London, following his acclaimed Wigmore Hall recital in March 1957. Although he had an enormous repertoire stretching from Bach to Berio, the highpoints of Cherkassky’s career for many remain his interpretations of the concertos of fellow Russian composers like Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov, and he is now classed alongside Horowitz and Rubinstein as a legendary and sensitive re-interpreter of the nineteenth-century Romantic repertory. Cherkassky’s phenomenal virtuosity, colour range, imagination and spontaneity made him the ideal Chopin interpreter, though he never commercially recorded the two Chopin Concertos, so this is an important addition to his CD discography. These live performances from the 1980s present Cherkassky at his most spontaneous and charismatic. As Robert Orledge has written in his booklet notes, “but if purists may now view some of his interpretations as idiosyncratic, there is still no denying that we are in the presence of a first-rate musician who understood better than many pianists what Chopin’s harmony and voice-leading were about, and who could make what are early works sound like monuments to his mature genius.” Superbly remastered in excellent stereo sound. “Maddening or enchanting - Cherkassky could veer from one to the other...And here, in performances dating from 1981 and 1983, when Cherkassky was in his seventies, there is a characteristic if extreme example of failure and success...An odd mix, then, but more than worth it for the Second Concerto.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2013 “Cherkassky’s reputation as an iconoclast and individualist meant that accompanying him in concertos could be fraught with danger. This disc shows both sides of the Cherkassky coin...For Cherkassky collectors, though, this is clearly a valuable, albeit uneven, acquisition.” MusicWeb International, 10th May 2013 | | | (also available to download from $9.00) | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Israel Philharmonic Orchestra: 75 years Anniversary Concert & Documentary COMING HOMEa film by János Darvas
The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra - a cultural icon of Israel and one of the greatest classical ensembles in the world - celebrated its 75th Birthday on December 26th, 2011 together with three outstanding soloists of the younger generation – Julian Rachlin, Evgeny Kissin and Vadim Repin. The concert took place in the spectacular Hangar 11 at the harbor in Tel Aviv. Zubin Mehta conducted a spectacular programme of Saint-Saëns, Bach, Chopin, Chausson and Beethoven. The film ‘Coming Home’ by János Darvas portrays the orchestra and tells of its moving history, which is both a reflection of the history of Israel and the fate of the Jews in the 20th Century. With texts from memoirs, with material from radio interviews, home movies and photos from the orchestra’s archives, as well as from private collections, the film will not only tells the story of the orchestra, but draws parallels to the fates of many individuals. Historical footage brings the 75-year history of the orchestra to life in concerts with Arturo Toscanini, Arthur Rubinstein, Leonard Bernstein, Isaac Stern, Zubin Mehta, Daniel Barenboim and Itzhak Perlman. Interviews with orchestra members from the early years weave through talks with musicians that joined later, and with current orchestra members. Moreover, Zubin Mehta, Daniel Barenboim, Itzhak Perlman and Pinkas Zukerman have their say. We also get the opportunity to watch the Israel Philharmonic in rehearsals, concerts and tours. Part of the EuroArts Israel Philharmonic Anniversary Campaign with two more must have releases: - 75 years anniversary concert & documentary “Coming Home” (Cat. No. DVD 2059098 + Cat. No. BD 2059094) - Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Anniversary Edition - 5 DVDs Box Set incl. Classic Archive: Arthur Rubinstein plays Chopin (Cat. No. 3079638), Israel Philharmonic Orchestra: 70th-Anniversary Concert (Cat. No. 2055878), Bernstein conducts Brahms (Cat. No. 2072048) + New Israel Philharmonic Orchestra: 60th-Anniversary, Concert, 1996 & Joint Concert, 1990. Picture format DVD: NTSC 16:9 Sound formats DVD: PCM Stereo, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1 Region code: 0 Subtitles: English Booklet notes: English, German, French Running time: 148 mins (95 mins Concert + 53 mins Documentary) | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Chopin : Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2
One of the most important gems from the early discography of Alexis Weissenberg, who died in 2012. The pianist fills Chopin's piano concertos with youthful fire, with technically unerring virtuosity and Romantic magic. | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1
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| |  | Chopin: Complete Works for Piano & Orchestra
A film by Phil Grabsky + Interviews with Nelson Goerner, Kevin Kenner, Janusz Olejniczak and Marc Destrubé. On February 26, 2010 a historic concert took place in Warsaw, the birthplace of Fryderyk Chopin. During the course of that single evening all the works written by this composer for piano with orchestra were performed, with participants of the highest calibre. Furthermore, the event took place under the auspices of the Fryderyk Chopin Institute, with the knowledge and experience of engineers from Polish Radio and with the creativity of the film-maker Phil Grabsky, whose cameras were placed amongst the musicians of the orchestra. All this enabled the full magic of a historic event to be captured in both image and sound. Playing an Érard piano dating from 1849, the pianists Nelson Goerner, Kevin Kenner and Janusz Olejniczak, alongside the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century and Frans Brüggen, each performed each of the six works which the young Chopin composed in order for them to be displayed before the demanding public of his own country. With such works Chopin’s fame as a great piano virtuoso was to become established elsewhere. Performances of the two famous Concertos, in E minor and F minor, are joined here by the less-famous but notwithstanding highly-attractive works, such as the Variations on ‘Là ci darem la mano’, from Mozart’s ‘Don Giovanni’, or the ‘Fantasy on Polish Airs’. Completing the film of this event is a series of interviews with the soloists, and with Marc Destrubé, the orchestra’s leader. “this was one of the most memorable concerts in my experience. Revisiting it through this live recording is something I cherish. Happily, it stands up to scrutiny away from the special atmosphere of that occasion...[Kenner] plays with poetry, virtuosic fluency and a searching quality ideal in this music...But the Argentinian Nelson Goerner is the hero of the concerto, bringing superb style to four works that, if anything, are tougher than the concertos.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2012 ***** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Claudio Arrau plays Chopin & Beethoven
