Rhapsody in Blue - Ultimate Piano Collection Review

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(More customer reviews)I ordered this after hearing Passion - Most Famous Orchestral Spectaculars by the same company. Once again, I was not let down.
This provides 20 full length CDs with a large assortment of composers and compositions; famous pieces as well as not so well known works.
I am new to piano music, only slightly newer to piano than I am to classical, but this set is a fantastic find for anyone that wants to get to know the composers that are best known for piano compositions.
Every song, every CD is excellently recorded and mixed. The sound is perfect and the music is great.
For the low price of $13.97 (and if the price goes up to it's norm of about $50, it's still worth it, but if you can be patient, hold out and the price should drop again). I almost feel guilty for getting so much music; almost. I can't believe the quality or the quantity of this or the Passion set mentioned above and I highly recommend each.
If you are new to classical music. This should most definitely be step 1 on your journey because it is a good way to get a broad overview of classical. From there you can hone in on composers that you enjoy and buy more from them. I won't lie, this doesn't have everything that one might expect on a "Ultimate Piano Collection", but to be truthful, that is really quite subjective; I would have liked to have seen some Debussy on one of the discs, but I won't complain because every CD is at least good and the majority are great.
Buy this set with confidence.
I would also recommend that Rendezvous of Angels - Concert Collection be looked at as well. Another great compilation at a fantastic price.
ENJOY!!!

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This amazing 20-CD set truly is the ultimate pianocollection! With over 20 hours of the greatest piano classics, from Mozart's priceless Piano Concertos and Sonatas to Gershwin's legendary Rhapsody in Blue, this set is a must have for everyone's collection. So sit back, relax and drift away on the beautiful melodic waves of classical piano at its very best.

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Chopin: Mazurkas Review

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(More customer reviews)William Kappell was, in a way, the Dennis Brain of the piano.Brain had a meteoric career playing the French horn, which was cut short by his early death -- and cognoscenti have been seeking out his old monaural records and CD's for decades.Kappell also had a tragically short career which accounts for the only deficiency of this CD.It was recorded with old monaural equipment.I predict that you won't notice that at all, because the genius of William Kappell shines through in these pieces.I think I would describe his Mazurkas as both very 'clean' and also 'lush.' He is playing carefully and bringing out the subtle beauty of these odd little dances.Chopin's Mazurkas always seem to have a "sweet and sour" character, often with a lyrical major theme at the start and finish, and a discordant minor gypsy-style theme in the middle.In Kappell's hands you hear other layers, and some of the pieces even have a sort of tango-like feel.Anyway, it's hard to describe what is so good about this CD, but buy it.You will listen to it again and again.

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Arthur Rubinstein plays Chopin Review

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(More customer reviews)If someone put a gun to my head and demanded to know the best choice for a Chopin cd purchase, I would state with confidence "get the EMI classics Rubinstein collection".These recordings, made mostly in the 30s, contain some of the very best Chopin ever recorded.I've spent a lot of effort trying to find definitive versions of every Chopin piece, with the result that the Rubinstein 30s recordings of the Concertos, Nocturnes, Mazurkas (which are contained in the present set) are historically definitive.For competitors, I mention Moravec's 60s recording of the Nocturnes and Zimerman's two recordings of the concertos.I know of no better recording of the complete Mazurkas.Also, no Chopin fan should be without the present recordings of the Scherzi and Polonaises, which have few competitors.For the Barcarolle I suggest Dinu Lipatti, and for the Berceuse, Solomon.But each recording here, definitive or not, is first rate and a front runner.The recordings were made at the beginning of a transition period Rubinstein made in his 40s when he forced himself to relearn his repertiore in a more disciplined manner than he had previously; it was at this stage in his life that Rubinstein acquired the status of being one of the greatest piano artists of the century.Thus these recordings are very inspired and more reliable than later Chopin recordings he made.Of course Rubinstein is, over all pianists, most closely associated with Chopin.This is somewhat unfair in the sense that there are many brilliant pianists who have outstanding recordings of Chopin which do compare and sometimes exceed Rubinstein's.The present set is an outstanding selection which will best represent Rubinstein's contribution to a library of Chopin recordings.

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Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 6 Review

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(More customer reviews)Complete recorded editions of Classical music were almost unheard of in the 1930s.Artur Schnabel was making a complete version of Beethoven's 32 Sonatas, but many "musicians" didn't consider Chopin's music worthy of such attention--he was just a salon composer, after all.Arthur Rubinstein, of course, didn't believe any of that nonsense about Chopin.His respect for that composer informed both his interpretation of his music, and his decision to record his Scherzos and Mazurkas.

Rubinstein made three complete versions of Chopin's Scherzos, with this first set dating from 1932.All three versions by Rubinstein are exciting, and offer testament to the pianist's solid technique, innate virtuosity, and natural sense of musical architecture.Tempos are breathtakingly faster in these earlier performances than in the later ones.Considering the fact that editing was impossible during this era, and his considerable risk taking, Rubinstein's very few inconsequential mistakes are understandable.

As with the Scherzos, Rubinstein recorded three versions of the Mazurkas.This first version (from 1938-1939) is markedly freer, more compelling, and more poetic than his later remakes.The pianist's use of rubato is more pronounced, as is his greater emphasis on inner voices, which Rubinstein later banished from his playing.

These recordings originate from 78RPM discs.Despite the slight surface noise, and occasional tubbiness in the piano tone, Rubinstein's eternally fresh interpretations come through loud & clear.

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Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 50 Review

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(More customer reviews)While his recordings of other composers is somewhat uneven, Rubinstein is the absolute master of Chopin.Noone else captures the beauty, nuance, depth, poetry, and feel of his music in quite the same way, and the Mazurkas (which by the way sound wonderful in their new remastering) are no exception.Even the very familiar ones sound fresh in Rubinstein's hands, and whether you listen to these a few at a time (as I usually do) or straight through, I highly recommend this recording as well as the other reissues in this series.

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Chopin: Mazurkas Review

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(More customer reviews)A fully satisfying rendition of Chopin's mazurkas.Ashkenazy, a Russian, reminds us that these are first and foremost Polish folk dances, and are only secondarily French salon pieces (hence, he avoids the temptation to play these like dreamy, oozing, cloudy, nebulous bits of musical cotton candy, a treatment to which so many artists joy in subjecting poor Frederic's music.)Also, don't miss Ashkenazy's wonderfully introspective recordings of Shostakovich's supremely introspective preludes and fugues. A revelation.

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