Fantasias [Import]

Product Description
Import exclusive greatest hits compilation. 2004.

Fantasias,Jose Augusto,Som Livre,Brazil,Brazilian,Latin Pop,World Music

Average customer rating: One of Best Recordings of Brahms Piano Concertos! a truly great recording FAVORITE PIANO CONCERTI Heroic - and my favorite reading hands down Liked Concerto 2 with Reiner much better

Brahms: Concertos for Piano No. 1 & 2, Fantasia Op. 116 Johannes Brahms , Eugen Jochum , Ottomar Borwitzky , Emil Gilels , and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Brahms | Brahms, Johannes | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Piano | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Gilels, Emil | ( G ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Liszt: The Two Piano Concertos; The Piano Sonata Brahms: Works for Solo Piano Johannes Brahms: The Symphonies Great Recordings Of The Century - Brahms: Violin Sonatas nos 1 - 3 / Perlman, Ashkenazy Brahms: The Complete Symphonies / Karajan, Berlin PO ASIN: B000001GQY Release Date: 1996-09-17

Tracks:

1. Konzert fur Klavier und Orchester Nr. 1 d-moll Op. 15: Maestoso - J. Brahms
2. Konzert fur Klavier und Orchester Nr. 1 d-moll Op. 15: Adagio - J. Brahms
3. Konzert fur Klavier und Orchester Nr. 1 d-moll Op. 15: Rondo. Allegro non troppo - J. Brahms

Tracks:

1. Konzert fur Klavier und Orchester Nr. 2 B-Dur Op. 83: Allegro non troppo
2. Konzert fur Klavier und Orchester Nr. 2 B-Dur Op. 83: Allegro appassionato
3. Konzert fur Klavier und Orchester Nr. 2 B-Dur Op. 83: Andante
4. Konzert fur Klavier und Orchester Nr. 2 B-Dur Op. 83: Allegretto grazioso
5. Fantasien Op. 116: No. 1 Capriccio: Presto energico
6. Fantasien Op. 116: No. 2 Intermezzo: Andante
7. Fantasien Op. 116: No. 3 Capriccio: Allegro passionato
8. Fantasien Op. 116: No. 4 Intermezzo: Adagio
9. Fantasien Op. 116: No. 5 Intermezzo: Andante con grazia ed intimissimo sentimento
10. Fantasien Op. 116: No. 6 Intermezzo: Andantino teneramente
11. Fantasien Op. 116: No. 7 Capriccio: Allegro agitato

Amazon.com

These performances mount the only serious competition as a complete set to the Leon Fleisher/George Szell versions on Sony Classical. Emil Gilels was an extraordinary virtuoso who decided to place his technical wizardry in the service of the most disciplined and demanding classical masterpieces. No piano concertos live up to this description more than the two by Brahms. Himself a pianist, Brahms placed every purely musical stumbling block that he could in front of the soloist--only audiences never notice because there's no gratuitous display at all. A performer who has not mastered these pieces doesn't necessarily miss notes; he or she just bores everyone to tears. Well, Gilels is never dull, and neither is Eugen Jochum, whose spontaneous-sounding yet sensitive accompaniments support his soloist every step of the way. --David Hurwitz

Amazon.com

Emil Gilels is magisterial in these concertos, his playing volcanic and poetic at the same time. Eugen Jochum and the Berlin Philharmonic add considerable grandeur to the undertaking, spanning Brahms's long developmental arches with convincing sureness. Within the warm ambience of Berlin's Jesus-Christus-Kirche, where both concertos were recorded in June of 1972, the engineers do a good job of capturing the pianist's ringing tone. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

One of Best Recordings of Brahms Piano Concertos!.......2007-06-28

Gilels is excellent on this classic recording of the Brahms Piano Concertos. Before these recordings came out of CD, I listened to these on LP records for hours and hours. I wore those records out.

The added bonus on the CD of the Fantasia is nice as well.

a truly great recording.......2006-10-06

To my mind neither Eugen Jochum nor Emil Gilels received the acclaim appropriate to their genius while they were living. Even now it appears they are appreciated mainly by a small clique of true classical music lovers.

These two performances of Brahms' Piano Concertos are flawless. They were both recorded in 1972 when Jochum was age 69, and Gilels was 55. Two masters in their mature prime. Add to this The Berlin Philharmonic and recording by Deutsche Grammophon. This is perfect Brahms. The treatment of both concertos is equally superb, achieving a synthesis of piano and orchestra in performances of unfolding eloquence and power.

In 1987 at age 85 (a year before he died) Eugen Jochum was asked in an interview about his memory of great recordings. He singled out the 1972 Brahms with Gilels as perhaps the finest recording of his career.

FAVORITE PIANO CONCERTI.......2006-01-03

Brahms's monumental piano concertos are my very favorite piano concertos. Therefore, I own many recordings of same. Nevertheless, this recording with Gilels and Jochum is my absolute favorite! It is a recording that I've listened to, at least, once a week for many years. Gilels and Jochum truly play these "monsters of the form" wonderfully capturing Brahms's fierceness as well as his tenderness beautifully.

Truth be known, I slightly prefer the 1st concerto-I know that is a musical sacrilege. My god, Gilels plays the hell out of that work delivering those (what I call) "trills of death" in the first movement in such a manner that it still sends chills up and down my spine no matter how many time I have listened to the work.

DGG has done a superb job in it transfer to this "new" CD form. I owned the original vinyl recordings; however, I feel these CDs give the recording more depth with the sound being far richer.

If you want to hear a legendary and sublime recording of the Brahms's Piano Concertos,buy these discs.

Heroic - and my favorite reading hands down.......2005-11-11

These readings are legendary. I searched and searched for a good set, first trying Bernstein-Zimerman (horrid recording quaity) then trying some older recordings (Serkin/Szell, Rubinstein/Ormandy), then going to an old favorite of mine on the keyboard (Pollini/Abbado), but I was not really a fan of a) either the ensembles' un-Brahmsian (in my opinion) accompaniment or b) the soloists' interpretations or execution. However, these recordings, when I first bought them in the old DG Galleria release, were a revelation. Gilels' playing can best be described as monumental, and Jochum's direction is Brahmsian to the core. The result is a rarity in that both concertos are amongst the greatest ever readings of the works (especially for #2; only Serkin/Szell and Anda/Fricsay come close). And now, with the new DG Originals transfer, the sound matches the performances; gone are the whiny strings and the somewhat hollow sound from the original transfer, and in its place we have a recording that sounds almost brand new, with great clarity on the brass, piano sound, and amazing definition in the strings. If you must only have one recording of these two concertos, then this is the one to get.
However, let me make one other suggestion for Piano Concerto No. 2: Geza Anda with Ferenc Fricsay & the Berlin Philharmonic, dating from 1960. A spellbinding interpretation by Anda, and an accompaniment no less Brahmsian than Jochum's from meastro Fricsay. This is part of a great Geza Anda box set by DG (which incidentally includes a great Schumann piano concerto with Kubelik/Berlin). If you are looking for another astounding recording of the 2nd piano concerto, you should check this release out. For concerto no. 1, check out Szell/Serkin on Sony.

