of new Classical CDS
LibraryPreviews.com
Classical Releases Spring 2001
Classical Releases Spring 2001
Posted 4 JUNE 2001
"Tracing Astor"
Gidon Kremer
Our price: $15.49 | You save: $1.48
...available here.
Violinist Gidon Kremer's tribute series to Astor Piazzolla reaches
a stunning conclusion with "Tracing Astor." Here, in addition to
works by Piazzolla himself, we get superb music from others
influenced by the great tango composer. "Violoncelles, Vibrez!" by
Giovanni Sollima isn't jazz- or dance-influenced at all, but it
simmers with the same intensity as Piazzolla's best work. On the
title track, by Leonid Desyatnikov, Kremer and members of his
Kremerata Baltica shine on a subtle, yet swinging piece. On
Piazzolla's six etudes, Kremer's solo violin is both sensitive
and stirring. Wonderful music.
"The Calm: Inspired 20th Century Classics"
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Our price: $12.97
...available here.
Anyone intimidated by modernists needs to check out "The Calm:
Inspired 20th Century Classics," a compilation featuring some of the
most delicate, soft-hued, and soothing compositions of the last 100 or
so years. The performances--all previously released and taken from
Black Box's ever-growing catalog of contemporary albums--are all
impressive, and the selection of music (Arvo Part, Paul Honey, Olivier
Messiaen, and Erik Satie) is truly eclectic.
"Schumann: Cellokonzert, Romanze, 5 Stuke im Volkston, etc."
Robert Schumann
Our price: $15.49 | You save: $1.48
...available here.
Martha Argerich is easily one of the most recorded pianists of our
time, and her solo albums are always riveting. On this disc, she
hands the spotlight over to cellist Mischa Maisky. Though Schumann's
Concerto for Cello and Orchestra is the big piece here, the shorter
works reveal Argerich and Maisky to be near-perfect partners.
Argerich's fireworks may be absent, but the disc is still exciting.
"Busoni: Piano Music, Vol. 1"
Ferruccio Busoni
Our price: $5.97
...available here.
We're in the midst of a Busoni renaissance. If you haven't
discovered the charms of the composer-transcription maverick yet,
here's the perfect starting point. Naxos's bargain-priced volume of
Busoni's piano music includes the composer's transcriptions of
Bach's Toccata & Fugue in D minor, his epic "Fantasia
Contrappuntistica," and "An die Jugend"--a series of suites with
allusions to Bach, Mozart, and Paganini. Wolf Harden performs these
fiendishly difficult works exceptionally well.
NEW CLASSICAL GUITAR DISCS
"Plays Tan Dun/Rouse"
Sharon Isbin
Our price: $15.49 | You save: $1.48
...available here.
Sharon Isbin's CDs continue to impress. On this collection, she
performs the world premieres of two very diverse guitar concertos
from Tan Dun and Christopher Rouse. A must-have.
"Scarlatti: Sonatas for Two Guitars"
Domenico Scarlatti
Our price: $16.49 | You save: $1.48
...available here.
Last month, we heard Scarlatti on the accordion; this month, it's
the guitar. Julian Gray and Ronald Pearl produce a fascinating set
featuring the Baroque composer's keyboard sonatas played on their
nylon-stringed guitars.
"Nylon & Steel"
Manuel Barrueco
Our price: $15.49 | You save: $1.48
...available here.
Is Manuel Barrueco's "Nylon & Steel" a classical, jazz, or New
Age record? We can't tell for sure, but this collection of guitar
solos and duets (featuring Barrueco alongside Al Di Meola, Steve
Morse, and Andy Summers) contains a great arrangement of Aaron
Copland's "Rodeo" for solo guitar and plenty of other memorable
six-string moments.
BARGAINS FROM DUTTON LABORATORIES
The hi-fi era may be over, but some of Dutton Laboratories'
best-sounding (and best-loved) vintage CDs have been reissued at a
bargain price (just under $6 a disc). You'll find CDs by the Griller
Quartet, Sir Adrian Boult, Leopold Stokowski, and others.
Dutton Laboratories CDs
...available here.
