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Arthur Rubinstein: The Complete Album Collection

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yoker

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Jan 17, 2012, 4:02:45 PM1/17/12
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Product Details
Audio CD (January 31, 2012)
Number of Discs: 144
Label: SONY MASTERWORKS
Price: less than $300 USD.

http:www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005G0ETV0/
ref=pe_181060_22428430_nrn_ln

From December on, "Arthur Rubinstein The Complete Album Collection"
will be the world's biggest CD edition for a solo artist according to
Guinness World Records (TM). It features all the legendary pianist's
issued recordings made by RCA Victor between 1940 and 1976, and
includes one LP issued on the DECCA label in 1978. The collection also
includes the recordings Rubinstein made in England for the English
label His Master's Voice (HMV) between 1928 and 1940, most of which
were released in the United States by RCA on its Victor label. The
collection includes complete studio and live performances, solo,
concerto and chamber music repertoire in reproductions of original LP
sleeves and labels, the earlier recordings, initially released on 78-
rpm discs, appear in three sets with 14 CDs in the edition.
The bonus CDs in this edition (CDs 140-142) contain recordings of his
legendary 1961 cycle of ten concerts at New York's Carnegie Hall. They
include four works that Rubinstein had never before committed to disc
plus two others that represent brand-new additions to his RCA
discography.

This edition also boasts the finest sound quality ever bestowed on
Arthur Rubinstein's complete recordings. The masters for the principal
works in the collection come from the series of Living Stereo SACDs
and Japanese XRCDs. All the other recordings are based on masters from
the Rubinstein Collection of 1999, technically and sonically
refurbished for this edition. In cases where the desired results could
not be obtained, Sony Classical has gone back to the original analogue
tapes.

The 164-page full-colored hardcover book in landscape format includes
new liner notes by Rubinstein biographer Harvey Sachs, photos shot or
selected by Arthur Rubinstein's daughter Eva Rubinstein, an essay
about the legendary 1961 Carnegie Hall concerts, complete discography
in alphabetical and chronological order featuring 78s, 45s and LPs and
track listings with complete discographical notes, producer names and
matrix nos.

The two bonus DVDs are "Rubinstein Remembered", a documentary tracing
the great pianist's life from his origins in Łódź, Poland, through his
final concert there in 1975, with interviews from family and friends,
newsreels, home movies, TV interviews and performance footage.
Narrated by Rubinstein's son John Rubinstein and produced by Peter
Rosen and the "The Benefit Recital for Israel 1976" recorded at
Ambassador College, Pasadena, California on Jan 15, 1975 featuring
works by Beethoven, Schumann, Debussy, Chopin and Mendelssohn.

The "Arthur Rubinstein Complete Album Collection" consists almost
entirely of reproductions of vinyl LPs in their original sleeves. The
few exceptions that were only released on CD retain their original CD
cover. Thus for the first time ever, music lovers have the opportunity
of discovering every single one of Rubinstein's original albums in a
single issue.

Hank Drake

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Jan 17, 2012, 5:37:53 PM1/17/12
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I received mine last Wednesday. It essentially duplicates the
material of RCA's 1999 boxed set, subtracting the 1964 Moscow Recital,
but adding three CDs of new material, and two DVDs. I haven't had
time to listen to all the discs, but have liberally sampled from
various eras - the sound is essentially the same as the 1999 set - at
about 1/5 the price.

However, my set was missing disc and sleeve for 94, missing disc 11,
with two copies of disc 13.

http://www.amazon.com/review/RJTC8WETQI5XX/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm

Hank

Kimba W Lion

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Jan 17, 2012, 5:41:19 PM1/17/12
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yoker <yok...@yahoo.com> wrote:

>Product Details
>Audio CD (January 31, 2012)
>Number of Discs: 144
>Label: SONY MASTERWORKS
>Price: less than $300 USD.
>
http://tinyurl.com/completeRubinstein

[broken link replaced with tiny link pointing to Amazon page]

I'd love to get that set, but I think the state lottery will have to cooperate
with me first.

Randy Lane

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Jan 17, 2012, 5:42:57 PM1/17/12
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On Jan 17, 2:37 pm, Hank Drake <hankdrake44...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I received mine last Wednesday.  It essentially duplicates the
> material of RCA's 1999 boxed set, subtracting the 1964 Moscow Recital,
> but adding three CDs of new material, and two DVDs.  I haven't had
> time to listen to all the discs, but have liberally sampled from
> various eras - the sound is essentially the same as the 1999 set - at
> about 1/5 the price.
>
> However, my set was missing disc and sleeve for 94, missing disc 11,
> with two copies of disc 13.

