Alfred Cortot - The Master Pianist (2008)
Artist: Alfred Cortot
Title: The Master Pianist
Year Of Release: 2008
Label: Warner Classics
Genre: Classical
Quality: FLAC (tracks)
Total Time: 8:03:13
Total Size: 1.3 GB
WebSite: Album Preview
Tracklist:Title: The Master Pianist
Year Of Release: 2008
Label: Warner Classics
Genre: Classical
Quality: FLAC (tracks)
Total Time: 8:03:13
Total Size: 1.3 GB
WebSite: Album Preview
01. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 1 in C Major
02. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 2 in A Minor
03. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 3 in G Major
04. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 4 in E Minor
05. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 5 in D Major
06. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 6 in B Minor
07. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 7 in A Major
08. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 8 in F-Sharp Minor
09. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 9 in E Major
10. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 10 in C-Sharp Minor
11. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 11 in B Major
12. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 12 in G-Sharp Minor
13. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 13 in F-Sharp Major
14. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 14 in E-Flat Minor
15. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 15 in D-Flat Major "Raindrop"
16. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 16 in B-Flat Minor
17. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 17 in A-Flat Major
18. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 18 in F Minor
19. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 19 in E-Flat Major
20. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 20 in C Minor
21. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 21 in B-Flat Major
22. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 22 in G Minor
23. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 23 in F Major
24. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 24 in D Minor
25. Chopin: Prelude in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 45
26. Chopin: Berceuse in D-Flat Major, Op. 57
27. Chopin: Impromptu No. 1 in A-Flat Major, Op. 29
28. Chopin: Impromptu No. 2 in F-Sharp Major, Op. 36
29. Chopin: Impromptu No. 3 in G-Flat Major, Op. 51
30. Chopin: Fantaisie-impromptu in C-Sharp Minor, Op. Posth. 66
31. Chopin: Barcarolle in F-Sharp Major, Op. 60
32. Beethoven: Piano Trio No. 7 in B-Flat Major, Op. 97 "Archduke": I. Allegro moderato
33. Beethoven: Piano Trio No. 7 in B-Flat Major, Op. 97 "Archduke": II. Scherzo. Allegro
34. Beethoven: Piano Trio No. 7 in B-Flat Major, Op. 97 "Archduke": III. Andante cantabile
35. Beethoven: Piano Trio No. 7 in B-Flat Major, Op. 97 "Archduke": IV. Allegro moderato
36. Schubert: Piano Trio No. 1 in B-Flat Major, Op. 99, D. 898: I. Allegro moderato
37. Schubert: Piano Trio No. 1 in B-Flat Major, Op. 99, D. 898: II. Andante un poco mosso
38. Schubert: Piano Trio No. 1 in B-Flat Major, Op. 99, D. 898: III. Scherzo (Allegro) - Trio
39. Schubert: Piano Trio No. 1 in B-Flat Major, Op. 99, D. 898: IV. Rondo (Allegro vivace)
40. Beethoven: 7 Variations on Mozart's "Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen" for Cello and Piano in E-Flat Major, WoO 46
41. Debussy: Children's Corner, L. 119, L. 113: I. Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum
42. Debussy: Children's Corner, L. 119, L. 113: II. Jimbo's Lullaby
43. Debussy: Children's Corner, L. 119, L. 113: III. Serenade for the Doll
44. Debussy: Children's Corner, L. 119, L. 113: IV. The Snow Is Dancing
45. Debussy: Children's Corner, L. 119, L. 113: V. The Little Shepherd
46. Debussy: Children's Corner, L. 119, L. 113: VI. Golliwogg's Cake-walk
47. Debussy: Préludes, Book 1, L. 125, L. 117: I. Danseuses de Delphes
48. Debussy: Préludes, Book 1, L. 125, L. 117: II. Voiles
49. Debussy: Préludes, Book 1, L. 125, L. 117: III. Le vent dans la plaine
50. Debussy: Préludes, Book 1, L. 125, L. 117: IV. Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir
51. Debussy: Préludes, Book 1, L. 125, L. 117: V. Les collines d'Anacapri
52. Debussy: Préludes, Book 1, L. 125, L. 117: VI. Des pas sur la neige
53. Debussy: Préludes, Book 1, L. 125, L. 117: VII. Ce qu'a vu le vent d'ouest
54. La fille aux cheveux de lin (2008 Remastered Version)
55. Debussy: Préludes, Book 1, L. 125, L. 117: IX. La sérénade interrompue
56. Debussy: Préludes, Book 1, L. 125, L. 117: X. La cathédrale engloutie
57. Debussy: Préludes, Book 1, L. 125, L. 117: XI. La danse de Puck
58. Debussy: Préludes, Book 1, L. 125, L. 117: XII. Minstrels
59. Ravel: Sonatine, M. 40: I. Modéré
60. Ravel: Sonatine, M. 40: II. Mouvement de menuet
61. Ravel: Sonatine, M. 40: III. Animé
62. Jeux d'eau (2008 Remastered Version)
63. Franck: Violin Sonata in A Major, FWV 8: I. Allegretto ben moderato
