Klavier



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				Founded in the 1970's, Klavier was originally set up to record keyboard music of a special type. In the early part of the century, famous pianists had "recorded" their performances on the reproducing piano, a high-tech version of the player piano. A reproducing piano was set up in a concert hall, and recorded in modern stereo. Conventional classical recordings followed. A number of these recordings were done by Keith O. Johnson, who would later make Reference Recordings famous. Today's Klavier is making modern classical recordings, however, sometimes with some of the world's finest artists. Remember...all of the recordings on this list are recommended by UHF. CLICK THE CART TO REVIEW SHOPPING CART Records shown in red are used by UHF Magazine in its tests of audio equipment. Ghosts The title suite is a set of haunting music for wind band, and it is horrifyingly effective. The dynamics and depth are a challeng for any system, but a delight for the ear. Highly recommended CD: K11150 $21.00 Norman Dello Joio This contemporary composer has long written delightful music for wind band, exploring the sensual, tactile timbres of wind instruments and percussion. This is some of his best work, played in majestic fashion by the Keystone Wind Ensemble, with some of the best sound to be sound on CD. Includes an interview with Dello Joio, by the way. CD: K11138 $21.00 Carmina Burana This is a goosebump-inducing choral work from Carl Orff, and the huge orchestra and chorus from Texas serve it up on a grand scale. The sound is sumptuous, with both clarity and grandeur. CD: K 11136 $21.00 Harp Spectacular Spectacular? Believe it! But this recording is now replaced by Caprice (below), a virtually identical recording, though with the selection order changed. Caprice There is hardly a major harpist in ther world who has not studied with Susann McDonald. On this famous recording, made some years back by Keith Johnson (who would later move on to Reference Recordings), she demonstrates how explosive the sound of this remarkable instrument can be. Superb digital transfer by Bruce Leek. CD: K-11133 $21.00 Sonatas for Flute and Harp These same great artists with sonatas by Krumpholz and Damase, as well as Spohr and Glinka. Oh yes, and a spectacular solo harp version of Ibert's hilarious Entr'acte. CD: KCD-11015 $21.00 Misbehavin' The Denver Brass plays Gershwin, Carlos Gardel (a tango, of course), and lots more with joy and pizzazz. Click here to read the full UHF review CD: K77034 $21.00 Alma Latina Literally "Latin soul," this is a collection of Brazilian and other Latin music for cello with piano accompaniment. Supremely beautiful, with a perfectly balanced recording by Bruce Leek. Click here to read the full UHF review CD: K11125 $21.00 Hemispheres An unexpected find: the (superb) North Texas Wind Symphony plays a number of surprising modern works, by Daniel McCarthy, Scott Lindroth, and others. Lifelike sound. Click here to read the full UHF review CD: K11137 $21.00 Illuminations Absolutely great chamber musicians take on nusic by Villa-Lobos, Malcolm Arnold and some composers you may not know but be glad you discovered. Sublime sound, nothing less. Click here to read the full UHF review CD: K11135 $21.00 Obseción The Trio Amadé plays works from Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein and Astor Piazzolla, in a vivid performance mastered by Bruce Leek. CD: KCD-11053 $21.00 Poetics The North Texas Wind Symphony, which has become a wind band powerhouse under its conductor, Eugene Migliaro Corporon, plays four dazzling works, including Schwantner's Percussion Concerto. CD: KCD-11153 $21.00 Mozart Serenade and Divertimenti Lowell Graham (of Center Stage fame, on Wilson Audio) conducts a glowing version of these Mozart pieces, including the famous "Grand Partita." The engineering, by Bruce Leek, is absolutely first-rate. CD: KCD-11104 $21.00 Kickin' the Clouds Away