I actually have his entire Sibelius Symphonies cycle with the Helsinki Philharmonic on a few EMI twofers so this box will be a nice addition ...
After some time away in pop/rock land, I picked this week to start going through some of my megaboxes. Glenn Gould has been getting a lot of time so far. Now playing Bach: The 6 Sonatas for Harpsichord and Violin with Jaime Laredo.
ECM 1125 / ECM 2301 129 Steve Reich "Music For 18 Musicians" - Ⓟ 1978 ECM Records GmbH - Ⓒ 1978 Steve Reich Recording engineer: Klaus Hieman - Mixing: Rudolph Werner / Klaus Hieman / Steve Reich
Just returned from my 45 min, 3 mile late afternoon walk and listened to CD3 - Chopin from the following box @DeepFloyd11, IIRC, you have a few LP's on Angel by Witold ...
Now, Richard Strauss' Vier letzte Lieder from this album: Haven't listened to her interpretation in years. Though I'm not really a fan of her singing her death is a great loss to music. She'll be missed.
Jed Distler's 2013 review of the Maƚcużyński set above for ClassicsToday: Rating: 7 overall for the interpretations, 6 for the sound A popular pianist in his day, Witold Malcuzynski’s reputation has been in eclipse since his death in 1977. Several reissues appeared with little fanfare, notably a two disc “Artist Profile” EMI Chopin compilation and a selection of 1946/7 shellac discs from Pearl. With Malcuzynski’s centenary on the horizon for 2014, Warner Classics now releases an eight disc “Icon” box set devoted to this almost forgotten yet deserving Polish pianist. It does not encompass Malcuzynski’s complete EMI output, yet the contents give a judicious and wide ranging representation of his artistry, with numerous items appearing for the first time in an official, international CD release. Discs one and two replicate the aforementioned “Artist Profile” release. The Waltzes and a selection of fifteen Mazurkas embody some of Malcuzynski’s cleanest and most stylish Chopin playing, replete with fascinating details such as the C-sharp Minor Waltz’s lavishly stretched-out yet logically proportioned Trio section, and the unusual dry-point articulation that justifies the D-flat Op. 30 No. 3 Mazurka’s fluctuations of pulse. Similar clarity and discreet pedaling in the B Minor Sonata (bracing in the Finale but too notey in the Scherzo) brings out the work’s line-oriented classicism rather than its Romantic ardor. By contrast, liberal phrase distentions and old school expressive devices color Malcuzynski’s blustery yet obviously committed pianism in the last of his three studio Chopin F Minor Concerto recordings, and the only one to present the orchestral ritornellos complete. Having recently reviewed Rafal Blechacz’s mostly fussy and mannered Chopin Polonaises, Malcuzynski’s far more direct and rhythmically idiomatic connection with this genre amounted to a revelation. His Polonaises may not match Rubinstein’s thrust and elan, yet their nobility and breadth are enhanced by fuller-bodied engineering than the norm for many of Malcuzynski’s early stereo releases. The B-flat Minor Sonata is better than I remember it from my long “de-collected” LP copy. Some of the first movement’s point making impedes the music’s flow, but the Scherzo movement’s outer sections and Trio are distinctively characterized, while the pianist grasps the terrifying quick chord-octave leaps with the utmost assurance and ferocity. A slow but limpidly sustained Funeral March leads into a suave, understated account of the two-handed unison finale. One might describe Malcuzynski’s Chopin Ballades as a more technically consistent manifestation of Alfred Cortot’s freewheeling, declamatory style and push/pull rubatos, although the F Minor Fantasie’s comparable leeway yields relatively static results. The atmosphere set by the F-sharp Nocturne Op. 15 No. 2’s conversational elegance is shattered by the central episode’s emphatic accents and heavy-handed arpeggiated texures. Despite admirable flights of fancy, Malcuzynski’s fingers seem slightly hard pressed in the Second and Third Scherzo’s loud climaxes; the notes are all there but the pianist holds little energy in reserve. The 1953 Liszt A Major Concerto proves far superior to Malcuzynski’s prosaic 1946 predecessor. Here the pianist imbues the glittery passagework with much more poetry and scintillation, helped by a vivid and realistic orchestra/soloist sonic image and Walter Susskind’s intelligently detailed support. Perhaps the solo cello is a tad spotlit, but the unaccredited cellist is so good that he nearly steals the show from the piano player! Aside from occasional strain in the octaves, Malcuzynski’s 1953 Liszt Sonata stands out for its organic unity