Live Classics [Live]

Amazon.com
The ink had barely dried on Marty Robbins's Columbia recording contract when the Arizona-based singer debuted on the Grand Ole Opry on June 30, 1951. No matter where his career took him, the Opry remained home base until his death in 1982. This collection surveys Robbins's first eight years on the show. On that solid, confident 1951 debut performance, "Ain't You Ashamed" reflected his plaintive side. He tore through "Good Night Cincinnati, Good Mornin' Tennessee," backed by hot lead guitar almost certainly from Grady Martin. The remaining selections, in crystal-clear mono, reflect a bit of Robbins's gleeful eclecticism. He rendered the 1920s pop standard "My Isle of Golden Dreams" as a plaintive country tune. A stunning "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You)" affirmed his mastery of Hank Williams. Perhaps this set's greatest value is hearing contemporary audiences embracing "Singing the Blues," "The Story! of My Life," "A White Sport Coat," and "El Paso," all classic Robbins hits today, when they were still new and fresh. --Rich Kienzle

Live Classics,Marty Robbins,Audium Entertainment,Country,Country & Western,Country-Pop,Cowboy,Hawaii,Nashville Sound/Countrypolitan,Pop,Rockabilly,Traditional Country

Average customer rating: Verdi: Opera LaTraviata The Sound is very listenable Come closer to Maria Callas Best of La Traviata and Maria Callas Simply the best...

Verdi: La Traviata (complete opera live 1955) with Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Carlo Maria Giulini, Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Milan Giuseppe Verdi , Orchestra e coro del Teatro alla Scala , Carlo Maria Giulini , Maria Callas , Giuseppe di Stefano , Ettore Bastianini , Silvio Maionica , Luisa Mandelli , and Arturo La Porta Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Verdi | Verdi, Giuseppe | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Callas, Maria | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music More Titles at Least 20% Off | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Verdi, Giuseppe | ( V ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Callas, Maria | ( C ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Similar Items: Puccini: Tosca (complete opera) with Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Tito Gobbi, Victor de Sabata, Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan Verdi: Rigoletto (Complete Opera); Maria Callas; Tito Gobbi; Giuseppe di Stefano Puccini: Madama Butterfly (complete opera) with Maria Callas, Lucia Danieli, Nicolai Gedda, Herbert von Karajan, Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan Bizet: Carmen (complete opera) with Maria Callas, Nicolai Gedda, Georges Pretre, Paris Opera Orchestra Puccini: La Boheme (complete opera) with Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Anna Moffo, Antonino Votto, Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan ASIN: B00000630Y Release Date: 1998-03-17

Tracks:

1. La Traviata: Preludio (Orchestra)
2. La Traviata: Act One: Dell'invito trascorsa e gia l'lora
3. La Traviata: Act One: Libiamo, ne' lieti calici
4. La Traviata: Act One: Che e cio (coro/Violetta/Flora/Marchese/Barone/Dottore/Gaston/Alfredo)
5. La Traviata: Act One: Un di felice, eterea (Alfredo/Violetta)
6. La Traviata: Act One: Ebben? Che diavol fate? (Gastone/Violetta/Alfredo)
7. La Traviata: Act One: Si ridesta in ciel l'aurora (Flora/Gastone/Barone/Dottore/Marchese/Coro)
8. La Traviata: Act One: E strano! E strano!
9. La Traviata: Act One: Ah, fors'e lui che l'anima
10. La Traviata: Act One: Follie! follie! Delirio vano e questo! (Violetta)
11. La Traviata: Act One: Sempre libera (Violetta - Alfredo)
12. La Traviata: Act Two: Scene One: Lunge da lei
13. La Traviata: Act Two: Scene One: De' miei bollenti spiriti (Alfredo)
14. La Traviata: Act Two: Scene One: Annina, donde vieni?...Alfredo?...Per Parigi or or partiva (Alfredo/Annina/Violetta/Germont)
15. La Traviata: Act Two: Scene One: Pura siccome un angelo
16. La Traviata: Act Two: Scene One: Non sapete quale affetto
17. La Traviata: Act Two: Scene One: Un di, quando le veneri
18. La Traviata: Act Two: Scene One: Ah! dite alla giovine
19. La Traviata: Act Two: Scene One: Imponete...Non amarlo ditegli
20. La Traviata: Act Two: Scene One: Morro! La mia memoria (Germont/Violetta)
21. La Traviata: Act Two: Scene One: Dammi tu forza, o cielo! (Violetta/Annina)
22. La Traviata: Act Two: Scene One: Che fai?...Nulla (Alfredo/Violetta)
23. La Traviata: Act Two: Scene One: Ah, vive sol quel core all'amore mio! (Alfredo/Commissionario/Germont)
24. La Traviata: Act Two: Scene One: Di Provenza il mar (Germont /Alfredo)

Tracks:

1. La Traviata: Act Two: Scene Two: Avram lieta di maschere la notte (Flora/Marchese/Dottore)
2. La Traviata: Act Two: Scene Two: Noi siamo zingarelle (Coro/Flora/Marchese/Dottore)
3. La Traviata: Act Two: Scene Two: Di Madride noi siam mattadori (Coro/Gastone/Flora/Dottore/Marchese)
4. La Traviata: Act Two: Scene Two: Alfredo! Voi!
5. La Traviata: Act Two: Scene Two: Invitato a qui seguirmi
6. La Traviata: Act Two: Scene Two: Ogni suo aver tal femmina (Flora/Gastone/Barone/Dottore/Marchese/Coro)
7. La Traviata: Act Two: Scene Two: Di sprezzo degno se stesso rende (Germont/Alfredo/Flora/Gastone/Barone/Dottore/Marchese/Coro)
8. La Traviata: Act Two: Scene Two: Alfredo, Alfredo, di questo core (Violetta/Germont/Alfredo/Gastone/Barone/Dottore/Marchese/Coro)
9. La Traviata: Act Three: Preludio (Orchestra)
10. La Traviata: Act Three: Annina? ...Comandate? (Violetta/Annina/Dottore)
11. La Traviata: Act Three: Teneste la promessa
12. La Traviata: Act Three: Addio, del passato (Violetta)
13. La Traviata: Act Three: Largo al quadrupede (Coro)
14. La Traviata: Act Three: Signora!... Che t'accadde?
15. La Traviata: Act Three: Parigi, o cara (Annina/Violetta/Alfredo)
16. La Traviata: Act Three: Ah, non piu, a un tempio
17. La Traviata: Act Three: Ah! gran Dio! Morir si giovine (Violetta/Alfredo)
18. La Traviata: Act Three: Ah! Violetta...Voi, signor!
19. La Traviata: Act Three: Prendi, quest'e l'immagine (Germont/Violetta/Alfredo)
20. La Traviata: Act Three: Se una pudica vergine (Violetta/Germont/Alfredo/Annina/Dottore)

Amazon.com essential recording

This live recording of the 1955 Visconti production at La Scala is the best of the available Maria Callas Traviatas. Aside from a minor pitch problem or two, she's in great voice, coloring phrases to reveal character and investing the coloratura with variety and passion. Her "Addio del passato" is heart-breaking. She fully captures Violetta's pride and vulnerability in the scene with Germont, though her partner, Ettore Bastianini, sings insensitively, if beautifully. Giuseppe Di Stefano is all one could ask for as Alfredo. Carlo Giulini conducts a performance that delivers all the lyricism and drama of the score. The recorded sound is primitive, but in EMI's latest transfer you can listen through it to a wondrous performance. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Verdi: Opera LaTraviata.......2007-07-04

Enjoyable recording,singers Maria Callas, DiStefano,Bastianini surperb. Clarity as if recently recorded. Orchestra and chorus fantastic.

The Sound is very listenable.......2007-01-05

Don't be put off by other reviewers' rants on the sound of this superb performance. If you're comfortable listening to some of the better Opera D'Oro sets, you'll find this more than satisfactory. I ordered it recently despite those complaints and am VERY glad I did. If you want to hear truly unforgivable EMI sound of a pirate Callas, listen to the MACBETH; you'll then see what a good job EMI did with this Callas performance. But if you decide you want the Lisbon TRAVIATA instead of this one, just about everyone says the Pearl is far superior to EMI in their remastering job.

Come closer to Maria Callas.......2007-01-03

This CD is a master piece of Maria Callas' performance. Together with Stefano, they created a milestone that their followers are difficult to overpass. Listen to this live, you feel you were back in 1955. The atmosphere it produced is fresh and new to the later generations. But because the record technique as mono, not stereo, if you feel untolerable for the mono, it will cut your expectation little bit. But generally, if you are really a fans of Maria Callas, you will definately like it.

Best of La Traviata and Maria Callas.......2006-11-13

Even though this recording is not stereophonic, you can still enjoy the marvelous voice of Maria Callas. You don't have to see her performance to understand how artistic she was. With her voice she was not actually singing, but she was acting as well. Not many singers could portrait Violetta's character like Maria Callas portraits in this particular recording. I would definitely recommend everyone who is interested in operas or not interested at all. La Traviata in general is a very light opera, so you do not have to be an opera buff to like it.

Simply the best..........2006-03-19

This recording of one of the greatest Verdi's opera is surely the best I've ever heard. Callas was at her top, others interprets are excellent also. A great historical piece of art.

