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The Brendel
Edition The Vox, Turnabout and Vanguard recordings Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
Piano Concertos 9, 14, 17, 19, 20, 22, 25, 27
Quintet for piano and winds
Music for two pianos
Rondo K511
Sonata K310
Fantasy K396
“Duport” Variations Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Piano Concertos 1-5
Piano Sonatas 1-32
Choral Fantasy
Diabelli Variations
Bagatelles
Piano variations and short works
Quintet for piano and winds Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828)
Sonatas D840, 958
Wanderer Fantasy (original and Liszt orchestration)
Impromptus
Moments Musicaux
Drei Klavierstücke
German Dances Frederic CHOPIN (1810-1849)
Polonaises
Andante spianato et Grande Polonaise Brillante Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
É
tudes Symphoniques
Fantasy in C major Franz LISZT (1811-1886)
Piano Concertos 1 and 2
Totentanz
Malédiction
Piano Sonata in B minor
Dante Sonata
Paganini Études
Tre Sonetti di Petrarca
Hungarian Rhapsodies
Late works
Mephisto Waltz Modest MUSSORGSKY (1839-1881)
Pictures at an Exhibition Igor STRAVINSKY (1882-1971)
Petrushka Suite Mili BALAKIREV (1836-1910)
Islamey Arnold SCHOENBERG (1874-1951)
Piano Concerto Sergei PROKOFIEV (1891-1953)
Piano Concerto No. 5 Alfred
Brendel (piano)
Various orchestras and conductors
Full tracklist at end of review
rec. various locations, 1955-1975. ADD BRILLIANT
CLASSICS 93761 [35CDs: c.39 hrs]
Next month (December 2008) Vienna
will see the final concert given by one of the indisputably
great pianists of the century. Alfred Brendel, soloist,
accompanist, essayist, lecturer, cultural polymath, will
retire after a career spanning more than fifty years.
He has illuminated almost every corner of the piano repertoire
and worked with some of the finest singers, conductors,
instrumentalists and orchestras of our day. He will be
greatly missed, and to mark his retirement Brilliant
Classics have released this massive compendium (35 packed
CDs) of his earliest recordings made on the Vox, Turnabout
and Vanguard labels. It’s a bit of a mixed bag and on
the whole, while it’s satisfying, it doesn’t reach the
heights that Brendel attained in his later readings of
most of these works. It’s well worth investigating, though,
especially if you have an interest in the artist.
On 21 August 2008 I was lucky
enough to catch Brendel’s farewell performance at the
Edinburgh International Festival. It was a recital of
extraordinary music-making: poetry and power combined
in an evening of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert,
with a couple of encores. These so-called “Habsburg deities” – as
the booklet note calls them – dominate this box too,
and they are most welcome, though many will be interested
in the works that we might be surprised to find in Brendel’s
repertoire: the Schoenberg and Prokofiev concertos, for
example. At any rate, the sheer volume of music on offer
here is pretty staggering: the complete Beethoven concertos
and sonatas, together with major chunks of Mozart, Schubert
and Liszt, among others.
Brilliant have marketed this set as a
window into Brendel’s early career, recordings which “put
down a marker” for works which Brendel would become established
with in his later years. These recordings are all made
between 1955 and 1975, before Brendel was snapped up
by Philips and, to be blunt, before he had matured into
the artist we know so well. It doesn’t take much to deduce,
then, that these readings tend not to be as polished
or insightful as those he later recorded with Philips.
It doesn’t help that this is effectively admitted in
the booklet notes: Ates Orga, the author, uses phrases
such as “big-boned, even gruff” to describe his Schumann, “exciting
but unsophisticated” (Petrushka), “a certain blandness” to
his Beethoven Choral Fantasy, and Mussorgsky’s Pictures “fare
less well”. Not a ringing endorsement, then, and Brendel
himself has been dismissive of these early versions.
However Brilliantshould be credited for being
honest about what they have on their hands. This set
is far from perfect, and it most definitely does not
represent the finished article: instead it shows us the evolution of
a genius, an artist still developing his interpretations
of these great works. Often the result is all the more
fresh and invigorating for that.
The collection of Mozart concertos
is perfectly satisfying: No. 9 is a good opener to the
set, with liveliness and charm in its opening, a broodingly
intense slow movement and a witty, lithe finale. 14 is
a fairly standard performance, while 19 has a sparky
lilt in its dance-like rhythms. The orchestral sound
is noticeably closer in this performance, though, and
it’s that rather than the piano playing that lets a number
of these works down. 25, for example, is majestic and
exciting, though the balance places the orchestra too
close to the ear. Similarly, No. 20 is dramatic and forthright,
though the woodwind are distractingly prominent. Things
improve noticeably by the fourth disc: Brendel’s performance
of No. 22, my favourite among Mozart’s concertos, could
compete with the best on disc, with a swaggering pomp
to the opening movement, a sprightly jump to the finale,
and an awesomely beautiful slow movement, the orchestra’s
contribution being especially beautiful here. The orchestra
is also a lot stronger for No. 27 which has grace and
refinement, especially in the beautifully still slow
movement. The Fantasy and Rondo are delicate and nuanced,
while the sonata is vigorous, if a bit too abrupt in
the finale. Perhaps the best performance of these opening
discs, however, is the Haydn concerto, which positively
leaps out of the speakers. It is charming and bright
in Brendel’s hands, with an effective orchestral contribution,
and here seems very much of the equal of its Mozartian
associates. A point of caution, though: for nearly all
of the concertos in this set Brendel uses his own cadenzas,
and they seldom sound like improvements.
