Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Wiener Symphoniker, Carlo Maria Giulini – Beethoven: Piano Concertos 1, 3 & 5 (Japan 2017) [SACD / Deutsche Grammophon – PROC-2070/1]
Title: Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Wiener Symphoniker, Carlo Maria Giulini – Beethoven: Piano Concertos 1, 3 & 5 (Japan 2017)
Genre: Classical
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC
This Japanese double-disc SACD compilation revives the artistry of Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, considered one of the twentieth century’s greatest pianists, performing Beethoven’s Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 3, and 5 with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra under Carlo Maria Giulini, alongside his 1972 session recording of Piano Sonata No. 4. Recorded live in Vienna in 1979 for a TV broadcast, the rare concerto performances capture the vivid presence and audience atmosphere, enhanced by DG’s superb analog recording and remixed from a new 16-channel multi-track into two channels for this release. Newly mastered from the original analog tapes with high-quality DSD and PCM digitization, this SACD—featuring the world’s first SACD conversion for two tracks on Disc 2—delivers rich overtones, a realistic sound field, and the Musikvereinsaal’s beautiful reverberation, complete with applause and afterglow. Michelangeli’s precise, poetic touch, perfectly complemented by Giulini’s sensitive conducting, creates a masterpiece of artistic perfection, making this a highly recommended audiophile treasure.