Classical music reviews

This is Anne-Sophie's first recording of Mozart, and her first recording ever I think. Here she plays the concertos with a modern listener's approach, more romantically. Mutter is true to Mozart though, and does not take away anything and definitely adds purity, and absolute sweetness of tone to these works. This recording of Mozart is more original and "pure" than her most recent one that has just come out.

I'd say it's a must buy for Mozart and Anne-Sophie lovers alike.

Perhaps Mutter's youth saved her from over-coloring these favorite Mozart concertos. Karajan's BPO, as usual, plays with just the right balance. The performance is in all ways wonderful and sparkles. Good recording quality too, considering its D-G.

Having reviewed the 1998 Repin/Menuhin recording of Mozart concertos #2, 3, and 5, I am now happy to review this recording by Sophie Mutter and von Karajan, made twenty years earlier in 1978. It is #3 that shines on this disc. Mutter had played #3 with von Karajan a year previously to recording, at the Salzburg Mozart Festival. Overall the pace is easy, but not overrelaxed. The feeling is that, instead of Mutter having stepped out of her Conservatory of Music and onto the stage of the Berlin Philharmonic, that indeed the Philharmomic had decided to pay a visit to the Conservatory. There are very few recordings of von Karajan in which his restraint with respect to the solo performer is so well-achieved. The symphony takes a breath with every breath of Mutter's, almost by telepathy it seems. The slow movement is very slow, much slower than the Menuhin/Repin recording, and the overall effect is to bring out the outstanding simplicity of the music. It is remarkable. The third movement is very nicely phrased, and Mutter pulls off a "zinger" of a cadenza in the middle. The march is oh-so-German in this recording, like a stroll. As for #5, it is less polished than #3, but only slightly less. The very slow solo intro in the first movement is nearly perfect, unlike the pushing and pulling in the Repin recording. The tendency is for the soloist to hang back while the orchestra moves right ahead: and in Mutter's recording, she almost makes the same mistake that Repin did in hanging back too long, but immediately corrects her tempo and falls into line with von Karajan. The second and third movements of #5 are played well by Mutter, but I think Repin's playing is more mature, more like Sophie Mutter's commanding 1980 performance of the Beethoven violin concerto. One could easily fill a shelf with all of the available Mozart violin concerto recordings, but I think that between Repin and Mutter one gets an overall feeling for the music, and it is Mozart's genius that shines through no matter who the performer is. Again, #3 is the delight here, and well worth the purchase. Recommended.

I bought this as a gift for my husband and had the added advantage of enjoying it myself. This young woman is very talented and a joy to listen to.

It amazes me that she isn't more well known. Ask the millions of people who saw Titanic and virtually everyone of them wouldn't know it was Sissel's haunting voice that was such a beautiful ending to a great movie.

This CD is an excellent example of her versatility - and shows how comfortable she is with a variety of different music styles.
Another very good addition to the Sissel library.

I have literally traveled the world to buy her music. I bought my first Sissel CD in Montreal. After buying one online I bought a couple more in her hometown of Bergen Norway. In my book, this woman has the best voice on the face of the earth.

This was Sissel's second US release and by far her best English language album. It works as a showcase for her lovely voice. It spans classical, jazz and pop. The producers have charted a very safe course. There's something here to please everyone. Some lovely rarities include "Angel Rays" from the film "Evelyn," the soaring hymn "You Raise Me Up," Argentinian composer Astor Piazolla's "Oblivion" and my favorite here, the all too little heard "Deborah's Theme" from Sergio Leone's epic film "Once Upon A Time In America". This haunting, wordless hymn, will forever conjure up in my mind the image of a young Jennifer Connelly (Deborah) walking down the street, haloed in rising mist turned gold by the setting sun, as the little boy who loves her looks on longingly from afar, followed by the final scenes in the film, when as an old man, he realises what he lost when he turned her away.

