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William Kapell Edition


Release Date: 09/29/1998 
Label:  Rca Victor Red Seal Catalog #: 68442   Spars Code: ADD 
Composer:  Frédéric Chopin,  Felix Mendelssohn,  Robert Schumann,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,   ... 
Performer:  William Kapell,  Jascha Heifetz,  William Primrose,  Edmund Kurtz
Conductor:  William Steinberg,  Fritz Reiner,  Serge Koussevitzky,  Antal Doráti,   ... 
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Robin Hood Dell Orchestra of Philadelphia,  Boston Symphony Orchestra,  Dallas Symphony Orchestra,   ... 
Number of Discs: 9 
Recorded in: Mono 
Length: 10 Hours 15 Mins. 

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Notes and Editorial Reviews

This set is available at a special rate: nine CDs for the price of eight. The ninth disc contains incomplete recordings, alternate takes, a private home recording and a 22-minute interview with William Kapell. This set is available at a special rate: nine CDs for the price of eight. The ninth disc contains incomplete recordings, alternate takes, a private home recording and a 22-minute interview with William Kapell. Read less

Works on This Recording

1.
Mazurkas (4) for Piano, B 60/Op. 6: no 2 in C sharp minor by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1830; Vienna, Austria 
 Date of Recording: 02/26/1952 
2.
Sonata for Piano no 2 in B flat minor, B 128/Op. 35 "Funeral March" by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1837-1839; Paris, France 
 Date of Recording: 10/22/1953 
Venue:  Live  Geelong, Australia 
3.
Sonata for Piano no 3 in B minor, B 155/Op. 58 by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1844; Paris, France 
 Date of Recording: 1951-52 
4.
Songs without words, vol 6, Op. 67: no 4, Presto in C major "Spinning Song" by Felix Mendelssohn
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1845; Germany 
 Date of Recording: C1947 
5.
Kinderszenen, Op. 15: no 1, Von fremden Ländern und Menschen by Robert Schumann
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1838; Germany 
 Date of Recording: 05/01/1953 
Venue:  Live  Frick Collection, New York City 
6.
Sonata for Piano no 10 in C major, K 330 (300h): 1st movement - Excerpt(s) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Classical 
Written: 1781-1783 
 Date of Recording: 12/20/1951 
7.
Concerto for Piano no 2 in C minor, Op. 18 by Sergei Rachmaninov
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Conductor:  William Steinberg
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Robin Hood Dell Orchestra of Philadelphia
Period: Romantic 
Written: Russia 
 Date of Recording: 07/07/1950 
Notes: Composition written: Russia (1900 - 1901). 
8.
Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini, Op. 43 by Sergei Rachmaninov
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Conductor:  Fritz Reiner
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Robin Hood Dell Orchestra of Philadelphia
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1934; USA 
 Date of Recording: 06/27/1951 
9.
Preludes (24) for Piano, Op. 34: no 5 in D major, Allegro vivace by Dmitri Shostakovich
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1932-1933; USSR 
 Date of Recording: 03/19/1945 
10.
Concerto for Piano in D flat major by Aram Khachaturian
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Conductor:  Serge Koussevitzky
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Boston Symphony Orchestra
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1936; USSR 
 Date of Recording: 04/19/1946 
11.
Concerto for Piano no 3 in C major, Op. 26 by Sergei Prokofiev
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Conductor:  Antal Doráti
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1917-1921; USA 
 Date of Recording: 01/07/1949 
12.
Concerto for Piano no 2 in B flat major, Op. 19 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Conductor:  Vladimir Golschmann
Orchestra/Ensemble:  NBC Symphony Orchestra
Period: Classical 
Written: 1793/1798; Vienna, Austria 
 Date of Recording: 06/24/1946 
13.
Hungarian Rhapsodies (19) for Piano, S 244: no 11 in A minor by Franz Liszt
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1846-1847; Weimar, Germany 
 Date of Recording: 05/19/1951 
14.
Fantasies (7) for Piano, Op. 116: no 6, Intermezzo in E major by Johannes Brahms
