Wolfgang Sawallisch – Complete Symphonic, Lieder & Choral Recordings
These two extensive volumes represent all the recordings Wolfgang Sawallisch made for Electrola and Warner Classics between 1954 and 1997. The core of the first volume of 65 CDs highlights Sawallisch’s symphonic interpretations, featuring complete symphony cycles, some still regarded as among the best on record, by Beethoven, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Bruckner, and Dvořák. The concertos include eminent soloists like Annie Fischer, Stephen Kovacevich, Sarah Chang and Heinrich Schiff. Richard Strauss, an important early influence on the conductor, is prominently featured throughout. Schubert’s choral music is also included, as well as Lieder and song collaborations, with Sawallisch as pianist.
Volume 2 of 31 CDs includes all of Sawallisch’s opera recordings for the same labels, with works by Mozart (Die Zauberflöte), Weber (Abu Hassan), Schubert (Die Zwillingsbruder), Wagner (complete Ring Cycle, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg), and Richard Strauss (Elektra, Capriccio, Intermezzo, Die Frau Ohne Schatten). Additionally featured are two operas by Carl Orff (Die Kluge, Der Mond).
Guarneri Quartet: The Complete RCA Recordings 1965-2005
The Guarneri Quartet was founded in 1964 and worked continuously with the same personnel until 2001, at which point only the cellist David Soyer was replaced by Peter Wiley. This 49 CD set includes all major String Quartet cycles by Mozart, Beethoven, Bartók, Mendelssohn, Brahms and Dvořák. It also includes a few of the best-ever performances of piano quintets and quartets with pianist Arthur Rubinstein. The sound of the quartet is typically warm and their approach somewhat sentimental, but they can also be energetically driven in pieces like the Bartók String Quartets.
Lorin Maazel Conducts the Cleveland Orchestra
Lorin Maazel headed the Cleveland Orchestra for ten years (1972–1982), after the departure of their legendary chief conductor, George Szell. This 15 CD box set from that transitional period finds Maazel relying on the Szell era’s brilliance while inserting additional romantic touches and warmth, as exemplified in the best recordings here: of Tchaikovsky’s late symphonies and Strauss’ tone poems. There is also a full Beethoven cycle, of which the performances of the 4th and 8th stand out the most (though the sound is somewhat limited), and a lovely rendition of Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique.
Joan Sutherland – The Complete Decca Recordings: Operas 1959-1970
This 49-CD set of Joan Sutherland’s complete Decca opera recordings, spanning from 1959 to 1970, features a wide-ranging repertoire. Notable inclusions are Mozart’s Don Giovanni (conducted by Giulini, 1959) and Handel’s Alcina, with two versions—a 1959 live recording with Fritz Wunderlich under Leitner, and a 1962 studio version under Bonynge. The set also includes operas central to Sutherland’s career such as Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor (Pritchard), Bellini’s Norma, La sonnambula, and I puritani, Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots, Gounod’s Faust, and Delibes’ Lakmé – all conducted by Bonynge. Lesser-known works like Graun’s Montezuma and Bononcini’s Griselda are included as highlights. Accompanied by detailed booklets containing essays, archival photos, and an audio documentary by Jon Tolansky, the set provides an extensive overview of the soprano’s operatic interpretations during this period.
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