1st Recordings / Symphony 2

On this CD:

1. Symphony No. 2 in C major, Op. 61
Composed by Robert Schumann
Performed by Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos

2. Etude for piano in C minor ("Revolutionary"), Op. 10/12, CT 25
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos

3. Nocturne for piano in C minor, Op. 48/1, CT 120
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos

4. Mazurka for piano in B minor, Op. 33/4, CT 75
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos

5. Waltz for piano in E minor, KK IVa/15, CT 222
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos

6. Polonaise for piano in A flat major, Op. 53, CT 155
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos

Tracks:

Prelude In C Sharp Minor, Op. 3, No. 2
Liebestraum No. 3 In A Flat
'Harmonious Blacksmith' Vars
Prelude No. 1 In C, Op. 28, No. 1
Etude No. 1 In C, Op. 10, No. 1
Norwegian Bridal Procession, Op. 19, No. 2
Finale: Perpetuum Mobile
Fantasy-Impromptu In C Sharp Minor, Op. 66
La Cam-panella
Etude No. 20 In D Flat, Op. 25, No. 8
Etude No. 21 In G Flat, Op. 25, No. 9
Etude No. 5 In G Flat, Op. 10, No. 5
Prelude
Fugue
Etude No. 18 In G Sharp Minor, Op. 25, No. 6
Etude No. 13 In A Flat, Op. 25, No. 1
Etude In E Flat Minor, Op. 10, No. 12
First Movement (Abridged)
Third Movenment (Abridged)
Novelette No. 7 In E, Op. 21, No. 7
Waltz No. 11 In G Flat, Op. 70, No. 1
Waltz No. 14 In E Minor, Op. Posth.
Waltz No. 5 In A Flat, Op. 42
Polka In F
Sonata In F, L. 188 (Kk. 525)
Sonata In G, L. 490 (Kk. 523)
Etude No. 7 In C, Op. 10, No. 7
Waltz No. 6 In D Flat, Op. 64, No. 1
Moment Musical No. 3 In F Minor, Op. 94, No. 3
Hark! Hark! The Lark!

Tracks:

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 (Abridged)
Polka In F
Naila Waltz
Polonaise No. 6 In A Flat, Op. 53 (Abridged)
Caprice Espagnol, Op. 37
Don Juan Seranade
Widmung
Liebestraum No. 3 In A Flat
Waltz No. 5 In A Flat, Op. 42
Variations On A Theme Of Paganini, Op. 35, Book I
Variations On A Theme Of Paganini, Op. 35, Book II
Berceuse In D Flat, Op. 57
Moment Musical No. 3 In F Minor, Op. 94, No. 3
Traumeswirren, Op. 12, No. 7
Scherzo
Triana, No. 6
Don Juan Serenade

Amazon.com

Backhaus was among the giants of 20th-century keyboard artists, renowned for his solid--some would say stolid--Beethoven and Brahms interpretations. The younger Backhaus was a more overtly virtuosic pianist with a wide repertory. This invaluable Pearl set covers his British recordings, starting in 1908 when he was only 24, and it includes composers and works he abandoned in later years when he pared his programs down to essential masterworks. So we get his only recordings of Rachmaninoff, whom he admired as the greatest among living piano composers, along with Bach, Scarlatti, and others. Backhaus's dazzling virtuosity can be heard in his abridged Brahms Paganini Variations, the Liszt, La Campanella, with its marvelously even runs, and the Weber, Perpetuum Mobile, with precise articulation at fast speeds, among many other examples. Some of his early electrical recordings fill out disc two, sounding fresher than most of the acoustics. Seth Winner's transfers on both well-filled discs are uniformly fine. Collectors of historical recordings will want these rarities. --Dan Davis

Beethoven: 9 Symphonies; Missa Solemnis (Box Set)

Average customer rating:

the essential, the timeless, the eternal . . .
Masterful performance of the 9th
A Revelation...really
A Revelation...
Revelatory performances with greatly improved sound

Beethoven: 9 Symphonies; Missa Solemnis (Box Set)

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Brahms: The Four Symphonies
Furtwangler Conducts Beethoven - Beethoven: symphonies no 3,4,5, & 9, Leonore

ASIN: B000028DLA
Release Date: 2001-02-20

Customer Reviews:

the essential, the timeless, the eternal . . ........2006-04-17

The Toscanini NBC recordings of Beethoven are, as they have been from their inception - the one essential set of recordings that everyone seriously interested in hearing Beethoven as this music was intended by the MASTER to sound - should own - the centerpiece of any classical collection. I used to own these recordings as Mono LPs - and, in those long gone days, they still sounded great. We can thank BMG and its fleet of engineers for keeping Toscanini up with the demands of the times.
As for Beethoven - despite his disciple Chuck Berry's assertions (wonderful as they are) - he remains very much alive - in the words of his awesome biographer, Romain Rolland, the Prometheus of the Moderns - and Toscanini, in perceiving that the soul of Beethoven is his energy - perceives that - and keeps that tremendous, explosive dynamism at the core of his interpretation.
We can also thank BMG for including the Missa in this package, which really gives the prospective buyer an 'essential Beethoven' package in some ways - not really to be found anywhere else on the market. Although there are a number of other versions of the Missa I also like, and perhaps prefer, no attempt has ever matched Toscanini's powerhouse renditions of the 9th and the 5th (during Toscanini's lifetime the 5th was considered Beethoven's signature orchestral statement - so pervasive was his recording of that piece), the combination of both the symphonies and the Missa in their pen-ultimate recording, and classic rendering, is a rare treasure not to be passed up by any with an intent to procure a boxed set of Beethoven's symphonies.

