CLAUDIO ARRAU - RCA / COLUMBIA RECORDINGS.
Chilean pianist Claudio Arrau (1903 - 1991) was aa towering figure in the pianistic world, respected by all. Known for his Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart and Chopin, he made many recordings for various labels. This new compilation contains all of his RCA Victor recordings as well as the few for Columbia. The earliest dates from 1941. Arrau continued to to record for these labels for over a decade Later he would record extensively for EMI including the Beethoven and Brahms concertos, Beethoven sonatas, Chopin, Schumann's concerto and the Grieg concerto (which he later(1963) would record with Dohnányi and the Concertgebouw for Philips). This new set includes Arrau's first recording of the Schumann concerto, with Karl Kreuger and the Detroit Symphony made in 1945 (he later would record it for Philips with the Concertgebouw). We also have his brilliant performances of Weber's Konzertstüuck and the Strauss Burlesque with the Chicago Symphony directed by Désiré Defauw, recorded in 1948 and here released for the first time on CD. Transfers are excellent for these early recordings, and the set includes brief program notes in three languages and complete recording details as well as reproductions of original issues. Surely this set will be of great importance for those interested in the art of the piano. And collectors also should investigate the mutiple-disk EMI set of his later recordings. R.E.B. (Februarhy 2017)
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