{"product_id":"4988031103005","title":"Wilhelm Kempff - Beethoven: Tower Classic - Japan 4 CD Limited Edition","description":"\u003cp\u003eCredits:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWilhelm Kempff\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDescription:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn enduring classic bringing together three of the great performers of the twentieth century. This cycle, made to mark the Beethoven bicentenary in 1970, returns to the catalogue after a long absence.\n\nHenryk Szeryng (1918-88) on violin, Pierre Fournier (1906-86) on cello and Wilhelm Kempff (1895-1991) on piano: a luxurious partnership of players who were among the leading exponents of their respective instruments, and among the finest musicians of their century. Not since the legendary Casals Trio (Thibaud, Casals, Cortot) recorded their classic Archduke in 1928 had a set of this stature appeared - and in 1969-70 it did.\nFor the Beethoven bicentenary in 1970 the record companies vied with one another to produce new recordings, and Deutsche Grammophon's \"Beethoven Edition\", running to 78 LPs in twelve volumes (MG9501-78), was unprecedented in both scale and content. This complete set of the piano trios by Szeryng, Fournier and Kempff was recorded as part of that project.\nFournier and Kempff had only recently, in 1965, recorded the complete Beethoven cello sonatas; Szeryng had played trios with Kempff at the piano and Ludwig Hoelscher on cello; and Szeryng and Fournier would later record trios with Rubinstein. These were, in short, musicians who knew one another well.\nTheir playing is large in scale, full of nobility and rich in nuance. It is Kempff's piano that shapes the whole so skilfully - the gently singing melodic line in the right hand and the springing, living rhythm in the left breathe freshness and vitality into the music - and to this Szeryng and Fournier add tone of the finest quality and depth together with flowing, powerful phrasing.\nAnother attraction is the presence of the young Karl Leister (b. 1937) in the Trio No. 4 \"Gassenhauer\", which may be played on clarinet in place of violin. Recorded roughly ten years after he became principal clarinet of the Berlin Philharmonic under Karajan, his splendid playing is proof that he was already an artist of the very first rank.\nIn terms of sound, the CD masters use high-bit, high-sampling (192kHz\/24bit) transfers from the original masters, giving greater resolution and a smoother tone. The booklet carries a newly written introductory essay. A set worthy of preservation, marking the 120th anniversary of Kempff's birth. Six titles are released simultaneously in this Vol. 1.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"TOWER RECORDS UNIVERSAL VINTAGE COLLECTION +plus","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53595613561121,"sku":"4988031103005","price":3143.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/8482\/2076\/files\/4988031103005_788604bc-fead-48a6-9d2f-542e303e1290.jpg?v=1790481930","url":"https:\/\/cdsvinyljapan.com\/products\/4988031103005","provider":"CDs Vinyl Japan Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}