Wilhelm Backhaus: Complete Decca Recordings

Ever since I learned of the Backhaus long-box once available in Japan, I rather hoped Decca would reissue a complete box, and they have. Beethoven sits at the center, with oft-reissued recordings. Both piano sonata cycles are included, and both are remastered. The mono cycle sounds slightly clearer, especially up top, but remains midrange focused, as the Decca Italy remastering from early in the century did. Likewise, the stereo set is a bit cleaner than the prior Original Masters reissue. Sound quality differentials are so small as to not matter. The performances remaining among the best on record. The near complete mono Beethoven piano concerto cycle, with some extraordinary support from Clemens Krauss, and the stereo set with Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt are very fine, the mono Brahms piano concertos more than that. The mostly repeat-free Diabellis are strikingly good for such a stripped-down take. The Mozart concerto is a bit heavy, but the solo works, while still a bit stern, are quite good. All of the other works in the set range from very good to some of the better versions available (eg, the Brahms Cello Sonatas with Pierre Fournier), with one exception, the Chopin recording, which is too heavy and not flowing or lyrical enough. One dud out of 39 is a good hit rate, and even then it's something to hear. A great box-set reissue.

Wilhelm Backhaus was one of the greatest pianists, this box carefully compiles everything he recorded for Decca. The box set has all original LP art and for things like the Beethoven Piano Sonatas the artwork for the LP box sets were used with smaller covers for each LP.The sound quality is truly exceptional. The Decca remastering engineers did not use any noise reduction so there is full hiss and brilliance in the upper registers of the piano. The sound of the mono Beethoven Piano Sonata cycle is identical to the very rare Japanese pressing box set from the early 1990s.The Beethoven Piano Sonata mono cycle is one of the greatest ever recorded. Also included are several live recordings, in very good recording quality that were previously quite rare on CD if they ever did come up for sale.Backhaus' imaginative interpretations are a must hear for anyone even remotely interested in classical music on piano.

Another first class production. Very nice to have it all in one cube-type box. Backhaus was one of the real greats.

A wonderful compilation of recordings by a great artist, with the mono Beethoven sonata cycle especially welcome. I noticed, though, that one recording was omitted, presumably in error: the Schubert/Liszt "Soirée de Vienne" (Valse Caprice), not the live performance, which is on CD 36, but the studio performance of 1956, which should have been on CD 34, as indicated on the spine of that CD sleeve. Here's hoping that Decca will fix this and offer a replacement CD.

I just got this box set. So far the sound is fine. If you dont have these recordings i strongly recommend them.HOWEVER, i have a complaint: WHY WHY WHY could they not use uniform SINGLE cardboard sleeves.There are several groups of three and four cds contained in cardboard cases connected and wrapped around each other. When one attempts to remove a cd, the cardboard will certaintly tear, or cds will fall out because of the angle required to hold the contraption. The middle cd "envelope" is open on two sides. To get the middle cd out, you must bend the other cases which weakens the cardboard. Who needs THIS dexterity TEST each time you want to get to a cd???? Even the pair of two cds can be a problem. The cardboard is too snug. When you try to get out one cd, the other attached case is affected and gets damaged. THESE SLEEVES WILL NOT LAST. THEY WILL WEAKEN AND LOOSEN AND THE CDS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BE KEPT IN THESE CONTRAPTIONS.ARE THE PRODUCERS TRYING TO PUNISH THOSE WHO WANT TO LISTEN TO THIS MUSIC AND KEEP IT SAFE??