Emil Gilels

[George]

Picked this up today. All live performances, mostly from the late sixties.

[Verena]

Picked this up today. All live performances, mostly from the late sixties.

Looks like these are the same performances as those on a couple of Melodya CDs I have, also from the late sixties. If so, you are in for some beautiful music-making.

[George]

Looks like these are the same performances as those on a couple of Melodya CDs I have, also from the late sixties. If so, you are in for some beautiful music-making.

Cool. 

[Mandryka]

This CD has a performance of K595 with USSR State Symphony Orchestra. Gilels led the orchestra himself in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire on 28.12.1974.

It seems more successful  to me to the famous recording he made with Bohm. Now that we have this recording we can see how Bohm's pastoral approach was at odds with Gilels's own conception of the work. What we get here is the pianist uninhibited unleashed upon some of the greatest music Mozart ever wrote.

Sound quality is fine for collectors.

[Brian]

I've long been in awe of Gilels' DG Beethoven and have enjoyed some of his Russian recordings via Brilliant. Now I have this:



I had no idea his Scarlatti was so good! Heavenly, in fact. Simply heavenly. Oh the B minor sonata K27...

This PDF lists the contents (you can also click through to JPC with the above image).

EDIT: Note that the Chopin Ballade No 1 dates from 1946 and is apparently being released for the first time since a Communist Party 78rpm record in 1952.

[George]

I've long been in awe of Gilels' DG Beethoven and have enjoyed some of his Russian recordings via Brilliant. Now I have this:



I had no idea his Scarlatti was so good! Heavenly, in fact. Simply heavenly. Oh the B minor sonata K27...

This PDF lists the contents (you can also click through to JPC with the above image).

EDIT: Note that the Chopin Ballade No 1 dates from 1946 and is apparently being released for the first time since a Communist Party 78rpm record in 1952.

Volumes 1 and 2 were spectacular in that series, so I am not surprised to read your positive review. Early Gilels is awesome!

[Dancing Divertimentian]

I've long been in awe of Gilels' DG Beethoven....

Hear, hear! Still some of the finest Beethoven out there...

[George]

Hear, hear! Still some of the finest Beethoven out there...

Indeed! Have you heard the earlier recordings om Brilliant. Esp the Appassoionata? He's llike a different pianist. Absolutelly explosive!

[George]

Are you referring to his 1961 recording? he has an earlier one recorded in florence...i want to say 1951.

Yes, 1961. Though I'd love to hear the 1951.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Indeed! Have you heard the earlier recordings om Brilliant. Esp the Appassoionata? He's llike a different pianist. Absolutelly explosive!

Hey, George. No, I haven't heard the Brilliant performance in total but I did find a nice three minute extract online. It wasn't hard to miss the surging adrenaline in the Brilliant take but what I miss here is the refinement and delicacy of Gilels DG. 

Not to compare apples to oranges I also sampled the Gilels DG in clip form and found that for every acrobatic twist of the Brilliant there was an equal (and to my ears greater) part poetic bent to the DG.

I really just can't get into Beethoven played as a firebrand. Too much of the inner language is lost to me.

It was fun comparing, though.

[George]

Hey, George. No, I haven't heard the Brilliant performance in total but I did find a nice three minute extract online. It wasn't hard to miss the surging adrenaline in the Brilliant take but what I miss here is the refinement and delicacy of Gilels DG. 

Not to compare apples to oranges I also sampled the Gilels DG in clip form and found that for every acrobatic twist of the Brilliant there was an equal (and to my ears greater) part poetic bent to the DG.

I really just can't get into Beethoven played as a firebrand. Too much of the inner language is lost to me.

It was fun comparing, though.

I like both, but probably like the earlier recording more.

It's very interesting to think that the same guy recorded both, isn't it? It's a night and day difference.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

I like both, but probably like the earlier recording more.

It's very interesting to think that the same guy recorded both, isn't it? It's a night and day difference.

