Release Date: 05 January 2015
Label: Australian Eloquence
Packaging Type: Jewel Case
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 0028948070749
Genres: Classical Chamber Music
Description
Lazar Berman, a bear of a man whom The Times of London called "one of the last unabashed exponents of the Romantic tradition of Russian pianism", was known for the power of his playing and for his prodigious technique, but was also capable of great delicacy at the keyboard. The core of his repertoire was the great Romantic and post-Romantic works, from Beethoven to Prokofiev and Shostakovich. Emil Gilels referred to him as a "phenomenon of the musical world". Eloquence presents his complete Deutsche Grammophon recordings over five titles.
Lazar Berman did not like competitions. In the 1956 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, his first trip to the West, he placed only fifth. An experience in a Chopin competition left a bitter taste; as a result, he subsequently refused to play Chopin, explaining that "Of course I used to play him, but many years ago I entered for a Chopin competition in Warsaw and I did not qualify. It was a tremendous blow to my pride, and I vowed that I would never play him again."
Nevertheless, in 1979 Berman was persuaded to set down this version of Chopin's mature Polonaises, leaving us feeling much the poorer for the lack of other recordings from him of this composer. Mussorgsky's suite Pictures at an Exhibition was perhaps his most fully realized masterpiece. Berman's view of the work is detailed, clearly sculpted, energizing, but never over-the top.
Tracklisting
Josef Krips; Various Orchestras
Josef Krips
Neville Marriner; ASMF
New Vienna Octet, Vienna Wind Soloists
Wiener Oktett
John Mauceri; The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra; Julie Andrews
Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt; LSO; Alfred Brendel
Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt; VPO; LSO; Sutherland; Backhaus
Torleif Thedeen (cello) & Marianna Shirinyan (piano)
Magnus Boye Hansen (violin), Mathias Halvorsen (piano)
Rafael Catala, Musica Iberica
Carlotta Malquori, Andrea D'Amato
Ensemble La Francaise
Christoph Croise; Andrey Baranov; Alexander Panfilov
Trio Parnassus
Kilian Herold, Barbara Buntrock, Florian Donderer, Tanja Tetzlaff