Average customer rating: Lots of Schumann, not much Argerich, plus some real oddities

Martha Argerich and Friends: Live from the Lugano Festival, 2006 Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Schnittke | Schnittke, Alfred | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Robert Schumann | Schumann, Robert | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Mendelssohn | Mendelssohn, Felix | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Debussy | Debussy, Claude | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music English Horn | Reeds & Winds | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Cello | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Similar Items: A Piano Evening with Martha Argerich [DVD Video] Haydn: Piano Sonatas Martha Argerich and Friends Live from the Lugano Festival 2005: Chamber Music Volodos Plays Liszt Piano Quintet in F Min / Complete String Quartets (1, 2, 3) ASIN: B000PFU9OM Release Date: 2007-06-05

Tracks:

1. I: Sostenuto Assai/Allegro Ma Non Troppo
2. II: Scherzo: Molto Vivace
3. III: Andante Cantabile
4. IV: Finale: Vivace
5. I: Allegro Assai Vivace
6. II: Allegretto Scherzando
7. III: Adagio
8. IV: Molto Allegro E Vivace
9. I: Zart Und Mit Ausdruck
10. II: Lebhaft, Leicht
11. III: Rasch Und Mit Feuer

Tracks:

1. I: Mit Energie Und Leidenschaft
2. II: Lebhaf, Doch Nicht Zu Rasch
3. III: Langsam, Mit Inniger Empfindung
4. IV: Mit Feuer
5. I: Introduzione: Adagio Mest/Allegro
6. II: Scherzo
7. III: Largo
8. IV: Finale: Allegro Vivace

Tracks:

1. I: Nauges
2. II: Fetes
3. I: Andante
4. II: Allegretto
5. III: Largo
6. IV: Allegretto Scherzando
7. I: Overture
8. II: Idylie
9. III: Cadenza
10. IV: Menuet
11. V: Finale Alla Marcia

Amazon.com

This inexpensively priced 3-CD set of music from the 2006 Lugano Festival with pianist Martha Argerich at its center presents a fascinating cross-section of chamber music, expertly performed. In addition to Argerich, we hear from 15 other instrumentalists - pianists, cellists, violinists, violists, a flugelhorn player (who plays along with Argerich in three of Schumann's Fantasiestücke, to very strange and not very welcome effect), and a wind ensemble made up of members of the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana that plays with cellist Gautier Caupcon in Friedrich Gulda's Concerto for Cello and Wind Orchestra: a jazzy, definitely eclectic, and playful finale to the third CD. The infrequently played but rapturous Schumann Piano Quartet is a particular treat. Ravel's transcriptions of two Debussy Nocturnes for two pianos played by Sergio Tiempo and Karin Lechner are a delight as well. This is an off-the-beaten-track collection that will fascinate true devotees of chamber music. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Lots of Schumann, not much Argerich, plus some real oddities.......2007-06-08

EMI has gotten into the pleasanat habit of issuing a 3-CD bargain box of Martha Argerich's summer music from Lugano, and they are caviar for chamber music lovers, mixing familiar and unfamiliar works in sterling live performances. It's hard to think of any comparable series meeting such high standards since the heyday of the Marlboro Festival under Rudolf Serkin in the Fifties and Sixties. This 2006 edition is no exception, my only disappointment being the absence of Argerich herself in so many works. She even gives up her place in the two-piano arrangement of Debussy's Nocturnes to her protege Sergio Tiempo (she has been a long-time devotee, if not addict, of two-piano arrangements that almost every other serious musician eschews).

The dominance of works by Schumann reflects Ms. Argerich's personal fondness for him, and she appears in the Piano Quartet, which has enjoyed a wonderful, highly personal reading by Glenn Gould and the Juilliard Qt. (Sony), among others. This one displays every virtue of live musicmaking, with Argerich's fervent, spontaneous playing leading the way. Compared to earlier sets, the 2006 collection contains more rarities and because of all the sSchumann, less representation by great composers. The flugelhorn arrangement of Schumann's Fantasiestucke for clarinet sounds like a joke. The once unknown Tanayev Piano Quintet gets a committed reading that should help to boost its popularity. The Debbusy Nocturnes actually bring pleasure in the two-piano arrangement. You won't be prepared for Gulda's concerto for Cello and Piano, which sounds like three-beer night at your local German jazz club. But its worth a smile and a listen.

In the end, however, this installment might be best left to connoisseurs while newcomers to Argerich's summer festivities should begin with the earlier, more conventional editions.

Here's the listing of works and personnel since Amazon doesn't supply it:


Martha Argerich / Renaud Capucon / Lida Chen / Gautier Capucon - Piano Quartet in Eb op.47 (Schumann).

Gautier Capucon / Gabriela Montero - Sonata for cello and piano No.2 in D op.58 (Mendelssohn).

Sergei Nakariakov / Martha Argerich - Fantasiestucke op.73 - version for flugelhorn and piano (Schumann).

Nicholas Angelich / Renaud Capucon / Gautier Capucon - Piano Trio in D minor op.63 (Schumann).

Lilya Zilberstein / Dora Schwarzberg / Lucy Hall / Nora Romanoff-Schwarzberg / Jorge Bosso - Piano Quintet in G minor op.30 (Taneyev).

Sergio Tiempo / Karin Lechner - Three Nocturnes : Nuages / Fetes (Debussy transcribed for two piano Ravel).

Alissa Margulis / Polina Leschenko - Sonata for violin and piano No.1 (Schnittke).

Gautier Capucon / Alexander Rabinovich-Barakovsky - Concerto for cello and windband (Gulda).

Average customer rating: Oh My God! Absolutely, Positively UNBELIEVABLE

Live in Boston 1 (Dig) Fleetwood Mac Manufacturer: Snapper Classics UK ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music General | Live Albums | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music General | Live Albums | Classic Rock | Styles | Music General | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Live in Boston 2 (Dig) Shrine '69 Then Play On The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions Live at the Boston Tea Party, Pt. 3 ASIN: B00007FZGA Release Date: 2003-03-18

Tracks:

1. Black Magic Woman
2. Jumping At Shadows
3. Like It This Way
4. Only You
5. Rattlesnake Shake (Previously Unreleased)
6. I Cant Hold Out
7. Got To Move (Previously Unreleased)
8. Green Manalishi

Album Description

Subtitled - The Boston Tea Party. Remastered reissue of 1970 recording repackaged in a gatefold digipak sleeve recreating the look & feel of the original vinyl album. Eight tracks including the previously unreleased 'Rattlesnake Shake'. Snapper. 2003.

Customer Reviews:

Oh My God!.......2007-05-02

To say that Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac is an understated jewel in the blues/rock world is too dismissive. They have a raw energy that could only be matched by only a few, and I can't really even think of who they are. I got Then Play On when I was 15 in 79. I have replaced the album 3 or 4 times, and still listen to it at least once a month. It is a staple in my home, car, and ipod.

I have heard, but not owned Albatross, and somewhere have two Peter Green cassette tapes. I never heard them live. What a shallow existance I have lived. I just got Live in Boston 1 and 2 today (from Amazon) and can not beleive what I am hearing. Truely some of the greatest music I have ever heard.

If you know the early works of Fleetwood Mac or Peter Green, then this is the creme de la creme. Words can not describe how absorbing the music is. I am addicted to Jam Bands (the Dead, Garcia, moe., the cheese...) and see many similarities, but mellower and bluesier.

Buy it, listen to it, fall in love with the lost art of Fleetwood Mac / Peter green et al.

Absolutely, Positively UNBELIEVABLE.......2005-04-12

This is impossible to describe in words. It defies logic. It's like asking to describe Pearl Harbor in words. It can't be done. But I will try.

This is, simply put, the most raw, intense blues-rock ever recorded. The original Fleetwood Mac. Sure, the later lineup was cool with "The Chain" and all that, but this is something else. This is pure, unbridled jamming with a capital 'J'. These performances are so intense, so rocking and so devastating that it seems futile to even compare anything else to it. Peter Green and Danny Kirwan are amazing individually. But when they actually duel and play together, it's beyond description. Case in point - "Like It This Way". Easily the most ass-kicking blues rocker I've ever heard in my life. This is a boogie that's sure to blow your mind, believe me. The groove is intoxicating, and the duelling of Green/Kirwan on this song is so good it almost reduced me to tears. You thought Duane Allman and Dickey Betts were good? Forget it, Green and Kirwan blow them out of the water. No question. In fact, the Allmans in general could not compete with Mac's jams on this album. Don't say I didn't warn you.

One listen to this version of "Black Magic Woman" and you'll be saying "Santana who?". Green's tone here is stunning, and the second half is a boogie where he and Kirwan battle it out again. Frightening stuff.
"Jumping At Shadows" is a unique cover of a blues classic. Awesome melody.
Already mentioned "Like It This Way". It's enough to tear the roof off TWO buildings!
"Only You" has a very unusual melody and riff, almost Dick Dale-ish surf rock. Great song though.
And then you have a 25-minute "Rattlesnake Shake" that takes you to places you never knew existed. Unreal. An improv jam that defies normality. If that's not enough, I've heard that the version on Volume 2 is even BETTER!! I shudder to think...
"I Can't Hold Out" features Jeremy Spencer joining in on slide guitar, and he's damn good at it. Most people don't seem to care for his Elmore James schtick, but this guy can really play, believe me.
"Got To Move" is the only song here that isn't amazing. It's not bad, though.
"Green Manalishi" really can't be categorized. Part psychedelic, part blues, it's interesting. Also features Green playing some killer six-string bass at the end.