Chilean pianist Claudio Arrau (1903–1991) was described at various times as ‘Prince’, ‘Emperor’ and ‘King’ of the keyboard, conveying something of the awe in which he was held. Few artists of any generation prompted such consistent praise, a pianist who embraced virtually every part of the repertoire, including marathon cycles of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin and Liszt. Both these broadcast recordings are sourced from the original WDR tapes and not from dubious copies (Chopin Concerto) and have been remastered to a very high standard. In Chopin’s E minor Concerto, Arrau is partnered by Otto Klemperer, another legendary titan in this rare 1954 recording. Here they create a musical place where there is no sense of an early lightweight alternative to Chopin’s later works. Critic Jed Distler wrote: “There is an emotional freshness and freedom from clichés that draws me into the playing, particularly in the vibrancy and note-to-note intensity of his best live performances. Idealised or not, Arrau's playing boasts a vibrancy and forward-moving sweep that sharply contrasts to his relatively measured studio recording”. The Beethoven Piano Concerto No.4 shows Arrau playing with great freedom in this ‘live’ account from 1959 following his first studio recording in 1955. This recording appears for the very first time on CD. | | | (also available to download from $10.50) | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Daniel Barenboim plays The Chopin Piano ConcertosLive Recording from The Philharmonie Essen, 2010
For the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frédéric Chopin, the renowned Ruhr Piano Festival in Essen invited the Staatskapelle Berlin to give a truly special program: the rare combination of Chopin‘s two piano concertos in one concert. For this purpose Daniel Barenboim, the orchestra‘s principal conductor, handed over the reins of „his“ ensemble to up-and-coming young conductor Andris Nelsons, assuming the role of piano soloist instead. The press raved: „Storms of applause for a dream couple: Daniel Barenboim and Andris Nelsons won over the audience […] with their rousing Chopin interpretations“. While Barenboim fi lls the solo parts with pulsating life and dance-like grace, the exciting young talent Andris Nelsons dazzles with his magnetic physical presence and the broad gestures with which he fires on or pulls back his enthusiastic musicians. Nelsons opens the concert with a rousing account of Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 44, the “Mourning” Symphony. Chopin wrote the two piano concertos when he was only 19 and 20; they were among the last works that he composed in Poland before leaving for France. Filled with youthful fire and freshness, the works showcase the pianist‘s virtuosity, and contain much of interest for the orchestral musicians as well, including poignant solo interludes for clarinet and bassoon. Sound Format: PCM Stereo, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1 Picture Format: 16:9 DVD Format: DVD 9, NTSC Running Time: 110 mins FSK: 0 “One cannot help but admire his effortless command in the two Chopin piano concertos...captured in pin-sharp picture quality and excellent, well-balanced sound...His almost boyish enthusiasm (despite the relaxed tempos) and obvious relish of performing show no sign of waning as he nears his 70th birthday, and (particularly for a part-timer) his technique shows remarkably little evidence of wear and tear.” International Record Review, January 2012 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Daniel Barenboim: The Chopin Concertos
Two releases on Deutsche Grammophon will be devoted to Chopin: a solo recital recorded in Warsaw, with deeply-felt Waltzes, a Polonaise, a Fantasia, a Nocturne and the B flat minor Sonata, as well as Chopins two Concertos, accompanied by the Berlin Staatskapelle under Andris Nelsons, captured live at the Ruhr Piano Festival in July 2010. “The Chopin concerto disc offers playing of some crystalline appeal and surface sparkle, nicely surrounded by suave orchestral playing from Barenboim’s Staatskapelle Dresden conducted by Andris Nelsons” The Times, 15th April 2011 *** “these are performances on a grand scale, yet wonderfully fluent, charged with an infectious energy and effortless poise. They are perhaps remarkable most of all for the rapport between Barenboim and the Berlin Staatskapelle...All too often in other performances of these concertos, the orchestra is kept firmly in its accompanying place; here Nelsons repeatedly reveals how much beauty and detail there is to be found in the orchestral writing, too.” The Guardian, 21st April 2011 ***** “Unsurprisingly, even the piano entry at the beginning of the Chopin concerto disc is striking. The languid orchestral tutti that opens the work has its calmness well and truly shattered by the clang of Barenboim’s fingers. He shows equal lightness of touch later on, though...[The Second Concerto] is just as joyous to hear under the maestro’s control. it is a singular treat to hear Barenboim have at these concerti for the first time.” bbc.co.uk, 18th April 2011 “The recording is notable for the clarity with which both the piano and orchestra are captured: there's far more orchestral detail to be heard on this disc than in many rival versions, and it's great to have it, especially as Nelsons conducts with such sensitivity” International Record Review, July 2011 “Always authoritative, Barenboim is by turns graceful and gutsy, an especially good combination in the E minor Concerto - and his orchestra, the Berlin Staatskapelle (here under Andris Nelsons), responds warmly, with wonderful woodwind solos. In the strongly accented, dancing finales to both concertos, Barenboim leads the way with playing of suppleness and wit.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2011 ***** “His amplitude of phrasing and dynamics, matched by the orchestra's, is in place as a response to the pageantry and flow of events that is unceasingly generous. You could say that the playing is big, but what is predominant is its authority...it's his qualities of insight and distinction in the musical control of these beautiful pieces that carry the day, and in that regard it seems to me that they have rarely been served so well.” Gramophone Magazine, August 2011 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Gramophone Magazine