Classical music reviews

This is a beautiful work. This very skilled choir has exceptional tone, and the director knows how to get the best out of his singers in each piece. Franz Biebl's Ave Maria was written for men's choir, but the SATB version here outshines them all. Lauriden's O Magnum Mysterium shimmers as its complex harmonies weave among the parts. You will not be disappointed in this CD!

What can I say. I have actually sung almost all of these anthems but just listening to them brings about such peace and tranquillity that I thought I had died and gone to heaven..a truly orgasmic experience.

I bought this for the recording of Lauridsen's "O Magnum Mysterium"; as a singer I have performed this along with other pieces on the CD. I was impressed by all of it. The choir has wonderful dynamic control and great expression. And yes, the Lauridsen moved me to tears as it always does when I sing it. This CD is a must for any lover of beautiful modern choral music

Whilst it can be safely said that Mera has never put out a bad disc, he has however put out a number which verge on blandness. This, sadly is one of those discs. Whilst the production is excellent (as always) and Mera is once more captured at a level of mastery few singers could ever hope to attain; the disc is rather forulaic and a shade uninspiring. It should be understod that this does not infer any fault on the part of the artist, rather on the part of his mentor or manager. Mera does Bach, Baroque, Classical, Motzart... homogenous 'classic-by-numbers' is no way to spread the net wide and catch a wider audience. By simply repeating the same staid songs the artist loses some of his edge and begins to fade into the wallpaper.
On the plus side, this CD is GREAT relaxing music, music to work to or wash the dishes to. Why? well because the tracks are all but the same and so it plays seamlessly - then so does elevator music...
Of course it's a Mera CD, so the serious fan HAS to own it, but for the newcomer? I'd recomend you dig a little harder and seek out his better - more varied works

This is one of the few cd:s that I can listen without skipping a track. All the songs that Yoshikazu sings are so beautiful! I also like the arrangements, especially the violin solos. "Auf Flugeln des Gesanges" is sung by hundreds of singers and I have never before liked this song but after hearing Yoshikazu's version, it became one of my favourite songs. "Lascia ch'io pianga" is usually sung by a woman but Yoshikazu sings better than any man or woman. His coloraturas are crystal clear but yet his voice doesn't shake at all. "Ombra mai fu" almost makes me cry. It's fantastic! No one else could sing it better. I love Masayuki Kino's violin solo in "Morgen". Though the song is very slow, it isn't boring. I usually skip the song if it is sung by any other singer but this version is absolutely worth listening. Yoshikazu's "Allerseelen" is also listenable though it is not very good. "Romance" from Faust is so pure! Again, the violin solo in makes the song even more beautiful. "La dans des Troyennes virginales" was well played by the orchestra, especially the harpist. Bach-Gounod's "Ave Maria" is sung by every singer but somehow, Yoshikazu's version is totally different. The range is good; not too high. The backing by harp is also beautiful as it doesn't cover Yoshikazu's voice at all. "Je te veux" is my favourite song on this cd. I listen to it again and again; it makes me happy! "Kdyz mne star� matka zp�vat" is, like all the other songs, sung in the right language. Nobody else can make so beautiful coloraturas. Yoshikazu has also good dynamics. His version of "Solveigs sang" beats even Karita Mattila's version. He has no trouble with pronouncing Norwegian language. I enjoy to listen the high coloratura parts. It is also nice to hear Rachmaninoff's vocalise sung by a singer with low voice; this song is, like "Ave Maria" usually too high. It fits well for the countertenor voice. "Greensleeves" shows that Yoshikazu can sing traditional music too. The arrangement in the first verse was a little bit boring but listenable. The other verses are fantastic, especially the "God I pray..." part.

Wow! What a voice! And how many languages! German, Italian, Latin, Czech, Norwegian, French, English. I have played this cd to many of my friends and Yoshikazu Mera got a lot of new fans. I have never liked tenors but now I absolutely love countertenors and especially Yoshikazu Mera.