It is unsteady orchestral contributions
which, again, let down the Beethoven concertos. No. 1
is fine and bouncy, especially in its first movement,
while No. 2 is restrained and quite gentle. No. 3 has
power and drama, though at the expense of refinement,
and the orchestra is too up-front and in-your-face to
blend effectively. 4 and 5 have the opposite problem:
the playing is very good in both concertos, but the recording
balance is poor; here, though, it’s the piano that is
too close and it rings in the ear, muddying the orchestral
colours. The orchestra is also rather rough round the
edges in the Choral Fantasy, but they’re a lot
better than the chorus who sound squally and under-rehearsed.
It’s impossible to generalise
about Brendel’s Beethoven sonatas. Towards the end of
his career they were the body of work with which he became
most closely identified and the sheer diversity of these
32 works still leaves us in awe today. Brendel is very
much still finding his feet in these recordings, though
and while there are great successes there are also rather
unexciting moments too. On the whole it is the early
sonatas that come off best. Numbers 5 and 6, for example,
sum up the direct simplicity which Brendel does very
well at this stage of his career. The youthful drama
and passion of No. 5 shine out in his hands, while there
is beautiful poetry and richness in his reading of No.
6. The same is true of No. 13, a difficult work to pitch,
but Brendel handles the different moods of its different
movements with flair and confidence. Maybe it’s the effect
of familiarity, but the Moonlight and Pathétique sonatas
are appealing in the very simplicity with which Brendel
plays them. The Appassionata is a bit lacklustre
in its first movement, but has gorgeous playing to illuminate
its slow movement. The later sonatas are more problematic:
playing of genius sits next to more run of the mill fare.
The Waldstein, for example, became one of Brendel’s
greatest successes, but here its majestic closing movement
left me unmoved. The Hammerklavier is somewhat
aggressive in its outer movements, though some listeners
will like this. He manages a beautiful stillness in the
slow movement, though. Similarly, he achieves a genuine cantabile for
the opening of No. 31and follows this with a strange
beauty for the fugal finale. 32 has a busy, bustling
opening movement, with a glorious, radiant stillness
in the second movement, which builds with great momentum
towards its close. So there are great things here, but
the Beethoven sonatas are tarred with the same brush
as the whole: Brendel achieved greater things in his
later recordings. Beethoven’s other piano works are great,
though. Variations show Brendel at his best because they
test him to respond to the differing moods of each mini
movement, and the sets of variations here, from the Eroica to
the “easy” variations on a Swiss air, see him performing
admirably. As expected, the Diabellis are muscular
and exciting while the Bagatelles and Rondos belie any
idea that this is merely fill-in music.
In light of Brendel’s majestic
achievements in Schubert, it’s a pity that there are
only two Schubert sonatas here. They’re perfectly fine
performances of outstanding music, but again I was left
wanting to turn to his later Philips recordings, particularly
of the Impromptus which are up-close and dry here,
while his later performances are surrounded by a lovely
acoustic which brings the music alive. The Moments
Musicaux and the German dances bustle along nicely,
though. We are given two versions of the Wanderer
Fantasy: in its original format and in Liszt’s orchestration.
Both are very impressive and, heard side by side, provide
very different experiences, though one wonders why the
solo piano version is given in one long track, while
the orchestral arrangement is divided into four bands.
The overt, rather in-your-face
nature of the acoustic fits the Chopin Polonaises quite
well: these are not, after all, subtle pieces, and the
four here are played with panache and directness, while
the Andante spianato has a more nuanced performance
until the flags are unfurled for the Grande Polonaise
brillante. The Schumann Fantasy is impressive, while
the Etudes Symphoniques show off his remarkable
technique with brilliance.
Liszt has always been a composer
dear to Brendel: he dedicates ten of his Collected
Essays to the composer, arguing that his undeniable
flamboyance has led to his reception as a misunderstood
genius. The Liszt performances here are perhaps the most
entirely successful collection on the set. In his book
Brendel devotes a whole essay to the B minor Sonata alone,
and his performance of it here is quite breathtaking,
coping with the fistfuls of notes with apparent ease,
while building the structure with a symphonic sense of
scale. Quite marvellous, with good sound to match. The
Piano Concertos are fantastic too. No. 1 bursts onto
the scene with the aggressive manner it should, and it
takes no prisoners as pianist and conductor (Michael
Gielen) hurtle through the music. Refreshingly they do
not try to milk the slow music for its beauty: instead
they see it as part of the extrovert whole so it fits
into a wider picture with ease. The wind music which
opens No. 2, on the other hand, is gorgeously languid,
and this concerto has a far greater sense of new things
unfolding from the original material. The sense of structure,
so important in these works, is obvious and exhilarating.
The Totentanz has a sense of inexorable doom about
it, while the Petrarch Sonnets are more gentle and refined.
