Edition Volume 1 1933-1963

Description

CD 1: Pre-war recordings (1933-1941) - Works by Liszt-Busoni, Schumann, Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Poulenc, Debussy, Mendelssohn & Brahms // Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750): Partita No. 1, French Suite No. 5, Air Varié in the Italian Manner, Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue BWV 903, Toccata and Fugue BWV 565, Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, Concerto BWV 1061 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791): Concertos No. 21 and No. 10, Fugue K.426, Piano Sonatas No. 14 and No. 16, Fantasy in D minor K.397, Divertimento - Georg Friedrich Handel (1685-1759): Sonata HWV 362 - Joseph Haydn (1732-1809): Piano Concerto, Sonata, Trio - W.A. Mozart & F. Busoni: Duettino concertante for 2 pianos, Overture to The Magic Flute KV 620 for 2 pianos, Fantasy KV 608 for 2 pianos, Fugue in C minor KV 626 for 2 pianos - Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827): Piano Concertos No. 1 to 5, Piano Sonatas No. 3, No. 33, and No. 27, Bagatelle Op. 33 No. 1, Piano Trio No. 7 - Franz Schubert (1797-1828): Piano Sonata No. 17 Op. 53, Impromptu D. 935 - Franz Schubert & Dmitri Kabalevsky: Fantasy in F minor D. 940 for piano and orchestra The 13 sonatas in this edition do not follow the chronological order of the artist's career and, for the most part, place the works in the order they were composed. The Baroque period is represented by the significant works of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), George Frideric Handel (1685-1759), and Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757). 13 of the 555 sonatas by the latter have been performed by Gilels in the recordings presented here. Also included are compositions by the French composer Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764), the Italian Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741), and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788). Gilels did not consider himself a very good interpreter of the works of Muzio Clementi (1752-1832), which is anathema for many piano students. This brings us to the age of Viennese Classicism and its great composers such as Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), and of course Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827). Gilels often performed Beethoven's five piano concertos and even made a studio recording with George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra in 1968. That said, Ernst Müller believes that the recordings from the 1950s are far more valuable; he describes the recording of the Fourth Piano Concerto with Leopold Ludwig and the London Philharmonia Orchestra as "one of the best recordings of all time."