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Great Pianists [Box] [Germany] | ![Great Pianists [Box] [Germany]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41E9OyywsWL._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Artist: Various Artists
Label: Documents
Category: Music
List Price: $17.99
Buy New: $17.98
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New (4) from $17.98
Rating:  1 reviews
Sales Rank: 312284
Format: Box Set, Import
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 10
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 5.2 x 5 x 1.3
EAN: 4011222240958
ASIN: B000TIY3XI
Release Date: July 19, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Condition: Brand new Item. CD, DVD, Book, VHS more than 400 000 titles to choose from. ALL days Low Price !
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| Tracks:
| • | Andante Con Variazioni In F Minor Hob. Xvii-6 (Friedrich Gulda) | | • | Sonata No.8 In A Minor K.310 (Friedrich Gulda) | | • | Impromptus Op.90 D.899 (Friedrich Gulda) | | • | Sonata No.21 In C Major Op.52 Waldstein (Friedrich Gulda) | | • | Sonata In E Flat Major Hob. Xvi-52 (Wilhelm Backhaus) | | • | Piano Sonata No.17 In D Minor Op.31 No.2 Der Sturm (Wilhelm Backhaus) | | • | Seven Studies Op.25 (Wilhelm Backhaus) | | • | Nocturne In D Flat Major Op.27 No.2 (Wilhelm Backhaus) | | • | Waltz In E Flat Major Op.18 (Wilhelm Backhaus) | | • | Impromptu Op.142 No.4 In F Minor (Rudolf Serkin) | | • | Capriccio In B Major Bwv 992 (Rudolf Serkin) | | • | Sonata No.23 Op.57 In F Minor Appassionata (Rudolf Serkin) | | • | Variations On A Theme Of Handel Op.24 (Rudolf Serkin) | | • | Rondo Capriccioso In E Major Op.14 (Rudolf Serkin) | | • | Rondo Capriccioso In E Major Op.14 (Shura Cherkassky) | | • | Sonata No.1 In F Sharp Minor Op.11 (Shura Cherkassky) | | • | Sonata Op.1 (Shura Cherkassky) | | • | L Isle Joyeuse (Shura Cherkassky) | | • | Trois Mouvements De Petrouchka (Shura Cherkassky) | | • | Toccata (Shura Cherkassky) | | • | Fantasia In B Minor Op.28 (Lazar Berman) | | • | 5 Schubert Transcriptions (Lazar Berman) | | • | Six Moments Musicaux Op.16 (Lazar Berman) | | • | Les FunERailies (Lazar Berman) | | • | Sonata In D Minor L.422 (Emil Gilels) | | • | Sonata In D Minor L.422 (Emil Gilels) | | • | Sonata In D Minor L.423 (Emil Gilels) | | • | Sonata In F Minor L.118 (Emil Gilels) | | • | Sonata In A Major L.395 (Emil Gilels) | | • | Sonata In B Minor L.449 (Emil Gilels) | | • | Sonata In G Major L.487 (Emil Gilels) | | • | Pour Le Piano (Emil Gilels) | | • | Etudes Symphoniques Op.13 (Emil Gilels) | | • | Etudes Op.25 (GEZa Anda) | | • | Die DavidsbUeNdlertAeNze Op.6 (GEZa Anda) | | • | Piano Sonata No.13 In A Major D.664, Op.120 (GEZa Anda) | | • | Intermezzo In E Flat Major Op.118 No.6 (Witold Malcuzynski) | | • | Rhapsody In G Minor Op.79 No.2 (Witold Malcuzynski) | | • | Sonata No.23 In F Minor Op.57 Appassionata (Witold Malcuzynski) | | • | Nocturne No.13 In C Minor Op.48 No.1 (Witold Malcuzynski) | | • | Ballade No.3 In A Flat Major Op.47 (Witold Malcuzynski) | | • | Mazurka No.15 In C Major Op.24 No.2 (Witold Malcuzynski) | | • | Mazurka No.17 In B Flat Minor Op.24 No.4 (Witold Malcuzynski) | | • | Scherzo No.3 In C Sharp Minor Op.39 (Witold Malcuzynski) | | • | Mazurka No.45 In A Minor Op.67 No.4 (Witold Malcuzynski) | | • | Valse In G Flat Major Op.70 No.1 (Witold Malcuzynski) | | • | Etude In C Minor Op.10 No.12 Revolutionary (Witold Malcuzynski) | | • | Fantasie In F Minor Op.49 (Georges Cziffra) | | • | Scherzo No.2 In B Flat Minor Op.31 (Georges Cziffra) | | • | Piano Sonata No.2 In B Flat Minor Op.35 (Georges Cziffra) | | • | Rhapsodie Espagnole (Georges Cziffra) | | • | Liebestraum No.3 In A-Flat Major (Georges Cziffra) | | • | Polonaise No.2 In E Major (Georges Cziffra) | | • | Grand Galop Chromatique (Georges Cziffra) | | • | Hungarian Rhapsody N.6 In D Flat Major (Georges Cziffra) | | • | Goldberg-Variationen Bwv 988 (Bruno Canino) |