If you haven't already noticed, this album is breath-taking. It also has the most amazing sound quality I've ever heard on a live album. It literally sounds like you're there in the front row, watching these guys tear the house down.

Better than Allmans, better than Grateful Dead, and at least equal to Cream. This is the Holy Grail of blues-rock jamming.

Average customer rating: Oh My God! Awesome BOSTON TEA PARTY!

Live in Boston 2 (Dig) Fleetwood Mac Manufacturer: Snapper Classics UK ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music General | Live Albums | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music General | Live Albums | Classic Rock | Styles | Music General | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Live in Boston 1 (Dig) Shrine '69 The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions Live at the Boston Tea Party, Pt. 3 Then Play On ASIN: B000086EOF Release Date: 2003-03-18

Tracks:

1. World In Harmony
2. Oh Well
3. Rattlesnake Shake
4. Stranger Blues
5. Red Hot Mamma
6. Teenate Darling
7. Keep A Knocking
8. Jenny Jenny
9. Encore Jam (Previously Unreleased)

Album Description

2003 remastered reissue of 1970 live album, packaged in a digipak. Includes one previously unreleased track, 'Encore Jam'. Nine tracks. Snapper.

Customer Reviews:

Oh My God!.......2007-05-02

To say that Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac is an understated jewel in the blues/rock world is too dismissive. They have a raw energy that could only be matched by only a few, and I can't really even think of who they are. I got Then Play On when I was 15 in 79. I have replaced the album 3 or 4 times, and still listen to it at least once a month. It is a staple in my home, car, and ipod.

I have heard, but not owned Albatross, and somewhere have two Peter Green cassette tapes. I never heard them live. What a shallow existance I have lived. I just got Live in Boston 1 and 2 today (from Amazon) and can not beleive what I am hearing. Truely some of the greatest music I have ever heard.

If you know the early works of Fleetwood Mac or Peter Green, then this is the creme de la creme. Words can not describe how absorbing the music is. I am addicted to Jam Bands (the Dead, Garcia, moe., the cheese...) and see many similarities, but mellower and bluesier.

Buy it, listen to it, fall in love with the lost art of Fleetwood Mac / Peter green et al.

Awesome.......2005-12-14

The Live in Boston 3 volulme set is a reissue that has been remastered from the original 8 track master tapes. I almost bought the original releases some years ago but passed up on it after reading about the poor sound quality. I'm glad I waited for this reissue because the sound quality is awesome. Volume II rattles and shakes! The version of Rattlesnake Shake on Volume II is better than on Volume I and that is saying a heck of a lot. Buy all 3 volumes and you'll be happy you did.
The guitar jamming is so fine .... the interplay between Kirwin and Green and the underated slide work of Jeremy Spencer on these live perfomamces makes it clear why Fleetwood Mac in the late 60s and early 70s were the best live performing band of this genre ... better than the Stones, the Who or anyone else playing electric blues based music. Buy them, take em home or put them on your car stereo, crank it up and boogie.

BOSTON TEA PARTY!.......2005-06-07

This Album, together with LIVE IN BOSTON VOL.1 and VOL.3, contains most of the tracks originally intended for release as a live album by Fleetwood Mac. This was one of a number of projects curtailed by the sudden departure from the band of Peter Green in April 1970. The recording was done at the Tea Party Club in Boston whilst the band was on it's second American tour in 1969.
Of particular interest in this set are the rock'n roll cuts ("Keep A Knocking" and "Jenny Jenny" on VOL.2, "Great Balls Of Fire" and "Tutti Frutti" on VOL.3) performed by 'Earl Vince & the Valiants' - a pseudonym for a gold lamé suited Mac fronted by Jeremy Spencer - and a tongue-in-cheek tribute to their rock forebears. Contrasted with this are the straight Chicago style blues that were the band's hallmark ("Madison Blues" and "Got To Move" on VOL.3, "Red Hot Mama" and "The Sun Is Shining" on VOL.2) highlighted by some of Peter Green's last and greatest songs ("Oh Well" and "Rattlesnake Shake" on VOL.2, "Green Manalishi" on VOL.1) with Fleetwood Mac. Highly recommended!

Average customer rating: Verdi: Macbeth The Goddess An Observation of Gino Penno's Macduff! MARIA ONCE AGAIN Bone-chilling and Evil

Verdi: Macbeth (complete opera live 1952) with Maria Callas, Enzo Mascherini, Victor de Sabata, Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Milan Giuseppe Verdi , Victor De Sabata , Maria Callas , Enzo Mascherini , Orchestra e coro del Teatro alla Scala , Italo Tajo , Gino Penno , Andrea Maffei , Dario Caselli , and Attilio Barbesi Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Verdi | Verdi, Giuseppe | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Callas, Maria | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Donizetti: Anna Bolena (complete opera live 1957) with Maria Callas, Gianni Raimondi, Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Milan Verdi: La Traviata (complete opera live 1955) with Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Carlo Maria Giulini, Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Milan Bellini: La Sonnambula (complete opera live 1955) with Maria Callas, Giuseppe Modesti, Leonard Bernstein, Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan Bellini: I Puritani Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana & Leoncavallo: Pagliacci (complete operas) with Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Tito Gobbi, Tullio Serafin, Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan ASIN: B00000630X Release Date: 1998-03-17

Tracks:

1. Macbeth: Preludio
2. Macbeth: Act One: Scene One - Che faceste? Dite su!
3. Macbeth: Act One: Scene One - Giorno non vidi mai (Macbeth - Banco)
4. Macbeth: Act One: Scene One - Pro Macbetto! Il tuo signore
5. Macbeth: Act One: Scene One - Due vaticini compiuti or sono (Macbeth - Banco)
6. Macbeth: Act One: Scene One - S'allontanarono!
7. Macbeth: Act One: Scene Two - Nel di della vittoria io le incontrai
8. Macbeth: Act One: Scene Two - Vien! t'affretta! (Lady Macbeth)
9. Macbeth: Act One: Scene Two - Al cader della sera il re qui giunge (Lady Macbeth)
10. Macbeth: Act One: Scene Two - Or tutti sorgete, ministri infernali (Lady Macbeth)
11. Macbeth: Act One: Scene Two - Oh, donna mia! (Macbeth - Lady Macbeth)
12. Macbeth: Act One: Scene Two - Sappia la sposa mia (Macbeth)
13. Macbeth: Act One: Scene Two - Regna il sonno su tutti
14. Macbeth: Act One: Scene Two - Fatal mia donna! un murmure
15. Macbeth: Act One: Scene Two - Allor questa voce m'intesi nel petto
16. Macbeth: Act One: Scene Two - Il pugnal la riportate (Lady Macbeth - Macbeth)
17. Macbeth: Act One: Scene Two - Di destarlo per tempo il re m'impose
18. Macbeth: Act One: Scene Two - Schiudi, inferno (Macduff - Banco - Lady Macbeth - Macbeth)
19. Macbeth: Act Two: Scene One - Perche mi sfuggi (Lady Macbeth - Macbeth)
20. Macbeth: Act Two: Scene One - La luce langue (Lady Macbeth)
21. Macbeth: Act Two: Scene Two - Chi v'impose unirvi a noi?
22. Macbeth: Act Two: Scene Two - Studia il passo, o mio figlio!
23. Macbeth: Act Two: Scene Two - Come dal ciel precipita (Banco)
24. Macbeth: Act Two: Scene Three - Salve, o re! (Macbeth - Lady Macbeth)
25. Macbeth: Act Two: Scene Three - Si colmi il calice (Lady Macbeth - Macduff)
26. Macbeth: Act Two: Scene Three - Tu di sangue hai brutto il volto (Macbeth)
27. Macbeth: Act Two: Scene Three - Che ti scosta, o re mio sposo (Lady Macbeth - Macbeth)
28. Macbeth: Act Two: Scene Three - Si colmi il calice
29. Macbeth: Act Two: Scene Three - Sangue a me quell'ombra chiede (Lady Macbeth - Macduff - Macbeth)

Tracks:

1. Macbeth: Act Three - Tre volte miagola la gatta in fregola
2. Macbeth: Act Three - Ballo
3. Macbeth: Act Three - Finche appelli (Macbeth)
4. Macbeth: Act Three - Fuggi, regal fantasima (Macbeth)
5. Macbeth: Act Three - Ondine e silfidi dall'ali candide
6. Macbeth: Act Three - Ove son io? (Macbeth - Lady Macbeth)
7. Macbeth: Act Four: Scene One - Patria oppressa!
8. Macbeth: Act Four: Scene One - O figli miei!
9. Macbeth: Act Four: Scene One - Ah, la paterna mano (Macduff)
10. Macbeth: Act Four: Scene One - Dove siam? che bosco e quello? (Macduff)
11. Macbeth: Act Four: Scene Two - Vegliammo invan due notti
12. Macbeth: Act Four: Scene Two - Una macchia e qui tuttora (Lady Macbeth)
13. Macbeth: Act Four: Scene Three - Perfidi! All'Anglo contro me v'unite!
14. Macbeth: Act Four: Scene Three - Pieta, rispetto, amore (Macbeth)
15. Macbeth: Act Four: Scene Three - Ella e morta!
16. Macbeth: Act Four: Scene Four - All'armi! all'armi! (Macduff - Macbeth)
17. Macbeth: Act Four: Scene Four - Vittoria! (Macduff)

Customer Reviews:

Verdi: Macbeth.......2007-03-11

While not on the level on the level of the sound quality of a recent digital recording, it is good, and its historic value makes up for the sound quality. I am glad I bought it.

