Customer Reviews

Arturo Benedetti: Michellangeli, Vol. 2

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The first CD includes the entire recital given in, recorded in Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires, 21-07-49. And despite of the fact the poor sound quality, the recital well deserves praised comments.

The set of Chopin's Mazurkas is really outstanding. Performed in Brescia, 23-06-67, presnts us to Michelangeli totally owner of the magic spell of these pages: he gives them color, humor and warm freshness, with his well accustomed interpretative solvency. Beethoven's Third Sonata Op. 2 no. 3 is one of the most beloved works of this composer, and certainly was one the proffered of Michelangeli. Admirably phrased, the only flaw to my mind is related with tempo in the second movement; a mite fast and lightly inexpressive, but the astonishing pianism of Benedetti make us to forget this misconception. Then Chopin (almost inaudible) includes The Mazurka Op. 47 Op. 68 No. 2 and Mazurka No. 25 op. 33 No. 4: The second one was by far, richest in those delicate filigrees.

The Andante Spianato et Grand Polonaise Op. 22 is beautifully ornamented and exquisitely phrased, with admirable details of his well accustomed pianism.

CD 2 presents us a clash of two well different musical visions. Hermann Scherchen conducting Mozart in 1956 the most beloved Mozart's Piano Concerto by Michelangeli at least taking into account, he recorded it. Grace, stylistic refinement, imaginative audaciousness, permeated by this Dionysian scent of visible operatic nature, specially in the first and last movement. It sounds natural, fresh and flows with an impressive atmosphere of vitality, that I have only found it Geza Anda playing with in his well reminded set with Salzburg Camerata. The final cadenza owns a sweeping elegance and pristine lyric enthusiasm. Certainly this version really shocked me and I really hope you too.

CD 3 contains Emperor's Concert, finely played by Michjelangeli and directed by Mario Rossi. Recorded in Vatican City 28-04-60.

CD 4 is part of a recital made in Helsinki. He opened that recital with Domenico Scarlatti with the follong Sonatas K. 11, 159, K. 322, K. 9, and K. 27. They were performed with that pristine musicality and delicate transparency so typical of Michelangeli. Then came Robert Schumann `s Faschingsschawnk Op. 26. Sublimely and flawless performed. The second half had to be a real shock for the audience because of th sidereal approach given to Debussy's images I and II. The Italian master literally hypnotized the whole audience and even us the listeners with his bewitching performance, carefully phrased and minutely fingered: Provided of we might say eloquent minuteness.

CD 5 and CD 6 are part of a recital recorded in Vatican City 29-04-77. The CD 5 was the first part of that recital and presents Debussy's Preludes Book I were played with that aristocratic nuance and refined verve. The CD 6 is certainly one of the highest peaks of this formidable set. As you know , Brahms Ballades Op. 10 is by far, one of his most emblematic works, and were composed when Brahms was thirty years old, in 1854, and it's one of the most beloved pieces of the literature for piano. It might be said that Benedetti made his own this piece. No other pianist (including Katchen, Kempff Or Gilels) has been able to remark with such kaleidoscopic vision the countless visual landscapes, hovered by that introspective mood. Then, the master returns to other one of his definitive interpretations, an unique landmark : Chopin's Second

Sonata Op. 35. It's played with not only a romantic effluvium, but besides Michelangeli adds that that necessary mysterious atmosphere , in which we may aware the beating otherness, the vanishing consistency and that spelling touch that surpass all what it has been recorded previous or lately. He made of this piece, a personal patrimony.

CD 7 presents us the second book of his Preludes. If the first book constitutes an admirable example of exterior vision, this second one on the contrary would seem to focus around the unseen nature of the things, sensations, hovered by a sort of nocturnal visions, vaguely illuminated here and there by a very pale light. As a matter of fact Debussy makes an introspective journey and perhaps a backward glance respect his life. But if th3se pages are not so sensual and literally expressive respect the first book, gain a new nocturnal approach, completely unconcerned with the subject matter. To evoke but not describe. In this sense the first one might be regarded as Impressionist while the second one should be cited as Symbolist. It's useless to say how this master, since the first note makes us to engage into an universe totally different, where the Images had just been a marvelous preamble, a joyous lobby for the complete delight of these masterworks. The album ends with the Eglogue (Suisse) from Franz Liszt `s Années of Pélegrinague, carefully phrased and exquisitely performed. The recital took place in Stuttgart, 27.10.82

