Amazon.co.uk allows you to pay for your items in your local currency. Restrictions apply. Learn More. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s
Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or
view the MP3 Album.
|
Disc 1:
Disc 2:
Disc 3:
Disc 4:
Disc 5:
Disc 6:
Disc 7:
Disc 8:
|
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Although headlined as EMI recordings most are by a Spanish company which could be an EMI subsidiary. Not to worry as all are very acceptable. I have a few of her Decca recordings of Spanish piano music but many of the pieces here were new to me. Utterly idiomatic all the way through and enormously enjoyable I found. She really catches the essence of Spain which seems to be something at which the French are normally expert. She makes the piano sound remarkably like a guitar at times I thought or was it just that I had heard the music on that instrument previously? The final CD is a live song recital with Victoria de los Angeles which is another treasure trove. A happy purchase.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
EMI are more than a little disingenuous in claiming these 8 discs as the complete EMI recordings. Most of them were made for the Spanish company Hispavox, which was only later acquired by EMI - maybe that accounts for the lack of information about recording dates and venues. Many of those Hispavox discs (on vinyl) have been nearly worn out on my player over the years. And I cannot refrain from quoting just one example of their wonderfully eccentric translations in the cover notes: a propos of Granados they say, `Until then there is but vague notices as to the conditions of an artist born in Lerida, good pianist, with certain creative gifts; beginning with the dances, the logical recognition of a merit'!
All that said, these discs are nothing less than pure delight from beginning to end. No-one can match de Larrocha for thrilling, dramatic and totally idiomatic playing in this repertoire. She makes of Soler's Sonatas a real match for Scarlatti's (who also, of course, spent much of his career in Spain and Portugal). Her Granados is magical, whether in the dark hues of the Goyescas or the more rumbustious Danzas Espanolas. Her performance of the Escenas Romanticas shows off his debt to Chopin (indeed the opening Mazurca is almost a straight crib).
But it is Albeniz who is the real centre of these discs. No less a composer/pianist than Messiaen said of Iberia, `Iberia is a wonder for the piano; it perhaps holds the highest place among the more brilliant pieces for the king of instruments.' De Larrocha has always been the supreme mistress of these pieces (she later recorded them for Erato and Decca). In these performances there is always such warm Spanish sunshine shining through their intimidating virtuoso demands. And many of Albeniz' lesser known pieces are revealed by her playing to be just as brilliant and scintillating.
There is Turina, de Falla and Montsalvatge here as well, all impeccably performed. And a real treat, saved up for the final disc, is a live recital from 1971 when de Larrocha accompanied her fellow countrywoman, Victoria de los Angeles, in a selection of Spanish songs including Granados' Tonadillas and Canciones Amatorias and de Falla's Canciones Populares. This is a partnership made in heaven. Both women have the idiom of this music in their bones and the result is revelatory. Here is charm, husky flamenco passion and sheer enjoyment in abundance. Even if the audience is inclined to be a bit over-enthusiastic from the start, these performances merit as much applause as you like. The final encore is a joy.
The old Hispavox recordings tended to be a bit clangy and percussive for my taste, but nothing can really detract from such wonderful playing. De Larrocha is simply inimitable in this repertoire.
All that said, these discs are nothing less than pure delight from beginning to end. No-one can match de Larrocha for thrilling, dramatic and totally idiomatic playing in this repertoire. She makes of Soler's Sonatas a real match for Scarlatti's (who also, of course, spent much of his career in Spain and Portugal). Her Granados is magical, whether in the dark hues of the Goyescas or the more rumbustious Danzas Espanolas. Her performance of the Escenas Romanticas shows off his debt to Chopin (indeed the opening Mazurca is almost a straight crib).
But it is Albeniz who is the real centre of these discs. No less a composer/pianist than Messiaen said of Iberia, `Iberia is a wonder for the piano; it perhaps holds the highest place among the more brilliant pieces for the king of instruments.' De Larrocha has always been the supreme mistress of these pieces (she later recorded them for Erato and Decca). In these performances there is always such warm Spanish sunshine shining through their intimidating virtuoso demands. And many of Albeniz' lesser known pieces are revealed by her playing to be just as brilliant and scintillating.