I’ve never been a big fan of Liszt’s opera transcriptions,
and these performances didn’t make me change my mind,
but the playing is secure and he copes with the tempo
and dynamic changes every bit as well as the impossibly
difficult notes. The Hungarian Rhapsodies are suitably
bright and playful.
Despite the lukewarm write-up
in the booklet notes, I really liked Brendel’s Pictures
at an Exhibition. There is a welcoming forthrightness
to the Promenades and his playing of each movement
matches its character most appropriately, from the troubadour’s
song in The Old Castle to the frantic Marketplace
at Limoges, and Baba Yaga’s demonic hut to the majesty
of the Great Gate of Kiev. Balakirev’s Islamey,
also on this disc, is super too, but in a much more delicate,
filigree way. The Petrushka suite doesn’t work
quite so well: there’s little in the way of nuance here
and the mono sound is too close for comfort.
The biggest surprises on the
disc are the Schoenberg and Prokofiev concertos, as they
are so far from Brendel’s core repertory. The Schoenberg
is a bit sluggish in its opening movement and Gielen
doesn’t drive the orchestra in the way he should. The
busier moments at the end work well, though, and Brendel’s
contribution is secure throughout. The opening of the
Prokofiev is jaunty, even humorous, as are the eager
and bright middle movements. There is a warm peace to
the Larghetto, and the Vivo finale is driven
by a real partnership between soloist and conductor.
The sound is in mono, but the blend between soloist and
orchestra is often better than it is in the stereo recordings
that came earlier in the set.
As I’ve noted a few times, the
sound on these discs is inconsistent, and that can cause
a problem. It’s not surprising, in view of the range
of time over which these pieces were recorded, but that
doesn’t make the balance problems in, say, the Beethoven
concertos any easier to listen to. They are all in stereo,
except the last two discs, and even there the mono sound
doesn’t really get in the way. On the whole the sound
tends to be serviceable enough, and it’s really very
good for the Liszt recordings. If you’re thinking about
buying the set then you shouldn’t let the matter of sound
stop you, and at this price it would be churlish to complain
too much about it.
To sum up, then: Brendel's genius
as a performer is on display here for all to see, and
while it’s by no means the finished article, that doesn’t
make these recordings any less worthwhile. Yes, he surpassed
nearly all of these performances later in his career,
but those later recordings will set you back by a considerably
greater amount than what’s being asked here and this
set provides an interesting insight into his earlier
days as a recording artist. If you already possess his
Philips recordings of these works then you won’t feel
the need to invest in this, but those with an interest
in the man, or simply in good piano playing, should investigate
further. Last but not least, don’t forget that there
is probably no cheaper way to acquire such a huge bulk
of music at such a low price. A welcome issue, then,
but recommendable only with caveats.
Simon
Thompson
Track details CD 1
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1756–1791
Piano
Concerto No.9 in E flat major K271 ‘Jeunehomme’
1.
I. Allegro 10:11
2.
II. Andantino 12:50
3.
III. Rondo 10:48
Piano
Concerto No.14 in E flat major K449
4.
I. Allegro vivace 8:49
5.
II. Andantino 6:27
6.
III. Allegro non troppo 6:19
Alfred
Brendel
Alfred
Brendel piano
I
Solisti di Zagreb, Antonio Janigro
Total:
55:43
CD 2
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1756–1791
Piano
Concerto No.17 in G major K453
1.
I. Allegro 11:44
2.
II. Andante 10:48
3.
III. Allegretto – Presto 7:37
Piano
Concerto No.25 in C major K503
4.
I. Allegro maestoso 13:56
5.
II. Andante 7:40
6.
III. Allegretto 9:19
Joseph
Haydn 1732–1809
Piano
Concerto in D major Hob. XVIII No.11
7.
I. Allegro 7:50
8.
II. Un poco adagio 6:48
9.
III. Rondo all’ungarese, allegro assai 4:14
Alfred
Brendel piano
Orchestra
of the Vienna Volksoper (K453)
Pro
Musica Orchestra, Vienna (K503)
Vienna
Chamber Orchestra (Haydn)
Paul
Angerer, conductor
Total:
79:57
CD 3
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1756–1791
Piano
Concerto No.19 in F major K459
1.
I. Allegro 12:30
2.
II. Allegretto 9:45
3.
III. Allegro assai 7:48
Piano
Concerto No.20 in D minor K466
4.
I. Allegro 13:40
5.
II. Romance 9:20
6.
III. Rondo: Allegro assai 7:34
Alfred
Brendel piano
Orchestra
of the Vienna Volksoper, Wilfried Boettcher
Total:
61:00
CD 4
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1756–1791
Piano
Concerto No.22 in E flat major K482
1.
I. Allegro 12:40
2.
II. Andante 8:48
3.
III. Allegro 12:15
Piano
Concerto No.27 in B flat major K595
4.
I. Allegro 14:27
5.
II. Larghetto 7:58
6.
III. Allegro 8:55
Rondo
in D major K382
7.
Allegretto grazioso – 5:43
8.
Adagio – 2:15
9.
Allegro 2:05
Alfred
Brendel piano
Vienna
Chamber Orchestra (K482)
Orchestra
of the Vienna Volksoper (K595, K382)
Paul
Angerer, conductor
Total:
75:39
CD
5
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1756–1791
Piano
Sonata in A minor K310
1.
