A New Yorker review about Rudolf Serkin from 2017 states: “his performances… reflect his sense of titanic struggle to realize the ideas and emotions that he found in the words that he played. He bypassed the surface sheen of ingratiating sounds to render the beauty of that struggle; his piano tone is itself the sound of struggle filled with the meeting of metal and wood and evoking spiritual exaltation through physical and intellectual exertion.” Rudolf Serkin was born in 1903 Bohemia. His musical gifts emerged early. amd he made his debut with the Vienna Philharmonic at 12. His European career extended throughout the 20s and 30s. He first played in the United States in 1933, and three years later appeared with the New York Philharmonic under Toscanini, eventually performing with them over 100 times. Rudolf Serkin became one of the most admired pianists of the 20th century. He performed and recorded extensively witg the top international orchestras and conductors. This album contains live performances the two Brahms' piano concertos with Leonard Bernstein and George Szell, and excerpts from a 1974 solo recital in Toronto.

Described by the New York Times in 1944 as “One of the most remarkably gifted of the younger generation of American keyboard artists,” Leon Fleisher was born in San Francisco in 1928. In 1944, at age 16, he played the Brahms first Piano Concerto as soloist with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Pierre Monteux. In 1952 he won the Queen Elizabeth Competition in Brussels. He played the Brahms and Beethoven Piano Concertos often and recorded them with George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra. DOREMI is proud to offer here a hitherto unreleased live recording of Brahms First Piano Concerto with Pierre Monteux and the Concertgebouw Orchestra. In 1964, he noticed that two fingers of his right hand were beginning to involuntarily curl up. He tried every therapy that existed then, but his solo career was effectively ended. He continued to teach, and conduct and in 1967 began to perform works for the left hand. In 1995 he succeeded to regain the use if his right hand and began performing and recording with two-hands. Leon Fleisher passed away in 2020 at age 92.

One of the greatest conductors in history, Claudio Abbado was born in 1933 in Milan into a musical family. He graduated from the Milan Conservatory in 1955, and made his conducting debut in 1958 in Trieste and in the same year he won the Koussevitsky conducting competition at Tanglewood. In 1960 he debuted at the La Scala. Another conducting prize, the Mitropoulos in 1963, led to a position for several months as an assistant to Bernstein at the New York Philharmonic. Abbado was appointed the principal conductor of La Scala in 1962, later assuming the position of musical director. Six years later he debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Between 1965 and 1997 he conducted the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in over 320 concerts and in 27 opera performances at the Salzburg Festival, as well as in 173 appearances with the VPO as the Vienna State Opera. He first appeared with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in January 1971, leading three weeks of subscription concerts, returning frequently over the next two decades. Between 1982 and 1985, he was its principal guest conductor. The 1970s also saw him move from principal Guest Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra to its Principal Conductor, a position he held until the late 1980s. His last major initiative came when he became artistic director of the Orchestra Mozart, with whom he worked, despite ongoing health issues, until his death at the age of 80 in 2014. We are fortunate that Abbado recorded prolifically for a wide range of labels, and his discography is broad and varied. This release features a live recording of Claudio Abbado conducting the music of Haydn and Bruckner.

Born April 18, 1930, Dénes Kovács began violin lessons at six, becoming Dezso Rados' student at the Fodor Music School two years later. When he was fourteen, he began his studies at Budapest’s Liszt Academy in the class of Ede Zathureczky. Graduating in 1951, he began his professional career, playing first in the army's Central Arts Ensemble, and for a decade, leader of the Hungarian Opera House Orchestra. In 1955, he took first prize in the Carl Flesch competition in London, inaugurating an international career that lasted for the rest of his life. He performed widely and recorded the great works of the violin: Concertos, chamber and solo repertoire from the baroque period to the present, including all the Beethoven sonatas and string trios, Bach’s sonatas and partitas for solo violin, Bartok's works for violin, and many concertos by his Hungarian contemporaries. He began teaching at the Liszt Academy of Music in 1957, becoming head of the violin department in 1959, and professor five years later. He was appointed Rector of the Academy in 1968. His contributions to music were abundantly recognized in Hungary, where he received the Liszt Prize, (1955, 1958), the Kossuth Prize (1963), and the Béla Bartók - Ditta Pásztory Prize (1989, 2000). In 1970 he was named Eminent Artist of the Hungarian People’s Republic. On this second volume dedicated to his recordings, the works of Mozart and Schubert are featured.

