definitive tchaikovsky mendelssohn appassionata

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Emil Gilels Live in Moscow, Vol 3
Emil Gilels

Video Artists Int'l, 2008

Emil Gilels: Live in Moscow, Vol. 1 - Brahms/Schumann/Mendelssohn

Video Artists Int'l, 2008

Brahms: Concertos for Piano No. 1 & 2, Fantasia Op. 116

31 reviews
Johannes Brahms, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

Deutsche Grammophon, 1996

a truly great recording
To my mind neither Eugen Jochum nor Emil Gilels received the acclaim appropriate to their genius while they were living. Even now it appears they are appreciated mainly by a small clique of true classical music lovers. These two performances of Brahms' Piano Concertos are flawless. They were both recorded in 1972 when Jochum was age 69, and Gilels was 55. Two masters in their mature prime. ...

Grieg: Lyric Pieces / Emil Gilels

22 reviews
Edvard Grieg, Emil Gilels

Deutsche Grammophon, 1997

Superb historical achievement!
Emil Gilels temperament has always been at least to my mind extremely cold and even analytical. His powerful phrasing is first rate, who can deny it? . However, he recorded for the posterity two emblematic works; this album and Brahms Piano Quartet Op. 25 with Amadeus Quartet(see my review). Gilels was at top form that historical evening with these Grieg pieces. This miniaurist composer ...

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concertos 1, 2 & 3 - Prokofiev: Piano Concerto 5 - Bartok: Piano Concerto 2 - Emil Gilels, ...

1 review
Bela Bartok, Sergey Prokofiev, ...

EMI Classics, 2006

A classic Tchaikovsky Second Concerto, plus astonishing Richter
The reissue gods are smiling. This bargain Gemini two-fer contains four superlative concerto recordings--the Tchaikovsky Second and Third with Gilels, the Prokofiev Fifth and Bartok Second with Richter. The conductor throughout is Lorin Maazel, definitely on best behavior, and the orchestras vary between the LSO (Prokofiev), New Philharmonia (Tchaikovsky), and the Orchestre de Paris (Bartok). ...

Best of the Millennium: Top 40 Classical Hits

27 reviews
Mischa Maisky, Tomaso Albinoni, ...

Utv Records, 2000

A must for anyone wanting the staples of classical music
In my years of experience teaching Fine Arts to high school students, I know that the majority, if not all, of the music included on this album is commonly used in collge music appreciation courses. This is an excellent sample of truly all the "greatest hits" of classical music. My students enjoy listening to the music and have later told me when take their required music apreciation courses in ...

Schubert: Trout Quintet, Death and the Maiden / Amadeus Quartet

7 reviews
Franz Schubert

Deutsche Grammophon, 1997

Interpretative solvency!
The main virtue of Emil Gilels as colossal pianist was always ironically his main failure: his extreme coldness. But when he played with the Amadeus quartet, something inside him seemed to bright with radiant intensity and his temperament showed us his Dionysian side, a remarkable and not precisely his main landmark. This was successfully what it happened with this remarkable version of the ...

Chopin Edition: Complete Works (17 CD Box Set)

2 reviews
Frédéric Chopin, Sir Neville Marriner, ...

Brilliant Classics, 2007

Brilliant Classics does it again
For some unfathomable reason, pianists love to mutilate Chopin's music more than any other composer's in the piano repertoire. It almost seems like a parlor game to see who can come up with the most foreign interpretation. Tempos get warped, dynamics are modified, and an audience never hears 3/4 time get stretched in so many bizarre ways than listening to a Chopin Scherzo. So, putting a ...

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas

1 review
Ludwig van Beethoven, Emil Gilels

Deutsche Grammophon, 2006

Gilels, the greatest
In my personal opinion, this is the best Beethoven Sonata cycle ever recorded. Emil Gilels is one of the best pianists ever, a real titan of the keyboard, a genius. This set is at a great price and I strongly recommend you to buy it.

Chopin: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2

4 reviews
Frederic Chopin, Eugene Ormandy, ...

Sony, 2002

Classic Chopin
In the 1950s and 60s, CBS/Columbia (now Sony Classical) had the great fortune to have three of America's best orchestras and their conductors on its recording roster -- Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic, Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra, and George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra. Nearly a half-century later, sadly only Leonard Bernstein remains a name that even the ...

Shostakovich: Symphony No.15 & Sonata No.2

8 reviews
Dmitry Shostakovich, Eugene Ormandy, ...

