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Sviatoslav Richter in Concert: Beethoven, Schubert, Liszt (2004) 5CD Box Set [Historic Russian Archives]

Posted By: Designol
Sviatoslav Richter in Concert: Beethoven, Schubert, Liszt (2004) 5CD Box Set [Historic Russian Archives]

Sviatoslav Richter in Concert: Beethoven, Schubert, Liszt (2004) 5CD Box Set
EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 1.24 Gb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 837 Mb | Scans ~ 31 mb
Genre: Classical | Label: Brilliant Classics | # 92229 | Time: 06:05:12

For fans of Sviatoslav Richter, it does not much matter if the sound is not all that great and it does not much matter if the repertoire is the same repertoire as always. It does not even matter much if the performances are not the greatest Richter ever recorded. For fans of Sviatoslav Richter, the only thing that matters is that there are new Richter recordings because that all by itself means that they will be some of the greatest performances of the greatest repertoire ever recorded. And this five-disc set of Sonatas by Beethoven, Schubert, and Liszt does not disappoint. With recordings dates from 1961 through 1975 and recording venues all in the USSR and its empire, the sound is hard and harsh. But with repertoire ranging from the last three Beethoven Sonatas through Schubert's last Sonata to Liszt's only Sonata, the music has the supreme masterpieces of the Romantic repertoire. And while there are Richter performances here and there that may arguably exceed these, Richter's performances here are as virtuosic, as expressive, as profound, and as transcendent as any he ever recorded. Which makes them some of the greatest performances of the greatest repertoire ever recorded.

Sviatoslav Richter & VA - Music Festival 'December Nights', Moscow 1985: Schumann, Schubert, Chopin (2014) 2CDs

Posted By: Designol
Sviatoslav Richter & VA - Music Festival 'December Nights', Moscow 1985: Schumann, Schubert, Chopin (2014) 2CDs

Music Festival 'December Nights', Moscow 1985: Schumann, Schubert, Chopin (2014) 2 CDs
Sviatoslav Richter, piano; Anatoly Kamyshev, clarinet; Oleg Kagan, violin;
Natalia Gutman, cello; Yuri Bashmet, viola

EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 610 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 341 Mb | Scans included
Genre: Classical | Label: Melodiya | # MEL CD 10 02204 | Time: 02:29:03

Firma Melodiya continues the series of compact discs dedicated to December Evenings Festival that takes place at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts. This album, like the previous one, is dedicated to the 1985 festival World of Romanticism and includes recordings featuring Sviatoslav Richter. The atmosphere of December Evenings, an event initiated by the great pianist, differed from usual philharmonic concerts. The spirit of music as an inseparable part of "fusion of arts" the romanticists dreamt of was invisibly felt in each number; a sensitive listener can catch it in these, perhaps technically imperfect, concert recordings from thirty years ago. The works by Schubert, Schumann and Chopin were performed by Sviatoslav Richter in ensemble with his outstanding contemporaries, violinist and David Oistrakh's student Oleg Kogan who passed away prematurely, violist Yuri Bashmet, cellist Natalia Gutman and clarinettist Anatoly Kamyshov.

The Florestan Trio - Franz Schubert: Piano Trio in B flat; Notturno; Piano Trio Movement (2001)

Posted By: Designol
The Florestan Trio - Franz Schubert: Piano Trio in B flat; Notturno; Piano Trio Movement (2001)

The Florestan Trio - Franz Schubert: Piano Trio in B flat; Notturno; Piano Trio Movement (2001)
XLD | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 261 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 161 Mb | Scans included
Genre: Classical | Label: Hyperion | # CDA 67273 | Time: 00:59:14

Is there a better trio than the Florestan playing today? All three members are consummate artists, outstanding instrumentalists, and ensemble players to the manner born, but it’s the playing of pianist Susan Tomes that carries these performances to their greatest heights. Since the ensemble is perfectly judged by all concerned, it may seem unjust to single out the playing of one member for special comment, but such is the extreme sophistication, the extraordinary subtlety and the expressive range of this artist that I can see no alternative. The tonal control, the exquisite shaping of phrases, the rhythmical suppleness and structural backbone are of an order seldom encountered in the playing even of many famous soloists. But what renders her playing here still more remarkable is the exemplary precision with which it’s matched to the different sonorities and qualities of attack, so-called, of the string players. And what players they are. For all of the above this is not a pianist-dominated performance, except insofar as Schubert wrote the piece that way.

