Nachtstücke

On this CD:

1. Carnaval for piano, Op. 9
Composed by Robert Schumann
Performed by Gerhard Oppitz

2. Waldszenen (Forest Scenes), for piano, Op. 82
Composed by Robert Schumann
Performed by Gerhard Oppitz

3. Nachtstücke (Night Pieces) for piano, Op. 23
Composed by Robert Schumann
Performed by Gerhard Oppitz

Schumann: Carnaval/Waldszenen/Nachtstücke, Music, Robert Schumann, Gerhard Oppitz, Classical, Classical Music, Keyboard, Keyboard Work with Descriptive or Unclassified Title

Works for Solo Piano
Average customer rating:

Wonderful music, great playing, even better price

This is well worth the price

Not Ashkenazy's forte (pun on forte intended)

beautifully played, wonderful and overlooked pieces

Works for Solo Piano
Schumann , and Ashkenazy
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
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General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
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Brahms: Works for Solo Piano

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Haydn: The Complete Piano Sonatas

ASIN: B00006IU8T
Release Date: 2003-03-11

Tracks:

Arabeske In C, Op.18
Papillons, Op.2
Symphonic Studies, Op.13
Carnaval, Op.9
Humoreske, Op.20
Noveletten, Op.21
Waldszenen, Op.82
Kinderszenen, Op.15
Piano Sonata No.1 In F Sharp Minor, Op.11
8 Fantasiestke, Op.12
Blumenstk, Op.19
Davidsbdlertze, Op.6
Kreisleriana, Op.16
Noveletten, Op.21
Piano Sonata No.2 In G Minor, Op.22
Abegg Variations, Op.1
Fantasie In C, Op.17
Faschingsschwank Aus Wien, Op.26
Bunte Blter, Op.99
Nachtstke, Op.23
3 Romanzen, Op.28

Amazon.com

For less than $60, this seven-CD set brings the buyer almost all of Schumann's important works for solo piano performed by one of the great pianists of the last 50 years. Ashkenazy is nearly as insightful an interpreter of Schumann as he is of Chopin and the quality of these performances, which were recorded between 1984 and 1995, is generally high. The gnarled F-sharp Minor Sonata is beautifully organized, as well as emotionally compelling; "Papillons" has style, color, and flexibility; "Waldszenen" displays poetry, strength, and simplicity; the G-Minor Sonata is clearly outlined and impeccably delivered; "Kinderszenen" is played with fluidity and nuance; and "Carnaval" is delivered with bigness of conception, virility, and authority that make it among the finest ever recorded. Even on those occasions when Ashkenazy fails to reach such heights--as he does, for example, in a "Davidsbundlertanze" that is a mite too solemn and deliberate for the music's helter-skelter whimsy--his performances still achieve a distinguished standard. Nevertheless, it is Ashkenazy's misfortune that he must compete against his younger self. The readings in this set of the Symphonic Etudes, the Fantasy in C Major, "Kreisleriana," and the "Humoresque" fall short compared to those Ashkenazy recorded in the 1960s and early 1970s. In those earlier performance--reissued on a Double Decca set--the notes roll off the pianist's fingers in a dazzling and melting manner, with a singing tone and a sense of rapture, that he was unable to match 20 years later. --Stephen Wigler

Album Details

Few Pianists have Explored and Recorded Such a Wealth of Keyboard Literature as Vladimir Ashkenazy. During an Association with Decca which Stretches Back Almost 40 Years Now, Ashkenazy Has Completed Cycles of Some of the Most Important Concertos (Mozart, Beethoven, Prokofiev, Bartók and Rachmaninov), as Well as an Extensive Amount of Solo Literature.two Of the Greatest Figures in 19th-century Piano Music Are Chopin and Schumann, and Music by Both Composers Has Featured, and Continues to Feature, in Ashkenazy's Recitals. He Has Recorded Almost all of Chopin Solo Works and During the Years 1984-95 Undertook a Major Survey of Schumann's Solo Literature (Some Works Including the Sinfonische Etüden, Fantasie, Kreisleriana and Humoreske) Ashkenazy Had Recorded Earlier in his Career). These Digital Recordings Are Now Presented as a Box Set for the First Time and Are an Invaluable Collection of the Composer's Most Important Keyboard Works, Performed by One of the Greatest Pianists of his Ge

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful music, great playing, even better price.......2007-07-03

I keep reading reviews that say things like: "Well others have played this piece better than Ashkenazy..." or "If you want a complete set of Schumann piano works then Ashkenazy is adequate and a good bargain..."