I. Allegro maestoso 6:04
2.
II. Andante cantabile con espressione 7:10
3.
III. Presto 3:00
4.
Fantasy in C minor K396 9:12
5.
Rondo in A minor K511 11:22
Variations
in D major
on
a Menuet by Duport K573
6.
Theme 1:13
7.
Variation 1 1:02
8.
Variation 2 1:06
9.
Variation 3 1:11
10.
Variation 4 1:13
11.
Variation 5 1:26
12.
Variation 6 2:05
13.
Variation 7 1:05
14.
Variation 8 1:39
15.
Variation 9 1:54
Alfred
Brendel piano
Total:
51:03
CD 6
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1756–1791
Concerto
in E flat major for two pianos K365
1.
I. Allegro 9:43
2.
II. Andante 7:48
3.
III. Rondo: Allegro 6:53
Sonata
in D major for two pianos K448
4.
I. Allegro con spirito 7:28
5.
II. Andante 8:33
6.
III. Allegro molto 5:38
7.
Fugue in C minor for two pianos K426: Allegro moderato
4:10
Quintet
in E flat major for piano and winds K452
8.
I. Largo – Allegro moderato 11:10
9.
II. Larghetto 6:52
10.
III. Rondo 5:17
Alfred
Brendel and Walter Klien pianos (1-7)
Alfred
Brendel piano
members
of the Hungarian Quintet
Orchestra
of the Vienna Volksoper, Paul Angerer
Total:
74:04
CD 7
Ludwig van Beethoven 1770–1827
Piano
Concerto No.1 in C major Op.15
1.
I. Allegro con brio 17:03
2.
II. Largo 11:47
3.
III. Rondo: Allegro scherzando 9:19
Piano
Concerto No.2 in B flat major Op.19
4.
I. Allegro con brio 14:48
5.
II. Adagio 9:29
6.
III. Rondo 6:15
Alfred
Brendel piano
Stuttgart
Philharmonic Orchestra, Wilfried Boettcher (1–3)
Orchestra
of the Vienna Volksoper, Heinz Wallberg (4–6)
Total:
69:13
CD 8
Ludwig van Beethoven 1770–1827
Piano
Concerto No.3 in C minor Op.37
1.
I. Allegro con brio 15:03
2.
II. Largo 10:10
3.
III. Rondo 9:09
Piano
Concerto No.4 in G major Op.58
4.
I. Allegro moderato 17:52
5.
II. Andante con moto 4:55
6.
III. Rondo: Vivace 10:49
Alfred
Brendel piano
Vienna
Symphony Orchestra, Heinz Wallberg
Total:
68:24
CD 9
Ludwig van Beethoven 1770–1827
Piano
Concerto No.5 in E flat major Op.73 ‘Emperor’
1.
I. Allegro moderato 20:01
2.
II. Adagio un poco mosso 8:33
3.
III. Rondo: Allegro 10:25
4.
Choral Fantasy in C minor Op.80 20:28
Alfred
Brendel piano
Vienna
Symphony Orchestra, Zubin Mehta (1–3)
Stuttgart
Lehrergesangverein, Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra,
Wilfried
Boettcher (4)
Total:
59:34
CD 10
Ludwig van Beethoven 1770–1827
Piano
Sonata No.29 in B flat major Op.106 ‘Hammerklavier’
1.
I. Allegro 11:06
2.
II. Scherzo: Assai vivace 2:34
3.
III. Adagio sostenuto 16:47
4.
IV. Largo – Allegro risoluto 12:31
Piano
Sonata No.32 in C minor Op.111
5.
I. Maestoso – Allegro con brio e appassionato 8:28
6.
II. Arietta: Adagio molto, semplice e cantabile 15:47
Alfred
Brendel piano
Total:
67:39
CD 11
Ludwig van Beethoven 1770–1827
Piano
Sonata No.28 in A major Op.101
1.
I. Allegretto ma non troppo 3:18
2.
II. Vivace alla marcia 6:12
3.
III. Adagio ma non troppo con affetto – Presto 9:57
Piano
Sonata No.30 in E major Op.109
4.
I. Vivace ma non troppo – Adagio espressivo 3:20
5.
II. Prestissimo 2:22
6.
III. Tema con variazioni 11:33
Piano
Sonata No.31 in A flat major Op.110
7.
I. Moderato cantabile, molto espressivo 5:31
8.
II. Allegro molto – III. Adagio ma non troppo – 5:56
9.
Fuga. Allegro ma non troppo 6:31
Piano
Sonata No.27 in E minor Op.90
10.
I. Mit Lebhaftigkeit und durchaus mit Empfindung und
Ausdruck 5:26
11.
II. Nicht zu geschwind und sehr singbar vorzutragen 7:38
Alfred
Brendel piano
Total:
68:20
CD 12
Ludwig van Beethoven 1770–1827
Piano
Sonata No.23 in F minor Op.57 ‘Appassionata’
1.
I. Allegro assai 9:41
2.
II. Andante con moto 6:15
3.
III. Allegro ma non troppo 8:08
Piano
Sonata No.22 in F major Op.54
4.
I. In tempo d’un menuetto 5:47
5.
II. Allegretto 6:15
Piano
Sonata No.26 in E flat major Op.81a ‘Les Adieux’
6.