I divide my music listening experience now in �before Mera�and
�After Mera�: Being a fan of barock vocal music I�ve being listening to some of the best countertenors for quite a while,
their voices being specially suited for many Handelian arias
that were originally written for famous �castrati� as Senesino
or Nicolini. And then I happened to listen �Laschia ch�o pianga�
sang by Yoshikazu Mera, I was in awe! I run out of my house to
get whatever CD I could get right away from this otherwordly,
perfect Voice and got �Romance�.Every single piece of this CD is
transcendentally beautiful! The Voice of Mera will leave you
spellbound! I have no words to describe it, you listen and you
soar to a world of Bliss and Beauty!. Today I took it with me to
the birthday party of a friend...before the second aria had finished totally, I was surrounded by an eager group of people
asking me: Who on earth was that?! where can I get it?! all with
pen and papers to write the names of album and singer. It is amazing to observe the expressions of my friends when they
listen to this CD! They can not bring themselves to believe their ears! As for me this is my best pick EVER!

This Awesome recording along with the first Saced Treasures of Bortniansky, Chernikof, Gretchaninov, Rachminanov, Tchaikovsky, this more recent Sacred Treasures III, includes far more!!!

Receiving yesterday's Parcel Post, I stayed awake until nearly 1:00AM, listening to 14 spiritually refreshing, glorious, and gorgeous Russian Choral Chants. My top ones are still singing in my aura..."Lord Have Mercy, KOMM SUSSER TOD, Peaceful Light, Grant Us This, O Lord, OUR FATHER, Praise The Lord, O My Soul, BLESSED ART THOU O LORD (Kiev Chant)." Most of these 7 are conducted by Valery Polansky in his magnificent choral style!

Even while singing under Robert Shaw in Atlanta Symphony Chorus there were seldom such chorally satisfying, experiences of awesome, enrapturing, ethereal sounds as these Russian Orthodox Choirs. The St. Petersburg Chamber Choir and USSR Ministry of Culture Chamber Choir-Valery Polyansky Conductor, as intimately matchless! Voted a multitude of Golden Stars fondly from Retired Chaplain Fred W Hood, "Barbara377" (Fayetteville GA United States)

Another elegant presentation in the Sacred Treasures series. In Sacred Treasures III, Ellen Holmes has artfully combined some of the best recordings of Russian choral music from the orthodox liturgy (many by Rachmaninov) with uniquely beautiful arrangements such as Gunnar Eriksson's arrangement of Bach's "Komm Susser Tod" and less familiar pieces like the wordless "Chorale" by Georgian composer Josif Kechakmadze, which I found to be engaging. The inspired beauty of this music reaches into the soul and instills a sense of peace, as only music can.

This is a very beautiful choral CD. Track 2, "Sourp, Sourp" which is from the Armenian Orthodox Divine Liturgy, is one of my favorite songs, and this is a stunning version of it.

If you like choral music or early music or even new age music, this is a great CD for you.

Shostakovich's 8th Symphony is one of his greatest, along with the 4th, 5th and 10th. Written during WWII, it is sometimes referred to as "The Stalingrad," though with less cause than the 7th being known as "The Leningrad" -- Shostakovich was indeed in Leningrad when the German siege began, and composed the first three movements of the 7th before being evacuated. The 8th Symphony is a powerful expression of the horror of war, which has been compared to Picasso's painting "Guernica." First performed on November 4, 1943 with Mravinsky conducting, it was largely ignored at first. Eventually in 1948 the Soviet authorities denounced Shostakovich for producing such a pessimistic work, failing to celebrate the great victory. This is not a work of propaganda, but rather a profound tragedy, the only appropriate response to such massive brutality, suffering and death.

While similar in some respects to the 5th -- for instance the 3-note opening theme echoes its 4-note opening -- the 8th is larger and more complex, expressing much of what Shostakovich had been holding back due to Stalin's threats. This is not speculation -- Shostakovich himself said that the war made it possible for artists to more freely express themselves. It was not only the victims of Hitler's aggression but the victims of Stalin's terror prior to the war that the 8th commemmorates.

