Customer Reviews

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli

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HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:

This 10-CD set represents the recordings of the great Italian pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, from the maestro's earlier, post-World War years to the 1990's, spanning half a century of outsanding pianism and musicianship.

Michelangeli was an eccentric, a truly special personality in the world of music who offered surprises and delights at every turn. His concert repertoire was insignificant and limited compared to those of his contemporaries Richter and Arrau, and he cancelled concerts at the slightest whims. His playing was equally unpredictable; it was at times extremely beautiful, colorful, and divinely expressive; on the other hand, it could also be robust, sturdy, and deafeningly powerful. His Debussy offered a transparent, watery atmosphere splashed with delicious sweetness and surreality, yet his Beethoven was direct and vigorous; his Chopin involved elements of both. Simply put, the art of Michelangeli was a fusion of sheer brilliance and an unmovable, forceful personality.

The track listings are as follows:

CD 1 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (64:12)

Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No.15 in B-flat Major, KV.450

Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, KV.493

CD 2 - Frédéric Chopin (76:48)

Scherzo No.2 in B-flat minor, Op.31

Ballade No.1 in G Minor, Op.23

Andante spianato et Grande Polonaise Brillante in E-flat Major, Op.22

Berceuse in D-flat Major, Op.57

Piano Sonata No.2 in B-flat Minor, Op.35

Mazurka in F-sharp Minor, Op.59/3

Valse in E-flat, op. posth.

CD 3 - Robert Schumann (57:45)

Carnaval, Op.9

Faschingsschwang aus Wien, Op.26

CD 4 - Ludwig van Beethoven (72:05)

Piano Sonata No.11 in B-flat Major, Op.22

Piano Sonata No.12 in A-flat Major, Op.26

Piano Sonata No.32 in C Minor, Op.111

CD 5 - Johannes Brahms (46:56)

4 Ballades, op.10

Variations on a theme by Paganini, Op.35

CD 6 - Claude Debussy (77:24)

Children's Corner

Images, Livres I & II

Préludes, Livre I (9 Excerpts)

CD 7 - Bach/Scarlatti/Galuppi (70:54)

Chaconne in D Minor, BWV 1004 (trans. Busoni)

Italian Concerto, BWV 971

Seven Sonatas

Presto in B-flat major

Sonata V in C Major

CD 8 - Frédéric Chopin (70:36)

Scherzo No.1 in B Minor, Op.20

Fantaisie in F Minor, Op.49

3 Valses

7 Mazurkas

CD 9 - The Concertos in Vatican City for Pope John XXIII (63:56)

Schumann: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op.54

Liszt: Totentanz

CD 10 - Schumann/Franck/Grieg (74:51)

Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op.54

Symphonic Variations for Piano and Orchestra

Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op.16

This is an anthological compilation that includes a series of priceless performances throughout the lifetime of this prodigious pianist of acclaimed status around the world.

Benedetti Michelangeli knew to achieve that coveted and praised sound in every one of his memorable appearances during his successful career.

CD 1 : Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Concerto for piano and orchestra no. 15 in B flat major with unknown date (but I guess this must have been recorded in the middle fifties), accompanied by Zurich chamber orchestra conducted by Edmond De Stoutz, and then comes the lovable Piano Quartet Kv. 493 with Jean Pierre Wallez, violin, Claude Henry Joubert, viola and Frank Dariel, cello.

The performance of the piano Concerto matches with my favorite version of Geza Anda, sumptuous and hovered by that Imperial Dionysian breath, and the quartet is played with refined inspiration.

CD 2: Frederic Chopin

1. Scherzo No. 2 Op. 31
2. Ballade No. 1 Op. 23
3. Andante spianato et Grand Polonaise Brillante Op. 23
Recorded in Bregenz March 1985

4. Berceuse O. 57 and 10. Valse in E flat Op. Posth. from Torino, December 1962

5. Sonata No. 2 was recorded in Lugano, June 4 1968 and finally from Brescia 23- 06- 67 the track 9 Mazurka Op. 59 No. 1

The first aspect to remark is the elevated lyric flight which was performed the First Ballad, I had never listened played with such cosmic approach and sheer lyricism, in my mind still resound the thundering visions of William Kapell or Teresa Carreño, for instance, but never under this mesmerizing gaze. Incorporeal, sublime and profound, breathes a grandness air never heard before.

The Andante Spianato was performed, tinged of a celestial poetry, this always was one of the favorite pieces of this artist, played with sheer and devouring passion, but the superb expressiveness of Michelangeli literally covered the entire hall.

And we have arrived to the jewel of the crown in this memorable CD; despite of the fact the Berceuse is simply insurmountable; the Sonata No. 2 acquires bindings of extraordinary its excel phrasing clarifies and accents accurately the inner pathos of this Op. Michelangeli overcomes himself respect to the previous version made in Praga in 1960.

