Album

This is the best—the noblest, the grandest, the most tragic—Ballade in G minor ever recorded. This is the best—the most virtuostic, the most colorful, the most imaginative—set of Book I Preludes ever recorded. This is the best—the most Romantic, the most heartfelt, the funniest—Carnaval ever recorded. This is the best—the most elegant, the most witty, the most athletic—recording of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1 ever recorded. This is the best—the most brooding, the most violent, the most consoling—set of Brahms Ballades ever recorded. This is the best—the most loving, the most awe-inspiring, the most transcendent—"Emperor" Concerto ever recorded. This is the best—the subtlest, the most sorrowful, the most sublime—set of Chopin mazurkas ever recorded. And on and on and on. While there are some performances here that are not the best ever recorded, this box of recordings by Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli from 1957 through 1990 is arguably the greatest single set of piano recordings ever released. And while there have been a few better recordings than Michelangeli's of the four Mozart piano concertos, Michelangeli's are at such an extraordinarily high level, so beautifully toned and so ethereally interpreted, that they are still among the best ever recorded. And while there have been more passionate recordings of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3, Michelangeli's is so brilliantly played that passion would only be an untoward intrusion in Michelangeli's ideal world. But as for the rest, these are simply the best piano performances of the works ever recorded. And the remastered sound is the best any of them have ever had. This is absolutely essential for every man, woman, and child.

© James Leonard, All Music Guide

CD 1 of 8
Recorded Sound Composer Applause Work Recorded 1990 Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano
1	Applause	0:22			$0.49
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Composer Piano Concerto No.13 in C, K.415 Work Recorded 1990 29:32 Cord Garben Conductor, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano, Sinfonieorchester des Norddeutschen Rundfunks Orchestra
2	1.Allegro	11:40			$1.99
3	2.Andante	8:18			$1.49
4	3.Rondeau: Allegro	9:34			$1.49
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Composer Piano Concerto No.15 in Bb, K.450 Work Recorded 1990 27:52 Cord Garben Conductor, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano, Sinfonieorchester des Norddeutschen Rundfunks Orchestra
5	1.Allegro	11:42			$1.99
6	2.Andante	6:15			$0.99
7	3.Allegro	9:55			$1.49
CD 2 of 8
Recorded Sound Composer Applause Work Recorded 1989 Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano
1	Applause	0:27			$0.49
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Composer Piano Concerto No.20 in D-, K.466 Work Recorded 1990 33:20 Cord Garben Conductor, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano, Sinfonieorchester des Norddeutschen Rundfunks Orchestra
2	1.Allegro	15:01			$2.49
3	2.Romanza: Andante	9:35			$1.49
4	3.Rondo: Allegro assai	8:44			$1.49
Recorded Sound Composer Applause Work Recorded 1990 Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano
5	Applause	0:34			$0.49
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Composer Piano Concerto No.25 in C, K.503 Work Recorded 1990 32:41 Cord Garben Conductor, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano, Sinfonieorchester des Norddeutschen Rundfunks Orchestra
6	1.Allegro maestoso	15:36			$2.49
7	2.Andante	7:25			$1.49
8	3.Allegretto	9:40			$1.49
Recorded Sound Composer Applause Work Recorded 1990 Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano
9	Applause	0:49			$0.49
CD 3 of 8
