Improvisations in Concert [Live]

Track Listings

1. Grace

2. Miles Ahead

3. Tohono

4. Moonflower

5. Caribou Dreams/Omaha Song

6. Asheville

7. Sonoria

8. Cat Tails & Wild Rice

9. Nemi-Sacred Ground

10. Garden's Gate

Improvisations in Concert,Peter Kater and R. Carlos Nakai,Silver Wave,Contemporary Instrumental,New Age / Meditation,Pop,Solo Instrumental

Tracks:

Grace
Miles Ahead
Tohono
Moon Flower
Caribou Dreams/Omaha Song
Asheville
Sonoria
Cat Tails & Wild Rice
Nemi - Sacred Grove
Garden's Gate

Customer Reviews:

Improvisations In Concert.......2000-10-29

While recieving a massage the other evening, my therapist had this playing gently in the background. I very much enjoyed listening to this album and the mixture of Native American flute and piano. I found it very relaxing and beautiful. I have been thinking of buying a copy for my massage practice!

Average customer rating:

Stunning. . . .
PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST
A world-changing musician
CZIFFRA - A Keyboard Phenomenon

Les introuvables de Cziffra

Manufacturer: EMI Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Bourees | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Galops | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Polonaises | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Rondos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Toccatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Liszt: Works For Piano
Rendez-vous de Senlis
Georges Cziffra Plays Chopin, Liszt & Franck (EMI Classic Archive)
Chopin: uvres pour piano
Liszt: Piano Concertos; Totentanz; Hungarian Fantasy

ASIN: B000002SBW
Release Date: 2002-08-12

Tracks:

La Campanella, Grande Etude De Paganini No. 3
Nocturne No. 3 In A Flat Major, Reve D'Amour
Mephisto Valse (D'Apres Le Faust De Lenau)
Les Jeux D'Eau A La Villa D'Este
Valse Oubliee No. 1
Rhapsodie Espagnole
Valse Impromptu
La Ronde Des Lutins, Etude De Concert No. 2
Grand Galop Chromatique
Apres Une Lecture Du Dante, Fantasie Quasi Sonata (Extrait From 'Les Annees De Pelerinage')

Tracks:

Polonaise D'Eugene Oneguine (Tchaikovsky)
Rigoletto, Paraphrase De Concert (Verdi)
Tarentelle De Bravoure Sur Des Theme De 'La Muette De Portici' (Auber)
Valse De Faust (Gounod)
Improvisation Sur Les Themes De Guillaume Tell (Rossini)
Valse Triste (Vecsey)
Tritsch Tratsch Polka (Johann Strauss)
Le Beau Danube Bleu, Paraphrase (Johann Strauss)
Danse Hongroise No. 5 (Brahms)
Fantaisie Roumaine (Improvisation Dans Le Style Tzigane)
Le Vol Du Bourdon (Rimsky-Korsakov)

Tracks:

Islamey, Fantaisie Orientale
Toccata In C Major, Op. 7
Andante Et Rondo Capriccioso In E Major, Op. 14
Rondo In E Flat Major, Op. 11
Polonaise In C Major, Op. 89
Rondo A Capriccio In G Major, Op. 129
Andantino In B Minor
Bourree In E Flat Major
Sonata In C Major, K159
Le Tic Toc Choc ,Ou Les Maillotins
Les Barricades Mysterieuses
L'Anguille
La Bandoline
Les Petits Moulins A Vent
Les Folies Francaises Ou Les Dominos
La Poule
Le Rappel Des Oiseaux
Gavotte En Rondeau

Tracks:

Variations In C Major, Sur 'God Save The King', WoO 78
12 Variations In A Major, Sur Un Theme Russe (Wranitzky), WoO 71
32 Variations In C Minor, WoO 80
Fantaisie In F Minor, Op. 49
Book 1 - Variations Sur Un Theme De Paganini, Op. 35
Book 2 - Variations Sur Un Theme De Paganini, Op. 35

Tracks:

I. Grave - Allegro Molto E Con Brio, Sonata No. 8 In C Minor, Op. 13
II. Adagio Cantabile, Sonata No. 8 In C Minor, Op. 13
III. Rondo, Sonata No. 8 In C Minor, Op. 13
I. Allegro - Sonata No. 10 In G Major, Op. 14
II. Andante - Sonata No. 10 In G Major, Op. 14
III. Scherzo -Allegro Assai - Sonata No. 10 In G Major, Op. 14
I. Andante Con Variazioni - Sonata No. 12 In A Flat Major, Op. 26
II. Scherzo (Allegro Molto) - Sonata No. 12 In A Flat Major, Op. 26
III. Marcia Funebre (Andante Maestoso) - Sonata No. 12 In A Flat Major, Op. 26
IV. Allegro - Sonata No. 12 In A Flat Major, Op. 26
I. Andante - Allegro -Allegro Molto Vivace - Sonata No. 13 In E Flat Major, Op. 27
II. Adagio Con Espressione - Sonata No. 13 In E Flat Major, Op. 27
III. Allegro Vivace - Sonata No. 13 In E Flat Major, Op. 27

Tracks:

Preambule Carnaval Op9
Pierrot Carnaval Op9
Arlequin Carnaval Op9
Valse Noble Carnaval Op9
Eusebius Carnaval Op9
Florestan Carnaval Op9
Coquette Carnaval Op9
Replique Carnaval Op9
Papillons Carnaval Op9
A.S.C.H., S.C.H.A., Lettres Dansantes Carnaval Op9
Chiarina Carnaval Op9
Chopin Carnaval Op9
Estrella Carnaval Op9
Reconnaissance Carnaval Op9
Pantalon Et Colombine Carnaval Op9
Valse Allemande - Intermezzo: Paganinni Carnaval Op9
Aveu Carnaval Op9
Promenade Carnaval Op9
Pause Carnaval Op9
Danse Des Davidsbundler Contre Les Philistins Carnaval Op9
I. Des Abends Fantasiestucke Op12
II. Aufschwung Fantasiestucke Op12
III. Warum? Fantasiestucke Op12
IV. Grillen Fantasiestucke Op12
V. In Der Nacht Fantasiestucke Op12
VI. Fabel Fantasiestucke Op12
VII. Traumeswirren Fantasiestucke Op12
VIII. Ende Vom Lied Fantasiestucke Op12
I. Allegro - Carnaval De Vienne, Op. 26
II. Romanze - Carnaval De Vienne, Op. 26
III. Scherzino - Carnaval De Vienne, Op. 26
IV. Intermezzo - Carnaval De Vienne, Op. 26
V. Final - Carnaval De Vienne, Op. 26

Tracks:

Fantaisie Hongroise In F Major For Piano And Orchestra
Totentanz, Paraphrase Sur Le 'Dies Irae' Pour Piano Et Orchestre
Variations Symphoniques Pour Piano Et Orchestre
I. Allegro Molto Moderato - Concerto For Piano And Orchestra In A Minor, Op. 16
II. Adagio - Concerto For Piano And Orchestra In A Minor, Op. 16
III. Allegro Moderato Molto E Marcato - Andante Maestoso - Concerto For Piano And Orchestra In A Minor, Op. 16

Tracks:

I. Adagio Sostenuto Assai - Concerto No. 2 For Piano And Orchestra In A Major
II. Allegro Agitato Assai - Concerto No. 2 For Piano And Orchestra In A Major
III. Allegro Moderato - Concerto No. 2 For Piano And Orchestra In A Major
IV. Allegro Deciso - Concerto No. 2 For Piano And Orchestra In A Major
V. Marziale, Un Poco Meno Allegro - Concerto No. 2 For Piano And Orchestra In A Major
VI. Allegro Animato - Concerto No. 2 For Piano And Orchestra In A Major
I. Allegro Maestoso - Concerto No. 1 For Piano And Orchestra In E Flat Major
II. Quasi Adagio - Concerto No. 1 For Piano And Orchestra In E Flat Major
III. Allegretto Vivace - Allegro Animato - Concerto No. 1 For Piano And Orchestra In E Flat Major
IV. Allegro Marziale Animato - Concerto No. 1 For Piano And Orchestra In E Flat Major
I. Allegro Non Troppo E Molto Maestoso - Allegro Con Spirito - Concerto No. 1 For Piano And Orchestra In B Flat Minor, Op. 23
II. Andante Semplice - Prestissimo - Tempo 1 - Concerto No. 1 For Piano And Orchestra In B Flat Minor, Op. 23
III. Allegro Con Fuoco - Concerto No. 1 For Piano And Orchestra In B Flat Minor, Op. 23

