Chopin: Complete Edition
Release Date: 1999-10-12
Sales rank: 95432
On the 150th anniversary of his death, Deutsche Grammophon released this impressive box set featuring the complete works of Frédéric Chopin. Spread out over 17 CDs, it contains some truly big-name artists--Argerich, Pollini, Barenboim, and Ashkenazy--and a few you've probably never heard of. The majority of the set's nine volumes contain some music newly produced for this undertaking, and a few items (Chopin's songs, for instance) were recorded specifically for this collection. A well-illustrated book is included--it contains an essay, dateline, and illustrations--and each volume in the set gets its own liner notes. The music? It varies from great to less than great, but most of it is worth hearing. Those accustomed to Rubinstein's readings of the Mazurkas will find those played by Jean-Marc Luisada less fluid and lacking Rubinstein's power. Chopin's songs, seldom heard and filled with elements of Polish folk dances and the less-than-stellar lyrics of the composer's friend Stefan Witwicki, get a college try here by soprano Elzbieta Szmytka. They sound as good as you'll hear anywhere (if you can find them). It probably goes without saying that Martha Argerich's rousing 26 Préludes are some of the set's more exciting moments. But, really, the entire collection is solid. It should be noted that budget label Naxos has released its own Chopin edition at less than half the price of this set. With Idil Biret as the only performer on that set, you miss out on some of the diverse performances and personalities found here. Also, to please those of us who already own favorite performances of these works, each two-CD volume in the Complete Chopin Edition can be purchased individually. Bravo. --Jason Verlinde |
John Williams: The Baroque Album
Release Date: 1990-10-25
Sales rank: 104012
The great guitarist John Williams has been around the block several times with much of this music, and some of his performances sound as though he's getting a little tired of it. He plays the guitar extremely well, as always; you will never hear a better-executed performance of the Bach Chaconne, and the difficulties of the Scarlatti Sonatas hardly seem to exist for him. Some of the pieces new to his recorded repertory--Telemann, Roncalli, Couperin--are played with all the expression I want to hear. While this is a good disc, though, it's not the best of John Williams. --Leslie Gerber |