With all of that being said, if I'm stranded on a desert island, I'm bringing the Jochum-Gilels set.

Liked Concerto 2 with Reiner much better.......2005-10-31

I heard the Concerto 2 today on the radio, and I while it was competently played, I kept thinking of how slowly it was paced. And I yearned to hear the Gilels version (with Fritz Reiner and the CSO). Imagine my extreme surprise to hear it was Gilels! But played with nothing like the fire and wit and playfulness of his 1958 version. Perhaps Brahms would have wanted it played this way, with more majesty and solemnity, but it's not for me.

Average customer rating: Wonderful articulation is her hallmark Amazing performances of amazing music! Good Performance, bad recording Devoted collection by a mature virtuoso.

Mozart: The Piano Sonatas; Fantasias & Rondos Manufacturer: RCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Rondos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Sonatinas | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Blowout Box Sets | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 20% Off | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Instrumental | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Favourite Spanish Encores Beethoven: The 5 Piano Concertos; Choral Fantasy Bach: Fantasia in C minor; Two-Part Inventions; Three-Part Inventions; Chromatic Fantasia & Fugue Mozart: Piano Sonatas Mozart: The Piano Sonatas ASIN: B0000CNTLW Release Date: 2003-12-09

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful articulation is her hallmark.......2007-07-09

The collection is spectacular. Larrocha's nimble fingers and clear articulation make it a joy to listen to her interpretations of Mozart. The very familiar "A la turca" is given a lighthearted yet sensitive interpretation that makes it a great listening experience. This is definitely a set to own.

Amazing performances of amazing music!.......2006-09-27

I can't compare this to other Mozart Sonata cycles, but after looking hard at which set to purchase, I bought these and have been extremely pleased. I have not noticed any recording problems with the 2nd and 3rd disks, but I am no expert. I think the whole set sounds wonderful! And you cannot beat the price. I just wish she had a complete cycle of Mozart's Piano Concerti available!

Good Performance, bad recording.......2004-09-14

The performance of Laroccha is exceptional, the trills are fantastic and some of the sonatas are almost perfect. The whole compilation sounds very mozartian and may disturb some people that are used into more sweet and passion performances. However the recording of the 2nd and 3rd CD is terrible, it sounds like there is echo in the recording and it becomes very annoying and fuzzy. The key of a good mozart recording is brightness and music purity, which definately this compilation lacks.
Brendel's mozart sonatas sound better for me, however he has not recorded all of them in a single complilation such as this.

Devoted collection by a mature virtuoso........2004-02-07

Listen to Alicia de Larrocha performing the exposition of the first movement of Mozart's Piano Sonata in Bb major, K. 333--my favorite of the great composer's sonata; the absolute pinnacle of Classical beauty. You will hear a consummate artist devoted to the detail and refinement of this glorious music. Collected here in 5 CDs are the complete Mozart Sonatas and a few minor works to fill out the discs. I don't believe in the concept of a 'definitive' performance or recording-especially for a body of work as extensive and diverse as this, and so would never claim such a title for this or any performance-but de Larrocha's set is definitely worth having. She takes a refined, subtle approach, never exaggerating or turning Mozart into a Romantic, but always emphasizing the Classical sense of balance. Even in as "romantic" a work as the Presto of the Sonata in A minor K. 310, she plays expressively and emotionally, but within a Classical aesthetic, always exercising great control and touch. Dynamics and tempi are varied, certainly, but within a more discrete range than some of our more flamboyant pianists. This, for me, is the charm of de Larrocha's approach-perhaps, for some listeners, its downfall. Here's where the concept of definitive recordings fails completely. Do we try to listen to Mozart in an historical context, as he himself might have heard it, or do we take a Postmodern approach? Having lived after the Romantic period and even the Twentieth Century now, do we perform and prefer Mozart played on an instrument he never knew, allowing innovations of interpretation developed after his death to shape a new vision of his works? Both are possible, and in today's world, where Bond and Maksim pass unremarked as Classical musicians to my great disgust, mass audiences give no favor to historical context. De Larrocha clearly prefers the informed, appropriate approach, although she plays on a modern grand piano, and the music glows under her loving hands. Listen, for example, to the lovely Adagio from K. 280, one of Mozart's earlier sonatas.

These performances are not newly recorded-once again, the recording companies are putting out new product by repackaging old material. But in this case, the quality of the material is so good that I can scarcely complain-its old wine in new bottles! The CDs were recorded in 1990 and 1991, when the Barcelonian pianist was almost 70 years old. I certainly hope that I'm capable of similar accomplishment at that age-so I'd better sign off now and get practicing!

Average customer rating: A wonderful offering. I disagree with the consensus here Don't hesitate to get this set Superb interpretations by Katchen A little rushed sometimes, but beautiful

Brahms: Works for Solo Piano Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Brahms | Brahms, Johannes | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Ballads | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Sonatinas | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Intermezzos | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Variations | Variations | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Scherzo | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music Bargain Box Sets | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Schubert: The Piano Sonatas Liszt: Piano Works Chopin: The Piano Works Works for Solo Piano Brahms: Concertos for Piano No. 1 & 2, Fantasia Op. 116 ASIN: B0000042GM Release Date: 1997-11-11

Tracks:

1. Variations On A Theme By Paganini, Op.35: Book 1 - Heft 1
2. Variations On A Theme By Paganini, Op.35: Book 2 - Heft 2
3. Variations And Fugue On A Theme By G.F. Handel, Op.24: B Flat Major
4. 4 Ballades, Op.10: Andante
5. 4 Ballades, Op.10: Andante
6. 4 Ballades, Op.10: Intermezzo. Allegro
7. 4 Ballades, Op.10: Andante con moto

Tracks:

1. Works For Solo Piano: Ziemlich langsam
2. Works For Solo Piano: Poco larghetto
3. Works For Solo Piano: Allegro
4. Works For Solo Piano: Walzer Nr. 1 - 8
5. Works For Solo Piano: Walzer Nr. 9 - 16
6. Works For Solo Piano: Scherzo es-moll

Tracks:

1. Works For Piano Solo: Allegro
2. Works For Piano Solo: Andante
3. Works For Piano Solo: Scherzo. Allegro molto e con fuoco
4. Works For Piano Solo: Finale. Allegro con fuoco
5. Works For Piano Solo: Allegro non troppo ma energico
6. Works For Piano Solo: Andante con espressione
7. Works For Piano Solo: Scherzo. Allegro
8. Works For Piano Solo: Finale. Introduzione (sostenuto) - Allegro non troppo e rubato
9. Works For Piano Solo: Agitato
10. Works For Piano Solo: Molto passionato, ma non troppo allegro

Tracks:

