Chopin, Frederic

Martha Argerich Plays Chopin: The Legendary 1965 Recording

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Martha Argerich CD
Fabulous recording
Excellent
A restored jewel in the Argerich catalog
Not Argerich at her best, but still very impressive.

Martha Argerich Plays Chopin: The Legendary 1965 Recording
Martha Argerich
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Debut Recital / Martha Argerich
Rachmaninoff: Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30 / Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23
J.S. Bach: Toccata, Partita, English Suite 2/ Martha Argerich
Chopin, Liszt: Piano Concertos / Martha Argerich, London Symphony Orchestra
Chopin: 26 Préludes, etc / Martha Argerich

ASIN: B00000IWVS
Release Date: 1999-05-18

Tracks:

Piano Sonata No.3 In B Minor, Op.58: I. Allegro maetoso
Piano Sonata No.3 In B Minor, Op.58: II. Scherzo: Molto vivace
Piano Sonata No.3 In B Minor, Op.58: III. Largo
Piano Sonata No.3 In B Minor, Op.58: IV. Finale: Presto, non tanto
Mazurka No.36 In A Minor, Op.59 No.1
Mazurka No.37 In A-flat, Op.59 No.2
Mazurka No.38 In F-sharp Minor, Op.59 No.3
Nocturne No.4 In F, Op.15 No.1
Scherzo No.3 In C-sharp Minor, Op.39
Polonaise No.6 In A-flat, Op.53

Amazon.com's Best of 1999

Record-label politics prevented this awesome recording of Argentinean pianist Martha Argerich from being released for 34 years. The spitfire musician delivers a powerful set of Chopin's best-loved works that still sounds riveting today. Intense and gorgeous. --Jason Verlinde

Amazon.com essential recording

How can it be that a recording by one of today's indisputably unequaled pianists performing some of her prime repertory--made fresh within months of her triumph in the 1965 Warsaw International Chopin Competition--could languish for decades in the vaults before its official release? Chalk it up to the exclusivity clauses of rival recording companies and legal constraints from which not even Wotan with the help of Loge could extricate himself. Thankfully this belated EMI release--recorded in a few sessions at the Abbey Road studios--is finally available.

It's a significant complement to Argerich's other accounts of Chopin on disc. From the white-hot intensity of Argerich's way with the composer, you can easily extrapolate a sense of what had recently wowed the jury in Warsaw. The Argentinean pianist undertakes the Third Sonata as a vast, big-voiced, far-reaching statement that encompasses both molten power and moments of almost unbearably intimate lyricism (listen closely to her gestures of illumination in the Largo). With a characteristically unforced spontaneity, Argerich sounds the shattering chords that launch the finale (recorded in one take); her sense of flow in the Nocturne No. 4 is a perfect mesh for the illusion of improvising that is so central to Chopin. She commands the logic--both emotional and musical--of the composer's skittish turns in the Scherzo No. 3 and crafts three of the mazurkas into perfectly chiseled character pieces. The sheer force of Argerich's personality might seem overwhelming to those accustomed to a tamer Chopin--listen to how she dives into the A-flat Polonaise--but it's always at work dusting off tired clichés and uncovering the music's expressive wealth. For those who know about Argerich's artistry, this disc is indispensable; anyone who has yet to make that enviable discovery will find it (together with the Argerich anthology in Philips' Great Pianists series) a great place to begin. --Thomas May

Customer Reviews:

Martha Argerich CD.......2007-06-12

Excellent service -- speedy, just as described, well-packaged. I'd definitely buy from this seller again.

Fabulous recording.......2007-04-12

A most interesting history in the liner notes and a fabulous recording. One of the best for a piano CD collection.

Excellent.......2007-04-12

Only one word: Excellent.
Though someone might have different feeling, I'm crazy on this 1965 recording.

A restored jewel in the Argerich catalog.......2006-09-03

If I had to pick a single CD to win awed admiration for Martha Argerich, this Chopin recital would be it. Only 24 when she made these long-suppressed recordings, Argerich's musicality and dazzling technqiue defy belief. Every ounce of praise for her Third Sonata is deserved--it's spontaneous, flexible, intense, by turns tender and declamatory. The most blessed quality is that she doesn't bang or harangue us--not always the case in later years. Her sense of urgency doesn't become eckless; the bursts of excitment aren't oerly explosive.

My only caveat would be for audiophiles. Although an Abbey Road studio recording, you get the feeling somewhat that Argerich is performing in a boomy hall. Also, in the loudest fortes there's mircophone shatter. For many listeners these drawbacks won't matter a whit, not in the face of an undisputed keyboard genius.

Not Argerich at her best, but still very impressive........2006-06-07

Argerich's playing is nothing short of miraculous. It's as if God's most precious gifts had been all bestowed upon her - she makes other pianists pale in comparison. This record is no exception, even though it's not Argerich at her best. At times her playing here is too straightforward, too agressive, yes, even too intimidating, and I don't know if she's really being faifhtul to Chopin's music. It sounds as if she's intent on shunning people away from playing the piano and effacing every other interpretation from the face of the earth. It just doesn't fit Chopin's music all that well, but it's still worth buying and listening to thousands of times.