Sissel's voice has changed noticeably over the past 20 years. It is now richer, with a darker timbre, much more full-bodied and with an immense power when needed. If you can, it is fascinating to compare what she sounded like on her first album with what she sounds like now. In her 1986 debut album, the voice is obviously young, with a crystalline purity and trememdous raw power. Twenty years on, the voice has matured beautifully with the power still evident but tamed by an exquisite refinement.

I do wish Amazon would bring in her earlier Norwegian/Danish albums. She has been issuing recordings since 1986. So far only her eponymous 1986 debut album, the showtune-influenced "Soria Moria" and the Christmas CD "Stilla Natt" are available. Personally I prefer listening to her in Scandinavian (She sings in Norwegian, Danish and Swedish). I think record companies are too cautious and very narrow minded when introducing audiences to new singers. We already have a surfeit of singers in English. It's wonderful to be able to hear singers in other languages. One of the advantages of P2P transfers on the internet, irrespective of their legality is the ability to access music you have never, and in another age, would have never had a chance to sample. I stumbled upon Sissel's music in much this way. It's sad that having sampled most of her lovely recordings as iffy-sounding MP3s, one is unable to purchase the original CDs because the music distributors see no market for them. For those who like her English album, you could try her latest international release, "Into Paradise" or better still, her latest Nordic album, "Nordisk Vinternatt" just released throughout Scandinavia this winter. It's a collection of traditional Scandinavian folk songs from Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. And yes, she sings in all those languages.

Oedipus Tex & Other Choral Calamities is one of the must haves from PDQ Bach. This album has some of his best stuff on it including the title tracks and one of the funniest songs he has composed "classical rap" this is well worth one's time to check out.

Virtually every CD that Peter Schickele has put out under the name of PDQ Bach has been absolutely hilarious. This is one of his best albums - it will have you in stitches in no time flat.

"Oedipus Tex," the title piece, is a stunning parody of (of course) Sophocles "Oedipus Rex" - from the line "the gods are ticked off and now someone must pay" to the ending chorus of "the eyes of Texas are upon you" (set to the tune of "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring"), the piece is one of the funniest things I have ever heard.

"Classical Rap" - this track alone is worth the whole cost of the album. This "Yuppie" rap combines the stereotypes of rap music with Vivaldi and Bach, and has as its setting the upper West side of Manhattan.

"Knock Knock Cantata" - some of the worst jokes you'll ever hear set to some of the worst music you'll ever hear. The combination of text and setting is really hilarious - talk about form meeting content.

"Birthday Ode for Big Daddy Bach" - the more you know about music, the funnier this piece is.

BUY THIS CD.

Oedipus Tex is both my favorite Country/Western ballad and one of my favorite oratorios!

Classical Rap is, IMHO, the only Rap piece worth listening to.

This is one of "The Bad Boy of Classical Music", Peter Schickele's best recordings.

Yes, this is perhaps 50's and 60's Italian tenor Franco Corelli's finest achievement on studio recording. These arias are the arsenal of every great tenor. They are arias which require a powerful voice, rich melody, masculinity conveyed through vocal chords and virtuosic bravura, all of which Franco Corelli delivers here. Franco Corelli started off as a baritone and even when he transitioned to tenor, he maintained a dark and deep richness to his voice. Adding to this particular tenor's allure was the fact that he was one of the rare tenors who were considered extremely attractive, even a sexual icon. His dashing good looks suited him for all the romantic leading roles. At times, he cut a better figure than his less attractive soprano love interests - Renata Tebaldi and Birgit Nilsson were never that good looking in my opinion. Franco Corelli and Maria Callas sang together (most notably in Norma and Poliuto) and looked like a sexy couple together. Somehow, even when his voice failed him, usually out of the stage fright he suffered, Corelli was able to execute mind-blowing performances simply out of his acting abilities and Hollywood good looks. But even as such, his technique is brilliant.