64. Franck: Violin Sonata in A Major, FWV 8: II. Allegro
65. Franck: Violin Sonata in A Major, FWV 8: III. Recitativo - Fantasia (Ben moderato - Molto lento)
66. Franck: Violin Sonata in A Major, FWV 8: IV. Allegretto poco mosso
67. Debussy: Violin Sonata in G Minor, L. 148, L. 140: I. Allegro Vivo
68. Debussy: Violin Sonata in G Minor, L. 148, L. 140: II. Intermède
69. Debussy: Violin Sonata in G Minor, L. 148, L. 140: III. Finale
70. Debussy: Préludes, Book 1, L. 125, L. 117: XII. Minstrels (Arr. for violin and piano by Debussy)
71. Violin Sonata No. 1 in A major Op. 13 (1989 Digital Remaster): I. Allegro molto
72. Violin Sonata No. 1 in A major Op. 13 (1989 Digital Remaster): II. Andante
73. Violin Sonata No. 1 in A major Op. 13 (1989 Digital Remaster): III. Allegro vivo
74. Violin Sonata No. 1 in A major Op. 13 (1989 Digital Remaster): IV. Allegro quasi presto
75. Trio No. 25 in G (Sonata) Hob. XV: 25 (Op. 73 No. 2) (1991 Digital Remaster): I. Andante
76. Trio No. 25 in G (Sonata) Hob. XV: 25 (Op. 73 No. 2) (1991 Digital Remaster): II. Poco adagio, cantabile
77. Trio No. 25 in G (Sonata) Hob. XV: 25 (Op. 73 No. 2) (1991 Digital Remaster): III. Rondo all'ongarese (Presto)
78. Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 9 in A Major, Op. 47 "Kreutzer": I. Adagio sostenuto - Presto
79. Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 9 in A Major, Op. 47 "Kreutzer": II. Andante con variazioni
80. Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 9 in A Major, Op. 47 "Kreutzer": III. Finale. Presto
81. Brahms: Double Concerto in A Minor, Op. 102: I. Allegro
82. Brahms: Double Concerto in A Minor, Op. 102: II. Andante
83. Brahms: Double Concerto in A Minor, Op. 102: III. Vivace non troppo
84. Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 49: I. Molto allegro agitato
85. Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 49: II. Andante con moto tranquillo
86. Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 49: III. Scherzo (Leggiero e vivace)
87. Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 49: IV. Finale (Allegro assai appassionato)
88. Schumann: Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 63: I. Mit Energie und Leidenschaft
89. Schumann: Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 63: II. Lebhaft, doch nicht zu rasch
90. Schumann: Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 63: III. Langsam, mit inniger Empfindung
91. Schumann: Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 63: IV. Mit Feuer
92. Beethoven: Piano Trio in G Major, Op. 121a "Kakadu Variations"
93. Liszt: Piano Sonata in B Minor, S. 178
94. No. 2 in C sharp minor from 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies S244 (1997 Remastered Version)
95. No. 11 in A minor from 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies S244 (1997 Remastered Version)
96. Paraphrase on Verdi's "Rigoletto" S434 (1997 Remastered Version)
97. Liszt: Saint François de Paule marchant sur les flots, S. 175 No. 2
98. Liszt: La Leggierezza, S. 144 No. 2
EMI’s ‘Icon’ series has proved to be, on balance, a good one though it’s perpetuated some less than optimum transfers. My experience of this particular edition devoted to Cortot is that the transfers are very acceptable. Some were made in 2006 – the Preludes for instance – whilst others are credited to the 1997 work that EMI France carried out on, say, Debussy and Ravel that are contained in disc three. Still others date back to 1989 – the Franck, Fauré and Debussy violin sonatas, whilst others – the trios - come from 1991. So the net has been spread widely. I certainly found the 2006 restorations rather more to my liking than some of EMI’s recent GROC work, a lot of which I find metallic and wearying; not all, of course, as the Beethoven-Busch quartet performances are strongly excepted.
The run down of the recordings in this seven CD set shows the expected recordings so there will be little surprise for collectors. For the generalist with a hankering for historical performances by a master such as Cortot the good transfers and the repertoire – especially its completeness in terms of the trio recordings with Thibaud and Casals will vie with the set’s good value as double inducements.
A few specific words about transfers, then. Regarding the Kreutzer sonata I prefer the work here to the old Biddulph [LAB028] by Mark Obert-Thorn; there’s greater tonal depth in EMI’s work. The trios are all on Naxos of course – the Schumann and Mendelssohn on 8.110185, the Haydn and Schubert on 8.110188. EMI’s work is generally more open, and preserves greater treble, though the Naxos is warmer and has a touch more tonal bloom. To take another example the 1933 Impromptus are on Naxos 8.111023 in a 2005 transfer. The 2006 EMI transfer has a touch more clarity and presence and I happen to prefer it. I think the 1949 Berceuse is totally clear-cut. The Naxos is muffled against the clarity of the EMI.