The Trio A Cordes Français was founded in 1959 by violinist Gérard Jarry (1936-2004), violist Serge Collot (1923-2015), and cellist Michel Tournus (1922-2006). In a career lasting over thirty years, they toured the world and made many notable recordings. At the age of fourteen, Gérard Jarry gained a Premier Grand Prix at the 1951 Concours Long-Thibaud. In addition to his many years performing with the Trio, he was concertmaster of the Orchestre de Chambre Jean-François Paillard, and a noted soloist. He was also a professor of violin at the Conservatoire de Paris. Serge Collot studied at the Conservatoire de Paris with Maurice Vieux, graduating with a Premier Prix in 1944, he had a long and distinguished career as a chamber musician. He was particularly influential in encouraging the composition of contemporary works for viola by such composers as Boulez and Berio. Like his colleague Jarry, he was professor of viola at Conservatoire de Paris for many years. Michel Tournus gained Premiers Prix in cello and chamber music from the Conservatoire de Paris. He was also a member of several other chamber ensembles, including the Quatuor Indig and the Octuor de Paris. He was first cello with the Orchestre de l'Opera National de Paris. Active as a teacher at the Conservatoire de Musique de Versailles, and was the author of a cello method. It is inarguable that Jean-Pierre Rampal (1922-2000) is not only one of the most celebrated flute players of all time but among the 20th century's most famous classical musicians. His recorded legacy is vast, comprising solo, orchestral, and chamber performances. Flutist Michel Debost (born 1934), a student of Marcel Moyse, has also won major competitions, and was first flute in the Orchestre de Paris. Replacing Rampal as flute professor at the Conservatoire de Paris, he later taught at Oberlin.

Oleg Kagan and Natalia Gutman's performances of the Brahms Double Concerto were widely acclaimed. They were featured on a 1986 international tour of the USSR State Symphony Orchestra conducted by the famous conductor Yevgeni Svetlanov. On October 12, 1986 they performed it in Roy Thompson Hall, Toronto, Canada. This exciting concert is now presented on this live album. Natalia Gutmam is noted for her superb, authoritative performances of the Shostakovich cello concerto No. 1. She recorded it three times during her career. Presented here is a sparkling live version given in 1980 in Holland.

Isaac Stern's career as a solo artist, chamber musician, and much else was remarkable. These CDs, of his live performances is an eloquent testament to his musical insights, technical command and He was born in 1920, in Krzemieniec, now in Ukraine. A year later his parents came to San Francisco. Violin lessons began at eight, with Naoum Blinder. His Town Hall debut in 1937 was followed by a Carnegie Hall debut in 1943. He was the first American artist to tour the former Soviet Union. His campaign to save Carnegie Hall began in 1960. The Six-Day War of 1967 saw his iconic performance with Leonard Bernstein on Mount Scopus. His involvement with Hollywood, which began in 1948 in Humoresque, and in 1971, in Fiddler on the Roof. He recorded prolifically and received countless honors and tributes. Isaac Stern passed away at the age of 81. Born in 1948 in Tel Aviv, Pinchas Zukerman's earliest musical influence was his father. At 8 he began studies with Ilona Feher. When Stern and Casals heard the prodigy in 1961, they recommended he study in New York with Galamian. In 1967 he shared first prize at the Leventritt Competition, and debuted at Lincoln Center two years later. Since then, he has had a remarkable career as a solo violinist, violist, conductor, and chamber musician. From 1980 to 1987 he was the music director of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. In 1998 he became music director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa. Zukerman has recorded over a hundred albums, earning 2 Grammy awards and 21 nominations. Among his honours is the Isaac Stern Award for Artistic Excellence in Classical Music.