Night and day for sure!

[George]

So has anyone figured out how mny Melodiya boxes there are for Gilels (and if there is any overlap?)

I know of these:

[xochitl]

i dont think ive ever heard gilels in anything

where to start besides beethoven?

[trung224]

So has anyone figured out how mny Melodiya boxes there are for Gilels (and if there is any overlap?)

I know of these:

I  own 3 box (from download), but box 1 is the recital from 1962-1970, and box 2 is the performance from young Gilels, mostly in mono.
  That is tracklist box 1:
CD1: Chopin-Piano Concerto No.1, Poulenc-Concert Champene (live on 12.10.1962 with Moscow Phiharmonic Orchestra and Kondrashin)
CD2: Schubert-Moment Musicaux D780, Shostakovich- Piano Sonata No.2, Schumann- Arabesque, Chopin-Ballade No.1  (live on 13.03.1965)
CD3: Bach- BWV 532,Beethoven- 32 Variations WoO.80, Weber- Piano Sonata No.2, Liszt-Rhapsodie Espanole, Prokofiev- Vision Fugitive No.1,3,5,11 (live 18.01.1968)
CD4: Beethoven-Piano Sonata No.8.14, SChubert- Impromtu D935 No.1, Ravel-Pavane, Jeux d'eau, Chopin- Etude Op.25 No.2, Prokofiev- Scherzo and March  from "The love of three oranges" (live 23.12.1968)
CD5: Mozart- Piano Sonata K 281, K310, 6 variation K398, 10 variations K455, Fatasia K 397 live 05.01.1970

  box 3 is near identical to box 1, they leave out CD 3 from box 1 and add 1 CD contain Scriabin-Piano Sonata No.3, 5 predules Op.74, Beethoven- Piano Sonata No.29 (live on 26.01.1984)
  Most of these performance is identical with Gilels Edition on Brilliant Classics
box 2 tracklist CD1
Domenico Scarlatti (1685— 1757)
Sonatas for piano
1. Sonata (Toccata) In D Minor, L. 422 Presto
2. Sonata In F Major, L. 116 Allegro
3. Sonata (Aria) In D Minor, L. 423 Moderato
4. Sonata In F Minor, L. 118 Allegro Moderato
5. Sonata In A Major, L. 395 Andante
6. Sonata In В Minor, L. 449 Allegro
7. Sonata In G Major, L. 487 Vivo

C.P.E. Bach (1714— 1788)
Sonata In A Major
8. Allegro Assai
9. Poco Adagio
10. Allegro

Josef Haydn (1732— 1809)
Sonata In С Minor, Hob. XVI: 20
11. Moderato
12. Andante Con Moto
13. Finale. Allegro

CD2
Franz Liszt (1811—1886)
1. Sonata in B minor (1853)

Frederic Chopin (1810—1849)
Sonata № 2 in B flat minor, op. 35 (1839)
2. 1. Grave. Doppio movimento
3. 2. Scherzo
4. 3. Marche funebre. Lento
5. 4. Finale. Presto

Robert Schumann (1810—1856)
Sonata № 1 in F sharp minor, op. 11 (1835)
6. 1. Un poco adagio. Allegro vivace
7. 2. Aria
8. 3. Scherzo ed intermezzo
9. 4. Finale. Allegro un poco maestoso

CD3
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770—1827)
Sonate № 28 in A major, op. 101 (1816)
1. 1. Etwas lebhaft und der mit innigsten Empfindung
2. 2. Lebhaft. Marschmäβig
3. 3. Langsam und sehnsuchtsvoll
4. 4. Geschwinde, doch nicht zu sehr, und mit Entschlossenheit

Robert Schumann (1810—1856)
5. Presto passionatо in G minor, op. 22 bis (1835)
«Nachtstucke», op.23 (1839)
6. 1. Mehr langsam oft zurückhaltend
7. 2. Markiert und lebhaft
8. 3. Mit großer lebhaftkeit
9. 4. Ad libitum

