39 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Lots of Glitz but Flawed Substance, March 11, 2009
This review is from: Great Pianists of the 20th Century: The Complete Edition, Box 1 (Audio CD)
Phillips' Great Pianists of the 20th Century issue has gotten a lot of publicity in the ten or so years since it has been released. In a musical niche suffering from falling revenues, it was a decent seller. But it left many connoisseurs disappointed, as the quality was limited to the fancy packaging.
It's useful to contrast the Phillips issue with BMG's 1999 reissue of Arthur Rubinstein's complete recordings. The Rubinstein cycle was done the right way, meaning that the recordings were newly remastered from the best available sources, accurate documentation on recording dates and locations was provided, and the liner notes were perceptive. Sadly, this is not the case with the Great Pianists reissue, all the more surprising because Phillips is a well regarded Classical label, whereas BMG (formerly RCA) has long been thought of as a dinosaur.
The documentation in this series is slipshod and often plain inaccurate. On the Paderewski set, the performance of Liszt's La Leggierezza, is not actually by Paderewski. Instead, Phillips has included the performance by Benno Moiseiwitsch (which is also in their Moiseiwitsch volume). The liner notes also claim the piece includes a coda composed by Moiseiwitsch, when in fact it was composed by Leschetizky. Both volumes dedicated to Alfred Cortot provide erroneous recording dates for Schumann's Kreisleriana and Debussy's preludes (Kreisleriana was actually an outtake that Cortot rejected, but at least Phillips had the decency to withdraw and reissue the Schumann with Cortot's approved version). For the Hoffman volume, you're better off getting the Marston set (from which the Phillips volume was ripped off).
Then there is the question of judgment: A volume dedicated to the likes of Andrei Gavrilov (a banger if there ever was one), with two volumes for Byron Janis when one would have been sufficient, but none for Mieczyslaw Horszowski (a sensitive musician who had the longest career in the history of the performing arts and was Leschetizky's last surviving pupil); none for Peter Serkin (one of the 20th Century's foremost exponents of contemporary music); none for Busoni (considered by Arthur Rubinstein to be the greatest pianist of his time). Granted, Busoni's recordings would not have been enough to fill a complete volume, but it could have been combined with other neglected pianists who made few recordings.
As for remastering, wherever they could get away with it, Phillips has opted for the most easily obtainable copy rather than the best sounding. For example, in the Horowitz all-Schumann volume, EMI's shoddy 78RPM transfers from decades ago are used, which include badly managed side changes, are mid-range biased, and have poor bass response. Same with their poorly programmed Rudolf Serkin set, which eliminates the transitional chord between the second and third movements of Beethoven's Appassionata.
Ironically, for a product which was sponsored by and bears the Steinway logo, many of the artists included preferred, and many of these recordings feature, other pianos.
No doubt, there are some great performances in this set, but they're also available elsewhere - - and frequently in better sound. If you're interested in learning more about great pianists, search through Amazon, read the reviews, and you'll be able to make an informed choice (or go to your local library).
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44 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not Insane, January 1, 2001
This review is from: Great Pianists of the 20th Century: The Complete Edition, Box 1 (Audio CD)
I had to write this review, as I am enthralled with this set. I have been going through it in order having already purchased a few individual units from the collection earlier. I am not sure what `insane' was talking about as there is NO repetition. Sure some pianists perform the same pieces, isn't that what they did in reality? The idea is to appreciate the different nuances and approaches taken by these artists. You will then enjoy these pieces from a better vantage.
It is a large ambitious contribution to the art of great piano playing. It is a labor of love and represents a tremendous amount of research and cooperation between many record companies. Rather then representing insanity, it is a resource to treasure.
Yes experts can quibble over who was left out, and what performances were inserted. I do not think such a massive undertaking could have been accomplished without someone being able to find faults. Overall however, unless you already have a monumental collection, (it would have to be almost legendary), this incredible set will give you a rewarding look into 74 of the greatest pianist of all time. You will come away with a honed sense of appreciation for your likes and dislikes. You will undoubtedly become someone who will search out recordings and be able to enjoy them for the rest of your life with a refined ear.
The only negative is this price. I would shop around, as it is daunting to spend 2 thousand dollars on such a collection. Of course you do get 200 CD's. However, the used collections might be good to consider.
Enjoy these masterpieces. I am not ashamed of owning this music as `insane' implies. I am proud to have enriched my life.
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35 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
For the real music lover, March 11, 2000
This review is from: Great Pianists of the 20th Century: The Complete Edition, Box 1 (Audio CD)
This series attempts to present important and representative performances by most of the major pianists of the 20th century. One might quibble a bit with the choices, but the works presented are of consistently high quality, and often do represent what may be the best works of a performer. Since this covers most of the time that recorded music existed, some of the recordings are technically challenged, as there is only so much one can do to enhance an old recording. Still, these appear to have been treated with love and respect in their restorations. Since this series is so large (and expensive!) one is tempted to "cherry pick" through the series, yet by doing so one can easily overlook gems by artists one is less familiar with. This large a set must inevitably have many versions of the same pieces, and takes many hours to listen to. The true enthusiast will appreciate the differences in interpretation, whereas the less experienced listener may find the set repetitive and overwhelming. If one has the time to really dig into this set, it can provide years of exploration and discovery. It would make a wonderful gift for some special music lover in your life ... or for yourself!
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