CD 3 . Robert Schumann
Carnaval Op. 9 and Faschingsschwank Op. 26

To my mind there is not any other version capable to match with this inimitable, clean, fluid, evocative and superb performance, filled of surprising filigrees, carefully calibrated and expressed, in what it might realize about the perfect balance between expression and introspection. Every single episode is phrased with sublime excel precision .This performance dates from Lugano June 4 1968.

CD 4: Ludwig van Beethoven. Recorded in Lugano in April 4 1981.

The First Sonata is played with an amazing skillfulness, an outburst of effervescent energy and radiant luminosity that makes one regret he has not played more Beethoven during his lifetime. Maybe in what concerns to that ferocity and thundering accents the only pianist capable to match him has been Vladimir Horowitz, but Michelangeli is miles away him due his febrile gradation of tonalities and countless expressive resources.

The twelfth Sonata is widely known, because its pristine elegance and lyric expression filled of magisterial hues. The First Movement is luminous and overwhelmingly phrased filled of Beethovenian pathos and Apollonian enjoyment. Although I feel the Marcia a mite fast and not so full rounded as Serkin did it in a recital from London 1971 (very difficult to get, by the way), his impeccable gifts surmount by far this simple detail.

The Sonata No. 32 is superbly played, specially toward the last movement where Michelangeli makes one felt the evanescent effluvium of the fugue in its incorporeal nature and vanishing meaning.

CD 5 Johannes Brahms

This CD is part of a legendary recital which took place in Lugano on May 1973, previously released by music and Arts Cd 817 ( 2 CD), whose entire program was composed by Bach / Busoni Chaconne , Schumann Carnaval Op. 9 and then Brahms in the second half.

Personally I have never listened such set of Ballades played with such sense of penetrating mystery and , incorporeal elusiveness and dark lyricism. He gives us a full rounded of magisterial domain of this socre and (at least to my mind) confirms a personal opinion in which these Ballades must be played as if each one of them be part of Sonata.

Paganini variations was always part of Michelangeli in most of his appearances and it may be regarded one of his most beloved battle horses. Perhaps there are thre others performances worthy to amatch with this one; the extraordinary version of Kapell in a live performance (never released on commercial circuits) , Julius Katchen' s ravishing performance and finally an electrifying version of Gary Grafman, but this one is filled of magic rapture from the very start to his triumphal final coda.

CD 6 Claude Debussy

The formidable incorporeal approach to this well known and most beloved suite is amazing in every sense. Filled of nuance, humor, astonishing technique and poetic lyricism, matches only with three other versions Samson Francois, Robert Casadesus and obviously, Walter Gieseking. Jumbo's lullaby is played with such sheer poetry as you have never heard it before. This performance is adted from Lugano, June 1968 the Preludes Book one in Vatican City in 1977, and the rest of the recital was recorded in 1987.

Has there been other pianist capable to express with major vehemence the Epicurean enjoyment of these Images with major interpretative eloquence? with Debussy Michelñangeli reached other pinnacle in what supreme perfection concerns. His sound creates an atmosphere of poetic enrapture as nobody else has been able to make it. On the other hand, the Preludes are true gems of collection.

CD 7 Johan Sebastian Bach, Scarlatti and Baldassarre Galuppi

The Chaconne (transcription of Busoni) has always been one of the great achievements of Michelangeli. The Italian Concerto is fresh and filled of a propulsive lyricism. His Scarlatti is perhaps extremely rational
(to my personal taste) and Galuppi is mesmerizing.

CD 8 CHOPIN

This is one of the best items of this set; every one of these pieces is performed with conviction level and pristine elegance that nevertheless has nothing to do in which excess of romanticism, it's much more than that. It's the print of sensitive thinker in pursuit of the maxim idiomatic expression.

CD 9 The Concertos in Vatican City for Pope John XXIII, 25 April 1962
Schumann and Liszt

This is one of the most imaginative and prominent versions I have ever heard (and believe me I have heard more than one hundred different ones), it possesses that incandescent glitter and radiant lyricism without affectation.

Totentanz finds in Michelangeli a true and formidable performer, his admirable technique, wonderful phrasing and refined éclat make of this version a must collect. There are fascinating details of orchestration in the minute 11:30 and suggestive music filigrees in the electrifying final coda Conductor. Gianandrea Gavazzeni.

CD 10 Schumann., Franck, and Grieg

Again Michelangeli plays Schumann 's Piano Concerto under the unforgettable baton of Dimitri Mitropoulos. Recorded in New York , November 1948
This performance lasts 70 seconds minus than the given on Vatican City, but its approach is entirely different, it's more dramatic and the passion is above the romantic mood .

