Customer Reviews

20th Century Masterpieces (16 CDs)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For anyone wondering about duplications, it's helpful to know the complete contents here, as lifted from Presto.co.uk --

Adams, J:
The Chairman Dances

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Simon Rattle

Adès:
Asyla

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle

Barber:
Adagio for Strings, Op. 11

London Symphony Orchestra, Michael Tilson Thomas

Bartók:
Piano Concerto No. 3, BB 127, Sz. 119

Martha Argerich (piano)

Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, Charles Dutoit

Berg:
Violin Concerto 'To the Memory of an Angel' (1935)

Frank Peter Zimmermann (violin)

Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart, Gianluigi Gelmetti

Bernstein:
West Side Story - Symphonic Dances

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Järvi

Birtwistle:
Tragoedia

Melos Ensemble, Lawrence Foster

Boulez:
Le Soleil des Eaux

Josephine Nendick, Barry McDaniel & Louis Devos

BBC Chorus & Symphony Orchestra, Pierre Boulez

Britten:
Sinfonia da Requiem, Op. 20

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Simon Rattle

Copland:
Fanfare for the Common Man

Orquesta Filarmónica de la Ciudad de México, Enrique Bátiz

Debussy:
La Mer

Philharmonia Orchestra, Carlo Maria Giulini

Delius:
Brigg Fair

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham

Dutilleux:
Cello Concerto

Mstislav Rostropovich (cello)

Orchestre de Paris, Serge Baudo

Elgar:
Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85

Jacqueline du Pré (cello)

London Symphony Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli

Falla:
Noches en los jardines de Espana

Gonzalo Soriano

Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos

Gershwin:
Rhapsody in Blue

orch. Grofé

London Symphony Orchestra, André Previn

Gorecki:
Symphony No. 3, Op. 36 'Symphony of Sorrowful Songs'

Zofia Kilanowicz

Kraków Symphony Orchestra, Jacek Kaspszyk

Henze:
Barcarola

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Simon Rattle

Hindemith:
Symphony 'Mathis der Maler'

Philadelphia Orchestra, Wolfgang Sawallisch

Holst:
The Planets, Op. 32

Geoffrey Mitchell Choir & London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Adrian Boult

Honegger:
Movement symphonique No. 1 'Pacific 231'

Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Mariss Jansons

Janacek:
Sinfonietta

Pro Arte Orchestra, Sir Charles Mackerras

Khachaturian:
Masquerade

Philharmonia Orchestra, Efrem Kurtz

Landowski:
Adagio cantabile for string orchestra

Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Marcel Landowski

Lutoslawski:
Concerto for Orchestra

Mahler:
Der Abschied (Das Lied von der Erde)

Christa Ludwig (soprano)

Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer

Maw, N:
Dance Scenes

Philharmonia Orchestra, Daniel Harding

Messiaen:
Et Expecto Resurrectionem Mortuorum

Ensemble de Percussion de l'Orchestre de Paris & Orchestre de Paris, Serge Baudo

Milhaud:
La Création du Monde, Op. 81

Orchestre National de France, Leonard Bernstein

Nielsen:
Symphony No. 5, Op. 50 (FS97)

Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Herbert Blomstedt

Orff:
Carmina Burana

Lucia Popp, Gerhard Unger, Raymond Wolansky & John Noble

Wandsworth School Boys' Choir & New Philharmonia Chorus & Orchestra, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos

Penderecki:
Tren (Threnody), "To the Victims of Hiroshima"

Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra, Krzysztof Penderecki

Poulenc:
Concerto in G minor for Organ, Strings & Timpani

Gillian Weir

City of London Sinfonia, Richard Hickox

Prokofiev:
Piano Concerto No. 1 in D flat major, Op. 10

Martha Argerich (piano)

Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, Charles Dutoit

Pärt:
Spiegel im Spiegel

Tasmin Little & Martin Roscoe

Rachmaninov:
Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18

Leif Ove Andsnes (piano)

