MEDTNER : The Complete Piano Sonatas · Forgotten Melodies I - II (Marc-André Hamelin) 4xCD (1998) APE (tracks), lossless

'I repeat what I said to you back in Russia: you are, in my opinion, the greatest composer of our time.' – Sergei Rachmaninov (1921)
It would be hard to overestimate the importance of this set.
Medtner's piano compositions are arguably the last area of great Romantic piano repertoire to be discovered. His music is difficult, both technically and intellectually, and does not 'play to the gallery', which may explain its neglect. But once his world has been entered it proves endlessly fascinating and compelling, his work growing in stature with every hearing until one is left in no doubt as to its overwhelming effect.
Central to his output are the 14 Piano Sonatas (though the title covers a multitude of structures and sizes) and here for the first time we have the complete cycle recorded by one artist. Hyperion    Tracklist & Credits :

BUSONI : Late Piano Music (Marc-André Hamelin) 3CD (2013) FLAC (image+.cue) lossless

The late piano works of Ferruccio Busoni can be characterized as virtuoso music par excellence, and because of their contrapuntal complexity, harmonic density, and technical difficulty, these pieces can have no greater champion than Marc-André Hamelin, the virtuoso's virtuoso. This Hyperion set of three CDs presents music that is far from well-known, and its obscurity adds another layer of unnecessary mystery. However, Hamelin is just the artist to sweep that all aside and present these seldom played pieces with clarity, precision, and élan to make them truly impressive. Busoni's music transcends any fixed style and is more than pastiche, though much of his work shows the influence of J.S. Bach, whose music Busoni frequently adapted for the modern piano and found to be a constant source of inspiration. Additionally, Busoni was a leader in the development of pantonal music, which is often confused with atonality, and worked out various ideas he described in his book, The Sketch of a New Aesthetic of Music. Hamelin is perhaps the best guide to the complicated world of Busoni, and thanks to his astonishing playing, this music communicates more directly and powerfully than many other attempts by other pianists. Hyperion's recording is clear and reasonably close to the piano, so virtually every note can be heard. Blair Sanderson
Tracklist & Credits :

BOULEZ : Rituel · Eclat · Multiples (Ensemble InterContemporain · BBC Symphony Orchestra · Pierre Boulez) (1990) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Tracklist & Credits :

MAHLER : Symphonie Nr. 9 (BBC Symphony Orchestra · Bruno Maderna) (2006) Serie BBC Legends | APE (image+.cue) lossless

A leading light of the postwar avant-garde in Europe, Bruno Maderna is chiefly remembered as one of the most important serialist composers of the 1950s and '60s. Yet Maderna's career as a conductor should not be overlooked since it was in this capacity that he established his reputation, presenting not only the newest modernist works but also masterpieces of the early years of the twentieth century. Gustav Mahler's symphonies were prominent in Maderna's repertoire, and it's not unreasonable to say that they became an obsession for him in the final years of his life. The Symphony No. 9 in D major was a favorite, and Maderna's love for this music is apparent in his surprisingly romantic interpretation with the BBC Symphony, recorded live in March 1971. One might expect a clinical reading from such a notable twelve-tone theorist and composer, but as a conductor, Maderna was all heart: intensely emotional in expression, liberal with rubato, flexible with dynamics, and utterly preoccupied with shaping long melodic lines into nearly operatic outpourings. This is not revisionist Mahler, carefully researched and fastidiously rendered to follow the composer's intentions to the letter, but Mahler as performed in the wake of the boisterous 1960s revival, full of grotesque exaggerations and histrionics, and with scarcely a thought for authenticity. As a result of his extremely subjective interpretation, Maderna's Mahler may not suit contemporary tastes; and because of the continuous tape hiss that mars this performance, those who can only enjoy all-digital studio recordings will find this CD hard to enjoy. However, this is a fascinating document of Maderna's conducting style, and collectors of important historical recordings will find great value in this package. Blair Sanderson    Tracklist & Credits :

KORNGOLD : Symphony in Fis-Dur · Abschiedslieder (Linda Finnie · BBC Philharmonic Orchestra · Edward Downes) (1993) APE (image+.cue), lossless

The two substantial selections on this Chandos release represent the early and late phases of Erich Wolfgang Korngold's impressive career and show the wide stylistic range and versatility of his work. The lush post-Romanticism of the Lieder des Abschieds, Op. 14, is typical of the youthful Korngold's music from the early '20s, and this haunting work is contemporary with his operatic masterpiece Die tote Stadt. These four orchestral songs partake of the musical language of Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss, particularly in their poignant harmonies, richly colored orchestration, and overwhelmingly melancholy moods. In contrast, the Symphony in F sharp major is a rough-hewn and problematic work that reflects the tensions of tonal modernism in the years following WWII, as well as the difficulties the composer faced in using the expanded Romantic symphonic form for the first and only time. The 1992 performance of the songs by contralto Linda Finnie and the BBC Philharmonic, conducted by Edward Downes, does justice to Korngold's tenderly lyrical side, while the same orchestra and conductor give the symphony a muscular reading that is striking in its vehemence and power. Chandos delivers excellent reproduction in both offerings, though the sound is somewhat crisper and more concentrated in the recording of the symphony. Blair Sanderson    Tracklist & Credits :