and for how he projects declamatory passages for maximum oratorical impact while avoiding vulgarity (easier said than done, sample the Andante Sostenuto to hear what I mean). The Spanish Rhapsody is well played but lacks lightness, elan and sufficient dynamic contrast. A 1956 Tchaikovsky First Concerto features sensitive, polished moments (the central movement’s supple leggerissimo phrasing) and crude musicality (the poor accentuation of the first movement main theme’s rhythmic figure of two triplets followed by a rest, and the pounded-out octaves) side by side. Malcuzynski’s 1949 Rachmaninov Third Concerto was this work’s first recording made specifically for LP. One notes the Philharmonia Orchestra’s responsive playing and Paul Kletzski’s ear for detail, such as the clarity of the first movement first desk soloists and shapely, balletic phrasing in the central Intermezzo, where Malcuzynski’s fingers take imaginative wing. But the pianist’s loud, undifferentiated and occasionally pounding execution in the outer movements’ gnarliest climaxes lacks the tension and release of Horowitz’ comparable nervous energy. Furthermore, the performance incorporates all of the regrettable cuts observed in the Rachmaninov/Ormandy recording, as did Malcuzynski’s equally unmemorable stereo remake (never on CD). However, his Apollonian reserve and brisk, feathery sculpting of the Rachmaninov Op. 32 Preludes in G Major and G-sharp Minor make an interesting and convincing contrast to Horowitz’s more expansive and nuanced interpretations. Collectors who appreciate the sober, bronze-toned Brahms style of Wilhelm Backhaus or Arthur Rubinstein’s later recordings will find a kindred spirit in Malcuzynski’s excellent 1953 D Minor Concerto with Fritz Rieger leading the Philharmonia Orchestra, although the pianist’s stereo remake with Stanislaw Wislocki and the Warsaw National Philharmonic (once available on a Seraphim LP) benefits from more impassioned outer movements. The Brahms Handel Variations range from stolid and earthbound (Variations 10 and 14) to surprisingly supple and fluent (Variation 24). Malcuzynski’s Beethoven “Appasionata” is not particularly colorful, but its stern focus and dynamism are very much in the Backhaus, Serkin and Petri mold. Unfortunately, he omits the finale’s repeat. My only quibble about Malcuzynski’s large-scaled treatment of the Bach Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue is that the Fugue’s basic tempo gradually decreases as the music builds. Perhaps drab, constricted engineering makes the Franck Prelude, Chorale and Fugue sound more dour and uninflected that what the pianist intended, although the dry ambience of Debussy’s La Cathédrale engloutie takes nothing away from Malcuzynski’s carefully gauged colorations and dramatic build-up. Prokofiev’s March from “The Love for Three Oranges” lacks Rubinstein’s sardonic swagger, and his fidgety way with the Scriabin C-sharp Minor and D-sharp Minor Etudes cannot match Horowitz’s poised, singing paradigms. Yet Paderewski’s Cracovienne fantastique has a tender charm not always apparent in Malcuzynski’s music making, while the Szymanowski Op. 4 No. 3 Etude’s textural unfolding reaches it peak without being hammered out. Whatever this collection’s inconsistencies, piano mavens will find much to enjoy for a reasonable price. -- Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com
I have not listened to his Sibelius in a while. I started to learn about him via his Sibelius, which is also the first Sibelius cycle in my collection ...
Do you have any of the Telarc SACDs? I guess I have around 30 or so. They all sound great. One of the few times I have CDs sorted by Label.
Another nice Duo set, issued 1994. Dorati conducts the four Suites & Benzi conducts the Jeux d'enfants, Symphony & Suite from La jolie fille de Perth. There are also three arias from Carmen & two other vocal numbers plus a solo piano piece (Variations chromatiques). Recorded 1953-83.
My most recent SACDs have been from Reference Recordings and Chandos. They still produce them but I don't know any others that do. Edit- I know BIS still produces them.
A few other labels like Channels, Linn and BIS, etc continue to release SACD's and of course PentaTone, which releases ONLY SACD's ...
Recorded 4/30/92, 8/14-15/92 & 3/8/93, Manhattan Center Studios, NYC. Producer: Philip Traugott. Engineer: James Nichols. Issued 1996.
Question to those who’ve posted Jessye Norman covers in this thread: If I’m not terribly familiar with her (my collection is much lighter on opera than the other genres), would her recording of Richard Strauss’ Four Last Songs be a good place to start?