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Album Details
10CD box set.
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Great pianists in the lump, for a bargain price December 26, 2008
Anton Zimmerling (Moscow, Russia)
This 10 CD set offers 11 live recitals given by 10 famous pianists in Switzerland from 1953 to 1994. Each pianist is credited by a single CD. Only Backhaus CD contains fragments from two different programs (1953 and 1960), all the other pianists are represented by a single program. The liner notes are absent, and it is impossible to establish, whether some pieces actually played were omitted on the CD or not.
The Aura/Documents is a label, which does not undertake any restoring job. That means that if original sources are fine, you get a fine sound, otherwise not. Keeping in mind the price of this set, its sound quality, the program and the interpretative value of these recordings, I can rate it with some four stars - five stars for program and the interpretations, five stars for the price, three stars for the sound and for the lack of information.
Of course, not all pianists from this compilation were equally great, but they represent different piano schools, and everyone is worth hearing. The high points are: 1) CD 2. Backhaus Lugano 1953 recital w. Chopin Studies from Op. 25 and the D flat Nocturne Op. 27, No. 2; 2) CD 8. Cziffra 1963 -Liszt, Rhapsodie espagnole, Polonaise No. 2 and Rhapsody No. 6; 3) CD 7. Anda 1965 - Schubert, Sonata No. 13; 4) CD 1. Gulda 1968 - Mozart, Sonata No. 8 KV 308; 5) Serkin 1957 - Schubert, Impromptu in F minor, Op. 142, No. 1. Some other items are less successful - I guess that the pianists themselves probably would like to draw them back if they could.
The program of these 11 recitals is excellent: it ranges from Haydn and Mozart to Alban Berg and Stravinsky, via Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Chopin and Liszt. It is also nice that in some cases a listener can compare two different approaches to the same work: `Apassionata' (Serkin vs Malcuzinsky), Haydn's Andante con variazoni (Gulda vs Backhaus), Mendelssohn's Rondo Capriccioso (Cherkassky vs Serkin), Chopin Etudes from Op. 25 (Backhaus vs Anda).
I am not specially collecting the pianists from this set, except for Backhaus, Anda and Cherkassky, but I'll possibly look for more Cziffra and Serkin CDs after hearing these recitals.
The overall quality is high, and most pianists are playing on the level of their reputation. However, I noticed an unpleasant effect during the performance of two complete cycles: Anda and Gulda play the first half of Chopin, Etudes Op. 25 and Schubert, Impromptus Op. 90 for the music, while the second half of these cycles is played for the public - as a result Anda's and Gulda's attractive touch occasionally becomes rude. In this respect no reproach can be made to Backhaus, Gilels or Cherkassky - they hold the reigns and don't change their manner after an enthusiastic reaction.