CD 8 is priceless. Recorded in Bregenz, 15.01.88 (How I `d wish to have been there) shows us in first place, the well known transcription Bach-Busoni Chaconne. No other pianist like him (not even the same Busoni got such level of radiant fulfillment. After having listened I decided to seek the celebrated of the forties; but the surprise was majuscule. This version of 1988 is miles away in what concerns maturity, supreme incandescence, radiant vitality and unfathomable mystery. And I would not hesitate we are in presence of one of the milestone recordings of the XX Century. The performance of Brahms Variations on a theme by Paganini are superbly played with sardonic gestures, evil sarcasm, full rounded pianism and well rounded melodic inspiration. His approach about Chopin's waltz No. 3 is loaded of autumnal visions. And the Fisrt Scherzo is vitally ignited of that visceral passion that would reappear in his Polonaises.

CD 9 is another exception document. Schubert's Piano Sonata D. 537 has really been one of the most expressive pages of this genial composer. This venerable artist recreates the work with his admirable musically, enraptured imagination and sublime phrasing, as just a few have been able to make it( (Kempff is the exception). Recorded in Lugano 07.04.81.But when we come to "Gaspard de la nuit" to my view the most pyramidal composition of Ravel), we may realize why he enjoyed of that mythic flame. Since the first bar, those spelling thrills literally dive us in that dreamy atmosphere, loaded of spectral visions and elusive landscapes. With the only exception of Samson Francois, you will never hear another level of performance for a long, long time I guess. Recorded in Vatican City, 13.06.87.

CD 10 gave us rewarding revelations. First at all, one of the dramatic and finely phrased and better played performances of Liszt Piano concerto No. 1 in years: Michelangeli erased the accustomed patina of decedent romanticism providing it of resplendent vigor and vigorous lyricism. Recorded in Tokyo and accompanied by Jindrich Rohan and the Yomiuri Symphony Orchestra in 04-04-65.

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 first 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 1st disk of this set consists of a Buenos Aires concert from 1949, where the sound is noticably dated, but the rest is of a perfectly reasonable quality (the audiophiles might argue otherwise, but I've always been more of a "music-phile", the quality of sound being a clear second to the quality of the performance).

The contents of this box are listed in the review of Hiram Gomez Pardo. Though all the works are good, if there is a true highlight of this box, then for me it is the live recordings of Debussy's Preludes; book 1 being recorded at a recital in Vatican City in May 1977, and book 2 recorded in Stuttgart in October 1982.

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 Preludes recordings I just mentioned. In this 1st box, you get the complete recording of Michelangeli's performance of book 1 in Vatican City on disk 5. In the 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 box 2), and Scherchen (1956 -- sound is fine).

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 -- the very end of disk 4 in my set has a glitch in it (though it still plays through), while I had to buy the 2nd box thrice before I got a set without a faulty disk (disk 1 was completely corrupted in the 1st case, while the 2nd time through disk 7 failed multiple times in Galuppi's piano sonata). 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.

While Aura Music's first Michelangeli box set is an excellent compilation of the pianist's recital work (Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli), there are serious drawbacks to this second volume most of which have to do with the recorded sound.

Not surprisingly, Aura printed a disclaimer on the sleeves of the first two discs which include recordings from 1949 and 1956, which states: "The recordings on hand are historic sound documents whose musical and artistic significance we consider to be of such importance that we have accepted the poor quality in the sound." One listen confirms that those statements are justified. But the same could be said for a 1982 recording of Debussy's second book of preludes, which is just as unlistenable. A 1988 recital featuring the Bach Chaconne and Brahms Paganini variations is metallic and clangy. A 1969 recital from Helsinki offers low-volume, pencil-thin sonics, not to mention that the two books of Debussy Images, a Michelangeli specialty, are surprisingly uneven. A separate issue, and one that could be anticipated given the very selective nature of the pianist's repertory, is that the above-mentioned pieces, along with a number of other works in this set, also appear on the first Michelangeli-Aura set in either better performances (e.g. Debussy) and/or better sound.

