Can there be a more prodigiously gifted and versatile musician in the world today than Daniel Barenboim? Symphonic and opera conductor as well concert pianist,...

Can there be a more prodigiously gifted and versatile musician in the world today than Daniel Barenboim? Symphonic and opera conductor as well concert pianist, recitalist, chamber musician, lieder accompanist par excellence, the Argentinian-born Israeli Renaissance man of music is also one of the most extensively recorded artists of all time. Sony Classical is proud to present the first complete retrospective collection of his albums for CBS/Sony and RCA on 46 CDs and DVDs.

Barenboim the pianist made his first commercial recordings in 1964 and soon began documenting his refreshing, vital interpretations of Mozart and Beethoven on disc. Before long he had added conducting to his already intensive musical activities, in 1965 beginning a close relationship with the English Chamber Orchestra. Much of that collaboration is to be found in Sony's vast new set, notably Mozart concerto recordings in which Barenboim's deep understanding of the composer is placed in the service of violinists Isaac Stern and Pinchas Zukerman. Soon Barenboim was conducting virtually all the leading European and American symphony orchestras. Among hte ensembles spotlighted in the new collection is the London Philharmonic, with whom he made a series of distinguished Elgar recordings, including ''a red-blooded passionate performance'' of the Second Symphony: ''The playing of teh LPO is superb throughout and the orchestra responds to Barenboim's every whim...Music seldom brings actual tears to my eyes, but I confess that the playing of the very soft last bars, from the molto lento, did'' (Gramophone).

Another treasurable Barenboim/LPO project found him partnering the legendary Arthur Rubinstein in the complete Beethoven Piano Concertos (when his own recording as a soloist accompanied by Otto Klemperer had already become a catalogue landmark). Of this 1977 Grammy winner for “Best Classical Album”, Gramophone wrote: “Have the Beethoven concertos ever been better accompanied, if accompaniment is the right word? … In each work [Barenboim and the orchestra] provide an opening tutti of such weight, richness of characterization and beauty of sound that the entry of the soloist, so splendidly prepared for, comes almost as an anti-climax. It is a little while before even Rubinstein's personality can match the splendor of the scene which has been set for him.”

The list of Barenboim’s other remarkable collaborations in this set is too long to be detailed here. A few examples must suffice: with Itzhak Perlman, the Brahms Violin Sonatas – not only on CD, but now for the first time on DVD; with Isaac Stern, Beethoven’s Violin Concerto (New York Philharmonic) and Saint-Saëns Third Concerto (Orchestre de Paris); with Jacqueline du Pré, the Elgar Cello Concerto with the Philadelphia Orchestra; with Pinchas Zukerman, the Elgar Violin Concerto (London Philharmonic) – “a reading which gloriously combined the virtuoso swagger of a Heifetz with the tender, heartfelt warmth of the young Menuhin. Barenboim is a splendid partner” – and viola soloist in Berlioz’s Harold in Italy (Orchestre de Paris); with John Williams, guitar concertos by Rodrigo and Villa-Lobos (English Chamber Orchestra); and with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Mahler song cycles (Berlin Philharmonic).

The wide range of symphonic works in this collection finds Daniel Barenboim conducting Tchaikovsky’s Fourth (New York Philharmonic); Beethoven’s Seventh, Schubert’s “Unfinished” and Berlioz’s “Fantastique” (Berlin Philharmonic); and Schoenberg’s Pelleas und Melisande (Orchestre de Paris). Barenboim the soloist can also be heard in piano concertos by Brahms (with Zubin Mehta and the New York Philharmonic) and Beethoven (conducting the Berlin Philharmonic himself from the keyboard). There’s also a large-scale choral work, the Berlioz Te Deum, in an imposing recording made in St. Eustache with Orchestre de Paris forces.

