Claudio Mutti

Claudio Arrau (1903-1991) is a pianist fully deserving of the epithet ‘legendary’. His rigorous intellect and sense of the sublime found expression in his transcendent technique and sumptuous, yet lucid sonorities.

Only rarely do musicians win fame a great interpreters of everything they touch.

FHR Remasters. Released as a 5CD box set and on all digital platforms: 27 June 2025. Booklet notes by Jonathan Summers.

FHR Remasters. Released as a 5CD box set and on all digital platforms: 27 June 2025. Booklet notes by Jonathan Summers.

A patrician artist whose matinee-idol appearance was as elegant as his playing, Claudio Arrau achieved a major reputation for his performances of Brahms and Liszt. Indeed, few Romantic-period composers, from Beethoven onward, were beyond his grasp. In addition to that repertory, his Debussy was regarded by many connoisseurs as exemplary. Arrau believed that his abiding interest in psychoanalysis aided him in probing the intent of those whose works he performed. Certainly, Arrau's performances were marked by a balance between heart and intellect. Arrau was born in Chillán, Chile, on February 6, 1903. He received piano instruction from his mother at an early age, making his debut performance in Santiago at the age of five playing Mozart, Beethoven, and Chopin.

Only rarely do musicians win fame a great interpreters of everything they touch.

Solisti Veneti, under the direction of Claudio Scimone, presents this legacy recording of Albinoni's Douze concertos, Op. 5 & Trois sinfonies.

This collection combines Claudio Arrau’s best recordings of Chopin, including the iconic complete set of Études, the third piano sonata, and various rare pieces from the 78-rpm era.

He was one of the most important virtuosos in the world, and his ingenuity is still undisputed – well over twenty years after his death – as are the standards he set with many of his recordings.