Various Artists - Great Classical Piano - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Album Tracks 1. Rondo 2. Impromptu in G Flat Major 3. Invitation to a Dance 4. Little Bird 5. Humoresque 6. Bird As Prophet 7. Hunting Song 8. Dream of Love No. 3 9. Fantasie-Impromptu 10. Barcarolle 11. Butterfly 12. Poem 13. 3 Preludes 14. Melodie in F 15. Romanian Folkdances 1. Adagio Sostenuto 2. Song Without Words, Op. 102, No. 5 3. Adagietto 4. Leise Flehen Meine Lieder 5. October 6. Barcarolle 7. Prelude Op. 28, No. 15 8. Londonderry Air 9. Moment Musical 10. Andante Canabile 11. Heimweh 12. Mephisto Waltz 1. Air with Variations 'Harmonious Blacksmith' 2. Andante in F 3. Slavonic Dance No. 1 4. Waltz in a Flat 5. No. 19 Little Romance 6. No. 10 Merry Peasant 7. March of the Trolls 8. Song Without Words in F 9. Sparks 10. The Miller & The Stream 11. Menuet 12. Flight of the Bumble-Bee 13. The Swan 14. Spring Song 15. To Spring 16. La Plus Que Lente 17. Caprice Veinnois 18. Polka Italienne 19. Souvenir in D

Astounding debuts and legendary piano treasures on disc newly remastered albums of 21 pianists from the analogue era, including many first-ever digital transfers. Before he became a Decca icon, Vladimir Ashkenazy appeared on DG in performances recorded live at the 1955 Chopin Competition in Warsaw. Their reissue here is complemented by a Rachmaninoff sequence with Ashkenazy's teacher, Lev Oborin. At the same competition five years later, Arthur Rubinstein was so outraged at the low placing given by his fellow jurors to the Belgian pianist Michel Block that he created a special prize for him on the spot, and DG responded likewise by issuing precious recordings of his live Chopin performances from 1960. Through the late 1960s and 70s, the 'Concours' and 'Debut' sub-labels on DG launched an array of pianists at the start of promising careers. They came from a rich variety of backgrounds and schools. Blockbuster Russians included Boris Bloch and Youri Egorov. New-World stars in the making included Steven de Groote and Zola Mae Shaulis. Among the young artists from the central European traditions were Veronica Jochum von Moltke (Eugen Jochum's daughter) and Claude Helffer. A few of these musicians, such as Ashkenazy, went on to enjoy long careers. Some disappeared from the limelight, lending to their legacy on record both rarity value and a melancholy sense of potential left untapped. David Lively, Alexander Lonquich and Ewa Poblocka are still performing today, but their DG Debut albums have never been reissued on CD. Dino Ciani, Youri Egorov and Steven de Groote died tragically young while their careers were still in the ascendant. Other pianists retreated from the spotlight and became teachers, such as Roberto Szidon and Boris Bloch. Alongside the fire-breathing virtuosity of Mikhail Faermann and Steven de Groote, the box reissues Beethoven sonata recordings made by Ell

Album Tracks 1. Prelude and Fugue No. 1 in C Major 2. Piano Sonata in C Sharp Major 3. Allegro Non Troppo E Molto Maestoso 4. Blue Danube Waltz 5. III. Allegro Vivace (From Piano Concerto in a Minor) 6. Prelude in C Sharp minor, Op. 3, No.2 7. I. Allegro Molto Moderato (From Piano Concerto in a Minor) 8. II. Adagio Sostenuto (From Piano Ceoncerto No. 2) 9. Nocturne in E minor, Op. 72, No. 1 10. II. Adagio (From Piano Concerto No. 1) 11. III. Rondo (Vivace) (From Piano Concerto No. 4, Op. 58) 12. Piano Sonata No. 5 in G Major, K. 283 13. II. Larghetto (From Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 21) 14. Rhapsody in B minor, Op. 79, No. 1 Agitato 15. I. Andante - Allegro (From Piano Concerto No. 3 in C)