The 8th has an unusual construction, opening with a 26-minute adagio, followed by two fast movements of six minutes each, then a nine-minute largo and finally a 15-minute allegretto. The dramatic center is the allegro non troppo, which is a battle scene, punctuated by a crazed trumpet, symbolizing to me the insanity of war. In the several versions of the 8th that I've heard, the central movement, which is horrifying and vivid, burning itself into your brain, is what makes or breaks a performance. The first movement builds up to it, and the last two movements decompress from it -- if it fails, the entire symphony fails. Haitink and his Concertgebouw in this 1982 performance storm the battle scene with manic intensity. It is far more effective than the mushy performance of Rostropovich and the National's 1991 recording on Teldec (see my review). The recording which to me represents perfection is also on Decca, a 1989 performance by Georg Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (#425 675-2). Solti drives the CSO with relentless intensity throughout the entire work, and the allegro non troppo is not quite as manic as Haitink's, striking the perfect balance of precision and intensity. The Rostropovich recording is superior to the Haitink in the last two movements, coming closer to Solti in attaining a smooth, compelling narrative flow. This Haitink version is more static and cold in the largo and allegretto, failing to fully capture the poignance and tragedy of the war's aftermath.

Shostakovich's 8th Symphony is one of the towering masterworks of 20th century music, and 20th century art overall. I listened to the Solti recording especially over and over from August of 2002 through the U.S. war on Iraq in April 2003.

Bernard Haitink is not precisely among my most beloved directors. But chapeaux is the best expression I can find to recognize this undeniable triumph in this difficult work of Shostakovich.

The ontological anguish in the Scherzo has never best reflected in any other available version. This Symphony somehow has not received all the deserved attention due perhaps its introspective mood: most of the great audiences prefer by far to seduced by the great, gargantuan. epic, colossal and involving extroverted orchestral mass pregnant with certain optimist resolution.

But this is a claustrophobic work of defined Mahlerian influence. Even heavy weight champions directors such Mravinsky somehow have forgotten the debt for Mahler where the existential anguish is simply delimited for a line: in Mahler this anguish is internal , in Shostakovich is a conjunction of internal and also outer collective horror where Stalin iron fist depicted the destiny of many people.

Besides, if you consider the fact of being the next Symphony after that giant work such Leningrad was, the Symphony may be was not as pyramidal and deep purpose but the point is the Eighth never received the special attention about its transcendent significance.

In this case the presence of the Concertgebouw and the special rapture day for Haitink made of this recording an inestimable musical treasure.

Shostkovich's 8th symphony reflects us world in which dark, bleak, emotions covers you and don't let you breath. This is a fascinating document of one of the greatest composers of the 20th century.

The present performance by Bernard Haitnk and the Concertgrbouw Orchestra offers an impressive view on this rather horror work.

At the opening passages of the first movement Haitink opts for somewhat brooding tempos, but not to fast and not to slowly. His very well gauged tempos allow him to get a forward thrust. Also very important, Note for example how Haitink's take a close care to the material structure, under him the orchestra strings sound totally grimmer and by that he produced a gteater sense of darkness. The basic momentum has already moved forward by Haitink and the next development shows his grasp through the more intense passages. Here he also produced a great sound from his players. Haitink's Concertgebouw Orchestra shows comprehension from the highest order, and it is a fine example for a long time relationship between conductor and orchestra. The great sound is also produced because of the high technical engineering of Decca. The big drama, in the central sections of the movement conveyers a huge brutality climaxes, under Haitink delivered with immensely power. The marching side drum is rambling, and the final climax is truly terrifying. Haitink's vision on this powerful movement is truly one of the most impressive ones.

The two middle movements are at the same high level as the first. The orchestra plays superbly under haitink, notice to the danse macabre section in the second movement. However Haitink's dark approach of the first movement delivered here with more moderate sense of breathing air at last. But as with Shostakovich, you will breath air for a very short time, and when the arrival of the four movement start, marks as Largo the grimness feeling appear again. Now with even a greater sense of horror..

Haitink's superb handling on the Largo is one of the strengths of his performance. There is a huge depth in his vision, which for me really catch the spirit of shostakovich's music. However Haitink's is not to sentimental in his approach, rather then that he keeps you more in a distance; for me it is a magic touch by a great conductor that really understand the impact of this music. The Concertgebouw Orchestra also plays wonderfully for Haitink's. Notice to the beautifully woodwind sections. In the last movement Haitink's show his ability to gets under the skin of Shostakovich's music and to expose its inner meaning. And by that point his immensely vision made complete, and he takes the beautifully mysterious ending to its enigmatic conclusion.

The CD also comes on alternative price, make him a good value. This is a must have recording for shotakovich admires.

