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Product Description
Product Description
Disk 9 is a 60 minute audio documentary about Guido Cantelli's life.
Product Description
9CD Philharmonia Orchestra
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I received this set a few days ago and have been transfixed by the remarkable performances contained within. I know little of Guido Cantelli's life, other than the fact that Toscanini greatly admired the young conductor and the great tragedy of his life ending in a plane crash when he was aged just 36, in 1956. However, I do know genius when I hear it and these recordings leave me with little doubt that one is in the presence of true greatness. The rhythmic drive and explosive energy of his Beethoven is quite remarkable and the delicacy, gentle phrasing, detail and colour will take your breath away in the Ravel/Debussy recordings. His Brahms is solid then flexible - there's a mercurial quality that I can't quite yet put my finger on, but this is Brahms conducting of noble breeding! Schubert's Eighth had me comparing Cantelli with Karajan - I prefer Cantelli's lightness of touch and dream-like rendering of the score - masterful! The Tchaikovsky "Pathetique" is a revelation! Everything in this box is of the highest quality and once I have familiarized myself with its contents further I will offer more detailed comment on the performances. But the music/Cantelli's conducting has cast such a spell over me that I just could not withold comment!
Sound quality of these recordings - most of which are mono - is very immediate, spacious and rich in detail, despite the advanced age of the recordings, and the Philharmonia at this time was one of the finest orchestras in the world - the quality of playing is beyond criticism. The NBC Symphony Orchestra gives a tremendously enjoyable performance of Franck's Symphony in D Minor - this is one of the few stereo recordings in the box and despite sounding a little thin it's good enough to do justice to Franck's masterpiece.
The set is being offered by amazon at a ludicrously low price and it gives no indication of the outstanding quality of the treasure held within this remarkable little box - this is high art; Cantelli is no mere time beater, but an artist of the highest calibre. Strongly recommended without reservation.
Sound quality of these recordings - most of which are mono - is very immediate, spacious and rich in detail, despite the advanced age of the recordings, and the Philharmonia at this time was one of the finest orchestras in the world - the quality of playing is beyond criticism. The NBC Symphony Orchestra gives a tremendously enjoyable performance of Franck's Symphony in D Minor - this is one of the few stereo recordings in the box and despite sounding a little thin it's good enough to do justice to Franck's masterpiece.
The set is being offered by amazon at a ludicrously low price and it gives no indication of the outstanding quality of the treasure held within this remarkable little box - this is high art; Cantelli is no mere time beater, but an artist of the highest calibre. Strongly recommended without reservation.
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
By John Fowler
Format:Audio CD
Guido Cantelli was just 36 years old when he died in a plane crash in 1956.
Its amazing to think that during his short career, he was the defacto principal guest conductor of four major orchestras:
The NBC Symphony, The New York Philharmonic, The Philharmonia Orchestra of London, and Milan's La Scala.
"Guido Cantelli: Fiery Angel of the Podium" (hate the title) documents all of his EMI studio recordings with the Philharmonia Orchestra in excellent remasterings (many previously used on the Testament label). *
They are sensibly arranged in chronological order of composition - from CD 1 (Mozart + Beethoven) to CD 8 (Dukas, Falla, Ravel).
The perceptive booklet notes place every recording in context. The price is right.
Aside from the Philharmonia sessions, this box includes the EMI Tchaikovsky 5th with La Scala, plus Casella and Rossini with the St. Cecilia Orchestra of Rome (1949 - his first sessions).
Nice bonus: Because of a strange contractual loophole, you also get the RCA recording of Franck's D minor Symphony with The NBC Symphony.
The recordings are mono, with the exception of five symphonies recorded in stereo:
Beethoven #5 (minus the 1st movement which was unfinished at the time of Cantelli's death), Beethoven #7, Brahms #3, Franck D Minor, and Schubert #8.
The Franck Symphony was recorded in 1954 - very early in the stereo era. It has exaggerated stereo separation - not realistic concert hall sound, but fun to listen to over headphones. You're really aware of the second violins in the right channel.
The 1951 recording of Mendelssohn's 4th Symphony is not included - Cantelli did not approve it so he re-did it in 1955, the version included here.
[That 1951 recording received its belated premiere in 1999 on the Testament label (SBT 1173)].
Actually the finale of that 1951 recording is included on "Remembering Guido Cantelli", a well-done radio documentary that is CD9 of this box.
It also includes two previously unissued rehearsal snippets from the Beethoven 5th and Ravel's Daphnis & Chloe.
This is a model of what these big boxes should be.
For the curious, Cantelli's complete NBC studio recordings can be had on a 2 CD Testament set (SBT 2194).
His broadcast performances with the NBC Symphony and the New York Philharmonic are available in boxes from Testament and Music & Arts.
