Since Alfred Brendel retired from performing a few years ago, I’ve been waiting for the Big Box Set of his records. It is coming soon from Decca: a 114-disc set, containing everything he recorded for Phillips and Decca over the years. (Well, not everything; it has two of his Beethoven sonata cycles out of three, but both of the Schubert cycles.) It won’t include his recordings for Vox and Turnabout, which he has said he doesn’t care for. Brendel is one of the finest pianists on record, and one of my personal favorites.
Alfred Brendel Complete Recordings (Amazon.com, Amazon UK) is currently listed at $287 or £234, and due to be released on January 8, 2016, in the UK, and on January 15 in the US. Interestingly, it’s listed at only £130 on the Decca website, so either pre-order and wait for the price to drop on Amazon, or get it directly from the label. (My bet is that the price will drop on Amazon, as is often the case.)
As the Decca website says:
“An exclusive artist for the Philips label since 1969, Brendel’s discography is now among the most extensive of any pianist, reflecting a repertoire of solo, chamber and orchestral works by the major composers from the central European tradition from Bach through to Schoenberg.
This 114 CD Edition encompasses his complete discography for Philips and Decca and includes studio albums, live recordings and radio broadcasts. The set is accompanied by a 200-page book featuring a note by Brendel’s personal choice of writer, Misha Donat.”
And if you want a complete track listing, here it is:BACH HAYDN MOZART
CD1: Bach, J.S.: Italian Concerto; Chromatic Fantasia & Fugue
CD2: Haydn: Piano Sonatas Nos. 20 & 49
CD3: Haydn: Piano Sonatas Nos. 32, 34 & 42; Fantasia in C
CD4: Haydn: Piano Sonatas Nos. 48, 50 & 51
CD5: Haydn: Piano Sonatas Nos. 37, 40 & 52; Andante con variazioni
CD6: Mozart: Piano Sonatas Nos. 8, 13 & 14
CD7: Mozart: Piano Sonata No.11; Adagio in B Minor; Duport Variations K.573
CD8: Mozart: Piano Sonatas Nos. 3, 4 & 18
CD9: Mozart: Piano Sonatas Nos. 8, 9 & 15
CD10: Mozart: Piano Sonatas Nos. 10, 11 & 17
CD11: Mozart: Piano Sonatas Nos. 12, 13 & 14
CD12: Mozart: Piano Sonatas Nos. 4 & 15
CD13: Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 5, 6 & 10
CD14: Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 7, 8 & 11
CD15: Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 9 & 12; Rondo, K.386
CD16: Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 13 & 17; Concert Rondo, K.382
CD17: Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 14, 15 & 16
CD18: Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 18 & 19
CD19: Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 20 & 21
CD20: Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 22 & 23
CD21: Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 24 & 25
CD22: Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 26 & 27
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
CD23: Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos.20 & 24
CD24: Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 22 & 27
CD25: Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 9 & 25
CD26: Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 12 & 17
Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Sir Charles Mackerras
CD27: Mozart: Piano Quartet in E flat Major & Piano Concerto No.12 (arr. for piano & string quartet)
with Alban Berg Quartet
CD28: Mozart: Ch’io mi scordi di te
Jessye Norman, Sylvia McNair, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields under Sir Neville Marriner
BEETHOVEN
CD29: Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos.1, 2 & 3 [Analogue cycle]
CD30: Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos.4, 15 & 20
CD31: Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 5, 6 & 7
CD32: Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 8, 9, 10 & 11
CD33: Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 12, 13, 14 & 19
CD34: Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 16, 17 & 18
CD35: Beethoven: Piano Spnatas Nos. 21, 22 & 23
CD36: Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 25, 24, 27 & 23
CD37: Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 29 & 26
CD38: Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 30, 31 & 32
CD39: Beethoven: Pano Sonatas Nos. 1, 2 & 4 [digital cycle]
CD40: Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos.3, 5, 6 & 8
CD41: Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 7, 9, 10 & 11
CD42: Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 12, 13, 14 & 15
CD43: Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 16, 17, 18 & 19
CD44: Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 20, 21, 22 & 23
CD45: Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 24, 25, 26, 27 & 28
CD46: Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 29 & 30
CD47: Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 31 & 32
CD48: Beethoven: Eroica Variations; Bagatelles Op.126, 6 Ecossaises WoO 83, 6 Piano Variations in F Op.34, etc.