Berliner Philharmoniker, Antonio Pappano

Ravel:
Boléro

Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan

Respighi:
Pines of Rome

London Symphony Orchestra, Lamberto Gardelli

Rodrigo:
Concierto de Aranjuez

Angel Romero

London Symphony Orchestra, André Previn

Schnittke:
Minuet for String Trio

Gidon Kremer, Yuri Bashmet & Mstislav Rostropovich

Schoenberg:
5 orchestral pieces, Op. 16

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Simon Rattle

Shostakovich:
Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47

Wiener Philharmoniker, Mariss Jansons

Sibelius:
Symphony No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 82

Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Paavo Berglund

Strauss, R:
Four Last Songs

Nina Stemme

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Antonio Pappano

Stravinsky:
The Rite of Spring

London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Charles Mackerras

Takemitsu:
Water-ways

London Sinfonietta, Oliver Knussen

Tavener:
The Protecting Veil

Steven Isserlis (cello)

London Symphony Orchestra, Gennadi Rhozdestvensky

Tippett:
Concerto for double string orchestra

Moscow Chamber Orchestra & Bath Festival Orchestra, Rudolf Barshai

Turnage:
Drowned Out

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle

Vaughan Williams:
The Lark Ascending

Sarah Chang (violin)

London Philharmonic Orchestra, Bernard Haitink

Walton:
Cello Concerto

Lynn Harrell (cello)

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Simon Rattle

Webern:
Six Pieces for Orchestra Op. 6

(revised version)

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Simon Rattle

I have a deep suspicion that this is the sort of compilation that won't be on the market all that long. And it is good enough that anyone with any interest in 20th century music will want to have it at its super-budget price. I would suggest you grab it now if you're interested in it. The set comprises 16 CDs with 20th century music presented in chronological order -- from Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto (1901, here played by Leif Ove Andsnes) to Thomas Adès's Asyla (1997, played by Simon Rattle leading the City of Birmingham SO). These are all EMI releases, of course, and artists range from Adrian Boult (Holst's 'The Planets') to Michael Tilson Thomas (Barber's 'Adagio for Strings'), from Jacqueline du Pré (Elgar Cello Concerto) to Lynn Harrell (Walton Cello Concerto), from Sarah Chang (Vaughan Williams's 'The Lark Ascending') to Gidon Kremer (Schnittke's 'Minuet'), from Martha Argerich (Prokofiev's First Piano Concerto & Bartók's Third Piano Concerto) to André Previn (Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue'), from the Berlin Philharmonic (Rachmaninoff Second Piano Concerto, et al.) to the Philadelphia Orchestra (Hindemith's 'Mathis der Maler' Symphony), from Carlo Maria Giulini (Debussy's 'La Mer') to John Barbirolli (Elgar Cello Concerto) to Pierre Boulez (his own 'Le soleil des eaux') to Gennady Rozhdestvensky (Taverner's 'The Protecting Veil' with Steven Isserlis, cello). There are fifty-two individual works, all played absolutely complete (except for the 'Abschied' movement extracted from Mahler's 'Das Lied von der Erde' in a moving performance by Christa Ludwig with Klemperer conducting). And there's not a bad performance in the lot.

Among the more recent works are Gorecki's 'Symphony of Sorrowful Songs', Birtwistle's 'Tragoedia', Henze's 'Barcarola', Takemitsu's 'Water-Ways', Adams's 'The Chairman Dances', Turnage's 'Drowned Out', and Maw's 'Dance Scenes'. Bernstein is represented by 'Symphonic Dances from West Side Story' (oddly sharing a CD with Penderecki's 'Threnody for Victims of Hiroshima'. There is a terrific 'Carmina Burana' by Orff, led by Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos. Rostropovich plays Dutilleux's 'Tout un monde lointain'. Other favorites of mine include Lutoslawski's 'Concerto for Orchestra' with the composer conducting, and Tippett's Fantasia concertante on a Theme of Corelli under Rudolf Barshai. Obviously I haven't listed all that is here.

Many of you, of course, will have some of these performances on single CDs. But at this price a few duplications should not be a deterrent.

Heartily recommended.

Scott Morrison