Cloudio Abbado

The year 1786 was one of Mozart's most fruitful, full of diverse works in his most mature vein. It was crowned with the production of the C major Concerto, K. 503, and the "Prague" Symphony. This concerto is the last of the series in C major, and combines with its companion K. 491 in C minor, which in turn succeeded the A major K. 488, to make a trilogy that has been likened to the three great symphonies of two years later.

This is the original Prokofiev/Ravel concerto coupling as it appeared on LP; the Prokofiev has also been coupled with the Tchaikovsky First Concerto. I prefer this edition since superb performances of the Ravel are less common. The young (1967) Martha Argerich plays the Prokofiev for maximum brilliance but leavens the Ravel with the composer's ironic lyricism. It's very effective. The bonus is one of the greatest performances of the Ravel piano suite ever recorded, but it leaves me wondering what will happen to the remainder of the original LP. All those solo Ravel pieces should be in the catalog; as Argerich plays them, they offer a primer on what keyboard color is all about.

The reissue of historical music masterpieces by ESOTERIC has attracted a lot of attention, both for its uncompromising commitment to recreating the original master sound, and for using SACD technology to improve sound quality. This Box Set of "4 Great Operas on Deutsche Grammophon & Decca" features the four works of this time are historical name boards which were produced in the heyday of analog from 1968 to 1977, and at the time of recording, each record company gathered the best conductor, orchestra, singer, the best sound, It was recorded with an in-depth session organized at the proud recording venue.

On this stunning album, Anna Netrebko delivers spine-tingling renditions of arias by four of the greatest composers of Italian opera: Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini. Conducted by the great Claudio Abbado, this is a true masterpiece—a must have for any fan of opera or orchestral music.

On this stunning album, Anna Netrebko delivers spine-tingling renditions of arias by four of the greatest composers of Italian opera: Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini. Conducted by the great Claudio Abbado, this is a true masterpiece—a must have for any fan of opera or orchestral music.

Vocalist and violinist Alice Zawadzki, pianist Fred Thomas (who also plays the vielle and drums here) and bassist Misha Mullov-Abbado present a rare alchemy on their trio debut, fusing folk idioms from a multitude of sources with free flowing interplay and fluid structures. Inhabiting their own stylistic realm, the trio encompasses folk song, chamber music, improvisation and acoustic jazz, and on Za Gorami they present the full span of their reach in a mesmerizing whole.

On this stunning album, Anna Netrebko delivers spine-tingling renditions of arias by four of the greatest composers of Italian opera: Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini. Conducted by the great Claudio Abbado, this is a true masterpiece—a must have for any fan of opera or orchestral music.

Vocalist and violinist Alice Zawadzki, pianist Fred Thomas (who also plays the vielle and drums here) and bassist Misha Mullov-Abbado present a rare alchemy on their trio debut, fusing folk idioms from a multitude of sources with free flowing interplay and fluid structures. Inhabiting their own stylistic realm, the trio encompasses folk song, chamber music, improvisation and acoustic jazz, and on Za Gorami they present the full span of their reach in a mesmerizing whole.

On this stunning album, Anna Netrebko delivers spine-tingling renditions of arias by four of the greatest composers of Italian opera: Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini. Conducted by the great Claudio Abbado, this is a true masterpiece - a must have for any fan of opera or orchestral music.