CD49: Beethoven: Bagatelles Op.33, 119 & 126
CD50: Beethoven: Diabelli Variations (1988)
CD51: Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2
CD52: Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 3 & 4
CD53: Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.5 – Emperor”; Fantasia, Op.80
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Bernard Haitink
CD54: Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 4
CD55: Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3
CD56: Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.5 – “Emperor”
Wiener Philharmoniker, Sir Simon Rattle
SCHUBERT SCHUMANN LISZT BRAHMS
CD57: Schubert: Piano Sonatas Nos. 4, 9 & 13 (analogue)
CD58: Schubert: Piano Sonatas Nos. 14 & 16; Piano Sonata in C, D.840 (analogue)
CD59: Schubert: Piano Sonatas Nos. 17 & 18 (analogue)
CD60: Schubert: Piano Sonatas Nos. 19 & 20 (analogue)
CD61: Schubert: Piano Sonata No.21; 3 Klavierstüke, D.946 (analogue)
CD62: Schubert: 4 Impromptus, D.899; 4 Impromptus, D.935 (analogue)
CD63: Schubert: Wanderer Fantasy; 6 Moments Musicaux, D.780 (analogue)
CD64: Schubert: Piano Sonatas Nos. 17 & 14 (digital)
CD65: Schubert: Piano Sonata No.20 in A Major, D.959 (digital)
CD66: Schubert: Piano Sonata No.19; 6 Moments Musicaux (digital)
CD67: Schubert: Piano Sonata No.16; Klavierstücke, D.946 (digital)
CD68: Schubert: Four Impromptus, D.90; Four Impromptus, D.935 (digital)
CD69: Schubert: Piano Sonata No.18; Piano Sonata in C, D.840 (digital)
CD70: Schubert: Piano Sonata No.21; Wanderer Fantasy (digital)
CD71: Weber: Konzertstück in F Minor; Piano Sonata No.2
CD72: Schumann: Piano Concerto; Fantasie
London Symphony Orchestra, Claudio Abbado
CD73: Schumann: Piano Concerto, Fantasie
Philharmonia Orchestra, Kurt Sanderling
CD74: Schumann: Kreisleriana; Kinderszenen
CD75: Schumann: Symphonic Studies; Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition, etc.
CD76: Liszt: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 + Totentanz, etc.
CD77-78: Liszt: Sonata; Années:Italie
CD79: Liszt: Années de pélerinage – Suisse
CD80: Liszt: Années de pèlerinage
CD81: Liszt: Harmonies poétiques et religieuses
CD82: Brahms: Piano Concerto No.1 in D Minor
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt
CD83: Brahms: Piano Concerto No.1 in D Minor, Theme and Variations in D minor from String Sextet, Op. 18
Berliner Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado
CD84: Brahms: Piano Concerto No.2 in B Flat Major
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink
CD85: Brahms: Piano Concerto No.2 in B Flat Major
Berliner Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado
CD86: Schoenberg: Piano Concerto; Busoni: Toccata; Berg: Piano Sonata, Op.1; Schoenberg: Piano Concerto*
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Rafael Kubelik
*SWF Sinfonie Orchester Baden-Baden, Michael Gielen
CHAMBER MUSIC & LIVE RECORDINGS
CD87: Mozart Quintet in E-flat major K452 & Beethoven Quintet in E-flat major, Op.16 with Heinz Holliger, Eduard Brunner, Hermann Baumann, Klaus Thunemann
CD88-89: Beethoven: Complete Works for Piano & Cello
with Adrian Brendel
CD90: Schubert: Trout Quintet
with Cleveland Quartet
CD91: Schubert: Trout quintet & Mozart: Piano Quartet In G Minor
Thomas Zehetmair, Tabea Zimmermann, Richard Duven, Peter Riegelbauer
CD92: Schumann: Works for Oboe and Piano
with Heinz Holliger
CD93: Schubert: Lieder
with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
CD94: Schubert: Schwanengesang
with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
CD95: Beethoven: An die ferne Geliebte & Schubert: Schwanengesang
with Matthias Goerne
CD96: Schubert: Winterreise
with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
CD97: Schubert: Winterreise
with Matthias Goerne
CD98: Schumann: Dichterliebe (Waechter)
with Eberhard Wachter
CD99: Schumann: Dichterliebe & Liederkreis
with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
CD100: Beethoven: Diabelli Variations (1976 Live)
CD101: Beethoven: Diabelli Variations (2001 Live)
CD102: Beethoven: Piano Sonatas opp.106 & 78
CD103: Bach, Haydn & Beethoven Recital
CD104-105: Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 18; Piano Sonata no. 9; Piano Sonata No. 20; Piano Sonata No. 21 (Live)
CD106: Live in Salzburg: Haydn: Variations in F Minor; Piano Sonata in C H.XVI no. 50, Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 14 in A Minor; Piano Sonata in C, D.840, Wagner/Liszt: Isoldes Liebstod (piano transcription)
CD107: Chopin Andante Spianato and Grand Polonaise in E flat op.22/ Mendelssohn: Variations sérieuses op.54 / Busoni: Seven Elegies / Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.28 op.101 [BBC]
CD108-110: Beethoven Piano Concertos Nos. 1-5
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, James Levine
CD111: Birthday Tribute Disc 1: Brahms: Piano Concerto no. 1,
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Colin Davis
CD112: Birthday Tribute Disc 2: Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 25 K.503*;Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 31; Schubert: Impromptu No. 1 in F Minor (from 4 Impromputs Op. 142)
*SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg, Hans Zender
CD113-114: Farewell Concerts: Mozart: Piano Concerto no. 9*; Haydn: Variations in F Minor; Mozart: Piano Sonata no. 15; Beethoven: Piano Sonata no. 13; Schubert: Piano Sonata no. 21; Beethoven: 4. Andante (from 7 Bagatelles op. 33); Schubert: No. 3 in G Flat Major (from 4 Impromptus op. 90); Bach: Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland BWV 659
*Wiener Philharmoniker, Sir Charles Mackerras