Concert of the Century: Celebrating the 85th Anniversary of Carnegie Hall

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Performer), Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (Composer), Sergey Rachmaninov (Composer), Robert Schumann (Composer), Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer), George Frederick Handel (Composer), Leonard Bernstein (Conductor, Performer), Lyndon Woodside (Conductor), New York Philharmonic (Orchestra), Vladimir Horowitz (Performer), Yehudi Menuhin (Performer), Mstislav Rostropovich (Performer), Isaac Stern (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Leonard Bernstein, Vladimir Horowitz, Yehudi Menuhin, Mstislav Rostropovich, et al.
• Orchestra: New York Philharmonic
• Conductor: Leonard Bernstein, Lyndon Woodside
• Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Sergey Rachmaninov, Robert Schumann, Johann Sebastian Bach, et al.
• Audio CD (April 19, 1991)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000027CX
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #138,364 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most neglected Dichterliebe by Fischer-Dieskau, April 6, 2001

By 

Tommy Nielsen (Swords, Co. Dublin Ireland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Concert of the Century: Celebrating the 85th Anniversary of Carnegie Hall (Audio CD)

All lovers of Lieder seem to have a certain passion and veneration for Fischer-Dieskau's interpretation of Schumann's Dichterliebe. It is appearant that this singer's understanding of the music, his vocal capacity, his beautiful phrasing, clear diction, and his general (outstanding) musicianship enable him to communicate these Lieder in a way nobody else has done before (save maybe Hotter) or since.

In this live-recording he is supported by no other than Vladimir Horowitz! And the inspiration between these two artists works wonders. Horowitz' playing in crucial moments of the cycle fx "Ich Grolle Nicht" adds a spiritual dimension to the interpretation that you do not get from Moore, Brendel or Demus. We are dealing with the best interpretation of this cycle ever conveyed to disc.

So many years in the catalogue (22years?) - why is it overlooked? Because it is a part of Live Concert from Carnegie Hall and on two discs. The rest of the program is much less interesting - though other artists contributing include Bernstein, Stern and Menuhin - and it is not apparent at all from the cover what treasure is enclosed. Sony, please get some sense and re-arrange this Dichterliebe on a single disc, a nice photo of Horowitz and Fischer-Dieskau on the cover and you will have a best-seller of a CD.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Greatly overlooked Dichterliebe, March 13, 2008

By 

Peter Chordas "music lover" (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Concert of the Century: Celebrating the 85th Anniversary of Carnegie Hall (Audio CD)

I full heartedly agree with Tommy Nielsen. The main reason to buy this double CD is for Schumann's Dichterliebe. Fischer-Dieskau and Horowitz created chemistry on that night which is unsurpassed by any other. Yes! You can hear coughing on occasion and the other performances are C to B averages at best, but the Dichterliebe is a solid A+! And it is a live recording after all.

My uncle bought this double LP as a Christmas present for my father back when it first came out. It was recorded in celebration of the 85th anniversary of Carnegie Hall. That concert night featured Leonard Bernstein and members of the NYP, Isaac Stern, Rostropovich, Yehudi Menuhin, and of course, Dieskau and Horowitz! Bach's double violin concerto in D minor is unpolished with Stern and Menuhin and the entire cast singing Handel's "Hallelujah" from the Massiah at the end is a bit much and over the top.

Still, it was indeed a historical night and Dieskau and Horowitz' performance of Schumann's Dichterliebe made it so. A must have for anyone who loves this piece or wishes to fall in love with it.