CLASSICAL DVD-AUDIOS
DVD-Audios won't work on normal CD players (you'll need a DVD-Audio
or standard DVD player), but when they're played through a proper
home theater system with five or six speakers, the sound quality is
simply amazing--warm, detailed, and powerful. A few classical labels
have introduced these titles. Here are two of our current favorites:
"Immersion (DVD-Audio)"
Merzbow
Our price: $21.98
...available here.
"Immersion" is like no other DVD-Audio available. Thirteen New
Music and avant-garde composers wrote original works specifically
for this five-channel format. And the music--from the likes of
Meredith Monk, Paul Dresher, Phil Kline, and Ingram Marshall--really
does "immerse" you sonically. Completely innovative, weird,
wonderful, and (we hope) a glimpse of things to come!
"Beethoven - Symphony 9 "Choral" (DVD Audio)"
L.V. Beethoven
Our price: $22.47 | You save: $2.50
...available here.
Hearing Daniel Barenboim's recording of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9
with the Berliner Staatskapelle (taken from his complete cycle
released in 2000) in this five-channel remastering is an intense
experience. All the drama of Beethoven's masterpiece is accentuated,
and the highly detailed sonics are some of the best heard in
Classical music.
See our new DVD-Audio Store
...available here.
GREAT DISCS FROM REFERENCE RECORDINGS
Reference Recordings has established itself as one of the best
audiophile labels in the business, but that doesn't mean these discs
won't sound good on every stereo (they will!). Each disc on the
label boasts incredible sonics and memorable performances by the
likes of Eiji Oue, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Turtle Creek
Chorale, and others.
Reference Recordings CDs
...available here.
Charles Rosekrans/ Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Strings
The gleaming strings of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
perform an unique, captivating program highlighting
compelling arrangements of chamber pieces fleshed out for
full string orchestra.
TELARC
80562 5/22/01 ...order Royal Strings
NEW & NOTABLE RELEASES POSTED 4 MAY 2001
"Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, Orchestral Suite No. 2/Emmanuel
Pahud"
J.S. Bach
...available here.
Flautist Emmanuel Pahud and fellow members of the Berlin
Philharmonic deliver a surprisingly authentic recording of Bach
flute works on this recital disc. Using modernized instruments with
gut strings and alternate tunings, they create a nice blend of
old-meets-new sounds. Pahud and crew are in top form on the
"Brandenburg Concerto No. 5," but on the challenging solo Partita in
A Minor, he's simply stunning.
"Symphony 5"
G. Mahler
...available here.
Conductor Benjamin Zander may only be at the beginning of his Mahler
cycle for Telarc, but by the sounds of his latest recording,
Mahler's Fifth Symphony with the Philharmonia Orchestra, he's off to
a riveting start. This studio recording features great sonics,
detailed playing, and sensible tempi. But, as with Zander's
recording of Mahler's Ninth, the bonus disc--featuring the
conductor-motivational speaker dissecting the symphony--makes this
set a must-have for Mahler fans and newbies alike.
"Wind Concertos"
R. Strauss
...available here.
Richard Strauss, the avant-garde mastermind behind "Also Sprach
Zarathustra" and "Elektra," is shown in a different light on this
disc featuring Daniel Barenboim and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Strauss's Wind Concertos were composed at the bookends of the
composer's career, but all the pieces on this disc--from the Horn
Concerto he wrote for his father to 1945's "Concerto for Oboe and
Small Orchestra in D Major"--are filled with lyricism. We don't get
to hear these Strauss works every day, and Barenboim is a
near-perfect interpreter.
"Vivi Felice!"
D. Scarlatti
...available here.
Scarlatti played on the accordion? Yes, and done very well. Teodoro
Anzellotti, the accordionist who delivered a stunning Satie disc a
few years ago, is back with a disc of Scarlatti keyboard concerto
excerpts. With its incredible packaging and awe-inspiring playing,
you won't be disappointed.
HISTORICAL RECORDING OF THE MONTH
"Plays Chopin/Schumann/Weber"
Benno Moiseiwitsch
...available here.