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1892; Austria 
 Date of Recording: 04/27/1945 
15.
Suite in A minor, BWV 818 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Baroque 
Written: circa 1722; Cöthen, Germany 
 Date of Recording: 01/07/1947 
16.
Children's Corner by Claude Debussy
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1906-1908; France 
 Date of Recording: 1950-51 
17.
Sonata for Harpsichord in E major, K 380/L 23 by Domenico Scarlatti
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Baroque 
Written: 18th Century 
 Date of Recording: 03/01/1953 
Venue:  Live  Frick Collection, New York City 
18.
Suite Iberia, Book 1: no 1, Evocación by Isaac Albeniz
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1904-1906; France 
 Date of Recording: 04/27/1945 
19.
Piano Playtime: no 1, Waltz of the Rainbow by Abram Chasins
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: USA 
 Date of Recording: 06/1952 
20.
Sonata for Violin and Piano no 3 in D minor, Op. 108 by Johannes Brahms
Performer:  Jascha Heifetz (Violin), William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1886-1888; Austria 
 Date of Recording: 11/1950 
21.
Sonata for Clarinet/Viola and Piano no 1 in F minor, Op. 120 no 1 by Johannes Brahms
Performer:  William Primrose (Viola), William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1894; Germany 
 Date of Recording: 05/07/1946 
22.
Sonata for Cello and Piano in G minor, Op. 19 by Sergei Rachmaninov
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano), Edmund Kurtz (Cello)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1901; Russia 
 Date of Recording: 04/1947 
23.
Sonata for Piano by Aaron Copland
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1939-1941; USA 
 Date of Recording: 03/01/1953 
Venue:  Live  Frick Collection, New York City 
24.
Polonaise-fantaisie for Piano in A flat major, B 159/Op. 61 by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1845-1846; Poland 
 Date of Recording: 03/01/1953 
Venue:  Live  Frick Collection, New York City 
25.
Pictures at an Exhibition for Piano by Modest Mussorgsky
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1874; Russia 
 Date of Recording: 03/01/1953 
Venue:  Live Frick Collection, New York City 
26.
Nocturnes (3) for Piano, B 54/Op. 9: no 1 in B flat minor by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1830-1831; Poland 
 Date of Recording: 02/28/1945 
27.
Mazurkas (5) for Piano, B 61/Op. 7: no 5 in C major by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1831; Vienna, Austria 
 Date of Recording: 12/20/1951 
28.
Mazurkas (4) for Piano, B 77/Op. 17: no 2 in E minor by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1832-1833; Paris, France 
 Date of Recording: 12/20/1951 
29.
Mazurkas (4) for Piano, B 77/Op. 17: no 3 in A flat major by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1832-1833; Paris, France 
 Date of Recording: 12/27/1951 
Notes: This selection is repeated in an alternate take. 
30.
Mazurkas (4) for Piano, B 77/Op. 17: no 4 in A minor by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1832-1833; Paris, France 
 Date of Recording: 12/20/1951 
31.
Mazurkas (4) for Piano, B 89/Op. 24: no 1 in G minor by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1834-1835; Paris, France 
 Date of Recording: 12/20/1951 
32.
Mazurkas (4) for Piano, B 89/Op. 24: no 3 in A flat major by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1834-1835; Paris, France 
 Date of Recording: 06/24/1952 
33.
Mazurkas (4) for Piano, B 105/Op. 30: no 3 in D flat major by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1836-1837; Paris, France 
 Date of Recording: 12/27/1951 
34.
Mazurkas (4) for Piano, B 115/Op. 33: no 1 in G sharp minor by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1837-1838; Paris, France 
 Date of Recording: 06/24/1952 
35.
Mazurkas (4) for Piano, B 115/Op. 33: no 3 in C major by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1837-1838; Paris, France 
 Date of Recording: 03/01/1953 
Venue:  Live  Frick Collection, New York City 
Notes: This selection is repeated in an alternate take. 
36.
Mazurkas (4) for Piano, B 115/Op. 33: no 4 in B minor by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1837-1838; Paris, France 
 Date of Recording: 02/20/1952 
37.
Mazurkas (4) for Piano, Op. 41: no 2 in E minor by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1838; Paris, France 
 Date of Recording: 02/20/1952 