Customer Reviews:

Stunning. . . . .......2007-01-10

I bought this set with some trepidation, since I didn't know what to expect from Cziffra's playing of composers other than Liszt. I had only heard him in his mercurially brilliant Lisztian incarnation, and didn't know how he would do with a less flamboyant style.
I have been very pleasantly surprised, especially at his Beethoven and his Schumann. I found that he kept the spontaneity of his Lisztian interpretations, but channelled it chronologically into insightful and spontaneous Beethoven interpretations, while respecting most of the rules and performance practices of the Classic era.
His Schumann was mercurial and spontaneous in a Romantic fashion, also, and - of course - brilliantly digitally played. As to the Liszt, it's par excellence; I've never heard that music played with such spontaneity and
digital fluency.
The sound quality is surprisingly good, altho somewhat uneven. I highly recommend this set to anyone who loves great piano-playing. My favorite pianist is still Richter, but Cziffra takes first prize in his Liszt, and runs a close second with other composers' music.

PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST.......2006-10-15

The eight discs making up this set are invaluable to anyone interested in this extraordinary musician and pianist. His career was cut tragically short, and while it lasted he was most in demand to display his astounding technique in Liszt. He did it because he could. Not being enormously attracted to Liszt I was slow in coming to know Cziffra, but when I did what struck me forcibly was that the picture I had been given of him was seriously misleading. Any suggestion that he was a wilful virtuoso who turned the standard classics into something of his own is 180 degrees wide of the mark, and this selection enables us to hear what his playing was really like in music ranging from Lully and Couperin to the late 19th century, taking in on the way Rameau, Scarlatti, C P E Bach, Beethoven, Hummel, Chopin, Mendelssohn and Schumann. Liszt is here in the shape of the two concertos, the Totentanz and the Hungarian Fantasy plus some solos, my collection of least favourite romantic concertos is enhanced with his renderings of the Grieg and Tchaikovsky, but relief from these is provided with Franck's symphonic variations. Among the non-Liszt solo pieces we are given a number usually thought to call for exceptional virtuosity, namely Schumann's toccata, Mendelssohn's rondo capriccioso and Brahms's Paganini variations. Balakirev's Islamey is here too, but in a version of Cziffra's own, and so are some of his own virtuoso arrangements including one of the Flight of the Bumblebee as well as four similar efforts from Liszt.

Cziffra himself didn't aid popular comprehension by saying that he couldn't play Beethoven. I already owned his Waldstein, but here we have four more sonatas plus some smaller pieces, all early works. If I have a fault to find with his Waldstein it's that it is rather understated. What I don't fault at all is his sense of Beethoven's idiom, and the only flash of Cziffra's phenomenal technique comes where there can be no objection in the up-and-down octaves near the end. These are normally played glissando, because to finger them in strict time is impossible, allegedly. Even Horowitz can't do that - but Cziffra can. This really sums up his way of doing things - the technique is exercised strictly when needed, and then not in a showy way unless the sense of the music demands that. Try the Mendelssohn rondo here - light-fingered in the main rondo theme, relaxed in the episodes - then hear Serkin on Aura in his 1957 recital in Lugano, high-tension and full-speed-ahead. Serkin brought the audience to its feet, Cziffra is simply enjoying the piece, and very Mendelssohnian he sounds. Or again the Schumann toccata. Richter won raptures from the critics for his handling of the rat-tat fortissimo chords near the end while making no concessions to the tempo. He does that no better than Cziffra, if as well. The difference is that Richter `makes more' of the supposedly virtuoso sequences earlier. Now how about Cziffra's Beethoven here? It is natural, idiomatic and kept within a certain volume-level. There is no showing off let alone messing around. If Cziffra recalls anyone it is Kempff, and these performances would be safe models for teachers. In Schumann it's the same story. Not everyone could play Traumeswirren like this, and here and there the finger-work had me rubbing my eyes, but I keep sensing that Cziffra is not even aware that he's doing anything exceptional. The idiom is dead right, the rubato is natural, the lyricism is spontaneous if less `warm' than some, the sense of the overall structure is effortless - and I could say all that about Chopin's F minor fantasy too.