Granted, the cool restraint that pianist Benno Moiseiwitsch showed
on this disc featuring the music of Chopin, Schumann, Rachmaninov,
and other composers is totally out of fashion. But, hearing these
recordings from 1930 to 1956 is a transcendental experience;
Moiseiwitsch plays with such grace and beauty that it's impossible
not to appreciate the late artist's musical powers. Great
remastering, too.
MERCURY LIVING PRESENCE
Mercury Living Presence has transferred some of the best-loved hi-fi
LPs of all time onto CD and the results are pretty spectacular.
Vintage discs featuring Antal Dorati, Pepe Romero, Frederick
Fennell, and other greats abound and the recording quality on the
40-year-old discs is simply fantastic.
Mercury Living Presence CDs
...available here.
NEW-MUSIC CDS
"Foss: Piano Concertos, Elegy for Anne Frank/Nakamatsu, Kasman"
Lucas Foss
...available here.
Lukas Foss is an American music maverick who doesn't get the
exposure he deserves. On this disc featuring his Piano Concertos and
"Elegy for Anne Frank," we get a glimpse of his varied talents. The
lovely Concertos, written in the 1940s and '50s, are the perfect
showpieces for Van Cliburn medalists Jon Nakamatsu and Yakov Kasman.
The more recent "Elegy for Anne Frank" is even more impressive, with
the composer at the piano and his daughter providing the narration.
"Renegade Heaven"
Bang on a Can
...available here.
Bang on a Can may be the most "fun" New Music ensemble playing
today. "Renegade Heaven," a rollicking and occasionally intense
collection of works by Michael Gordon, Glenn Branca, Arnold
Dreyblatt, and others, is full of diverse New Music and great
performances.
"The Passing Measures"
D. Lang
...available here.
Here's minimalism for you: one consonant chord struck very slowly
over the course of a 45-minute piece. David Lang's "The Passing
Measures" is indebted to the ambient works of Brian Eno and even
Morton Feldman, but this piece for amplified orchestra and clarinet
somehow sounds completely original.
CLASSICAL BARGAINS
Looking for classical bargains? Try Amazon.com's Music Outlet,
where you'll find thousands of classical discs at prices you'll
love.
Classical CDs: Under $7
...available here.
Classical CDs: $7-$10
...available here.
Classical: Instrumental Cutouts
...available here.
Amazon.com's Music Outlet
...available here.
"Tracing Astor"
Gidon Kremer
Our price: $15.49 | You save: $1.48
...available here.
Violinist Gidon Kremer's tribute series to Astor Piazzolla reaches
a stunning conclusion with "Tracing Astor." Here, in addition to
works by Piazzolla himself, we get superb music from others
influenced by the great tango composer. "Violoncelles, Vibrez!" by
Giovanni Sollima isn't jazz- or dance-influenced at all, but it
simmers with the same intensity as Piazzolla's best work. On the
title track, by Leonid Desyatnikov, Kremer and members of his
Kremerata Baltica shine on a subtle, yet swinging piece. On
Piazzolla's six etudes, Kremer's solo violin is both sensitive
and stirring. Wonderful music.
"The Calm: Inspired 20th Century Classics"
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Our price: $12.97
...available here.
Anyone intimidated by modernists needs to check out "The Calm:
Inspired 20th Century Classics," a compilation featuring some of the
most delicate, soft-hued, and soothing compositions of the last 100 or
so years. The performances--all previously released and taken from
Black Box's ever-growing catalog of contemporary albums--are all
impressive, and the selection of music (Arvo Part, Paul Honey, Olivier
Messiaen, and Erik Satie) is truly eclectic.
"Schumann: Cellokonzert, Romanze, 5 Stuke im Volkston, etc."
Robert Schumann
Our price: $15.49 | You save: $1.48
...available here.
Martha Argerich is easily one of the most recorded pianists of our
time, and her solo albums are always riveting. On this disc, she
hands the spotlight over to cellist Mischa Maisky. Though Schumann's
Concerto for Cello and Orchestra is the big piece here, the shorter
works reveal Argerich and Maisky to be near-perfect partners.