Among the better things in this set is a solid reading of Schubert's A major sonata (D537) followed by Gaspard de la nuit, another work in which Michelangeli is unapproachable. Debussy's first book of preludes is also fine, but nine of the preludes from the same 1977 recital were already issued in the first Aura set. Ditto, a clutch of five Scarlatti sonatas from a 1969 recital in Helsinki. Michelangeli's Faschingsschwank aus Wien, from the same recital, is marginally better than the 1968 recording included in the first Aura set, but the pianist's Schumann is just too rhetorical for my taste. The first two of the Brahms op. 10 ballades are played much too slowly, and while the third flows more naturally the fourth is almost modal; again, different performances of the same pieces appear on the other set, however, they too are lackluster. Michelangeli, on the other hand, plays the Emperor concerto with plenty of gusto in a 1960 concert recorded in pretty decent sound.

It's worth noting that the majority of the recordings in the first Michelangeli-Aura set were made by Radiotelevisione della Svizzera Italiana and that only one recording in the present set, the Schubert sonata, derives from the same source. The results, for the most part, speak for themselves; and although buyers risk little due to the very attractive price of this 10-cd set, only the most devoted of Michelangeli's fans will listen to these recordings without complaint.

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli II

CD 1

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major, op. 2 No. 3

1. I. Allegretto con brio

2. II. Adagio

3. III. Scherzo

4. IV. Allegro assai

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)

1. Mazurka No. 47 in A minor, op. 68 No. 2

2. Mazurka No. 25 in B minor, op. 33 No. 4

3. Andante spianato et Grande Polonaise brillante, op. 22

Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) Lyric Pieces

1. At the Cradle, op. 68 No. 5

Baldassare Galuppi (1706-1785) Sonata No. 5 in C major

1. Presto

Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) Lyric Pieces

1. Melancholy, op. 47 No. 5

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (piano), recorded in Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires, 21.07.1949

CD 2

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Piano Concerto No. 15 in B flat major, KV 450

1. I. Allegro

2. II. Andante

3. III. Allegro

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Symphony in B flat major, KV Anh. 8

1. Allegro

Robert Schumann (1810-1856) Piano Concerto in A minor, op. 54

1. I. Allegro affetuoso

2. II. Intermezzo: Andantino grazioso

3. III. Allegro vivace

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (piano), Orchestra della Radiotelevisione della Svizzera Italiana, Hermann Scherchen (conductor), recorded in Lugano, 21.06.1956, recorded by Radiotelevisione della Svizzera Italiana/Rete2

CD 3

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, op. 73 "Emperor"

1. I. Allegro

2. II. Adagio un poco mosso

3. III. Rondo: Allegro

Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936) Fontane di Roma (Fountains of Rome)

1. La Fontana di Valle Giulia all'alba. La Fontana del Tritone al mattino. La Fontana di Trevi al meriggio. La Fontana di Villa Medici al tramonto

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (piano), Orchestra Sinfonica della RAI di Roma, Mario Rossi (conductor), recorded in Vatican City, 28.04.1960

CD 4

Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)

1. Piano Sonata in C minor, K. 11

2. Piano Sonata in C major, K. 159

3. Piano Sonata in A major, K. 322

4. Piano Sonata in D minor, K. 9

5. Piano Sonata in B minor, K. 27

Robert Schumann (1810-1856) Faschingsschwank aus Wien, op. 26

1. I. Allegro: Sehr lebhaft

2. II. Romanze: Ziemlich langsam

3. III. Scherzino

4. IV. Intermezzo: Mit größter Energie

5. V. Finale: Höchst lebhaft

Claude Debussy (1862-1918) Images I

1. I. Reflects dans l'eau

2. II. Hommages à Rameau

3. III. Mouvements

Claude Debussy (1862-1918) Images II

1. I. Cloches à travers les feuilles

2. II. Et la lune descend sur le temple, qui fut

3. III. Poissons d'or

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (piano), recorded in Helsinki, 22.05.1969