There is Turina, de Falla and Montsalvatge here as well, all impeccably performed. And a real treat, saved up for the final disc, is a live recital from 1971 when de Larrocha accompanied her fellow countrywoman, Victoria de los Angeles, in a selection of Spanish songs including Granados' Tonadillas and Canciones Amatorias and de Falla's Canciones Populares. This is a partnership made in heaven. Both women have the idiom of this music in their bones and the result is revelatory. Here is charm, husky flamenco passion and sheer enjoyment in abundance. Even if the audience is inclined to be a bit over-enthusiastic from the start, these performances merit as much applause as you like. The final encore is a joy.
The old Hispavox recordings tended to be a bit clangy and percussive for my taste, but nothing can really detract from such wonderful playing. De Larrocha is simply inimitable in this repertoire.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4 reviews
32 of 38 people found the following review helpful
BY NO MEANS COMPLETE
23 Sep 2010
Format:Audio CD
Once upon a time, long, long ago there was a very reputable company called EMI which consistently released excellent - sometimes even flawless - recordings by some of the greatest artists of the 20th Century. But it's the 21st Century, a time of shoddiness, mediocrity, and deceit, and EMI has joined the ranks of the deceitful, and now simply lies about its product to make a quick buck. For some time now, their opera and operetta releases promise in no uncertain terms full online libretti. A web address is given, and the customer is encouraged to dive in and download the libretti. Only there are no libretti to download. It's all lies. Case in point are the recent re-releases of Offenbach's Les Brigands, La Belle Hélène, Pomme D'Api, Monsieur Choufleuri, and Mesdames de la Halle all of which promise online libretti and none of which is actually there for download. Also a victim of this outright lie is Roussel's Padmāvatī with Horne and Gedda, and the Callas Gioconda. In the case of Gioconda a collector can follow the libretto from any other version in his collection, Gioconda being an oft recorded piece. But where in hell does one go for a libretto of obscure Offenbach or the even obscurer Padmāvatī? EMI should be prosecuted for this! Now, with this Alicia de Larrocha box, comes another lie, and this one is displayed flagrantly on the front cover - THE COMPLETE EMI RECORDINGS! These recordings are neither complete nor original EMIs. What this box actually contains is some - not all - of de Larrocha's HISPAVOX recordings, made in Spain in the late fifties and early sixties for a fabulous company called Hispavox which unfortunately no longer exists, and whose catalog was acquired by EMI years ago. An old Hispavox catalog in my possession dating from 1976 lists a total of 11 de Larrocha recordings, two of them being 2-LP sets. I doubt that these 13 LPs were her entire output for the label, this is merely what they still had in their catalog in 1976. Notably missing from this EMI box are the three LPs of assorted piano pieces by Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, Debussy and many others. These LPs were available for many years in the United States through the Musical Heritage Society and, if I am not mistaken, were later re-issued on Vox. The entire content of these LPs was released as a 2-CD set by Spanish EMI in 2003 titled Páginas Célebres Para Piano. It never saw the light of day here in the United States. Also missing from the EMI box is de Larrocha's Hispavox recording of de Falla's Nights in the Gardens of Spain. There may be even more material missing, but what I have mentioned here are only the recordings that I am 100% certain of are MIA. Perhaps someone who is an expert on de Larrocha can shed even more light on this. EMI legally owns the Hispavox recordings and has every right to release them as it sees fit. However, referring to them as "EMI" recordings is misleading and confusing to someone not familiar with de Larrocha's discography. The only true and original EMI recordings here are the Hunter College recording with the sublime and much missed Victoria de Los Angeles and the Montsalvatge from the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. So buyer beware, these recordings are NOT complete, as the box so claims. Hispavox had a wonderful catalog which included de Larrocha, Alfredo Kraus, Pilar Lorengar, Pedro