He is one of the few tenors that did not have to shout when singing. His increase in vocal volume was often thrilling without sounding shrill, always more on the lyrical side than the bombastic side. He excelled in the Italian repertoire, for he, like Mario Del Monaco and Giuseppe Di Stefano who were his contemporaries and colleagues, was educated in the Italian operatic tradition. Thus, his Puccini, Verdi, Bellini, bel canto and verisimo (Mascagni, Leoncavallo)roles were his greatest accomplishments. He did not fare as well in the French repertory. He had poor French diction and often mutated the language to sound more Italianate. Consequently, his Romeo from Gounod's Romeo and Juliette and Raoul from Les Huguenots and his Faust were never that great. Here are arias from Trovatore (Ah, Si Ben Mio and Di Quella Pira), Aida (Celeste Aida) Cavalleria Rusticana (Mama Quel Vino) Turandot (Nessun Dorma) Pagliaci (Vesti La Giubba) and arias from Nessun Dorma and Norma. He gets into character vocally and even dramatically as Manrico, Radames, Cavaradossi (not included here though it would have been terrific to hear his account of E Lucevan la Stelle). Quite frankly, Corelli represented the best of both worlds for a tenor-one who can sing beautifully and masterfully and one who can convince as an actor. The Italian opera department is full of dramatically moving characters. Manrico is a victim of his mother's revenge while attempting to become his own man and marry Leonora and battling his rival the Count Di Luna, Radames is a man torn between love of his country of Egypt and love for an enemy slave girl Aida, Cavaradossi is an idealist painter who suffers greatly in the hands of a Royalist, and Pagliacci, the archetypical operatic anti-hero, is a clown who loses his mind and is wracked with jealousy when his beloved Nedda is unfaithful. Corelli does get into character well, and vocally he essays the parts without any real flaw. This is a fine tribute to the late great tenor.

If you're even reading this page, then you should buy this CD. Much maligned during his career, Corelli has nonetheless proven to be the most perfect tenor of our time. Maybe if Caruso had had the advantage of modern recording technology, we would be singing a different tune. But the planets were in perfect alignment the day this voice was born! Be warned, however, that you will NEVER want to hear Bocelli again.

If you crave the best in tenor arias, this is your CD. This fabulous CD captures Corelli at his best, doing some of the most well known tenor arias. His Nessun Dorma simply cannot be improved upon. His performances of the role of Andrea Chenier from the opera of that name are considered definitive and his performance of some of the best arias from that opera on this CD (e.g., Come un bel di di maggio, Col pito qui ma vete) feature Corelli at his best. Likewise, his arias from Il Trovatore (Ah si, ben mio, and Di quella pira) are breathtaking and perfect, as is his Mama quel vino from Cavalleria Rusticana. His Vesti la giubba from Palliaci is also stunning. You simply can't go wrong with this CD if you want a collection of some of the greatest tenor arias being performed by the best operatic tenor of the last 50 years at his peak.

Fritz Reiner (1888-1963) and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra were among the first musicians in the U.S. to make commercial streophonic recordings, in March 1954 in Chicago's historic Orchestra Hall. (A few stereo recordings were made by Thor Johnson and the Cincinnati Symphony in 1953 by Remington and given some limited release on tapes and discs.)

In 1954, RCA Victor taped two extended masterpieces by the German composer Richard Strauss (1864-1949), using a pioneering triple-track stereo tape system. RCA used separate equipment at the recording sessions in Orchestra Hall, one for the conventional monaural recordings and one for the stereo recordings. Intended to be experimental recordings, the stereo versions first appeared on home reel-to-reel tapes within a year. With the advent of the Westrex stereo cutting system, the recordings were first issued on discs in 1958 as part of RCA's highly-acclaimed "Living Stereo" series.

Reiner had the advantage of clearly understanding Richard Strauss and his music because the two musicians were close friends and corresponded until shortly before Strass died in late 1949. Strauss, who himself made some experimental high fidelity recordings of his major works in 1944 with the Vienna Philharmonic, greatly admired what Reiner achieved. He would have certainly applauded these definitive, first stereo recordings of two of his extended symphonic poems.

