Georges Pretre

Callas Live Recordings - Live in London 1961 and 1962 - CD 9 of 11
Classical | 1 CD | FLAC CUE LOG | NO COVER NO BOOK | 254 MB
EMI B0000BWTKG | Release Date: 2002

Again, the distant sound quality from London in 1961 lets us down. ("La luce langue" from Macbeth also ends prematurely.) In terms of repertoire, these programs are traditional, with older stand-bys (Anna Bolena, Don Carlo) mixing with recent additions (a tangy Carmen, Le Cid). "Ocean! thou mighty monster" from Weber's Oberon is a thrilling torrent of sound, albeit in not very intelligible English. Georges Prêtre takes a punishing tempo in the Cenerentola aria, and in other selections as well, but Callas keeps up with him nicely. One is struck by how healthy her voice sounds throughout; there's not much trace of a decline here.

Callas Live Recordings - Live in Paris 1963 and 1976 - CD 10 of 11
Classical | 1 CD | FLAC CUE LOG | NO COVER NO BOOK | 163 MB
EMI B0000BWTKH | Release Date: 2003

"Bel raggio lusinghier" from Rossini's Semiramide opens this program, and it naturally invites comparison with the performance of the same aria from Milan in 1956. At this point in her career, it probably was not wise for Callas to attempt this aria, and the same could be said about the Cenerentola "Nacqui all'affanno" that follows it. Her voice has thinned out in its upper register, the high notes are undependable, and overall, there is less flexibility. Still, her ability to execute Rossini's florid coloratura with precision remains thrillingly intact. On the other hand, the aria from Nabucco is even more exciting than it was in Rome in 1952, mostly because Callas pounces on it without a trace of fear. (Pity about the last note, though.) Arias from La bohème (Musetta's Waltz Song!), Butterfly (the death scene, searingly sung), and Gianni schicchi are performed with variable vocal success, but it is in the Letter Aria from Werther that Callas shows where her career could have taken her. Charlotte is a mezzo role, of course, and it provides her with vocal and dramatic challenges that she was very capable of overcoming even at this late date. The Table Aria from Manon also is very movingly done. Georges Prêtre conducts the Orchestre National de la RTF. The sound here is excellent. An odd bonus of sorts is a private recording of most of Beethoven's "Ah! perfido," with Jeffrey Tate accompanying Callas on the piano. This item comes from the unbelievably late date of March 3, 1976 – less than two years before her death. The sound here is far from ideal, but one can hear enough of Callas to tell that the voice is more or less intact – much better than it was, in fact, during her 1973-74 concerts with Giuseppe di Stefano. What role did flagging self-confidence play in the decline of Callas' voice? It is sad to think that if Callas had received appropriate medical or psychological interventions, her career (and her life) might have been considerably longer.

The most important work in this DVD is the film of Alexis Weissenberg playing Petrushka. From the notes: "through the inventiveness of its framing, the subtlety of its composition and the attention paid to the photography, Petrushka, interpreted by Alexis Weissenberg and directed by Ake Falck, is a unique example of a musical cinematographic film.This film also had a considerable impact on Alexis Weissenberg's career. Notes by Michel Glotz, his Manager and friend.

Alexis Weissenberg The Complete RCA Album Collection brings together all of the pianist s 1967/70 RCA Victor sessions for the first time in one place and remastered from the original analog sources, along with his 1949 recorded début that first appeared as a ten-inch Columbia Masterworks LP. The recordings include Chopin s Scherzi Nos. 1 and 2 and Sonata No. 3 in B minor, three Haydn Sonatas, a Debussy recital, Bartók s Piano Concerto No. 2, plus interpretations of Rachmaninoff s complete Préludes and Piano Concerto No. 3 that became modern-day reference versions. The booklet contains full discographical information and an essay by Jed Distler.

The subject matter could not be different, but these two releases are extraordinarily special in their respective fields. And since both are vocal works, ergo their pairing in the interest of conserving space. But which to consider first? No disrespect is meant much less implied if we throw a chapeau in the air first for a painstaking critical edition by Jean-Christophe Keck of the libretto by Meilhac and Halévy for Jacques Offenbach’s political satire disguised as a jeu de’esprit, created for Napoleon III’s Grand Exhibition of 1867. R.D. (December 2005)

Bach, Kurtág, Busoni - Piano Duet - GrauSchumacher Piano Duo (2007)
Classical | EAC: FLAC+Cue+Log | 1 Cd, Covers | 273 Mb
Label: col legno - Date: 2007

Andreas Grau and Götz Schumacher, with their talent for putting together clever and innovative programs, have established themselves as one of the world's top piano duos. Their cooperation at the piano is evidence that the two expert pianists are nothing short of musical soul mates…