The video releases in the new collection are especially enticing. As already mentioned, there is a first DVD release of the Brahms Violin Sonatas with Itzhak Perlman, coupled with Brahms’s Horn Trio (with the Chicago Symphony’s famed Dale Clevenger). And Barenboim’s unusually imaginative and varied Vienna Philharmonic New Year’s Concert from 2014 – one of the most highly praised of these occasions in years – is also included on DVD as well as CD. The Times of London remarked on its special qualities: “Recent New Year’s Day concerts have been flat affairs, but the champagne spirit flows freely in Daniel Barenboim’s second stint on the podium… The plums (encores apart) are a seductive Tales from the Vienna Woods (Johann II) and a gorgeous ‘Moonlight Interlude’ from Capriccio”, while Presto Classical wrote: “Despite his associations with more heavyweight Austrian composers, Barenboim never overplays his hand and has the idiom absolutely off-pat… he shapes and paces things quite beautifully, revealing all sorts of detail.”

And so, Sony Classical’s 46-disc Daniel Barenboim retrospective is not only a stunning display of this exceptional musician’s versatility; it also serves as a showcase for many of the world’s great orchestras and soloists.

CONTENTS:

DISC 1:
Berg: Chamber Concerto for Violin, Piano & 13 Winds (Boulez, Barenboim, Gawriloff)
Berg: Three Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 6 (Boulez)
Berg: Altenberg Lieder, Op. 4 (Boulez, Pierre Halina Lukomska, soprano)

DISC 2: 
Mozart: Concerto No. 5 in A Major, K. 219, "Turkish" (Pinchas Zukerman, violin)
Mozart: Concerto No. 4 in D Major, K. 218 (Pinchas Zukerman, violin)
 
DISC 3: 
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36
 
DISC 4:
Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante, K. 364 (Isaac Stern, violin; Pinchas Zukerman, viola)
Stamitz: Sinfonia Concertante in D Major (Isaac Stern, violin; Pinchas Zukerman, viola)
 
DISC 5:
Elgar: Symphony No. 2 in E-flat Major, Op. 63
 
DISC 6: 
Elgar: Falstaff (Symphonic Study) for Orchestra, Op. 68
Elgar: Overture "Cockaigne" (In London Town), Op. 40
 
DISC 7:
Elgar: Symphony No. 1 in A-flat Major, Op. 55
 
DISC 8: 
Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat Major, K. 207 (Pinchas Zukerman, violin)
Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major, K. 216 (Pinchas Zukerman, violin)
 
DISC 9: 
Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance Marches, Op. 39
Elgar: The Crown of India - Suite, Op. 66
Elgar: Imperial March, Op.32
 
DISC 10: 
Mozart: Concertone, K. 190 (Isaac Stern, Pinchas Zukerman, N. Black, oboe)
Pleyel: Sinfonie concertante, Op. 29 (Isaac Stern, Pinchas Zukerman, N. Black, oboe)
 
DISC 11: 
Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 2 in D Major, K. 211 (Pinchas Zukerman, violin)
Mozart: Rondo in C Major, K. 373 (Pinchas Zukerman, violin)
Mozart: Adagio in E Major, K. 261 (Pinchas Zukerman, violin)
Mozart: Rondo in B-Flat Major, K. 269 (Pinchas Zukerman, violin)
 
DISC 12: 
Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez (John Williams, guitar)
Villa-Lobos: Concerto for Guitar and Small Orchestra (John Williams, guitar)
 
DISC 13: 
Elgar: Chanson de Matin, Op. 15, No. 1
Elgar: Chanson de Nuit, Op. 15, No. 2
Elgar: Elegy for Strings, Op.58
Elgar: Serenade for Strings, Op.20
Elgar: Salut d'amour, Op.12
Elgar: Romance, Op. 62 for Bassoon & Orchestra (Martin Gatt, bassoon)
Elgar: Rosemary
Elgar: Carissima
Elgar: Sospiri, Op. 70
 
DISC 14:
Beethoven: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra In D Major, Op. 61 (Isaac Stern, violin)
 
DISC 15: 
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C, Op. 15 (Arthur Rubinstein, piano)
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat, Op. 19 (Arthur Rubinstein, piano)
 
DISC 16: 
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37 (Arthur Rubinstein, piano)
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G, Op. 58 (Arthur Rubinstein, piano)
 
DISC 17: 
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat, Op. 73 (Arthur Rubinstein, piano)
 
DISC 18:
Ravel: Daphnis and Chloe, Suite No. 2
Chabrier: España
Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
Ibert: Escales
 