38.
Mazurkas (3) for Piano, B 145/Op. 50: no 2 in A flat major by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1842; Paris, France 
 Date of Recording: 12/27/1951 
39.
Mazurkas (3) for Piano, B 145/Op. 50: no 3 in C sharp minor by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1842; Paris, France 
 Date of Recording: 02/26/1952 
40.
Mazurkas (3) for Piano, B 153/Op. 56: no 3 in C minor by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1843; Paris, France 
 Date of Recording: 12/27/1951 
41.
Mazurkas (3) for Piano, B 157/Op. 59: no 1 in A minor by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1845; Paris, France 
 Date of Recording: 02/26/1952 
42.
Mazurkas (3) for Piano, B 157/Op. 59: no 2 in A flat major by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1845; Paris, France 
 Date of Recording: 02/26/1952 
43.
Mazurkas (3) for Piano, B 162/Op. 63: no 2 in F minor by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1846; Paris, France 
 Date of Recording: 02/20/1952 
44.
Mazurkas (3) for Piano, B 162/Op. 63: no 3 in C sharp minor by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1846; Paris, France 
 Date of Recording: 02/26/1952 
45.
Mazurkas (4) for Piano, Op. 67: no 2 in G minor, B 167 by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1849; Paris, France 
 Date of Recording: 06/23/1952 
46.
Mazurkas (4) for Piano, Op. 67: no 3 in C major by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1835; Paris, France 
 Date of Recording: 02/20/1952 
47.
Mazurkas (4) for Piano, Op. 67: no 4 in A minor, B 163 by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1846; Paris, France 
 Date of Recording: 06/23/1951 
48.
Mazurkas (4) for Piano, Op. 68: no 2 in A minor, B 18 by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1827; Poland 
 Date of Recording: 02/20/1952 
49.
Mazurkas (4) for Piano, Op. 68: no 3 in F major, B 34 by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1829; Poland 
 Date of Recording: 02/20/1952 
50.
Mazurkas (4) for Piano, Op. 68: no 4 in F minor, B 168 by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1849; Paris, France 
 Date of Recording: 02/20/1952 
51.
Mazurka for Piano in A minor, B 134 "Notre temps" by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1840; Paris, France 
 Date of Recording: 02/20/1952 
52.
Mazurka for Piano in B flat major, B 73 by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1832 
 Date of Recording: 12/27/1951 
53.
Nocturnes (2) for Piano, B 152/Op. 55: no 2 in E flat major by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1843; Paris, France 
 Date of Recording: 03/01/1953 
Venue:  Live  Frick Collection, New York City 
54.
Waltz for Piano in E flat major, B 62/Op. 18 "Grande valse brillante" by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1831; Poland 
 Date of Recording: 06/24/1952 
55.
Piano Playtime: no 4, By the Brook by Abram Chasins
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: USA 
 Date of Recording: 06/1952 
56.
Piano Playtime: no 5, Dancing Bagpipes by Abram Chasins
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: USA 
 Date of Recording: 06/1952 
57.
Piano Playtime: no 6, Tricky Trumpet by Abram Chasins
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: USA 
 Date of Recording: 06/1952 
58.
Der Tanz in der Dorfschenke, S 514 "Mephisto Waltz no 1" by Franz Liszt
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1859-1860; Weimar, Germany 
 Date of Recording: 03/19/1945 
59.
Années de pèlerinage, deuxième année, S 161 "Italie": no 5, Sonetto 104 del Petrarca by Franz Liszt
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1837-1849; Weimar, Germany 
 Date of Recording: 08/22/1947 
60.
Songs without words, vol 6, Op. 67: no 5, Moderato in B minor by Felix Mendelssohn
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1844; Germany 
 Date of Recording: 12/18/1950 
61.
Sonata for Piano no 17 in B flat major, K 570: 2nd movement, Adagio by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Classical 
Written: 1789; Vienna, Austria 
 Date of Recording: 12/21/1949 
62.
Toccata Ostinato by Robert Palmer
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
 Date of Recording: 03/21/1947 
Venue:  Live  Carnegie Hall, New York City 
63.
Morceaux de fantaisies (5), Op. 3: no 2, Prélude in C sharp minor by Sergei Rachmaninov
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1892; Russia 