Was disc 11 missing altogether, or was the duplicate of disc 13 where
disc 11 should have been?

David Fox

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Jan 17, 2012, 5:46:30 PM1/17/12
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On Jan 17, 2:37 pm, Hank Drake <hankdrake44...@gmail.com> wrote:
The Moscow Recital is available on DVD, complete with memory lapse in
the second
movement of the Chopin Op. 35 Sonata that was edited out in the 1999
AR edition:

http://amzn.to/wwWwxb

DF

David Fox

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Jan 17, 2012, 5:49:23 PM1/17/12
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Two questions for those that have already received the new box:

1. What are the contents of CD's 140-142?

2. Vol 82 of the previous Rubinstein Collection had several items
that were never released previously,
including a 1939 Saint-Saens 2nd PC from Paris and several interviews
from the 1960's. Were these items included in the new box?

DF

Matthew B. Tepper

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Jan 18, 2012, 1:49:12 AM1/18/12
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David Fox <davidf...@yahoo.com> appears to have caused the following
letters to be typed in news:03a1d2bd-9537-4148-80de-17d1267652d4
@b4g2000pbi.googlegroups.com:

> Two questions for those that have already received the new box:
>
> 1. What are the contents of CD's 140-142?

I'm particularly curious to know whether they include the stereo remake of
Szymanowski's Symphonie Concertante. Laszlo Varga told me that this work was
included in the famous "midnight sessions" which followed the concerts.

> 2. Vol 82 of the previous Rubinstein Collection had several items that
> were never released previously, including a 1939 Saint-Saens 2nd PC from
> Paris and several interviews from the 1960's. Were these items included in
> the new box?

--
Matthew B. Tepper: WWW, science fiction, classical music, ducks!
Read about "Proty" here: http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/proty.html
To write to me, do for my address what Androcles did for the lion
Opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of my employers

Hank Drake

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Jan 18, 2012, 12:01:28 PM1/18/12
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To answer Randy's question first: disc 13 was in disc 11's slot, and
also in its own slot. I've heard from others who've had similar
problems.

Here are the track lists for the three new CDs - all were recorded at
the ten Carnegie Hall recitals Rubinstein gave in 1961:

CD 140:
1. Debussy: L'Isle joyeuse
2. Debussy: La plus que lente
3. Debussy: Preludes, Book II - No. 8, Ondine
4. Albeniz: Triana
5. Falla: el amor brujo: No. 11, Dance of Terror
6. Falla: The Three-Cornered Hat: Dance of the Miller's Wife
7. Granados: The Maiden and the Nightingale
8. Liszt: Harmonies Poetiques et Religieuses - No. 7, Funerailles
9. Liszt: Valse oubliee No. l in F sharp Minor
10. Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12 in C sharp Minor
11. Scriabin: Nocturne for the Left-hand alone in D flat, Op. 9, No.
2
12-14. Stravinsky-Rubinstein: Petrouchka - Three Scenes 11-1-61 14:51

CD 141:
1. J. S. Bach-Busoni: Violin Partita No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1004 –
Chaconne
2-6. Brahms: Piano Sonata No. 3 in F Minor, Op. 5
7. Brahms: Intermezzo in B flat, Op. 117, No. 2
8. Brahms: Intermezzo in A, Op. 118, No. 2
9. Brahms: Intermezzo in E flat Minor, Op. 118, No. 6
10. Chopin: Mazurka in D, Op. 33, No. 2
11. Chopin: Nocturne No. 8 in D flat, Op. 27, No. 2
12. Schubert: Impromptu No. 4 in A flat, D. 899, No. 4, Op. 90, No. 4

CD 142:
1-4. Chopin: Sonata No. 2 in B flat Minor, Op. 35, ''Funeral March''
5. Chopin: Prelude No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 28, No. 4
6. Chopin: Prelude No. 8 in F sharp Minor, Op. 28, No. 8
7. Chopin: Prelude No. 15 in D flat, Op. 28, No. 15, ''Raindrop''
8. Chopin: Prelude No. 21 in B flat, Op. 28, No. 21
9. Chopin: Prelude No. 23 in F, Op. 28, No. 23
10. Chopin: Prelude No. 24 in D Minor, Op. 28, No. 24
11. Chopin: Berceuse in D flat, Op. 57
12. Chopin: Polonaise-Fantasie in A flat, Op. 61
13. Chopin: Fantasie-lmpromptu in C sharp Minor, Op. 66
14. Chopin: Etude No. 14 in F Minor, Op. 25, No. 2
15. Chopin: Etude No. 15 in F, Op. 25, No. 3
16. Chopin: Etude No. 12 in C Minor, Op. 10, No. 12,
''Revolutionary''
17. Chopin: Polonaise No. 6 in A flat, Op. 53, ''Heroic''

The entire contents of Volume 82 from the 1999 Rubinstein collection
are included.