I. Les Adieux: Adagio – Allegro 6:14
7.
II. L’Absence: Andante espressivo 3:09
8.
III. Le Retour: Vivacissimamente 5:37
Piano
Sonata No.16 in G major Op.31 No.1
9.
I. Allegro vivace 6:26
10.
II. Adagio grazioso 9:53
11.
III. Rondo: Allegretto 6:20
Alfred
Brendel piano
Total:
73:49
CD 13
Ludwig van Beethoven 1770–1827
Piano
Sonata No.17 in D minor Op.31 No.2 ‘Tempest’
1.
I. Largo – Allegro – Adagio 7:47
2.
II. Adagio 7:45
3.
III. Allegretto 5:53
Piano
Sonata No.18 in E flat major Op.31 No.3
4.
I. Allegro 8:07
5.
II. Scherzo: Allegretto vivace 4:52
6.
III. Menuetto: Moderato e grazioso 3:36
7.
IV. Presto con fuoco 4:57
Piano
Sonata No.21 in C major Op.53 ‘Waldstein’
8.
I. Allegro con brio 11:10
9.
II. Introduzione: Adagio molto 3:43
10.
III. Rondo: Allegretto moderato – Prestissimo 9:50
Piano
Sonata No.19 in G minor Op.49 No.1
11.
I. Andante 3:57
12.
II. Rondo: Allegro 3:39
Alfred
Brendel piano
Total:
75:21
CD 14
Ludwig van Beethoven 1770–1827
Piano
Sonata No.1 in F minor Op.2 No.1
1.
I. Allegro 4:06
2.
II. Adagio 4:13
3.
III. Menuetto: Allegretto – Trio 3:28
4.
IV. Prestissimo 5:21
Piano
Sonata No.25 in G major Op.79
5.
I. Presto alla tedesca 4:59
6.
II. Andante 2:29
7.
III. Vivace 2:01
Piano
Sonata No.5 in C minor Op.10 No.1
8.
I. Allegro molto e con brio 6:08
9.
II. Adagio molto 8:37
10.
III. Finale: Prestissimo 4:08
Piano
Sonata No.6 in F major Op.10 No.2
11.
I. Allegro 5:21
12.
II. Allegretto 4:21
13.
III. Presto 4:16
Piano
Sonata No.9 in E major Op.14 No.1
14.
I. Allegro 7:01
15.
II. Allegretto 3:33
16.
III. Rondo: Allegro comodo 3:14
Alfred
Brendel piano
Total:
73:23
CD 15
Ludwig van Beethoven 1770–1827
Piano
Sonata No.10 in G major Op.14 No.2
1.
I. Allegro 7:08
2.
II. Andante 3:40
3.
III. Scherzo: Allegro assai 3:47
Piano
Sonata No.13 in E flat major Op.27 No.1
4.
I. Andante – Allegro – Andante 4:26
5.
II. Allegro molto e vivace 2:00
6.
III. Adagio con espressione 3:12
7.
IV. Finale: Allegro vivace 6:06
Piano
Sonata No.14 in C sharp minor Op.27 No.2 ‘Moonlight’
8.
I. Adagio sostenuto 6:01
9.
II. Allegretto 2:18
10.
III. Presto agitato 7:47
Piano
Sonata No.15 in D major Op.28 ‘Pastoral’
11.
I. Allegro 9:55
12.
II. Andante 7:30
13.
III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace – Trio IV. Rondo: Allegro
ma non troppo 7:26
Alfred
Brendel piano
Total:
71:20
CD 16
Ludwig van Beethoven 1770–1827
Piano
Sonata No.7 in D major Op.10 No.3
1.
I. Presto 6:51
2.
II. Largo e mesto 10:10
3.
III. Menuetto: Allegro 2:52
4.
IV. Rondo: Allegro 3:40
Piano
Sonata No.2 in A major Op.2 No.2
5.
I. Allegro vivace 7:06
6.
II. Largo appassionato 6:34
7.
III. Scherzo: Allegretto – Trio 3:29
8.
IV. Rondo: Grazioso 6:35
Piano
Sonata No.3 in C major Op.2 No.3
9.
I. Allegro con brio 10:28
10.
II. Adagio 7:52
11.
III. Scherzo: Allegro – Trio 3:20
12.
IV. Allegro assai 5:31
Alfred
Brendel piano
Total:
74:47
CD 17
Ludwig van Beethoven 1770–1827
Piano
Sonata No.8 in C minor Op.13 ‘Pathétique’
1.
I. Grave – Allegro di molto e con brio 9:08
2.
II. Adagio cantabile 5:44
3.
III. Rondo: Allegro 4:16
Piano
Sonata No.11 in B flat major Op.22
4.
I. Allegro con brio 7:53
5.
II. Adagio con molto espressione 6:38
6.
III. Menuetto 3:37
7.
IV. Rondo: Allegretto 6:29
Piano
Sonata No.12 in A flat major Op.26 ‘Funeral March’
8.
I. Andante con variazioni 7:53
9.
II. Scherzo: Allegro molto – Trio 2:57
10.
III. Maestoso andante ‘Marcia funebre sulla morte d’une
Eroe’ 5:40
11.