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Concerto No.1 in C, Op.15 Work Recorded 1979 38:11 Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano, Vienna Symphony Orchestra Orchestra, Carlo Maria Giulini Conductor
1	1.Allegro con brio	18:28			$2.99
2	2.Largo	10:38			$1.99
3	3.Rondo: Allegro scherzando	9:05			$1.49
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Concerto No.3 in C-, Op.37 Work Recorded 1979 39:34 Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano, Vienna Symphony Orchestra Orchestra, Carlo Maria Giulini Conductor
4	1.Allegro con brio	17:42			$2.99
5	2.Largo	11:04			$1.99
6	3.Rondo: Allegro	10:48			$1.99
CD 4 of 8
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Concerto No.5 in Eb, Op.73 ('Emperor') Work Recorded 1979 41:47 Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano, Vienna Symphony Orchestra Orchestra, Carlo Maria Giulini Conductor
1	1.Allegro	21:00			$3.49
2	2.Adagio un poco mosso	8:36			$1.49
3	3.Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo	12:11			$1.99
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.4 in Eb ('Grand Sonata'), Op.7 Work Recorded 1971 31:26 Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano
4	1.Allegro molto e con brio	9:45			$1.49
5	2.Largo con gran espressione	8:36			$1.49
6	3.Allegro	5:25			$0.99
7	4.Rondo: Poco allegretto e grazioso	7:40			$1.49
CD 5 of 8
Franz Peter Schubert Composer Piano Sonata No.4 in A-, D.537, Op.posth.164 Work Recorded 1981 22:32 Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano
1	1.Allegro ma non troppo	10:05			$1.99
2	2.Allegretto quasi andantino	7:31			$1.49
3	3.Allegro vivace	4:56			$0.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer 4 Mazurkas, Op.67 Work Recorded 1971 Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano
4	No.2 in G-	2:02			$0.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer 3 Mazurkas, Op.56 Work Recorded 1971 Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano
5	No.2 in C	1:48			$0.49
Frédéric François Chopin Composer 4 Mazurkas, Op.67 Work Recorded 1971 Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano
6	No.4 in A-	3:10			$0.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer 4 Mazurkas, Op.68 Work Recorded 1971 4:42 Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano
7	No.2 in A-	3:09			$0.99
8	No.1 in C	1:33			$0.49
Frédéric François Chopin Composer 4 Mazurkas, Op.33 Work Recorded 1971 Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano
9	No.1 in G#-	2:05			$0.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer 4 Mazurkas, Op.30 Work Recorded 1971 4:56 Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano
10	No.3 in Db	3:18			$0.99
11	No.2 in B-	1:38			$0.49
Frédéric François Chopin Composer 4 Mazurkas, Op.33 Work Recorded 1971 Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano
12	No.4 in B-	6:20			$0.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer 4 Mazurkas, Op.68 Work Recorded 1971 Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano
13	No.4 in F-	3:45			$0.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer Prelude in C#-, Op.45 Work Recorded 1971 Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano
14	Prelude in C#-, Op.45	4:53			$0.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer Ballade No.1 in G-, Op.23 Work Recorded 1971 Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano
15	Ballade No.1 in G-, Op.23	9:16			$1.49
Frédéric François Chopin Composer Scherzo No.2 in Bb-, Op.31 Work Recorded 1971 Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano
16	Scherzo No.2 in Bb-, Op.31	11:03			$1.99
CD 6 of 8
Robert Alexander Schumann Composer Carnaval: Scènes mignonnes sur quatre notes, Op.9 Work Recorded 1957 30:56 Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano
1	1.Préambule in Bb: Quasi maestoso	2:30			$0.99
2	2.Pierrot in Eb: Moderato	2:15			$0.99
3	3.Arlequin in Bb: Vivo	1:09			$0.49
4	4.Valse noble in Bb: Un poco maestoso	1:53			$0.49
5	5.Eusebius in Eb: Adagio	1:19			$0.49
6	6.Florestan in G-: Passionato	0:57			$0.49
7	7.Coquette in Bb: Vivo	1:37			$0.49
8	8.Réplique in G-: L'istesso tempo; 8a.Sphinxes	1:09			$0.49
9	9.Papillons in Bb: Prestissimo	0:38			$0.49
10	10.Lettres dansantes (A.S.C.H.-S.C.H.A.) in Eb: Presto	0:58			$0.49
11	11.Chiarina in C-: Passionato	1:35			$0.49
12	12.Chopin in Ab: Agitato	1:13			$0.49
13	13.Estrella in F-: Con affetto	0:28			$0.49
14	14.Reconnaissance in Ab: Animato	1:40			$0.49
15	15.Pantalon et Colombine in F-: Presto	0:57			$0.49
16	16.Valse allemande in Ab: Molto vivace	1:03			$0.49
17	16a.Paganini (Intermezzo) in F-: Presto	1:29			$0.49
18	17.Aveu in F-: Passionato	1:14			$0.49
19	18.Promenade in Db: Comodo	2:40			$0.99
20	19.Pause in Ab: Vivo	0:16			$0.49
21	20.Marche des 'Davidsbündler' contre les Philistins	3:56			$0.99
Robert Alexander Schumann Composer Faschingsschwank aus Wien ('Fantasiebilder'), Op.26 Work Recorded 1957 22:48 Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano
22	1.Allegro	10:10			$1.99
23	2.Romanze	3:09			$0.99
24	3.Scherzino	2:20			$0.99
25	4.Intermezzo	2:18			$0.99
26	5.Finale	4:51			$0.99
Johannes Brahms Composer 4 Ballades, Op.10 Work Recorded 1981 25:25 Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano
27	1.Andante in D-	4:31			$0.99
28	2.Andante in D	7:11			$1.49
29	3.Intermezzo in B-	4:15			$0.99
30	4.Andante con moto in B	9:28			$1.49
CD 7 of 8
Achille-Claude Debussy Composer Préludes, Book 1, L.117 Work Recorded 1971 43:48 Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano
1	1.Danseuses de delphes	3:18			$0.99
2	2.Voiles	4:29			$0.99
3	3.Le vent dans la plaine	2:13			$0.99
4	4.Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir	3:39			$0.99
5	5.Les collines d'Anacapri	3:19			$0.99
6	6.Des pas sur la neige	4:58			$0.99
7	7.Ce qu'à vu le vent d'ouest	3:41			$0.99
8	8.La fille aux cheveux de lin	2:54			$0.99
9	9.La sérénade interrompue	2:43			$0.99
10	10.La cathédrale engloutie	6:51			$0.99
11	11.La danse de Puck	3:12			$0.99
12	12.Minstrels	2:31			$0.99
Achille-Claude Debussy Composer Children's Corner, L.113 Work Recorded 1971 16:02 Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano
13	1.Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum	2:15			$0.99
14	2.Jimbo's Lullaby ('Berceuse des elephants')	3:28			$0.99
15	3.Serenade for the Doll	2:16			$0.99
16	4.The Snow is Dancing	2:38			$0.99
17	5.The Little Shepherd	2:28			$0.99
18	6.Golliwog's Cakewalk	2:57			$0.99
CD 8 of 8
Achille-Claude Debussy Composer Préludes, Book 2, L.123 Work Recorded 1988 38:59 Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano
1	1.Brouillards	2:56			$0.99
2	2.Feuilles mortes	3:19			$0.99
3	3.La puerta del vino	4:07			$0.99
4	4.Les fées sont d'exquises danseuses	3:07			$0.99
5	5.Bruyères	2:54			$0.99
6	6.General Lavine	2:38			$0.99
7	7.La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune	3:59			$0.99
8	8.Ondine	3:27			$0.99
9	9.Hommage à S. Pickwick	2:27			$0.99
10	10.Canope	2:36			$0.99
11	11.Les tierces alternées	2:55			$0.99
12	12.Feux d'artifice	4:34			$0.99
Achille-Claude Debussy Composer Images, Book 1, L.110 Work Recorded 1971 15:07 Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano
13	1.Reflets dans l'eau	4:54			$0.99
14	2.Hommage à Rameau	6:34			$0.99
15	3.Mouvement	3:39			$0.99
Achille-Claude Debussy Composer Images, Book 2, L.111 Work Recorded 1971 13:37 Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Piano
16	1.Cloches à travers les feuilles	4:22			$0.99
17	2.Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fût	5:14			$0.99
18	3.Poissons d'or	4:01			$0.99