Alfred 2

This gargantuan 35-disc set of Alfred Brendel's complete Vox, Turnabout, and Vanguard recordings released in late 2008, concurrent with his retirement from concert life, will be mandatory listening for anyone who reveres the Austrian virtuoso. When these recordings were made between 1955 and 1975, Brendel was at the start of his international career, and his performances here have a fire, energy, and a drama that his later recordings sometimes lack. Brendel devotees, however, may also find his performances lack the intellectual rigor of his middle period recordings and the poetic depths of his later recordings. Compare his demonic account of Mozart's Twentieth Concerto here, for instance, with his more elegant later account.

Alfred Schnittke - Violin Sonatas (1991) {BIS Schnittke Edition, BIS-527} (Item #11)
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 200 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 169 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 32 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1991 Grammofon AB BIS | BIS-CD-527
Classical / Contemporary Classical / Violin / Piano

The violin sonatas by Alfred Schnittke extend over his whole career. The First Sonata is among his earliest major pieces while the Second Sonata typifies the confrontational manner of the works that followed.

Alfred Schnittke - Cello Concerto No.1, Hymns etc. (1990) {BIS Schnittke Edition, BIS-507} (Item #9)
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 260 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 169 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 52 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1990 Grammofon AB BIS | BIS-CD-507
Classical / Contemporary Classical / Concerto

Schnittke’s first cello concerto was written during a near fatal time in his life, after having suffered a severe stroke in 1985, during which his heart stopped three times. Upon recovery he completed the concerto, the music becoming more dissonant and discordant, with the melodies more contorted.