Cesar Franck `s Symphonic Variations was conducted by Alfred Wallenstein Conductor of the Angeles Philharmonic in 1949. Mesmerizing:

Grieg's Piano concerto Op. 16 was played under the baton of Alceo Galliera and the Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, conducted by Alceo Galliera in 1942. Simply sublime.

I have all of michelangeli,s recordings on the bigger labels. deutsche grammopon,EMI these recordings are top rate. they are done from euro radio and tv shows. most all the matrial is from 1962-1990. the last disk was done in the forty's this disk is not very good but all the others are par excellence! the debussy images,the brahms.schumann,beethoven and most of the chopin,these recordings put the big labels to shame. this set is not a bargin its simply a giveaway! Buy it NOW!

For a pianist with such a long career and one with a technique which seemed capable of handling anything, Benedetti Michelangeli did not have a particularly large repertory. Instead, he focused his attention on a handful of works that inspired him from a select group of composers, many of which are included in this 10-cd set from Aura. Among the pieces here that he was especially noted for are the Bach-Busoni Chaconne, the Brahms Paganini variations & Ballades, Debussy's Preludes, Children's Corner Suite, and both books of Images.

Michelangeli didn't play much Bach, but the Chaconne was one of his signature pieces. From the very first chords there is evidence of complete mastery. The overall structure is brilliantly conceived, the rhythmic drive just astonishing; indeed, I have never heard another reading that comes close to it. There's also a good reading here of the Italian Concerto, although the 1943 sound is pretty dry and compressed. The four ballades of Brahms, which the pianist featured frequently in his recitals, are played a bit sluggishly (I've heard better readings from Michelangeli). The Paganini Variations, very difficult pieces played fearlessly in a 1973 recital included here, were a specialty of Michelangeli who first recorded them in 1948. And anyone who is familiar with Michelangeli's classic DGG recordings of Debussy's Images and Children's Corner Suite will know what to expect when they hear the live performances included in this set. In fact, I prefer these readings to the DGG recordings, mostly because they are more reflective. This is especially so in the two books of Images, which come from a 1987 recital, where Michelangeli is more relaxed and allows the music to breathe a little bit more. His Reflects dan l'eau, for example, shimmers with beauty vs the pyrotechnical fireworks you hear on the DGG disc. These are just gorgeous conceptions from beginning to end and in my opinion, this is some of the best Debussy playing on record. The assortment of Preludes that follow, which come from a 1977 recital, are also very fine. Again, I find the pianist's work here superior to the rather icy books of Preludes he recorded for DGG.

Michelangeli was very selective in what he chose to play, focusing in on a few works from this or that composer, but never embracing close to the entire opus from anyone. The only exception to this was Debussy, which the pianist played a great of. In the case of Beethoven, he played a couple of the concerti and a few sonatas, three of which (opp. 22, 26 & 111) comprise disc no. 4 of this set. His reading of no. 11 (op. 22) is pretty straightforward and on the brisk side, but it's still good. The "Funeral March" sonata (op. 26) is exceptionally well-played. Michelangeli doesn't overdo the Funeral March and the finale really sparkles. The reading of Beethoven's magnum opus, the final sonata, is less successful. Michelangeli has a tendency to bang some chords and fuss over some of the details and sections of the arietta are played way too fast, compromising the spiritual aspect of the music.

There are some other fine things in this collection: a group of seven Scarlatti sonatas, a Mozart concerto (no. 15) and Mozart's quartet K. 493 - a rarity for Michelangeli who wasn't much of a chamber musician. There are also two Chopin discs in this collection that illustrate Michelangeli's strengths and weaknesses in this repertory practically side by side. The op. 31 scherzo starts out promisingly enough, but then bogs down when the pianist indulges in ultra-slow tempi in the interlude. Ditto the Andante Spianato & Grand Polonaise, which sounds tortured in places. The G minor ballade is a difficult piece to hold together, as the rendering here shows - but, even Horowitz never fully conquered it. Following this, however, is a lovely Berceuse and then an outstanding B flat minor sonata. The op. 20 scherzo, which opens the second Chopin disc, is rather pulled about, as is the Fantasy, though less so, but which is defeated by tubby sound. Michelangeli seems more comfortable with the selection of Chopin's miniatures that comprise the remainder of the second Chopin disc - the Mazurkas and Waltzes are played reasonably well, although the pianist's tempi are sometimes questionable (for example, the A minor waltz which sounds more like a dirge than a dance). BTW, the sonics really come into play in the Chopin: when compiling these discs, the producers mixed tracks from 1962, 1967, 1977, 1985 etc and the sound can be variable from one track to the next.