Lavirgen, Renato Cesari, Ernesto Bitetti, and Waldo de los Ríos among others. They have a full line of excellent zarzuela recordings with the above mentioned singers conducted by composers of the stature of Pablo Sorozábal and Federico Moreno Torroba. EMI has totally ignored this and has never released these zarzuela gems worldwide, even though there is most definitely a buying public for zarzuela here in the United States and abroad. Perhaps some enterprising executive at the label will decide to put the Hispavox catalog to good use and release these recordings, if not in physical form, then as online downloads. Spanish EMI also has its own line of excellent zarzuela recordings with the great and unjustly forgotten soprano Dolores Pérez (Lily Berchman), Luis Sagi-Vela, and Carlo Del Monte among others. The neglect EMI Classics has shown for some of its own catalog also extends to Elena Obraztsova's wonderful recital disc of 1978, which has never been released on CD. And Caballé's Puccini album is long overdue for a re-mastering and the inclusion of bonus arias from her complete Puccini operas on EMI, most notably her Turandot. Why Caballé's Puccini album was not included in the Great Recordings of the Century series is a mystery to me. In short, I have no quarrel with the material included in this box, as de Larrocha was an artist of the highest caliber and her recorded legacy is uniformly excellent, but the buyer should be aware that this is NOT her entire Hispavox output by any means. Calling this set COMPLETE is simply a lie, and it should therefore be exposed as such.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
DE LARROCHA IS INIMITABLE IN AN ALL-SPANISH PROGRAMME
7 Mar 2012
Format:Audio CD
EMI are more than a little ingenuous in claiming these 8 discs as the complete EMI recordings. Most of them were made for the Spanish company Hispavox, which was only later acquired by EMI - maybe that accounts for the lack of information about recording dates and venues. Many of those Hispavox discs (on vinyl) have been nearly worn out on my player over the years. And I cannot refrain from quoting just one example of their wonderfully eccentric translations in the cover notes: a propos of Granados they say, `Until then there is but vague notices as to the conditions of an artist born in Lerida, good pianist, with certain creative gifts; beginning with the dances, the logical recognition of a merit'!
All that said, these discs are nothing less than pure delight from beginning to end. No-one can match de Larrocha for thrilling, dramatic and totally idiomatic playing in this repertoire. She makes of Soler's Sonatas a real match for Scarlatti's (who also, of course, spent much of his career in Spain and Portugal). Her Granados is magical, whether in the dark hues of the Goyescas or the more rumbustious Danzas Espanolas. Her performance of the Escenas Romanticas shows off his debt to Chopin (indeed the opening Mazurca is almost a straight crib).
But it is Albeniz who is the real centre of these discs. No less a composer/pianist than Messiaen said of Iberia, `Iberia is a wonder for the piano; it perhaps holds the highest place among the more brilliant pieces for the king of instruments.' De Larrocha has always been the supreme mistress of these pieces (she later recorded them for Erato and Decca). In these performances there is always such warm Spanish sunshine shining through their intimidating virtuoso demands. And many of Albeniz' lesser known pieces are revealed by her playing to be just as brilliant and scintillating.
There is Turina, de Falla and Montsalvatge here as well, all impeccably performed. And a real treat, saved up for the final disc, is a live recital from 1971 when de Larrocha accompanied her fellow countrywoman, Victoria de los Angeles, in a selection of Spanish songs including Granados' Tonadillas and Canciones Amatorias and de Falla's Canciones Populares. This is a partnership made in heaven. Both women have the idiom of this music in their bones and the result is revelatory. Here is charm, husky flamenco passion and sheer enjoyment in abundance. Even if the audience is inclined to be a bit over-enthusiastic from the start, these performances merit as much applause as you like. The final encore is a joy.
The old Hispavox recordings tended to be a bit clangy and percussive for my taste, but nothing can really detract from such wonderful playing. De Larrocha is simply inimitable in this repertoire.
