gottschalk collection barcarolle anniversary

classical music:

13 reviews
Frederic Chopin, Artur Rubinstein

RCA Victor Europe, 1991

The ultimate interpretation
The ultimate way to apreciate the work of Chopin. powerful then again delicate. Sublime piano by Rubinstein. Curacao, apri1 14th 2008

50TH Anniversary Harmonia Mundi

5 reviews
Harmonia Mundi Various Artists

Harmonia Mundi Fr., 2007

Gorgeous Early Music for Amazing Value
Harmonia Mundi has taken highlights from 50 years. While I love classical music, there are a lot of selections that I had not heard. I have been thoroughly surprised to enjoy 98% of the music on the 30 CDs. There are a couple of "editing" glitches where a track begins or ends more abrupt than usual. Nothing too serious. Overall, the quality is superb though there is at least one selection ...

Horowitz Live and Unedited [includes Bonus DVD]

9 reviews
Johann Sebastian Bach, Ferruccio Busoni, ...

Sony, 2003

WHAT IS GOING ON?
WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE? WHY CANT YOU JUST LEAVE THE POOR MAN ALONE? I AM A PIANO STUDENT WHO JUST FINISHED A CONCERT SERIES OUTSIDE OF MY OWN COUNTRY AND I HAVE JUST READ SOME OF THE OTHER REIEWS ABOUT HOROWITZ HERE AND I AM FRANKLY DIGUSTED. ARE WRONG NOTES ALL YOU PEOPLE LISTEN TO? HOROWITZ WAS BRILLIANT, YES, BUT HE WAS ALSO HUMAN LIKE ALL OF US. I MAKE MY FAIR SHARE OF WRONG NOTES AND ...

Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 3; Ballade No. 4; Waltzes; Mazurkas; Barcarolle
Frederic Chopin, Ingrid Fliter

Angel Records, 2008

Codex Faenza: Instrumental Music of the Early 15th Century

5 reviews
Anonymous, Codex Faenza Anonymous, ...

Naxos, 1998

Essential to any early music collection
When I purchased this album, I was expecting it to be more akin to the other music performed by the Ensemble Unicorn. I was expecting quick and lively, music akin to the Spanish Troubadour tunes and Las Cantigas de Santa Maria. I was wrong, and I was disappointed at first. I quickly changed my mind after giving the entire album a listen, and was enchanted. If you like the quick, lively medieval ...

BRAHMS: Edition - Complete Works

1 review
Bo Skovhus, Gunther Leib, ...

Brilliant Classics, 2008

Good budget set.
Alright, I'll admit upfront that I haven't gotten through this entire set yet (or even close to it) but I've sampled enough to where I feel I'm able to give a good opinion. Orchestral music: Inconsistent. The Violin Concerto is the worst of the bunch, with slow tempi and a soloist who takes irritating artificial pauses (ands make it sound like she's barely able to play the piece). The first ...

Grieg: Lyric Pieces / Emil Gilels

21 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 ...

Chopin: Favorite Piano Works

14 reviews
Frederic Chopin, Vladimir Ashkenazy

Decca, 1996

Why are you waiting?
Ashkenazy is one of the titans of Chopin. Davidovich and Arrau are the other two. They're all you need. Get Davidovich for the concertos, (inlcuding the Krakowiak--Op 14), Arrau for the nocturnes and a few micscellaneous pieces. Ashkenazy handles everything else. (Btw, Ashkenazy vs. Davidovich re. the impromptus is a toss up. But since the impromptus aren't on this disc, you can make that ...

Story Of Chopin In Words And Music

1 review
Frederic Chopin, Ingrid Haebler

Vox (Classical), 1995

BEAUTIFUL MUSIC/WAY TO LEARN ABOUT CHOPIN & HISTORY
The music is so wonderful, perhaps a better description is that the music is so beautiful that it almost seems surreal - Wow! So breathtaking, so Chopin!!! Add to the music, a great written biography on Chopin's life and you've got one incredible hour of enjoyment/learning. The first 1/2 hour mixes Chopin's story with his music; the second 1/2 hour is some of Chopin's greatest works! Great for ...

The Chopin Ballades & Scherzos [Hybrid SACD]

4 reviews
Frederic Chopin, Artur Rubinstein

RCA, 2004

As Good As It Gets
Rubinstein was in his prime when these versions of the Chopin Ballades and Scherzos were recorded in 1959. Curiously, although this was his third version of the Scherzos, he had never before recorded the Ballades. Rubinstein was temperamentally well suited to these works, moreso than in the Mazurkas and Preludes. The narrative aspect of the Ballades suited his intuitive sense of structure ...