Isabelle Faust, Alexander Melnikov - Franz Schubert: Sonate D.574; Rondo Op.70; Fantasie D.934 (2006)

Posted By: Designol
Isabelle Faust, Alexander Melnikov - Franz Schubert: Sonate D.574; Rondo Op.70; Fantasie D.934 (2006)

Franz Schubert: Sonate D.574; Rondo Op.70; Fantasie D.934 (2006)
Isabelle Faust, violin; Alexander Melnikov, piano

EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 225 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 132 Mb | Scans ~ 70 Mb
Genre: Classical | Label: Harmonia Mundi | # HMC90 1870 | Time: 00:57:46

In nearly every respect this is outstanding. The Rondo brillant and the Fantasie, both written for the virtuoso duo of Karl von Bocklet and Josef Slawik, can sound as if Schubert were striving for a brilliant, flashy style, foreign to his nature. Both are in places uncomfortable to play (when first published, the Fantasie’s violin part was simplified), but you would never guess this from Faust’s and Melnikov’s performance; they both nonchalantly toss off any problem passages as though child’s play. The Fantasie’s finale and the Rondo brillant are irresistibly lively and spirited, and this duo’s technical finesse extends to more poetic episodes – Melnikov’s tremolo at the start of the Fantasie shimmers delicately, while the filigree passagework in the last of the variations that form the Fantasie’s centrepiece have a delightful poise and sense of ease.

Concertgebouw CO, Marco Boni - Schubert & Beethoven: String Quartets arrangements for string orchestra by Gustav Mahler (1998)

Posted By: Designol
Concertgebouw CO, Marco Boni - Schubert & Beethoven: String Quartets arrangements for string orchestra by Gustav Mahler (1998)

Franz Schubert: String Quartet in D minor, D 810 "Death and the Maiden"
Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet in F minor, Op. 95 "Serioso" (1998) Reissue 2012
based on the arrangements for string orchestra by Gustav Mahler
Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra; Marco Boni, conductor

EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 311 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 162 Mb | Scans included
Genre: Classical | Label: Arts Music | # 47514-2 | Time: 01:03:13

Transcriptions of chamber works to orchestral works have been interesting asides for composers for a long time - whether the transcription are alterations of a composer's own songs or chamber works to full orchestral size or those of other composers for which the transcriber had a particular affinity. Stokowski's transcriptions of Bach's works are probably the most familiar to audiences. The two transcriptions on this recording are the creations Gustav Mahler and his election to transcribe the quartets of Beethoven and Schubert is not surprising: Mahler 'transcribed' many of his own songs into movements or portions of movements for his own symphonies. Listening to Mahler's transcriptions of these two well known quartets - Franz Schubert's String Quartet in D Minor 'Death and the Maiden' and Ludwig van Beethoven's String Quartet in F Minor 'Serioso' - provides insight into both the orginal compositions and the orchestration concepts of Gustav Mahler. The themes of these two works would naturally appeal to Mahler's somber nature. Mahler naturally extends the tonal sound of each of these transcriptions by using the full string orchestra and in both works it is readily apparent that his compositional techniques within string sections are ever present.