 Date of Recording: 03/19/1945 
64.
Impromptus (4) for Piano, D 935/Op. 142: no 2 in A flat major by Franz Schubert
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1827; Vienna, Austria 
 Date of Recording: 03/1953 
65.
Ländler (16) for Piano, D 734/Op. 67: no 1 in G major by Franz Schubert
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: circa 1822; Vienna, Austria 
 Date of Recording: 07/03/1952 
66.
Ländler (16) for Piano, D 734/Op. 67: no 2 in D major by Franz Schubert
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: circa 1822; Vienna, Austria 
 Date of Recording: 07/03/1952 
67.
Moments musicaux (6) for Piano, D 780/Op. 94: no 3 in F minor by Franz Schubert
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1823-1828; Vienna, Austria 
 Date of Recording: 12/21/1949 
68.
Waltzes (12) for Piano, D 145/Op. 18: no 2 in B major by Franz Schubert
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1815/1821; Vienna, Austria 
 Date of Recording: 07/03/1952 
69.
Waltzes (12) for Piano, D 145/Op. 18: no 6 in B minor by Franz Schubert
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1815-1821; Vienna, Austria 
 Date of Recording: 07/03/1952 
70.
Waltzes (36) for Piano, D 365/Op. 9: no 26 in E major by Franz Schubert
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1816-1821; Vienna, Austria 
 Date of Recording: 07/03/1952 
71.
Waltzes (36) for Piano, D 365/Op. 9: no 32 in F major by Franz Schubert
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1816-1821; Vienna, Austria 
 Date of Recording: 07/03/1952 
72.
Waltzes (36) for Piano, D 365/Op. 9: no 34 in F major by Franz Schubert
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1816-1821; Vienna, Austria 
 Date of Recording: 07/03/1952 
73.
Romances (3) for Piano, Op. 28: no 2 in F sharp major by Robert Schumann
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1839; Germany 
 Date of Recording: 01/07/1947 
74.
Preludes (24) for Piano, Op. 34: no 10 in C sharp minor, Moderato non troppo by Dmitri Shostakovich
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1932-1933; USSR 
 Date of Recording: 03/19/1945 
75.
Preludes (24) for Piano, Op. 34: no 14 in E flat minor, Adagio by Dmitri Shostakovich
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1932-1933; USSR 
 Date of Recording: 03/19/1945 
76.
Preludes (24) for Piano, Op. 34: no 24 in D minor, Allegretto by Dmitri Shostakovich
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1932-1933; USSR 
 Date of Recording: 12/11/1944 
77.
Mazurkas (5) for Piano, B 61/Op. 7: no 2 in A minor by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1831; Vienna, Austria 
 Date of Recording: 02/26/1952 
78.
German Dances (16) and Ecossaises (2) for Piano, D 783/Op. 33: no 6 in B flat major by Franz Schubert
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1823-1824; Vienna, Austria 
 Date of Recording: 07/03/1952 
79.
German Dances (16) and Ecossaises (2) for Piano, D 783/Op. 33: no 7 in B flat major by Franz Schubert
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1823-1824; Vienna, Austria 
 Date of Recording: 07/03/1952 
80.
Partita for Keyboard no 4 in D major, BWV 828: Allemande by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Baroque 
Written: 1726-1731; Leipzig, Germany 
 Date of Recording: 12/20/1951 
Notes: Only the beginning of the movement is heard in this recording. 
81.
Sonata for Piano no 3 in B minor, B 155/Op. 58: 1st movement, Allegro maestoso by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1844; Paris, France 
 Date of Recording: 12/21/1949 
Notes: Only the beginning of the movement is performed in this recording. 
82.
Sonata for Piano no 3 in B minor, B 155/Op. 58: 3rd movement, Largo by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1844; Paris, France 
 Date of Recording: 12/21/1949 
83.
Sonata for Violin and Piano no 3 in D minor, Op. 108: 2nd movement, Adagio by Johannes Brahms
Performer:  Jascha Heifetz (Violin), William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1886-1888; Austria 
 Date of Recording: 11/1950 
84.
Mazurkas (4) for Piano, Op. 41: no 1 in C sharp minor by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1839; Paris, France 
 Date of Recording: 02/20/1952 
85.
Partita for Keyboard no 4 in D major, BWV 828 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer:  William Kapell (Piano)
Period: Baroque 
Written: 1726-1731; Germany 
 Date of Recording: 1952-53 