The Most Relaxing Classical Album In the World Ever, Volume II

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The Most Relaxing Classical Album In the World Eveer, Volume II
Great music listein to while you read in bed
A must buy for the non-snobbish classical music fan.
A bliss of spirit.
Boring

The Most Relaxing Classical Album In the World Ever, Volume II
Gabriel Faure , Frederic Chopin , Antonio Vivaldi , Gustav Mahler , Claude Debussy , Sir Neville Marriner , Maris Jansons , Lorin Maazel , Sir Adrian Boult , Miklos Rozsa , Riccardo Muti , Stephen Cleobury , Sir John Barbirolli , New Philharmonia Orchestra , Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus , Academy of St. Martin in the Fields , and Berlin Philharmonic
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Most Relaxing Classical Album in the World...Ever!
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Mozart for Relaxation
Best of the Millennium: Top 40 Classical Hits

ASIN: B00002439O
Release Date: 2003-03-11

Tracks:

Sheep May Safely Graze - Sir Neville Marriner
Serenade In G 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik' - Sir Neville Marriner
Violin Concerto No.1 In G Minor, Op.26 - II. Adagio - Yedudi Menuhin
Nocturne No.2 In E Flat Op.9 No.2 - John Ogdon
Miserere Mei, Deus - Stephen Cleobury
Schindler's List - Tasmin Little
Traumerei - Dame Moura Lympany
Dance Of The Sylphs - Sir Neville Marriner
Water Music - Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Symphony No.9: II. Largo - Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
Jean De Florette - Toots Thielemans
Concerto For Lute And Two Violins - II. Largo - Anthony Bailes
Cello Concerto In E Minor Op.85 - III. Adagio - Jacqueline De Pre
Waltz No.15 In A Flat - Dame Moura Lympany
Romance - Piers Lane
Pavane - Maurice Handford
Woodbrook - Micheal O Suilleabhain
Time To Say Goodbye - Orchestra

Tracks:

The Four Seasons - Concerto No.1 In E 'Spring' - Yehundi Menuhin
Dance Of The Blessed Spirits - New Philharmonia Orchestra
Double Violin Concerto In D Minor - II. Largo Ma Non Tanto - Yehudi Menuhin
Prelude No.7 In A Op.28 No.7 - Tzimon Barto
Cantique De Jean Racine - MONKS AND CHOIRBOYS OF DOWNSIDE ABBEY
The Lark Ascending - Hugh Bean
'Pathetique Sonata Op.13 - II. Adagio Cantabile - Leonard Pennario
Pie Jesu - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
Salut D'Amour - Richard Hickox
La Fille Aux Cheveux De Lin (The Girl With Flaxen Hair) - Dame Moura Lympany
The Coventry Carol - Medeval Babes
Pavane For A Dead Princess - New Philharmonia Orchestra
Liebestraum No.3 In A Flat - John Ogdon
Panis Angelicus - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Piano Concerto No.2 In F Op.102 - II. Andante - Dmitri Alexeev
Agnus Dei - Peter Barley
Symphony No.5 In C Sharp Minor - IV. Adagietto - New Philharmonia Orchestra
My Heart Will Go On - Orchestra

Customer Reviews:

The Most Relaxing Classical Album In the World Eveer, Volume II.......2006-08-28

Good selection of music, poorly performed and badly arranged. Good album for a tag sale. Same comment applies for Volume I.

Great music listein to while you read in bed.......2005-08-21

I have listened to this CD for the last several years before going to sleep at night. I love classical music, and this is great music to help make my soul feel at peace and unwind after a taxing day.

A must buy for the non-snobbish classical music fan........2004-10-22

I bought Vol. 1 of this series and was quite satisfied, but I have to say I'm more than satisfied with this one. If you can just mellow out and enjoy some great pieces, you'll love this CD. #15 on Disc 2 is almost worth the price alone!

A bliss of spirit........2004-09-18

That's disc will open You a wonderful, beautiful world of sounds, their harmony & emotion : you'll feel your heart full of
Joy, Tears, Love.
Good LUCK!

Boring.......2004-05-11

Yes this CD will put you to sleep in minutes. Its the most boring uninspiring classical music. The first CD was very good but this Vol. 2 is like most movie sequels....AWFUL !

The Pianist: Music from the Motion Picture

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Marvellous!
Absolutely beautiful
one word beautiful
Felt the movie,now feel the music that truly inspires..
A Too-Easily Dismissed Artist

The Pianist: Music from the Motion Picture
Janusz Olejniczak , and Frederic Chopin
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Pianist: Original Recordings of Wladyslaw Szpilman
The Pianist: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945
The Pianist
Shine: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
The Piano

ASIN: B00007E8SQ
Release Date: 2002-11-26

Tracks:

Nocturne in C-Sharp minor (1830)
Nocturne in E minor, Op. 72, No. 1
Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48, No. 1
Ballade No. 2 in F Major, Op. 38
Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23
Waltz No. 3 in A minor, Op. 34, No. 2
Prilude in E minor, Op. 28, No. 4
Grande Polonaise for Piano and Orchestra (preceded by an Andante Spianato), Op. 22
Andante spianato in G Major
Grande Polonaise in E-flat Major
Moving to the Ghetto Oct. 31, 1940
Mazurka in A minor, Op. 17, No. 4