Carolyn Sampson, Joseph Middleton - Fleurs (2015)

Posted By: Designol
Carolyn Sampson, Joseph Middleton - Fleurs (2015)

Carolyn Sampson, Joseph Middleton - Fleurs (2015)
Schumann, Britten, Purcell, Fauré, Gounod, R.Strauss, Schubert, Poulenc, Debussy, Boulanger

EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 272 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 168 Mb | Scans included
Genre: Classical, Vocal | Label: BIS | # BIS-SACD-2102 | Time: 01:08:50

Those of us who rejoice in the crystalline beauty of Carolyn Sampson’s interpretations of Bach, Handel and Purcell will welcome this bouquet of songs on a floral theme, her debut recital disc. It’s been a long wait, but our patience is repaid handsomely. With pianist Joseph Middleton she savours some choice blooms from, among others, Britten, Chabrier, Schubert, Schumann, Gounod and Strauss, her glorious soprano particularly affecting in Fauré’s Le papillon et la fleur and the wonderfully perfumed Les roses d’Ispahan. Middleton plays with dextrous delicacy throughout and brings real virtuosity to Strauss’s Mädchenblumen. Highly recommended.

Shai Wosner - Franz Schubert: Piano Sonatas D840 & D850; 6 German Dances D820; Hungarian Melody D817 (2011)

Posted By: Designol
Shai Wosner - Franz Schubert: Piano Sonatas D840 & D850; 6 German Dances D820; Hungarian Melody D817 (2011)

Shai Wosner - Franz Schubert: Piano Sonatas D840 & D850;
6 German Dances D820; Hungarian Melody D817 (2011)

EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 197 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 176 Mb | Artwork included
Genre: Classical | Label: Onyx | # ONYX 4073 | Time: 01:16:24

With this recital Shai Wosner declares himself a Schubertian of unfaltering authority and character. Entirely modern in style (tonally lean and sharply focused, never given to easy or sentimental options), he relishes every twist and turn in the so-called Reliquie Sonata, with its quasi-orchestral, defiantly unpianistic first movement and its astonishing second movement modulations (Alkan himself never wrote anything more boldly experimental). Unlike Richter in his monolithic recording, Wosner opts for the two completed movements rather than allowing the music to evaporate into thin air, displaying throughout a finely concentrated sense of music that achieves its vision and depth through extreme austerity.

Staatskapelle Dresden, Sir Colin Davis - Franz Schubert: Symphonies Nos. 1-6, 8 & 9 (2004) 4CD Box Set [Re-Up]

Posted By: Designol
Staatskapelle Dresden, Sir Colin Davis - Franz Schubert: Symphonies Nos. 1-6, 8 & 9 (2004) 4CD Box Set [Re-Up]

Franz Schubert - Symphonies Nos. 1-6, 8 & 9 (2004) 4CD Set
Staatskapelle Dresden, conducted by Sir Colin Davis

EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 1.17 Gb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 620 Mb | Scans ~ 28 Mb
Genre: Classical | Label: RCA | # 82876 60392-2 | Time: 04:29:59

Acclaimed for his great recordings of works by Mozart and Berlioz, it is a little surprising that Sir Colin Davis is not equally hailed for his superb renditions of Schubert's symphonies, a repertoire for which this conductor's blending of Classical elegance and Romantic passion is perfectly suited. Previously released as a box set in 1996, this RCA Complete Collection reveals Davis as a masterful interpreter of Schubert's unique uses of symphonic form; and his performances have real momentum and coherence, the two qualities that hold these symphonies together. Davis' sense of trajectory is plainly evident in the first six symphonies, which adhere to Classical models and depend on forward motion and clear structures to convey the unity of their movements. But propulsion is even more critical in the more expansive frameworks of the Symphony No. 8, "Unfinished," and the Symphony No. 9, "The Great".