Argerich's fireworks may be absent, but the disc is still exciting.
"Busoni: Piano Music, Vol. 1"
Ferruccio Busoni
Our price: $5.97
...available here.
We're in the midst of a Busoni renaissance. If you haven't
discovered the charms of the composer-transcription maverick yet,
here's the perfect starting point. Naxos's bargain-priced volume of
Busoni's piano music includes the composer's transcriptions of
Bach's Toccata & Fugue in D minor, his epic "Fantasia
Contrappuntistica," and "An die Jugend"--a series of suites with
allusions to Bach, Mozart, and Paganini. Wolf Harden performs these
fiendishly difficult works exceptionally well.
NEW CLASSICAL GUITAR DISCS
"Plays Tan Dun/Rouse"
Sharon Isbin
Our price: $15.49 | You save: $1.48
...available here.
Sharon Isbin's CDs continue to impress. On this collection, she
performs the world premieres of two very diverse guitar concertos
from Tan Dun and Christopher Rouse. A must-have.
"Scarlatti: Sonatas for Two Guitars"
Domenico Scarlatti
Our price: $16.49 | You save: $1.48
...available here.
Last month, we heard Scarlatti on the accordion; this month, it's
the guitar. Julian Gray and Ronald Pearl produce a fascinating set
featuring the Baroque composer's keyboard sonatas played on their
nylon-stringed guitars.
"Nylon & Steel"
Manuel Barrueco
Our price: $15.49 | You save: $1.48
...available here.
Is Manuel Barrueco's "Nylon & Steel" a classical, jazz, or New
Age record? We can't tell for sure, but this collection of guitar
solos and duets (featuring Barrueco alongside Al Di Meola, Steve
Morse, and Andy Summers) contains a great arrangement of Aaron
Copland's "Rodeo" for solo guitar and plenty of other memorable
six-string moments.
BARGAINS FROM DUTTON LABORATORIES
The hi-fi era may be over, but some of Dutton Laboratories' best-sounding (and best-loved) vintage CDs have been reissued at a bargain price (just under $6 a disc). You'll find CDs by the Griller Quartet, Sir Adrian Boult, Leopold Stokowski, and others.
Dutton Laboratories CDs
...available here.
CLASSICAL DVD-AUDIOS
DVD-Audios won't work on normal CD players (you'll need a DVD-Audio or standard DVD player), but when they're played through a proper home theater system with five or six speakers, the sound quality is simply amazing--warm, detailed, and powerful. A few classical labels have introduced these titles. Here are two of our current favorites:
"Immersion (DVD-Audio)"
Merzbow
Our price: $21.98
...available here.
"Immersion" is like no other DVD-Audio available. Thirteen New
Music and avant-garde composers wrote original works specifically
for this five-channel format. And the music--from the likes of
Meredith Monk, Paul Dresher, Phil Kline, and Ingram Marshall--really
does "immerse" you sonically. Completely innovative, weird,
wonderful, and (we hope) a glimpse of things to come!
"Beethoven - Symphony 9 "Choral" (DVD Audio)"
L.V. Beethoven
Our price: $22.47 | You save: $2.50
...available here.
Hearing Daniel Barenboim's recording of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9
with the Berliner Staatskapelle (taken from his complete cycle
released in 2000) in this five-channel remastering is an intense
experience. All the drama of Beethoven's masterpiece is accentuated,
and the highly detailed sonics are some of the best heard in
Classical music.
See our new DVD-Audio Store
...available here.
GREAT DISCS FROM REFERENCE RECORDINGS
Reference Recordings has established itself as one of the best audiophile labels in the business, but that doesn't mean these discs won't sound good on every stereo (they will!). Each disc on the label boasts incredible sonics and memorable performances by the likes of Eiji Oue, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Turtle Creek Chorale, and others.
Reference Recordings CDs
...available here.
Charles Rosekrans/ Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Strings
The gleaming strings of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra perform an unique, captivating program highlighting compelling arrangements of chamber pieces fleshed out for full string orchestra.