Amazon.com

Roman Polanski's telling of famed Polish composer-pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman's survival in the Nazi-controlled Warsaw ghetto can't help but be infused with the director's deepest passions: he himself escaped the Kraków ghetto as a boy of 7. The musician's status as a musical hero to the oppressed Polish Jews of World War II was surpassed only by that of Chopin, the composer who was at the core of Szpilman's repertoire. Thus this score revolves tightly around Chopin's music, with modern Polish pianist Janusz Olejniczak paying passionate homage to both his musical and national forebears, the haunting strains of the Nocturne in C-sharp Minor setting the film's historical and dramatic tone. The underscore of previous Polanski collaborator Wojciech Kilar (The Ninth Gate, Death and the Maiden) is represented here by the soulful "Moving to the Ghetto," a cue that helps anchor the soundtrack's troubling time and place with understated grace. The collection concludes with a rare, remastered performance of Chopin's Mazurka Op. 17, No.4 by Szpilman himself, recorded in Warsaw in 1948. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

Marvellous!.......2006-02-11

While being very familiar with the Holocaust and F. Chopin's work, I have to admit I had no idea who Wladyslaw Szpilman was. After watching Polanski's masterpiece of a movie, I'm glad that I got to know the life of a man who went through hell and managed to survive thanks to the courage and strength given to him by Chopin's music that he constantly played in his head under surreal circumstances.

"The Pianist" music soundtrack is a wonderful collection of Chopin's piano works. Of course a few masterpieces of the polish great composer have been left out, but I think that's more than understable. After all, Polanski needed certain pieces that connected best with some of the images and scenes of his movie. And in the end we all agree that he certainly pulled it off.

Before watching the movie, I didn't know who Janusz Olejniczak was either. Now I do. His Chopin is really marvellous, especially the "Nocturne in C-sharp Minor", "La grande Polonaise brillante" and "Nocturne in E Minor Op. 72 No 1". Getting to know Olejniczak's Chopin is yet another reason to be thankful to Polanski.

Absolutely beautiful.......2006-01-30

While not versed in the finer aspects of classical music or their composers as other reviewers on this page are, I like to think of myself as someone who appreciates classical music and the Pianist soundtrack is classical music at its best.

Being half-Polish, I heard of Frederic Chopin through the years but was never told of him or his beautiful - if somewhat sad - music (I learned much about Beethoven, my favorite composer, though). I was cheated but feel that I have caught up for lost time with this soundtrack.

My favorite track is "Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72, No. 1." It's four and a half minutes of pure bliss. Kudos to Janusz Olejniczak for playing beyond beautiful piano (he's not a concert pianist for no reason, eh?).

The Pianist is one of the best movie soundtracks of all time. The movie was powerful (unlike *other* directors who made Holocaust films, Roman actually lived through that black period in human history, making it a cut above the rest), the book was moving and the soundtrack is great relaxation.

one word beautiful.......2005-11-08

Excellent and very beautiful. The Grand Polonaise in E flat major fantastic.

Felt the movie,now feel the music that truly inspires.........2005-05-29

The Pianist is a great and "fantaztisch" movie itself! Note the great actors Adrien Brody and Thomas Kretschmann. Now, how would the movie be without the music itself that inspired and still inspiring thousands of people who listened to it.

All the piano works are classical and have a story of it's own.
From the Nocturnes; sad, moving and played on the first part of the movie (yes, the intro) and when the jews are fighting and facing their nightmares.
To Ballade 1 & 2, which was played by Spilzman (adrien brody) in that movie when he met up with the german officer Hosenfeld (thomas kretschmann)..

Just by listening to the soundtrack you could already see and feel the whole movie. Especially the Nocturnes... very touching.. recommending this album to those who fell in love to the piano works in the movie like i was, just by listening it for the first time! :)

A Too-Easily Dismissed Artist.......2005-05-09

A previous reviewer considerately corrected others who are perhaps not as well versed as he is about classical music. That reviewer also quite cavalierly dismissed the playing of Janusz Olejniczak, chiefly it appears because this is a movie soundtrack.
A number of eminent pianists - Rubinstein, Bolet, Moravec, Ax, among many others - have recorded movie soundtracks. And, like them, Olejniczak has recorded a great deal more. For instance, his albums for the Opus 111 label, which also recorded Sokolov, should be sampled by all lovers of Chopin, if only because Olejniczak can be heard playing on one record an Erard piano from Chopin's time, and on another an even more remarkable Pleyel. It's fascinating to find the Erard really does have what Chopin called a "ready-made" tone; the Pleyel by comparison is a revelation.
But then so it the playing of Olejniczak. He was not discovered by Roman Polanski. Olejniczak was a prize-winner of the Warsaw Chopin competition at the age of 18. He is greatly respected in his native Poland and in Japan, which both know something about great Chopin playing.
Olejniczak is a forceful artist who nevertheless never pounds; one frequently is put in mind of how Chopin envied the powerful way Liszt played his etudes. Olejniczak's Polish "accent" is, of course, entirely appropriate for Chopin, as is his wonderful voicing of chords and sure but free rhythm. Olejniczak plays with a full-throated lyricism -- it is the Bellini of "Norma" rather than "Sonnambula" -- but the pianist can also be touchingly tender. Above all he is dramatic in the fullest sense, vividly characterizing each piece. It's easy to see why Polanski and other film directors have been drawn to him. Chopin clearly is Olejniczak's life blood.
That previous reviewer may sincerely prefer such very different musicians, one to the other, as Rachmaninoff, Rubinstein, Cortot and Argerich, but I hope no one will hold it against Olejniczak (who, by the way, I don't know personally -- no special pleading here!) simply because he is not as widely known as some other pianists. He is a genuine find, and Polanski should be thanked for sharing a superb talent with a wider public.