Of less interest, mostly due to the sound, are the early concerto recordings thrown in here: Grieg, Schumann and Franck's Symphonic Variations from 1942, 1948 & 1949 respectively. There's another Schumann concerto in this set in much better sound, along with a thrilling Liszt Totentanz from a 1962 Vatican concert.

Although Michelangeli identified with Schumann's Carnaval, given that he recorded it multiple times, I don't think his reading comes off particularly well. He clearly devoted much attention to this detail-filled account, however, just as in his Chopin, there are multiple instances where the choice of tempo is questionable. The Eusebius pieces, in particular, are very deliberately played with the effect that the music occasionally seems to almost grind to a halt. (The finest Carnaval is still Rubinstein's RCA recording from the early sixties.) Faschingsschwank aus Wien fares better, but Michelangeli still plays the slow sections as if he's wading through quicksand. (Richter's 1961 account on EMI reigns supreme.)

I'm awarding five stars despite some shortcomings, such as variable sound. The interpretive issues come with the territory - not everything played by this or that pianist can please everybody. It's also relevant to point out that all of the recordings here are from live performances and the level of pianism is incredible. Overall the set is an amazing bargain, especially at the prices offered through some of Amazon's resellers.

Michelangeli was an incredibly gifted pianist, revered for his incredible technique and beautiful delicate touch. Reclusive, aristocratic and debonair, his live performances would have been wonderful things to see. (You can, in fact, see him perform on YouTube -- his touch is incredible.) Unfortunately, the best we can do is enjoy his recording legacy. The box set under review is the second of two, released by Aura, consisting of rare recordings of Michelangeli. Together, they add substantially to this legacy.

All of these recordings are live recordings, mostly recitals, with the odd concert at the Vatican or elsewhere thrown in, one or two of either being radio or television broadcasts to boot. The consequence of all this is that you do get some crowd noise, though on the whole I cannot say it bothered me any. The sound is generally perfectly acceptable -- it seems the recordings of both sets are straight transfers, so the audiophiles may not agree with me on that point. The last disk of this set consists of several recordings from the 1940s -- in particular, a 1942 recording of the Grieg concerto with Galliera (an important name in Italian conducting), a 1948 recording of Schumann's piano concerto (one of 3 across the two boxes) with Mitropoulos conducting the New York Philharmonic, and a 1949 recording of Franck's Symphonic variations for piano and orchestra (recorded in Los Angeles under the baton of Wallenstein). Certainly, these recordings show their age; I really am perfectly ok with the sound quality otherwise.

As with the 1st box, Hiram Gomez Pardo has provided a list of the box contents in his review. There is an incredible performance of Chopin's 2nd piano sonata, the marche funebre, in particular, of hypnotising quality. The Schumann disk, with Carnaval and Faschingsschwank aus Wien, is also very satisfying. To be honest, there is very little I don't like in this box.

What is not listed anywhere is the overlap between the 2 boxes. You see, Aura are doing a little double dipping. The most significant case of naughtiness involves the recordings of Debussy's Preludes. In the 1st box, you get the complete recording of Michelangeli's performance of book 1 in Vatican City on disk 5. In this 2nd box, disk 6 has a lovely recording of Debussy's "Children's Corner", along with Images I and II, but also contains a significant excerpt of the same Vatican City recital of the Preludes book 1. Additionally, we get the same recording of a couple of Chopin pieces. We also get many doublings across these two boxes, including three distinct recordings of Chopin's Mazurka in B minor, Op.33 No.4, dating from 1949, 1967, and 1990, so pretty much spanning his career. We also get 3 distinct recordings of the piano concerto of Schumann -- the earliest two are conducted by Mitropoulos (1949 -- in ok sound, in this box), and Scherchen (1956 -- sound is fine, in the 1st box).

There are several small downsides to this set, though none of them significant enough to advise against buying. Ignoring the repeats and doublings already mentioned, there is also some quality control problem with the disks -- I purchased this box three times before I was the proud owner of 10 good disks. So my advice is check all of your disks asap upon receipt. There is also no accompanying booklet or note of any kind. Aura really have made sure they've kept everything to the bare minimum; this may help explain why this box, despite containing many worthwhile recordings, is so so cheap. Buy it, and get the companion box set too.

You only thought you knew Michelangeli if you haven't heard these performances. The Schumann rivals Richter, the Brahms is nearly as compelling as Katchen, but perhaps, best of all, is the Chopin. I have never heard a better played funeral march; it just entrances you. The only quibble is the sound quality of disc 10, which is very scratchy. When you get this set (you would be crazy not to) do yourself a huge favor and pick up Vol.2 also. That's a total of 20 discs some of the best music you'll ever hear for under $40.00. If only every decision in life was so easy to make.