1. Works For Piano Solo: Allegro maestoso
2. Works For Piano Solo: Andante espressivo - Andante molto
3. Works For Piano Solo: Scherzo. Allegro energico
4. Works For Piano Solo: Intermezzo. Andante molto
5. Works For Piano Solo: Finale. Allegro moderato ma rubato
6. Works For Piano Solo: Presto energico
7. Works For Piano Solo: Andante
8. Works For Piano Solo: Allegro passionato
9. Works For Piano Solo: Adagio
10. Works For Piano Solo: Andante con grazia ed intimissimo sentimento
11. Works For Piano Solo: Andante teneramente
12. Works For Piano Solo: Allegro agitato

Tracks:

1. Works For Solo Piano: 8 Pieces, Op.76 - I Capriccio in F sharp minor
2. Works For Solo Piano: 8 Pieces, Op. 76 - II Capriccio in B minor
3. Works For Solo Piano: 8 Pieces, Op. 76 - III Intermezzo in A flat major
4. Works For Solo Piano: 8 Pieces, Op. 76 - IV Intermezzo in B flat major
5. Works For Solo Piano: 8 Pieces, Op. 76 - V Capriccio in C sharp minor
6. Works For Solo Piano: 8 Pieces, Op. 76 - VI Intermezzo in A major
7. Works For Solo Piano: 8 Pieces, Op. 76 - VII Intermezzo in A minor
8. Works For Solo Piano: 8 Pieces, Op. 76 - VIII Capriccio in C major
9. Works For Solo Piano: 6 Pieces, Op. 118 - I Intermezzo in A minor
10. Works For Solo Piano: 6 Pieces, Op. 118 - II Intermezzo in A major
11. Works For Solo Piano: 6 Pieces, Op. 118 - III Ballade in G minor
12. Works For Solo Piano: 6 Pieces, Op. 118 - IV Intermezzo in F minor
13. Works For Solo Piano: 6 Pieces, Op. 118 - V Romanze in F major
14. Works For Solo Piano: 6 Pieces, Op. 118 - VI Intermezzo in E flat minor
15. Works For Solo Piano: 4 Pieces, Op. 119 - I Intermezzo in B minorn B
16. Works For Solo Piano: 4 Pieces, Op. 119 - II Intermezzo in E minor
17. Works For Solo Piano: 4 Pieces, Op. 119 - III Intermezzo in C major
18. Works For Solo Piano: 4 Pieces, Op. 119 - IV Rhapsody in E flat major

Tracks:

1. Works For Solo Piano: Andante moderato
2. Works For Solo Piano: Andante non troppo e con molto espressione
3. Works For Solo Piano: Andante con moto
4. Works For Solo Piano: g-moll
5. Works For Solo Piano: d-moll
6. Works For Solo Piano: F-dur
7. Works For Solo Piano: fis-moll
8. Works For Solo Piano: fis-moll
9. Works For Solo Piano: Des-dur
10. Works For Solo Piano: F-dur
11. Works For Solo Piano: a-moll
12. Works For Solo Piano: e-moll
13. Works For Solo Piano: E-dur
14. Works For Solo Piano: d-moll
15. Works For Solo Piano: d-moll
16. Works For Solo Piano: D-dur
17. Works For Solo Piano: d-moll
18. Works For Solo Piano: B-dur
19. Works For Solo Piano: f-moll
20. Works For Solo Piano: fis-moll
21. Works For Solo Piano: D-dur
22. Works For Solo Piano: h-moll
23. Works For Solo Piano: e-moll
24. Works For Solo Piano: e-moll

Customer Reviews:

A wonderful offering........2007-08-03

There may be the individual recording made by others - Gilels, Rubinstein, Arrau - of a particular work which might be preferred but as a collection of the Brahms piano works, this set has to take the prize.

The quality of recording is high - here I must sadly observe that the date of recording offers little guide to the quality thereof - and there is a remarkable consistency of piano sound despite the three years spanning the recording dates. One has to listen very attentively to detect which of the four Ballades was recorded monaurally; a strange anachronism in the 'sixties.

As another reviewer has suggested, the accompanying notes in french and german do provide interestingly different perspectives; what I find surprising and more than a little irritating is that beyond a passing (and, seemingly, grudging) mention, no biographical nor any other information is provided about the pianist. Julius Katchen was a consummate musician, very highly regarded in his day but whose achievements (like those of Witold Malcuzynski) are not so well remembered now. This set serves to redress the balance and I recommend it highly.

As an irrelevant aside, some fifty years ago and quite by chance, I found myself sitting next to Katchen on an aircraft. I remember he had unusually expressive hands; a useful attribute as the noise level of a DC3 cabin was not conducive to easy conversation! At the time, I was struggling to learn the G minor Rhapsody and he was very generous with his support. A charming man who prematurely died in 1969.

Buy this set - you won't regret it.

I disagree with the consensus here.......2007-07-11

I was disappointed by this set and would not recommend it. It's great that all of Brahms' piano works are included here and the boxed set includes some difficult to find works (like those Op. 21 variation sets) as well as the better known and wonderful later piano pieces and the Op. 39 Waltzes.

The problem is that Katchen's performances are flawed and often unpleasant. The worst problem is that he bangs the keys a lot. Fortissimo passages are ideally not supposed to be noisy; they are intended to be loud and forceful without being unpleasant. It's a key distinction that Katchen fails to realize. I also think that Katchen's technique is a bit patchy. He blurs the passagework and there is a lack of both accuracy and delicacy in the fast passages. To take an example, the Op. 76 set is marred by both of these problems: a lack of accuracy and a tendency to bang on the keyboard. I also found many of the passages that didn't suffer from these problems to be interpretationally uninteresting (the slow parts of the Paganini Variations, Bk II are undistinguished, to take an example). Big thumbs down.

I did some direct comparison of sets to the Katchen performances and in every case Katchen was far inferior.

Take the Op. 39 Waltzes: Leon Fleisher's old recording is wonderful and much more sensitive and interesting than Katchen.

I also listened to Radu Lupu's recording of the Opp. 117-119 pieces (THAT is a wonderful recording - if you are looking for a superb recording of Brahms piano music, get that one and save yourself the aggravation of the Katchen set) and it's simply no contest.

I also sampled the terrific Op. 79 Rhapsodies and the Paganini Variations as played by a favorite pianist of mine, the lesser-known French pianist Nicholas Angelich, and Katchen's sloppy and undirected interpretations pales before the versions by a "non-superstar" pianist.

So while I admit I haven't listened to every portion of the Katchen set, I found every reason to avoid it when compared to some alternatives available.

Don't hesitate to get this set.......2007-07-04

It's a good thing I waited to write this until I'd heard these CDs a few times. I would have been guilty of understatement. Katchen's work grows on me in much the same way Brahms' music itself does. It is rich in nuance and insight, and never fails to please.