Isaac Stern's career as a solo artist, chamber musician, and much else (he led the movement to save Carnegie hall) was remarkable. These albums of his live performances are an eloquent testament to his musical insights, technical command and his gorgeous, luminous tone. Isaac Stern was born in 1920, in Krzemieniec, now in Ukraine. A year later his parents came to San Francisco. Violin lessons began at eight, with Naoum Blinder. Two years later he made his debut, playing Bach double concerto with his teacher. His Town Hall debut in 1937 was followed by a Carnegie Hall debut in 1943. He was the first American artist to tour the former Soviet Union - and as a result became a deeply respected figure there. The campaign to save Carnegie Hall began in 1960. The Six-Day War of 1967 saw his iconic performance of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with Leonard Bernstein on Mount Scopus. His involvement with Hollywood, which began in 1948 with his performance in Humoresque, was followed up in 1971, when he played on the soundtrack of Fiddler on the Roof. His travel to China in 1979 led to a resurgence of classical music in that country. He recorded prolifically and received countless honors and tributes.

BEETHOVEN Piano Trios: in B?, “Archduke”; 1 in E?, WoO 38. 1 MOZART Piano Trios: in B?, K 254; 1 in G, K 564. 1 HAYDN Piano Trios: 1 in D, Hob XV:16; in g, Hob XV:19. TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Trio in a, op. 50. 1 SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Trio in e, op. 67. 1 SAINT-SAËNS Piano Trio in F, op. 18. 1 SCHUMANN Piano Trio in d, op. 63. 1 BORODIN Piano Trio, in D. 2 FAURÉ Piano Quartet, op. 15. 3 BRAHMS Trio for Piano, Violin, and Horn, op. 40 4 • Emil Gilels (pn); 1,2,3,4 Leonid Kogan (vn); 1,3,4 Mstislav Rostropovich (vc); 1,3 Dmitry Tziganov (vn); 2 Sergei Shirinsky (vc); 2 Rudolf Barshai (va); 3 Yakov Shapiro (hn) 4 • DOREMI 7921 (5 CDs: 344:47)


This impressive five-CD set from DOREMI presents a fascinating portrait of a splendid Soviet-era ensemble, whose members—pianist Emil Gilels, violinist Leonid Kogan, and cellist Mstislav Rostropovich—collaborated for more than a decade beginning in 1949. They are joined by violist Rudolf Barshai (with whom Kogan and Rostropovich formed a String Trio during the 1950s) in the first Fauré Quartet, and the horn-player Yakov Shapiro joins Gilels and Kogan in the Brahms Trio. The Borodin Trio that rounds out the set features Gilels with two of his earlier chamber music partners, violinist Dmitry Tziganov and cellist Sergei Shirinsky, both members of the Beethoven Quartet.


The least of these performances are very good and the best of them nothing short of brilliant. The “Archduke” Trio must be one of the finest on record. In the first movement development, the juxtaposition of string pizzicatos with the piano’s trills creates an uncanny, otherworldly atmosphere. When the recapitulation finally arrives, it seems not just a satisfying homecoming, but a deliverance from the outer realms of abstraction. The ensemble finesse in the Scherzo is breathtaking, while the spiritual depths of the unique Andante cantabile are plumbed with grace and reverence. The same sort of Apollonian approach that makes this reading of the “Archduke” so successful is applied to the Tchaikovsky trio, with stunning results. Even some of the most celebrated performances of this difficult work (the Rubinstein/Heifetz/Piatigorsky, RCA 63025 among them) narrowly skirt the maudlin. Here, however, the three Russians bring a sincerity and simplicity to Tchaikovsky’s every gesture, allowing his elegy for Nicolas Rubinstein to speak with eloquence, at once dignified, restrained, and heartfelt.