Sure, Gershwin died more than 60 years ago, but that doesn't mean you can't hear him playing piano in glowing stereo sound. Nineteen of his pieces are on this fine CD, including a solo piano version of the Rhapsody in Blue. CD: K-77031 $21.00 Premiere Evening Lowell Graham conducts the American Promenade Orchestra in expertly rendered light classics, including the Overture to The Merry Wives of Windsor, an overture by Busoni, and even a world premiere of Lalo's Arlequin. Nice stuff. CD: KCD-11053 $21.00 Paderewski Plays Beethoven, Liszt, etc. The magic of the reproducing piano gives us a fine stereo recording of the legendary pianist doing a Beethoven sonata, and works by Debussy, Mendelssohn and Wagner, among others. CD: KCD-11018 $21.00 Paderewski Plays Concert I Music by Chopin, Schubert and Debussy played by one of the greatest pianists of the century. A certain lack of nuance by modern standards, but a towering interpretation, and a thrill to hear. LP: KS-127 $12.00 Baroque Recorder Vol.1 Hans Martin Linde plays pieces by Vivaldi and Telemann for solo recorder. LP: KS-511 $12.00 The Very Young Arthur Rubinstein, vol.1 Sure, there are stereo recordings of Rubinstein, but what if you could hear the way he played in the early 1920's...still in stereo? This is a program of Chopin, Schumann and Brahms. The recording is from acclaimed engineer Bruce Leek. LP: KD-138 $18.00 SOLD OUT The Very Young Arthur Rubinstein, vol.2 More of Rubinstein from the same period: Rimsky-Korsakov, Prokofiev, Chopin, Debussy, and more. LP: KD-139 $18.00 Percy Grainger Plays Grieg Via the Duo-Arte reproducing piano, composer and pianist Percy Grainger plays, in excellent stereo, several Grieg pieces, including an arrangement of the A Minor concerto. LP: KS-101 $18.00 Rachmaninoff - Concert II Most Rachmaninoff records are dim and scratchy. This one is in brillant hi-fi, thanks to the reproducing piano. Yet all the delicious nuances are there. He plays short pieces by such composers as Schubert and Mendelssohn,, as well as his own. CD: KCD-11027 $24.00 Percy Grainger Plays Schumann & Liszt Grainger was himself a famous composer, but here we hear him play a Schumann Symphonic Etude with a light touch and astonishing subtlety. On the same program: a Romance by Schumann, plus a Polonaise and a Hungarian Rhapsody by Liszt. This disc is at once interesting and pleasing to the ear. Get it! LP: KS-109 $18.00 Schumann Sonatas 1 and 3 These two sonatas are played by Harold Bauer and Percy Grainger respectively. They are in modern stereo, thanks to Aeolian Duo-Art reproducing piano. LP: KS-105 $12.00 Legendary Artists: 4 Hands v.1 Famous names of the early part of the century: Dame Myra Hess, Cyril Meir Scott, Ralph Leopold, Harold Bauer and others. The playing is disappointing, but this is a valuable historical document. LP: KS-102 $12.00 Legendary Pianists, Concert 2 Joseph Hoffmann, Percy Grainger and Harold Bauer play Chopin, Debussy, Brahms, Schubert, and lots more. LP: KS-121 $12.00 Josef Lhevinne Plays Concert I Despite his reputation, Lhevinne plays Chopin, Beethoven, Liszt and Schumann in a style that doesn't cut it today. Historical document. LP: KS-104 $12.00 Ignaz Friedman: Concert II The Invitation to the Dance, La Campanella and several of Friedman's own works...played with a leaden hand. Historical document. LP: KS-115 $12.00 Bauer: Beethoven, Brahms & Liszt Harold Bauer came out of the 19th Century piano tradition, and our modern ears find his notes hard and flat. Fascinating historical document, though, recommended for those fascinated by the history of piano playing. LP: KS-130 $12.00 Legendary Artists: 4 Hands v.2 Walter Damrosch, Percy Grainger and seven others. The disc is listenable, but it's mainly useful for hearing the taste of the time. LP: KS-132 $12.00 SOLD OUT ALL PRICES SHOWN IN CANADIAN DOLLARS. FOR RECORD ORDERING INFORMATION, IN CANADA OR ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, GO BACK TO THE MAIN AUDIOPHILE STORE PAGE.