Finland has produced a remarkably significant musical output for a country of it's size, not the least of which is that of the contemporary composer Kaija Saariaho, whose ethereal compositio ns focus strongly on timbre and harmony.

Arthur Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 30

ADAGIOS: ROMANTIC REVERIES FOR

IN MY HEART: 17TH & 18TH ITALI

Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 71: Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2

Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 77

Bringing together hundreds of performances commercially recorded over the course of 48 years (from 1928 to 1976), the Arthur Rubinstein Collection is a handsome and smartly executed achievement. Its 81 volumes chronologically chart Rubinstein's studio legacy, with each volume serving up liner notes and photographs that place the recordings in satisfying context.
Rubinstein was 88 years old when he recorded Beethoven's last piano concerto. It is a truly wonderful thing to hear the meeting of these two great musical minds in this performance. There is the composer who had, by the time of the "Emperor," thoroughly mastered and transformed the genre of the piano concerto. And there is the pianist who had, by this point in his long and prolific career, mastered and transformed the art playing the piano. Rubinstein's technique is as sure as it ever was, and his sound is unmistakable, especially in the utter refinement with which he ends a phrase. Never, however, does he overpower Beethoven's music with his own musical personality. No, this is a true collaboration between composer and interpreter, one which conductor and Rubinstein protegé Daniel Barenboim fosters with appreciative verve at every turn.

This selection contains both ADD and DDD recordings.

Beethoven: Diabelli Variations, Op. 120 & Piano Sonata No. 2

"Rubinstein's readings of the two finest Sonatas are unsurpassed, with a poetic impulse that springs directly from the music and a control of rubato to bring many moments of magic... [T]he addition of the Barcarolle and Berceuse make this reissue all the more desirable." -- The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs & DVDs [2003/4 edition]

This selection is a Super Audio CD, which is designed for use only on
Super Audio CD players.

Love Song

HALLELUJAH! AND OTHER GREAT SACRED CHORUSES

This album was nominated for the 2001 Latin Grammy award for Best Pop Instrumental Albmum.
THE LATIN ALBUM finds the venerable Boston Pops Orchestra entering the 21st century with high spirits and a bit of a retro feel, as they revisit material that was popular in their heyday with Arthur Fiedler, going back to the 1940s for a dreamy arrangement of 'Perfidia' and the infectious 'Mambo Jambo' of mambo king Perez Prado, while adding some more contemporary twists, such as the bittersweet 'Oblivion' of Argentine tango master Astor Piazzolla. A few light classics such as Alberto Ginastera's 'Malambo' and Aaron Copland's 'El Salon Mexico' are given rousing performances under the baton of Keith Lockhart, along with traditional favorites from Brazil, Chile, Peru and Mexico, several of them given additional spice with contributions from the Mariachi Cobre and Inca Son ensembles.

3CDS