On Jan 17, 5:49 pm, David Fox <davidfox2...@yahoo.com> wrote:

>
> Two questions for those that have already received the new box:
>
> 1.  What are the contents of CD's 140-142?
>
> 2.  Vol 82 of the previous Rubinstein Collection had several items
> that were never released previously,
> including a 1939 Saint-Saens 2nd PC from Paris and several interviews
> from the 1960's.  Were these items included in the new box?
>
> DF- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Frank Berger

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Jan 18, 2012, 12:53:32 PM1/18/12
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Matthew B. Tepper wrote:
> David Fox <davidf...@yahoo.com> appears to have caused the
> following letters to be typed in
> news:03a1d2bd-9537-4148-80de-17d1267652d4
> @b4g2000pbi.googlegroups.com:
>
>> Two questions for those that have already received the new box:
>>
>> 1. What are the contents of CD's 140-142?
>
> I'm particularly curious to know whether they include the stereo
> remake of Szymanowski's Symphonie Concertante. Laszlo Varga told me
> that this work was included in the famous "midnight sessions" which
> followed the concerts.
>
>> 2. Vol 82 of the previous Rubinstein Collection had several items
>> that were never released previously, including a 1939 Saint-Saens
>> 2nd PC from Paris and several interviews from the 1960's. Were
>> these items included in the new box?

That Saint-Saens concerto was also released on Testament.

David Fox

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Jan 18, 2012, 1:27:34 PM1/18/12
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Thanks, Hank!

DF

Randy Lane

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Jan 18, 2012, 1:47:43 PM1/18/12
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On Jan 18, 9:01 am, Hank Drake <hankdrake44...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Thanks Hank.
I checked my box this morning.
Disc #11 was in its slot, as well as #13.
And I have #94.
I plan a thorough exam in the next few days.
Meanwhile, I am curious where you obtained your box from.
And I wonder if a discovery of these missing items is the reason the
availability in the USA was delayed 6-7 weeks at the last minute. It
could be that Sony figured out which production run(s) had the missing/
wrong items and recalled them, creating a temporary shortage.
I got mine from Amazon.fr.

Matthew B. Tepper

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Jan 18, 2012, 3:29:22 PM1/18/12
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"Frank Berger" <frankd...@gmail.com> appears to have caused the
following letters to be typed in
news:ULGdnWEfQrqCmorS...@supernews.com:
Coupled with the 1947 Beethoven PC #4 with Beecham (which HAD been issued
many times previously) ... and which had cadenzas by Saint-Saëns.

--
Matthew B. Tepper: WWW, science fiction, classical music, ducks!!
Read about "Proty" here: http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/proty.html
To write to me, do for my address what Androcles did for the lion
Opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of my employers.

Matthew B. Tepper

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Jan 18, 2012, 3:29:23 PM1/18/12
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Hank Drake <hankdra...@gmail.com> appears to have caused the following
letters to be typed in news:2c6af6f6-d15a-4ad6-8134-bfe053279400
@v14g2000yqh.googlegroups.com:

> Here are the track lists for the three new CDs - all were recorded at
> the ten Carnegie Hall recitals Rubinstein gave in 1961:

Thanks. They're from the solo recitals; for some reason, I wondered whether
any of those concerto concerts would be included. Now I know.

Hank Drake

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Jan 18, 2012, 3:26:53 PM1/18/12
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I got mine via Arkiv Music. I had originally ordered via American
Amazon, but when it became available at Arkiv for only $10 more, I
cancelled that and ordered via Arkiv. As soon as I discovered the
problem, I sent a note to Arkiv's service dept, have received an
automated reply, and nothing since.

Hank

Mort

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Jan 18, 2012, 5:32:56 PM1/18/12
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Hank Drake wrote:
> I received mine last Wednesday. It essentially duplicates the
> material of RCA's 1999 boxed set, subtracting the 1964 Moscow Recital,
> but adding three CDs of new material, and two DVDs. I haven't had
> time to listen to all the discs, but have liberally sampled from
> various eras - the sound is essentially the same as the 1999 set - at
> about 1/5 the price.

Hi,

Despite all the hoopla about improved sound, I find the sound on the new
box essentially the same as on the old box, = mostly rather good. It
certainly seems to be a bargain, but as I said before, CDs as short as
29 minutes make it less of a bargain than it would be with more music
per disc.