IV. Allegro 3:04
Piano
Sonata No.24 in F sharp major Op.78
12.
I. Adagio cantabile – Allegro ma non troppo 7:02
13.
II. Allegro vivace 2:44
Alfred
Brendel piano
Total:
73:35
CD 18
Ludwig van Beethoven 1770–1827
Piano
Sonata No.4 in E flat major Op.7
1.
I. Allegro molto e con brio 8:11
2.
II. Largo con gran espressione 8:20
3.
III. Allegro 5:06
4.
IV. Rondo: Poco allegretto e grazioso 7:11
Piano
Sonata No.20 in G major Op.49 No.2
5.
I. Grave – Allegro, ma non troppo 4:31
6.
II. Tempo di menuetto 3:32
Quintet
for Piano and Winds in E flat major Op.16
7.
I. Grave – Allegro, ma non troppo 11:33
8.
II. Andante cantabile 7:59
9.
III. Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo Members of the Hungarian
Quintet 6:31
10.
Rondo in B flat major G151 Orchestra of the Vienna Volksoper,
Wilfried Boettcher 10:01
Alfred
Brendel piano
Total:
72:55
CD 19
Ludwig van Beethoven 1770–1827
1. ‘Eroica’ Variations
in E flat major Op.35 22:40
Piano
Sonata No.20 in G major Op.49 No.2
2.
I. Allegro ma non troppo 4:31
3.
II. Tempo di menuetto 3:32
4.
5 Variations on ‘Rule Britannia’ in D major WoO 79 4:28
5.
7 Variations on ‘God Save the King’ in C major WoO 78
8:42
6.
12 Variations on a Russian Dance from Wranitsky’s Ballet
Das Waldmädchen’ in A major WoO 71 11:35
7.
6 Variations on an Original Theme in F major Op.34 12:41
8.
6 Variations on a Theme from ‘The Ruins of Athens’ in
D major Op.76 5:49
Alfred
Brendel piano
Total:
74:58
CD 20
Ludwig van Beethoven 1770–1827
1.
32 Variations on an Original Theme in C minor WoO 80
11:04
2.
7 Variations from Winter’s Opera ‘Das unterbrochene Opferfest’ in
F major WoO 75 10:49
3.
24 Variations on Righini’s Air ‘Venni amore’ in D major
WoO 65 15:57
4.
6 Variations on the Duet from Paisello’s ‘La Molinara’ in
G major WoO 70 4:38
5.
8 Variations on Süssmayr’s Theme ‘Tändeln und Scherzen’ in
F major WoO 76 8:09
6.
13 Variations on Dittersdorf’s Air ‘Es war einmal ein
alter Mann’ in A major WoO 66 11:58
7.
10 Variations on Salieri’s Air ‘La stessa, la stessissima’ in
B flat major WoO 73 9:43
Alfred
Brendel piano
Total:
73:11
CD 21
Ludwig van Beethoven 1770–1827
1.
6 Easy Variations on a Swiss Air in F major WoO 64 2:48
2.
9 Variations on Paisello’s Air ‘Quant’è più bello’ in
A major WoO 69 5:27
3.
6 Variations on an Original Theme in G major WoO 77 4:50
4.
8 Variations on Grétry’s Air ‘Un fièvre brûlante’ in
C major WoO 72
5.
Rondo in G major Op.51 No.2 9:46
6.
Allegretto in C minor WoO 53 3:49
7.
6 Ecossaises WoO 83 1:55
8.
Bagatelle in A minor ‘Für Elise’ WoO 59 2:44
9.
Polonaise in C major Op.89 5:31
Alfred
Brendel piano
Total:
44:58
CD 22
Ludwig van Beethoven 1770–1827
Diabelli
Variations in C major Op.120
1.
Theme: Vivace 0:52
2.
Alla marcia maestoso 1:53
3.
Poco allegro 0:47
4.
L’istesso tempo 1:21
5.
Un poco più vivace 0:55
6.
Allegro vivace 0:55
7.
Allegro, ma non troppo 1:41
8.
Un poco più allegro 1:20
9.
Poco vivace 1:25
10.
Allegro pesante e risoluto 1:45
11.
Presto 0:39
12.
Allegretto 0:55
13.
Un poco più mosso 0:46
14.
Vivace 0:58
15.
Grave e maestoso 4:02
16.
Presto scherzando 0:34
17.
Allegro 1:00
18.
Allegro 1:07
19.
Moderato 1:39
20.
Presto 0:54
21.
Andante 2:11
22.
Allegro con brio 1:20
23.
Molto allegro 0:40
24.
Assai allegro 0:51
25.
Fughetta: Andante 3:43
26.
Allegro 0:49
27.
Allegro 1:00
28.
Vivace 0:58
29.
Allegro 0:59
30.
Adagio, ma non troppo 1:19
31.
Andante, sempre cantabile 2:30
32.
Largo, molto espressivo 4:26
33.
Fuga: Allegro 2:53
34.
Tempo di menuetto, moderato 3:49
11
Bagatelles Op.119
35.
Allegretto in G major 2:33
36.
Andante con moto in C major 0:55
37.
Allemande in D major 1:30
38.
Andante cantabile in A major 1:30
39.
Risoluto in C minor 1:02
40.
Andante in G major 0:30
41.