TELARC 80562 5/22/01 ...order Royal Strings
NEW & NOTABLE RELEASES POSTED 4 MAY 2001
"Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, Orchestral Suite No. 2/Emmanuel
Pahud"
J.S. Bach
...available here.
Flautist Emmanuel Pahud and fellow members of the Berlin
Philharmonic deliver a surprisingly authentic recording of Bach
flute works on this recital disc. Using modernized instruments with
gut strings and alternate tunings, they create a nice blend of
old-meets-new sounds. Pahud and crew are in top form on the
"Brandenburg Concerto No. 5," but on the challenging solo Partita in
A Minor, he's simply stunning.
"Symphony 5"
G. Mahler
...available here.
Conductor Benjamin Zander may only be at the beginning of his Mahler
cycle for Telarc, but by the sounds of his latest recording,
Mahler's Fifth Symphony with the Philharmonia Orchestra, he's off to
a riveting start. This studio recording features great sonics,
detailed playing, and sensible tempi. But, as with Zander's
recording of Mahler's Ninth, the bonus disc--featuring the
conductor-motivational speaker dissecting the symphony--makes this
set a must-have for Mahler fans and newbies alike.
"Wind Concertos"
R. Strauss
...available here.
Richard Strauss, the avant-garde mastermind behind "Also Sprach
Zarathustra" and "Elektra," is shown in a different light on this
disc featuring Daniel Barenboim and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Strauss's Wind Concertos were composed at the bookends of the
composer's career, but all the pieces on this disc--from the Horn
Concerto he wrote for his father to 1945's "Concerto for Oboe and
Small Orchestra in D Major"--are filled with lyricism. We don't get
to hear these Strauss works every day, and Barenboim is a
near-perfect interpreter.
"Vivi Felice!"
D. Scarlatti
...available here.
Scarlatti played on the accordion? Yes, and done very well. Teodoro
Anzellotti, the accordionist who delivered a stunning Satie disc a
few years ago, is back with a disc of Scarlatti keyboard concerto
excerpts. With its incredible packaging and awe-inspiring playing,
you won't be disappointed.
HISTORICAL RECORDING OF THE MONTH
"Plays Chopin/Schumann/Weber"
Benno Moiseiwitsch
...available here.
Granted, the cool restraint that pianist Benno Moiseiwitsch showed
on this disc featuring the music of Chopin, Schumann, Rachmaninov,
and other composers is totally out of fashion. But, hearing these
recordings from 1930 to 1956 is a transcendental experience;
Moiseiwitsch plays with such grace and beauty that it's impossible
not to appreciate the late artist's musical powers. Great
remastering, too.
MERCURY LIVING PRESENCE
Mercury Living Presence has transferred some of the best-loved hi-fi
LPs of all time onto CD and the results are pretty spectacular.
Vintage discs featuring Antal Dorati, Pepe Romero, Frederick
Fennell, and other greats abound and the recording quality on the
40-year-old discs is simply fantastic.
Mercury Living Presence CDs
...available here.
NEW-MUSIC CDS
"Foss: Piano Concertos, Elegy for Anne Frank/Nakamatsu, Kasman"
Lucas Foss
...available here.
Lukas Foss is an American music maverick who doesn't get the
exposure he deserves. On this disc featuring his Piano Concertos and
"Elegy for Anne Frank," we get a glimpse of his varied talents. The
lovely Concertos, written in the 1940s and '50s, are the perfect
showpieces for Van Cliburn medalists Jon Nakamatsu and Yakov Kasman.
The more recent "Elegy for Anne Frank" is even more impressive, with
the composer at the piano and his daughter providing the narration.
"Renegade Heaven"
Bang on a Can
...available here.
Bang on a Can may be the most "fun" New Music ensemble playing
today. "Renegade Heaven," a rollicking and occasionally intense
collection of works by Michael Gordon, Glenn Branca, Arnold
Dreyblatt, and others, is full of diverse New Music and great
performances.
"The Passing Measures"
D. Lang
...available here.
Here's minimalism for you: one consonant chord struck very slowly
over the course of a 45-minute piece. David Lang's "The Passing
Measures" is indebted to the ambient works of Brian Eno and even
Morton Feldman, but this piece for amplified orchestra and clarinet
somehow sounds completely original.
