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. The difference is clear.

Alfred Schnittke - 3 Concertos - New Stockholm Chamber Orchestra, Lev Markiz (1987) {BIS Schnittke Edition, BIS-CD-377} (Item #1)
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 242 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 171 Mb
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© 1987 Grammofon AB BIS | BIS-CD-377
Classical / Contemporary Classical / Concerto

Schnittke as we know is a very unique composer. "all composers are unique". Well some more so than others, and some MUCH more so unique than others. Schnittke, like Pettersson stand out as the 2 greatest late 20th century composers and 2 of the greatest ever in the past 300 yrs.

Alfred Schnittke - Concerto Grosso No. 4 (Symphony No. 5) - GSO, Neeme Järvi (1988) {BIS Schnittke Edition, BIS-427} (Item #2}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 197 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 118 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 38 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1988 Grammofon AB BIS | BIS-CD-427
Classical / Contemporary Classical / Concerto / Symphony

Alfred Schnittke's Concerto Grosso No. 4/Symphony No. 5 was commissioned by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam for its centenary. Riccardo Chailly led the orchestra in its premiere performance on November 10th, 1988. However, Neemi Jarvi led the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra of Sweden in this, the work's first recording, in December 1988, released on BIS in 1989.

Alfred Deller was the first renowned countertenor. As a child, Deller studied voice first with his father as a boy soprano, and when his voice changed he continued his singing as a countertenor. He joined the Canterbury Cathedral choir in 1940, where Michael Tippett heard him and invited him to London to make his debut. He came to the attention of the English public after a 1946 radio broadcast of Purcell's Come, ye sons of art, away. During the early years of his career, he concentrated on performing English Baroque and pre-Baroque composers such as Purcell and Dowland. In 1950 he formed the Deller Consort, a group which dedicated itself to performing early music using authentic performance practice. For many years, the group toured Europe and the Americas, bringing the music of this period to a new public…

These sonatas are magnificent creations, wonderfully well played by Alfred Brendel. Within the order and scale of these works Haydn explores a rich diversity of musical languages, a wit and broadness…