Review (5/5): includes some of Arrau's greatest recordings
Because this reissue of most of Claudio Arrau's Columbia recordings is only fleetingly available, I'm not going to spend alot of time extolling its virtues. The period covered here, 1946-1950, was an extremely fruitful one for the pianist, who played brilliantly and with characteristic deep feeling. The four discs collected here includes some of the greatest Debussy ever recorded by anyone: the two books of Images, from 1949, along with Pour le Piano and Estampes. Here also are the first two movements of Gaspard de la Nuit - why Arrau never made it to Scarbo is anyone's guess, since he continued to play the full suite in recital (e.g. [[ASIN:B00000JHN1 Claudio Arrau: Brahms, Ravel, Liszt, & Chopin Piano Works]]). The recordings of the first two books of Albeniz's Iberia have been reissued in various anthologies; they are far and away the most colorful and sensuous I've ever heard. This is all desert island stuff. Included too are the pianist's first recordings of Kreisleriana and Chopin's Preludes, both fabulous, along with Beethoven's Waldstein and Les Adieux sonatas.
The sound is impressive for its time and United Archives' restoration is excellent. It's a mystery why Sony hasn't reissued these classic recordings, a near-crime that should have been rectified long ago.
Five stars is an understatement.