CLASSICAL BARGAINS
Looking for classical bargains? Try Amazon.com's Music Outlet, where you'll find thousands of classical discs at prices you'll love.
Classical CDs: Under $7
...available here.
Classical CDs: $7-$10
...available here.
Classical: Instrumental Cutouts
...available here.
Amazon.com's Music Outlet
...available here.
Editor, Jason Verlinde, © 2001 amazon.com and associate ncdn
|
The Goldberg Variations of Bach by Glenn Gould, pianist
Yolanda Kondonassis
Quietude
Acclaimed harpist Yolanda Kondonassis performs music specially selected to evoke a continuous mood of serenity, in a concept recording created to enhance and assist the therapeutic arts of massage, meditation and healing.
Quietude
TELARC CD 80533 4/24/01
Benjamin Zander/Philharmonia Orchestra
Mahler: Symphony No. 5
After achieving near-legendary status with Mahler lovers for the live recording of Mahler: Symphony No. 9 (CD-80527), Benjamin Zander returns to conduct the Philharmonia Orchestra in a powerful performance of Mahler: Symphony No. 5.
TELARC CD 80569 4/24/01 ...order Mahler: Symphony No. 5 / Zander
Two Song Cycles for Vocal Quartet
Composer: Liza Lehmann, Thomas Dunhill
Ensemble: Cantabile Vocal Quartet
Quietude
Acclaimed harpist Yolanda Kondonassis performs music specially selected to evoke a continuous mood of serenity, in a concept recording created to enhance and assist the therapeutic arts of massage, meditation and healing.
Quietude
TELARC CD 80533 4/24/01
Benjamin Zander/Philharmonia Orchestra
Mahler: Symphony No. 5
After achieving near-legendary status with Mahler lovers for the live recording of Mahler: Symphony No. 9 (CD-80527), Benjamin Zander returns to conduct the Philharmonia Orchestra in a powerful performance of Mahler: Symphony No. 5.
TELARC CD 80569 4/24/01 ...order Mahler: Symphony No. 5 / Zander
Two Song Cycles for Vocal Quartet
- Composer: Liza Lehmann, Thomas Dunhill
Ensemble: Cantabile Vocal Quartet
Alan Campbell, editor
More new Classical releases for Spring...
"Martha Argerich: Live from the Concertgebouw 1978 & 1979 - Schumann, Ravel / Argerich"
Martha Argerich
...more here. Martha Argerich's live recitals are always rewarding, and this disc, featuring her late 1970s performances of Schumann and Ravel, offers both thrills and moments of tenderness.
"Mahler: Complete Symphonies / Leonard Bernstein, et al"
Gustav Mahler
...more here.
Here's a true bargain: Leonard Bernstein's complete Mahler cycle on Sony with the New York Philharmonic (12 CDs total!) for under $70. If you don't already own these seminal recordings, here's your chance to get them all at their lowest price yet.
"Bach: Keyboard Concertos no 1, 2 & 4 / Perahia, et al"
Johann Sebastian Bach
...more here.
Murray Perahia follows up his acclaimed recording of the "Goldberg Variations" with this disc of three Bach piano concertos. The pianist and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields are in top form.
"Pletnev Live at Carnegie Hall - Bach, Busoni, Chopin, et al"
Johann Sebastian Bach
...more here.
Less than a year after it was recorded, Mikhail Pletnev's five-encore Carnegie Hall debut is already sounding legendary. An electrifying set of Bach, Chopin, Beethoven, and more.
NEW KEYBOARD CDS
At the age of 18, Lang Lang--thanks to this debut recital disc from Tanglewood--is already proving himself one of the more versatile pianists around. This disc features a wide traversal of Classical and Romantic works (Haydn, Rachmaninoff, Brahms) and some great playing.
...more here.
If you haven't heard Shostakovich's 24 Preludes and Fugues, a new disc from Naxos featuring Konstantin Scherbakov is a bargain-priced introduction to the underappreciated piano masterpiece. Inspired by Bach's "Goldberg Variations," Shostakovich created one of his most inventive and beautiful works. Scherbakov is a fine interpreter, and you can't beat Naxos's price.