"Also sprach Zarathustra" was based on the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche and is a very deep, intense, often melancholy work with several very spectacular musical sequences, including a hypnotic waltz sequence. Scored for very large orchestra, the symphonic poem runs continuously and was often "ruined" by LP recordings because it was necessary to split the music near the halfway point. The CD version does not have this annoying interruption. Instead, we can thoroughly enjoy this very exciting performance, superbly played by the Chicago musicians. It is always a treat, too, to hear what happens AFTER the famous opening minutes of the work, which became so famous when Stanley Kubrick used it in his 1968 science fiction epic "2001: A Space Odyssey."

We know that Fritz Reiner was a perfectionist and he sought very high standards. Arturo Toscanini was known for occasional outbursts when musicians failed to play their best; Toscanini admired Reiner and invited him to guest conduct the NBC Symphony Orchestra. Reiner, however, could absolutely terrify musicians as he sought the highest standards in playing; sometimes he used anger and other times he used biting sarcasm. The excellence which both Reiner and Toscanini sought from their orchestras are quite apparent in the numerous outstanding recordings they made.

Toscanini did not particularly enjoy making recordings, especially before the invention of magnetic tape. On the other hand, Reiner readily embraced recording and determined to leave lasting documents of the high standards he sought. This is quite apparent in "Also sprach Zarathustra." The recording still amazes us, both for its remarkably high quality sound and the intensity of the performance.

A similar treasure is realized in Strauss' "Ein Heldenleben" or "A Hero's Life." Filled with quotes from earlier Strauss works, this is an intense, powerful, and dramatic work that seems something of an ego trip for the composer since he is clearly the "hero" of the story. However, Strauss may actually be celebrating his accomplishments and achievements, often as he sought to please his wife Pauline, who clearly expected nothing but the best from her husband.

The terrifying battle sequence remains a high point of this extended work and, fortunately, we can hear it without the annoying interruption that often occurred on LPs in the middle of the spectacular music with its heavy use of percussion. Once again, the music is continuous and did not lend itself to the 33-1/3 rpm discs. Reiner's powerful performance compares well with the much-admired performances by Willem Mengelburg and the New York Philharmonic (1928 for Victor) and Sir Thomas Beecham and the Royal Philharmonic (1958 for Capitol).

Orchestra Hall, Chicago March 8, 1954. Fritz Reiner would conduct the most famous of all his recordings ever made. Strauss Also sprach Zaratustra will be performed with such electrifying flair, mercurial rapture, vibrating intensity and delirious apotheosis as possibly has been made.

This is in few words the meaning of this historic legacy. The astonishing fact that features the edification of a supreme masterpiece is precisely not being conscious about it. This surprising element works out without a logic support. It is the happy result of a sum of fortunate details, the passionate conveyance, ardent conviction, astonishing exactitude and marvelous meticulousness that the 110 members of the Chicago Symphony brought that historic date.

This evening the whole Universe was a silent witness of a work in progress.

I strongly disagree with AaLii. This music is not overblown, pretentious, and cacophonous pieces of garbage, but melodic, timeless, and harmonious works of music. Fritz Reiner has been overshadowed in recent years by Sir Georg Solti when it comes to the CSO, but in my opinion, was just as good a conductor. I like his recording of Zarathustra even better than Solti's, and his Ein Heldenleben is excellent, too. Of course, Solti did excellent Strauss with the CSO, but this disc is very special.

It's hard to believe that these recordings were made over 50 years ago because they sound like they were recorded just yesterday! I take my hat off to the engineers at RCA for their brilliant restoration work to keep this in the permanent catalogue. Don't ever let it be deleted!

I have heard several recordings of Shostakovich Cello concerto #1, but nothing tops this one. This is one of those pieces needs a top-notch cellist and orchestra to sound good. Otherwise it can easily sound like a muddle. I always feel like I have been on a long trip after listing to this piece. It starts out deceptively light with it's four note theme but quickly takes a darker turn. The second movement features two haunting yet beautiful themes. The cadenza starts out slow and brooding and reprises both themes from the second movement. It slowly turns demonic and leads directly into the final movement. The final movement adds a new exotic theme but then brings back the original four-note theme with a vengeance. As for the violin concerto it isn't bad by any means. My problem with it is I first heard a live version of this piece also recorded by Oistrakh (I think on BBC Legends) which despite the audience noises blows this one away. In addition I believe it was in stereo where as this version was recorded in mono.