CD 5

Claude Debussy (1862-1918) Préludes, Livre I

1. I. Danseuses des delphs: Lent et grave

2. II. Voiles: Modéré

3. III. Le Vent dans la Pleine: Animé

4. IV. Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir: Modéré

5. V. Les Collines d'Anacapri: Très modéré

6. VI. Des pas sur la neige: Triste et lent

7. VII. Ce qu'a vu lent d l'ouest: Animé tumultueux

8. VIII. La Fille aux cheveux de lin: Très calme et doucement expressif

9. IX. La Sérénade interrompou: Modér'ment animé

10. X. La Cathédrale engloutie: Profondément calme

11. XI. La Danse de Puck: Capricieux et léger

12. XII. Minstrels: Modéré

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (piano), recorded in Vatican City, 29.04.1977

CD 6

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Four Ballades, op. 10

1. I. Andante. Allegro. Andante

2. II. Andante. Allegro non troppo. Molto staccato e leggiero. Andante

3. III. Intermezzo: Allegro

4. IV. Andante con moto

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, op. 35

1. I. Grave. Doppio movimento

2. II. Scherzo

3. III. Marche funèbre: Lento

4. IV. Finale: Presto

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (piano), recorded in Vatican City, 29.04.1977

CD 7

Claude Debussy (1862-1918) Préludes, Livre II

1. I. Brouillards: Modéré extrêmement égal et léger

2. II. Feuilles mortes: Lent et mélancolique

3. III. La Puerta del vino: Mouvement de Habanera avec de brusques oppositions d'extrême violence et de passionnée douceur

4. IV. Les Fées sont d'exquises danseuses: Rapide et léger

5. V. Bruyères: Calme. Doucement expressif

6. VI. General Lavine-Eccentric: Dans le style et le Mouvement d'un Cake-Walk

7. VII. La Terrasse des audiences du clair de lune: Lent

8. VIII. Ondine: Scherzando

9. IX. Hommage à Pickwick esq.p.p.m.p.c.: Grave

10. X. Canope: Très calme et doucement triste

11. XI. Les Tierces alternées: Modérément animé

12. XII. Feux d'artifice: Modérément animé

Franz Liszt (1811-1886) Années de pèlerinage I (Suisse)

1. VII. Eglogue

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (piano), recorded in Stuttgart, 27.10.1982

CD 8

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Partita No. 2 in D minor (arr. by Busoni)

1. Chaconne

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

1. Variations on a Theme by Paganini, op. 35

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)

1. Waltz No. 3 in A minor, op. 34 No. 2

2. Scherzo No. 1 in B minor, op. 20

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (piano), recorded in Bregenz, 15.01.1988

CD 9

Franz Schubert (1797-1828) Piano Sonata in A minor, D 537

1. I. Allegro, ma non troppo

2. II. Allegretto quasi andantino

3. III. Allegro vivace

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) Gaspard de la nuit

4. I. Ondine

5. II. Le Gibet

6. III. Scarbo

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (piano), recorded in Lugano, 07.04.1981 (1-3) and in Vatican City, 13.06.1987 (4-6), recorded by Radiotelevisione della Svizzera Italiana/Rete2 (1-3)

CD 10

Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, op. 111

1. I. Maestoso. Allegro con brio ed appassionato

2. II. Arietta: Adagio molte semplice e cantabile

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)

3. Mazurka No. 49 in F minor, op. 68 No. 4

4. Mazurka No. 29 in A flat major, op. 41 No. 4

5. Mazurka No. 22 in G sharp minor, op. 33 No. 1

6. Mazurka No. 20 in D flat major, op. 30 No. 3

7. Mazurka No. 38 in F sharp minor, op. 59 No. 3

8. Mazurka No. 25 in B minor, op. 33 No. 4

9. Ballade No. 1 in G minor, op. 23

Franz Liszt (1811-1886) Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat major

10. I. Allegro maestoso

1. II. Quasi adagio

2. III. Allegretto vivace

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (piano), Yomiuri Symphony Orchestra (10-12), Jindrich Rohan (conductor (1-12)), recorded in Bregenz, 15.01.1988 (1-2), Brescia 23.06.1967 (3-9) and Tokyo, 04.04.1965 (10-12)