Alfred Brendel – Artist’s Choice Anniversary Edition (3 CD, FLAC)

Audio CD
Number of Discs: 3 CD
Format: FLAC (image+cue)
Label: Decca
Size: 791 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: no

CD 01
Johann Sebastian Bach – Italian Concerto, BWV 971
01. I. [Allegro]
02. II. Andante
03. III. Presto

Johann Sebastian Bach
04. Fantasia and Fugue in A minor, BWV 904

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Piano Concerto No.17, K453
05. I. Allegro
06. II. Andante
07. III. Allegretto

Franz Schubert
08. Fantasia, Op.15 D760 ‘Wanderer’

Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Sir Charles Mackerras

CD 02
Ludwig van Beethoven
Sonata No.29, Op.106 ‘Hammerklavier’
01. I. Allegro
02. II. Scherzo: Assai vivace
03. III. Adagio sostenuto, appasionato e con molto sentimento
04. IV. Largo – Allegro risoluto

6 Variations in F major, Op.34
05. Thema: Adagio
06. Variation I
07. Variation II: Allegro ma non troppo
08. Variation III: Allegretto
09. Variation IV: Tempo di Minuetto
10. Variation V: Marcia. Allegretto
11. Variation VI: Allegretto – Adagio molto

CD 03
Carl Maria von Weber – Konzertstuck for piano and orchestra, Op.79
01. I. Larghetto affettuoso – Allegro passionato –
02. II. Adagio – Tempo di Marcia – Piu mosso – Presto giojoso

Franz Liszt – Legendes, S175
03. No.1 St Francois d’Assise: la predication aux oiseaux
04. No.2 St Francois de Paule marchant sur les flots

Ferrucio Busoni
05. Toccata, Kind.287

Modest Mussorgsky – Pictutes from an Exchibition
06. Promenade
07. Gnomus
08. Promenade
09. Il vecchio castello
10. Promenade
11. Les Tuileries
12. Bydlo
13. Promenade
14. Ballet des poussins dans leurs coques
15. Samuel Goldenberg und Schmuyle
16. Promenade
17. Limoges: le marche
18. Catacombae (Sepulchrum romanum)
19. Cum mortus in lingua morta
20. La Cabane sur des pattes de poule
21. La Grande Porte de Kiev

London Symphony Orchestra
Claudio Abbado

Virtually every piece selected here is wonderful

This is virtually faultless. Brendel has, of course, had a wonderful career and his interpretations of, say Schubert or Mozart are well known, but his repertoire was wide; he was a great Lisztian, for example, and a wonderful interpreter of Bach and Weber. This set has a range of his work including concertos with Abbado and the LSO, and Mackerras and the SNO, happy partnerships both. But the main feature here is that clearly Brendel himself is happy with the choice of work and recordings, and I can see why – they are all outstanding examples of his work. Although there are other sets of his “artist’s choice” recordings, I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase this one – it’s a bargain and a magnificent achievement.