Average customer rating:

A Divine Revelation
Fantastic

Dinu Lipatti: Besancon Recital
Dinu Lipatti , Frederic Chopin , and Johann Sebastian Bach
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Great Recordings Of The Century - Dinu Lipatti
The Complete Chopin Recordings
Dinu Lipatti plays Chopin, Enescu, Ravel, Liszt & Brahms
Chopin: Waltzes Nos. 1-14
Piano Concertos

ASIN: B0001HAHPA
Release Date: 2004-03-23

Tracks:

I. Prelude
II. Allemande
III. Courante
IV. Sarabande
V. Menuet I & Menuet II
VI. Gigue
I. Allegro Maestoso
II. Andante Cantabile Con Espressione
III. Presto
No.3 In G Flat
No.2 In E Flat
No.5 In A Flat Op.42
No.6 In D Flat Op.64 No.1
No.9 In A Flat Op.69 No.1
No.7 In C Sharp Op.64 No.2
No.11 In G Flat Op.70 No.1
No.10 In B Minor Op.69 No.2
No.14 In E Minor Op.Posth.
No.3 In A Minor Op.34 No.2
No.4 In F Op.34 No.3
No.12 In F Minor Op.70 No.2
No.13 In D Flat Op.70 No.3
No.8 In A Flat Op.64 No.3
No.1 In E Flat Op.18

Customer Reviews:

A Divine Revelation.......2005-06-14

Everyone who knows what they are talking about agrees: Dinu Lipatti was heaven sent. Cortot thought so, so did Walter Legge and countless others. This recording is nothing short of the last and greatest divine revelation Lipatti gave us. The Schubert G Flat Major impromptu is one of the most amazing performances around. If you are a pianist, you must listen to Lipatti to understand what piano playing means.

Fantastic.......2004-07-08

One of the most classic recitals in music history, played by a GOD.

Maria João Pires - Chopin · The Nocturnes

Average customer rating:

An absolute treasure by a masterful artist
Clear and Flowing, with Emotions Churning Just Beneath the Music
Deep - The Simple made Complex
Stunning interpretation!!!
Chopin's Nocturnes as Songs for the Gloaming

Maria João Pires - Chopin · The Nocturnes
Frédéric Chopin , and Maria João Pires
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Chopin: Nocturnes
Maria Joao Pires ~ Chopin - Concerto for Piano & Orchestra No. 2 (Op. 21), 24 Preludes (Op. 28)

ASIN: B000001GPN
Release Date: 1996-11-19

Tracks:

No. 1 In B Flat Minor, Op. 9 No. 1: Larghetto
No. 2 In E Flat Major, Op. 9 No. 2: Andante
No. 3 In B Major, Op. 9 No. 3: Allegretto
No. 4 In F Major, Op. 15 No. 1: Andante cantabile
No. 5 In F Sharp Major, Op. 15 No. 2: Larghetto
No. 6 In G Minor, Op. 15 No. 3: Lento
No. 7 In C Sharp Minor, Op. 27 No. 1: Larghetto
No. 8 In D Flat Major, Op. 27 No. 2: Lento sostenuto
No. 9 In B Major, Op. 32 No. 1: Andante sostenuto
No. 10 In A Flat Major, Op. 32 No. 2: Lento

Tracks:

No. 11 In G Minor, Op. 37 No. 1: Andante sostenuto
No. 12 In G Major, Op. 37 No. 2: Andantino
No. 13 In C Minor, Op. 48 No. 1: Lento
No. 14 In F Sharp Minor, Op. 48 No. 2: Andantino
No. 15 In F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1: Andante
No. 16 In E Flat Major, Op. 55 No. 2: Lento
No. 17 In B Major, Op. 62 No. 1: Andante
No. 18 In E Major, Op. 62 No. 2: Lento
No. 19 In E Minor, Op. Post 72 No. 1: Andante
No. 20 In C Sharp Minor, Op. Post: Lento con gran espressione
No. 21 In C Minor, Op. Post.

Customer Reviews:

An absolute treasure by a masterful artist.......2006-11-05

Pires's interpretations not only do justice to these nocturnes; they reveal most eloquently their depth, splendor, and beauty. Her technique is both graceful and powerful at once, truly a delight to the heart and soul of the listener.

No two artists are the same; the customer who recommends "skipping" this CD in favor of Rubinstein's interpretation does a disservice to those who would potentially find great satisfaction and joy from these recordings. Pires merits the highest of accolodes due any musician of her calibre.

Clear and Flowing, with Emotions Churning Just Beneath the Music.......2006-09-29

This is romantic Chopin. There is a dreaminess to these performances, which is fitting for "nocturnes." The music flows above an undercurrent of emotion, which sometimes surges to the surface but never overwhelms the listener. This music transports the listener beyond him or herself to deeper levels of feeling. Just lovely, and highly recommended.

Deep - The Simple made Complex.......2006-07-22

First, like everyone else I love Chopin, no suprises there
Second, these are very slow, and relatively easy to play as far as Chopin's music goes, which allows the "interpretation" or "reading" to take precedence over the technicality one is often bombarded with ala Horowitz (not knocking Horowitz, he and Argerich are my personal favorites), allowing not only Chopin's ideas to come through but also ones own, which is exactly what happened when the stars aligned and Pires sat down to bless prosperity with imo THE BEST complete set of Nocturnes, I can't eat just one, this disc is meant to be played through on repeat, a copy remains in my truck along with Rabin's Caprices, Argerich's 1965 recording, and a Horowitz hodgepodge CD of my own creation, those 3 CD's usually don't get the response a lover of piano and fiddle expects, as most people hear that stuff and call it noise, but this set will please ANY audience, providing they like music and have emotions, words cannot express this set, personal favorite is Opus 9 no.2 btw, but it'll be something diff next week :P
PS: all the other guys you hear about like Moravec and Pollini are OK but seem "constrained" imo, especially Pollini, I really can't listen them knowing this CD exists, if not this I would suggest Rubenstein as my second pick for the set, but again a distant 2nd

Stunning interpretation!!!.......2005-11-07

First of all, I will join in lambasting the fool below who claims there is only one way to interpret this music.

