Brahms: Hungarian Dances Nos. 1-21 Wiener Philharmoniker Claudio Abbado
Placido Domingo: Opera Gala / Works by
Bizet · Donizetti · Halévy · Meyerbeer · Verdi / Roger Wagner Chorale Los Angeles Philharmonic Carlo Maria Giulini
Pachelbel: Canon and Gigue in D major / Musica Antiqua Köln Reinhard Goebel
Dvorak: Symphony 8 & 9 / Berliner Philharmoniker Rafael Kubelik
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto, Weiniawski: Etudes-Caprices Nos. 2, 4, 5 Sarasate: Navarra op. 33 / David Oistrach Igor Oistrach Gewandhausorchester Leipzig Staatskapelle Dresden Franz Konwitschny
Bryn Terfel: The Vagabond
Beethoven: String Quartets op. 59 No. 1 »Rasumowsky« op. 131 Amadeus Quartet
Mahler: Symphonie No. 5 Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela Gustavo Dudamel
Helene Grimaud: CORIGLIANO: Fantasia on an ostinato / BEETHOVEN: Klaviersonate
Piano Sonata No. 17 op. 31 No. 2 »Der Sturm · The Tempest«
Fantasie für Klavier, Chor und
Orchester op. 80 / PÄRT: Credo, Swedish Radio Choir · Swedish Radio · Symphony Orchestra · Esa-Pekka Salonen
Mendelssohn: Piano Concerto No. 1, Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1 / Lang Lang
Anne Sofie Von Otter: Lamenti / Works by
Bertali · Legrenzi · Monteverdi · Piccinini · Purcell · Vivaldi / Musica Antiqua Köln
Reinhard Goebel
Rolando Villazon: Cielo e mar / Works by Boito · Cilea · Donizetti · Gomez · Mercadante · Pietri · Ponchielli · Verdi
And many, many more...
Wholenote Discoveries - December 2009
In 1998 Deutsche Grammophon published their Centenary Collection celebrating its first 100 years of sound recordings. The first track on the first disc was of the voice of Emile Berliner from a spoken letter to his sister in 1897. There were seven sets containing 63 discs occupying 700 cms (27½") of shelf space. A new set, celebrating their first 111 years, contains 55 CDs in one box and occupies only 40cms (5½”). For this new set, the editors selected works in critically acclaimed performances and recordings from 1951 on, covering a broad spectrum of music from virtually every era and style. They have, in effect, produced a basic repertoire of a somewhat sophisticated taste, eminently of interest to both beginners and collectors alike. Going through the recordings I sampled some of my old favourites, such as the superlative Carmina Burana with Eugen Jochum; Dvorak’s 9th with Kubelik sounding fresher than ever and the Dvorak Cello concerto with Rostropovich and Karajan. There’s Igor Markevitch’s brilliant and articulate Symphonie Fantastique and Carlos Kleiber’s supercharged Beethoven Fifth. Ferenc Fricsay is heard in his acclaimed Verdi Requiem; while Furtwangler’s renowned Schumann’s Fourth Symphony is coupled with his Haydn 88th. As expected, Karajan’s unsurpassed 1963 Beethoven Ninth is included as is today’s hot ticket, Gustavo Dudamel and his Youth Orchestra playing the Mahler Fifth. No such a collection would be complete without an example of Fischer-Dieskau singing Schubert. Here is Winterreise with Gerald Moore. Other singers include Domingo, Kozenà, Netrebko, Quasthoff, Terfel, Villazón, and Wunderlich. From a long list of great instrumentalists I was happy to see organist Helmut Walcha playing Bach and cellist Pierre Fournier in the complete Unaccompanied Suites of Bach. David Oistrakh plays the Tchaikovsky concerto in the 1954 Dresden recording with Konwitschny conducting and Richter plays the Rachmaninov second concerto in Warsaw. Martha Argerich plays all 26 Preludes of Chopin and Pollini plays both sets of the Etudes while Benedetti Michelangeli plays Volume 1 of the Debussy Preludes. Horowitz in a memorable Moscow concert in 1986 still impresses. Wilhelm Kempff’s ever classical Beethoven is heard in the Fourth and Fifth Concertos with Leitner and the formidable Emil Gilels, at his peak, is heard playing Beethoven’s Walstein, Les Adieux & Appassionata sonatas. Maria João Pires’ performance of the complete Chopin Nocturnes remains a special experience and the once controversial Ivo Pogorelich plays Scarlatti sonatas. Today’s generation is represented by Anne Sophie Mutter playing the Brahms concerto with Karajan, her mentor, while Hillary Hahn plays Bach Concertos and Lang Lang plays concertos by Tchaikovsky and Mendelssohn. The Emerson String Quartet turns in a stunning performance of Bach’s Art of the Fugue. Quoting the cellist of the quartet, "I don’t know if there’s scientific evidence to support it, but when I listen to this music I feel my brain cells being re-aligned." I truly believe him. The above discs are just a selection from this exceptional collection, for which space constraints preclude a complete listing. Each of the discs is in a fine cardboard sleeve bearing a replica of the cover of the original issue. That’s how 55 of these plus a 134 page booklet fit nicely into a cube measuring only 40 centimetres. Branded a "limited edition," the retail price is absurdly low and cheaper by far than downloading. Even if someone has more than quite a few of the discs the package is still a bargain. Also each recording sounds as if it were re-mastered to "Originals" standard. Bruce Surtees
This unique limited-edition, specially priced collection of 55 CDs contains landmark recordings from DG's past to present. Most titles are as originally programmed, in their original cover-art and feature artists from Claudio Abbado to Krystian Zimerman – and span musical genres from Monteverdi to Pärt