I can't avoid Liszt, but some comparisons are interesting. This high-powered Totentanz has been rightly praised, but both in this work and in the first concerto I feel that Michelangeli beats Cziffra at what is supposedly Cziffra's own game. I hear Michelangeli as Cziffra's solitary equal as a technician, but in second-rate music like this spontaneity and dexterity are trumped by an above-it-all Olympian aloofness, and Cziffra undoubtedly does not take the ultra-care that Michelangeli takes over perfect evenness of touch, sublime poise in the rhythm and super-perfection in the trills. (In the matter of trills, you can hear what Cziffra can do when he puts his mind to it in the fiendish 4th variation in book 1 of Brahms's Paganinis). In the 2nd concerto Cziffra is the best I have yet heard. In sheer technical address neither he nor anyone surpasses Richter, but where I like Cziffra better is in an aspect of his playing that gets too little attention, namely his natural and unaffected lyricism. In the Hungarian Fantasy, the Liszt solos and the various arrangements I imagine Cziffra is unsurpassed and unsurpassable, not that I propose to research that matter much.

The Grieg and Tchaikovsky concertos are here too. Cziffra adopts moderate tempi in the outer movements of the Grieg as the composer directs. The first movement of the Tchaikovsky is done as I like it, insofar as I like it at all. The introduction is taken fast, rather as Horowitz and Toscanini take it although I miss Toscanini's direction. The last movement however is taken at a very moderate pace, with the excitement saved for the end. Later performances are of some French music. In these pieces, as in the Scarlatti sonata, I wouldn't say that Cziffra stands out particularly - with one telling exception, Couperin's Barricades Mysterieuses, atmospheric and bewitching. Was this what they told you to expect from Cziffra?

He was a natural, a child of the gods. The near-unbelievable technique was an important part of his gift, but what I prize most is his lyric manner - simple, innocent and clear-eyed. His actual touch is not one that you could identify within seconds, as you could identify that of Horowitz, Serkin, Richter or Michelangeli, but it is utterly free from affectation. The better you know him, the more you will love him.

A world-changing musician.......2006-01-30

I've not a lot to add to Alan Thorpe's review except to say that to be young when Cziffra burst upon the world in 1956 after he left Hungary & started playing in western Europe was sheer intoxication--and it wasn't all Liszt either! Like Richter, who appeared at the same time, he played Schumann in a way that opened up entire new fields of tonal & interpretive possibility. I must say, too, that from the start, I admired his Beethoven--I like lyrically played Beethoven! Why shouldn't Beethoven sing as well as growl? He did write some lovely songs, after all. Cziffra's versions of Op.13, Op.14/2 & Op.26 on this set are very satisfying--I just wish they had managed to include a recording of his version of the Waldstein, too.