Sound Samples

Mazurka, Op. 6, No. 2 in C-Sharp Minor
Mazurka, Op. 7, No. 2 in A Minor
Mazurka, Op.7, No. 5 in C
Mazurka, Op.17, No. 2 in E Minor
Mazurka, Op.17, No. 3 in A-Flat
Mazurka, Op.17, No. 4 in A Minor
Mazurka, Op.24, No. 1 in G Minor
Mazurka, Op.24, No. 3 in A-Flat
Mazurka, Op.30, No. 3 in D-Flat
Mazurka, Op.33, No. 1 in G-Sharp Minor
Mazurka, Op.33, No. 3 in C
Mazurka, Op.33, No 4 in B Minor
Mazurka, Op.41, No. 1 in C-Sharp Minor
Mazurka, Op.41, No. 2 in E Minor
Mazurka, Op.50, No. 2 in A-Flat
Mazurka, Op.50, No. 3 in C-Sharp Minor
Mazurka, Op.56, No. 3 in C Minor
Mazurka, Op.59, No. 1 in A Minor
Mazurka, Op.59, No. 2 in A-Flat
Mazurka, Op.63, No. 2 in F Minor
Mazurka, Op.63, No. 3 in C-Sharp Minor
Mazurka, Op.67, No. 2 in G Minor
Mazurka, Op.67, No. 3 in C
Mazurka, Op.67, No. 4 in A Minor
Mazurka, Op.68, No. 2 in A Minor
Mazurka, Op.68, No.3 in F
Mazurka, Op.68, No. 4 in F Minor
Mazurka, Op. posth. in A Minor "Notre temps"
Mazurka, Op. posth in B-Flat
Allegro maestoso
Scherzo: Molto vivace
Largo
Finale: Presto, non tanto
Waltz in E-Flat, Op. 18
Grave; Doppio movimento
Scherzo
Marche funèbre
Presto
Nocturne in B-Flat Minor, Op. 9, No. 1
The Shepherd's Complaint, No. 5
Romance in F-Sharp, Op. 28, No. 2
Adagio II

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 Indispensable December 23, 2011 By T. Drake (South Euclid, OH) See All My Reviews "Leon Fleisher: "Willy was beyond a doubt the greatest pianistic talent this country [United States] has ever produced".

No small compliment coming from another great pianist. It is a tribute to William Kapell that, although he died at the age of 31, he was already a mature artist. One does not have a sense of unfulfilled potential, ala James Dean, for there is fulfillment aplenty on each of the nine discs in this boxed set. I know of no other pianist who gave so many indispensable performances of the core repertoire in such a short time. But the sense of tragedy, of what might have been if Kapell had not perished in a plane crash in 1953, hovers over this set.

The Chopin Sonata in B Minor, Op. 58 is easily the best this listener has ever heard, either on record or in concert - Kapell outclasses even Rubinstein. The same can be said for the Mazurkas, which carefully balance the dance elements of these small jewels with their tone poem qualities.

Both the Rachmaninoff Second Concerto and the Paganini Rhapsody eclipse nearly all other recordings, even those of the composer - who certainly knew how to play the piano.

Two other Russian concertos, by Aram Khachaturian and Serge Prokofiev, were early staples of Kapell's repertoire, and the performances are again a perfect balance of poetry and fury, which is exactly what this music requires.

A recording of Kapell in recital from March of 1953 (including another remarkable performance: the Copland Sonata) reveals that Kapell's extraordinary technique and musicianship are not the result of recording engineers and tape splicing - this is the real thing.

Equally fascinating is a twenty minute interview with Kapell, which reveals a profundity and maturity, both as man and musician, far beyond his years.

This was the first recording project from RCA after they reorganized and inventoried their vaults in the 1990s. The access to original sources is evident in the superbly restored sound (remastered by Jon Samuels) and the documentation is first rate. This boxed set is a template for how all classical music reissues should be handled, and should be on the shelves of all lovers of piano music. " Report Abuse
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