Classical Music

Recommended Books, CD's and Videos

Books

• The Art of the Piano (David Dubal) - Its performers, literature and recordings - performers are listed in alphabetical order; the second part is dedicated to composers, in alphabetical order as well. Sometimes performers like Pogorelich get more praise than they deserve, but the book is a good reference source for pianists and music lovers - Harvest Book - Book Stacks

• The Callas Legacy (John Ardoin) - a guide to Callas's recordings, in chronological order; it includes both studio and live recordings and a brief analysis of each entry - Amadeus Press - Book Stacks

• Evenings with Horowitz - A Personal Portrait (David Dubal) - a duel of egos (Horowitz's and Dubal's) during aproximately 3 1/2 years; very interesting subjects as piano techique, composers, pianists as well as urban violence help the reader in getting a picture of Horowitz the artist and human being. At the end Mr. Dubal included Horowitz's discography and the book begins with a short biography. Read and send your e-mail telling who had the bigger ego, Horowitz or Dubal - Schirmer Books - Book Stacks

• 5000 Nights at the Opera (Sir Rudolph Bing) - narcissitic account, by the Met dictator during the 50's and 60's, of his regime at the Met - Amereon House - Amazon Books

• The Great Pianists (Harold C. Schonberg) - the famous NY critic presents an account of pianists "from Mozart to the present"; many important names, whose careers were made mainly in Europe, are only mentioned or simply omitted, but one of the most complete references for piano lovers - Simon and Schuster - Book Stacks

• Guide to the Pianist's Repertoire (Maurice Hinson) - fine book for those really interested in piano study; composers are presented in alphabetical order and, for each of them, their works and publishers are listed. Even the technical/interpretative difficulties are rated - Indiana University Press - Book Stacks

• Remembering Horowitz (David Dubal) - 125 pianists recall Vladimir Horowitz in very personal and different essays - Schirmer Books - Book Stacks

• Rubinstein - A Life (Harvey Sachs) - one of the most recent and complete biographies of the famous pianist Arthur Rubinstein; the author included at the end Rubinstein's complete discography - Grove Press - Amazon Books

• Tebaldi - The Voice of an Angel (Carlamaria Casanova) - biography of the great opera diva; the book comes with an excellent CD with studio recordings made from 1949-1964 - Baskerville Publishers, Inc. - Book Stacks

CD's

• Alkan - Concerto for solo piano - MUSIC & ARTS - Marc-André Hamelin, a specialist in little known composers, gives a beautiful performance of these Alkan Études in minor keys - CDconnection

• Alkan - Twelve Studies in all the Major Keys Op. 35 - TALL POPPIES - Stephanie McCallum (piano) - very good recording of those difficult works - CDWorld

• Alkan - 12 Études dans les Tons Mineurs Op. 39 - ASV - Jack Gibbons (piano) - this is the complete recording of those extremely difficult études by Alkan, including the famous "Le Festin d'Esope" - the set also includes some Esquisses Op. 60 and other works by Alkan - CDWorld

• Beethoven - Symphony #9 - Wilhelm Fürtwängler - Bayreuth Festspiele Orchestra and Chorus - live recording (1951) - EMI - CDWorld

• Bellini - Norma - MELODRAM - live performance a La Scala in 1955; Maria Callas, Giulietta Simionato, Mario Del Monaco, Niola Zaccaria; Antonino Votto (conductor) - perhaps Callas's voice at its best in Norma - CDWorld

• Bellini - Norma - live broadcast from the Met in 1944 - Zinka Milanov (sop.), Jennie Tourel (mezzo), Frederick Jagel (ten.), Norman Cordon (bass), Cesare Sodero (cond.) - GRAND TIER - Music Boulevard

• Cilea - Adriana Lecouvreur - Magda Olivero (sop), Franco Corelli (ten), Giulietta Simionatto (mezzo), Ettore Bastianinni (bar) - live recording at Teatro San Carlo di Napoli (1959) - MELODRAM - CDNow

• Godowsky - The Pianists' Pianist - APR - an anthology of his American recordings (1923-26) plus a private recording and his last commercial recording - CDConnection