The Goddess.......2006-01-17

I have to say that Callas, for me, despite all her versatility, has a voice that reminds me of these kinds of roles- Lady Macbeth, Abigaila or Tosca. "Hard and shouting roles". This recording proves me right, because rarely her voice sounds so adequately casted. She is absolutely brilliant. Baritone Macbeth is very expressive vocally as well, and the tenor is of a very interesting dramatic voice color. The quality of sound can be disapointing for those who are looking for an opportunity to enjoy the grand energy of "Macbeth", but that is not the prime purpose of this recording. Value it as a fantastic opportunity to expirience atmosphere in which a real diva and real opera lovers spent a wonderful and memorable night.

An Observation of Gino Penno's Macduff!.......2005-09-16

A great historical Macduff, Penno is available on two recordings in this role; very rare for this role and even more rare that his career lasted less then 8 years. I never "got" the role of Macduff, even though many famous tenors have spoken of its importance, they never have seemed to imbue this character with the excruciating pain and bereavement he endures. That was before I heard Gino Penno.

Penno's sound had been a mystery to me because it seemed too vacuous and throaty. I did not like it then, but I found out that he had one of the largest voices, if not the THE largest voice on the stage at that time, not just among tenors but all voices. Gruadually, I understood the unique timbre and grew to respect his tendency to hold back his voice and protect his musicality, which is quite careful and delicate.

In this performance, he brings Macduff to a Shakespearean level. His "innigkeit" is a surpassing experience. His plea "O figli, miei" is a sympathetic outpouring of pure pity and affection. He says it the way a real man and father would do. It is touching, of course, as it should be.

Penno is easy to ignore, especially when the Callasian volcano is erupting about him, but listen intently with a libretto in one hand and a hankerchief in the other ... to dry your tears.

MARIA ONCE AGAIN.......2005-08-26

I fell under Maria Callas' "spell" very early in my teens which coincided with the conclusion of her performing career. It was a time long before she was the legend that she is today. In fact, at that time (late 50's early 60's) for a person to even state in public that they liked (or in my case adored) Maria Callas put that person at risk of receiving a lot of ridicule which could very easily turn to scorn. At the time, she was either loved or hated. I'm afraid that during my teen years I, alas, seemed to find more hate than love for her. Therefore, being the nerdy kid that I was I retreated into my own private world which consisted mainly of my record player and the recordings of Maria Callas. I eventually succeeded in procuring all of her commercial recordings-which were my prized possessions. However, I avoided (mainly due to their poor sound quality) the (what was known at that time as) "pirated" recordings.
Now that I, again, have reached a time in my life that I am, sort of, retreating into my own private world, I find myself turning, once again, to Maria Callas and to her singing for some solace. This time, my emphasis is (and will be) her "live" recordings--what used to be called the "pirated" recordings. After all, the technology restoring these live recordings has advanced unbelievably far. This recording of Maria's complete Lady Macbeth is a prime example. It is stupendous to hear Maria tackle the entire opera and to hear it in reasonably good sound. This performance catches her at her vocal peak! There is nothing Verdi throws at her that she can't do. In addition, even at the young age that she was during these La Scala performances, she was a very mature artist and was dramatically awesome-no wonder she became a legend. At this time she was vocally able to do anything. WOW, what a performance!!
Do yourself a favor by purchasing this recording to hear WHY Maria Callas is the operatic legend that she is today

Bone-chilling and Evil.......2005-01-26

When Arturo Toscanini was making plans to conduct a performance of Verdi's Macbeth at La Scala, he had one singer in mind--Maria Meneghini Callas. For more than a hundred years, this Verdi opera was much neglected by hundreds of great artist because of the composer's demands for the voice--choked, evil, not even singing. Of course, with the passing of time, a great artist with the genius of bel canto singing, the ability to color each and every phrase accurately, and with the most powerful stage and dramatic presence, came along the scene. Such a soprano was Maria Callas. Of course, because of her disputes with the damned Antonio Ghirangelli, the head of La Scala at the time, the Toscanini Macbeth never took place. How fortunate we truly are, however, to have Callas sing the role in La Scala a few years later with the great Victor de Sabata conducting. Here, we hear a totally different Callas, an antiheroine bent on achieving her goals without care for moral justice. No other soprano or mezzo for that matter could have captured the Lady Macbeth that Callas poured out on La Scala for the audiences that she mesmerized with her ability to portray such a despicable character. What a brilliant artist she truly was! Her letter scene is undoubtedly the benchmark for any other letter scene read by successive ladies after her career. Her La Luce Langue is simply amazing. Her sleepwalking scene caused only her to gain more legions of fans. Her colleagues weren't too bad either. Enzo Mascherini was evil yet cowardly as Macbeth. Truly a great performance that night. Do not miss out on this recording.

Average customer rating: Why 5... Find Out! Callas Aida, Mex. City, 1951 Callas's most famous Aida -- all I can say is wow All hail to the E Flat Goddess Nuclear Aida!!!

Verdi: Aida (complete opera live 1951) with Maria Callas, Mario del Monaco, Oliviero de Fabritis, Orchestra & Chorus of del Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Verdi | Verdi, Giuseppe | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Verdi: La Traviata (complete opera live 1955) with Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Carlo Maria Giulini, Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Milan Puccini: Madama Butterfly (complete opera) with Maria Callas, Lucia Danieli, Nicolai Gedda, Herbert von Karajan, Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan Verdi: Macbeth (complete opera live 1952) with Maria Callas, Enzo Mascherini, Victor de Sabata, Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Milan Donizetti: Anna Bolena (complete opera live 1957) with Maria Callas, Gianni Raimondi, Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Milan Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor (complete opera) EMI's Great Recordings of the Century with Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Tito Gobbi, Tullio Serafin ASIN: B0000BWTKC Release Date: 2003-11-04

Tracks:

1. Preludio
2. Si, Corre Voce Che L'Etiope Ardisca
3. Se Quel Guerriero Io Fossi!
4. Celeste Aida
5. Quale Insolita Gioia Nel Tuo Sguardo!
6. Vieni, O Diletta, Appressati
7. Alta Cagion V'aduna
8. Su! Del Nilo Al Sacro Lido
9. Ritorna Vincitor!
10. Possente Ftha...Tu Che Dal Nulia Hai Tratto
11. Immenso Ftha!...Mortal, Diletto Ai Numi
12. Nume, Custode E Vindice
13. Chi Mai Fra Gl'inni E I Plausi
14. Dance Of The Moorish Slaves
15. Vieni, Sul Crin Ti Piovano
16. Fu La Sorte Dell'armi A' Tuoi Funesta
17. Pieta Ti Prenda Del Mio Dolor
18. Su! Del Nilo Al Sacro Lido...Numi, Pieta
19. Gloria All'Egitto, Ad Iside
20. Triumphal March
21. Ballet
22. Vieni, O Guerriero Vindice
23. Salvator Della Patria
24. Che Veggo! Egli? Mio Padre!...Anch'io Pugnai...Ma Tu, Re, Tu Signore Possente
25. Il Dolor Che In Quel Volto Favella
26. O Re, Pei Sacri Numi...Gloria All'Egitto

Tracks:

1. O Tu Che Sei D'Osiride
2. Vieni D'Iside Al Tempio
3. Qui Radames Verra!
4. O Patria Mia
5. Ciel! Mio Padre!
6. Rivedrai Le Foreste Imbalsamate
7. Pur Ti Riveggo, Mia Dolce Aida
8. Nel Fiero Anelito Di Nuova Guerra
9. Fuggiam Gli Ardori Inospiti...La, Tra Foreste Vergini
10. Ma Dimmi: Per Qual Via
11. L'aborrita Rivale A Me Sfuggia
12. Gia I Sacerdoti Adunansi
13. Ohime! Morir Mi Sento!
14. Spirto Del Nume
15. A Lui Vivo, La Tomba!...Sacerdoti: Compiste Un Delitto!
16. La Fatal Pietra Sovra Me Si Chiuse
17. Vedi? Di Morte L'angelo...Immenso Ftha
18. O Terra, Addio

Customer Reviews:

Why 5... Find Out!.......2006-10-12

This Aida is perhaps the best I've ever heard. Even in the libretto it states that it is a full-blooded performance. I whole-heartedly agree. Callas, once again giving her exciting performances in Mexico City, turns her Aida into the stuff of legend. Again. Del Monaco is the best of any Radames. Yes, Domingo had the dramatic capability, but Del Monaco's overpowering voice should well be the trademark of the overpowering Egyptian military leader. Dominguez is the best of any Amneris I've heard, and also is mentioned in the libretto as having "opulent" tones. The word "opulent" doesn't begin to describe the effect she had on me in "L'aborrita rivale a me sfuggia". In the "Rivedrai le foreste imbalsamate" duet with Aida and Amonasro, Giuseppe Taddei tops all expectations, blowing back even Tito Gobbi. Altogether, this recording is a must even for people who hate Callas. 5 stars.

