Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli - The Vatican Recordings:

Advantages: A discovery unforgettable
Disadvantages: Nothing

...(Rewrite on 09/07/2001) Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (great italian "virtuoso") spent his life to search a kind of perfection during interpretations. He knew this perfection to be impossible but, for him, "perfection" was union between composer and player. Then,this perfection isn't impossible... Glenn Gould tryed the same sound by his pianos: in this way he was very careful to music structure: beauty of musical phrases, to give a geometrical "presence" to music a.s.o. Of course his Bach interpretations (but Beethoven and Mozart also), even if on a piano and not on a harpsichord or "fortepiano" , are excellent. Michelangeli is on the other side of the moon... His Chopin is mysterious, full of shadows and, in some compositions, unknowable. But, how does Michelangeli obtain this wonderful result? To answer it is simple and very... Read review

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Advantages: One of the finest casts ever
Disadvantages: Mono Sound, that's all

...MOZART - COSI FAN TUTTE - KARJAN EMI PLEASE COMMENT ON THIS REVIEW SO I CAN IMPROVE MY REVIEWS IN THE FUTURE!!! When critics line up the best available recordings of Mozart's superb comic opera "Così fan tutte" two recordings are almost invariably up there, Karl Böhm's second recording from 1962 (EMI - Stereo) and Herbert von Karajan's recording from 1954 (EMI - Mono). The remarkable Elisabeth Schwarzkopf is present in both recording as the charming Fiordiligi. I prefer her fresher voice in 1954 but she, like the other artists in the Böhm recording, benefit from the fresh stereo sound. One of the glories of the gramophone is Schwarzkopf, Merriman and Bruscantini in "Soave sia il vento" - simply breathtaking as regards phrasing, beauty of tone and the organic feeling to the ensemble. Giuseppe Taddei (Böhm) and Rolando Panerai (Karajan... Read review

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Advantages: Track 6
Disadvantages: Only an EP - can't play to the kids

...Half Man Half Biscuit for those that don't know come from Liverpool where all the best music ever comes from. They know everything there is to know about music and have numerous references to everything and anything in their songs. This is one of the latest creations from the band. All HMHB tunes are of variable quality recording wise, but you will laugh and unlike a lot of comedy songs you can listen to this many many more times. 6 Tracks: 1) Bob Wilson - Anchorman - A tirade of a song about how Bob Wilson on ITV ever got to be a sports presenter. The rhymes on this song are inspired. Hard fast rock track I've been to Kent, Gwent And Senegal, I've even been to look for Jim Rosenthal - Found him on his knees at the Wailing Wall crying "Bob Wilson - Anchorman!" 2) On Passing Lilac Urine - a little folky song about English... Read review

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