I'll confess, I bought this set to fill the gaps in my piecemeal collection. What a delightful surprise to find my "stopgap" set more than holds its own against recordings by the likes of Richter, Rubinstein and Gilels. To help the reader overcome any reluctance I offer a few comments on the few "downsides" mentioned by others:

Yes, Katchen does play fast, but not always, and certainly not out of inability to hold the listener's attention through more artful means. Katchen's track times are often slower than Rubinstein's or even Gilels'; but where the spirit moves him, he can go like a rocket. He's generally fastest in the earlier works, where a case can be made for playing them with youthful ardor; Katchen does this to a T. This applies to the first 2 sonatas, the Paganini variations (why would anything associated with Paganini lack splash and dazzle?) and to a much lesser extent, parts of the Handel variations. The main thing is, it works. The very few places where I felt Katchen was rushing the music are heavily outnumbered by places where the added energy seems to "fit" like a glove.

Yes, in an exhaustive set you inevitably endure the "bottom of the barrel." I'm surprised how little of this 6-CD set strikes me as anything less than indispensible. Every track is worth hearing. Katchen has been surpassed here and there, but he doesn't put in a bad performance in the whole batch.

Yes, the recordings are more than 40 years old. They will not satisfy the most jaded audiophile (there's not quite the "presence" of a good recording today). But they are amazingly clean and lifelike for their age (even the 3 tracks that are mono). They sound noticeably better than the popular Rubinstein recordings of equal vintage. At first I thought I heard a touch of bass-heaviness, but now I just think Katchen gives us a strong, clear bass line. Once again, it works. The sound is simply not a problem for a normal listener.

Finally, there's the small stuff. Getting the CDs out of their tight-fitting sleeves without putting your fingerprints on the playing surface is well-nigh impossible, unless you give in and apply a letter opener to solve the problem once and for all. Is that any reason not to get this much wonderful music at such a low price? London has even revived the old practice of offering different program notes in different languages, so that multilingual readers can benefit from more than one set of comments. All around it's a winner!

Superb interpretations by Katchen.......2006-11-16

Katchen's performace throughout this collection are excellent.Brahms integrates many of Schumann's,Bach's and Beethovens compositional ideas into his own works.He is a master of the appoggiatura(suspension of the dominant chord).And the ghosts of Bach,Schumann,and Beethoven appear at intervals throughout this collection of his piano works.The VARIATIONS ON AN ORIGINAL THEME is an ethereal experience,and the Op.09 VARIATIONS ON A THEME BY SCHUMANN, composed after his death,Brahms's pathos,especialy in the slower variations, make you aware of his sadness of Schumann passing, as there is vivid sense of despair and remorse you can hear throughout.It is well documented the profound influence Shumann had on Brahms's compositional process.OP.76 is a passionate performance by Katchen.You also have short piano works culminated in Op116,Op 117,Op.118,which includes the great masterpiece in Ebminor,and Op.119.The Pagganini Variations,Variations on a theme by Haydn,the Ballads Op. 10.And both volumes of the HUNGARIAN DANCES,the 2 Rhapsody's,and VARATIONS ON A THEME BY HANDEL.It quite remarkable that such music could be created by such a young man in the astonishing Sonatas,OP.1,OP.2,and OP.5.The slow movements in all three sonates are very inspiring,and heart fealt.It makes you glad to be alive in order to hear such remarkable music.A well balanced performance throughout.If your a Brahms lover,this is a must for your collection.Enjoy

A little rushed sometimes, but beautiful.......2005-02-03

To be honest, I can't really figure out how much I like Katchen's performance. It's hard to gauge because Brahms's piano music is inherently exceptional played by just about any performer.

I feel that the ballades, op. 10 are played way too fast (although I'm not exactly sure how close Katchen is to Brahms's tempi indications). I've heard them by several other performers and, being a Gould fan, would have to say that his slower interpretation really captures how beautiful the pieces are more than anyone else. I also enjoy Kempff's performances of many later works. Katchen really seems so rushed for some reason. To me, that really takes attention away from the fine details, which I think are so essential to Brahms's piano music. He's not quite delicate enough with some of the pieces.

This faster speed is only very slight for the rest of the set, but pretty consistently. I think he does a better job with more intense pieces like many of his larger-scale variations and the sonatas. Those I would give 5 stars, but only 4 stars for the op. 116-119, for they're a little too fast.

My only other qualm is the arrangement of the set. It would be nice to have all the sonatas together on a disc, 116-119 on a disc, etc., going along with the whole chronological thing..

However, all these things are personal preference. I would definitely recommend this set. It's made up about 1/2 of my music listening for the past couple months. It's not expensive at all for what you're getting, and if you get just one Brahms piano cd, you're going to want to get more, so you should just get it over with and have this whole set, it's fabulous music. Just keep in mind that this is not the only interpretation that should be considered.

Average customer rating: Marvellous!!A delicious recording!!! Rock guitarist turned lutanist

Portrait Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr. ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Dowland | Dowland, John | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Handel | Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Kapsberger, Giovanni | ( K ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Monteverdi | Monteverdi, Claudio | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Lute | Instruments | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Lute | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Madrigals | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Choruses | Opera & Vocal | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Choruses | Opera & Vocal | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music $6.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Dowland, John | ( D ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Kapsberger, Giovanni | ( K ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Monteverdi, Claudio | ( M ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Similar Items: Baroque Lute Music, Vol. 1 Early Venetian Lute Music Lute Music, Vol. 2 Weiss: Sonatas for Lute, Volume 1 Dowland: Complete Lute Works, Vol.1-5 ASIN: B00004SCUK Release Date: 2000-04-11

Tracks:

1. Sir John Smith His Almain
2. Forlorne Hope Fancye
3. (Pavan)
4. La Jota
5. Cumbees
6. Piva
7. Emporer Of The Moon
8. La Battaglia (Jannequin)
9. Voglio di vita uscir'
10. (A Jig)
11. The Earl Of Essex Galliard
12. The Right Honourable
13. Aria: Come La Rondinella
14. Greene-Sleeves
15. The Glory Of The West
16. The Queen's Jigg
17. Fantasia
18. Sarabrand (sic)
19. Go From My Windoe
20. Toccata 2a, For Chitarrone
21. Hor che gli augelli
22. Je ne seray jamais bergere

Customer Reviews:

Marvellous!!A delicious recording!!!.......2004-10-01

O`Dette! The lutanist that would become popular in Dowlands time! he seems to me like a Leonhardt on lute.I find the lute no less expressive and enchanting than harpsichord or piano when I listen to Mr O`Dette

Rock guitarist turned lutanist.......2002-08-05

I listen to this album over and over and never get tired of it. O'Dette's interpretations keep sounding fresh and alive, perhaps because of his rock background. This was the popular music of the time and he plays it that way. There's no dusty mustiness of age hanging over it.

The compilation of different albums is great; different instrument combinations and vocal pieces interspersed. I highly recommend it.

