Beethoven: Ferenc Fricsay

Deutsche Grammophon unites all of its Fricsay recordings into 2 volumes, of which this is the first. FERENC FRICSAY – Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon Vol. 1 presents Fricsay's orchestral output in its entirety, covering symphonies, concertos, waltzes, overtures, ballets etc.

Deutsche Grammophon presents the second and final volume of Ferenc Fricsay’s complete recordings for the label. Vol. 2 gathers the totality of Fricsay’s œuvre with the human voice, covering all of his opera, orchestral song and choral recordings on 37 CDs.

Before the great conductor Ferenc Fricsay died (tragically young at the age of 48 in 1963), he made dozens of brilliant mono and stereo recordings for Deutsche Grammophon. Many of his most significant recordings have been released on CD, though some have already drifted out-of-print (Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra, Mozart Syms 29, 39-41 and Beethoven Syms 3, 5 & 7) and others are only available as expensive imports. This past year there has even been a limited edition boxed set of his music released (in the "Original Masters" series – see my review).

This concert film captures legendary violinist Yehudi Menuhin performing concertos by such luminaries as Mozart, Beethoven, and Bruch.

Celebrating the 100th Birthday of the “troubadour of the keyboard”, Géza Anda on November 19th, we present a limited edition 17-CD set including memorable recordings of Bartók, Brahms and Schumann, a pioneering Mozart concerto cycle conducted from the piano, and the Beethoven ‘Triple’ Concerto with Wolfgang Schneiderhan and Pierre Fournier.

Ferenc Fricsay died at only 48 years of age – suffering a death from illness that was as tragic as it was untimely. Even though Fircsay’s career as a recording artist barely lasted 12 years, almost every connoisseur of Classical music considers him a legend, the epitome of the enlightened master conductor, who was good at everything he touched, a role model for figures like Abbado or Harnoncourt. The sleek and slender aspects of Ferenc Fricsay’s conductorial style paved the way for many facets of what we consider informed conducting today, especially in Mozart, and he still (almost) equalled Furtwängler in transcendental romanticism – when it suited the music.

The core works include Beethoven's 4th piano concerto live with Karajan in 1952, Mozart's Double Piano concerto with Geza Anda, and Mozart's 19th piano concerto with Ferenc Fricsay in 1952, as well as Bach's toccata and Beethoven's 18th sonata, and piano works by Schubert and Mozart included in the 1952 live performance, making this the definitive album of Haskil's art! Above all, the Schumann piano concerto with Carl Schuricht in 1955 is a masterpiece among masterpieces in which everything Haskil has to offer.

Wilhelm Kempff's cycle of the Beethoven Piano Concertos with Ferdinand Leitner and the Berlin Philharmonic is one of the great achievements of the golden age of stereo. Kempff had already recorded a magnificent mono cycle in the mid-1950s with the same orchestra under Paul Van Kempen (recently reissued on the box set "Wilhelm Kempff: The Complete 1950s Concerto Recordings" in DG's Original Masters series – see my review), but these new performances maintained his highest playing standards while offering the added dimension of stereo sound.

The core works include Beethoven's 4th piano concerto live with Karajan in 1952, Mozart's Double Piano concerto with Geza Anda, and Mozart's 19th piano concerto with Ferenc Fricsay in 1952, as well as Bach's toccata and Beethoven's 18th sonata, and piano works by Schubert and Mozart included in the 1952 live performance, making this the definitive album of Haskil's art! Above all, the Schumann piano concerto with Carl Schuricht in 1955 is a masterpiece among masterpieces in which everything Haskil has to offer.