Chopin: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 | Frederic Chopin, Eugene Ormandy, ...

Chopin: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 | Frederic Chopin, Eugene Ormandy, ... | Excellent performance and sound quality at a great price!

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Chopin: Piano Conc...

	Chopin: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 Frederic Chopin, Eugene Ormandy, ... Sony, 2002 average customer review:based on 4 reviews view larger image
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Classic Chopin

In the 1950s and 60s, CBS/Columbia (now Sony Classical) had the great fortune to have three of America's best orchestras and their conductors on its recording roster -- Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic, Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra, and George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra. Nearly a half-century later, sadly only Leonard Bernstein remains a name that even the non-classical music world knows well. But in the world of the compact disc, this is a wonderful thing, because while Leonard Bernstein analog stereo recordings sell at mid-price, classic performances by Ormandy and Szell are regulated to the budget line. Well, my friends there is justice because the vast majority of these "budget line" recordings are not only amazing, but some are still considered definitive more than 40 years later! This golden-age stereo recording of Chopin's 1st Piano Concerto by Ormandy and the Philadelphians with pianist Emil Gilels is one of the best performances of the piece available. The added treat here is conductor Thomas Schippers (who died tragically young, leaving us precious few recordings) leading the New York Philharmonic with pianist Andre Watts. With both Concertos squeezed together on one CD, you've got a classic disc. Never did something of such high quality come at such a small price. Enjoy!

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Excellent performance and sound quality at a great price!

This CD is one of my favorite versions of Chopin's piano concertos 1 & 2. Emil Gilels is a world class pianist from Russia. He displays outstanding musicianship in the E minor concerto. He plays the 1st and 3rd movement with much passion and fire; the 2nd movement is absolutely beautiful. He is complemented well by Ormandy & the Philadelphia Orchestra. (If you want another great performance of the E minor concerto, you may want to check out Martha Argerich on the DG "Legendary Recordings" label)

Andre Watts does a great job on the F minor concerto and he is backed up well by Thomas Schippers & the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Watts plays the F minor beautifully and gracefully.

The sound quality is great, especially with the remastered sound. You can't get any better than this at this price. Highly recommended, even if you already have a good version of these concertos. It compares well with the versions done by Martha Argerich, Maria Jao-Pires, and Tamas Vasary (which I also own).

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Perfection!

I sought after this album because I am a huge fan of Emil Gilels. It is worth noting that Eugene Ormandy at this time took over one of the finest string sections in orchestral history from predecessor Leopold Stokowski. This is important in that the E minor concerto showcases the strings as much as it does the piano. The E minor concerto was played as expected; Gilels is a rare balance of technique and interpretation. At first I was disappointed that the CD did not have Gilels' playing the F minor concerto. I had never heard of the conductor Thomas Schippers before and was a little skeptical on how the performance would be. What I love about the Chopin concertos is how important the orchestra and piano interact with each other. Schipper exhibited masterful control over the orchestra and struck an amazing balance with Watt's performance. This was an inspiring performance of the concerto. Both recordings are historic, the first showcasing a legendary pianist coupled with one of the finest string sections of the 20th century. The next showcasing the short lived career of Thomas Schippers, who at one point in his life was considered one of the "100 most influential men in America." Both recordings were digitally remastered in pristine stereo sound with very little hiss and no scratches.

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Ecstasy

What can I add? I even don't know the Watts/Schippers 2nd concerto, but the Gilels/Ormandy 1st alone is enough to carry my five stars. Ormandy had a rare ability to let his soloists be carried away with the music and around middle of the first movement Gilels reaches ecstasy! How perfectly boring the much praised Argerich/Dutoit sounds, compared to this performance!

Tracks
Allegro maestoso | Romance | Rondo | Maestoso | Larghetto | Allegro vivace

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