Average customer rating: Grimaud plays Brahms Cincinnati Symphony Concert 2007 Brahms - Helene's CD LIve!! Who cares if the music's good or not, buy it for the album cover That poor piano Wonderful and moving

Hélène Grimaud ~ Brahms - Piano Pieces Op. 116-119 Johannes Brahms , and Hélène Grimaud Manufacturer: Erato ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Brahms | Brahms, Johannes | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Intermezzos | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Grimaud, Hélène | ( G ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Classical | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Hélène Grimaud plays Chopin & Rachmaninov Wild Harmonies: A Life of Music and Wolves Reflection Hélène Grimaud ~ Chopin · Schumann · Liszt Hélène Grimaud ~ Brahms - Piano Concerto No.1 ASIN: B000005E4I Release Date: 1996-09-03

Tracks:

1. Fantasien Op.116: Capriccio - Presto Energico
2. Fantasien Op.116: Intermezzo - Andante
3. Fantasien Op.116: Capriccio - Allegro Passionato
4. Fantasien Op.116: Intermezzo - Adagio
5. Fantasien Op.116: Intermezzo - Andante Con Grazia
6. Fantasien Op.116: Intermezzo - Andantino Teneramente
7. Fantasien Op.116: Capriccio - Allegro Agitato
8. Drei Intermezzi Op. 117: Andante Moderato
9. Drei Intermezzi Op. 117: Andante Non Troppo
10. Drei Intermezzi Op. 117: Andante Con Moto
11. Klavierstucke Op. 118: Intermezzo - Allegro Non Assai
12. Klavierstucke Op. 118: Intermezzo - Andante Teneramente
13. Klavierstucke Op. 118: Ballada - Allegro Energico
14. Klavierstucke Op. 118: Intermezzo - Allegretto Un Poco Agitato
15. Klavierstucke Op. 118: Romanze - Andante
16. Klavierstucke Op. 118: Intermezzo - Andante, Largo E Mesto
17. Klavierstucke Op. 119: Intermezzo - Adagio
18. Klavierstucke Op. 119: Intermezzo - Andante Un Poco Agitato
19. Klavierstucke Op. 119: Intermezzo - Grazioso E Giocoso
20. Klavierstucke Op. 119: Rhapsodie - Allegro Risoluto

Customer Reviews:

Grimaud plays Brahms.......2007-07-30

My title says it -- Grimaud is an extraordinary pianist, but more, a discerning and gutsy musician. She listens; Brahms is Brahms, not, as far as i can tell, Grimaud; likewise the other composers she champions. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Cincinnati Symphony Concert 2007 Brahms - Helene's CD LIve!!.......2007-04-02

Spectacular Spectacular!.

Helen present is smiling, hair pulled back in a pony tail, healthy, vibrant, a muse in her world. Agile magical fingers, translate emotions to sounds that stir feelings and images alike. Mindscapes are flowing beyond the speed of light into mythical, archetypal worlds. I feel the audience is under the spell of a siren. A siren with a golden heart!

Spectacular turns to magical and magical is felt very deeply inside
The loud applause brings me into here and now where I see something even more magical.

Tears fill my eyes.
I feel extremely privileged to be part of a numinous moment

Who cares if the music's good or not, buy it for the album cover.......2006-04-07

Why? Cause HELENE IS A HOTTIE! Anyone got her address? I need to FedEx a marriage proposal!

That poor piano.......2006-01-07

She just bashes the piano. It is actually hard to listen to me. Sometimes she plays soooo fast that you cannot hear all of the notes, while sometimes she plays so slow you lose a sense of rythm.

I would Highly recommend Jon Nakamatsu's Recording over these. He does an absolutely amazing job.

Wonderful and moving.......2004-03-13

This is one of my top 2 favorite CDs from Ms. Grimaud. I really wish I could hear her perform a recital of this disc. It's great, I don't know of many recordings for these works. Too bad Brendel won't record them, that would be fun to hear. Anyway, Grimaud's playing on this disc really made me take notice of Brahms' music more than ever before, so I must thank her for this. These works from Brahms are some of the most persona;/intimate masterpieces ever written for solo piano, and that intimacy comes across very well in this recording. Much better than Grimaud's Beethoven recordings.

Average customer rating: Glenn Gould's strange genius, Sony's parsimony Gould has never played so sublimely.....Sweelinck is amazing! Enraptured visions! Brilliant Another Remarkable GG Recording...

Consort of Musicke by William Byrd & Orlando Gibbons; Sweelinck: Fantasia in D (The Glenn Gould Edition) Glenn Gould , William Byrd , Orlando Gibbons , and Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Pavanes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Byrd, William | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Gibbons, Orlando | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Sweelinck | Sweelinck, JanPieterszoon | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Grounds | Variations | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Variations | Variations | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Gould, Glenn | ( G ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Voluntaries | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Glenn Gould Edition: Berg, Krenek, Webern, Debussy & Ravel Gould Meets Menuhin Hindemith: The 3 Piano Sonatas Glenn Gould Edition: Schumann & Brahms Partitas 4 5 & 6 - 70th Anniversary Edition ASIN: B0000028NB Release Date: 1993-06-29

Tracks:

1. First Pavan And Galliard
2. Fanasy In C Major
3. Allemande (Italian Ground)
4. Hughe Ashton's Ground
5. Sixth Pavan And Galliard
6. 'Lord Of Salsibury' - Pavan And Galliard
7. A Voluntary
8. Sellinger's Round
9. Fantasia In D

Customer Reviews:

Glenn Gould's strange genius, Sony's parsimony.......2007-03-12

Glenn Gould was a master of slow tempos, holding long melodic and contrapuntal lines together without using the damper pedal or any obvious pianistic tricks, and his extraordinary way with simple keyboard pieces shines through on this disc.

And even though these compositions are light stuff compared to the towering Bach masterpieces he recorded, there is plenty to enjoy here. And don't feel bad that Byrd and Gibbons are not played on a virginal. Nearly an hour of twanging away at these intimate, charming and modest pieces might drive an earnest modern listener crazy. Feel good about the heft and color of the modern Steinway. Gould brings body and warmth to what might otherwise be very minor pieces.

The "bonus" Sweelinck piece is further evidence of Gould's genius, but the sound quality is absolutely atrocious--taken from Canadian television in 1964 it sounds like something from a basement behind the Iron Curtain in the darkest, most technologically challenged days of Stalin's Cold War.

These are fine recordings that owe everything to Gould's eccentric and pure musical vision, but it must be stated that Sony Classical has hardly been generous with these reissues. The liner notes to this disc archly refer to "Columbia" in quotes, as if the record company that defined an entire era in classical music, comprehensively recording Bruno Walter, Leonard Bernstein, George Szell, Igor Stravinsky, and Glenn Gould, among countless other icons of the era, were a fictional bygone relic that modern day corporate record executives somehow have to refer to "in quotes."

One can hardly imagine that a perfectionist and technophile like Gould would allow such a poorly reproduced cut to be tacked on to one of the records he so lovingly produced.