These are absolutely gorgeous recordings of both pieces. Indeed, these are the first ever recordings of both pieces, both recorded just months after their world premieres in the USSR, in 1956 and 1959. Sony have done an excellent job with the remastering, and the sound is crisp and clean.

As for the playing - Oistrakh and Rostropovich in their prime, with Shostakovich present and advising during both recordings - what more needs to be said. Shostakovich dedicated the First Cello Concerto to Rostropovich, his pupil and friend, and he almost seems to breathe the music. Oistrakh is magnificent in the Violin Conecrto, especially in the fast and furious finale. The New York Philharmonic under Mitropoulos and the Phildaelphia Orchestra under Ormandy are pretty damn good as well, and both pieces are fiendishly difficult in places.

Sorry this is praise is a little over the top, but it is entirely deserved!

Rostropovich in the Cello Concerto is superb and, without question, this is the greatest STUDIO account of the Violin Concerto. But please note: Oistrakh and Mitropoulos gave the American premiere of the Violin Concerto in a LIVE radio broadcast performance on New Year's Day 1956, and the studio recording on this Sony CD was made the following day. That LIVE premiere performance can be heard (excellent sound!) in a 10-disc box set from the New York Philharmonic called "The Historic Broadcasts 1923 to 1987." It's an expensive set ($225), but it contains some other extraordinary items, such as Stravinsky conducting Tchaikovsky's 2nd Symphony, Artur Rubinstein's finest account of the Chopin Piano Concerto #1 with Bruno Walter, Kirsten Flagstad and Walter in an incredible Immolation Scene from Wagner's Gotterdammerung, Stokowski's only recording of Mendelssohn's "Scotch" Symphony, and a great performance by Heifetz with Toscanini of the Brahms Violin Concerto. While I'm not a Heifetz fan - to my ears, Oistrakh was a far greater artist - this was Heifetz's finest account of the Brahms.

But the REAL highlight of that NY Phil. set: the SUPERLATIVE performance by Oistrakh and Mitropoulos in the Shostakovich Violin Concerto. While this Columbia studio recording is indeed wonderful, it doesn't quite touch the inspired intensity of Oistakh's "live" premiere. Of course, not all "live" performances are better than their studio counterparts (e.g., I much prefer Sviatoslav Richter's studio Liszt concertos on Philips to his "live" concert recording on BBC Legends). But Oistrakh and Mitropoulos in the premiere tightened the screws and threw off sparks "live" that even this superb studio performance doesn't quite match.

This Sony Columbia Masterworks CD is worth its price just to have the outstanding account of the Cello Concerto with Rostropovich. But if you are an Oistrakh nut like me, and want to hear his interpretation of the Violin Concerto at its absolute zenith, you should try to hear the NY Phil. set too.

Highly recommended.

The title and artist' name says it all - Christmas with clear (pure) singing. Glorious in all respects.

Walking the busy malls to the multichannel Muzak of every old Christmas song interpreted in hiphop, jazz, idiosyncratic 'rethinkings' by famous soloists as well as replays of Gene Autry, Bing Crosby etc., it is a relief to return home (or if fortunate, to the concert hall) and hear the more uplifting music of the season through the ages. And despite reliance on some old favorite Messiah recordings, and carols by Kings College Choir, the one CD that seems to reign supreme is this Chanticleer release SING WE CHRISTMAS from 1995!