Lucas Debargue - Scarlatti, Chopin, Liszt, Ravel (2016)

Posted By: Designol
Lucas Debargue - Scarlatti, Chopin, Liszt, Ravel (2016)

Lucas Debargue - Scarlatti, Chopin, Liszt, Ravel (2016)
EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 243 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 181 Mb | Scans included
Genre: Classical | Label: Sony Classical | # 88875192982 | Time: 01:17:28

The most-talked about artist of the 2015 Tchaikovsky Competition created huge excitement and world-wide media attention with his riveting background and “genius-like playing” (Boris Berezovksy). Debargue, who is 25, started the piano late at 11 years old, learning mostly in isolation. After dropping the instrument for three years to play in a rock band and study literature, he started formal piano training aged 20. Placed 4th, he was described by media as “the real winner” of the competition and received the Music Critics’ Association award as “the pianist whose incredible gift, artistic vision and creative freedom have impressed the critics as well as the audience.” Valery Gergiev, the competition’s chairman, broke protocol by letting Debargue play in the winners’ gala and not prizewinner Dmitry Masleev. Lucas Debargue's debut album is a live recording at the Salle Cortot in Paris and documents his first concert in his hometown after the competition. The centrepiece of his first recording is Ravel’s monumentally challenging Gaspard de la nuit.

Emil & Elena Gilels, Wiener Philharmoniker, Karl Bohm - Mozart: Piano Concertos K.595 & K.365; Schubert: Fantasy (2001)

Posted By: Designol
Emil & Elena Gilels, Wiener Philharmoniker, Karl Bohm - Mozart: Piano Concertos K.595 & K.365; Schubert: Fantasy (2001)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concerto No.27, K.595; Concerto For 2 Pianos, K.365
Franz Schubert: Fantasy in F minor, D. 940 (Op.103) for piano duet
Emil & Elena Gilels, pianos; Wiener Philharmoniker; Karl Böhm, conductor

EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 326 Mb | Scans included
Classical | Label: Deutsche Grammophon | # 463 652-2 | Time: 01:17:36

This is the most beautiful of Mozart playing, his last piano concerto given here by Emil Gilels with total clarity. This is a classic performance, memorably accompanied by the VPO and Böhm. Suffice it to say that Gilels sees everything and exaggerates nothing, that the performance has an Olympian authority and serenity, and that the Larghetto is one of the glories of the gramophone. He's joined by his daughter Elena in the Double Piano Concerto in E flat, and their physical relationship is mirrored in the quality, and the mutual understanding of the playing: both works receive marvellous interpretations. We think Emil plays first, Elena second, but could be quite wrong. The VPO under Karl Böhm is at its best; and so is the quality of recording, with a good stereo separation of the two solo parts, highly desirable in this work.

Mischa Maisky & Daria Hovora - Franz Schubert: Songs Without Words (1996)

Posted By: Designol
Mischa Maisky & Daria Hovora - Franz Schubert: Songs Without Words (1996)

Mischa Maisky & Daria Hovora - Franz Schubert: Songs Without Words (1996)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 291 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 187 Mb | Scans included
Genre: Classical | Label: Deutsche Grammophon | # 449 817-2 | Time: 01:17:15

SCHUBERT: SONGS WITHOUT WORDS is an elegant recital by pianist Daria Hovora and cellist Mischa Maisky that allows us to hear Schubert songs, beautifully rich as they are with the texts as sung by many of our finest singers, here solely for the instrumental line. Somehow the interplay between melody and accompaniment (always an equal partnership in Schubert's hands) is heightened by this experience. Not that the entire album is appropriated by the cello standing in for a vocalist: the opening work is "Sonata for Arpeggione and Klavier" and is one of the highlights of the CD. But just listen to the performances of 'Standchen', 'An die Musik' and 'Du bist die Ruhe' and hear the extraordinary marriage between the piano and cello, singing as beautifully as any other version. This is one of those CDs that bears keeping out for multiple listenings in the late evening.