Gould has never played so sublimely.....Sweelinck is amazing!.......2006-09-08

These recordings are absolute gems. In fact I daresay nothing like these performances has come before nor will come again. Gould is a genius, and the music he performs is timeless as well as historical. One can listen to this music and be transported to the 16th century, such is the power, beauty and effectiveness of Gould's interpretations. I cannot say enough of Gibbons and Sweelink, these masters are terribly underrated and unheard. Gould's touch is magical, technical virtuosity meets a true anachronistic artist. To the naysayers I say they have ears to ear yet do not hear, or in one ear and out the other. Anyone sensitive to true art will appreciate this music. Gould's performances and the composed music transcends banal quibbles like "he plays it too fast", or "it should be played on a virginal". Long live Byrd, Gibbons, Sweelinck and Gould!

Enraptured visions!.......2006-02-07

The interpretative art of Glenn Gould reached sidereal dimensions in this occasion playing the British virginalists. Gould made the complete journey and ellaborated a fine and fascinating portrait about the moods, mesmerizing approach, creating a spelling atmsophere around every single piece of this treasured album.

For all those who admire and still remaind his genius, this album is among his multiple golden recordings a special value.
Inspiered and fine recordings that will reward even the most exigenet listener.

A must-buy.

Brilliant.......2006-01-08

I echo the Spotlight review of J. Anderson, above, who has written eloquently. This music is a transporting experience.

Another Remarkable GG Recording..........2004-05-24

As a GG fan for over 30 years, I thought I knew most of his work; Sony, however, has issued more than was previously available--in a most excellent form. And so, I have the pleasure of discovering yet more wonderful GG works.

I had previously heard of the infamous Byrd/Gibbons recordings in the later 1970s; however, I had never actually heard the recordings themselves (--somehow the LP escaped me). Anyway, I am pleased to announce that this is another remarkable GG recording, and the infamy is due only to critics with a lack of understanding.

GG really honors these pieces of the Tudor virginalists: he sees what's really there. And then, his realizations on his Steinway grand really do something for this music which the little old clavichords could never achieve.

Average customer rating: The "Clinker" of the bunch

Brahms: The Masterworks (Box Set) Manufacturer: Brilliant Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Sextets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Brahms | Brahms, Johannes | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Ballads | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Concertinos | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Sonatinas | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Romantic | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Intermezzos | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Variations | Variations | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Requiems | Forms & Genres | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Piano | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Clarinet | Reeds & Winds | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Cello | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Folk Songs | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Psalms | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Blowout Box Sets | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 20% Off | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Brahms, Johannes | ( B ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra | ( B ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Brilliant Classics | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Dvorák: The Masterworks [Box Set] Mendelssohn: The Masterworks [Box Set] Vivaldi: The Masterworks (Box Set) Haydn: The Masterworks [Box Set] Beethoven: The Masterworks (Box Set) ASIN: B00062FLIS Release Date: 2004-11-30

Customer Reviews:

The "Clinker" of the bunch.......2006-12-19

Having collected the entire "The Masterworks" series (including the Bach and Mozart Complete Works) this set is the 'clinker' of the bunch. First off... 6 CD's of Lieder 'historic' (pre-historic) recordings. No Overtures, No Orchestral Seranades, No Haydn Variations?? The performances of the Symphonies and the Concertos are shakey and not very well recorded. Brilliant Classics, who has done such a wonderful job with the Hadyn Complete Symphonies (licensed from Nimbus), the Mozart and Bach Complete sets, has stumbled a bit with this release.

Average customer rating: Wonderful music, wonderful performance

Twelve Fantasias performed on viola Manufacturer: Ashmont ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Telemann, Georg Philipp | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Telemann, Georg Philipp | Composers | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Lillian Fuchs: Complete Music for Unaccompanied Viola Six Cello Suites performed on viola William Primrose: Viola Transcriptions The Elegant Viola: Yizhak Schotten, Viola A Portrait of the Viola ASIN: B000ELJ2NG Release Date: 2006-03-15

Tracks:

1. Fantasia X in G major
2. Fantasia I in Eb major
3. Fantasia II in C major
4. Fantasia III in Bb minor
5. Fantasia XI in Bb major
6. Fantasia XII in D minor
7. Fantasia VII in Ab major
8. Fantasia IX in E minor
9. Fantasia IV in G major
10. Fantasia VI in A minor
11. Fantasia VIII in A major
12. Fantasia V in D major

Product Description

This performance by violist Patricia McCarty of Telemann's Twelve Fantasias, originally for violin, is the first recording of these works on viola.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful music, wonderful performance .......2007-05-12

The 12 fantasias for solo violin written by Telemann
are profound examples of musical miniatures: each of them
consists of 3-4 movements concentrated in 5-7 minutes.
We have here all the best of Telemann: melodies of genial simplicity, smart counterpoint executed by a solo instrument, energetic dance-like movements. The transformation into a "modern" viola by McCarthy is excellent. The warm
and exact sound of the instrument fits perfectly for this gem of baroque music. Wonderful!

Average customer rating: Avoid at all costs!!! Gould and Mozart... Genius plays Genius SCARY ! Good for playing in shopping malls or "romantic evenings"...

Mozart: The Complete Sonatas; Fantasias, K397 & K475 Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Sonatinas | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Gould, Glenn | ( G ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1 - Nos, 1-3, 5-10, 12-14 The Glenn Gould Edition: Ludwig Van Beethoven Piano Sonatas, Volume II Glenn Gould Edition: Chopin / Mendelssohn / Scriabin / Prokofiev Haydn: Piano Sonatas, Hob:XVI, Nos. 42, 48-52 Glenn Gould Edition: Berg, Krenek, Webern, Debussy & Ravel ASIN: B0000028NT Release Date: 1995-02-07

Tracks:

1. Sonata No. 1 In C Major, K.279: I. Allegro
2. Sonata No. 1 In C Major, K.279: II. Andante
3. Sonata No. 1 In C Major, K.279: III. Allegro
4. Sonata No. 2 In F Major, K.280: I. Allegro Assai
5. Sonata No. 2 In F Major, K.280: II. Adagio
6. Sonata No. 2 In F Major, K.280: III. Presto
7. Sonata No. 3 In B Flat Major, K.281: I. Allegro
8. Sonata No. 3 In B Flat Major, K.281: II. Andante Amoroso
9. Sonata No. 3 In B Flat Major, K.281: III. Rondeau. Allegro
10. Sonata No. 4 In E Flat Major, K.282: I. Adagio
11. Sonata No. 4 In E Flat Major, K.282: II. Menuetto I - Menuetto II
12. Sonata No. 4 In E Flat Major, K.282: III. Allegro
13. Sonata No. 5 In G Major, K.283: I. Allegro
14. Sonata No. 5 In G Major, K.283: II. Andante
15. Sonata No. 5 In G Major, K.283: III. Presto
16. Sonata No. 6 In D Major, K.284: I. Allegro
17. Sonata No. 6 In D Major, K.284: II. Rondeau en Polonaise. Andante
18. Sonata No. 6 In D Major, K.284: III. Theme. Andante - Variationen I - XII