My Favorite Brahms

7 reviews
Johannes Brahms, Van Cliburn

RCA, 1999

A must have for all Brahms fans!
I myself am a HUGE Brahms fan. This recording brings us perhaps some of the most beautiful music ever written for piano. Van Cliburn's interpretation is simply amazing. He can be as soft and subtle as any, while at the same time can play with vigor and fury. I frequently consult this disk for new ideas or perhaps different views. The quality of the recording is spectacular - crisp, clear, and ...

Louis Moreau Gottschalk: Piano Music

11 reviews
Louis Moreau Gottschalk, Cecile Licad

Naxos American, 2003

A very powerful performance
June 7, 2003 This is a very powerful performance by Licad, the first in a long while. I had a chance to compare her recording with an earlier recording of Gottschalk's piano works by another (relatively unknown) pianist, and I must say that the latter recording pales miserably in comparison to Licad's. Listening to Licad play in this recording, I can't help but be reminded of Vladimir ...

Leif Ove Andsnes: Ballad for Edvard Grieg

3 reviews
Leif Ove Andsnes

EMI Classics, 2008

Lovely collection of Grieg's Piano pieces... Fine DVD from EMI
This is a lovely collection of Grieg's more famous piano pieces by one of the finest Grieg interpreters of our time. Leif Ove Andsnes' recordings of these works stand comparison with the best there is. The high point here is undoubtedly the introspective Ballade in G Minor. It manages to eclipse even the more famous A Minor Piano Concerto which comes in an earnest, straightforward reading with ...

Chopin: 4 Ballades; Fantaisie, Op. 49; Prelude, Op. 45

22 reviews
Frederic Chopin, Maurizio Pollini

Deutsche Grammophon, 1999

Making a case for Pollini in the Ballades?
Piano recitals tend to bring out good reviewers here at Amazon, but Pollini's Chopin Ballades haven't been well described yet. Each reviewer seem to have strong thumbs-up or thumbs-down opinions. They declare that Pollini is either in top form or has lost his touch completely. As to the bare facts, Pollini plays all these works faster than the norm--Kissin, who recorded the Ballades in 1998 ...

Norton Recorded Anthology of Western Music, Fifth Edition, Volume 1: Ancient to Baroque (6 CDs)

3 reviews

W. W. Norton, 2005

The Standard
If you're a music student at almost any major school (I just finished my undergraduate at Indiana University, for example) you'll most likely need to take a course that uses these CD's as part of its history survey. For that purpose, this set is an excellent collection. These, with their companion Norton Anthology of Western Music, and in conjunction with Grout/Palisca's History of Western ...

Liszt: Piano Works

4 reviews
Franz Liszt, Georg Solti, ...

Decca, 2001

A great collection of Liszt treasures
The booklet of this set has an interesting explanation of why Jorge Bolet stayed out of the spotlights for so long before taking up his -glorious- career. It was his devotion to Liszt. By then, in the 1950s, Liszt was still regarded as a B-composer (There are still people who tend to think so: I read someone who called Liszt `the father of all bar pianists'. Now, if you know a worse offence...). ...

Brahms: Works for Solo Piano

15 reviews
Johannes Brahms, Julius Katchen

Decca, 1997

A wonderful offering.
There may be the individual recording made by others - Gilels, Rubinstein, Arrau - of a particular piece which might be preferred but as a collection of the Brahms piano works, this set has to take the prize. The quality of original recording is high and the digital transfer seemingly well done. One has to listen very attentively to detect which of the four Ballades were recorded monaurally; a ...

Most Romantic Classical Music in the Universe

3 reviews
Georges Bizet, Claude Debussy, ...

Denon Records, 2004

Great Mood Music
This is a great CD to compliment any romantic situation. A meal by candle light, champagne on the veranda, or a Jacuzzi for two! Very soothing.

My Favorite Chopin

11 reviews
Frederic Chopin, Van Cliburn

RCA, 1997

The Best Classical Piano Album of All Time
I loved this album so much I have bought it four times; I wore out two vinyl copies and a CD. This is the best pianist of the 20th century playing some of the best piano music ever written. Van Cliburn's meteoric rise to fame was no accident. His effortless technical perfection, his ability to play the great works with feeling and grandeur are unique. On this album he has chosen 8 tracks that ...

Ballad For Edvard Grieg

3 reviews
Edvard Grieg, Berliner Philharmoniker, ...

EMI Classics, 2007

Outstanding Performance Disappointing CD
Imagine my surprise when I received this CD, and after removing the shrink wrap discovered that 9 of the 10 tracks or 2 of the 3 works on this CD were re-issues. The Piano Concerto in A minor Op 16 is a reissue from 2002 and the 6 Lyric Pieces were originally issued on a wonderful disc in 2001. Until I looked at the notes inside the jewel case I thought these were new performances. Shame on ...

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