Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli - The Unkown Michelangeli (1965-1975) [2021 SACD]

The best-selling ALTUS edition, which unearthed Michelangeli's unknown and valuable live recordings, has been made into an SACD for the first time exclusively for Tower Records. A total of 224 minutes of the 1975 French Granges de Melle Live, where he played Bechstein, the NHK Hall Recital in 1973, and the Yomikyo concerto in 1965, all recorded in a single layer. . The sound sources of the three concerts are lined up in the first half of the stereo recording board. Starting with the 1975 live performance at the Touraine Music Festival in France, presided over by Richter, the performance at NHK Hall in 1973, which was the second visit to Japan, and 1965, which is a valuable sound source of Michelangeli's memorable first visit to Japan. The recording order is just retrospective, with two concertos of the year (only these are monaural recordings). When it was released on CD, it was a total of four albums, but this SACD single layer recorded all the works on one. A lossless compression method is used to take advantage of the long recording time inherent in the SACD format.
The 1975 French live, which became a hot topic when it first appeared, attracted attention as it was the only board on which Michelangeli played Bechstein. The performance was originally performed at the Touraine Music Festival, which was presided over by Richter, and was probably recorded in a small venue. increase. Rather than enjoying Bechstein's inherently graceful sound, it should be viewed as an album that allows you to enjoy the secrets of the piano, including Michelangeli's unique touch, up close. The figure there is a sincere figure dedicated to music.
When he came to Japan for the second time in 1973, it was a performance that made the organizer cry, such as canceling three concerts scheduled for six times (although he returned to Japan the following year to fill in the gaps). It seems that his chronic disease, neuritis in his right hand, had a great influence on him, but he managed to play three times. Of course, because of his uncompromising personality, he probably performed on the best day of all. In that sense, the sound source left here is very valuable. Performances including Beethoven's 4th Sonata and Schumann, which I am good at, do not make me feel the condition of my right hand. Michelangeli is known to be stubborn, but according to Osamu Sasaki's commentary, the contract included a clause that the pianos to be used must be imported from the Steinway head office in Hamburg with a specified serial number. About. However, it does not appear to have been used in production. It seems that he himself was not particular about the piano as an instrument, so it is an interesting episode.

*As it is a machine translation, the result may not provide an accurate description.
Please use it only as a reference.


Tracks:

1975 France Live (Stereo recording)

1. Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 12 in A flat major "Funeral" Op.26
2. Franz Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 4 in A minor Op.164 / D. 537
3. Claude Debussy: The first song from the second video collection, "The Bell Crossing the Leaves"
4. Same: 2nd song "Ramo Hymn" from 1st video, 1st song "Shadow reflected in water"
5. Frederick Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat major "Funeral March" Op.35


1973 Tokyo Live (Stereo recording)

6. Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 4 in E flat major Op.7
7. Robert Schumann: Meat Festival Op.9
8. Baldassare Galuppi: Sonata No. 5 from C major, 2nd movement Allegro (Encore)


Live in Japan for the first time in 1965 (monaural recording)

9. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K.466
10. Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major "Emperor" Op.73

Personnel:

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (piano)
Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra (9,10)
Intrich Rohan (conductor) (9,10)

recording
June 26, 1975 / Grande de Mele (stereo) (1-4)
October 20, 1973 / NHK Hall (Stereo) (6-8),
March 13, 1965 / Tokyo Bunka Kaikan (Monaural) (9,10)