Chopin's nocturnes are not technically difficult pieces. Artistic interpretation is everything here. Maria Joao Pires plays with depth and sensitivity which rings true and clear. The first time I heard the first track (B-flat minor nocturne) on this set, my breath was taken away. This is truly a first class recording.

I own the interpretations by Artur Rubinstein, Daniel Barenboim, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Claudio Arrau, Idil Biret (Naxos), and Ivan Moravec. Moravec's version has been hailed as the best of this group, and until I heard Pires, I would have agreed. However, Pires's interpretation is every bit as valid AND the modern Deutsche Grammophon sound quality is superb (I noticed this album is now sold under the Decca label). [By the way, if you buy Moravec's version, get the overseas digitally remastered Ultima Nonesuch version from a European vendor so you don't get stuck with the US-licensed version]

Chopin's Nocturnes as Songs for the Gloaming.......2005-09-18

Maria João Pires is a pianist of subtle gifts and finds her niche in this popular recording of the twenty-one Nocturnes by Frédéric Chopin. And if ever there were a definitive mood for the setting of these beautiful, varied pieces it surely is in the hands of Pires. Other pianists may search for and find alternative phrasings to please the ear of their followers, but as for a presentation of the entire set of Nocturnes few can compete with this elegant performance.

Pires plays with full command of both hands: one hand does not accompany the other as in the playing of some other pianists. Pires produces a rich palette of timbre and nuance and that approach is particularly appropriate for this opus by Chopin the pianist. The pacing of each nocturne seems to assuredly glide into the one that follows and the spaciousness allowed by the 2 CD format allows all the suspense and relaxation before an after each number. This is a fine recording, one of the best of the entire set of Nocturnes, and Maria João Pires deserves the accolades garnered from this special album. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, September 05

Average customer rating:

Relaxing CD

James Galway - Serenade
Franz Schubert , Claude Debussy , Johann Sebastian Bach , Domenico Cimarosa , Frédéric Chopin , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Franz Liszt , Aram Khachaturian , Jules Massenet , Heitor Villa-Lobos , Tamezo Narita , Sergey Rachmaninov , Gabriel Faure , Riccardo Drigo , James Galway , Myung-Whun Chung , Charles Dutoit , Charles Gerhardt , Hiroyuki Iwaki , David Measham , Marisa Robles , Chamber Orchestra Europe , Phillip Moll , Ayako Shinozaki , and Kazuhito Yamashita
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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James Galway ~ Meditations
James Galway - Greatest Hits
James Galway - Dances for Flute
The Wind Beneath My Wings
The Legendary James Galway: Man With the Golden Flute

ASIN: B000003EUV
Release Date: 1989-06-28

Tracks:

Serenade / Standchen, D. 957
Nocturne, Op. 9, No. 2 in E - Flat
Reverie
Serenade: Largo
Suite No. 3: Air
La Fille aux cheveux de lin
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Adagio Of Spartacus & Phrygia
Meditation
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Song Of The Seashore
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Fantaisie
Serenade
La plus que lente

Customer Reviews:

Relaxing CD.......2000-06-12

If you enjoy James Galway, you should get this CD. It is wonderful easy listening music for when you are doing something else like reading. It is not as exciting as some of his other CDs but just as good. All the songs are beautiful and will be greatly appreciated.

Chopin: Sonata in B-flat minor, Berceuse, etc.

Average customer rating:

Unique and unforgettable
Moravec does it again.
Recomended to me and now I recommend it to you all !!!

Chopin: Sonata in B-flat minor, Berceuse, etc.
Frederic Chopin , and Ivan Moravec
Manufacturer: Vox (Classical)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Mazurkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Ivan Moravec Plays Debussy & Chopin
Chopin: Nocturnes
Chopin: 24 Preludes Ballade in F Minor
Moravec Plays Schumann & Franck
Ivan Moravec Plays Beethoven

ASIN: B00009PY4F
Release Date: 2003-05-27

Tracks:

CHOPIN Sonata in Bb minor Op. 35 1 Grave-Doppio movimento
CHOPIN Sonata in Bb minor Op. 35 2 Scherzo
CHOPIN Sonata in Bb minor Op. 35 3 Marche Funebre
CHOPIN Sonata in Bb minor Op. 35 4 Presto
CHOPIN Berceuse Op. 57
CHOPIN Ballade No. 4 in F minor Op. 52
CHOPIN Mazurka in E Op. 6 No. 3
CHOPIN Mazurka in Bb minor Op. 24 No. 4
CHOPIN Mazurka in Db Op. 30 No. 3
CHOPIN Fantaisie in F minor Op. 49

Album Description

Ivan Moravec plays CHOPIN Sonata in Bb minor Op. 35 Berceuse Op. 57 Ballade No. 4 in F minor Op. 52 Three Mazurkas; Op. 6 No. 3, Op. 24 No. 4, Op. 30 No. 3 Fantaisie in F minor Op. 49

Customer Reviews:

Unique and unforgettable.......2005-05-08

All of this music has been recorded many times over by musicians ranging from the dire to the sublime. For any Chopin recording to really stand out from the pack nowadays, it has to have some really special qualities. This is one of those recordings, and as someone who has never heard any other Moravec, it has made me eager to explore him further.

