Chopin: Piano Concertos; Works for Piano & Orchestra [Import]

Frederic Chopin (Composer), Kiril Kondrashin (Conductor), Carlo Maria Giulini (Conductor), Eliahu Inbal (Conductor), Willem van Otterloo (Conductor), Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Orchestra), Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), London Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Residentie Orkest (Orchestra), Krystian Zimerman (Performer), Claudio Arrau (Performer), Stefan Askenase (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Krystian Zimerman, Claudio Arrau, Stefan Askenase
• Orchestra: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Residentie Orkest
• Conductor: Kiril Kondrashin, Carlo Maria Giulini, Eliahu Inbal, Willem van Otterloo
• Composer: Frederic Chopin
• Audio CD (September 21, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import
• Label: Dg Imports
• ASIN: B00002DEH7
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #529,512 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 1 In E Minor Op. 11 (KK 164-177): 1. Allegro maestoso

2. Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 1 In E Minor Op. 11 (KK 164-177): 2. Romance. Larghetto

3. Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 1 In E Minor Op. 11 (KK 164-177): 3. Rondo. Vivace

4. Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 2 In F Minor Op. 21 (KK 255-267): 1. Maestoso

5. Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 2 In F Minor Op. 21 (KK 255-267): 2. Larghetto

6. Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 2 In F Minor Op. 21 (KK 255-267): 3. Allegro vivace

Disc: 2

1. Variations On 'La ci darem la mano' From The Opera 'Don Giovanni' By W.A. Mozart In B Flat Major Op. 2 (KK 6-15)

2. Fantasy On Polish Airs In A Major Op. 13 (KK 181-187)

3. Rondo a la krakowiak In F Major Op. 14 (KK 188-197): Introduction. Andantino quasi Allegretto - Rondo. Allegro non troppo F Major

4. Grande Polonaise brillante In E Flat Major With Preceding Andante Spianato In G Major Op. 22 (KK 268-272): Andante spianato. Tranquillo -

5. Grande Polonaise brillante In E Flat Major With Preceding Andante Spianato In G Major Op. 22 (KK 268-272): Polonaise. Allegro molto

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A "Complete" Disappointment, December 31, 2003

By 

Michael B. Richman (Portland, Maine USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Chopin: Piano Concertos; Works for Piano & Orchestra (Audio CD)

I purchased this two-disc set of the Works for Piano and Orchestra from DG's "Complete Chopin Edition" from Amazon, and I regret it. The Giulini recordings featured here, Concerto No. 2 and the "Andante spinato & Grande Polonaise" both with Zimerman, are quite good. However, the other material leaves a lot to be desired. First, the Arrau/Inbal recordings are the very same ones featured on a competing Philips Duo title (which I own), and those who read my reviews know how I feel about duplication. Second, while I love vintage stereo performances, and the Askenase/Otterloo account of the "Krakowiak" hails from 1959, this work is elementary by Chopin standards, and illustrates why it's not always worthwhile to be a completist. Finally, when DG/Universal is compiling recordings for a celebratory "Complete Edition" of Chopin, why do they select a live recording of his greatest orchestral work, Piano Concerto No. 1. The Zimerman/Kondrashin is very good, but surely DG has more appropriate studio accounts in its vaults, like the Argerich/Abbado or even the Zimerman/Giulini (which I have noticed is available with the aforementioned PC No. 2 as a full-price single disc -- sounds like a better buy!). The inclusion of one of them might have helped make this a definitive collection, instead of a "complete" disappointment.