Tracks:

1. Sonata No. 7 In C Major, K.309: I. Allegro Con Spirito
2. Sonata No. 7 In C Major, K.309: II. Andante Un Poco Adagio
3. Sonata No. 7 In C Major, K.309: III. Rondeau. Allegretto Grazioso
4. Sonata No. 8 In A Minor, K.310: I. Allegro Maestoso
5. Sonata No. 8 In A Minor, K.310: II. Andante Cantabile Con Espressione
6. Sonata No. 8 In A Minor, K.310: III. Presto
7. Sonata No. 9 In D Major, K.311: I. Allegro Con Spirito
8. Sonata No. 9 In D Major, K.311: II. Andante Con Espressione
9. Sonata No. 9 In D Major, K.311: III. Rondeau. Allegro
10. Sonata No. 10 In C Major, K.330: I. Allegro Moderato
11. Sonata No. 10 In C Major, K.330: II. Andante Cantabile
12. Sonata No. 10 In C Major, K.330: III. Allegretto

Tracks:

1. Sonata No. 11 In A Major, K.331: I. Tema. Andante Grazioso E Variazioni
2. Sonata No. 11 In A Major, K.331: II. Menuet -Trio
3. Sonata No. 11 In A Major, K.331: III. (Rondo) Alla Turca. Allegretto
4. Sonata No. 12 In F Major, K.332: I. Allegro
5. Sonata No. 12 In F Major, K.332: II. Adagio
6. Sonata No. 12 In F Major, K.332: III. Allegro Assai
7. Sonata No. 13 In B Flat Major, K.333: I. (Allegro)
8. Sonata No. 13 In B Flat Major, K.333: II. (Andante Cantabile)
9. Sonata No. 13 In B Flat Major, K.333: III. (Allegretto Grazioso)
10. Sonata No. 14 In C Minor, K.457: I. Allegro
11. Sonata No. 14 In C Minor, K.457: II. Adagio
12. Sonata No. 14 In C Minor, K.457: III. Molto Allegro

Tracks:

1. Sonata No. 15 In F Major, K.533: I Allegro (K.533)
2. Sonata No. 15 In F Major, K.533: II. Andante (K.533)
3. Sonata No. 15 In F Major, K.533: III. Rondo. Allegretto (K.494)
4. Sonata No. 16 In C Major, K.545 'Sonata Facile': I. Allegro
5. Sonata No. 16 In C Major, K.545 'Sonata Facile': II. Andante
6. Sonata No. 16 In C Major, K.545 'Sonata Facile': III. Rondo. Allegretto
7. Sonata No. 17 In B Flat Major, K.570: I. Allegro
8. Sonata No. 17 In B Flat Major, K.570: II. Adagio
9. Sonata No. 17 In B Flat Major, K.570: III. Allegretto
10. Sonata No. 18 In D Major, K.576: I. Allegro
11. Sonata No. 18 In D Major, K.576: II. Adagio
12. Sonata No. 18 In D Major, K.576: III. Allegretto
13. Fantasia In D Minor, K.397: Andante
14. Fantasia In C Minor, K.475: Adagio

Customer Reviews:

Avoid at all costs!!!.......2007-07-24

I haven't heard the whole collection, but I've heard enough to know that it's not worth getting. Gould simply did not understand (or like) Mozart, and he certainly did not know how to play him either. For example, in the first movement of the Sonata in A (K331), he rushes through it and pounds away on the keys. Gould's version of that movement is only about eight minutes long, but it's a piece that needs to enjoyed like fine wine, not gulped like cheap beer. Lest anyone think that I am being too harsh on Gould, let me say that I am actually a big fan of his Bach recordings, and I even like his recording of Mozart's 24th Piano Concerto (K491). The quality of that recording might be due to the moderating influence of a conductor and orchestra, but there is no moderation in these sonatas, which is critically important to playing Mozart. Anyone who wants to hear Mozart's piano works as they should be played might want to listen to Ingrid Haebler. But Gould's set should be avoided like an ebola-infected monkey.

Gould and Mozart..........2006-10-27

Anyone who is a fan of Gould knows his personal opinion of the Mozart sonatas. Listening to this interpretation of Mozart is about as entertaining as being in a room full of typewriters and screaming infants--both monotonous and completely irritating at the same time. If you're new to Gould go to his interpretation of Bach's Well Tempered Clavier or the English suites...if you want definitive recordings of the Mozart sonatas try Brendel, Eschenbach or Uchida. There is no denying Gould's genius...it just not found in this recording.

Genius plays Genius.......2006-10-22

Gould has the most crisp keyboard execution and the brighest tone I've ever heard. His clarity during the fastest passages is frightening. My favorite of his playing in the box set is: Sonata no.8, 1st movement-extreme powerhouse virtuoso performance(I get quite worked up when I listen to it!) His rendition of Sonata no.11 Ronda Alla Turca may be annoying to some(slow); also some people may think many of the adagios are too slow; But the first and third movements make up for that; And when it comes to counterpoint, technique, clarity of voicings, and spirit, Gould is the best.

SCARY !.......2006-08-04

I guess I'd have to agree with those who feel that Gould was somehow ridiculing Mozart with this interpretation. It's all a matter of taste, and some obviously find this bizarre, eccentric recording to their liking, but if you're an average listener who is not into the weird stuff and just wants a decent set of Mozart's Piano Sonatas, this probably isn't for you, as it isn't for me.

Good for playing in shopping malls or "romantic evenings"..........2006-05-13

I gave up an initial idea to be a referee to all these pro et contra comments; simply, because I eternally love Mozart, and this ridiculous playing really harms me. People are looking for a quality entertainment, not for some silly demonstration. Mr. Gould should be awared that his crisp technique means absolutely nothing to millions who are looking for right performance of Mozart's "11.-14." sonatas. Nevertheless, his knowing of style is undeniable which makes impression that his neglect playing is deeply purposeful. The question arises who he tries to intrigue, an audience or Mozart; an audience won't tolerate it. Mozart, on the contrary, "knew" that the world is full of different kinds of "wizards" and "creative genius" so his A-dur sonata is probably his testimony to all these "humans".

An A-dur sonata is a kind of "board exam" to all eminent keyboardists. Some of them play brilliantly just one of movements but have no energy to make complete sonata polished. Even though the style is well-known ,"or is it?", pianists usually lack the energy in the allegretto which lids them to bring just an ordinary performance. Glenn Gould,a smarty guy, avoids any personal inconvenience by a little "recreating" the whole piece. Changing a tempos, he brakes the sonata in to three pieces with ambiguous concept.

Sonatas 12. and 14. are tent to be Ok. I'l let it go, just as it is- a little tolerance of mine. Now, a famous "c-mol" K.457 is totally ruined. It starts with a good tempo which is introduction to a great tragedy that might follow. However, Glenn Gould misses to underline beginnings and ends of phrases in the exposition of the themes, so he misses the whole Allegro movement, then his escape is a make up, adding ornamentations in "Allegro assai" which I found complete lack of wisdom and good sense. The rest of sonatas is just demonstration of his superior technique which is completely unbearable.