Callas Aida, Mex. City, 1951.......2006-07-21

Everyone is on fire in this performance. Singers today do not have that "fuoco". Thanks to recordings like these, opera fans of the post Callas era, like myself, can get a "glimpse" into her glorious past. Callas and Del Monaco soar over everything else in the second act! And of course, the famous E flat! O. Dominguez as Amneris! I became an instant fan; hard to find other recordings of her. Some of the reviewers refer to Anmeris as Simionato, it is Dominguez! Taddei is perfect as Amonasro - great visceral singing- no baritones like him around anymore. Who cares if the sound is not perfect? I like all the environmental sounds, it makes me feel like I am right there. I only listen to live stuff anyway, because it is the real deal; I find most studio recordings boring. It is the best AIDA I have heard. Get it!

Callas's most famous Aida -- all I can say is wow.......2006-02-17

This 1951 Mexico City performance of Aida has become legendary, largely due to Callas's unbelievable performance in the title role. Aida was not a role strongly associated with Callas (the way, say, Norma was). She dropped it from her repertoire in 1953, only making a studio recording in 1955, which I always found to be a disappointment.
But in this 1951 Mexico City performance, Callas was on fire. Her voice of course never had the glowing beauty of a Tebaldi or Price, but Callas makes her Aida a firy princess. Her "Ritorna vincitor" might be the best sung version I've ever heard. Rosa Ponselle and Giannina Arangi-Lombardi and Renata Tebaldi may sound more beauty but Callas inflects the text to great emotional effect. Her "O patria mia" is a rough moment -- high C was always a rough note for Callas, and she can't sing it "dolce" as marked in the score. But her Act 3 duets with del Monaco and Taddei are remarkable, as is her "O terra addio." And of course, she caps off the Triumphal Scene with the famous E-flat that lasts 7 seconds (yes I've counted). Legend has it that in 1950, when she sang Aida at Mex City with Kurt Baum, she was so annoyed with the tenor that she did the E-flat at the Triumphal Scene. It worked so well that the next year she tried the same stunt.
The rest of the cast is strong. I prefer a Radames who is better able to control dynamics like Franco Corelli or Carlo Bergonzi. Mario del Monaco seems to sing in two ways -- loud and louder. But del Monaco is certainly stentorian and heroic and there just aren't voices like him anymore. Giuseppe Taddei is a wonderfully nasty Amonasoro. His voice practically drips hatred and bitterness. And Oralia Dominguez is not as well-known as the rest of the cast but she's terrific nonetheless, with a beautiful, powerful mezzo voice.
The sound is admittedly bad, but the performance more than makes up for it.

All hail to the E Flat Goddess.......2005-08-23

I have always love Aida I have heard 3 versions but nothing can compare to this. Although the recording quality is terrible, this 1951 gala captures The La Divina in the prime of her vocal prowess. The first time I heard the e flat in the Triumphant schene, my jaw dropped.I could not describe the feeling I had that time. I just closed my eyes and thank the Creator above for giving the world "Maria Callas the greatest suprano in living memory".

Nuclear Aida!!!.......2005-03-18

Ever imagine a large voiced Callas singing Aida? Here it is! Ever wanted her paired with an amazing Radames with a large, robust voice? You have it here! What about an explosive Amneris? Oralia Dominguez is also cast in this performance! What about a 12-second, interpolated E-flat? Callas sings it, and with a huge blazing voice too! Very unlike the standard canary E-flats you hear today! What about a great performance and a dramatically convincing Aida with Giuseppe Taddei as Amonasro? Well, this is it! Although her fabulous studio Aida wasn't as accepted as the Price Aida, this live recording from Mexico puts Leontyne's recording to second place. No other Aida will be able to achieve such a miraculous job of singing the role with that kind of forza, and with that kind of passion. The studio recording with Callas is recommended too, if you want to hear the several colors of Aida.

Average customer rating: Highly engaging summer music--the real spark is Argerich

Martha Argerich and Friends: Live from the Lugano Festival Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Brahms | Brahms, Johannes | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Dvorák, Antonín | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Schubert | Schubert, Franz | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Robert Schumann | Schumann, Robert | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Shostakovich | Shostakovich, Dmitri | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Tchaikovsky | Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Prokofiev | Prokofiev, Sergei | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Argerich, Martha | ( A ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Similar Items: Martha Argerich and Friends Live from the Lugano Festival 2005: Chamber Music Chamber Music-Haydn/Rachmanin Mischa Maisky and Martha Argerich in Concert Brahms: Sonata for 2 Pianos; Mendelssohn: Piano Trio #1; Martha Argerich Martha Argerich and Friends: Live from the Lugano Festival, 2006 ASIN: B0009LNQV0 Release Date: 2005-09-13

Tracks:

1. I. Allegro
2. II. Larghetto
3. III. Gavotte: Non Troppo Allegro
4. IV. Finale: Molto Vivace
5. I. Ouverture Miniature
6. II. Danses Caracteristiques:A. Marche: Tempo Di Marcia Viva
7. II. Danses Caracteristiques:B. Danse De La Fee Dragee: Andante Non Troppo
8. II. Danses Caracteristiques:C. Danse Russe - Trepak: Tempo Di Trepak, Molto Vivace
9. II. Danses Caracteristiques:D. Danse Arabe: Allegretto
10. II. Danses Caracteristiques:E. Danse Chinoise: Allegro Moderato
11. II. Danses Caracteristiques:F. Danse Des Mirlitons: Moderato Assai
12. III. Valse Des Fleurs
13. I. Andante - Moderato
14. II. Allegro Non Troppo
15. III. Largo
16. IV. Allegretto

Tracks:

1. I. Allegro - Lilya Zilberstein
2. II. Adagio - Lilya Zilberstein
3. III. Un Poco Presto E Con Sentimento - Lilya Zilberstein
4. IV. Presto Agitato - Lilya Zilberstein
5. I. Allegro Moderato - Renaud Capucon
6. II. Andante Un Poco Mosso - Renaud Capucon
7. III. Scherzo: Allegro - Renaud Capucon
8. IV. Rondo: Allegro Vivace - Renaud Capucon

Tracks:

1. I. Allegro Brillante
2. II. In Modo D'una Marcia - Un Poco Largamente
3. III. Scherzo: Molto Vivace
4. IV. Allegro Ma Non Troppo
5. I. Mit Leidenschaftlichem Ausdruck
6. II. Allegretto
7. III. Lebhaft
8. I. Allegro Con Fuoco - Renaud Capucon
9. II. Lento - Renaud Capucon
10. III. Allegro Moderato. Grazioso - Pochettino Piu Mosso - Grazioso - Renaud Capucon
11. IV. Allegro Ma Non Troppo - Renaud Capucon

Customer Reviews:

Highly engaging summer music--the real spark is Argerich.......2006-01-06

This bargain 3-CD set is called "Martha Argerich and Friends," but is that enough to warn buyers that she apears only half the time? That half is the best part of this colleciton, taped live across three summers, 2002-04 in LUgano, Italy. the half without Ms. Argerich features stellar musicians, particularly Maxim Vengerov and Yefim Bronfman, but theyir participation is surprisingly low-key.

Argerich loves to play two-piano music, a genre I find too bangy to be interesting much of the time. She zips through a piano transcription of Prokofive's Sym. 1 with Yefim Brongman, and sparkles in a similar arrangement of the Nutcracker Suite with a parnter unknown to me, Mirabela Dina. I'm sure a lot of listeners will have as much fun with fluff as she does.

Her two major contributions come in a riveting Shostakovich Pianto Trio #2, one of his undoubted masterpieces, with Vengerov almost dominatig the ensemble in his mesmerizing account of the violin part. This reading isn't as fiery as Argerich is wont to be, but it has passion enough ot stand beside the best performances (the composer's own and the one with Richter and the Borodin Trio). The second-best thing here is the Schumann Piano Quintet, again finding Argerich in vigorous but not slashing mode (Gott sei dank), easily taking charge and making this a quintet for piano solo with string obligatto. A fine account despite the imbalance.

The half without Argerich is pleasantly done. I had hoped for much more form Vengerov and Bronfman in the Brahms Violin Sonata #3--maybe the warm July breeze off the lake made them a bit drowsy. A Schubert Piano Trio #1 again finds Bronfman in too relaxed mode; the piece lacks spine and attack. The rest of these three CDs is filled out with Argerich accompanying Geza Hosszu-Lagocky (a fine violinist unknown to me) in Schumann's late, rather debilitated Violin Sonata #1, a lovely account without quirks, and a pleasant but hardly memorable Dvorak Piano Quartet #2 led by Walter Delaunt.

All in all, a bargains et of very good performanes that sometimes rises higher than that.

