JULIUS KATCHEN: MILESTONES OF A PIANO LEGEND (10 CDS)

American pianist Julius Katchen (1926-1969) enjoyed an unprecedented world career, and almost half a century after his death he is still regarded as an unsurpassed Brahms interpreter.

As an eleven-year-old, Katchen sat on the podium as a soloist in Mozart’s D minor concerto at the invitation of Eugene Ormandy in New York. Soon he was highly praised as a performer around the world, due to his technical brilliance, coupled with boldness, a seemingly endless range of timbres, and a superior musical understanding. Besides some vital Brahms performances, many of his other recordings presented here from 12 original albums from the years 1950 to 1961 are also among the highlights of record history. These include Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations and solo works by Chopin, Schumann, Schubert and Balakirev to concertos by Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky, Liszt, Rachmaninov, Bartok, and Britten.

Balakirev: Islamey - Oriental Fantasy
Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 3, BB 127, Sz. 119
Beethoven: Diabelli Variations, Op. 120
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 'Appassionata'
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15
Brahms: Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5
Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 100
Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor, Op. 108
Britten: Diversions for piano (left hand) and orchestra, Op. 21
Chopin: Ballade No. 3 in A flat major, Op. 47
Chopin: Fantasia in F minor, Op. 49
Chopin: Scherzo No. 3 in C sharp minor, Op. 39
Dohnányi: Variations on a Nursery Tune, Op. 25
Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat major, S124
Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 2 in A major, S125
Mendelssohn: Auf Flügeln des Gesanges, Op. 34 No. 2
Mendelssohn: Prelude & Fugue for piano in D major, Op. 35 No. 2
Mendelssohn: Rondo capriccioso in E major, Op. 14
Mendelssohn: Scherzo in E minor, Op. 16 No. 2
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18
Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43
Schubert: Fantasie in C major, D760 'Wanderer'
Schumann: Carnaval, Op. 9
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23