At the beginning of the Fifties Philippe Entremont appeared on the international musical stage with the enthusiasm of critics and audience. He was born in Reims - France - im 1934 from a family of musicians, in 1952 he won the the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition Award; and this fact opened him a real international career,and, after having listened him the famous conductor Eugene Ormandy cast him for performing with the Philadelphia Orchestra one of most famous Orchestra in the world. Entremont began recording his first album when he was just twenty and were unforgettable performance specially his 1955 and 1959 Chopin recordings; performance that IDIS re-present in this CD after fifty years of inexplicable silence. It is enough consider the Ballades at the beginning of the CD or the Nocturne op 15 no 1 to realize what a wonderful performer he had been when he was just twenty. He had a wonderful and perfect virtuosity combined with a gift to tell through the music still unmached.

Classical Music

Beethoven Symphony No. 2 in D major Op. 36 was written in 1802 the same year of the Heilegenstadt Testament, the letter never sanded to all his brothers, where the Magister self confessed with deep soul and pain his inability in having normal relationship with the people and the society due to his deafness. even the Symphony No. 2 has been mainly composed in Heiligenstadt it did not represent a close correspondence between the art and life of the german composer. Symphony No. 2 has a more contradictory character to Symphony No. 1 and for this fact some musical researchers consider it as a"Transition work". But nevertheless its thematic richness it is the most remarkable representation less conventional and formal than the previous Symphony; to a more profound analysis we could say thay Beetohven in this Second Symphony had tired to give unity and harmony to different and heterogeneous music elements. The themes and the ideas which came out from the music are now heroics now gallant and all are expressed by an orchestral language rich of syncopation, “sforzando” and frenetical interplay among micro music motives. With this peculiar inhomogeneity Symphonu No. 2 is work already looking toward the Future without reaching it or synthesize it in a formal and expressive vision well defined as Beethoven realized in Symphony No. 3 The Eroic Op. 55.

IDIS in its serie Karajan Spectacular is presenting all Beethoven Symphonies in a serie of live recordings made by the Great German director between Fifties and Seventies XX Century. In this release the recording of Second Symphony in D major is rare and almost unobtainable performed 10th April 1953 with Torino RAI Symphony Orchestra with Karajan well known soloist. As album ending and amazing performance of Concert in D major for violin and orchestra op 61 live recorded in Lucerne in 1954 where Karajan conducts one of the most soloist of these times Wolfgang Schneiderhan a real expert of this Beethoven Concert.

There are many things that can be said about Herbert von Karajan, but not that he was not a dedicated musician. Beethoven's symphonies were always the workhorse of his concerts; he conducted them in concert hundreds of times, and he recorded them in full four times. Under his direction, every orchestra played in a extraordinary way. And when he had "his" orchestra at his disposal, i.e. the Berliner Philharmoniker, the result could only be exceptional. Live, on the luckiest evenings, listeners could participate in unforgettable evenings. Our CD offers two: that of November 3, 1957, in Tokyo, with a Fifth Symphony recorded by Japanese television technicians with an astonishing sound quality, and that of April 8, 1961, in London, with an Eighth Symphony of exceptional elegance and depth. Further discussion of Karajan is in many respects superfluous. He was the greatest of all. No one more than he has been able to make Beethoven's symphonies so immediate, direct, grandiose and exciting. Great symphonic music owes him a debt that will never be forgotten.

The incredible Herbert von Karajan's cleverness was not bound to the amazing results he had with the Berliner Philarmoniker and Wiener Philarmoniker, which were the greatest orchestras in the world, but also in preparing and performing with other ensembles. His exceptional technical skill and talent connected with his own incredible charisma made him realize achievements which made the audience speechless. In this new IDIS release there is further proof of the incredible Karajan artistic talent: the RAI Rome Symphony Orchestra, conducted and prepared by him, performed as well as the Berliner or Viennese ensembles in this astonishing Beethoven 9th Symphony in D minor, recorded live in Rome in 1954. This live performance is certainly at the top among live performances of the great conductor, and one of the most exciting rendering of Beethoven's masterpiece - here enriched by a vocal cast of exceptional talent.

In Italy, the guitar had a difficult time being considered a classical instrument like it was in other countries. The first guitar course was instituted in Italian conservatories in 1965 but even in the 70s and 80s many Concerto Societies did not have or promote even the most internationally famous guitarists. This new release collects six performances by guitar students. The album begins with Pasquale Taraffo, who can be considered the perfect example of a performer on the edge between classical and popular music. The album ends with Mario Parodi, an extraordinary performer and musician who is unfortunately often overlooked. The other four protagonists of this new release are part of the Italian guitar revival: from Giulio Giulietti, to Luigi Mozzani and from Luigi Mariotti to Mario Gangi, who made classical guitar famous throughout Italy with his television appearances.

Herbert von Karajan during the Fifties live performed several times Beethoven Symphonies the German conductor would have recorded in studio for EMI a little later. Many Karajan performances were made in various countries and thanks to the collectors these recordings were saved and now after seventy years they are still available. That’s the case of these two Beethoven Symphonies conducted by Karajan the first one in New York in 1958 and the second in Tourin in 1954 and now re-presented on modern format after having carefully digitally remastered. This IDIS new release is an amazing testimony of Karajan work who gained always the best from any orchestra he conducted.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

In one of his last La Scala, Milan performances, Herbert von Karajan presented one of the great classic of the Italian opera 'repertoire: Verdi’s La Traviata, with theatre direction by Franco Zeffirelli. A very young and gifted Mirella Freni, coldly received by the La Scala faithful, was replaced by American star Anna Moffo who scored a great success. The performance, recorded by RAI, was used to press this IDIS release, with very good sound quality; it’s a rare document in music history. Bonus tracks include live and studio arias recordings by Ms. Moffo, recorded in the 1950s-60s.

IDIS has the pleasure to present in a new digital remaster one of the greatest classics of Toscanini's artistic interpretation: the incredible Missa Solemnis op. 123 of Ludwig Van Beethoven that was live recorded in New York the 28th December 1940, with an extraordinary cast of artists; among them we must mention Zinka Milanov, and one of America public favorites: Jussi Björling. this work is one of the masterpieces of discographical history of XX Century and now is presented in a way that is wothy of his wonderful beauty. Digitally remastered for optimal sound quality, this is a recording that will no doubt soon be considered a must-have.

Classical Music

The development of the classical guitar in the 20th c., both as an instrument and as it has come to be played, is due in no small measure to the efforts and talents of Andr�s Segovia (1893-1987). This IDIS two-disc set of studio recordings made between 1949-62 capture his mid-life genius in full bloom via the outstanding and beautiful music of several of his great Spanish compatriot composers as well as Bach, Handel, Scarlatti and Villa-Lobos, et al.

For classical guitar lovers IDIS presents to the audience an album that collects some Fifties and Sixties recordings performed by Alirio Diaz; among them Antonio Lauro Concert for guitar and orchestra with also four small rarities. Four popular Venezuelan songs arranged for two guitars and recorded with a false name in 1962 with the great South American guitarist Rodrigo Riera. During these times Diaz was one of the favorite guitarists of Andrés Segovia and he did not want to get the Master upset recording popular music; a kind of music not loved or much appreciated by Mr. Segovia. This album is a really do not miss release.