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Brahms: Piano Trios Nos. 1 & 2
Maria João Pires (pf), Augustin Dumay (vn), Jian Wang (vc), Grammophon, 1996
Harmonic, generous and comfortable performance with colorful tone of the three players, although maybe not like German music. |
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Godowsky: Strauss Transcriptions and Other Works
Marc-André Hamelin (pf), Hyperion, 2007
Eagerly-awaited recording of the complete trilogy of Godowsky's metamorphoses. The giant polished off the legendary masterpieces in transcriptions without any difficulty. |
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Hommage à Messiaen
Pierre-Laurent Aimard (pf), Grammophon, 2008
Rich sonority in Messiaen's préludes, while intense shocks in "Île de feu". Aimard minutely depicted mysterious ecology in French hinterland by "Catalogue d'oiseaux". |
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Hayasaka: Piano Concerto
Hiromi Okada (pf), Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, Dmitry Yablonsky (con), Naxos, 2005
Hayasaka produced a marvelous piano concerto and orchestral works striking Japanese minds. Reminding us of not only Kurosawa's movies but also Japanese ancient spirits. |
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George Crumb: Makrokosmos
Ellen Ugelvik (pf), Simax, 2007
High quality recording enhances Crumb's unique conception with all-inclusive technique for piano. The two volumes are relatively easy to listen as contemporary works. |
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Cziffra / Moiseiwitsch / Bolet
György Cziffra / Benno Moiseiwitsch / Jorge Bolet (pf), Medici Arts, 1954, 1962, 1963
Revival of Cziffra's astonishing performance including a crazy rehearsal. The noble Moiseiwitsch and the young Bolet playing Albéniz/Godowsky's "Triana" are legendary in truth. |
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Weissenberg: Stravinsky Petrushka
Alexis Weissenberg (pf), Orchestre National de l'ORTF, Georges Prêtre (con), Medici Arts, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969
Miracle pictures of Weissenberg's performance of "Petrushka", making full use of special effects. Unbelievable perfection is achieved both in audio and visual aspects. |
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Grigory Sokolov Live in Paris: Beethoven / Komitas / Prokofiev
Grigory Sokolov (pf), Naïve, 2002
Sokolov made an unexpected massive impression on me, with his solid and stately performance. Quite different from any young Russian pianists of nowadays. |
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