• C. Gomes - Il Guarany - SONY - live recording at the Bonn Opera with Placido Domingo, Verónica Villarroel, Carlos Álvarez, conducted by the Brazilian John Neschling - CDWorld

• The Complete Josef Hofmann, vols. 1-4 - VAI AUDIO - extremely personal interpretations by the celebrated pianist - CDWorld

• Horowitz in London - GRAMMOFONO 2000 - A 3 CD set, with Horowitz's early recordings (1930-35); included are unforgettable performances of Rachmaninoff's 3rd Concerto, Liszt's Sonata as well as works by Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky, Prokofieff, Poulenc, Bach-Busoni, Scarlatti, Haydn, Debussy, Beethoven, Schumann, Liszt and Chopin - Music Boulevard

• Horowitz - The Last Recording - SONY - after listening to Horowitz's first recordings, listen to this album with his last ones; especially touching is his Liszt-Wagner Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde; other works by Haydn, Chopin and Liszt-Bach - Music Boulevard

• Meyerbeer - Gli Ugonotti - MELODRAM - live performance at La Scala in 1962, with Joan Sutherland, Franco Corelli, Giulietta Simionato, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Fiorenza Cossotto, Giorgio Tozzi and Wladimiro Ganzarolli; conductor Gianandrea Gavazzeni - the 7 Stars Night - CDConnection

• Guiomar Novaes (piano) - concertos by Chopin, Schumann and Beethoven and solo pieces - VOX - CDWorld

• Ravel condutcts Ravel - Bolero; Concerto in G for piano and Orchestra (Marguerite Long - piano); also includes Faure's Ballade for piano and orchestra and solo pieces by Fauré and Debussy played by Marguerite Long - PEARL - CDConnection

• Rosita Renard at Carnegie Hall - VAI - 1949 recital by the celebrated Chilean pianist and her fabulous technique, a few months before her death; the set also includes some Renard's 78 rpm. recordings, such as her celebrated Schulz-Evler "Arabesque on Themes from The Beautiful Blue Danube" - CDconnection

• Schubert - Quintet in C (D. 956) - Pablo Casals; Isaac Stern; Alexander Schneider; Milton Katlims; Paul Tortelier - EMI - CDWorld

• Schubert - "Trout" Quintet for Piano and Strings - Rudolf Serkin (Piano) - CBS - CDWorld

• Schumann - Fantasie op. 17 / Fantasiestücke Op. 12- Martha Argherich (piano) - EMI - German Music Express

• Magda Tagliaferro - The Early Years - Piano works by Brahms, Chopin, Granados, Liszt, Saint-Saëns, Schubert, Schumann, Villa-Lobos and Weber - PHILLIPS - PastelBlue

• Verdi - I Vespri Siciliani - IMC - live recording in Firenze, 1951; Maria Callas, Enzo Marcherini, Boris Christoff, Giorgio Kokolios Bardi; Erich Kleiber (conductor) - CDWorld

• Verdi - Requiem - Gre Brouwenstijn (sop); Oralia Dominguez (mezzo); Giuseppe Zampieri (ten); Nicola Zaccaria (bass); WDR Orchestra and Chorus, Sir Georg Solti (cond.) - GLOBE - CDWorld

• Bruno Walter Rarities vol. 1 - Tchaikowsky (Piano Concerto #1); Brahms (Piano Concerto #1) - Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)- live recordings made respectively in New York (1948) and Amsterdam (1936) - AS - CDConnection

• Cartas à Posteridade - Flavio Varani, piano - PAULINAS COMEP - works by Villa-Lobos, performed brilliantly by the Brazilian pianist, former Tagliaferro student and winner of the Chopin competition in Mallorca.

• Bellini - Norma - Anita Cerquetti, Franco Corelli, Miriam Pirazzini, Giulio Neri - Rome Opera Theater Chorus & Orchestra - Gabrielle Santini (cond.) -GREAT OPERA PERFORMANCES - live performance on Jan. 4, 1958 - the famous performance cancelled by Callas after Act I; Cerquetti was called to cover and it was an enormous success.

• Mompou - Piano Works vols 1 and 2 - Remei Cortes Ayats - PAVANE RECORDS - Catalan pianist Ayats plays with extreme sensibility Mompou's Suburbis, Scènes d'Enfants, Cançons i Danses and Préludes.