Average customer rating: The best Callas "Sonnambula" One of the two Greatest Sonnambulas in history! Callas - The greatest Amina Legendary Sonnambula A 'SONNAMBULA" TO CHERISH

Bellini: La Sonnambula (complete opera live 1955) with Maria Callas, Giuseppe Modesti, Leonard Bernstein, Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan Maria Callas , Bellini , Lsc , and Bernstein Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Similar Items: Donizetti: Anna Bolena (complete opera live 1957) with Maria Callas, Gianni Raimondi, Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Milan Cherubini: Medea (complete opera live 1953) with Maria Callas, Fedora Barbieri, Leonard Bernstein, Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Milan Verdi: Macbeth (complete opera live 1952) with Maria Callas, Enzo Mascherini, Victor de Sabata, Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Milan Verdi: La Traviata (complete opera live 1955) with Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Carlo Maria Giulini, Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala, Milan Bellini: I Puritani / Callas, di Stefano, Rossi-Lemeni, Panerai; Serafin ASIN: B000069V7N Release Date: 2002-11-05

Tracks:

1. Viva! Viva! Amina!...Tutto E Gioia, Tutto E Festa - Eugenia Ratti
2. In Elvezia Non V'ha Rosa - Eugenia Ratti
3. Care Compagne
4. Come Per Me Sereno...Sempre, O Felice Amina
5. Sovra Il Sen La Man Mi Posa
6. Il Piu Di Tutti, O Amina
7. Perdona, O Mia Diletta
8. Prendi: L'anel Ti Dono - Cesare Valletti
9. Scritti Nel Ciel Gia Sono...Ah! Vorrei Trovar Parole
10. Domani, Appena Aggiorni
11. Come Noioso E Lungo Il Cammin...Vi Ravviso, O Luoghi Ameni...E Gentil, Leggiadra Molto - Giuseppe Modesti
12. Contezza Del Paese - Cesare Valletti
13. A Fosco Cielo, A Notte Bruna - Cesare Valletti
14. Basta Cosi, Ciascuno Si Attenga - Cesare Valletti
15. Elvino! E Me Tu Lasci
16. Son Geloso Del Zefiro Errante
17. Davver, Non Mi Dispiace - Giuseppe Modesti
18. Che Veggio?
19. O Ciel! Che Tento?
20. Osservate: L'uscio E Aperto - Coro Del Teatro Alla Scala, Milano
21. E Menzogna

Tracks:

1. D'un Pensiero E D'un Accento
2. Non Piu Nozze
3. Qui La Selva E Piu Folta Ed Ombrosa - Coro Del Teatro Alla Scala, Milano
4. Reggimi, O Buona Madre
5. Vedi, O Madre...E Afflitto E Mesto
6. Viva Il Conte!
7. Ah! Perche Non Posso Odiarti - Cesare Valletti
8. Lasciami: Aver Compreso - Eugenia Ratti
9. De' Lieti Auguri - Eugenia Ratti
10. E Fia Pur Vero, Elvino - Cesare Valletti
11. Signor Conte, Agli Occhi Miei - Cesare Valletti
12. Lisa! Mendace Anch'essa! - Cesare Valletti
13. Signor?...Che Creder Deggio? - Cesare Valletti
14. Oh! Se Una Volta Sola
15. Ah! Non Credea Mirarti
16. No, Piu Non Reggo
17. Ah! Non Giunge Uman Pensiero

Amazon.com

Maria Callas had worked with Leonard Bernstein at La Scala on Medea in 1953. Here, in '55, they were together again for a very different heroine. While Medea is all vengeance and rage, Amina in Sonnambula is a delicate, sweet, village girl whose sleepwalking confuses the locals into thinking she's unfaithful to her fiancé. Of course, she's exonerated and all ends happily. This role is one of the tests of a great bel canto soprano. There are miles of coloratura, grand leaps, long-breathed melodies, and high notes galore. Callas is at her peak here, singing with delicacy and girlish tone, with fine filigree and sheer loveliness. She makes us care about this character--quite a feat. Tenor Cesare Valletti is her elegant, sweet-toned, and expressive fiancé, and the rest of the cast is fine. Bernstein knows which parts of the score to race through and which to linger over. The remastering of this once-quite-terrible-sounding recording has rendered it acceptable. But even if it weren't (and if you own Callas's other EMI recording of this opera), the wonders of this set--at midprice--are worth hearing. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

The best Callas "Sonnambula".......2006-11-25

SOURCE: Live performance from La Scala in Milan, March 5, 1955.

SOUND: Weak, inadequate, antiquated, muffled, limited and frustrating. I am reminded of the output of the first generation of pocket-sized transistor radios that were such a craze when I was in junior high school--the ones that made the Bakelite-cased, table model AM radios at home sound so resonantly mellifluous. Audiophiles who suffer the vapors on hearing digital recordings made with last week's equipment, walk away right now. This is not for you. The only reason for listening to this recording is the performance. Live with its technical inadequacies.

CAST: Amina - Maria Callas (soprano); Elvino - Cesare Valletti (tenor); Teresa - Gabriella Carurani (mezzo-soprano); Il Conte Rodolfo - Giuseppe Modesti (bass); Lisa - Eugenia Ratti (soprano); Alessio - Pierluigi Latinucci (bass); Un Notario - Giuseppe Nessi (tenor). CONDUCTOR: Leonard Bernstein with the Orchestra and Chorus of Teatro alla Scala, Milano.

TEXT: The standard cuts that were traditional for a century or more are observed.

COMMENTARY: In 1955 La Scala presented "Sonnambula" in an expensive new production overseen by Luchino Visconti, who served as producer, director and all-around prop for Maria Callas. It marked the second occasion in which Callas and Leonard Bernstein worked together in an opera house. Callas was still at her peak, but not long before, a bobbled high note during a performance of "Andrea Chenier" had occasioned an outburst of boos and whistles, something that Maria Callas would remember far more clearly than the cheers she had also earned that night. Callas believed that the sharks were beginning to circle--and she was probably right. Not long after that, Callas, being Callas, had managed to get into an unseemly tussle with Boris Christoff over bows in a "Medea." And the feud with Renata Tebaldi had come to a nice, sour boil.

By the time Callas arrived in Milan, she was in a state. Her doctor ordered complete rest. The opening of "La Sonnambula" was postponed for two weeks. Bernstein was not entirely unhappy at the delay, for it allowed him to get in an almost unprecedented eighteen orchestral rehearsals for an opera that La Scala habitually performed after only a single run-through.

At the time, Callas seems to have been going through an infatuation with Visconti. When she finally turned up at rehearsals, she was unusually pliant before his direction. However, so the story goes, one Visconti-ism proved too much for her. Although the opera is set in a humble Tyrolean village, the director insisted that Callas wear her best personal jewelry during all rehearsals. "But Luchino," she is supposed to have said, "I'm only a village girl." "No," Visconti replied, "you are MARIA CALLAS playing a village girl, and don't you forget it!"

Callas sings extremely well here, lightening her voice to portray the simple village girl, Amina (pace Luchino), but nevertheless in full La Divina mode with wonderful high notes and breathtaking vocal decorations. For Callas fans, that fully justifies a five-star rating for this set.

This is one of the relatively few Callas live recordings that can also boast of a first-class tenor and conductor. Cesare Valletti was a true, indeed a classic tenore di grazia. He was Tito Schipa's student and in some ways he surpassed that charming old musical con man. Because of him, the glorious Amina-Elvino duets are first-rate. (Such was not the case in Callas' studio recording and her second live recording, both made with the utterly useless Nicola Monti.) Bernstein was at his most Bernsteinly. He put his well-rehearsed orchestra through their paces and injected drama, fire and electricity into the music. (Perhaps more drama, fire and electricity than sweetly melodious Bellini ever intended--but that's another subject.)

The rest of the cast is pretty good, also unusual for a live Callas recording. Eugenia Ratti is a little too hard-edged for my taste but she is effective as the hard-edged Lisa. Giuseppe Modesti is fine as Count Rodolfo. The only fault I can find with him is that he is not Cesare Siepi.

Callas at her best, a good supporting cast and a top conductor, all of these demand and deserve five stars.

BUT--this is not at all the best performance of "La Sonnambula" available. In 1952 CETRA issued a recording with Lina Pagliughi and Ferruccio Tagliavini which is currently available in various editions. Pagliughi was good, even though she was never the vocal technician that Callas was. Nevertheless, she was a better Amina, singing in the old melodic way. Excellent as Valletti was, Tagliavini was even better. Overall, I think the Pagliughi-Tagliavini performance is the one Bellini would have said most closely matched his intentions.

One of the two Greatest Sonnambulas in history!.......2004-12-06

This recording of La Sonnambula is a necessity in any opera lover's collection. Featuring Maria Callas at the prime of her career, one cannot ignore the fact that despite the quality of this live recording, the sheer interpretation of Bellini's Swiss village girl in this Sonnambula should never be condoned. At 1955, Callas' voice was at its peak form, fresh without the many characteristics that would detract non-fans from her recordings. It was during this time too that she worked with the famed American conductor Leonard Bernstein, one of the most dexterous and passionate interpreters of the score. Also included in this collaboration was the famed film director Luchino Visconti, and it was this trio that brought the spotlights of opera into this rare gem of a Sonnambula. The other Sonnambula, the live Koln Sonnambula with Votto, comes with a much superior cast and an even more superior sound, but this Sonnambula should never be overlooked for the numerous trills and embellishments that Bernstein had designed for Callas' voice in this performance. Overall, I'd give it a six stars for the magic of her interpretation, but minus one star for the mediocre sound.

Callas - The greatest Amina.......2004-07-15

Callas sounding OLD? Sutherland is the one with the matronly sound while Callas sang Amina with a bright, innocent voice, something even severe critics noticed. Meowing the coloratura? Who are you listening to? To some silly chirper like Pons or Robin? Callas was a dramatic coloratura with incredible squillo! If you dislike Callas, fine, but to invent LIES and to PLAGIARIZE is a crime and REPULSIVE. Shame on you!

Legendary Sonnambula.......2004-07-10

This live-recording is, even in an illustrious discography as Callas', a wonder. A wonder of sheer perfection, love and beauty. Callas who could sing a blood-curdling Medea and Lady Macbeth sang the purest, most touching and tearful Amina. Just listen to Amina's first aria to hear a voice of airy beauty, lucid warmth and tenderness. The duets with Elvino (The WONDERFUL Valletti, a true belcanto-tenor in the tradition of Schipa) soar to heaven rivalling the stars! And her madscene is unrivalled with the ornaments and incredible coloratura! A keeper!