Nevertheless, it is still a marvelous box set, and I'm glad that I got it.

Good listening.

Mort Linder

pianomaven

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Jan 18, 2012, 6:36:14 PM1/18/12
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I have not doubt there is no change. You can only do so much with old
tapes and Sony wouldn't spend money for no real reason.

However, as an owner of the early box, I am still interested in the CH
recital material. The list includes a Petrouchka, which Stravinsky
dedicated to AR.

I hope that Sony BMG finally releases these items separately. Although
I don't really hold out much hope for such a release.

I simply won't spend $300. for three CDs.

TD

Hank Drake

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Jan 19, 2012, 10:30:57 AM1/19/12
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Just wanted to update that I received an email from Arkiv's service
department that they will be mailing the missing discs immediately.

TD: I certainly hope Sony will put out the three new discs
separately. The Stravinsky is an astonishing, if unpolished,
performance and something of a "holy grail" for Rubinstein admirers.
But, judging by Sony's past treatment of this type of thing - such as
Volume 82 in the 1999 Rubinstein collection, and the 1951 & 1967
recitals in the Horowitz box, I don't expect it.

I didn't have space in my review to go into detail about the
remastering. Despite the hoopla over the SACD transfers for the
Living Stereo items, I can't tell a dime's worth of difference between
them and the 1999 version. I bought my first CD player in 1986 and
purchased the early RCA issues of Rubinstein material. The solo
recordings were mostly okay, but many of the concerto recordings were
constricted. The later concerto recordings with Leinsdorf and Ormandy
sounded TERRIBLE - very artificial, no doubt because of the
multimiking which put the piano in the listener's lap. I have some of
those recordings on LP and that was a problem from the start. Jon
Samuels' 1999 remastering resolved those issues and the results were a
more natural sound, with better balance and more "bloom." Not all the
recordings sound perfect, but I can't imagine another go at the
remastering would make them sound substantially better - and I doubt
it's worth the cost and increased price point to get a 2% improvement
in sound.

For the three new CDs, matters are more complicated. It turns out
that, after RCA recorded the ten 1961 recitals, Rubinstein listened to
the tapes and approved the release of one LP's worth of music from
five different concerts. After RCA issued the album, they took the
unused material - and pitched it. Over the decades, a few more pieces
in RCA's archives were issued with Rubinstein's approval, such as
Schumann's Symphonic Etudes and Albeniz' Navarra. Much of the new
material comes from John Rubinstein's collection of mono tapes. I
would call the sound on these acceptable, and probably the best that
could be done given the age and condition of the tapes: thankfully
there are no problems with dropouts, pitch changes - but there is less
color in the mono than in the stereo items - which come from the tapes
RCA decided not to throw in the trash.

Hank

pianomaven

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Jan 19, 2012, 11:57:04 AM1/19/12
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So much for respecting the artist's own wishes.

The almighty dollar rules here. Without those additional CDs, what
incentive would anyone have to acquire the new set?

TD

Matthew B. Tepper

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Jan 19, 2012, 3:53:24 PM1/19/12
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Hank Drake <hankdra...@gmail.com> appears to have caused the following
letters to be typed in news:c79b75b8-bb95-483a-81ef-
a3ff37...@q8g2000yqa.googlegroups.com:

> For the three new CDs, matters are more complicated. It turns out that,
> after RCA recorded the ten 1961 recitals, Rubinstein listened to the
> tapes and approved the release of one LP's worth of music from five
> different concerts. After RCA issued the album, they took the unused
> material - and pitched it. Over the decades, a few more pieces in RCA's
> archives were issued with Rubinstein's approval, such as Schumann's
> Symphonic Etudes and Albeniz' Navarra. Much of the new material comes
> from John Rubinstein's collection of mono tapes. I would call the sound
> on these acceptable, and probably the best that could be done given the
> age and condition of the tapes: thankfully there are no problems with
> dropouts, pitch changes - but there is less color in the mono than in the
> stereo items - which come from the tapes RCA decided not to throw in the
> trash.
>
> Hank

Which RCA executive was responsible for trashing those tapes? Could it
possibly have been Roger Hall?

Hank Drake

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Jan 19, 2012, 5:11:34 PM1/19/12
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On Jan 19, 3:53 pm, "Matthew B. Tepper" <oyþ@earthlink.net> wrote:
> Hank Drake <hankdrake44...@gmail.com> appears to have caused the following
> letters to be typed in news:c79b75b8-bb95-483a-81ef-
> a3ff3759f...@q8g2000yqa.googlegroups.com:
I have no idea, but I'm sure glad John Rubinstein was given copies -
even if they're mono.

Hank
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