CD-Charts Position 1

The Enjoyment of Music {Tenth Edition} Shorter Version - Four Cd's

CD-Charts > Music > Caprices
from: W. W. Norton

Release Date 2007

CD-Charts Position 2
Average Rating:

Mozart Edition: Complete Works (170 CD Box Set)

CD-Charts > Music > Caprices
from: Brilliant Classics

Release Date October 25, 2005
I thoroughly enjoy these CDs. I tried collecting Mozart in portions over time, but his repertoire is just way too large to manage for amateurs like me. It is well worth buying the whole collection in one purchase.

CD-Charts Position 3
Average Rating:

Artur Rubinstein in Concert

CD-Charts > Music > Caprices
from: Deutsche Grammophon

Release Date June 10, 2008
Following their release of Artur Rubinstein's Grieg, Chopin and Saint-Saëns concertos, Deutsche Grammophon issues another fascinating programme about the great pianist, recorded two years earlier, in August 1973, at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Rubinstein can be heard and seen in Beethoven's 3rd and Brahms's 1st, both accompanied by the Concertgebouw Orchestra under Bernard Haitink.

Produced by the same team, with Hugo Käch directing, the great Max Wilcox who had been recording Rubinstein since 1959 as audio producer, and Robert Hofer responsible for the photography, this DVD provides further insight in the artistry of one of the most significant pianists of the previous century in the indian summer ("autumn" would be too strong ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 4
Average Rating:

Fauré: Piano Music complete [Box Set]

CD-Charts > Music > Caprices
from: Brilliant Classics

Release Date April 25, 2006
Wonderful, right up there with Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. Seriously, mellow out and take a listen to this set, you'll hear how incredibly ethereal Faure's piano pieces are.

Joao

CD-Charts Position 5
Average Rating:

Ligeti: Mechanical Music

CD-Charts > Music > Caprices
by: Gyorgy Ligeti, Pierre Charial, Jürgen Hocker, Françoise Terrioux

Release Date May 20, 1997
This recording of Gyorgy Ligeti's 'Mechanical Music' gets five stars from me only because I happen to like this sort of thing, and 'good' music of this type which pushes the envelope in one direction or another is hard to come by. My immediate reaction to it is the amount of similarity I hear in some of the works to those of Frank Zappa's more serious instrumentals, especially to his 'signature' tune, 'Peaches En Regalia'. If I didn't know Sir Frank was heavily influenced by Edgar Varese, I would have started looking for Hungarian skeletens in the Zappa closet.

I will say that if you are not a nut on having the 'complete' set of things, this CD is less interesting than Ligeti's vocal works, but just a bit more interesting than his conventional ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 6
Average Rating:

Bach: The Landowska Recordings

CD-Charts > Music > Caprices
from: RCA

Release Date January 10, 2006
Although I don't agree with all the interpretatons, Landowska's grasp of the late Baroque style, both rhythm and ornamentation, is still the epitome of the art of harpsichord performance.

CD-Charts Position 7
Average Rating:

My Favorite Brahms

CD-Charts > Music > Caprices
from: RCA

Release Date November 09, 1999
There are, of course, many wonderful interpreters of Brahms piano music. Rubenstein is also good. I think Glen Gould is the worst. Van Cliburn captures a tenderness that I don't hear in any other performances. there is no loss of structure or phrase shaping in his playing he simply plays Brahms as if it were late romantic piano music. Which, of course, it is.

CD-Charts Position 8
Average Rating:

Clifford Curzon: The BBC Recitals

CD-Charts > Music > Caprices
from: Decca

Release Date July 10, 2007
Clifford Curzon's style of pianism is difficult to categorize quickly. Elegant, intelligent, precise are all words that spring to mind. His May 1962 recording for Decca of the Brahms Piano Concerto No.1, with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by George Szell, is a great classic. There his style can best be described as elemental and powerful. Perhaps the best way to explain Curzon would be to mention that his major teachers were Artur Schnabel and Wanda Landowska, along with classes with Nadia Boulanger. Such an eclectic group best exemplifies Curzon's all-embracing technique, making him so difficult to quantify, musically. His specialty was the core repertory, especially Mozart, Schubert, Brahms, Dvorak. He played them all with great intelligence, but what particularly ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 9
Average Rating:

Virtuosi

CD-Charts > Music > Caprices
from: Concord Records

Release Date March 12, 2002
Virtuosi

I am thrilled with this CD. As a pianist myself I find Makoto Ozone's piano refreshing and exciting especially in combination with Gary Burton's vibraphone.After hearing track 11 played on Classic FM in Australia this CD is exactly what I expected. Thank your for your prompt service
Regards Rose Harvey

CD-Charts Position 10
Average Rating:

Mendelssohn: Complete Piano Music

CD-Charts > Music > Caprices
from: Nimbus Records

Release Date October 07, 1997
This is an amazing collection of Mendelssohn's works! However, the recording is a little on the soft side, so you sort of need to crank your speakers, but all in all, it's a must have for collectors of classical music. Enjoy! Oh, and may I strongly suggest track 3 of disc 4 - it was my whole reason for buying this collection. The entire set is amazing, but that track is worth the price of admission.