These twelve male voices create an ambience that can only be labeled 'spiritual', so resonant and exquisitely performed are each of the generous works on this recording. The moods pass through Praetorius, Victoria, Bach and traditional carols of unknown authorship to works by Ives, Billings, Holst, Guerrero, Howells and Sametz. The repertoire is both familiar and rarely heard and the result of combining all these forms is the truest form of Christmas spirit on record: this is music to cleanse the Muzak blitz! Highly recommended. Grady Harp, December 05

Chanticleer is an audaciously talented acapella choral ensemble whose work finds its best expression in spiritual songs like these, which are stunning missives straight from heaven itself. The spirit of the season of Christmas, the promise and beauty and renewal at the heart of it, is so perfectly captured in these soaring and robust performances, each one more impossibly lovely than the last. You don't need to believe in Santa Claus or even Christmas to derive deep satisfation from this album; you need only have ears to listen and the capacity for extreme goose bumps! The hush of a snowy day, a cathedral filled with candles and voices lifted heavenwards, the abundance of genuine goodwill and loving kindness that has survived every attempt at commercializing Christmas ... these things are alive and well in this music, which will move you to your core.

Highly, highly recommended!

Murray Perahia is at his best in this classic. His playing of Mendelssohn's compositions is absolutely mouth-dropping. Some of them seem a little fast (example: Op. 19, No. 3) but it all incredible. Mendessohn is my personal favorite composer not only for his work but also for his excellent Christian faith in his music. Liszt, Bach, and Schubert are very wonderful composers in this as well. I guess I got carried away about the Mendelssohn...!! This is a must if you love classical/romantic period music.

This disk is a bit of a rarity in modern recording. It isn't a disk of a single work or series of works. It isn't the WHOLE of the Mendelssohn "Songs Without Words". Instead it opens with four of the wonderful Busoni transcriptions of Bach organ preludes. Perahia played these four here in Ann Arbor along with the Bach "Goldberg Variations" and it was a GREAT night. His playing here is at its most poetic and is full of colors (don't mistake this for being colorful in the sense of being eccentric - think rather in terms of a rich palette of sounds).

The middle section has 15 of the best of the Mendelssohn "Songs Without Words". I know that many think him not one of the great ones and that Mendelssohn's reputation has slipped in the past thirty years. But I think this is very wrong. I urge you to get to know his music and to try and hear it with fresh ears. These pieces are a very nice place to start. There is a great deal to love in these pieces and if you can play the piano dust off this music and play them. They are much fun and reward the effort.

The disk ends with four Liszt transcriptions of Schubert Lieder. Well, I know and love these pieces and have peformed the "Staendchen" several times. It is WONDERFUL. These performances of these transcriptions show off the genius of three wonderful musicians - Schubert and Liszt and Perahia. "Auf dem Wasser zu singen" is one of my favorite songs.

You might want to pick up the first volume of the Ian Bostridge recordings of the Schubert songs to here the originals of some of these and to read the words. Very moving and Liszt does a lot to tell their story with his transcriptions. It isn't just for show show, even if it does add to the original. But this was authentic nineteenth century performance practice.

Perahia is never a showy pianist, but he always seems to have all the virtuosity he needs. He never seems to be walking a tightrope and teasing us that he might fall. Instead he overwhelms us with his poetic heart and lyrical playing. He has power, but like all great pianists he makes us feel he has more in reserve (he may not, but he never sounds like he is hitting the wall). And he doesn't ever make ugly sounds on the piano. I love his playing. I have been fortunate to hear him play live several times over the past couple of decades and it has always been a complete delight. Just like this wonderful disk.

After the first 4 tracks, where Murray Perahia plays 4 Bach transcriptions of organ preludes to cantatas, the rest of the CD is just a bonus.

Perahia plays Bach with as much feeling and love as anyone alive or dead, in my opinion. The first two pieces are played with quiet dignity. The third track shows Perahia's dexterity and finger speed - I'd like to hear that on the organ! Back to peace and tranquility on the fourth track - and I haven't gotten to Mendelssohn yet, since I keep 'rewinding' the CD!

Nice interpretation of Mozart's piano concerto.

We love Mozart. Especially his piano concertos. We purchased these volumes, because we wore out our cassette tapes.
Mozart piano concertos performed by Arthur Brendel and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, It does not get much better than that. 5 hours of music as a very reasonable price!

