- Audio CD (Oct 12 1998)
- Number of Discs: 9
- Format: Box set
- Label: RCA
- ASIN: B00000B9MR
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#154,167 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
- #30 in Music > Classical > Ballets & Dances > Ecossaises
- #100 in Music > Box Sets > Classical > Ballets & Dances
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Product Details |
Track Listings
Product Description
Amazon.com essential recording
Blessed with transcendent technique and an affinity for big, bold Romantic works, William Kapell has been hailed as America's greatest homegrown pianist. This comprehensive collection of his complete recorded output, previously unreleased recordings, and broadcast tapes adds luster to a reputation that's become legendary since his tragic death in a plane crash at age 31. The earliest recordings, from the mid-1940s, bristle with raw energy and virtuosic flourishes tempered by an innate musicality that rises above mere display.
The disc coupling Khachaturian and Prokofiev concertos is charged with excitement; the Rachmaninoff pairing of the Paganini Variations and the Concerto No. 2 weds the Grand Romantic style to poetic lyricism; and an inspired Liszt group is charged with dynamic energy. Best may be the two Chopin discs: spontaneous, rhythmically flexible sonatas and mazurkas. The later recordings demonstrate the repose that comes with artistic maturity, and the "live" broadcasts reveal Kapell's warmth and spontaneity in concert. Splendid transfers help make this long-awaited set appealing to music lovers in general, as well as piano buffs. --Dan Davis
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
A must in your collection!
Jun 24 2004
All the possible adjectives for describe the craft of this giant keyboard player are unable to define the glorious notes he produced in every piece he played.
Not only the perfection technique was obvious when you listen him , Kapell was a poet. He played with such intensity , rapport and commitment , as very few players in the keyboard story have been able to reach.
His level performances always had the trademark immortality.
I know about Kapell since 1975 , and since that moment I've been other hard fan of his craft.
Acquire that box and you'll be carried to another pianism level every time that Kapell plays.
And warning : every October 29 of every year we will always remember him, when that absurd accident in 1953 , made Kapell not play any more.
And the rest is silence!
Not only the perfection technique was obvious when you listen him , Kapell was a poet. He played with such intensity , rapport and commitment , as very few players in the keyboard story have been able to reach.
His level performances always had the trademark immortality.
I know about Kapell since 1975 , and since that moment I've been other hard fan of his craft.
Acquire that box and you'll be carried to another pianism level every time that Kapell plays.
And warning : every October 29 of every year we will always remember him, when that absurd accident in 1953 , made Kapell not play any more.
And the rest is silence!
Indispensable
April 29 2000
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 in plenty on each of the nine discs in this boxed set. I know of no other pianist who gave so many definitive performances in such a short time.
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 all other recordings, even those of the composer--who certainly knew how to play the piano.
Two other Russian concertos, by Aram Khachaturian and Sergei Prokofiev, were early staples of Kapell's repertoire--and the performances are again a perfect balance of poetry and bluster, which is exactly what this music requires.
A recording of Kapell in recital from March of 1953 (including another definitive 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.
Perhaps most welcome of all is a twenty minute interview with Kapell, which reveals a profundity and maturity, both as man and musician, far beyond his years.
The sound has been superbly restored and the documentation is excellent. This boxed set is a template for how all classical music reissues should be handled. This set is indispensable for all lovers of piano music.
A must-have collection
July 27 1999
This is one of the most remarkable classical CD collections ever released, and is an absolute must-have for piano afficionados. Many CD boxed sets claim to be historically important; this one most assuredly is. Kapell was America's first great pianist, and remains at the pinnacle, almost 50 years after his tragic death at age 31. As a previous reviewer noted, there is too much material on these CDs to comment on in-depth, but I'll just say that most of the recordings here are definitive, which is quite remarkable, considering that many of these works have been recorded by scores of pianists, including greats such as Horowitz, Rubinstein, and others. Precious in this collection are Kapell's recordings of Bach and Schubert made in his last year. These show him as a pianist who, while capable of dazzling a stadium-sized crowd with stunning, instrument-damaging pyrotechnics, could also play with a crystalline and intimate purity, heart-to-heart, as if there were only one listener in the room. Highly, highly recommended.
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Most recent customer reviews
North America's First Great Pianist Sets the Tone
Before Van Cliburn and Glenn Gould took their rightful places on the concert stage, there was William Kapell. His recordings heretofore have been piece meal and sparse. Read more
Published on July 9 1999
A must-have for any lover of classical piano music!
Producer Jon Samuels and BMG have earned the heartfelt thanks of Kapell fans for scouring the RCA vaults for these Kapell treasures. Read more
Published on Mar 5 1999
This release is a masterful and long-awaited job
An excellent remastering job on the performances of a top classical pianist whos death was untimely. Read more
Published on Jan 27 1999
Extraordinary Technique Fine Musicality
Kapell's recordings have been sporadically available until now, but the limited sonics pretty much spoilt any attempt to hear the music. Read more
Published on Dec 11 1998
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