CZIFFRA - A Keyboard Phenomenon.......2001-05-26

Issued in 1991 by EMI France to celebrate Cziffra's 70th birthday this 8 CD boxed set is a bargain. The first CD is all Liszt and contains some of the most spellbinding playing you are ever likely to hear. Fire and brimstone reign as Cziffra tears up the keyboard in the Dante Sonata's demonic moments; surely a whiff of sulphur as he spontaneously combusts during the Mephisto-Valse; the Rhapsodie espagnole and Grand Galop chromatique {see him sweat playing this on Philip's `Great Pianists of the 20th Century video.}. As a contrast, be seduced by his heart-melting rendering of the third Liebestraume; the caprice of the Valse-Impromptu; and have the waters of `Les Jeux d'eau a la Villa d'Este' ever cascaded so onomatopoeically and with such a transcendental variety of touch and nuance. More diablerie follows on disc 2 with transcriptions by Liszt and those {in} famous ones by Cziffra himself. I have never heard a more demonic Gounod/Liszt ` Valse de Faust'; Auber/Liszt `Tarantelle de bravura'; or Tchaikovsky/Liszt Polonaise from `Eugene Onegin'; as for Cziffra's playing of his own transcriptions and paraphrases, especially the Strauss `Tritsch-tratsch polka' and Rimsky-Korsakov `Flight of the Bumble-bee; well, they are in a class of their own. Both Katsaris and Volodos recorded the latter pieces but I'm afraid they cannot compare with Cziffra's sheer electricity and panache. You will now need an ice pack as disc 3 opens with Balakirev's Islamey which starts steadily enough compared to say Simon Barere's famous account {now on APR} but increases in excitement as Cziffra adds all kind of gypsy embellishments as he builds to a fiery conclusion. Excitement is also the key to the next piece; Schumann's Toccata, which Cziffra plays with effortless abandonment and joie de vivre as he also does Mendelssohn's Rondo Capriccioso. Cziffra loved to play Baroque music and the rest of this disc is taken up by mainly short but characterful pieces by Couperin, Lully, Rameau and Krebs. Many were recorded in the 1980s and sound better if played back at a reduced volume level as they were obviously too closely miked. Cziffra once said that he couldn't play Beethoven so preferred to leave it to others who could. He did record a number of sonatas and this selection includes very fine accounts of the `Pathetique'; No. 13 in E flat Op27/1 {companion to the `Moonlight'};and Op. 26 in A flat. He brings a full cantabile to the latter works opening movt. and to the Adagio of the `Pathetique'. Elsewhere he plays with refinement and elegance; everything is in the best possible taste and there is nothing to offend, but those who like their Beethoven a bit more rough and gruff could be a bit disappointed as they might also be with Cziffra's Brahm's Paganini Variations which are technically stunning but find Cziffra musically out of sorts. The Schumann disc finds him on top form. Like many great artists Cziffra loved to play Schumann and he was equally at home with Eusebius { the dreamer} as he was with Florestan { the impetuous side of his character} and this is self evident in his brilliantly characterful accounts of Carnaval, Fantasiestücke, and Carnaval de Vienne - the latter piece highly praised by Cortot after he heard Cziffra during a Paris radio broadcast in the late 1950s. Discs 7 and 8 are all concertante works and show Cziffra at the very height of his stupendous powers. Again Cziffra has his demon up in the most astounding Liszt Totentanz ever recorded; a Hungarian Fantasy with all the improvisational colours of a band of gypsy fiddlers and an ideally recreative performance of the second concerto to make all others sound four-square . To cap this there is a fabulous Grieg concerto in which Cziffra dares to improvise the end of the Lisztian style cadenza; a meltingly beautiful slow movt with an excitingly brilliant finale. Last but certainly not the least, a very poetic reading of Franck's Symphonic Variations and a Tchaikovsky first concerto which combines thrilling virtuosity with all those individual touches that only a genuinely recreative artist can bring to such a familiar masterpiece. This collection is a splendid tribute to one of histories greatest pianists - an artist who knew the authentic meaning of ` bravura'.

Average customer rating:

Historic Organs of Baltimore

Manufacturer: Organ Hist. Society
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Canons | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Rondos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Toccatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Psalms | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000004AHR
Release Date: 1995-09-26

Average customer rating:

William Mathias: Santa Fe Suite

Manufacturer: Nimbus Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000037G3
Release Date: 1995-11-07

Tracks:

Santa Fe Ste: I. Landscape-Moderato, Con Rubato
Santa Fe Ste: II. Nocturne: Molto Adagio-Adagio
Santa Fe Ste: III. Sun Dance: Allegro Molto Ritmico
Une Chatelaine En Sa Tour, Op.110
Etude De Concert: Au Matin
Son: I. Massig Schnell
Son: II. Lebhaft
Son: III. Lied-Sehr Langsam
Impromtu, Op.21
Son: I. Allegretto
Son: II. Lento
Son: III. Perpetuum Mobile-Allegro Gaiement
Fant, Op.117: Lament/March/Nocturne/Scherzo/Finale
Ste, Op.83: I. Ov
Ste, Op.83: II. Toccata
Ste, Op.83: III. Nocturne
Ste, Op.83: IV. Fugue
Ste, Op.83: V. Hymn (St. Denio)
Improvisations, Op.10: I. Allegro Moderato
Improvisations, Op.10: II. Lento-Sonore
Improvisations, Op.10: III. Allegro Non Troppo