The B-flat minor Sonata of Chopin is a four-movement work cut from granite; the third movement is the Funeral March you hear at every memorial service today. The sonata can be shattering, but Moravec plays it with an inward expression I've never heard before in this piece, together with the most rounded tone to be recorded since Rubinstein. His interpretation is dramatic and majestic, not athletic, and certainly not bombastic.

The Berceuse is next, a short and deservedly popular cradle song which uses a gentle, rocking ostinato figure, practically unchanged through the entire piece, underneath what amounts to a kind of chaconne. I do not expect to ever hear it played with a greater inner peace than on this CD.

Following this little bon-bon is the great F minor Ballade, which is deeply tragic. A heavenly opening with subtle bell effects, which returns later in A major to great effect, is followed by a curiously obsessive theme which sounds like a song sung by a child in the wilderness. This theme keeps returning, in varied forms as the child grows into a full-fledged adult, until it returns one last time for the coda, in the form of an intense and furious two-part counterpoint which is among the most difficult passages in Chopin and leaves a strong psychological imprint.

Included in the CD are three Mazurkas, which are delightful. Strict Polish practice would entail prolonging the first beat for so long that it felt like a 4/4, rather than a 3/4 as notated. The usual approach today is to ignore this stylistic trait and play the Mazurkas like Waltzes, but Moravec's solution is to use a pungent rubato which fits the melody and accents its light, dance-like quality. Even if it is not a perfectly accurate mazurka style, Moravec is thoroughly charming.

The disc ends with the Fantaisie in F minor, a brilliant military-themed work which I both love and hate when I play it myself, because it is comfortable for the hand and very rewarding to listen to, but it is not easy to hold together structurally. This recording has gone a long way towards instructing me in how to do that. Without question, this Fantaisie stands head and shoulders over any other recording of this work I've heard, be it from Rubinstein, Pollini, Arrau, or Katchen, all legendary pianists in their own right.

In all, recommended in the strongest possible terms. Don't think twice.

Moravec does it again........2003-09-15

It doesn't really seem so long ago that I first heard Ivan Moravec and sat stunned at his superb artistry. But it has been 40 years, and this great master whom I heard play in his early thirties is now 73. And what has he recorded in that span? Three sonatas and five concertos of Mozart, a little Bach and Schumann, six Beethoven sonatas (while other pianists his age are on their second or even third complete cycle), the third and fourth Beethoven concertos, the Ravel Sonatine, some Brahms, some nice Czech music, and a good deal of wonderful Debussy and Chopin. In other words, just a few years' worth of recordings for some of the more famous names on the big labels. However, within his modest output, Ivan Moravec has given some of the greatest performances ever preserved.

So we are thankful whenever this musician-virtuoso records anything, and this latest release is nothing less than magnificent. Is it possible for a performance of the warhorse B-flat minor sonata of Chopin to sound strikingly fresh and new? Apparently so. This introspective reading is one for the ages. Other pianists (Pollini comes to mind) have certainly recorded unsurpassable renditions of this piece, but Moravec's is unique and incomparable. Moravec is capable of pyrotechnics, but they simply have no place here. Even so, each note is beautifully in place and given its full due, as if it were a human soul.

It is interesting to compare this performance of the fourth Ballade with the recording Moravec made back in 1966. The 2002 version seems more leisurely, but in fact has a shorter playing time. The earlier version makes the hair on the back of your neck stand on end. The new version puts you deep into thought. Apply superlatives to the rest of the disc and you have my review.

This disc is hard to find but certainly available, and at mid-price to boot.

Please, Ivan. The B minor sonata. The late Beethoven. Some more Mozart and Debussy. Anything you want to play.

Recomended to me and now I recommend it to you all !!!.......2003-06-18

I will make it very simple to digest:

Sound Quality, Performance, Selection, Price: 10 out of 10.
I was so impressed with this album that I decided to write about it for you to enjoy it as well. Even the content selection is a piece of art in itself. The production of this compact is very well done. It sets the "magic" that goes from the Sonata in B flat minor to Berceuse, and from Berceuse to the Ballade, the lingering mazurkas, and, finally, the crown of this outstanding production and performance: The Fantasie in F minor.
This album is a piece of art in every way...! It's not only Moravec, who is way up there in inspiration and impecable performance. I'm talking about the team that put these pieces together -like jewels- without overwhelming each other, but supporting each other, articulating a mood that is consistent without falling in monotony. And, yes, it will mesmerize your senses as it did with mine. And yes, it will let you craving for more, and you will do what I did: play it again, and again. If you need to grab a defect on this album, THIS IS IT!