Masterful performance of the 9th.......2005-03-22

The moment this CD started, the music filled the room and blotted out all other considerations. Toscanini's work is masterful -- this recording really grabbed my attention and held it. I am not qualified to discuss the nuances of the orchestra's playing, but I can truly say that I felt as if I was in the presence of genius. I think that Beethoven would have approved of this performance! I urge fans of Beethoven's symphonies to buy this and compare it to other performances; I think that they will agree that this ranks as one of the greatest recordings of "the glorious ninth."

A Revelation...really.......2001-06-28

For some reason my review below was not posted in its entirety. Here is the complete review...

Like other listeners, I was skeptical when these new CDs were issued. My thoughts were that the early 1990s Complete Toscanini reissue was probably the best that could be humanly done to restore the very pinched and nasal sounding originals. Since I had already bought half of that set, I wasn't about to spend more of my hard-earned money on a marginally improved RE-reissue.

I was wrong. In 1997, RCA totally reorganized and inventoried its massive vaults, which had been in disarray for decades. As a result, many original sources which had been declared "lost" were now "found." This new remastering is strikingly improved sonically over all earlier issues. Utilizing the best technology now available, RCA has also done the right thing by hiring a musician--conductor Ed Houser--rather than whiz-bang technicians to supervise the remastering. The NBC Symphony Orchestra now sounds better than ever before, with smoother strings, fuller winds, and less blotting out during fortissimos.

Perhaps no conductor of the 20th Century has been as misunderstood as Arturo Toscanini, as evidenced by the critical backlash with which he was assailed in the years after his death. That criticism was partly in reaction to the equally unbalanced adulation heaped upon him during his lifetime. I remember once mentioning to an acquaintance my admiration for Toscanini's Beethoven and Brahms, and he shot back, "He conducts everything too fast!" In fact, in comparison with other recordings and broadcasts of his era, Toscanini's conducting was not generally faster than average. In relation to TODAY'S phlegmatic tempos, however, Toscanini's pacing is definitely brisk. But what most people are hearing as fast is, in fact, Toscanini's characteristic rhythmic vitality and, occasionally, drive, which brings the faster movements to sparkling life. (The finale to Beethoven's Seventh Symphony is an example: the tempo is not unusually fast, but it SEEMS faster than normal because of the precise articulation and clarity.) Likewise, the slow movements are never dragged, and glow with Italianate warmth.

It is worth noting that RCA has made one major change in this reissue of Beethoven Symphonies: the 1949 studio recording of the "Eroica," heard in previous LP and CD versions, has been replaced by the 1953 live Carnegie Hall version. RCA does not credit the liner notes, but they are reprints of Mortimer H. Frank's excellent notes originally written for the early 1990s CD release.

RCA has so far only released Toscanini's core repertoire with the NBC Symphony--but they are more than welcome additions to the catalogue. The Maestro's recordings with the New Your Philharmonic, and The Philadelphia Orchestra should also be remastered, post-haste. Then, RCA, which has given us magnificent reissues of Kapell and Rubinstein, should get to work and replace their thoroughly botched Vladimir Horowitz reissue from the 1990s, using this magnificent Toscanini reissue as a template.

A Revelation..........2001-06-24

I was wrong. Back in 1997, RCA totally reorganized and inventoried its massive vaults, which had been in disarray for decades. As a result, many original sources which had been declared "lost" were now "found." This new remastering is strikingly improved sonically over all earlier issues. Utilizing the best technology now available, RCA has also done the right thing by hiring a musician--conductor Ed Houser--rather than whiz-bang technicians to supervise the remastering. The NBC Symphony Orchestra now sounds better than ever before, with smoother strings, fuller winds, and less blotting out during fortissimos.

RCA has so far only released Toscanini's core repertoire with the NBC Symphony--but they are more than welcome additions to the catalogue. The Maestro's recordings with the New York Philharmonic and The Philadelphia Orchestra should also be remastered, post-haste. Then, RCA, which has given us magnificent reissues of Kapell and Rubinstein, should get to work and replace their thoroughly botched Vladimir Horowitz reissue from the 1990s, using this magnificent Toscanini reissue as a template.

Revelatory performances with greatly improved sound.......2001-05-28

Music-lovers tend to have strong feelings about Toscanini: either they love him or they can't stand him, but few are neutral. Furthermore, even those critics who do not care for his (allegedly) driven Beethoven symphonies almost always use him as a reference point when describing other conductors. It is true that these recordings are hardly what you'd call relaxed, let alone relaxing. As others have written, it's not the kind of Beethoven that you'd play for background music. But that's part of their power: Toscanini demands active involvement of his listeners, and if you aren't willing to do that, you probably won't like these performances. They are noticeably brisker than many recent recordings. Some say that Toscanini's Beethoven is less "romantic" than other conductors, but I think that is an over-simplification. I find them to be refreshing, sometimes even challenging, but never unpleasant. This boxed set is a real bargain, including all the symphonies, several overtures, and "Missa Solemnis". The new remasterings are amazingly clear, with sound that far surpasses previous releases. BMG includes a bonus disc with examples of the old remasterings compared to the new, and you can definitely hear the difference. There's a broader, less constricted dynamic that gives a much warmer and more realistic sound, and makes these unique performances eminently listenable. A truly classic set at a very good price!