In the Schumann Trio, Gilels, Kogan, and Rostropovich achieve a prodigy of imaginative interpretation, all within the context of the most sophisticated and refined ensemble-playing. It is hard to imagine a more compelling conception of this impassioned score. They also approach Shostakovich’s eerily atmospheric Second Trio with the utmost conviction. The hectic second movement is a kinesthetic tour de force , while the finale’s unconventional oriental textures are deftly maneuvered to great effect.


Predictably, the Haydn and Mozart readings are less satisfactory. Generalizations are always dangerous, but perhaps it is not inaccurate to say that, prior to the inevitable cross-pollination with the West occurring during later decades through travel and recordings, Soviet musicians approached Haydn and Mozart with a prettified delicacy. The results can often sound mannered, if not downright bloodless, and light years away from what we consider appropriate late-18th century style today. One case in point is the weepy vibrato Kogan employs in the sustained passages of the plaintive Andante opening of the Haydn G-Minor Trio; another is the flaccid Allegretto of the Mozart G-Major Trio, where phrase shapes are obliterated by an anachronistic effort to achieve the late-19th century ideal of the “long line.” Despite these reservations, even the 18th-century repertoire is of historical interest: this is the way this music was played behind the Iron Curtain in the years following WW II.


The sound of these recordings is consistent with the technological resources of Melodiya (the original issuing label) during the 1950s. Most were studio recordings, but some were live performances. One can discern the improvement of equipment and recording techniques between the earliest of the performances (the Tchaikovsky Trio, 1950) and the latest (the Shostakovich, 1959). Though the sound is flattened-out relative to modern standards, balances are superb, and no detail seems lost. The accompanying leaflet contains thumbnail bios of the principal artists as well as the works and timings, but no information on the matrices (beyond photographic reproductions of the record labels) or the transfer process. All in all, fascinating performances of representative repertoire by master musicians. Highly recommended.


FANFARE: Patrick Rucker

Russian born cellist Edmund Kurtz (1908 – 2004) was one of the most respected cellists of the 20th century. His international reputation led to numerous guest soloist invitations with orchestras around the world and under such conductors as Serge Koussevitzky and Arturo Toscanini. He has made many recordings, including sonatas with pianists William Kapell, Frank Pelleg and Artur Balsam. Kurtz is noted for his sumptuous, warm, creamy cello sound and his refined, clean style. The present release features Kurtz performing a program of Cello Sonatas by Chopin Prokofiev, and Kodaly, accompanied by pianist Artur Balsam.

Julian Bream, who passed away in August 2020, is the finest classical guitarist in the second half of the 20th century. DOREMi is proud to release this tribute to his wonderful artistry. The program of works for lute and guitar solo and in a variety of ensemble settings, never before released, offers a remarkable panorama of Bream's magnificent playing between 1956 and 1965, including performances from the 11th, 16th, 17th, and 18th Aldeburgh Festivals, the 18th Edinburgh International Festival, a 1956 Broadcast House recital, and two studio broadcasts. The repertoire ranges from Josquin des Pres to Dowland and other Elizabethans, to Baroque lutenists, and contemporary British composers. We hear a very early version of Britten's "Nocturnal", songs accompanying Peter Pears and Carmen Prietto, a Haydn string quartet, and the Concierto de Aranjuez.