I even ordered a second set to give to a friend.

Alfred Brendel is one of the world's most famous pianists, but not for reasons that make Argerich, Paderewski, or Rubinstein famous. Brendel is an expert both artistically and technically but he is not given to highly individualistic interpretations that rattle purists and create controversy. In other words, Brendel is a highly reliable pianist. Like Murray Perahia, there are no let downs in his recorded performances. For this and the price, no one should pass up this 2 disc recording.

The only downside is the recording's track listing. Piano Concerto No. 23 is split: its first movement is in the first disc while its last two movements are in the second. Bewildering especially since the piano concertos are not sequenced chronologically. And the insert doesn't help. It does not explain the track arrangement (is it by the year of recording? by importance in Mozart's ouvre?). Nonetheless, there it is, Piano Concerto No. 23 separated into two cds. Why this has to be is difficult to understand. The first movement, allegro, is 11.04 minutes long; in the second disc, a one movement rondo, Rondo in A, KV 386, is 8.32 minutes long. Why wasn't this rondo placed in the first disc to allow a seamless playing of Piano Concerto No. 23?

This is annoying if your player does not support multiple disc playing. I bought this 2 cd set specifically for Piano Concerto No. 23, whose second movement I love. It is one of the most sublime of piano adagios, up there with the second movements of Chopin no. 1, Rachmaninoff no. 2, Shostakovich no. 2. And I bought it specifically for Brendel's performance with the ASMITF, conducted by Neville Marriner. Brendel really makes the piano weep here. His evocations of a human's cycle of grief and redemption make the performance definitive for Piano Concerto No. 23. If the split won't bother you, do yourself a favor and get a copy.

...in his words:"This is by far the most transcendental recording of the chopin ballades ever created. Don't pay attention to karan jamal, he's obviously just an ignorant anti-semitic, arrogant idiot. Anyone who would give this recording 1 star knows nothing about music, which is apparent from the way the lone 1 star review was written.">>>>Now thats comedy.That made me laugh my a$$ off...........the only thing transcendental is the cheap air this recording gives off,not to mention the dutchman's transcendental stupidity.I've played classical music all my life from cello&violin to piano.If i know nothing about music it should be strange that within a month of learning piano i started work on liszt's transcendental etudes and am now up to the 5th etude after a year of hard work;and i stand by my 1 star review of this incorrigible recording.And my consolences to the poor chap who believes these are fine recordings;some of us after all are cursed with bad genes.

Initially, I was suckered into buying this CD from a classical music guide that touted this CD as one of Rubinstein's greatest. Fortunately, His Ballade in G minor lives up to the hype. I love how Rubinstein is able to perfectly and naturally balance his phrasings and rubatos without resorting to cheap sentimentality. Unfortunately, its the scherzi that Rubinstein goes downhill. To me, this rendition sounds much too bland and labored. In addition, the third and fourth scherzo has lost much of the impetuosity from his earlier recordings. I know for certain that he was holding back, considering his 1964 chopin recital was much more volatile and exciting than this lethargic recording. If you really want definitive scherzi's, try Richters or Yundi Li's recordings. For the Ballades, try Moravec's or Zimerman's. And by the way, RCA's sonics don't sound that great compared to the Digital CD's of today. Get the improved (and cheaper) SACD version.

If someone wished to make a case for Rubinstein's genius not only as a Chopin interpreter, but as a pianist of the first rank, they'd need do little more than offer this one recording as evidence. The control of melodic line, lift, chordal technique, brilliance in ornamentation and fioriture - all of them are at the service of Chopin's conception, but come together with a sound that can only have been made by Rubinstein. Perhaps most moving is the first ballade; the grandeur of the main E major theme has never been brought out so compellingly, and the closing Gm section is nothing short of demonic. I've listened to this recording well over a thousand times, and have explored every other commercially-available recording of the ballades. Nothing quite compares. If I had only one piano record, perhaps even only one record of any kind, to choose for the proverbial desert island, this one would be it.