Frederic c Wagner

Our series of historic radio recordings from Russian archives has proved very popular all over the world. Many people have chosen performance over recording quality. – which, when necessary, we have improved optimally. – Thus allowing themselves the infinite joy of listening to legendary performers. The musicians in this large set are all (living) legends indeed: pianists, Sviatoslav Richter, Emil Gilels, Lazar Berman, Evgeny Kissin; violinists David Oistrakh, Leonid Kogan, Viktor Tretiakov and Gidon Kremer; cellists Rostropovich and Daniel Shafran. Solo works, chamber music and works with orchestra are included.

A Voyage Through Classical Music - a collection for lovers of classical music. Excellent selection of orchestral, chamber and other music, including songs with piano, strings, brass and other instruments.

New York Philharmonic - The Historic Broadcasts 1923 to 1987 (1997) {10CDs Box Set NYP 9701}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 2.09 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 1.54 Gb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 520 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1923-87, 1997 New York Philharmonic | NYP 9701
Classical / Orchestral / Concerto / Symphony

Culled from New York Philharmonic broadcasts spanning 75 years, this remarkable 10-disc compilation testifies to the strong-willed yet chameleon-like orchestra's virtuosity and versatility under a diverse assemblage of podium personalities. Stylistically speaking, the earlier items are the most interesting, revealing, for instance, a more vibrant Otto Klemperer and freer Arturo Toscanini than their later commercial efforts sometimes suggest. Other artists are heard in repertoire which they otherwise didn't record: Fritz Reiner's Brahms 2nd, Leonard Bernstein's Berg and Webern, and a wrenching concert version of Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle under Kubelík's direction, to name but a few. From program notes to transfer quality, not one stone is left unturned to ensure first-rate results.

The 50 Greatest Pieces of Classical Music consists of famous selections performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of David Parry, with additional appearances by violinist Pieter Schoeman, pianist Finghin Collins, and guitarist Craig Ogden. While the term "greatest" may be debatable in the instance of some of the pieces, "popular" is a description that's easier to support, for there's no denying the staying power of these pieces. Indeed, some are so well-loved, they have become obligatory on such collections and are likely found in most listeners' collections.

The subtitle of this SACD is "The Ultimate Audio Experience". But open the notes, and you discover that all the tracks save one are from 44, 48, and 96KHz PCM sample original sources. There are some great performances here –- forever trapped in mid-definition resolution. They date from 1993 to 2003, a surprising number of them being recorded in 2001-2003, after DSD recording was available. In listening to this SACD, I was beginning to have doubts about the SACD format until I noticed the sources in the liner notes.

In 1819 composer and publisher Anton Diabelli got the idea to invite composers from the entire Austro-Hungarian Empire to compose variations on a waltz by his own hand. This was meant to be a monument of the musical art of his time, and a money maker for his publishing house. A lot of composers, 51 in total, answered to his request, and sent their variations, among whom celebrities like Liszt, Schubert, Hummel, Kalkbrenner, Moscheles. The most famous composer of the time, Ludwig van Beethoven, first rejected the idea in scorn, later however wrote his immense Opus 120, comprising no less than 33 variations on the theme, thus outpassing his “competitors” by an immeasurable degree in both invention and profundity.