A 'SONNAMBULA" TO CHERISH.......2004-05-23

The very few ignorant people on these pages who dismiss this performance of "Sonnambula" are not to be taken seriously. They don't understand music OR Bellini. 1955 was probably Callas' greatest year as an artist, and she was in stupendous voice. This "Sonnambula" is in the Malibran-Pasta tradition. Callas uses Bellini's harmonies to their greatest advantage - her two and a half downward cadenza to low A flat in the first cabaletta is in the words of John Ardoin, "rooted in Bellini's harmonic structure". Her coloratura here is astounding ---- and at breakneck speed -- yet her lyrical singing is so beautiful that it's painful. Cesare Valletti is a priceless Elvino, and in the duets, both he and Callas sound like a violin and a viola. Bernstein is an outstanding Bellini conductor, and the entire performance is one never likely to be bettered anywhere by anybody. The sound is decent, except for some distortion in one of Valletti's arias in the second half of the opera, as well as some more just before Callas' superlative final cabaletta. But this is not nearly enough to make you not enjoy this set. It's a jewel.

Average customer rating: Bravo! PASSING IT ON TO THE YOUNG Stars and some lesser lights (for now) shining Encore Argerich in most congenial company

Martha Argerich and Friends Live from the Lugano Festival 2005: Chamber Music Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Brahms | Brahms, Johannes | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Mendelssohn | Mendelssohn, Felix | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rachmaninov | Rachmaninov, Sergei | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Sonatinas | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Piano | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Cello | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Argerich, Martha | ( A ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Similar Items: Martha Argerich and Friends: Live from the Lugano Festival Bach & Beyond - Gabriela Montero Gabriela Montero plays Chopin, Falla, Ginestera, etc. [Includes Bonus CD] Chamber Music-Haydn/Rachmanin Reflection ASIN: B000FHYI3S Release Date: 2006-07-18

Tracks:

1. I: Allegro Energico - Renaud Capucon
2. II: Andante Espressivo - Renaud Capucon
3. III: Sherzo: Molto Allegro Quasi Presto - Renaud Capucon
4. IV: Finale: Allegro Appassionato - Renaud Capucon
5. I: Allegro Vivace
6. II: Adagio Con Espressione
7. III: Finale: Allegro
8. I: Allegro
9. II: Andante
10. III: Rondo: Allegretto

Tracks:

1. I: Lento-Allegro Moderato - Mischa Maisky
2. II: Allegro Scherzando - Mischa Maisky
3. III: Andante - Mischa Maisky
4. IV: Allegro Mosso - Mischa Maisky
5. I: Introduction
6. II: Valse
7. III: Romance
8. IV: Tarantella
9. I: Ritmo - Sergio Tiempo
10. II: Sentimiento - Sergio Tiempo
11. III: Gracia (El Vito) - Sergio Tiempo

Tracks:

1. Chorale 'St Anthony': Andante
2. Variation I. Andante Con Moto
3. Variation II. Vivace
4. Variation III. Con Moto
5. Variation IV. Andante
6. Variation V. Poco Presto
7. Variation VI. Vivace
8. Variation VII. Grazioso
9. Variation VIII. Poco Presto
10. Finale: Andante
11. I: Allegro Non Troppo - Lilya Zilberstein
12. II: Andante, Un Poco Adagio - Lilya Zilberstein
13. III: Scherzo: Allegro - Lilya Zilberstein
14. IV: Finale: Poco Sostenuto-Allegro Non Troppo-Presto, Non Troppo - Lilya Zilberstein
15. I: Las Ninas De Sante Fe
16. II: Muchacho Jujeno
17. III: Baile En Cuyo

Amazon.com

Since Martha Argerich has abandoned solo recitals and studio recordings, her new CDs feature concert collaborations with like-minded friends and protégés. Whatever the negatives of such live recordings may be, the upside trumps them handily since, if we're lucky, some of the sparks generated by musicians in a concert venue will be captured. With this set drawn from the 2005 Lugano Festival we're decidedly lucky, for musical electricity courses through all three discs. There are nine works by eight composers ranging from Mendelssohn to Guastavino, all played with spontaneity and full-blooded Romanticism. Argerich is onstage for five of them, including such rarities as Brahms' two-piano version of his Variations on a theme of Haydn, where she's partnered by Polina Leschenko, and, with Piotr Anderszewski, Grieg's full-dress arrangement for two pianos of Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 16, an oddity whose curiosity value outweighs the sacrilege. There's also the sensuous Argentine and Andalucian encores and the teenage Beethoven's Piano Quartet set alongside masterpieces such as the Brahms Piano Quintet, Op. 34 and Mendelssohn's Piano Trio No.2, both played with a captivating blend of sensitivity and fervor. For many the highlight will be two big Rachmaninoff works on Disc Two - Mischa Maisky's big-toned cello in the master's G minor Cello Sonata, whose episodic qualities the soloist turns into virtues, and the Suite No. 2 for two pianos, passionately played by Argerich and Gabriela Montero. Get this, put it in your player, and be transported to Festival-level performances by established masters and a new generation of stars. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Bravo!.......2007-06-06

I felt like standing up and clapping with the audience after each piece. This CD is absolutely wonderful, in all aspects. The musicanship is impeccable and the production and sound quality couldn't be better.

I picked it out to hear the Mendelssohn Piano Trio No. 2, and that piece is done so vibrantly and ecstatically that it's surely one of the best on record. Not to say that the other pieces aren't on an equally high level.

I can't imagine any classical music fan, and especially chamber music fans, being disappointed with this CD.

PASSING IT ON TO THE YOUNG.......2007-03-06

In this three disc set of the 2005 Lugano festival. A festival as evidenced by this recording that was filled with great music making and reeking of Martha Argerich's talents and too of her musical generosity. She plays on this recording in about every other number introducing, for the most part, some rather unfamiliar works (i.e. the Beethoven VERY early Piano quartet which is wonderful sounding a little like some Haydn and Mozart with the unmistakable stamp of dear Ludwig) Most of the time, she let her young friends and/or colleagues have the "Juicier" numbers--Mendelssohn's 2nd trio(the performers therein particularly shine in the effervescent 3rd movement and the religiously inclined 4th movement), Rachmaninov's cello sonata, etc. Her influence, however, I'm sure was very heavy indeed inspiring the "young ones" on to wonderful performances. They do give some wonderful performances. When she does join in (as in the Brahms' two piano version of the Haydn variations) the sparks DO fly--she and Gabriela Montero (sp?)do a splendid Rachmaninov Suite for two pianos #2! One hears the fact that one is listening to a "master Pianist" from the very start of the piece that she is playing in--wow! Mischa Maisky also lends his talents in the wonderful Rachmaninov's cello sonata.

I enjoyed this recording of this Lugano festival very much; I felt that I was experiencing the festivities myself--wonderful music performed by great talents, I, in future intend to purchase more recordings of Martha Argerich's Lugano festival. It's delightful in every way. By the way, EMI's sound is superb!

Stars and some lesser lights (for now) shining.......2006-12-15

'Martha Argerich and Friends Live from the Lugano Festival 2005: Chamber Music' is bound to collect awards when the Grammies come out. This 3 CD set of a live concert is a filled with joy, impassioned playing, variation in repertoire and exuberant music making as any set on the market.

Martha Argerich holds the throne here but as is her manner she shares the stage with such gifted young artists as Polina Leschenko, Piotr Anderszewski, Gabriela Montero, Mark Dobrinsky, Mischa Maisky, Lilya Zilberstein, Gautier and Renaud Capuçon, Lida Chen and Nicholas Angelich. The repertoire is wonderfully varied and includes fine works by Rachmaninov, Beethoven, Brahms, Carlos Guastavino, Manuel Infante, Mendelssohn and Mozart. The artists obviously share not only some behind the scenes training (!) but they all seem to enjoy the act of music making with like minds/friends.

One of the many marks on music that Martha Argerich will leave is her boundless enthusiasm for concerts such as this. With her appearances on the solo stage and in concerti diminishing due to health, it is particularly fortunate for us that she continues to engage in the magic of live recordings, especially when they glow with the light that this one does. This set is a tremendous bargain. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, December 06

Encore.......2006-11-10

Another very interesting & high quality, live performance. All the artists are superb. One or two performers & pieces I was not familiar with but I wasn't disappointed. Next best thing to going to Lugano!

Argerich in most congenial company.......2006-10-18

EMI has made a small business out of live recordings by Martha Argerich, and one of the most congenial aspects is the box sets from the Lugano Festival where Argerich is the star draw. She is at her most relaxed in this setting, as one can hear from the Rachmaninov Suite #2, which is vigorous and declamatory but nowhere close to her brutal studio recording. The Amazon reviewer has listed what one can expect from this 2005 installment, sold at bargain price but full of treasures. For me the revelation was Mendelssohn's Piano Trio #2, which bids fair to be considered an overlooked masterpiece. One should also note the extremely attractive Three Argentine Romances by Carlos Gustavino, spectauclarly played by Argerich with vibrant rhtyhms and exotic atmosphere.