Tracks:

String Quartet in B-Flat, Op. 76 No. 4 Sunrise - II Adagio - Franz Joseph Haydn
Cello Sonata in G Minor, Op. 65 - III Largo - Frederic Chopin
Piano Trio No. 1 in B-Flat, D.898 - II Andante, un poco mosso - Franz Schubert
Clarinet Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 120 No. 1 - II Andante un poco adagio - Johannes Brahms
String Quartet No. 17 In B-Flat, K.458 Hunt - III Adagio - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
String Quartet No. 17 In B-Flat, K.458 Hunt - III Adagio - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Sonata In E Minor, F.XVI, No. 1 - II Largo - Antonio Vivaldi
Mhenerzungen, Op. 132 - III Ruhiges Tempo, Mit Zartem Ausdruck - Robert Schumann
Sonata No. 5 For Piano & Violin In F, Op. 24 Spring - Ii Adagio Molto Espressivo - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Quintet For Piano & Winds In E-Flat, K.452 - II Larghetto - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Seven Last Words From The Cross - VII Largo - Franz Joseph Haydn

Tracks:

String Quartet In C Minor, Op. 51 No. 1 - II Romanze; Poco Adagio - Johannes Brahms
FantasiestOp. 73 - I Zart Und Mit Ausdruck - Robert Schumann
Serenade In D, Op. 8 - Adagio
Clarinet Quintet In A, K.581 - II Larghetto - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
String Quartet No. 4 In E Minor, Op. 44 No. 2 - II Andante - Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy
String Quartet, Op. 10 - III Andantino, Doucement Expressif - Claude Debussy
Violin Sonata No. 3 In D Minor, Op. 108 - II Adagio - Johannes Brahms
Quintet For Piano & Winds In E-Flat, Op. 16 - II Andante Cantabile - Ludwig Van Beethoven
String Quartet No. 1 In D, Op. 11 - II Andante Cantabile - Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Clarinet Trio In B-Flat, Op. 11 - II Adagio - Ludwig Van Beethoven
String Quartet In E-Flat, D.87 - III Adagio - Franz Schubert
Serenade (Andante Cantabile) - Franz Joseph Haydn
Wiegenlied, Op. 49 No. 4 (Lullaby) - Johannes Brahms

Average customer rating:

An excellent introduction to both the life and the work

The Life and Works of Frédéric Chopin

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ecossaises | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Mazurkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Polonaises | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Ballads | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Rondos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Scherzo | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Lullabies & Berceuse | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Barcarolles | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00005MKG5
Release Date: 2001-07-17

Tracks:

Chopin And The Soul Of The Piano - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Berceuse, Op.57 - Idil Biret
Chopin The Pole - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Polonaise in g - Idil Biret
Early Education - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Vars On A German Air - Idil Biret
Encounters With The Polish Peasantry - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Mazurka in G - Idil Biret
Chopin As Industrious Pupil - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Son in c (Opening) - Idil Biret
He Finds His True Voice As A Composer - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Rondo A La Mazur, Op.5 - Idil Biret
The Fun-Loving Teenager - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Ecossaise, Op.72 No.3 - Idil Biret
Onset Of Illness And The Death Of A Sister - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Nocturne in e - Idil Biret
Hats Off, Gentlemen! A Genius! - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Vars On 'La Ci Darem La Mano', Op.2 - Idil Biret
The Influence Of Paganini - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Souvenir De Paganini - Idil Biret
The First Etudes - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Etude in c#, Op.10, No.4 - Idil Biret
Success In Vienna - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Nocturne in c# - Idil Biret
Chopin In Love - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Polonaise - Idil Biret
Stagnation, Celebrity And The First Con - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Con in f, Op.21 - Idil Biret
Return Of Vitality And Inspiration - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Con in e, Op.11 - Idil Biret
Farewells And The Final Departure From Poland - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser

Tracks:

Europe And Chopin In Crisis - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Scherzo No.1 in b - Idil Biret
Arrival In Paris - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Waltz in E flat, Op.18 - Idil Biret
Paris, Politics, Poles And Performance - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Impromptu in A flat, Op.29 - Idil Biret
Chopin And The Opr - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Andante Spianato, Op.22 - Idil Biret
Chopin And Kalkbrenner - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Etude in G flat, Op.10, No.5 - Idil Biret
The Cholera Epidemi; The Fashionable Teacher - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Etude in C minor, Op.10, No.12, The 'Revolutionary' - Idil Biret
Teaching In Earnest - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Etude in a, Op.25, No.4 - Idil Biret
Souplesse Avant Tout! - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Nocturne in b flat, Op.9, No.1 - Idil Biret

Tracks:

The Woodzinska Affair - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Nocturne in B, Op.32, No.1 - Idil Biret
An Elegant, Pale, Sad Young Man - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Nocturne in D flat, Op.27, No.2 - Idil Biret
George Sand And A Majorcan Winter - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Prlds, Op.28 - Idil Biret
Misanthropy, Hypocrisy And Prejudice - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Mazurkas - Idil Biret
At Nohant: An Idyllic And Creative Summer - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Impromptu in F# - Idil Biret
The Idyll Continues - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Sonata in b flat: Funeral March And Finale - Idil Biret

Tracks:

The Return To Paris - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Ballade No.4 in f - Idil Biret
Chopin Grows Moody, Petulant And Volatile - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Son No.3 in b, Op.58: Finale - Idil Biret
Failing Health And Mounting Tensions - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Barcarolle, Op.60 - Idil Biret
The Break With Sand; Illness; London - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Prld in F#, Op.28, No.8 - Idil Biret
Scotland, London, Paris; Decline And Death - Jeremy Siepmann/Anton Lesser
Polonaise in A flat, Op.53 - Idil Biret

Customer Reviews:

An excellent introduction to both the life and the work.......2001-08-10

Not having known very much at all about Chopin, I cannot vouch for the accuracy in the Naxos entry in their CD and cassette Biography series; but I can vouch for the enjoyment <The Life and Works of Chopin> (NA 421912) afforded me.