Leopold Stokowski - Decca Recordings 1965-1972: Original Masters (2003) 5CD Box Set

Posted By: Designol
Leopold Stokowski - Decca Recordings 1965-1972: Original Masters (2003) 5CD Box Set

Leopold Stokowski - Decca Recordings 1965-1972: Original Masters (2003) 5CD Box Set
with Czech Philharmonic Orchestra; London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus
New Philharmonia Orchestra; Hilversum Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
J.S. Bach, William Byrd, Jeremiah Clarke, Franz Schubert, Frédéric Chopin, Henri Duparc
P.I. Tchaikovsky, Sergei Rachmaninov, Alexander Scriabin, Igor Stravinsky, Edward Elgar
Cezar Franck, Hector Berlioz, Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, Olivier Messiaen

EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 1.85 Gb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 879 Mb | Scans included
Genre: Classical | Label: Decca | # 475 145-2 | Time: 06:14:01

This fabulous five disc set is replete with some of those old Stokowski warhorses all recorded in absolutely mind boggling Phase 4 sound, overblown perhaps but astounding for its time. Decca's remastering is absolutely magnificent and the discs are jam packed with almost six hours of music. This is another fine memorial to a great conductor who remained astonishingly vital until the very end of his life.

Cecilia Bartoli, Andras Schiff - Italian Songs: Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Haydn (1993) [Re-Up]

Posted By: Designol
Cecilia Bartoli, Andras Schiff - Italian Songs: Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Haydn (1993) [Re-Up]

Cecilia Bartoli, András Schiff - Italian Songs: Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Haydn (1993)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 254 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 172 Mb | Scans included
Genre: Classical, Vocal | Label: Decca | # 440 297-2 | Time: 01:07:59

This was to be the end of the line for Italian word-setting by Viennese composers: once the confident sentiments that belonged to the poet Metastasio's opera seria felt the chill and threatening wind of Enlightenment and Revolution, their time was up. Even we, for the most part, prefer to remember the German-speaking Beethoven, Schubert and Haydn. So it is good to be reminded of their responses to the Italian muse (usually as part of their craft-learning student work) in this particularly well-cast recital. Central Europe, in the person of Andras Schiff meets Italy, in Cecilia Bartoli, to delightful, often revelatory effect.

RCO Amsterdam; George Szell - Felix Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream; Franz Schubert: Rosamunde (1989)

Posted By: Designol
RCO Amsterdam; George Szell - Felix Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream; Franz Schubert: Rosamunde (1989)

Felix Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream
Franz Schubert: From the Incidental Music to Rosamunde
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam; George Szell, conductor

EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 311 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 137 Mb | Scans included
Genre: Classical | Label: Philips | # 426 071-2 | Time: 00:59:23

George Szell's Philips Concertgebouw legacy includes some distinguished recordings, with the scintillating Midsummer Night's Dream suite taking pride of place. Few if any rivals can match the ''Scherzo'' (not even Szell's later Cleveland recording is as buoyant or precise), while the Overture is extraordinarily well drilled and the ''Nocturne'', although cool, has a genuine sense of repose. The Schubert Rosamunde excerpts display all the drive and textural clarity that Szell habitually brought to, say, the Great C major Symphony…

The Golden Age of the Piano (1993)

Posted By: Efgrapha
The Golden Age of the Piano (1993)

The Golden Age of the Piano (1993)
DVD9 | VIDEO_TS | NTSC, 4:3 (720x480) VBR | 115 min | 7.51 Gb | Scans included
Audio: English LPCM 2.0 | Subs: Deutsch, Français, Español, Italiano, 中文
Genre: Classical, Documentary | Label: Philips | # 075 092-9 PH

A documentary on the great pianists of the twentieth century, introduced, written and narrated by David Dubal. Featuring the music of Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Clementi, Debussy, Field, Grainger, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Padarewski, Rachmaninov, Schubert, Scriabin and Weber. Featuring musicians Claudio Arrau, Alexander Brailowsky, Van Cliburn, Alfred Cortot, Glenn Gould, Percy Grainger, Myra Hess, Josef Hoffmann, Vladimir Horowitz, Wanda Landowska, Ignacy Paderewski, Artur Rubinstein, and Rudolf Serkin. Bonus: Claudio Arrau Centenary reissued of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 with Riccardo Muti and the Philadelphia Orchestra.