Bach was a young man and Mozart not yet born when the first pianoforte was built in 1711. An Italian master craftsman named Bartolomeo Cristofori managed to combine the hammer action of the fragile, sweet-sounding clavichord with the more sophisticated and resonant power of the harpsichord, creating what he called a gravicembalo col piano e forte (literally, a large keyboard with soft and loud). French poet Abbé Jacques Delille dubbed the instrument, more poetically, "the harmonious ivory." To the rest of the world, it became the "piano," a musical symbol for elegance and passion. In the accompanying collection are highlights of the piano's history: melodies new and old from three centuries which pianists have loved to play and audiences to hear, and which over the generations have lost none of their dazzling power.
Tracklist:
Record 1: All-Time Piano Favorites
01 Prelude In C-Sharp Minor, Opus 3 - Sergio Varella-Cid
02 Liebestraum No. 3 In A Flat - Ralph Votapek
03 Turkish March - Staffan Scheja
04 Rêverie - Ralph Votapek
05 "Butterfly" Etude, Opus 25, No. 9 - Moura Lympany
06 "Raindrop" Prelude, Opus 28, No. 15 - Staffan Scheja
07 Hungarian Dance No. 1 - Staffan Scheja
08 Rhapsody On A Theme By Paganini, 18th Variation - Earl Wild, Piano, with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Russell Stanger, Conductor
09 Rustles of Spring - Staffan Scheja
10 Piano Concerto No. 21 In C, Second Movement - Christian Steiner, Piano, with The RCA Symphony Orchestra - Charles Gerhardt, Conductor
11 Spinning Song, Opus 67, No. 4 - Earl Wild
12 "Moonlight" Sonata, First Movement - Ralph Votapek
13 Minuet In G - Ralph Votapek
Record 2: Reflections
01 Arabesque No. 1 In E - Sergio Varella-Cid
02 Clair de Lune (Moonlight) - Earl Wild
03 Reflections In The Water (Refets dans l'Eau) - Earl Wild
04 The Prophet Bird, Opus 82, No. 7 - Earl Wild
05 Berceuse In D Flat, Opus 57 - Moura Lympany
06 Gardens In The Rain (Jardins Sous La Pluie) - Christian Steiner
07 The Isle of Joy (L'Isle Joyeuse) - Moura Lympany
08 Pavane For A Dead Princess (Pavane pour une Infante Défunte) - Earl Wild
09 The Girl With The Flaxen Hair (La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin) - Earl Wild
10 The Hills of Anacapri - Earl Wild
11 The Fountain (Jeux d'Eau) - Earl Wild
Record 3: Exotic Music For The Piano
01 Malagueña - The Virtuoso Piano Quartet
02 Kammenoi-Ostrow - Earl Wild
03 Tango In D - Sergio Varella-Cid
04 The Fountains of the Villa d'Este (Les Jeux d'Eaux à la Ville d'Este) - Moura Lympany
05 Jota from "La Vida Breve" - The Virtuoso Piano Quartet
06 Notturno - Earl Wild
07 Spanish Dance No. 5 (Playera) - Earl Wild
08 Laments, or The Maiden and The Nightingale - Moura Lympany
09 Ritual Fire Dance - The Virtuoso Piano Quartet
Record 4: Piano Fireworks
01 Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 - Earl Wild
02 Sparks (Ètincelles), Opus 36, No. 6 - Earl Wild
03 Rondo Capriccioso, Opus 14 - Earl Wild
04 "Revolutionary" Ètude, Opus 10, No. 12 - Michel Block
05 Grande Polonaise - Earl Wild, Piano, with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Russell Stanger, Conductor
06 Mazurka In A Minor, Opus 17, No. 4 - Moura Lympany
07 Ondine - Earl Wild
08 The Flight of The Bumble Bee - The Virtuoso Piano Quartet
Record 5: Beloved Melodies For The Piano
01 Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring - Staffan Scheja
02 Für Elise - Staffan Scheja
03 To A Water Lily - Staffan Scheja
04 Träumerei (Dreaming) - Ralph Votapek
05 Minuet In G - Sergio Varella-Cid
06 Marche Militaire (March In D) - Vronsky and Babin
07 Spring Song, Opus 62, No. 6 - Staffan Scheja
08 To A Wild Rose - Staffan Scheja
09 A Dream - Christian Steiner, Piano, with The RCA Symphony Orchestra - Charles Gerhardt, Conductor
10 Humoresque, Opus 101, No. 7 - Staffan Scheja
11 Romance In F, Opus 26 - Ralph Votapek
12 Song Without Words, Opus 2, No. 3 (Chant Sans Paroles) - Earl Wild
13 En Bateau (In A Boat) - Staffan Scheja
14 Golliwogg's Cakewalk - Staffan Scheja
Record 6: Waltzes For The Grand Piano
01 Invitation To The Dance - Earl Wild
02 Waltz In A Flat, Opus 42 - Lilian Kallir
03 Grande Valse Brilliante In E Flat - Staffan Scheja
04 Waltz From Suite No. 2 For Two Pianos, Opus 17 - Earl Wild and Christian Steiner
05 Valse Oubilée No. 1 (The Forgotten Waltz) - Ralph Votapek
06 Waltz In A Flat, Opus 39 - Ralph Votapek
07 An Artist's Life Waltzes - The Virtuoso Piano Quartet
Record 7 Side 1: American Rhythms - Earl Wild
01 Three Preludes
02 The Banjo
03 Bamboula
04 The Entertainer
05 The Maple Leaf Rag
Side 2: Operatic Extravaganzas - Earl Wild
06 "Rigoletto" Paraphrase
07 Reminiscences of "Lucia di Lammermoor"
08 Miserere From "Il Trovatore"
Record 8: A Grand Piano Spectacular
01 Mephisto Waltz No. 1 - Earl Wild
02 Soirées de Vienne No. 7 - Earl Wild
03 Grand Galop Chromatique - Earl Wild
04 Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 - The Virtuoso Piano Quartet
05 Toccata From "The Tomb of Couperin" - Moura Lympany
06 Polish Dance In E Flat - Earl Wild
07 Pictures At An Exhibition (Excerpt: The Great Gate At Kiev) - Earl Wild
Fantastic! Yes, please. Big hug :D
ReplyDeleteEliane, enjoy! Thank you for commenting. :D
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