The Incomparable Rudolf Serkin (2003)

The Incomparable Rudolf Serkin is a two-disc set in a digi-pak format released in 2003 to coincide with the celebration of the great Austrian pianist's 100th birthday. The second disc in the set consists of two previously released performances, the first being Brahms' E minor Cello Sonata recorded at Kennedy Center with Mstislav Rostropovich as soloist, and the other is Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 16 in D, K. 451, with Claudio Abbado and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, made at the Grosser Saal Konzerthaus in Vienna. The ... Read More

The Incomparable Rudolf Serkin is a two-disc set in a digi-pak format released in 2003 to coincide with the celebration of the great Austrian pianist's 100th birthday. The second disc in the set consists of two previously released performances, the first being Brahms' E minor Cello Sonata recorded at Kennedy Center with Mstislav Rostropovich as soloist, and the other is Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 16 in D, K. 451, with Claudio Abbado and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, made at the Grosser Saal Konzerthaus in Vienna. The first disc was wholly new at the time of release, featuring Serkin in the last three piano sonatas of Beethoven, also recorded in Vienna, this time at a live concert. He had recorded all of the music on The Incomparable Rudolf Serkin before, with some of these pieces even multiple times, although no one can argue with the desirability of hearing an artist of Serkin's caliber perform such important works based on 50 or so years of experience playing them. Serkin made most of his best... Read Less