Sunday, January 31, 2010

Klemperer - Great Conductors of the 20th Century



Klemperer - Great Conductors of the 20th Century
Orchestral | Ape, cue | no log, scans | 2 CD, 598 MB
February 11, 2003 | EMI | RapidShare


Drawing from the archives of all the major classical labels (EMI, Sony, BMG, DG, Decca, Philips, Supraphon, etc.), EMI and IMG Artists have assembled a wonderful series of affordable two-disc sets by the leading conductors of the last century. And unlike its counterpart, "The Great Pianists of the 20th Century," which are basically compilations of material already available on other CDs, the "Great Conductors" features rare and, for the most part, previously unreleased performances!

This particular CD, Volume 19, features the great Otto Klemperer. Unlike many of the conductors featured in this series, the majority of Klemperer's great stereo performances for EMI have been reissued on CD, along with, more recently, some of his classic mono recordings and even rare broadcasts. As a result, you would think there wouldn't be any worthwhile unreleased material left. Well, guess again. With the exception of a 1931 historical recording of excerpts from Weill's "Three Penny Opera," these two discs feature four broadcast recordings and two live recordings. The broadcast recordings are Mozart's 25th and 38th Symphonies with the RIAS-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, while Strauss' "Till Eulenspiegel" and a breathtaking Janacek "Sinfonietta" are with the WDR Sinfonie Orchester Koln. The live recordings are Stravinsky's "Pulcinella Suite" with the Bavarian RSO, and Beethoven's 2nd Symphony with RSO Berlin. All of these performances are from the 1950s and are in mono.

Whether you are a serious collector of classical music or a beginner, the "Great Conductors of the 20th Century" has something for everyone. If the prized, rare performances previously unreleased on CD (or ever!) doesn't excite you, then use this as an opportunity to check out one of the greatest conductors ever recorded. Chances are, since stores are offering increasingly homogenized classical music sections, this conductor isn't even in your collection. And that would truly be a shame.--Amazon


CD Content

# Symphony No. 38 in D major ("Prague"), K. 504
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Berlin RIAS-Symphonie-Orchester

# Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche (Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks), tone poem for orchestra, Op. 28 (TrV 171)
Composed by Richard Strauss
Performed by Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester

# Pulcinella, suite for orchestra
Composed by Igor Stravinsky
Performed by Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
with Willi Buchner, Oskar Riedl, Rudolf Kockert, Josef Merz, Franz Hoger

# Kleine Dreigroschenmusik, suite for wind orchestra (based on "Die Dreigroschenoper") Die Moritat von Mackie Messer
Composed by Kurt Weill
Performed by Berlin State Opera Orchestra

# Kleine Dreigroschenmusik, suite for wind orchestra (based on "Die Dreigroschenoper") Die Ballade vom angenehmen Leben
Composed by Kurt Weill
Performed by Berlin State Opera Orchestra

# Kleine Dreigroschenmusik, suite for wind orchestra (based on "Die Dreigroschenoper") Tango-Ballade
Composed by Kurt Weill
Performed by Berlin State Opera Orchestra

# Kleine Dreigroschenmusik, suite for wind orchestra (based on "Die Dreigroschenoper") Kanonen-Song
Composed by Kurt Weill
Performed by Berlin State Opera Orchestra

# Symphony No. 25 in G minor, K. 183 (K. 173dB)
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Berlin RIAS-Symphonie-Orchester

# Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra

# Sinfonietta for orchestra ("Military," "Sokol Festival"), JW 6/18
Composed by Leos Janacek
Performed by Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester

3 comments:

  1. thanks otto, I didn't have this one.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Many thanks Otto, I can´t wait to listen Janacek´s Sinfonietta under Klemeperer baton... Otto maybe you can help me with a CD I lost lately about Beethoven 9th with Karajan and the Wiener Philharmoniker in EMI label, 1955 recording. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  3. Many thanks for your splendid site both in terms of the music and the commetary.Do you have a particularly good performance by Klemperer of the Mozart Serenade no 10 -Gran Partita? I have a somewhat worn l.p.version but have been unale to find a digital version.

    ReplyDelete

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