At first I laughed when hearing Spheres, expecting something different from KJ with a German 1800C organ. Now I rate it top5 of my nearly 50 KJ CD�s. I can never find the end of this piece, listening to it for days over and over again, repeat is a highly valued key on the CDPlayer when this is inside. Try reading Inferno by James Nachtwey, tasting Kopke 1995 Vintage port and palying Spheres - your on the way ;-)

Everyone's review is right on the money--this CD is an overlooked masterpiece. I bought it in 1997 and it has been my favorite record ever since. Track down the double CD with all 9 movements as well as "Hymn of Remembrance". The entire collection is beautiful. The music is sublime--I've never heard music like it in my life. At the same time, its energy stems from the same place that all of Keith's musical energy comes from. Fans of classical organ music might also find this CD interesting for its technical ingenuity.

Yes, this is really an amazing performance. Shards of sound, whispers of melody, great atmospherics. At times the music reminds me of Ligeti pieces like "Atmospheres"; music that is more about color and dynamics rather than melody and counterpoint. Jarrett coaxes just about every imagineable sound out of a baroque organ, with its myriad of tone colors and strange intonation.
This CD is actually a severely truncated version of the LP set "Hymns/Spheres", which was at least twice the length of this release (only 4 of 9 movements of "Spheres" are on the CD, and the two lengthy "Hymns" are missing). I would assume that the reason is that ECM figured not enough people would buy the complete set on CD, but this is my official request for them to
release this set in its entirety.

This album is the definitive recording of Eugene Onegin in a long time to come. Recorded during its stage production season (with almost the same cast) at Theatre du Chatelet in Paris in 1992, it is sung with a most distinguished cast - singers of Russians and non-Russians, in each of the distinguished roles.

Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, which was inspired by Pushkin's narrative poem, is an opera with the style of its own. Apart from its music distinctions, it is not an opera in the traditional sense (larger than life characters, grand scenes, etc.), but a series of "lyrical scenes" as Tchaikovsky referred, although its drama is not any less intense to be an opera. It is about love, aspects of love - bliss, longings, and passions - that is reflected from each of the central characters. It works very well on stage in an intimate production, and so does it on recording. The music sets the mood and flavor of each scene that speaks for itself and plays by itself. The psychological conduction of the characters is largely relied on the singers' vocal acting. As firstly insisted by Tchaikovsky, it is essential that characters are played by young singers who look and feel the closest to the characters.

They say there is a lot of Pushkin in the title role Onegin, who is bright and dashing, also aloof and cynical, and whose deep passion was not grown into flame until the last act of the opera. You'd feel grateful that Tchaikovsky gave Onegin to a baritone. Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky, with a beautiful lyric voice and a dramatic temperament, fits perfectly for the role. The dark toned voice is most effective in striking the dramatic chord while his lyrical sense brings sensitivity to this otherwise not-so-likable character. His Onegin is idiomatic in the emotional coloring in the music that comes from the sound of Russian language. At the time of this production's season in Paris, Hvorostovsky, who waltzed and mazurka-ed on stage, was about the same age as Onegin in the last act. These days he still sings the role regularly in various opera houses. You could very much say that this role belongs to him and he has made Eugene Onegin convincingly human and real. Compared to Onegin's complexities, Tatyana and Lensky are two characters easier to identify. Nuccia Focile's voice rings with clarity and freshness that fully realizes the beautifully illustrated Tatyana. In Tatyana's elaborate letter-writing scene, Focile's singing embodies the character's tenderness, sensitivity, and impulsiveness with great conviction. Neil Shicoff's lyric tenor is ideal for Lensky. The voice has an elegant timbre, well focused and expressive. He sings Lensky with such vivid emotions, and in the famous Lensky's aria he delivers a most heartfelt rendering. Distinguished Russian mezzo Olga Borodina makes the most of the simple-minded Olga, which is a role that wasn't given a lot of depth for what it lacks. Russian mezzo Irina Arkhipova is in the cameo role of Filipyevna, singing with great strength. St Petersburg Chamber Choir is brilliant as ever, particularly in the ethnic songs. And the last, but certainly not the least, Russian-born conductor Semyon Bychkov imparts Tchaikovsky's sensitivity, poetic beauty, and passion through the orchestra with success and style.