Written and produced by Jeremy Siepmann, this audio-bio not only tells the strange story of Chopin's life but also includes generous examples of his music, drawn from the bottomless pit of Naxos musical CDs. An excellent idea was to use actors for the voices of Chopin (Anton Lesser), George Sand and other females in his life (Elaine Claxton and Karen Archer), and other male acquaintances (Neville Jason). It is the kind of reading that would fascinate even if the work were fictional.

His letters are particularly fascinating, especially as they are read dramatically by the small cast; and one would rather hear about all his faults--physical and psychological--from people who knew him well. Perhaps his strange epistolary relationship with his Titus is dwelt upon a bit too much, but such are the times (then and now).

Tracks:

1. Allegro maestoso
2. Romance (Larghetto)
3. Rondo (Vivace)
Variations In B Flat, Op. 2
Impromptus: No. 1 In A Flat, Op. 29
Impromptus: No. 2 In F Sharp, Op. 36
Impromptus: No. 3 In G Flat, Op. 51

Tracks:

Piano Concerto No. 2 In F Minor, Op. 21: Maestoso
Piano Concerto No. 2 In F Minor, Op. 21: Larghetto
Piano Concerto No. 2 In F Minor, Op. 21: Allegro Vivace
Krakowiak Concert Rondo In F. Op. 14: Introduction - Rondeau
Andante spianato And Grand Polonaise brillante In E Flat, Op. 22: Es-dur - en mi bemol majeur
Fantasy On Polish Airs In A, Op. 13: Gorsse Fantasie uber polinsche Lieder in A-dur Fantasie sur des airs polonais en la majeur

Amazon.com

Claudio Arrau's meditative and weighty traversals of the concertos pale compared to the dynamism and note-to-note intensity of his live fifties versions. Eliahu Inbal's deferential, soggy leadership doesn't help either. Both musicians, though, rise to the rarely played Krakowiak's formidable challenges. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

Amazing.......2007-02-24

If you haven't had the chance to hear Arrau's performances of Chopin's works, buy this disc. You will truly be hooked. Unlike many people who believe that Ashkenzy or Rubenstein are the ultimate Chopin interpreters, I must say that Arrau rivals and tops them. His flexible and slower style of playing matches the romanticism of Chopin's works. Coupled with a great conductor and orchestra, this brings out a top-notch performance.

These discs are well worth the small investment.

Piano + more.......2006-12-10

This CD gave me an appreciation of his music with an orchestra because I am much more used to performers who play Chopin's piano music with no musical backup. This worthwhile CD is as pretty as the design on its cover.

Beautifully balanced.......2006-11-03

Upon listening to Arrau playing the Chopin concerti, the first thing that jumps to attention is his tone: it metamorphises between lively and bright to aching, naked beauty, most notably in the Op.11 1st Concerto. I keep listening the first movement over and over to recapture that reflective, dark tone of his at the culmination of the theme's development. Somehow, his tone reminds me of drops of dew in a moonlit night. However, considering that Arrau was already 69 years old when he made this recording, you may think that reflective and spiritual is all he has, but surprisingly he managed to put in energy and zest where it's required in the fast movements. I've seen a video of Yundi Li, the Chinese prodigy who won the 2000 Chopin Piano Competition, and Arrau doesn't lose out in the comparison in terms of energy.

Overall, Arrau's interpretation concentrates on exploring the intimate, passionate side of these pieces, which were written in Chopin's youth, and in this respect he brings the same mastery which endowed his interpretations of the Nocturnes. However, this is certainly not at the expense of the zesty side of these pieces.

The core of recording is Chopin's 2 piano concerti, and the rest of it is composed of his other works for piano and orchestra, which are in fact more commonly played as piano solos. The most famous of these is the Andante Spianiato and Grand Polonaise, and it's very obvious that the orchestra is almost superfluous in these pieces. Speaking of the orchestra, the London Philharmonic conducted by Eliahu Inbal is understated but unerringly faithful in backing the pianistic centrepiece provided by Arrau.

Overall, a recording to be highly recommended, even more so considering the low price of this release.

Arrau, Chopin de lo mejor.......2004-10-26

Claudio Arrau es en muchos aspectos un pianista de excepción especialmente en estudiar y determinar la forma en que interpretara cada pieza, para Chopin estas grabaciones son excepcionales, el toque de Arrau es prodigio y el acompañamiento soberbio. Tenemos en este CD los dos conciertos para piano y orquesta que no merecen mas detalle que son dos grandes obras de la música clásica, sumemos variaciones "la ci darem la mano" sobre la obra de Mozart, el concierto rondo Krakovian, la Fantasía sobre aires polacos y el andante spianato y gran polonesa brillante y tenemos un conjunto de obras de excepción, obras de gran belleza, virtuosismo y elegancia propias de Chopin. Un CD soberbio, impresionante, bello. Cerramos el conjunto con tres impromptus que hacen descollar el trabajo del gran pianista chillanejo.
Disfrutelo, un conjunto de obras de la mayor calidad en un CD de precio economico.

A bargain at Twice the Price!!.......1998-11-07

This is a GREAT album; and 2 CD's yet, both filled (over 150 minutes total) with glorious piano music. A reissue of 1972 recordings, nothing is missing as Arrau and company create emminenetly listenable renditions of these Chopin masterpieces. No lover of romantic piano music should be without them. (Reviewer's note: this sounds like I am the promoter but I am simply a well-satisfied customer.)

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