...more here.
The complete works of French organ composer Jehan Alain fit neatly into just two CDs, but the music he wrote--full of complex twists, turns, and counterpoint--is simply monumental. The composer's sister, Marie-Claire, performs on organs that Jehan himself used. You'll hear the composer's more familiar works on volume one, while the second disc features "Trois Danses" and some lesser-heard pieces. Marie-Claire gives the works their best interpretations to date on these CDs. Still crave organ music after hearing Alain? Check out Tahra's disc of Marcel Dupre's organ improvisations, recorded in 1969. Dupre, who was 83 at the time, casually improvises several themes by Pierre Cochereau and a four-movement symphony. An esoteric but stunning disc.
...more here.
CLASSICAL BARGAINS
Looking for classical bargains? Try Amazon.com's Music Outlet, where you'll find thousands of classical discs at prices you'll love.
Classical CDs: Under $7
...more here.
Classical CDs: $7-$10
...more here.
Classical: Instrumental Cutouts
...more here.
Amazon.com's Music Outlet
...more here.
Jason Verlinde, editor
© 2001 amazon.com and associate ncdn
Martha Argerich
...more here.
Martha Argerich's live recitals are always rewarding, and this disc, featuring her late 1970s performances of Schumann and Ravel, offers both thrills and moments of tenderness.
"Mahler: Complete Symphonies / Leonard Bernstein, et al"
Gustav Mahler
...more here.
Here's a true bargain: Leonard Bernstein's complete Mahler cycle on Sony with the New York Philharmonic (12 CDs total!) for under $70. If you don't already own these seminal recordings, here's your chance to get them all at their lowest price yet.
"Bach: Keyboard Concertos no 1, 2 & 4 / Perahia, et al"
Johann Sebastian Bach
...more here.
Murray Perahia follows up his acclaimed recording of the "Goldberg Variations" with this disc of three Bach piano concertos. The pianist and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields are in top form.
"Pletnev Live at Carnegie Hall - Bach, Busoni, Chopin, et al"
Johann Sebastian Bach
...more here.
Less than a year after it was recorded, Mikhail Pletnev's five-encore Carnegie Hall debut is already sounding legendary. An electrifying set of Bach, Chopin, Beethoven, and more.
NEW KEYBOARD CDS
At the age of 18, Lang Lang--thanks to this debut recital disc from Tanglewood--is already proving himself one of the more versatile pianists around. This disc features a wide traversal of Classical and Romantic works (Haydn, Rachmaninoff, Brahms) and some great playing.
...more here.
If you haven't heard Shostakovich's 24 Preludes and Fugues, a new disc from Naxos featuring Konstantin Scherbakov is a bargain-priced introduction to the underappreciated piano masterpiece. Inspired by Bach's "Goldberg Variations," Shostakovich created one of his most inventive and beautiful works. Scherbakov is a fine interpreter, and you can't beat Naxos's price.
...more here.
The complete works of French organ composer Jehan Alain fit neatly into just two CDs, but the music he wrote--full of complex twists, turns, and counterpoint--is simply monumental. The composer's sister, Marie-Claire, performs on organs that Jehan himself used. You'll hear the composer's more familiar works on volume one, while the second disc features "Trois Danses" and some lesser-heard pieces. Marie-Claire gives the works their best interpretations to date on these CDs. Still crave organ music after hearing Alain? Check out Tahra's disc of Marcel Dupre's organ improvisations, recorded in 1969. Dupre, who was 83 at the time, casually improvises several themes by Pierre Cochereau and a four-movement symphony. An esoteric but stunning disc.
...more here.
CLASSICAL BARGAINS
Looking for classical bargains? Try Amazon.com's Music Outlet, where you'll find thousands of classical discs at prices you'll love.
Classical CDs: Under $7
...more here.
Classical CDs: $7-$10
...more here.
Classical: Instrumental Cutouts
...more here.
Amazon.com's Music Outlet
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Jason Verlinde, editor
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