Sergei Prokofiev (1891—1953)
Sonata № 8 in B flat major, op. 84 (1944)
10. 1. Andante dolce
11. 2. Andante sognando
12. 3. Vivace

CD4
Alexander Glazunov (1865—1936)
Sonata № 2 in E minor, op. 75 (1901)
1. 1. Moderato
2. 2. Scherzo. Allegretto
3. 3. Finale. Allegro moderato

Sergei Prokofiev (1891—1953)
Sonata № 2 in D minor, op. 14 (1912)
4. 1. Allegro ma non troppo
5. 2. Allegro marcato
6. 3. Andante
7. 4. Vivace

Mily Balakirev (1837—1910)
8. «Islamey», Oriental fantasy (1869)

Sergei Rachmaninov (1873—1943)
9. Moment Musicaux in D flat major, op. 16 № 5 (1896)
10. «Polichinelle», op. 3 № 4 (1892)

CD5

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) – Alexander Siloti (1863-1945)
1. Prelude in В minor (arr. of Prelude in E minor,
from the «Well-Tempered Clavier», vol.1)

Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764)
2. «La Villageoise»
3. «Tambourin»

Muzio Clementi (1752-1832)
Sonata in С major
4. 1. Allegro con spirito
5. 2. Un poco andante quasi allegretto
6. 3. Allegro

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
7. «Alborada del grazioso» (from the «Miroirs», №4; 1905)

Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Suite «Pour le piano» (1901)
8. 1. Prelude
9. 2. Saraband
10. 3. Toccata
11. Etude № 11 «Pour les arpeges composes»
(from the «Etudes», book II; 1913)

Isaac Albeniz (1860-1909)
12. «Navarra» (Op. posth.)

Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)
13. «Pastourelle» (1928)

Manuel de Falla (1876-1946)
14. «Danza ritual del fuego»
(Fire Dance) from the ballet «Amor Brujo» (1914)

Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915)
15. Etude in C sharp minor, Op. 2 №1 (1887)

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
16. Adagio from the ballet «Apollon Musagete» (1928)

Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
17. Prelude in G minor, Op. 23 №5 (1903)

[jwinter]

Quote from: xochitl on Today at 06:27:05 PM

i dont think ive ever heard gilels in anything

where to start besides beethoven?

Gilel's Beethoven is indeed top notch.  Besides the sonatas, the late concertos with Ludwig are excellent:



If you have any interest in Brahms, you certainly need to hear this at some point, it's jaw-droppingly good:

[xochitl]

a jawdroppingly good brahms pc 2?

im so in!

[George]

box 2 is the performance from young Gilels, mostly in mono.

The same as the stuff that has come out on Naxos?

Most of these performance is identical with Gilels Edition on Brilliant Classics

Do you mean box 2 here?

Thanks!

[Mandryka]

i dont think ive ever heard gilels in anything

where to start besides beethoven?

Get one of his Great Pianists of the Twentieth Century

[trung224]

The same as the stuff that has come out on Naxos?

Do you mean box 2 here?

Thanks!

Some performance of both three box appeared in Brilliant Classics edition like
  Box 1 and 3: Chopin's concerto No.1,
                       Beethoven's piano sonata No.8,14,29,
                       Ravel's Pavane, Jeux d'eau,
                       Scriabin's sonata No.3 and Predules Op.74,
                       Medtner's sonata Op.22
  Box 2          : Chopin's piano sonata No.2 ,
                       Schumann's piano sonata No.1,
                       Prokofiev's piano sonata No.2 & 8,
                        Liszt's piano sonata in B,
                       Glazunov's piano sonata No.2,
                       Debussy's Suite pour le piano and Etude pour le espeges

  If you like Gilels, there are 8 CDs on series [asin]B000TAREA0[/asin]