Great Recordings of the Century

The songs of the Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen ('Songs of a Wayfarer') are quoted from Mahler's First Symphony and the fresh, springtime atmosphere is shared by both works. The orchestration... — Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 More…

A classic, with extra electricity derived from the hasty recording, with Beecham's living, vivid conducting and a superb cast, both stellar and supporting, even though the mono sound is less... — Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 More…

As a former pupil of Cortot, it wasn't perhaps surprising that Lipatti always kept a special place in his heart for Chopin. And thanks primarily to the 14 Waltzes, played in a non-chronological... — Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 More…

Beecham was well into his seventies when he made these recordings with the Royal Philharmonic, the orchestra he had founded in 1946. His lightness of touch, his delight in the beauty of the... — Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 More…

Glyndebourne's epoch-making production, taken to the recording studio two years later, helped cement the work's reputation as one of the greatest 20th-century operas. — BBC Music Magazine, April 2006, 5 out of 5 stars More…

this superb set at last does justice to a musical of the 1920s which is both a landmark in the history of Broadway and musically a work of strength..von Stade gives a meltingly beautiful performance,... — Penguin Guide, 2011 edition More…

Although this set is over 40 years old, none of its successors is as skilled in capturing the piece's drama so unerringly. It has always been most recommendable and Giulini captures all the... — Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 More…