ORCHESTRAL WORKS

SYMPHONY NO. 1

DIABELLI VARIATIONS

AMERICAN MASTERS

It's hard to focus the chaotic discography of Richter, that has not left complete editions of his favorite composers. We got only scattered recordings both studio and live. With this release, Urania wants to collect two composers less frequented by the Russian pianist. Fortunately we have the great piano sonata of Schubert and the extraordinary Wandered Fantasy. Unfortunately there are not organic editions of the piano works of Liszt, but this anthology contains famous compositions - for example the Piano Sonata - and it can give a general idea of Richter's approach to the masterworks of the german repertoire of the XIX Century.

SYMPHONY NO. 6

ORCHESTRAL WORKS

PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION

This performance of Rigoletto features possibly the most famous tenor of all time, Luciano Pavarotti. This three act opera by Giuseppe Verdi was premiered in Venice on March 11, 1851. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave, and is based on Victor Hugo’s play Le roi s’amuse. Alongside Pavarotti is a world-class cast, including Kostas Paskalis in the title role, Renata Scotta as Gilda andRosa Laghezza as Maddalena.

This new release sees Evgenij Mravinsky conducting the Leningrad Philharmonic in a stunning interpretation of Anton Bruckner's 7th and 8th Symphonies. Eminent Russian conductor Evgenij Mravinsky was born in Saint Petersburg. He began to work backstage at the Mariinsky Theater in 1918, and began studying music at the Leningrad Conservatory in 1924. Yevgeny Mravinsky served as a pantomimist and rehearsal pianist (repetiteur) at the Imperial Ballet from 1923 to 1931. His first public conducting appearance was in 1929. He was conductor of the Leningrad Theater of Opera and Ballet from 1932 to 1938 (Kirov Ballet and Bolshoi Opera). In September 1938, he won the All-Union Conductors Competition in Moscow. Yevgeny Mravinsky made commercial studio recordings from 1938 to 1961. His issued recordings from after 1961 were taken from live concerts. The present recordings were made in 1959 and 1967.

Recorded in Mosca between 1958 and 1964, these rare interpretations by conductor Kirill Kondrashin include works by Rachmaninov and Khachaturian. With the exception of Khachaturian’s Masquerade, which is performed by the RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra, all of these works are performed by the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra. This two-disc set is presented with outstanding stereophonic quality.

La Favorita is, among Donizetti's operas, the most difficult in terms of reference editions. In fact, besides the original French version, there are several chances also in Italian. This high quality edition from 1955 is one fo the best recordings to date. Beyond the magical detail in the recording, this is one of the most beautiful discographic edition for its vocal and interpretative cast. Raimondi is here, caught in its best period - the voice color and the ability to involve the mezzo-soprano Fedora Barbieri, the only one, before Cossotto to play the role of Leonora, Carlo Tagliabue, the legendary baritone of the thirties and finally the presence of Giuio Neric, a deep bass quite unusual in the panorama of those years. All of these details make this version of Favorita a reference recording with an already small reference discography.

Composed between 1871 and 1875 were Tchaikovsky's String Quartets. The quartets still belong to his early period but are considered among the most significant of the second half of hte nineteenth century, a period that, despite a significant production for this chamber ensemble, does not include masterpieces comparable to those of Beethoven and Schubert. There are many versions of the quartets and the one presented here is one of the few truly historical versions that exists - they are the recording of the late fifties made by the first formation of the legendary Borodin Quartet, which relies on the presence of Mstislav Rostropovich and Heinrich Talalyan for the recording of the famous "Souvenir de Florance", one of the major Sextets of the Nineteenth Century, writtein in 1890.

Bellini: Beatrice di Tenda

Tchaikovsky: The Masterworks