Allegro ma non troppo 1:21
42.
Moderato cantabile in C major 1:07
43.
Vivace moderato in A minor 1:54
44.
Allegramente in A major 1:54
45.
Andante ma non troppo 1:53
Alfred
Brendel piano
Total:
68:20
CD 23
Ludwig van Beethoven 1770–1827
6
Bagatelles Op.126
1.
Andante in G major 3:02
2.
Allegro in G minor 2:53
3.
Andante in E flat major 2:47
4.
Presto in B minor 3:57
5.
Quasi allegretto in G major 2:35
6.
Presto – Andante in E flat major 4:38
7.
Rondo a capriccio in G major Rage over a lost penny’ Op.129
6:06
8.
Rondo in C major Op.51 No.1 5:45
7
Bagatelles Op.33
9.
Andante, quasi allegretto in E flat major 3:45
10.
Scherzo: Allegro in C major 2:38
11.
Allegretto in F major 1:59
12.
Andante in A major 3:42
13.
Allegro ma non troppo in C major 3:08
14.
Allegretto in C major 2:48
15.
Presto in D major 2:01
16.
Andante favori in F major WoO 57 8:49
17.
Ziemlich lebhaft in B flat major WoO 60 1:14
Alfred
Brendel piano
Total:
62:00
CD 24
Franz Schubert 1797–1828
Piano
Sonata in C minor D958
1.
I. Allegro 7:59
2.
II. Adagio 8:11
3.
III. Menuetto – Trio 3:29
4.
IV. Allegro 9:03
Piano
Sonata in C major D840 ‘Unfinished’
5.
I. Moderato 10:35
6.
II. Andante 9:19
German
Dances D783
7.
No.1 0:47
8.
No.2 1:02
9.
No.3 0:32
10.
No.4 0:34
11.
No.5 0:40
12.
No.7 1:00
13.
No.8 0:29
14.
No.13 0:38
15.
No.14 0:41
16.
No.9 0:26
17.
No.10 1:11
18.
No.11 0:26
19.
No.12 0:28
20.
No.15 0:48
21.
No.16 0:30
22.
No.6 0:34
Alfred
Brendel piano
Total:
59:46
CD 25
Franz Schubert 1797–1828
Impromptus
D899
1.
No.1 in C minor: Allegro molto moderato 8:30
2.
No.2 in E flat major: Allegro 4:19
3.
No.3 in G flat major: Andante 5:18
4.
No.4 in A flat major: Allegretto 7:06
Moments
musicaux D780
5.
No.1 in C major: Moderato 4:46
6.
No.2 in A flat major: Andantino 5:45
7.
No.3 in F minor: Allegro: Moderato 1:40
8.
No.4 in C sharp minor moderato 4:39
9.
No.5 in F minor: allegro vivace 2:04
10.
No.6 in A flat major: Allegretto 6:23
Drei
Klavierstücke D946
11.
No.1 in E flat minor 8:52
12.
No.2 in E flat major 9:41
13.
No.3 in C major 5:03
Alfred
Brendel piano
Total:
75:04
CD 26
Franz Schubert 1797–1828
1.
Wanderer Fantasy in C major D760 22:10
Impromptus
D935
2.
No.1 in F minor: Allegro moderato 9:00
3.
No.2 in A flat major: Allegretto 5:23
4.
No.3 in B flat major: Andante: Theme, Variations ‘Rosamunde’ 10:30
5.
No.4 in F minor: Allegro scherzando 5:23
Franz Schubert 1797–1828 realised by Franz Liszt 1811–1886
Wanderer
Fantasy in C major for piano, orchestra
6.
Allegro – 6:20
7.
Adagio – 7:31
8.
Presto – 4:52
9.
Allegro 3:26
Vienna
Volksoper Orchestra
Michael
Gielen
Total:
74:56
CD 27
Frédéric Chopin 1810–1849
1.
Polonaise in A flat major Op.53 ‘Heroic’ 6:42
2.
Polonaise in C minor Op.40 No.2 6:01
3.
Polonaise in F sharp minor Op.44 11:22
4.
Polonaise-fantaisie in A flat major Op.61 11:58
Andante
spianato et Grande Polonaise brillante in E flat major
Op.22
5.
Andante spianato 4:32
6.
Grande polonaise brillante 9:17
Alfred
Brendel piano
Total:
50:14
CD 28
Robert Schumann 1810–1856
Fantasy
in C major Op.17
1.
Durchaus phantastisch und leidenschaftlich vorzutragen
12:55
2.
Mässig, durchaus energisch 8:10
3.
Langsam getragen, durchweg leise zu halten 10:35
Études
Symphoniques Op.13
4.
Theme 1:16
5. Étude
No.1 1:19
6. Étude
No.2 3:38
7. Étude
No.3 1:17
8. Étude
No.4 0:58
9. Étude
No.5 1:23
10. Étude
No.6 0:54
11. Étude
No.7 1:16
12. Étude
No.8 2:03
13. Étude
No.9 0:39
14. Étude
No.10 1:19
15. Étude
No.11 3:04
16. Étude
No.12 6:42
Alfred
Brendel piano
Total:
57:49
CD 29
Franz Liszt 1811–1886
Piano
Concerto No.1 in E flat major
1.
