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Strauss: Four Last Songs / Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
(more) »rank: 32772from: Deutsche Grammophon
: :Gundula Janowitz had a very beautiful voice that critics like to describe as 'creamy,' whatever that means. Strauss had a life-long love affair with the soprano voice. He even married one--not just the voice, the whole woman, of course. His Four Last Songs constitute his dying tribute, and they are probably the most hedonistically gorgeous vocal works in existence. Herbert vo Karajan was a Strauss specialist, as was Janowitz, and together they contrive to perform the songs about as perfectly as they ever have been. The couplings, two orchestral works from the beginning and end of Strauss's career, are quite appropriate: the last ...
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Saint-Saëns: The Complete Works for Piano & Orchestra
(more) »rank: 8561from: Hyperion UK
: :Pianist Stephen Hough is a certified genius, recipient of a 2001 MacArthur Foundation 'genius grant.' Although he apparently received the award for his explorations of uncommon piano repertoire, he also deserved it for the quality of his piano tone, which is extremely beautiful, as conveyed here by Hyperion's lush recording of the Saint-Saens piano concertos. Unlike most previous volumes of Hyperion's Romantic Piano Concerto series, this one includes some familiar works, especially the Second Piano Concerto. If you listen to that first, you'll realize just how good Hough's performances are throughout this set, since he matches any of the great pianists who have ...
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Maria Callas 100 Best Classics
(more) »rank: 10332from: EMI Classics
:Album Description:Best Callas 100 (part of the Best Classics 100 series) features 6 CDs of the best and most popular operatic arias and duets sung by legendary soprano Maria Callas from her EMI catalog of complete operas and recital albums. Each CD contains approx. 16-17 tracks. CD 1 The Operas of Bellini CD 2 The Operas of Donizetti and Rossini CD 3 The Operas of Verdi CD 4 The Operas of Puccini CD 5 French Operatic Heroines CD 6 Dramatic Heroines
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Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 1; Concertino; Piano Quintet
(more) »rank: 45650from: Emi Classics
:Album Description:Best Callas 100 (part of the Best Classics 100 series) features 6 CDs of the best and most popular operatic arias and duets sung by legendary soprano Maria Callas from her EMI catalog of complete operas and recital albums. Each CD contains approx. 16-17 tracks. CD 1 The Operas of Bellini CD 2 The Operas of Donizetti and Rossini CD 3 The Operas of Verdi CD 4 The Operas of Puccini CD 5 French Operatic Heroines CD 6 Dramatic Heroines
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The Most Relaxing Violin Music in the Universe
(more) »rank: 7046from: Denon Records
:Album Description:Best Callas 100 (part of the Best Classics 100 series) features 6 CDs of the best and most popular operatic arias and duets sung by legendary soprano Maria Callas from her EMI catalog of complete operas and recital albums. Each CD contains approx. 16-17 tracks. CD 1 The Operas of Bellini CD 2 The Operas of Donizetti and Rossini CD 3 The Operas of Verdi CD 4 The Operas of Puccini CD 5 French Operatic Heroines CD 6 Dramatic Heroines
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Lang Lang Live at Carnegie Hall
(more) »rank: 11949from: Deutsche Grammophon
: :This is a dazzling recital, taped live at Carnegie Hall in November 2003--complete with applause. Lang Lang's virtuosity is almost frightening: the Liszt 'Reminiscenses du Don Juan' is a showpiece when played 'normally.' Here, Lang plays it to its extremes, with soft passages amazingly soft and subtly delineated and the bigger moments heaven-thundering. And it is played so fast, and so accurately (a cascade of notes in mid-'La ci darem la mano' sounds like a waterfall), that it leaves the listener breathless--surely just what Liszt wanted. In a Haydn sonata, Lang's classical line is impeccable, but he's not afraid to shine through the ...
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#1 Christmas Album
(more) »rank: 3749by: Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Kiri te Kanawa, Franz Gruber, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Joan Sutherland
: :This is a dazzling recital, taped live at Carnegie Hall in November 2003--complete with applause. Lang Lang's virtuosity is almost frightening: the Liszt 'Reminiscenses du Don Juan' is a showpiece when played 'normally.' Here, Lang plays it to its extremes, with soft passages amazingly soft and subtly delineated and the bigger moments heaven-thundering. And it is played so fast, and so accurately (a cascade of notes in mid-'La ci darem la mano' sounds like a waterfall), that it leaves the listener breathless--surely just what Liszt wanted. In a Haydn sonata, Lang's classical line is impeccable, but he's not afraid to shine through the ...
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25 Piano Favorites
(more) »rank: 17814from: Vox (Classical)
: :This is a dazzling recital, taped live at Carnegie Hall in November 2003--complete with applause. Lang Lang's virtuosity is almost frightening: the Liszt 'Reminiscenses du Don Juan' is a showpiece when played 'normally.' Here, Lang plays it to its extremes, with soft passages amazingly soft and subtly delineated and the bigger moments heaven-thundering. And it is played so fast, and so accurately (a cascade of notes in mid-'La ci darem la mano' sounds like a waterfall), that it leaves the listener breathless--surely just what Liszt wanted. In a Haydn sonata, Lang's classical line is impeccable, but he's not afraid to shine through the ...
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Christopher Parkening plays Bach
(more) »rank: 50548from: EMI Classics
: :This is a dazzling recital, taped live at Carnegie Hall in November 2003--complete with applause. Lang Lang's virtuosity is almost frightening: the Liszt 'Reminiscenses du Don Juan' is a showpiece when played 'normally.' Here, Lang plays it to its extremes, with soft passages amazingly soft and subtly delineated and the bigger moments heaven-thundering. And it is played so fast, and so accurately (a cascade of notes in mid-'La ci darem la mano' sounds like a waterfall), that it leaves the listener breathless--surely just what Liszt wanted. In a Haydn sonata, Lang's classical line is impeccable, but he's not afraid to shine through the ...
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The Ultimate Classical Christmas
(more) »rank: 10592from: Sony Classics
: :This is a dazzling recital, taped live at Carnegie Hall in November 2003--complete with applause. Lang Lang's virtuosity is almost frightening: the Liszt 'Reminiscenses du Don Juan' is a showpiece when played 'normally.' Here, Lang plays it to its extremes, with soft passages amazingly soft and subtly delineated and the bigger moments heaven-thundering. And it is played so fast, and so accurately (a cascade of notes in mid-'La ci darem la mano' sounds like a waterfall), that it leaves the listener breathless--surely just what Liszt wanted. In a Haydn sonata, Lang's classical line is impeccable, but he's not afraid to shine through the ...