DISC 19: 
Elgar: Violin Concerto in B minor, Op. 61 (Pinchas Zukerman, violin)
 
DISC 20: 
Elgar: Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in E Minor, Op. 85 (Jacqueline Du Pré, cello)
Elgar: Variations on an Original Theme for Orchestra, Op. 36 "Enigma"
 
DISC 21: 
Berlioz: Te Deum, Op. 22
 
DISC 22: 
Berlioz: Harold en Italie, Op. 16 (Harold in Italy) (Pinchas Zukerman, viola)
 
DISC 23: 
Saint-Saens: Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor, Op. 61 (Isaac Stern, violin)
Chausson: Poème, Op. 25 (Isaac Stern, violin)
Fauré: Berceuse, Op. 16 (Isaac Stern, violin)
 
DISC 24: 
Berlioz : Chasse royale et orage/Royal Hunt and Storm
Berlioz: Roméo et Juliette, op. 17 Suite
 
DISC 25: 
R. Strauss: Concerto for Oboe and Small Orchestra (Neil Black, oboe)
R. Strauss: Le bourgeois gentilhomme: Suite, Op. 60 (Peter Frankl, piano)
 
DISC 26: 
Elgar: Sea Picture for Contralto and Orchestra, Op. 37 (Yvonne Minton, soprano)
Elgar: In the South Overture, Op. 50, "Alassio"
 
DISC 27: 
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat, Op. 83 (Mehta, Daniel Barenboim, piano)
 
DISC 28:
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor. Op. 15 (Mehta, Daniel Barenboim, piano)
 
DISC 29: 
Schoenberg : Pelleas Et Melisande: Symphonic Poem, Op. 5
 
DISC 30:
Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14
 
DISC 31: 
Schubert: Symphony No. 2 in B-flat Major, D. 125
Schubert: Symphony No. 8 in B minor, D. 759 "Unfinished"
 
DISC 32: 
Schubert: Symphony No. 3 in D Major, D. 200
Schubert: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major, D. 485
 
DISC 33:
Schoenberg: Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21 (Boulez, Pierre, Barenboim, Daniel)
 
DISC 34: 
Schubert: Symphony No. 9 in C Major, D. 944 ("The Great")
R. Strauss: Sinfonia Domestica, Op. 53, TrV 209 (Mehta, Zubin)
R. Strauss: Burleske in D Minor, TrV 145 (Mehta, Daniel Barenboim, piano)
 
DISC 35: 
Schubert: Symphony No. 1 in D Major, D. 82
Schubert: Rosamunde, D. 797 (Excerpts)
 
DISC 36: 
Schubert: Symphony No. 4 in C minor, D. 417 "Tragic"
Schubert: Symphony No. 6 in C Major, D. 589
 
DISC 37: 
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92
 
DISC 38: 
Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn (Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone)
Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone)
 
DISC 39:
Schubert: Sonatina in D, Op. Posth. 137, No. 1, D. 384 (Stern, Barenboim)
Schubert: Sonatina in A minor, Op. Posth. 137, No.2, D. 385 (Stern, Barenboim)
Schubert: Sonatina in G minor, Op. Post.137, No. 3, D.408 (Stern, Barenboim)
 
DISC 40: 
Schubert: Sonata (Duo) in A Major, Op. 162. D. 574 (Stern, Barenboim)
Schubert: Fantaisie in C Major, Op. Post.159, D. 934 (Stern, Barenboim)
Schubert: Rondo in B minor, Op.70, D. 895 (Stern, Barenboim)
 
DISC 41: 
Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78 (Perlman, Barenboim)
Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 100 (Perlman, Barenboim)
Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor, Op. 108 (Perlman, Barenboim)
 
DISC 42/43:
The New Year’s Concert 2014
 
DISC 44 DVD:
The Berlin Wall Concert 1989
 
DISC 45 DVD:
Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78 (Perlman, Barenboim)
Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 100 (Perlman, Barenboim)
Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor, Op. 108 (Perlman, Barenboim)
Brahms: Trio for Violin, Horn And Piano in E- flat Major, op. 40
 
DISC 46 DVD:
The New Year’s Concert 2014