My only disappointment is that Argerich doesn't appear in this work or in the set's other masterpiece, the Brahms F minor Piano Quintet. However, the other pianists are wonderful in their own right--Nicholas Angelich in the Mendelsson and Lilya Zilberstein in the Brahms. One is grateful for them, given that Argerich--rahter neurotically, I think--has a quirk of restricting herself very often to two-piano music. The Rachmaninov is welcome, but for those of us who aren't fans of four-hand music, the arrangements of the Mozart K. 545 sonata and Brahms Haydn Variations feel like too much of a good thing. Even so, this is a highly recommended bargain for chamber music lovers.

Average customer rating: If you only get one Martha Argerich disc... DON'T YOU WISH YOU'D BEEN THERE? Argerich's strengths and weaknesses Great Chopin Nocturne Not Martha's Best

Live from the Concertgebouw, 1978 & 1979 Johann Sebastian Bach , Bela Bartok , Frédéric Chopin , Alberto Ginastera , Sergey Prokofiev , Domenico Scarlatti , and Martha Argerich Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Bartók, Béla | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Chopin | Chopin, Frédéric | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Ginastera | Ginastera, Alberto | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Domenico Scarlatti | Scarlatti, Domenico | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Prokofiev | Prokofiev, Sergei | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Nocturnes | Short Forms | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Sonatinas | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Scherzo | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Piano | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Argerich, Martha | ( A ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Similar Items: Martha Argerich Plays Chopin: The Legendary 1965 Recording Debut Recital / Martha Argerich J.S. Bach: Toccata, Partita, English Suite 2/ Martha Argerich Martha Argerich: Live from the Concertgebouw, 1978 & 1992 Rachmaninoff: Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30 / Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23 ASIN: B00004LCAR Release Date: 2000-05-09

Tracks:

1. Partita No. 2 In C Minor, BWV 826: I. Sinfonia - Grave Adagio
2. Partita No. 2 In C Minor, BWV 826: Andante
3. Partita No. 2 In C Minor, BWV 826: II. Allemande
4. Partita No. 2 In C Minor, BWV 826: III. Courante
5. Partita No. 2 In C Minor, BWV 826: IV. Sarabonde
6. Partita No. 2 In C Minor, BWV 826: V. Rondeau
7. Nocturne No. 13 In C Minor, Op. 48, No. 1
8. Scherzo No. 3 In C Sharp Minor, Op. 39
9. Sonata, Sz. 80: I. Allegro moderato
10. Sonata, Sz. 80: II. Sostenuto e pesante
11. Sonata, Sz. 80: III. Allegro molto
12. Danzas Argentinas, Op. 2: I. Danza del viejo boyero (Dance Of The Old Cowherd)
13. Danzas Argentinas, Op. 2: II. Danza de la moza donoso (Dance Of The Delightful Young Girl)
14. Danzas Argentinas, Op. 2: III. Danza del gaucho matrero (Dance Of The Artful Herdsman)
15. Piano Sonata No. 7 In B Flat, Op. 83: I. Allegro inquieto - Andantino
16. Piano Sonata No. 7 In B Flat, Op. 83: II. Andante caloroso
17. Piano Sonata No. 7 In B Flat, Op. 83: III. Precipitato
18. Scarlatti: Keyboard Sonata In D Minor
19. Bourree - English Suite No. 2 In A Minor, BWV 807

Amazon.com

Throughout her lengthy artistic career, pianist Martha Argerich has experienced many heights and depths: moments of "crisis" in which she hasn't always seemed prepared to offer the full extent of her artistic insights, but also many, many times when she has managed simultaneously to come into her own and to completely lose herself in music-making. Fortunately it's the latter snapshot of Argerich's career that this CD captures, drawing from two live recitals Argerich gave at Amsterdam's Concertgebouw in 1978 and 1979. They document the pianist's overwhelming gifts, with all the artistic characteristics that have made her so revered. The program is quite eclectic, with music from Prokofiev and Chopin--all familiar territory for Argerich, which she masters with arresting brilliance, extraordinary technical facility, and grandly sweeping gestures. A bit further afield on the program are such composers as Domenico Scarlatti and J.S. Bach. The latter might give one pause: Bach and Argerich? But in the slower movements of the C Minor Partita, it's astonishing to hear such uncommonly tender, feathery tones. In short, the music breathes. It's only too bad that in the faster movements of the Bach pieces Argerich resorts to her typically fiery, stormy attacks. --Teresa Pieschacón Raphael

Customer Reviews:

If you only get one Martha Argerich disc..........2007-04-30

If you only get one Martha Argerich disc, or if you're just begining to collect her music, this would be an excellent choice. She is in superb form here, playing to a large, very appreciative audience. Also she plays a huge variety here, ranging from Bach & Scarlatti, through Chopin, to semi-modern composers including Bartok, Prokofiev, and Ginastera.

This recording illustrates why Argerich is considered by many to be the greatest living pianist, (I also love Pollini). Her power, passion, full colored tone, and technical agility are unparalleled. While everything on this album is superb, my favorite is the Chopin Nocturne in C minor. It starts off very calm, but with just a hint of the turbulence to come. It becomes even more serine when suddenly the serenity is invaded by waves of dark turbulence. I've heard a few other versions of this work, but I've never heard the simultaneous range of emotions that Argerich achieves here, it's magical.

DON'T YOU WISH YOU'D BEEN THERE?.......2006-08-31

Thrilling, exciting, sexy, passionate, fiery, volatile, demanding, challenging, surprising, charismatic, exquisitely beautiful. Are we talking about the pianist or the playing? Well, both, of course. This recital from the Concertgebouw in the late 70's (actually put together from two recitals) amply demonstrates why Martha Argerich is one of the great pianists of our time.

For a start, there is the breathtaking range of repertoire here - from Bach to Bartok and Prokofiev and on to her fellow-countryman, Ginastera. All of them played with an innate sense of the different styles and character demanded. But all of them challenging stale preconceptions, shedding new light on the composers and their music. Even the most familiar pieces come up as fresh as though newly minted. The Chopin items are just as fresh and exciting as anything here: the C Minor Nocturne is a wonder of colour and tints, the darkness of its central section starkly contrasted with the elegance and smoothness of its outer parts. Equally the motoric rhythms of the first movement of the Bartok Sonata and the last of the Prokofiev display enormous power and energy.

With her reluctance to play/record solo recitals any more, live documents such as these Concertgebouw programmes are invaluable. If you've a taste for invigorating, refreshing piano playing of the highest standards (both of technique and interpretation), don't hesitate.

Argerich's strengths and weaknesses.......2005-11-11

This CD, with live recordings from 1978 and 1979, is a showcase of Martha Argerich's astounding gifts but also of some of her evident shortcomings. The former are a technique as brilliant as any to be found anywhere in the world today, a real interpretative temperament and a natural musical instinct which is amongst the most unique in the annals of piano playing. The latter, a tendency towards senselessly fast and forced playing which often leads to distorted renditions reminiscent of the worst moments of Simon Barere and Gyorgy Cziffra.

The Partita n. 2 is good, reasonably spacious and even luminous in places. It's non-authoritative Bach playing but all the better for it. The Bartok sonata is the highlight of the disc: its motoric drive is relentless, its percussiveness notable without being unpleasant, and the overall technical vigour quite remarkable. Prokofiev's Sonata n. 7, op. 83 - probably the most popular of the Russian master's nine - is also impressive, with some brilliant fingerwork in spite of some minor slips and exciting throughout, though the final allegro precipitato sounds hurried rather than potent. Argerich also shows the expected understanding of her compatriot Alberto Ginastera's Danzas Argentinas, which she dispatches with flair and elan.

The Chopin, however, is a totally different story, and a sad one at that. This Scherzo n. 3 is much inferior to Argerich's previous recordings of the piece - made in 1961 and 1965 - and easily her worst attempt. She entirely sacrifices the narrative aspect of the work to speed and feverishness. The result is a shapeless, amorphous performance, with many blurred and technically inaccurate moments, and a tone with is at times hard-edged and banged. I can't imagine Chopin wanting that (ironically enough, the notoriously fast-fingered Barere recorded this same scherzo in the 30's with restraint, good taste and a luminous quality of tone).

All in all, a valuable CD, not only for the instances of great piano playing but also for revealing Argerich's highs and lows as a performer.

Great Chopin Nocturne.......2005-02-03

Sometimes, listening to Argerich can give one the impression that you are hearing THE way of playing a piece.
In this case, it happened with Chopin's beautiful nocturne, which i had already heard in various performances by other pianists (Rubinstein, Barenboim, etc)

I can't believe it's the same piece. In this recording, Argerich has managed to make this one explode like an atomic bomb, and leave me trembling.... Even in the slower parts the notes seem to flow like water... Simply wonderful.

The other works recorded are good, but the partita sounds better on DG's Studio recording, the Scherzo also sounds better on DG's Debut Recital... The Prokofiev sonata is included in this disc only, so if you want it, there you go...

Anyway, good cd, gret Nocturne, very good permormances all around.

The sound is a little crappy though, so it gets 4 stars instead of five. I really don't like EMI's live sound...

Not Martha's Best.......2001-07-30

Being a Marth Argerich fan, i was disapointed with this CD. In the last movement of the Prokofiev, which is one of my favorite pieces of music, she loses control and the Great Finaly of the sonata is very sloppy. through out the CD backround noise is heard and for the encores i was amazed at how much whishpereing there was , even during her playing. i know thats something that she cannot help. overall her playing is much cleaner and neater on otherr CD's. i recommened her two Great Pianists of hte Twentieth Century CD's much more than this one. the First one has a much nicer recording of the Bach Partita.

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