Beschrijving

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli

The Warner recordings

Warner classics 461548-8

825646154883

“The cult boxed set in the history of the piano.” If Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (1920-1995) remains an enigmatic figure, the elevated beauty and poetry of his playing – and its superhuman precision – are never in any doubt. This 14-CD collection, which includes three previously unreleased tracks and a wealth of rare photos, gathers recordings made between 1939 (the year of Michelangeli’s momentous victory at the Geneva Piano Competition) and 1975. The repertoire, spanning the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, encompasses works by all the composers who defined Michelangeli’s art: Bach/Busoni, Chopin, Beethoven, Schumann, Debussy and more.

CD 1 [62:31]
Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) (arr. Busoni)
Chaconne
Domenico SCARLATTI (1685-1757)
Sonatas Kk9 & Kk11
Baldassarre GALUPPI (1706-1816)
Sonata in B-flat (Extract)
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Sonata No. 3 in C major, Op 2 No. 3
Frederic CHOPIN (1810–1849)
Mazurka Op. 68 No. 2
Scherzo No.2
Waltz Op. 69 No. 1
rec. 1941-48 (Milan)

CD 2 [45:09]
Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Variations on a theme by Paganini
Edvard GRIEG (1843-1907)
Lyric Pieces Op. 47 No. 5 & Op. 68 No. 5
Isaac ALBÉNIZ (1860-1909)
Malagueña
Claude DEBUSSY (1862-1918)
Reflets dans l’eau
Enrique GRANADOS (1867-1916)
Andaluza
Federico MOMPOU (1893-1987)
Canción y danza No. 1
André-François MARESCOTTI (1902-1995)
Fantasque
rec. 1939-48 (Milan)

CD 3 [79:02]
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756–1791)
Piano Concerto No. 13 in C, K.415
Piano Concerto No. 15 in B flat, K.450
Piano Concerto No. 23 in A, K488
Alessandro Scarlatti Orchestra/ Franco Caracciolo
Pomeriggi Musicali Chamber Orchestra/Ettore Gracis (K450)
rec. 1951-53

CD 4 [51:34]
Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Faschingsschwank aus Wien
Carnaval
rec. live, RFH London 1957

CD 5 [78:43]
Claude DEBUSSY
Images
Frederic CHOPIN
Fantasie Op. 49
Ballade Op. 23
Waltz in E-flat Op. posth.
Federico MOMPOU
Canción No. 6
REHEARSAL AND SOUND-CHECK
rec. live, RFH London 1957

CD 6 [46:34]
Maurice RAVEL (1875-1937)
Piano Concerto in G
Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873–1943)
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G minor
Philharmonia Orchestra/Ettore Gracis
rec. 1957

CD 7 [44:18]
Franz Joseph HAYDN (1732-1809)
Piano Concerto in D, Hob.XVIII:11
Piano Concerto in G, Hob.XVIII:4
Zurich Chamber Orchestra/Edmond de Stoutz
rec. 1975

CD 8 [64:14]
Robert SCHUMANN
Carnaval (recorded in Thun, 1975)
Album für die Jugend (extracts)
Faschingsschwank aus Wien (extracts)
rec. 1972-75

CD 9 [62:25]
Robert SCHUMANN
Piano Concerto in A minor (Milan, 1943)
Edvard GRIEG
Piano Concerto in A minor
Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano/Alceo Galliera
rec. 1942

CD 10 [36:04]
Edvard GRIEG
Lyric Piece Op. 43, No. 5
Johann Sebastian BACH
Italian Concerto
Pellegrino TOMEONI (1726-1816)
Allegro
Domenico SCARLATTI
Sonatas Kk 96 & Kk 27
Frederic CHOPIN
Berceuse
Mazurka Op. 33 No. 4
rec. 1942-43

CD 11 [56:23]
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN
Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat ‘Emperor’
Franz Joseph HAYDN
Piano Concerto in D, Hob.XVIII:11
Italian Radio Symphony Orchestra Rome/Massimo Freccia (Beethoven)
Italian Radio Symphony Orchestra Turin/Mario Rossi (Haydn)
rec. live 1960 (Beethoven); 1959 (Haydn)

CD12 [48:09]
Robert SCHUMANN
Piano Concerto in A minor
Franz LISZT (1811-1886)
Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat
Italian Radio Symphony Orchestra Rome/Gianandrea Gavazzeni (Schumann)
Italian Radio Symphony Orchestra Turin/Rafael Kubelik (Liszt)
rec. live, 1962 (Schumann); 1961 (Liszt)

CD 13 [48:15]
Claude DEBUSSY
Images I & II
2 Préludes
Children’s Corner
rec. 1963 (Turin)

CD 14 [59:18]
Frederic CHOPIN
Scherzo No. 2
Ballade No. 1
Fantasia Op. 49
Waltzes Op. 69 No. 1
Op. 34 No. 1 ‘Grande valse brillante’
E-flat Op. posth
Mazurkas Op. 68 No. 2, Op. 33 No. 4, Op. 30 No. 3
rec. 1963