Some details about each CD from the reviewed set.
CD 2. Backhaus - Lugano 11.6.1953 and Lugano 18.5.1960. The earlier Lugano recital is a treasure. The only caveat is that it is included in every second Backhaus CD. Chopin's D flat Nocturne Op. 27.2 and Etudes from Op. 25 are among the best versions on record. There exist a 1927 studio variant of all Chopin studies with Backhaus and a studio Chopin selection from 1950/53. All these versions are great, but the D flat Nocturne was recorded only at this recital.
CD 9. Cziffra - Ascona 27.09.1963. All major Liszt works - Polonaise in E major, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 and Rhapsodie Espagnole are electryfing. Chopin's 2nd Sonata is not successful, but the F minor Fantasy Op. 49 is fine.
CD 7. Anda - Ascona 16.09.1965. Anda is playing Chopin's studies Op. 25, Schumann's Davidsbuendler dances Op. 6 and Schubert, Sonata No. 13 in A, D.644. There is a studio version of Op. 25 - one of the best in the discography of these pieces. The first half cycle in this live variant is fine. Schumann, Op. 6 was recorded by Anda in studio in the same year (DG); the studio version is better, but this one is fine, too. The real stunner is Schubert' sonata D. 644 - Anda did not record it in studio (at least I am not aware of it).
CD 1. Gulda - Lugano 19.01.1968. Gulda is a great Mozart pianist: his version of Sonata in A minor, KV 310 stands a comparison with Lipatti or Gieseking. Other items are weaker, but Gulda's fans will like them.
CD 3. Serkin - Lugano 22.5.1957. I was enthralled by Schubert's Impromptu in F minor (track 1). Everything else is convincing, too, though Serkin's pianism is a bit limited: in more difficult places, as in the final movement of Beethoven, Op. 57 he sounds not that clean. I prefer his account of Mendelssohn's Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 14, to Cherkassky (CD 4), despite he could not show up such a pyrotechnics in the coda, as Cherkassky.
CD 4. Cherkassky - Lugano 5.12.1963. The program includes Berg's Sonata, Stravinsky's Petrouchka, Poulenc's Toccata, along with Mendelssohn and Schumann. Cherkassky's sound is beautiful and he is a true virtuoso. But on that day his playing was uninvolved.
CD 6. Gilels - Lugano 25.09.1984. In this case, both the sound is good and the piano idol was in an inspired mood. It is a matter of your taste, whether you approve Gilels' approach to the composers he chose for that recital. I think that his method of playing ruins Scarlatti's music (7 sonatas), but Debussy's `Pour le piano' is very effective: it is *not* performed in a French style, but I enjoy the textures here, be it Debussy or something else. Schumann's Symphonic Studies Op. 13 get a grand performance, but this is not my personal favorite.
CD 5 Berman - Lugano 28.11.1989 & CD 8 Malcuzynski - Locarno 13.03.1963. The program of these pianists is more fine than their interpretation, which I found mainstream. Berman performed 5 Schubert-Liszt transcription's and Rachmaninov's 6 Moments musicaux, Op. 16. Malcuzynski started the program with Brahms intermezzo, Op. 118.6 and concluded it with Chopin's `Revolutionary' Study, with `Apassionata' in between. The touch is disappointing, especially after Backhaus, Gilels or Cherkassky. Personally, I wouldn't return to this compilation because of Malcuzynski. But his CDs are very rare, so it is perhaps not a bad idea to get him in a box-set.
CD 10. Canino - Lugano 17.01.1993. Canino performs J.S.Bach' Goldberg-variations. This is a good CD - if you enjoy Bach on a piano and wish to have an extra piano version, in addition to Gould.
Surely my reactions were different, if I were present at any of these live recitals in Switzerland. But I am just describing the impressions of a listener who had not had such an opportunity - and is rather tolerant to the sound quality of vintage recordings.
Recommended for the pianophils.
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