Clifford Curzon: Decca Recordings, 1937-1971, Vol. 3 [Box Set] [Box set]

Franz Liszt (Composer), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Composer), Johannes Brahms (Composer), Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (Composer), Sergey Rachmaninov (Composer), Edvard Grieg (Composer), Franz [Vienna] Schubert (Composer), Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Henry J. Wood (Conductor), (Louis) Boyd Neel (Conductor), Enrique Jorda (Conductor), Georg Solti (Conductor), Adrian Boult (Conductor), Oivin Fjeldstad (Conductor), Hans Knappertsbusch (Conductor), Queen's Hall Orchestra (Orchestra), National Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), London Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), London Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Queen's Hall Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Henry J. Wood, (Louis) Boyd Neel, Enrique Jorda, Georg Solti, Adrian Boult, et al.
• Composer: Franz Liszt, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johannes Brahms, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Sergey Rachmaninov, et al.
• Audio CD (August 9, 2005)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 6
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B0009A41Y2
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #213,286 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Classic Curzon, February 14, 2006

By 

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

This review is from: Clifford Curzon: Decca Recordings, 1937-1971, Vol. 3 [Box Set] (Audio CD)

After enjoying (and reviewing) the previous two installments of pianist Clifford Curzon's Decca Recordings in the "Original Masters" series, I was delighted to pick up Volume 3 over the holidays. The performances on this six disc set span nearly thirty-five years, from a 1937 orchestrated account of Schubert's "Wanderer" Fantasy with Sir Henry Wood and the Queen's Hall Orchestra, to a final disc of all Schubert, the majority of which was made in 1971. In between are many brilliant concerto recordings, and though some have been previously available on CD, all have been out-of-print for some time. The true gems are paired on disc four -- the 1959 stereo Grieg with Fjeldstad and the London SO (my personal favorite -- I had the old "Classic Sound" series CD), and the 1957 mono Brahms No. 2 with Knappertsbusch and Vienna. Coming in a close second is disc three's coupling of the Tchaikovsky 1st, with Solti leading Vienna in stereo from 1958, and the Rachmaninov 2nd, with Boult and the LPO in mono from 1955. The remaining two Concerto performances -- Mozart's 23rd and Brahms' 1st -- are regrettably from the 1940s and suffer from both mediocre sound and comparatively uninspired conducting (Neel and Jorda respectively). Rounding out this set are 1952 performances of the two Mozart Piano Quartets with members of the Amadeus Quartet, and an entire disc (no. 5) of stereo Liszt solo piano works. In all, this is a great collection, and here's to hoping there is enough material in the vaults to produce a Volume 4!