Hvorostovsky was the star draw that attracted me to this recording, but every time I've listened to this opera, it has drawn me deeper and deeper into its coils. I find it incredibly touching and moving, and having recently heard numerous tenors giving Lensky's Kuda kuda aria a go in the Cardiff Singer of the World competition, Shicoff's rendition is startling in its memorability and clarity.

I'm not Russian, so I can't make any comment on the ability of the singers to handle the language, but, this recording has made me a complete fan of Tchaikovsky and drawn me to his other operas and his symphonies. Every time I hear it I find it more poignant, enthralling and romantic.

Wow, this recording is really awesome. The cast is great, the orchestra is great, not to mention the sweet music! This recording touches me everytime I listen. Its very emotionally intense and gripping. HIGHLY RECCOMMENDED

I remember when I first purchased this CD. Compact Discs were hard to find (at least the kind of music I liked). Everything was still on vinyl. This sounded so incredibly powerful over my LPs. "The Menagerie: Suite" composed by Alexander Courage with Erich Kunzel conducting still sounds very impressive. This Compact Disc really demonstrates the prominent characterists of Digital recordings. I still love my soundtracks on LPs but this CD has now become a nostalgic part of collection of film music.

Time Warp brought together the best of the science fiction world. Everything on this cd is classic. The Alien closing title, "The Menagerie," and my favorite, "Also Sprach Zarathustra."

Although Strauss' renewed version of "On the Beautiful Blue Danube" isn't as good as the original, it is definatley great. I think only Dorsey's "Ascent" was a let down. I did not enjoy that piece.

Richard Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra from "2001: A Space Odyssey" is brilliant. The entire cd is full of artistic minds.

"Time Warp" was the first recording by Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops that I ever purchased. And it, without a doubt, was money well spent.

The album is a sci-fi lover's delights, featuring one-of-a-kind orchestral renditions of popular scores. Kunzel and company have outdone themselves with their performance on the rarely heard "The Menagerie: Suite", composed by Alexander Courage for the pilot episode ("The Cage") of "Star Trek". John Williams's "Superman: Love Theme" and "Star Wars: Throne Room" sound clearer and more majestic than in their original soundtrack forms.

Over fifteen minutes of the classical music heard in Kubrick's "2001" are presented here and that alone makes this an essential purchase.

I stumbled upon Bill Douglas' music in a compilation CD I had playing as background music for my day. One track caught my ear and demanded greater attention - it was "Lake Isle Of Innisfree" by Bill Douglas. After locating and auditioning "A Place Called Morning", on which the track originally appeared, I added it to my music collection and am enjoying it as I write this. Music is not an either-or thing - if you enjoy John Williams, John Horner or Beethoven or the Beatles - listen to them all. If it touches your soul here and now, what more do you want? "A Place Called Morning" is just such music for me.

This music is some of the best of its genre. It is just achingly beautiful.I happened upon this CD while searching for some new music,and bought this on the chance that I would like it.I love it.It lulls you into recalling your fondest memories of childhood and love, and does it effortlessly and simply.The choir is especially effective.It actually chokes me up a little.
I'm not a huge fan of New Age music,but of the CD's I do have,I believe this is the best.

Bill's work rests on the ear of the listener like newly formed dew in the morning. He invites us to return in our consciousness to those first pristine moments of new creation.

I ordered 3 Esteban CDs and I hope the others are better than this one. Maybe I just don't like the songs he picked to play, but they came across as "contrived" and the background accompanyment sounds a bit "cheesey". If I heard the cuts before I bought the CD, I would have skipped this one!

I loved this CD - some of Esteban's best - very relaxing and beautiful music.

As a guitar player for 50 years (I'm now 66) who also studied flamenco for a short time and can play some rather haltingly, I would commend Esteban's playing for what it is, way and above most guitar players, notwithstandng his car accident and all.

The negative comments that attempt to compare his playing to the few classical guitarists still capable of reaching the "classical level" are out of school and very imtemperate, as those musicians probably number less than 10, and they aren't popular with most listeners. Esteban is the epitome of an accomplished classical guitar musician who makes his music available to everyone for their listening pleasure, not for the winning of awards. He is like the Joe Pass or George Benson or Wes Montgomery of classical Spanish guitar.

I find his music and playing just plain delightful. Hats off to Esteban!!

