Grammy 2019, Paras historiallinen albumi -ehdokas.
At the height of his popularity, pianist Oscar Levant was the highest-paid concert artist in America. He outdrew Horowitz and Rubinstein, with whom he shared the distinction of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He performed under conductors including Toscanini, Beecham, Mitropoulos, Reiner and Ormandy, and was the definitive interpreter of his friend George Gershwin. Levant's 1945 recording of Rhapsody in Blue remained one of Columbia Records' best-selling albums for decades. That classic interpretation and all his other recordings for the label, spanning the years 1942 to 1958, have now been collected in this set: painstakingly restored and remastered from the original analogue discs and tapes, the vast majority of them are appearing for the first time ever on CD. The 124-page book contains a biographical essay by George Gershwin and Oscar Levant scholar Michael Feinstein, a wealth of photos and facsimiles including a gallery of Alex Steinweiss album covers, as well as a complete recording session and release discography.
Disc: 1
1. Gershwin: Piano Concerto in F Major (André Kostelanetz)
2. Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue (Eugene Ormandy)
3. Gershwin: Second Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra (Morton Gould)
4. Gershwin: I Got Rhythm - Variations for Piano and Orchestra (Morton Gould)
Disc: 2
1. Gershwin: Preludes
2. Debussy: Les Collines D'anacapri from Préludes, Book I
3. Debussy: Jardins Sous la Pluie from Estampes
4. Zhelobinsky: Études Op. 19
5. Shostakovich: Prelude in a Minor Op. 34/2
6. Shostakovich: Polka from the Age of Gold Suite Op. 22A
7. Ravel: Mouvement de Menuet from Sonatine M 40
8. Levant: Con Ritmo from Sonatina
9. Falla: Fire Dance from El Amor Brujo
10. Lecuona: Malagueña from Andalucia
11. Poulenc: Pastourelle from L'eventail de Jeane
12. Debussy: Golliwog's Cakewalk from Children's Corner Suite
13. Debussy: La Fille Aux Cheveux de Lin from Préludes, Book I
14. Debussy: Clair de Lune from Suite Bergamasque
15. Poulenc: Mouvements Perpetuels Nos. 1-3
16. Falla: Miller's Dance from the Three-Cornered Hat
17. Albéniz: Tango in D Major Op. 165/2
18. J. S. Bach, Arr. Samuels: Partita No. 1 in B-Flat Major BWV 825 (Previously Unreleased)
Disc: 3
1. Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp minor "Moonlight" Op. 27/2
2. Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 20 in G Major Op. 49/2: Il Tempo Di Menuetto
3. Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor "Pathetique" Op. 13: Adagio Cantabile
4. Wagner, Arr. Waxman: Tristan Und Isolde for Violin, Piano and Orchestra
5. Brahms: Waltz No. 15 in A-Flat Major Op. 39
6. Schumann: Träumerei from Kinderszenen Op. 15
7. Brahms: Intermezzo in a Major Op. 118/2
8. Rachmaninoff: Prelude in D minor Op. 23/3
9. Rachmaninoff: Prelude in E-Flat Major Op. 23/6
10. Rachmaninoff: Prelude in G Major Op. 32/5
11. Khachaturian: Sabre Dance from Gayaneh (Bring)
12. Khachaturian: Lullaby from Gayaneh (Bring)
13. Copland, Arr. Foss: Billy the Kid
14. Levant: Blue Plate Special (Previously Unreleased)
Disc: 4
1. Chopin: Etude in G-Flat Major "Black Key Etude" Op. 10/5
2. Chopin: Etude in C minor "Revolutionary" Op. 10/12
3. Chopin: Etude in E Major Op. 10/3
4. Chopin: Nocturne in E-Flat Major Op. 9/2
5. Chopin: Nocturne in F-Sharp Major Op. 15/2
6. Chopin: Berceuse in D-Flat Major Op. 57
7. Chopin: Polonaise No. 3 in a Major "Military" Op. 40/1
8. Chopin: Waltz in G-Flat Major Op. 70/1
9. Chopin: Etude in C-Sharp minor Op. 10/4
10. Chopin: Waltz in C-Sharp minor Op. 64/2
11. Debussy: Reflets Dans L'eau from Images, Set I
12. Debussy: La Soirée Dans Grenade from Estampes
13. Debussy: General Lavine from Préludes, Book II
14. Debussy: Minstrels from Préludes, Book I
15. Debussy: La Cathédrale Engloutie from Préludes, Book I
16. Debussy: Serenade of the Doll from Children's Corner
17. Debussy: The Little Shepherd from Children's Corner
18. Debussy: La Plus Que Lente
19. Debussy: Deux Arabesques
Disc: 5
1. Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat minor Op. 23 (Ormandy)
2. Grieg: Piano Concerto in a Minor Op. 16 (Kurtz)
3. Honegger: Concertino for Piano and Orchestra (Reiner)
Disc: 6
1. Khachaturian: Piano Concerto in D-Flat Major Op. 38 (Mitropoulos)
2. Rubinstein: Piano Concerto No. 4 in D minor Op. 70 (Mitropoulos)
Disc: 7
1. Liszt: Sonetto 104 Del Petrarca S 161/5
2. Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12 in C-Sharp minor
3. Liszt: Valse Oubliée No. 1 in F-Sharp minor
4. Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 10 in E Major
5. Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 4 in E-Flat Major
6. Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 13 in a Minor
7. Ravel: Pavane Pour Une Infante Défunte
8. Ravel: Forlane & Minuet from Le Tombeau de Couperin
9. Mompou: Scenes of Childhood
Disc: 8
1. Chopin: Waltz in C-Sharp minor Op. 64/2
2. Chopin: Mazurka in a Minor Op. 17/4
3. Chopin: Mazurka in B-Flat minor Op. 24/4
4. Chopin: Mazurka in C-Sharp minor Op. 63/3
5. Chopin: Mazurka in a Minor Op. 67/4
6. Chopin: Etude in C minor "Revolutionary" Op. 10/12
7. Debussy: Minstrels from Préludes, Book I
8. Debussy: General Lavine from Préludes, Book II
9. Debussy: Jardins Sous la Pluie from Estampes
10. Debussy: Serenade of the Doll from Children's Corner
11. Ravel: Sonatine M 40
12. Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini: Var. 18
13. Shostakovich: The Age of Gold - Suite, PP. 22A: Polka
14. Scott: Lotus Land
15. Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives Op. 22: Nos. 1, 3, 6, 10, 11 & 16