I may not have heard every version of these Schumann pieces played by every pianist in the 20th century, but I can say that Ashkenazy plays these pieces absolutely wonderfully- with both technical virtuosity and emotional depth. If you really want to cobble together a collection of the "absolute best" Schumann pieces, and spend a couple hundred dollars in the process, that's certainly your prerogative.

I just can't see how anyone can fault Ashkenazy's playing of these pieces as being lesser than others. To my ears, he plays them faultlessly. There are times during the recording where I want to stand up and applaud, others when I want to weep.

For about $5-$8 per disc (depending on who you purchase it from) you can have this wonderful music. Buy it now, and listen often!

This is well worth the price.......2005-12-03

On the whole, this set is very good. true, ash's doesnt quite match up to pollini's recent dg david or kreis, but few do. There are still many gems here, some of which i rank as the top of the list in terms of interpretation. Firstly, waldszenen is giving an account here which in a word, is simply miraculous. Listen to how well he shapes the theme in the second piece, while most are struggling just to pull off the ferociously difficult chord jumps, yet ash does it with civility. Not even richter's fifities account is as well played or shaped. The kinderszenen is also marvelous, though not the best ever, or the second best or third(or fourth).....
But what every piece does give you, what ash himself seems to offer now, is a high standard of playing, though little over the top. But dont take that the wrong way, this set is a perfect way for anyone, even those pianophiles, to imburse or reimburse themselves in Schumann's wonderful world.
1.Wald-ash,haskil, richter, kempff
2.Kinder-moise, cortot, horsz, kempff
3.Davids-Giese, Pollini
4.Carnaval-Rach, Arrau
5.Sonata 1-Gilels, Ash
6. Symph Etudes- Richter, Richter, Richter, anda
7. Fant in C-Moise, Backhaus, Cohen, Richter
8. Humoreske-Richter-56 moscow, kempf. F

Not Ashkenazy's forte (pun on forte intended).......2004-11-21

On the whole, Ashkenazy just does not seem to be a gifted interpreter of Schumann. These readings, to my ear, are heavy handed, pedantic, burdensome, and lacking in the mysterious joy that pervades so much of the work of the Romantic master. Some performances are OK. The Sinfonische Etuden would probably the best of the lot. But in works like Carnaval, the Novelletten, Faschingschwank aus Wien, and the Kinderszenen Ashkenazy to my liking totally misses the target.

I much prefer the more introspective approach of Arrau, or the wild and intriguing Pollini. Even Barenboim comes closer to the heart of Schumann than Ashkenazy.

The recorded sound is often disappointing also. The sound on some pieces is so muddy I thought the microphone was behind a wall.

beautifully played, wonderful and overlooked pieces.......2003-04-29

This set is a remarkable value. Yes, you could choose some individual performances of certain works that are better, but for the price, this is a remarkable set. Ashkenazy is sympathetic to these wonderful and often overlooked solo piano compositions. Highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

The facets of the lyricism!
Divine
To be avoided
aristocratic and heartfelt schumann
aristocratic and heartfelt schumann

Schumann: Piano Works

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000001GFJ
Release Date: 1992-02-11

Tracks:

Papillons Op. 2, Introduction. Moderato...
Davidsbundlertanze Op. 6, (18 Charakterstucke) - 1. Lebhaft
Davidsbundlertanze Op. 6, (18 Charakterstucke) - 2. Innig
Davidsbundlertanze Op. 6, (18 Charakterstucke) - 3. Mit Humor (Etwas hahnbuchen)
Davidsbundlertanze Op. 6, (18 Charakterstucke) - 4. Ungeduldig
Davidsbundlertanze Op. 6, (18 Charakterstucke) - 5. Einfach
Davidsbundlertanze Op. 6, (18 Charakterstucke) - 6. Sehr rasch (Sehr rasch und in sich hinein)
Davidsbundlertanze Op. 6, (18 Charakterstucke) - 7. Nicht schnell (Mit ausserst starker Empfindung)
Davidsbundlertanze Op. 6, (18 Charakterstucke) - 8. Frisch
Davidsbundlertanze Op. 6, (18 Charakterstucke) - 9. Lebhaft
Davidsbundlertanze Op. 6, (18 Charakterstucke) - 10. Balladenmassig. Sehr rasch
Davidsbundlertanze Op. 6, (18 Charakterstucke) - 11. Einfach
Davidsbundlertanze Op. 6, (18 Charakterstucke) - 12. Mit Humor
Davidsbundlertanze Op. 6, (18 Charakterstucke) - 13. Wild und lustig
Davidsbundlertanze Op. 6, (18 Charakterstucke) - 14. Zart und singen
Davidsbundlertanze Op. 6, (18 Charakterstucke) - 15. Frisch
Davidsbundlertanze Op. 6, (18 Charakterstucke) - 16. Mit gutem Humor
Davidsbundlertanze Op. 6, (18 Charakterstucke) - 17. Wie aus der Ferne
Davidsbundlertanze Op. 6, (18 Charakterstucke) - 18. Nicht schnell
Carnaval Op. 9, Scenes mignonnes sur quatre notes - 1. Preambule. Quasi maestoso - Piu moto - Animato - Vivo - Presto
Carnaval Op. 9, Scenes mignonnes sur quatre notes - 2. Pierrot. Moderato
Carnaval Op. 9, Scenes mignonnes sur quatre notes - 3. Arlequin. Vivo
Carnaval Op. 9, Scenes mignonnes sur quatre notes - 4. Valso noble. Un poco maestoso
Carnaval Op. 9, Scenes mignonnes sur quatre notes - 5. Eusebius. Adagio
Carnaval Op. 9, Scenes mignonnes sur quatre notes - 6. Florestan. Passionato
Carnaval Op. 9, Scenes mignonnes sur quatre notes - 7. Coquette. Vivo
Carnaval Op. 9, Scenes mignonnes sur quatre notes - 8. Replique. L'istesso tempo - (Sphinxes)
Carnaval Op. 9, Scenes mignonnes sur quatre notes - 9. Papillons. Prestissimo
Carnaval Op. 9, Scenes mignonnes sur quatre notes - 10. A.S.C.H. - S.C.H.A. (Lettres dansantes). Presto
Carnaval Op. 9, Scenes mignonnes sur quatre notes - 11. Chiarina. Passionato
Carnaval Op. 9, Scenes mignonnes sur quatre notes - 12. Chopin. Agitato
Carnaval Op. 9, Scenes mignonnes sur quatre notes - 13. Estrella. Con affetto
Carnaval Op. 9, Scenes mignonnes sur quatre notes - 14. Reconnaissance. Animato
Carnaval Op. 9, Scenes mignonnes sur quatre notes - 15. Pantalon et Colombine. Presto
Carnaval Op. 9, Scenes mignonnes sur quatre notes - 16. Valse allemande. Molto vivace
Carnaval Op. 9, Scenes mignonnes sur quatre notes - 17. Paganini. Intermezzo. Presto
Carnaval Op. 9, Scenes mignonnes sur quatre notes - 18. Aveu. Passionato
Carnaval Op. 9, Scenes mignonnes sur quatre notes - 19. Promenade. Comodo
Carnaval Op. 9, Scenes mignonnes sur quatre notes - 20. Pause. Vivo
Carnaval Op. 9, Scenes mignonnes sur quatre notes - 21. Marche des (Davidsbundler) contre les Philistins. Non Allegro - Molto piu vivo - Animato - Vivo - Animato molto - Vivo - Piu stretto

Tracks:

