Factory-sealed, new Obi strip; everything included-Emil Gilels plays the piano, George Szell conducts the Cleveland Orchestra: Beethoven's complete piano concertos.

PART NUMBER: TDSA-8

SKU: 4997184961936

LABEL: TOWER RECORDS DEFINITION SERIES

RELEASE DATE: 12/23/2015

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A supreme performance by Gilels & Szell that has received high acclaim. New mastering delves even deeper into this masterpiece!

This release contains all five of Beethoven's piano concertos, recorded in 1968 by Gilels with Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra in his later years for the old EMI label. This is a masterpiece that has received high acclaim until now. It is a recording that has been supported since its release as a wonderful performance in which intellect, emotion, and technique are fused at the highest level. For this reissue, a master digitized at 96kHz/24bit from the original master tapes was used, and new mastering was performed separately for the SACD layer and CD layer. A permanent keepsake. This Beethoven by Gilels and Szell is a recording made in a single session in 1968 at Severance Hall, the home of the Cleveland Orchestra, and is rather rare, as it has been reissued on CD many times before. The brilliance of the performance surpasses some of Gilels' earlier recordings, and it is a masterpiece among masterpieces that stands out among the many different performances of the same work. The former EMI label made several recordings with Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra during this period. These recordings, being from Szell's final years, remain noteworthy sources, but it's true that the recording quality hasn't always been highly regarded. To reproduce the recording quality without spoiling the brilliance of the performance, this reissue features a clearer soundstage, a more realistic piano sound, and an improved field of view that highlights the excellence of the accompaniment, resulting in a sound that lets you hear the music as a whole. This will allow you to rediscover this masterpiece by revealing just how excellent Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra were, and by seeing Szell's direction. You will likely discover even more reasons why this is a masterpiece. In this series, the SACD layer offers extended high frequencies and soft nuances along with high resolution and a rich soundstage, while the CD layer offers a cohesive and solid sound with a realistic, impactful tone. The CD itself has high potential, and we believe this SACD hybrid disc, which allows you to enjoy the best of both worlds, is a product that we want to explore in the market.

-Limited Edition
-Digipak packaging (each disc in a digipak, boxed)
-SACD Hybrid Disc
-Uses newly remastered audio from 2015 (SACD layer and CD layer are mastered separately)
-Uses original jacket design
-Liner notes by Nobuyuki Matsuoka