Product Review

The Complete EMI Recordings 1950-1991 (56 CDs)
Beyond Aldo Ciccolini's two best selling complete Satie

recordings and other proofs of this natural affinity with

the French repertoire (which put him very much in tune with

the artistic policy of French EMI under the leadership of

Rene Challan, Eric Macleod and Greco Casadesus), or his

unflashy Liszt- the ideal alternative to someone like

Georges Cziffra- the public knows surprisingly little of

the recordings that Ciccolini made for EMI between 1950 and

1991.

In 1950, as victor of the 1949 Marguerite Long Competition,

the 25-year-old Ciccolini recorded his first 78; it was

devoted to Scarlatti, a composer to whom he later returned.

Following soon afterwards was Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto

No.1, conducted by Andre Cluytens- the pianist asked for

the tapes of the second concerto to be destroyed, since he

did not like the piece - and then produced an anthology of

Mozart sonatas which has a finesse, balance and sonic

splendor still typical of Ciccolini's concert performances

today.

The 56 CD collection contains numerous items which have become available for the first time (such as Mozart sonatas and Bach Inventions previously only released in Japan, or his first Debussy disc, dating from 1969), or which have never been released, such as the magnificent Pictures at an Exhibition recorded in 1976. With particular care taken over the transfers, including remastering of all the late recordings, this box will convince any remaining skeptics that Aldo Ciccolini, though born in Naples, holds a place at the very summit of French pianism.