Symphonische Etuden, Op. 13 - Thema. Andante
Symphonische Etuden, Op. 13 - Etude I. Un poco piu vivo
Symphonische Etuden, Op. 13 - Etude II.
Symphonische Etuden, Op. 13 - Etude III. Vivace
Symphonische Etuden, Op. 13 - Etude IV.
Symphonische Etuden, Op. 13 - Etude V. Vivacissimo
Symphonische Etuden, Op. 13 - Etude VI. Agitato
Symphonische Etuden, Op. 13 - Etude VII. Allegro molto
Symphonische Etuden, Op. 13 - Etude VIII. Andante
Symphonische Etuden, Op. 13 - Etude IX. Presto possibile
Symphonische Etuden, Op. 13 - Etude X. Allegro
Symphonische Etuden, Op. 13 - Etude XI. Con espressione
Symphonische Etuden, Op. 13 - Etude XII. Finale. Allegro brillante
Kinderszenen, Op. 15 - 1. Von fremden Landern und Menschen
Kinderszenen, Op. 15 - 2. Kuriose Geschichte
Kinderszenen, Op. 15 - 3. Hasche-Mann
Kinderszenen, Op. 15 - 4. Bittendes Kind
Kinderszenen, Op. 15 - 5. Gluckes genug
Kinderszenen, Op. 15 - 6. Wichtige Begebenheit
Kinderszenen, Op. 15 - 7. Traumerei
Kinderszenen, Op. 15 - 8. Am Kamin
Kinderszenen, Op. 15 - 9. Ritter vom Steckenpferd
Kinderszenen, Op. 15 - 10. Fast zu ernst
Kinderszenen, Op. 15 - 11. Furchtenmachen
Kinderszenen, Op. 15 - 12. Kind im Einschlummern
Kinderszenen, Op. 15 - 13. Der Dichter spricht
Kreisleriana, Op. 16 - Fantasien - 1. Ausserst bewegt
Kreisleriana, Op. 16 - Fantasien - 2. Sehr innig und nicht zu rasch - Intermezzo, Sehr lebhaft - Intermezzo II. Etwas bewegter - Lngsamer (erstes Tempo)
Kreisleriana, Op. 16 - Fantasien - 3. Sehr aufgeregt
Kreisleriana, Op. 16 - Fantasien - 4. Sehr langsam
Kreisleriana, Op. 16 - Fantasien - 5. Sehr lebhaft
Kreisleriana, Op. 16 - Fantasien - 6. Sehr langsam
Kreisleriana, Op. 16 - Fantasien - 7. Sehr rasch
Kreisleriana, Op. 16 - Fantasien - 8. Schnell und spielend

Tracks:

Fantasie C-dur, Op. 17 - 1. Durchaus phantastisch und leidenschaftlich vorzutragen - Im Legendenton - Tempo Primo
Fantasie C-dur, Op. 17 - 2. Massig. Durchaus energisch - Etwas langsamer - Viel bewegter
Fantasie C-dur, Op. 17 - 3. Langsam getragen. Durchweg leise zu halten - Etwas bewegter
Arabeske, Op. 18 - Leicht und zart - Minore I. Etwas langsamer - Minore II. Etwas langsamer - Zum Schluss (Coda). Langsamer
Humoreske, Op. 20 - Einfach - Sehr rasch und leicht - Noch rascher - Erstes Tempo - Wie im Anfang
Humoreske, Op. 20 - Hastig - Nach und nach immer lebhafter und starker - Wie vorher - Adagio
Humoreske, Op. 20 - Einfach und zart - Intermezzo - (Wie vorher -) Innig
Humoreske, Op. 20 - Sehr lebhaft - Mit einigem Pomp - Zum Beschluss - Allegro
Novelette No. 9 - aus: Bunte Blatter, Op. 99 - Lebhaft

Tracks:

Sonate Nr. 2 g-moll Op. 22 - 1. So rasch wie moglich
Sonate Nr. 2 g-moll Op. 22 - 2. Andantino. Getragen
Sonate Nr. 2 g-moll Op. 22 - 3. Scherzo. Sehr rasch und markiert - attacca:
Sonate Nr. 2 g-moll Op. 22 - 4. Rondo. Presto - Prestissimo. Quasi Cadenza
Nachtstucke, Op. 23 - 1. Mehr langsam, oft zuruckhaltend
Nachtstucke, Op. 23 - 2. Markiert und lebhaft
Nachtstucke, Op. 23 - 3. Mit grosser Lebhaftigkeit
Nachtstucke, Op. 23 - 4. Ad libitum - Einfach
Drei Romanzen, Op. 28 - 1. Sehr markiert
Drei Romanzen, Op. 28 - 2. Einfach
Drei Romanzen, Op. 28 - 3. Sehr markiert - Intermezzo I. Presto - Intermezzo II. Etwas langsamer - Wie vorherPresto - Inter
Waldszenen, Op. 82 - Neun Klavierstucke - 1. Eintritt. Nicht zu schnell
Waldszenen, Op. 82 - Neun Klavierstucke - 2. Jager auf der Lauer. Hochst lebhaft
Waldszenen, Op. 82 - Neun Klavierstucke - 3. Einsame Blumen. Einfach
Waldszenen, Op. 82 - Neun Klavierstucke - 4. Verrufene Stelle. Ziemlich langsam
Waldszenen, Op. 82 - Neun Klavierstucke - 5. Freundliche Landschaft. Schnell
Waldszenen, Op. 82 - Neun Klavierstucke - 6. Herberge. Massig
Waldszenen, Op. 82 - Neun Klavierstucke - 7. Vogel als Prophet. Langsam, sehr zart
Waldszenen, Op. 82 - Neun Klavierstucke - 8. Jagdlied. Rasch, kraftig
Waldszenen, Op. 82 - Neun Klavierstucke - 9. Abschied. Nicht zu schnell

Customer Reviews:

The facets of the lyricism!.......2006-05-30

Wilhelm Kempff made sing the piano as any other pianist ever born. But besides, his profound domain of the thematic material as well as his tune produced a Schumann so original, expressive and eloquent with sentiment but no sentimentality.

This album is a formidable and fundamental set of the most remarkable Schumann piano works. To create such atmosphere and interpretative freshness in this composer is not easy, but in Kempff hands we are talking about another dimension of pianism.

In this age, pitifully, you cannot count with many thinkers pianists; ones due the very adjusted schedule and the rest by unknown reasons seem to consider a matter of second priority to play with a determined conception. The technique seems to prevail under any other aspect. And that's not a good symptom.

That is why among other arguments you should acquire as soon as possible this extraordinary set.

Absorbing and rewarding in summon grade.

Divine.......2005-07-18

When I first read the reviews here on Amazon, I was a bit concerned about buying this set. I truely love Kempff and elegant performing style, but after having almost around 150 of his collections and cd's, I know that he can be dreadful when he is not on form. So I was worried about this set, but it was useless.

This 4-cd set contains some of the best performances that Kempff could offer considering his age. There are numerous highlights here: Papillons, Davidsbündlertänze, fantasy,..... All of them find him on top form. Although one might argue that there are studio recordings and who knows how many takes one recording must have to become perfect, but let me tell you, even in his live and extremely nerve breaking situations and venues such as the Salzburg festival, he was always on top form.

So Kempff's fan, buy this. It's worth it. In here you won't quite find the excitement that Richter put into his Schumann, but you will find the poetry, emotions and sensitivity that many others lack in their recordings.

To be avoided.......2003-11-22

Despite his reputation as one of the towering exponents of the 19th Germanic repetoire, Kempff acquits himself poorly in these recordings, made at the end of his life. Whether these weak performances are due to his advanced age or to more basic flaws in his training and capabilities is purely academic. They are among the poorest choices in the catalogue, perhaps the very worst. But please - don't take my word for it. Listen to the Etde IX in the op. 13, on disc 2. Kempff's attempt to pull this off is embarrassingly amateurish; he cannot even cover all the notes at "presto possibile", much less raise his playing to something approaching an interpretation. Elsewhere, you can expect the same. The op. 17 is played with little poetry, no finesse and palpable frustration in following Schumann's basic roadmap. You cannot run away from this mess fast enough.

aristocratic and heartfelt schumann.......2003-08-28

this compilation has the benefit of including most of schumann's important keyboard works (among excluded works are the toccata, first sonata, bunte blatter and fantasiestucke), under the hands of an extraordinary schumann interpreter.

recorded in the 1970's, when kempff was nearing 80, this is genuinely classic schumann. the virtuosic extremes of the symphonische etuden and kriesleriana are not quite fully exploited, but there is no flubbing, stumbling or cutting corners: kempff has things always under control. look to argerich, pollini or pogorelich for white hot schumann, kempff delivers him as a human being.

for the sheer poetry of schumann, kempff has never been bettered. his davidsbundlertanze, especially the last 5 movements, is without peer. the kinderszenen is delightful. the poetry of the fantasie in C is magnificent. there is a lifetime of musical experience and temperament in this playing.