Vasso Devetzi (1927-1987) was Born in Thessaloniki, Greece. She first performed in public at age seven. Her international career began in Paris when she played the Schumann Piano Concerto under Albert Wolff. Subsequently, she performed throughout the world with leading orchestras, from Athens to Brussels, Rio to Helsinki, and Stockholm to Zagreb. She lived for long periods in the 1960s and 70s in the former Soviet Union, where she often collaborated in concerts with Rudolf Barshai, David Oistrakh, Mstislav Rostropovich and Galina Vishnevskaya. Born in the former Soviet Union, Rudolf Barshai (1924-2010) was a renowned violist and conductor. As a violist, he appeared with Sviatoslav Richter and David Oistrakh and was in a trio with Mstislav Rostropovich and Leonid Kogan. His conducting career began with his founding of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra. Under Barshai, they became world famous and have made numerous recordings. After his emigration to Israel in 1977, he directed the Israel Chamber Orchestra. Subsequent conducting posts included the Vancouver Symphony, the national Orchestra of France and the Bournemouth Symphony. In addition, he was a permanent guest conductor with many orchestras throughout the world.

Isaac Stern's career as a solo artist, chamber musician, and much else (he led the movement to save Carnegie hall) was remarkable. These albums of his live performances are an eloquent testament to his musical insights, technical command and his gorgeous, luminous tone. Isaac Stern was born in 1920, in Krzemieniec, now in Ukraine. A year later his parents came to San Francisco. Violin lessons began at eight, with Naoum Blinder. Two years later he made his debut, playing Bach double concerto with his teacher. His Town Hall debut in 1937 was followed by a Carnegie Hall debut in 1943. He was the first American artist to tour the former Soviet Union-and as a result became a deeply respected figure there. The campaign to save Carnegie Hall began in 1960. The Six-Day War of 1967 saw his iconic performance of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with Leonard Bernstein on Mount Scopus. His involvement with Hollywood, which began in 1948 with his performance in Humoresque, was followed up in 1971, when he played on the soundtrack of Fiddler on the Roof. His travel to China in 1979 led to a resurgence of classical music in that country. He recorded prolifically and received countless honors and tributes. Isaac Stern passed away at the age of 81 in 2001.

Isaac Stern's career as a solo artist, chamber musician, and much else (he led the movement to save Carnegie hall) was remarkable. These albums of his live performances are an eloquent testament to his musical insights, technical command and his gorgeous, luminous tone. Isaac Stern was born in 1920, in Krzemieniec, now in Ukraine. A year later his parents came to San Francisco. Violin lessons began at eight, with Naoum Blinder. Two years later he made his debut, playing Bach double concerto with his teacher. His Town Hall debut in 1937 was followed by a Carnegie Hall debut in 1943. He was the first American artist to tour the former Soviet Union-and as a result became a deeply respected figure there. The campaign to save Carnegie Hall began in 1960. The Six-Day War of 1967 saw his iconic performance of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with Leonard Bernstein on Mount Scopus. His involvement with Hollywood, which began in 1948 with his performance in Humoresque, was followed up in 1971, when he played on the soundtrack of Fiddler on the Roof. His travel to China in 1979 led to a resurgence of classical music in that country. He recorded prolifically and received countless honors and tributes. Isaac Stern passed away at the age of 81 in 2001.

One of the 20th century’s most admired and respected violinists, Isaac Stern's career as a solo artist, chamber musician, and much else (he led the movement to save Carnegie hall) was remarkable. These albums of his live performances are an eloquent testament to his musical insights, technical command and his gorgeous, luminous tone. Isaac Stern was born in 1920, in Krzemieniec, now in Ukraine. A year later his parents came to San Francisco. Violin lessons began at eight, with Naoum Blinder. Two years later he made his debut, playing Bach double concerto with his teacher. His Town Hall debut in 1937 was followed by a Carnegie Hall debut in 1943. He was the first American artist to tour the former Soviet Union-and as a result became a deeply respected figure there. The campaign to save Carnegie Hall began in 1960. The Six-Day War of 1967 saw his iconic performance of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with Leonard Bernstein on Mount Scopus. His involvement with Hollywood, which began in 1948 with his performance in Humoresque, was followed up in 1971, when he played on the soundtrack of Fiddler on the Roof. His travel to China in 1979 led to a resurgence of classical music in that country. He recorded prolifically and received countless honors and tributes. Isaac Stern passed away at the age of 81 in 2001.