Philips
Showing 1–12 of 17 results
Beethoven – Sonatas for Piano & Cello
Possessing a complete recording of Beethoven’s Cello Sonatas gives far more satisfaction than merely having the set to fill the shelves. On the one hand it offers one the opportunity to compare Beethoven’s art of composition at various stages in his life. And on the other hand one can already recognise in the early Opus 5 how he breaks with the traditional sonata in which the solo instrument merely provides an accompaniment and treats the two instruments as equal partners in the creation of the movements.
Beethoven – Violin Sonatas No’s 5 & 9
At first sight Beethoven’s Violin Sonatas appear to occupy only a subordinate role when placed alongside his great symphonic works and the piano sonatas. While the earlier works in the genre were viewed in their time with scepticism due to the “rare difficulty” and “learnedness” of their piano part, the later sonatas however display an increasingly marked independence of the violin part. For this reason, the A major Violin Sonata (which was dedicated to the French violinist Rodolph Kreutzer), and the so-called Spring Sonata (whose nickname was added by an unknown hand) soon became two of the most famous representatives of their genre.
Bruckner – Symphony No. 5 in B flat / Mozart – Symphony No. 36 in C, “Linz”
Eugen Jochum was a modest man who did not use the media to draw attention to himself but rather to document his musical intentions. And right from the very beginning he focussed on magnitude. Aged only 23, he made his debut in Munich with Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 and so laid the foundations for his lifelong devotion to the Austrian composer’s works, as is demonstrated by his complete recording of the Symphonies that was made during the years 1958–1967.
Franz Schubert : Complete Trios For Piano Violin and Cello
Anyone who takes an interest in Schubert’s late works will sooner or later come across cliché-like interpretations of his music that have been associated with a foreboding of his early death. Robert Schumann on the other hand was more objective when he looked at the score of Schubert’s two great Piano Trios: he characterised that in E flat major as effectual, masculine and dramatic, and the sister work in B flat major as languishing, feminine and lyrical. Both masterpieces have in common highly varied movements, which must be approached with great insight, a deeply felt sustained lyricism, and a courageous approach as regards the bold themes.
Grumiaux : Encore! Bravo! Da capo!
The good Arthur Grumiaux was in a very sentimental mood when he chose the twenty-nine works for this pair of discs. The prevailing pace is andante, the prevailing mood one of heavy sweetness - the stuff to send an audience out not with pulses pounding. There are, of course, nice moments. A Mozart Rondo is bright, articulate, and well planned: Granados' Danza espanola No. 5 ("Andaluza") is warm and compelling, with its minor major cadence as magical as ever: Kreisler's "Schön Rosmarin" is beguiling.—High Fidelity
Jazz sur seine : Milt Jackson – Barney Wilen – Percy Heath – Kenny Clarke
Tenor saxophonist Barney Wilen was not quite 21 years old at the time of this meeting with Milt Jackson, Percy Heath, and Kenny Clarke, three veterans of the Modern Jazz Quartet. But the young man is surprising mature and confident throughout the session, interpreting several of Django Reinhardt's compositions, along with a few by his French contemporaries and a pair of his own works. What's surprising about this session is the rare opportunity to hear Jackson exclusively as a pianist, as his playing is a bit more reserved than on vibes.
Legrand : Jazz
This record is experimental, that is, it should be considered as such, since no more daring and flashing musical ideas have been brought forward by the eminent young French conductor/composer/arranger Michel Legrand, who is particularly responsible fr the magnificent tracks of this longplayer. The music featured on these tracks stays well within the bounds of jazz; in fact, the indefinable spirit of jazz is always there.
Liszt – Concerto No.1 / Concerto No.2
Any pianist who tackles Franz Liszt’s great works must possess outstanding skills in many areas. Technical prowess is absolutely necessary to play the extremely difficult score, as is immense physical energy in order to compete with the hefty onslaughts from the orchestra. But a great awareness of the unusual conceptual forms, refined energy and passion are also required to make the keyboard sing.
Mozart – Oboe Quartet, K.370
The term 'chamber music' alone makes one think that such music is created just for a private circle of listeners. In many cases, however, public figures or great virtuosos were the dedicatees of compositions for small instrumental ensembles. Mozart wrote his Oboe Quartet K. 370 for Friedrich Ramm, the first oboist in the Bavarian Elector’s orchestra. Heinz Holliger treads in Ramm’s footsteps in this recording and proves to be a worthy follower with his rich sound and prominent demeanour.
Mozart : Piano Sonatas KV 331 & 332 – Mitsuko Uchida
Uchida’s Mozart has been endlessly celebrated for its lucidity and acuteness… Uchida does not just peck at Mozart. Without loss of simplicity and transparency of style and texture, she leaves no note uncherished, moreover with a left hand just as … Continued
Mozart Requiem
Among all those sacred compositions that deal with the end of life, Mozart’s Requiem penetrates one’s heart and soul like no other apocalyptic work. One reason for this is surely the
rather mysterious story surrounding its composition, a mixture of truth and legend, which
arose during the arduous last months of the ailing Salzburg composer. Although the various developmental stages and the extent to which Mozart’s pupils participated in the composition may never be fully clarified, the mystical power of the enigmatic fragments remains constant to this day.
Rodrigo – Concierto de Aranjuez
The frenetic applause with which both the public and the experts greeted the Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar and orchestra, composed in 1940, is certainly astounding – one would have thought that 20th-century music was dominated chiefly by composers of twelve-tone music and the avantguardists. Rodrigo, however, remained faithful to the Classical three-movement form, employed a late-Romantic orchestral colouring, and followed in the tradition of Spanish composers who, perhaps more than any others, won their inspiration from the folkmusic of their native country.