Allegro maestoso – Tempo giusto 5:42
2.
Quasi adagio – 4:42
3.
Allegretto vivace – 4:29
4.
Allegro marziale animato 4:18
Piano
Concerto No.2 in A major
5.
Adagio sostenuto assai – 7:27
6.
Tempo del andante – 5:44
7.
Allegro deciso – 3:03
8.
Marziale un poco meno allegro – 1:12
9.
Un poco meno mosso – 2:33
10.
Allegro animato 1:43
Totentanz
11.
Andante – Allegro – Allegro moderato 2:09
12.
Variation I 0:59
13.
Variation II 0:18
14.
Variation III 0:30
15.
Variation IV 9:20
16.
Variation V 3:15
17.
Cadenza 1:23
18.
Variation VI 3:08
19.
Cadenza 0:50
20.
Allegro animato 0:35
21.
Malédiction 14:32
Alfred
Brendel piano
Total:
72:52
CD 30
Franz Liszt 1811–1886
Piano
Sonata in B minor
1.
Lento 3:27
2.
Grandioso – 8:09
3.
Andante sostenuto – 6:51
4.
Fugue, allegro energico – 5:41
5.
Stretta quasi presto 4:35
Années
de Pèlerinage: Deuxième Année, Italie
Piano
Sonata ‘après une lecture de Dante’
6.
Andante 1:46
7.
Presto agitato 2:47
8.
Tempo I 3:06
9.
Più tosto 5:46
10.
Più mosso 2:29
Alfred
Brendel piano
Total:
72:55
CD 31
Franz Liszt 1811–1886
Opera
transcriptions and paraphrases
1.
Lucia di Lammermoor: Sextet (Donizetti) 5:27
2.
Il trovatore: Miserere (Verdi) 8:13
3.
Norma Fantasy (Bellini) 15:39
4.
Oberon Overture (Weber) 9:05
5.
Benvenuto Cellini: Benediction, Oath (Berlioz) 7:20
6.
Tannhäuser: Pilgrims’ Chorus (Wagner) 5:16
Paganini Études
7.
Tremolo in G minor 4:40
8.
Octave in E flat major 5:49
9.
La campanella in G sharp minor 5:02
10.
Arpeggio in E major 2:10
11.
La Chasse in E major 3:16
12.
Variations in A minor 5:14
Alfred
Brendel piano
Total:
77:44
CD 32
Franz Liszt 1811–1886
Années
de Pèlerinage: Deuxième Année, Italie
Tre
Sonetti di Petrarca
1.
No.47 5:58
2.
No.104 6:02
3.
No.123 6:59
4.
Venezia e Napoli – Tarantella 9:17
Harmonies
poétiques et religieuses
5.
Invocation 7:10
6.
Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude 15:38
7.
Pensées des morts 11:17
8.
Funérailles 10:55
9.
Cantique d’amour 6:21
Alfred
Brendel piano
Total:
79:55
CD 33
Franz Liszt 1811–1886
6
Hungarian Rhapsodies
1.
Hungarian Rhapsody No.15: ‘Rakoczy March’ 5:33
2.
Hungarian Rhapsody No.3: Andante 5:28
3.
Hungarian Rhapsody No.2: Lento a capriccioso 10:26
4.
Hungarian Rhapsody No.13: Andante sostenuto 9:31
5.
Hungarian Rhapsody No.8: Lento a capriccio 7:28
6.
Hungarian Rhapsody No.17: Lento 3:16
7.
Csárdás obstiné 3:17
Alfred
Brendel piano
Total:
45:32
CD 34
Modest Mussorgsky 1839–1881
Pictures
at an Exhibition
1.
Promenade 1:16
2.
Gnomus 1:59
3.
Promenade 1:16
4.
The Old Castle 4:45
5.
Promenade 0:25
6.
Tuileries 0:57
7.
Bydlo 2:22
8.
Promenade 0:39
9.
Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks 1:03
10.
Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle 2:16
11.
Promenade 1:18
12.
The Marketplace at Limoges 1:16
13.
Catacombae 1:23
14.
Cum mortuis in lingua mortua 1:49
15.
Baba Yaga (The Hut on Fowl’s Legs) 3:16
16.
The Great Gate of Kiev 4:55
Igor Stravinsky 1882–1971
Petrushka – Suite
17.
I. Danse Russe 2:31
18.
II. Petrushka’s Room 4:52
19.
III. Shrovetide Fair 9:02
Mili Balakirev 1836–1910
20.
Islamey – Oriental Fantasy 8:49
Alfred
Brendel piano
Total:
55:46
CD 35
Arnold Schoenberg 1874–1951
1.
Piano Concerto Op.42 20:58
Sergei Prokofiev 1891–1953
Piano
Concerto No.5 in G major Op.55
2.
I . Allegro con brio 4:59
3.
II. Moderato ben accentuato 3:13
4.
III. Toccata: Allegro con fuoco 2:06
5.
IV. Larghetto 5:57
6.
V. Vivo 5:17
Alfred
Brendel piano
Symphony
Orchestra of Southwest German Radio Baden-Baden,
Michael
Gielen (Schoenberg)
Vienna
State Opera Orchestra, Jonathan Sternberg (Prokofiev)
Total:
42:33
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