aristocratic and heartfelt schumann.......2003-08-28

Customer Reviews:

Good for the rare pieces.....but..........2006-11-08

Overall, you will be hard up to find a more thoroughly complete two hand piano survey of Schumann's piano opus. However, for the more "popular" pieces such as the op 17, or the kinderszenen, these are decent to mediocre versions are best. They arent bad, Jorg Demus is a skilled pianist, though has always in my view been more successful in a supporting role, as evidenced by his masterful accompaniment in Dichterliebe and assorted Schubert lieder. If you are familiar with Richter's masterful Schumann interpretations-or Horowitz for many of the works, or Lupu, Argerich, these pale in comparison. If you are out for quantity-I would recommend the Ashkenazy set-though it is incomplete. Again, many of the works by schumann that you can only find here will only be of interest to the absolute Schumannaholic, which I am, but it is kind of a two way street because if you are a schumann madman, then you will know how third tier these performances truly are.

Mystery Solved.......2006-10-07

First off, thanks to WTA for his extremely thoughtful and comprehensive review, which helped me decide to purchase this Nuova Era set (his reasoning about the unlikelihood that Demus would record this huge corpus again was especially insightful).

I own the original 20-LP/6-volume Musical Heritage Society set issued between 1971 and 1973. Having seen the CD set in a store last year, I was puzzled about whether it was a transfer of these invaluable discs, which contain vast tracts of Schumann that you will be hard pressed to find elsewhere (included, for instance, are several posthumously issued works and even a few pieces played from unpublished manuscripts). WTA's review gave me enough clues to suspect that these discs were exactly what I'd been waiting for.

Having just received them, I'm happy to confirm that they are indeed the MHS performances (minus most of the four-hand works, however; see below). I instantly recognized the character of the piano sound and the recording acoustic (both much improved on CD), and a quick check of rhetorical gestures in a sonata movement that I especially value in Demus's hands showed the CD and LP versions to be identical. MHS did not always provide track timings for individual sections of the big piano suites. But where such detail exists, respective CD and LP timings are consistently mere seconds apart -- easily the result of different engineering choices for silent lead-ins and lead-outs to each track.

A further clue comes from a small note on the jewel-box tray inserts, indicating a 1989 digital remastering. I can think of no fully digital (DDD) recording that would be getting remastered so early in CD history. Anything from the '80s would almost certainly be making its first appearance in the new storage medium. Moreover, the sound has none of the hallmarks of DDD recordings (as WTA notes, for instance, Demus's recordings have detectable [but nonintrusive] background hiss).

So for all these reasons, I feel confident in declaring that this set is basically the old MHS offering. There are two sad omissions, however:

(1) The CD set includes all the solo pieces in the LP set, as well as a short, posthumously published F-minor Scherzo on CD 12 that MHS seems to have left out. Nuova Era, alas, omits the vast majority of the often-delightful four-hand works, for which Norman Shetler joined Demus (most of these items appeared in MHS's five-disc finale). The Sketches for Pedal Piano, Opp. 56 & 58, are here (perhaps because they were originally conceived for a now-forgotten solo instrument that had a pedalboard [Alkan was said to have been its greatest master]; on a modern instrument, Schumann's pedal-piano music thus takes two pianists), but -- shame on Nuova Era! -- Shetler gets no credit as the second pianist. If you'd like a fine but inexpensive tour of the four-hand output, try the three-disc VoxBox ("Schumann Complete Works For Piano 4-Hands") featuring Peter Frankl, Andras Schiff, et al.

(2) The CD set lacks the superb MHS album notes by Douglas Townsend. Also missing is Demus's own illuminating statement about recording these works across a span of about three years. These are thoroughly digested interpretations: Demus not only memorized every note but also played every last work in concert. Complete recordings like this one are not necessarily commercial gimmicks, as some so carelessly assert. A serious and sensitive musician who takes on such a task will uncover secrets and interconnections that only exposure to a composer's full output in a given area can progressively disclose. As Demus explains (in Herman Adler's translation from the German), "Only by knowing Schumann's creative output in its totality has it been possible to uncover fresh facets in overfamiliar standard works. [. . .] In the music of no other composer do we find as many cross-relations and associations throughout his work. Schumann likes to quote himself as well as other composers, as did, later, his French brother-in-spirit, Claude Debussy. [. . .] Only knowledge of this entire universe will result in something I would call *Stilsicherheit* (stylistic assurance)."