All that said, these discs are nothing less than pure delight from beginning to end. No-one can match de Larrocha for thrilling, dramatic and totally idiomatic playing in this repertoire. She makes of Soler's Sonatas a real match for Scarlatti's (who also, of course, spent much of his career in Spain and Portugal). Her Granados is magical, whether in the dark hues of the Goyescas or the more rumbustious Danzas Espanolas. Her performance of the Escenas Romanticas shows off his debt to Chopin (indeed the opening Mazurca is almost a straight crib).
But it is Albeniz who is the real centre of these discs. No less a composer/pianist than Messiaen said of Iberia, `Iberia is a wonder for the piano; it perhaps holds the highest place among the more brilliant pieces for the king of instruments.' De Larrocha has always been the supreme mistress of these pieces (she later recorded them for Erato and Decca). In these performances there is always such warm Spanish sunshine shining through their intimidating virtuoso demands. And many of Albeniz' lesser known pieces are revealed by her playing to be just as brilliant and scintillating.
There is Turina, de Falla and Montsalvatge here as well, all impeccably performed. And a real treat, saved up for the final disc, is a live recital from 1971 when de Larrocha accompanied her fellow countrywoman, Victoria de los Angeles, in a selection of Spanish songs including Granados' Tonadillas and Canciones Amatorias and de Falla's Canciones Populares. This is a partnership made in heaven. Both women have the idiom of this music in their bones and the result is revelatory. Here is charm, husky flamenco passion and sheer enjoyment in abundance. Even if the audience is inclined to be a bit over-enthusiastic from the start, these performances merit as much applause as you like. The final encore is a joy.
The old Hispavox recordings tended to be a bit clangy and percussive for my taste, but nothing can really detract from such wonderful playing. De Larrocha is simply inimitable in this repertoire.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
A Long-Term Commitment?
27 Nov 2011
Format:Audio CD
An enormous box set like this can feel like a lifetime commitment. These are DLR's early recordings of this material...she re-recorded most of it later for Decca and RCA. I came to this box set as quite a beginner...I had heard very little of this music before. Here are a few first impressions:
CD1
These Soler sonatas are a lot like Scarlatti played on the piano. The only one I didn't like was the first one...it went on too long with a lot of repetition of very simple melodic material that wasn't very interesting. The others are shorter and more inventive, and I enjoyed them. I was able to compare DLR with Stephen Hough in one of the Soler sonatas (Hough's Spanish album) and I found DLR bolder and "ballsier", which I slightly preferred to Hough's subtler take. I was also able to compare DLR with herself on a later RCA album and I preferred the earlier recording there as well. I never heard the Granados "Six Pieces" before and I quite enjoyed them. The introduction is wild...it sounds like a Spanish guitar! The rest of the suite is more typical piano music. I think anyone who likes Chopin or Debussy on the piano will enjoy this. On the other hand, if you don't like those composers, I doubt you will like this.
Well, that's a start. I will try to get back to this once I've had a chance to get into the other CDs. As I say, this box set is quite overwhelming, especially for a beginner. Based on the first CD, I'd say it's good music that piano fans will enjoy hearing.
CD1
These Soler sonatas are a lot like Scarlatti played on the piano. The only one I didn't like was the first one...it went on too long with a lot of repetition of very simple melodic material that wasn't very interesting. The others are shorter and more inventive, and I enjoyed them. I was able to compare DLR with Stephen Hough in one of the Soler sonatas (Hough's Spanish album) and I found DLR bolder and "ballsier", which I slightly preferred to Hough's subtler take. I was also able to compare DLR with herself on a later RCA album and I preferred the earlier recording there as well. I never heard the Granados "Six Pieces" before and I quite enjoyed them. The introduction is wild...it sounds like a Spanish guitar! The rest of the suite is more typical piano music. I think anyone who likes Chopin or Debussy on the piano will enjoy this. On the other hand, if you don't like those composers, I doubt you will like this.
Well, that's a start. I will try to get back to this once I've had a chance to get into the other CDs. As I say, this box set is quite overwhelming, especially for a beginner. Based on the first CD, I'd say it's good music that piano fans will enjoy hearing.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