Master Works, Vol. 4; Virtuoso Organ Works

Average customer rating:

Master Works, Vol. 4; Virtuoso Organ Works

Manufacturer: Guild
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Fugues | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000268HL
Release Date: 2000-08-18

Average customer rating:

Organ Fireworks III

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Organ Fireworks II
Organ Fireworks V
Organ Fireworks, Vol. 7
Organ Fireworks, Vol. 6
Organ Fireworks, Vol. 4

ASIN: B000002ZOM
Release Date: 1993-11-18

Tracks:

Op.74: Marche Heroique In D Major
Op.49 No.2: Scherzo In G Minor
Offertoire In D Minor
Op. 4: Concert Fantasy On The Tune
Op.19 No.2: Cortege et Litanie
Hymne a l'Univers
Op.122, No.4: Marche In F Major
Grand Choeur In B Flat Major
Op.128: Peice Heroique In D Minor
Op.150 No.7: Allegro Giocoso In A Major

Average customer rating:

Historic Organs of Colorado

Manufacturer: Organ Hist. Society
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Magnificats | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00005MLO7
Release Date: 2001-06-26

Average customer rating:

Stripes: Mike Vargas in Concert

Manufacturer: Mike Vargas
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CAEG0I
Release Date: 2005-02-01

Average customer rating:

Occasionally breathtaking, always interesting,..
Even Alkan was a human, and a computer does no justice.

Alkan in 1837

Manufacturer: The Orchard
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Scherzo | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00005O7WK
Release Date: 2001-09-11

Tracks:

Trois Improvisations Dans Le Style Brillant, Op.12: No.1. Prestissimo
Trois Improvisations Dans Le Style Brillant, Op.12: No.2. Allegretto
Trois Improvisations Dans Le Style Brillant, Op.12: No.3. Allegro Marziale
Trois Andante Romantiques, Op.13: No.1. Andante
Trois Andante Romantiques, Op.13: No.2. Andante
Trois Andante Romantiques, Op.13: No.3. Andante
Trois Morceaux Dans Le Genre Pathetique, Op.15: No.1. Aime Moi
Trois Morceaux Dans Le Genre Pathetique, Op.15: No.2. Le Vent
Trois Morceaux Dans Le Genre Pathetique, Op.15: No.3. Morte
Tre Scherzi, Op.16: Movt De Valse
Tre Scherzi, Op.16: Moderato
Tre Scherzi, Op.16: Prestissimo
Etude De Conc, Op.17: Le Preux

Customer Reviews:

Occasionally breathtaking, always interesting,.........2004-01-22

If you are interested in the music of Charles Alkan this CD is a must. Indeed, several of the performances are beyond praise. The previous reviewer is, I think, reading things into what they hear. In a "blind" hearing of the best of these performances I do not believe a listener's first reaction would be "Oh, a computer" but rather "My Lord! Who is that?!" Alkan (as Ronald Smith says in his excellent "Alkan: Volume Two: The Music") writes music that has technical demands that "...take little heed of human frailty." Perhaps that is why several of these performances are the best that I have ever heard. Indeed the performance of Alkan's concert study "Le preux op. 17" is spectacular. A genuine show-stopper if there ever was one. At its best the computer/piano hybrid gives us a hint of a technique that once intimidated Liszt himself. If Alkan played anything like this performance of "Le preux" then Liszt's unease is understandable. Another plus for this CD is the fact that it is the only place where you can get all of Alkan's 12 "Caprices ou Etudes" of 1837 (Op. 12,13,15, and 16) and the concert study op. 17 on one CD. Well worth your while. The only negative is that the notes are in Japanese (Not a problem if you read Japanese, which I do not). A copy of Smith's "Alkan: Volume Two: The Music" (mentioned above) will cover that.

Even Alkan was a human, and a computer does no justice........2003-09-03

Though a significant improvement over the previous Op.39 album, Nanasakov (or a midi-sequencer and Mr.Nanasawa) is still soulless. The use of a real piano this time significantly makes the performance less unrealistic, but the total absense of emotion makes the recording nothing more than an outlet for some curiosity. It would have been interesting if Mr.Nanasawa himself performed some of the less demanding pieces.