In addition, a "closer look" to tempos of "c-mol" pair, fantasia and sonata, reveals a question whether Glenn Gould is able to make the whole idea realized, particularly if a concept is embedded with a new material such as tonalities and tempi. He just elaborates his own stubborn concept, based on virtuoso technique, and unchangeable, perfect but pointless even disturbing articulation- what a horrable iterpretation! This two pieces were turnover in Mozart's style and, thus, ask for really intelligent musician to reveal full blast of new ideas charged with personal emotions and inner tensions. It is -too much, for Glenn.

(we live in a real world and I find myself as a medioceree among other people devoted to science, my job)- but I love Mozart!

For the A-dur sonata I'd highly recommend Anthony Newman's recordings, also Newman is the best at Tragic K.310, Sonata Semplice and all early sonatas, particularly K.280 and the following G-dur; and following is my list of favorite recordings: Jos Van Immerseel and Demus Jorg- concertos, Ton Koopman and Pierre Hantai early works for harpsichord, Jeno Jando K.311, Bart Van Oort pair "c-mol" fantasia and sonata, and "d-mol" fantasia, as well, John Van Buskirk K.282, Rampe K.332, Lars-Urlik Mortnsen three concertos K.107, Levin early concertos 1-4 after C.P.E.Bach...Also I highly recomend virtuoso duos: Immerseel- Schroeder 6 Vienna sonatas K.296- 380; and Davos- Kuijken K. 526...
Mirro

Average customer rating: Depth Music Dissapointing performance Four Gut Strings, Unaccompanied scraping the surface A Catalog of Riches

Telemann: Twelve Fantasias for Violin Solo; Gulliver Suite for Two Violins Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr. ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Duets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Telemann, Georg Philipp | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Telemann, Georg Philipp | Composers | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Manze, Andrew | ( M ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Pandolfi: Complete Violin Sonatas Biber: Violin Sonatas Tartini: The Devil's Sonata / Andrew Manze Violin Sonatas Op 5 Uccellini - Sonatas / Romanesca - Manze · North · Toll ASIN: B0000007EP Release Date: 1996-02-09

Tracks:

1. Fantasia 1 in B flat
2. Fantasia 2 in G
3. Fantasia 3 in F-minor
4. Fantasia 4 in D
5. Fantasia 5 in A
6. Fantasia 6 in E minor
7. Fantasia 7 in E-flat
8. Fantasia 8 in E
9. Fantasia 9 in B minor
10. Fantasia 10 in D
11. Fantasia 11 in F
12. Fantasia 12 in A minor
13. Gulliver Suite : I Intrada
14. Gulliver Suite : II Chaconne of the Lilliputians
15. Gulliver Suite : III Gigue of the Brobdingngians
16. Gulliver Suite : IV Daydreams of the Laputians and their attendant flappers
17. Gulliver Suite : V Loure of the well-mannered Houyhnhnms & Wild dance of the untamed Yahoos

Amazon.com

Telemann's musical imagination and inventiveness are astonishing. He is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most prolific composer in history (over 7,000 pieces!). Yet even when he turned pieces out by the dozen, as he did here, each one had its own character and individual ideas. Andrew Manze plays each one stylishly, although I would no more recommend listening to all of them together than I would advise hearing all of Bach's music for solo violin. Try a few at a time. The little Gulliver Suite, which brings the timing up to 78 minutes, is a charmer. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Depth Music.......2007-07-23

If you ever listenned telemann's tafelmusik, I believe you would know what I mean. In past experenice, telemann was often argued lack of depth, and was famous of easygoing music, at least comparied with Bach. However, telemann fantasias had changed my image, it is a depth music, especial after that heard other his music. I don't think its value is lower than Bach uncompanied solo violin music.
Of course maybe it's Manze's technique give me this feeling, but finally, I could say I must reknow telemann and it's Manze's contribution. I recommand it to all.

Dissapointing performance.......2007-03-29

This smart and beautiful music for solo violin deserves a better performance. I don't like the weak projection and the
very tiny sound of Manze. Occasionaly there are too wide volume differences between the tracks. Clearly Manze has admirers. I am not one of them.

Four Gut Strings, Unaccompanied.......2006-07-11

These fantasias for unaccompanied violin by Telemann are solidly in the tradition of German polyphonic/chordal solo string music (for example, the Bach violin Sonatas and Partitas). Often in such music one's interest is held by the sheer textural legerdemain of composer and performer - the marvel of one ostensibly monophonic instrument creating the illusion of multiple voices. There is a whole baroque cosmos contained in these little pieces, a grand tour of baroque affects and styles from learned to GALANT: graceful sicilianas alternate with austere SONATA DA CHIESA-like movements, and quasi-fugal pieces are followed fast on the heels by gauche country-fiddle dances. Andrew Manze, the baroque violin superstar of our time, finds miles of expressiveness and wit in what seems on the page to be plain and conventional baroque rhetoric. His playing is sparkling and nimble. His astounding technique is married to a beautiful CANTABILE tone, a bold sense of fantasy and humor, and a sure feeling for the structure, timing, and placement of the tiny movements that make up the fantasias. This is an extravaganza not to be missed by any fans of baroque violin playing.

scraping the surface.......2005-12-22

Andrew Manze's playing, hailed by petty music critics all over the world as witty and brilliant, blah blah blah, certainly falls flat here. Yes, he's got chops, and he's made it his admirable quest to record everything under the sun, but these beatiful and fun (yes, fun!) Fantasias are rich with rhetorical sentiment, and Manze breezes mechanically and monotonously. If you're a Manze fan already, of course you're going to love this CD. You'll also love it if you have no idea what "rhetorical sentiment" is. However, if you know anything about early music or prefer other things to eat besides vanilla pudding, you may not want to waste your money. I wish one day we could live in a world where recording companies record good music, not just flashy names.

A Catalog of Riches.......2001-11-07

Telemann's 12 Fantasias for solo violin (1735) are intriguingly elusive. Their brief movements offer a whirlwind tour of European manners and styles. The player's resources are laid bare -- no overarching formal design (this isn't Bach), and few openings for virtuosic display.

Andrew Manze is a star of the period-instrument set. Lightning reflexes (and wits) and improvisatory flair are his strengths -- precisely what this music demands. His playing is a catalog of riches. Compare two concluding allegros -- No. 4, with its bustling near-orchestral accompaniment sharply set against the melody, and No. 11, all fantastic lightness. Or the Italianate curves of No. 6's graceful Siciliana. Caroline Balding seconds Manze impeccably in the encore, a playful suite inspired by "Gulliver's Travels."

The sound is typical of Harmonia Mundi's best -- a close, unimpeded perspective, as mellow as it is brilliant.

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