These solitary examples should give one some indication of the strengths of this set and a look at the head note will reveal the depth of repertory covered. The majority of pieces were recorded between 1926 and 1933 though there are obvious exceptions. Jeux d’eau is the solitary acoustic recording, made in New York in March 1923 and the post-war ’49 sessions are represented by the Chopin items in the first disc.
The Op.28 Preludes are the 1933 recordings. There will be partisans of the 1926 set – on Naxos 8.111023 (see review) – and maybe less so of the wartime 1942 traversal as well. But this mid point cycle is in many ways the most consistently illuminating. The second disc is devoted to the Archduke about which I’ve written in its Naxos guise [8.110195] – a very fine though not, for me, truly outstanding reading – where it’s coupled with the Kreutzer sonata. The Schubert is definitely a great performance though and the Mendelssohn, Haydn and Schumann are joined by the two sets of variations that made up the small corpus of recordings set down by a trio that made do with a really exceptionally limited repertoire.
The Debussy and Ravel performances are self-recommending even to those who adhere to other of Cortot’s contemporaries in this repertoire. The Franck Sonata is a classic French performance, comparable to the later Francescatti-Casadesus and the Belgian Dubois-Maas duo (on Biddulph and a must-hear) in terms of stylistic acumen. So too the Debussy sonata and the Fauré in A, long admired staples. Cortot and Thibaud and Casals joined forces in the famous Barcelona recording of the Brahms Double Concerto, Cortot caught here in his only expedition - in this set - as conductor.
The final disc gives us some explosive Liszt, his 1929 recording of the Sonata being one of the tersest and fastest on record, whilst the New York recorded Hungarian Rhapsodies are full of dynamism and leonine wit. They make a wonderful, glamorous and virtuosic end to a finely selected box. -- Jonathan Woolf, MusicWeb International
The run down of the recordings in this seven CD set shows the expected recordings so there will be little surprise for collectors. For the generalist with a hankering for historical performances by a master such as Cortot the good transfers and the repertoire – especially its completeness in terms of the trio recordings with Thibaud and Casals will vie with the set’s good value as double inducements.
A few specific words about transfers, then. Regarding the Kreutzer sonata I prefer the work here to the old Biddulph [LAB028] by Mark Obert-Thorn; there’s greater tonal depth in EMI’s work. The trios are all on Naxos of course – the Schumann and Mendelssohn on 8.110185, the Haydn and Schubert on 8.110188. EMI’s work is generally more open, and preserves greater treble, though the Naxos is warmer and has a touch more tonal bloom. To take another example the 1933 Impromptus are on Naxos 8.111023 in a 2005 transfer. The 2006 EMI transfer has a touch more clarity and presence and I happen to prefer it. I think the 1949 Berceuse is totally clear-cut. The Naxos is muffled against the clarity of the EMI.
These solitary examples should give one some indication of the strengths of this set and a look at the head note will reveal the depth of repertory covered. The majority of pieces were recorded between 1926 and 1933 though there are obvious exceptions. Jeux d’eau is the solitary acoustic recording, made in New York in March 1923 and the post-war ’49 sessions are represented by the Chopin items in the first disc.
The Op.28 Preludes are the 1933 recordings. There will be partisans of the 1926 set – on Naxos 8.111023 (see review) – and maybe less so of the wartime 1942 traversal as well. But this mid point cycle is in many ways the most consistently illuminating. The second disc is devoted to the Archduke about which I’ve written in its Naxos guise [8.110195] – a very fine though not, for me, truly outstanding reading – where it’s coupled with the Kreutzer sonata. The Schubert is definitely a great performance though and the Mendelssohn, Haydn and Schumann are joined by the two sets of variations that made up the small corpus of recordings set down by a trio that made do with a really exceptionally limited repertoire.
The Debussy and Ravel performances are self-recommending even to those who adhere to other of Cortot’s contemporaries in this repertoire. The Franck Sonata is a classic French performance, comparable to the later Francescatti-Casadesus and the Belgian Dubois-Maas duo (on Biddulph and a must-hear) in terms of stylistic acumen. So too the Debussy sonata and the Fauré in A, long admired staples. Cortot and Thibaud and Casals joined forces in the famous Barcelona recording of the Brahms Double Concerto, Cortot caught here in his only expedition - in this set - as conductor.
The final disc gives us some explosive Liszt, his 1929 recording of the Sonata being one of the tersest and fastest on record, whilst the New York recorded Hungarian Rhapsodies are full of dynamism and leonine wit. They make a wonderful, glamorous and virtuosic end to a finely selected box. -- Jonathan Woolf, MusicWeb International
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