The latter is significantly less expensive and sounds pretty good.
* Since writing this, it has been pointed out to me that EMI did not use the avaliable Testament remasterings for the Brahms 3rd or Tchaikovsky 6th /Romeo (or for the NBC Franck). Rather, they used earlier, less desirable EMI transfers. Apparently EMI used about 2/3 of the available Testament remasterings. A mystery. Still 5 stars (maybe 4 1/2), but I feel a bit foolish about my initial enthusiasm.
Its amazing to think that during his short career, he was the defacto principal guest conductor of four major orchestras:
The NBC Symphony, The New York Philharmonic, The Philharmonia Orchestra of London, and Milan's La Scala.
"Guido Cantelli: Fiery Angel of the Podium" (hate the title) documents all of his EMI studio recordings with the Philharmonia Orchestra in excellent remasterings (many previously used on the Testament label). *
They are sensibly arranged in chronological order of composition - from CD 1 (Mozart + Beethoven) to CD 8 (Dukas, Falla, Ravel).
The perceptive booklet notes place every recording in context. The price is right.
Aside from the Philharmonia sessions, this box includes the EMI Tchaikovsky 5th with La Scala, plus Casella and Rossini with the St. Cecilia Orchestra of Rome (1949 - his first sessions).
Nice bonus: Because of a strange contractual loophole, you also get the RCA recording of Franck's D minor Symphony with The NBC Symphony.
The recordings are mono, with the exception of five symphonies recorded in stereo:
Beethoven #5 (minus the 1st movement which was unfinished at the time of Cantelli's death), Beethoven #7, Brahms #3, Franck D Minor, and Schubert #8.
The Franck Symphony was recorded in 1954 - very early in the stereo era. It has exaggerated stereo separation - not realistic concert hall sound, but fun to listen to over headphones. You're really aware of the second violins in the right channel.
The 1951 recording of Mendelssohn's 4th Symphony is not included - Cantelli did not approve it so he re-did it in 1955, the version included here.
[That 1951 recording received its belated premiere in 1999 on the Testament label (SBT 1173)].
Actually the finale of that 1951 recording is included on "Remembering Guido Cantelli", a well-done radio documentary that is CD9 of this box.
It also includes two previously unissued rehearsal snippets from the Beethoven 5th and Ravel's Daphnis & Chloe.
This is a model of what these big boxes should be.
For the curious, Cantelli's complete NBC studio recordings can be had on a 2 CD Testament set (SBT 2194).
His broadcast performances with the NBC Symphony and the New York Philharmonic are available in boxes from Testament and Music & Arts.
The latter is significantly less expensive and sounds pretty good.
* Since writing this, it has been pointed out to me that EMI did not use the avaliable Testament remasterings for the Brahms 3rd or Tchaikovsky 6th /Romeo (or for the NBC Franck). Rather, they used earlier, less desirable EMI transfers. Apparently EMI used about 2/3 of the available Testament remasterings. A mystery. Still 5 stars (maybe 4 1/2), but I feel a bit foolish about my initial enthusiasm.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Clarity, transparency are two words that I believe are the essence of Guido Cantelli as a conductor. I was already familiar with his supreme art before the purchase of this EMI box. Many years ago I bought an LP-set from the Arturo Toscanini Society called "The Cantelli Legacy" with many of his broadcast performances.
Great as this was this box with his commercial recordings in really fine transfers give you an even better and perhaps more accurate picture of his strength as a conductor. To choose any particular performance that shines is not easy but his delicate way with Debussy and Ravel are true gems.
Summing this short review up I urge anyone interested in great music making to purchase this box to find out what was lost with the tragic death of Guido Cantelli.
/Goran Sodervall
Great as this was this box with his commercial recordings in really fine transfers give you an even better and perhaps more accurate picture of his strength as a conductor. To choose any particular performance that shines is not easy but his delicate way with Debussy and Ravel are true gems.
Summing this short review up I urge anyone interested in great music making to purchase this box to find out what was lost with the tragic death of Guido Cantelli.
/Goran Sodervall
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow.
Don't be put off by the age of these recordings, nor by the fact that you have these works already -- perhaps many times over. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Paul M
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sure you 'Can Tell I' enjoyed these!!!!
In the 1950/60 these recordings were often the recommended ones to get. Many of the performances were my introduction to these pieces. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Fred Shaub
5.0 out of 5 stars
Magical performances from a wonderful orchestra and conductor
The fascinating final CD of this box contains a documentary Remembering Guido Cantelli which recounts that he was not the easiest conductor for an orchestra to deal with . Read more
Published 4 months ago by Music fan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfectionism
After you have listened to the 8 glorious CD's of music here, there is a wonderful almost one-hour documentary on Cantelli - which really puts a face on this uncompromising master. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Wheel
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