RCA, 2000

Interesting approachs !
Ormandy had a special affection with Shostakovich symphonies . Watch for instance , the Fourth and the Tenth symphonies . The fourth is the best of the market by far and the tenth is just behind the colossal and unbeatable perfromance of Mitropoulus . In this case this symphony is a special rendition to Wagner music . The specila rendez vous about the Ring could suggest the fall of the Soviets ...

Mad About Piano
Ludwig van Beethoven, Frederic Chopin, ...

Deutsche Grammophon, 1993

Emil Gilels Live in Moscow, Vol 4

Video Artists Int'l, 2008

Emil Gilels Recital

5 reviews

Deutsche Grammophon, 2007

Gilels Ossiach 1971 Recital- Mozart Sonata K310; Beethoven Sonatas Op.53, 101 etc.
Emil Gilels is well known as a Beethoven interpreter. His approach is characterized by a full bodied sound in piano and forte, complete virtuosity and a structural sense that gives clarity to both local and global musical events. His tempos make sense within an entire movement or whole sonata (he doesn't need to slow down dramatically for the 2nd subject in Op.53's first mvmt.) and he will mostly ...

Great Pianists of the 20th Century - Selections from the definitive collection [Sampler]

7 reviews
Fryderyk Chopin, Johannes Brahms, ...

Polygram Records Philips, 1998

Unparalled Excellence (Mark G. Davis)
If you only purchase one classical piano cd in your entire life, this one should be it. All the masters, at their very best on it. If you have piano cd's, this should be part of that collection. I purchased one, almost not believing what I read on the jacket. I'm telling my friends about this one, as I'm aware of no other CD having all those piano masters - - at any price?)...

Beethoven: Sonataen - Waldstein, Les Adieux, Appassionata

9 reviews
Ludwig van Beethoven, Henry Grossman, ...

Deutsche Grammophon, 1990

GODLIKE GILELS!
Did Carly Simon think of him when she sang "Nobody Does It Better?" Perhaps! No One (except Maybe Pollini and that's a LARGE Maybe) is as insightful and clear headed in their playing of Beethoven as Mr. Gilels was. This Disc simply proves he was peerless. Though i say that, i say that with one slight exception (to be explained later.) His "Apassionata" is one of SCARY Brilliance, from Titanic ...

For a Stormy Night

2 reviews
Jules Eskin, Martin Lovett, ...

Decca, 2003

Splendid accompaniment to a storm...
This is to rainy weather...lightning and thunder and all...what the soundtrack to Fantasia is to that movie. This is not all calm music to relax to but brilliant, passionate recordings with all the peaks and lulls of a storm...another kind of soundtrack, if you will. This is one of my favorites of this magnificent series of Classical Collections. Whether you like the marketing of these discs ...

Beethoven: Piano Variations

1 review
Ludwig van Beethoven, Emil Gilels, ...

EMI Classics, 2004

Ogdon and Gilels put Beethoven's Variations on display
Beethoven's WoO ('werke ohne opus', works without an opus number) numbers scare away a lot of listeners. They say, "Since Beethoven didn't care to give an opus number, he didn't care about it" or "Beethoven thought it was immature or second rate music." However, these are dazzling sets of variations, probably originating from Beethoven's live improvisations and therefore were not conceived to ...

Beethoven: Sonaten - Pathétique & Mondschein

3 reviews
Ludwig van Beethoven, Emil Gilels

Deutsche Grammophon, 1990

Fabulous !
Gilels set of Beethoven Piano Sonatas is the pinnacle of artistry, musicality, pianism and, above all humanism ! This particular recording is my favourite ! Tempos are generally slightly slower then these days but no force or momentum is lacking. Highly inspired grand performances ! Profoundly moving and soul touching ! Yes, I admit, I like Gilels most of them all, especially in Beethoven's ...

Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos.4 & 5 "Emperor"

3 reviews
Ludwig van Beethoven, Leopold Ludwig, ...

EMI Classics, 2005

Brilliant Beethoven, But Collectors Beware
Generally, I've been a big fan of EMI's "Great Recordings of the Century" series (see my reviews), but recently its reissues have included lots of recycled product. Don't get me wrong, I love it when CDs get repackaged at mid-line instead of full-price, but it is getting particularly confusing now that EMI is issuing discs on their own label that they previously licensed out to other companies. ...

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