Vladimir Horowitz' 1943 live performance of the Tchaikovsky B-Flat Minor Piano Concerto is mesmerizing, to say the least. I must have over 20 recordings of this most famous work, and even Horowitz doesn't come close in the other two I have by him (the 1941 studio recording, also with Toscanini and a 1950 concert with George Szell)! Not Graffman, Rubinstein, Barry Douglas, Gilels and certainly not Liberace come close. Only Van Cliburn's 1958 Carnegie Hall performance with Kiril Kondrashin even approaches this one. In a word, it's electric. The reason is because both Horowitz and Toscanini had egos of major proportions, and given the spontaneous atmosphere of a war bond concert (back then, performers supported our gallant men in uniform; they didn't go to Nazi Germany to act as human shields), they both jazzed up the music as much as they could get away with. Okay, so this is hardly an impeccable interpretation, but it is powerful, and full of Romantic passion. This, I give 5 stars.

However, Horowitz' vigor for the great Russian warhorse doesn't as easily carry over to Beethoven. German music, at least before Wagner, ain't Russian music. A performer has to meet it on its own terms. There are intangibles and nuances between the notes that cannot be glossed over in the supersonic frenzy of a virtuoso spectacular, which is what Horowitz gives us.

A most insensitive "Emperor", it is almost alien to the classical genre. Thus, while it is certainly entertaining, Horowitz' recording is hardly inspiring. There is a limit to being able to get away with playing everything as though it were Liszt.

Listen, instead, to Artur Rubinstein's interpretations of the "Emperor" Concerto. The best of all is his weakest, technically, the 1975 recording he made at almost the age of 90 with Daniel Barenboim and the London Philharmonic. As Rubinstein got older, as arthritis wracked his hands and his eyes grew dimmer, his soul nonetheless shined through radiantly through his music. Moreso than any other performer or performance, on that record is the most honest performance of the great Beethoven concerto I've yet heard.

If you would prefer something cleaner and more technically accurate, I'd recommend Rubinstein's 1964 recording with Erich Leinsdorf and the BSO or Van Cliburn's 1961 recording with Reiner and the Chicago Symphony.

For this Horowitz recording, I give 3-1/2 stars, thus 4 on balance for the Tchaikovsky and the Beethoven.

When I think Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 1, I think Horowitz and Toscanini. Its simply unsurpassed. There are several recordings of Horowitz and Toscanini with the NBC Symphony Orchestra, and for me the finest is the May 6th 1941 recording - a couple of years earlier than the performance on this CD.

The quality of the CD is frankly terrible. If I can clean up the CD with little loss on my PC - albeit that I consider myself a professional - then surely RCA could have done better. Therefore the CD is disappointing on the one hand but still worthy of being added to your collection.

This is a unique vision and outstanding version of the famous concerto. First of all it is a concert version made under exceptional circumstances - a war bond concert that raised vast sums of largesse towards the US second world war effort. In addition, the maestro was Toscanini who was at that time the unrivalled king of the US platform and had the talent, ego and personality enough to flatten the most prodigious talent.

Horowitz himself has a fantastic reputation as interpreter of the Tchai first but was heading towards his first - 12 year - self-enforced retirement and was already riddled with the self doubt that got him there. In addition, his relationship with Toscanini, his father-in-law, was one based primarily on fear. Quite understandably so by all accounts. Other recorded Horowitz concerto performances with the maestro bear testimony to the fact that he found it hard to overcome Toscanini's enormous personality.

This time however something genuinely clicked, possibly because Horowitz could dominate a concert performance in a way that he couldn't in the studio. The adrenaline and personality in this performance are truly astounding. In inimitable Horowitzian fashion there is some re-writing of the score most especially in the coda of the finale where the ascending interlocking octaves scream way past the point where normal piano keyboards have disappeared. Its quite an effect.

In this way and with the performance as a whole, it is impossible to compare it with any other performance before or since. It is a unique record that demands attention, occasional attention I would say, rather than representing a reading to live with every day. It is simply a recording you have to hear.

There is any number of fine performances of this concerto, but for a fascinating visual document try the new the new Gilels DVD on EMI. This a remarkable document of a simply divine performance even allowing for ropey sound and dodgy camera work from 1958. It also has a sensational account of Prokofiev's third piano sonata recorded by Gilels in London a year later. Such sweep and command of keyboard colour, musical structure and colour is simply awesome to behold.