• Sergei Rachmaninoff - The Complete Recordings - RCA - any serious pianist ought to listen to this whole collection of treasures recorded by, most likely, the greatest pianist of all times.

• Schubert - Piano Trio Nš 1; Beethoven - Piano Trio Nš 2 - Pablo Casals, Alexander Schneider, Eugene Istomin - EMI - two fantastic performances by those famous artists, issued by EMI as part of the Casals Collection.

Videos

• Beethoven - The 3 Last Piano Sonatas - DGG - Rudolf Serkin in a live recital in Vienna, in 1987 - Video Express

• Claudio Arrau - The 80th Birthday Recital - KULTUR - at 80 the Chilean master still played like a genius; here are works by Beethoven, Debussy, Liszt and Chopin, coupled with a Happy Birthday sung by his friend Plácido Domingo and the whole audience at Avery Fisher Hall, 1987 - Video Express

• The Golden Age of the Piano - PHILIPS - remarkable video with David Dubal presenting a history of piano playing along the centuries and some short video performances featuring Arrau, Brailowsky, Cliburn, Cortot, Gould, Grainger, Hess, Hofmann, Horowitz, Landowska, Paderewski, Rubinstein and Serkin - Ken Crane's

• Lucia de Lammermoor - BEL CANTO - Joan Sutherland (sop), Alfredo Krauss (ten) - live from the Metropolitan Opera House, Donizetti's opera beautifully sung by Sutherland and Krauss - Video Express

• Maria Callas at Covent Garden - EMI - Act 2 of Puccini's Tosca (black & white) - a must for any opera fan - Video Express

• Norma - DREAMLIFE - Bellini's masterwork in a live performance at the Orange Festival in 1974, with Montserrat Caballé, John Vickers, Josephine Veasey; orchestra and chorus from the Turin Theater, conducted by Giuseppe Patane. You'll never see a or hear a better performance - Dreamlife

• Tristan und Isolde - DREAMLIFE - Wagner's opera in a live performance at the Orange Festival in 1973, with Birgit Nilsson, John Vickers, Walter Berry; orchestra from the RTF and London New-Philarmonic Choir conducted by Karl Böhm - unforgettable! - Dramlife

Classical Brazilian Music and Musicians

Magda Tagliaferro Home Page - another legend among pianists; her life and recordings.

Antonietta Rudge - unknown to younger generations, she was one of Artur Rubinstein's musical passions.

João de Souza Lima - pianist, composer, conductor and teacher.

Yara Bernette - one of the foremost living Brazilian pianists, very well known especially in Germany.

Flavio Varani - Brazilian pianist presently in the USA, where he leads an extensive concert and teaching career.

Villa-Lobos Museum - Biography, photographs, some .mid files and up-to-date information on the composer. Both English and Portuguese versions available.

Villa-Lobos Home Page - the greatest modern Brazilian composer

Carlos Gomes Home Page - the greatest Brazilian opera composer.

José Luiz Paes Nunes Home Page - Brazilian musicologist, critic and architect.

VivaMúsica - Brazilian classical music monthly magazine. News and online subscription.

Brazilian Music Uptodate - Information on new CD releases for both classical and popular Brazilian music.

Concerto - monthly magazine featuring classical music events for São Paulo. Classic CD's sold by mail order.

Classical Music Resources on Internet

Classical Music in Italy - links to the main italian opera houses, as well as to musical centers in Italy.

Maria Callas Home Page - biography, pictures and recordings of the great Diva.

All Music Guide - information about recordings from the famous guide now available on-line.

Classic CD - browse the latest issues of the British magazine.

Mike Richter's Page - valuable information for opera fans. Download Mike's reviews of more than 400 opera videos.

Classical MIDI Archives - very good site, with classical music recorded in .mid format for free downloading.

MOZART Home Page - very good shareware program for those interested in writing music on the computer and recording .mid files.

Operaweb Home Page - opera news in Italy and around the world; Italian and English versions.

YAHOO

Contact me at

rpassarj@compuserve.com or rpassarj@attglobal.net

Last update 9-Dec-98

Background music heard is Camargo Guarnieri's Ponteio nš 45 , in .mid format. Click here to download the file (3.14 KB).

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