But let's not dwell on what's *not* here. As WTA observes, this is a deeply rewarding collection that every serious Schumann-lover will want to explore. Are these performances the last word on Schumann's poetic realm? Of course not: no such "last word" exists. The essential thing is that throughout this enormous journey, Demus never falsifies the music, and he plays with an honesty that can be far more illuminating than flashier approaches.

So, Schumann-lovers, get this set as cheaply as you can -- but one way or another, get it while you can!

Mystery meat.......2006-04-10

I don't think I've ever before experienced such frustration in trying to assess a product. Here a well-regarded and fairly well-known pianist sits down and records all (even that's up for grabs) the piano music of a pretty well-known and well-regarded composer and barely a peep out there in Internet land.

What I did encounter after a lot of searching, and according to different reviewers who deigned to barely mention this bulky and hard-to-ignore boxed set, was this dopey basketful of professional opinions:

1) The recording quality was poor according to one guy
2) The piano was out of tune according to some editor who happened to also be a piano tuner
3) The music was criminally recorded using a piano with beat hammers and strings
4) Demus may or may not have recorded the set with a period instrument that also may have had beat hammers and strings
5) Nobody should record Schumann on a period instrument according to another expert (without really letting us know if this was the case here)
6) The interpretations were wooden
7) The interpretations were fabulous despite the crappy sound and beat up old out-of-tune piano
8) Nobody was sure if this was his complete Schumann recorded in the 1970s and released on Musical Heritage or these were new DDD recordings as listed

OK--as the notes with this set absolutely stink and no one out in Internet land seems to have any consistent and coherent thing to say about it, this then is my judgement, based on careful listening and a few intelligent guesses.

1) The interpretations are great, wonderful, really enjoyable, idiomatic--some might consider them slightly wooden because there's next-to-no pedal which leads me to believe it is a period instrument he's recorded on. This isn't Argerich slamming away at these so don't expect that. Yamaha fans will be disappointed. Demus clearly knows his Schumann and plays crisply and accurately.
2) The sound quality, while hardly SACD, is just fine and, again if this is a period instrument and I sure tend to think so, what I'm hearing would be about right. I rather like the engineering as the result is intimate and warm
3) Honestly, did Demus record all these in the 1970s without them getting any attention and then do it all over again in the 1980s just to get ignored again? I hear distinct tape hiss if I listen closely, this doesn't sound like a 1989 DDD recording (which the box claims it to be) which is probably why the recording has some warmth and (audible tape hiss)
4) Who am I to argue with an editor/piano tuner but if this piano is out of tune I'm not noticing it one zot. Also, didn't they tune pianos a little differently way back in 1850 or so?

SO--I'll guess this is the complete piano music of Robert Schumann (perhaps minus one small piece according to yet another miffed commentator, although he keeps talking about a 12 CD set and this has 13 discs!)recorded in the 1970s with Jorg Demus playing a piano built around 1850 or so with everything that implies. I'll also guess that a lot of reviewers out there, left to fend for themselves without some promotional sheet from the label, maybe without even free promo copies, were really reaching a bit. Even if I'm wrong I seem to be doing better than the second-guessing I found elsewhere and anyway the result is really enjoyable. I simply like this set a lot even if someday I may discover it is, in fact, Ernest Borgnine playing a badly tuned pool hall upright in 1953. Less than no stars to Nuovo Era for never seeming to get the presentation of this delightful set right--license it to Brilliant and they'll do it up properly for Pete's sake and maybe you'll actually sell a few. They might even be able to kick down that DDD tape hiss a bit. It's also too danged expensive given even the putative late recording date--it shouldn't be more than $120 under any circumstances. I got mine for less than $40 at a classical cut-outs and deletions place.

Conclusion: This whole situation is sad. Jorg Demus is a great pianist and he obviously loves Schumann. Schumann's piano music is worth the effort. This should be a well-known and highly-regarded set and I'm happier with this than with any other big box of piano I may own, short of a Brahms set.