Artist: Dimitri Mitropoulos
Title: Dimitri Mitropoulos: Conductor
Year Of Release: 2009
Label: Membran
Genre: Classical
Total Time: 10 CD, 10:30:20 min

If you're not a fan of Dimitri Mitropoulos' conducting and you can't tolerate antique sound, this 10-disc set, Mitropoulos Conductor, is not for you. However, if you are a fan, and antique sound is as mother's milk to you, this collection provides a treasure trove of great performances. Mitropoulos fans may already be familiar with most of these performances since most have been previously released, either commercially or in pirated editions. Still, the extraordinarily high quality of the performances will make this set compulsory for listeners devoted to the conductor. As anyone familiar with Mitropoulos' work knows, he was perhaps the most intense conductor ever to lead an orchestra. In performance after performance, he turns in readings of overwhelming intensity, with every line, harmony, rhythm, color, and note bearing its full weight of meaning. In his magnificent account of Schumann's Third Symphony with the Minneapolis Symphony from 1947, the opening and closing Allegros have rarely had this combination of power and energy, and the fourth movement's Grave has never sounded so monumental. His Mahler First from 1940 is electrifying, his Rachmaninov Second from 1947 heart-rending, his Borodin Second from 1941 galvanizing, his Chausson Symphony from 1939 imposing, and, perhaps best of all, his Berg Concerto with violinist Joseph Szigeti from 1945 is enormously moving. Although there are some unusual items here — the conductor himself takes a turn as soloist in Bach's Fifth Brandenburg Concerto and Krenek's Third Piano Concerto — and although the sound is undeniably antique, with little done in the remastering process to make it more palatable, this set should appeal to anyone interested in Mitropoulos.

Disc: 1
1. Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV 1050: 1. Allegro
2. Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV 1050: 2. Affettuoso
3. Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV 1050: 3. Allegro
4. Fantasia and Fugue, for organ in G minor ('Great'), BWV 542 (BC J42, 57, 67)
5. Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58: 1. Allegro moderato
6. Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58: 2. Andante con moto
7. Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58: 3. Rondo: Vivace

Disc: 2
1. Symphony No. 3 in A minor ('Scottish'), Op. 56: 1. Andante con moto. Allegro un poco agitato
2. Symphony No. 3 in A minor ('Scottish'), Op. 56: 2. Vivace non troppo
3. Symphony No. 3 in A minor ('Scottish'), Op. 56: 3. Adagio
4. Symphony No. 3 in A minor ('Scottish'), Op. 56: 4. Allegro vivacissimo
5. Capriccio brillant for piano and orchestra in B minor, Op. 22
6. Symphony No. 3 in E flat major ('Rhenish'), Op. 97: 1. Allegro
7. Symphony No. 3 in E flat major ('Rhenish'), Op. 97: 2. Scherzo: Allegretto
8. Symphony No. 3 in E flat major ('Rhenish'), Op. 97: 3. Moderato
9. Symphony No. 3 in E flat major ('Rhenish'), Op. 97: 4. Grave
10. Symphony No. 3 in E flat major ('Rhenish'), Op. 97: 5. Finale: Allegro

Disc: 3
1. Symphony in D minor, Op. 48: 1. Lento. Allegro non troppo. Allegro
2. Symphony in D minor, Op. 48: 2. Allegretto
3. Symphony in D minor, Op. 48: 3. Allegro non troppo
4. Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22: 1. Andante sostenuto
5. Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22: 2. Allegro scherzando
6. Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22: 3. Presto
7. Le Roi d'Ys, opera in 3 acts: Overture

Disc: 4
1. Symphony in B flat major, Op. 20: 1. Lent. Allegro vivo
2. Symphony in B flat major, Op. 20: 2. Très lent
3. Symphony in B flat major, Op. 20: 3. Animé
4. Suite No.7 for orchestra ('Scènes alsaciennes'): Dimanche matin
5. Suite No.7 for orchestra ('Scènes alsaciennes'): Au caberet
6. Suite No.7 for orchestra ('Scènes alsaciennes'): Sous les tilleus
7. Suite No.7 for orchestra ('Scènes alsaciennes'): Dimanche soir

Disc: 5
1. Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23: 1. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso
2. Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23: 2. Andantino maestoso
3. Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23: 3. Allegro con fuoco
4. Symphony No. 2 in C minor ('Little Russian'), Op. 17: 1. Andante sostenuto. Allegro vivo
5. Symphony No. 2 in C minor ('Little Russian'), Op. 17: 2. Andante marziale quasi moderato
6. Symphony No. 2 in C minor ('Little Russian'), Op. 17: 3. Scherzo: Allegro molto vivace
7. Symphony No. 2 in C minor ('Little Russian'), Op. 17: 4. Moderato assai

Disc: 6
1. Symphony No. 2 in B minor: 1. Allegro
2. Symphony No. 2 in B minor: 2. Scherzo: Prestissimo
3. Symphony No. 2 in B minor: 3. Andante
4. Symphony No. 2 in B minor: 4. Finale: Allegro
5. Violin Concerto in A minor, B. 96/B. 108 (Op. 53): 1. Allegro ma non troppo
6. Violin Concerto in A minor, B. 96/B. 108 (Op. 53): 2. Adagio ma non troppo
7. Violin Concerto in A minor, B. 96/B. 108 (Op. 53): 3. Finale: Allegro giocoso ma non troppo
8. Overture No. 1 on Three Greek Themes for orchestra in G minor, Op. 3

Disc: 7
1. Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27: 1. Largo. Allegro moderato
2. Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27: 2. Allegro molto. Meno mosso. Tempo 1
3. Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27: 3. Adagio
4. Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27: 4. Allegro vivace. Adagio. Tempo precedene
5. The Isle of the Dead, symphonic poem, Op. 29

Disc: 8
1. Chopiniana, for orchestra (after Chopin): Etude No. 12 in C minor, Op. 10/12 'Revolution'
2. Chopiniana, for orchestra (after Chopin): Nocturne No. 13 in C minor, Op. 48/1
3. Chopiniana, for orchestra (after Chopin): Mazurka No. 25 in B minor, Op. 33/4
4. Chopiniana, for orchestra (after Chopin): Valse brillante No. 14 in E minor, Op. posth.
5. Chopiniana, for orchestra (after Chopin): Polonaise No. 6 in A flat major, Op. 53 'Heroic'
6. Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26: 1. Andante. Allegro
7. Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26: 2. Tema con variazioni
8. Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26: 3. Allegro ma non troppo
9. Symphony No. 1 in D major ('Classical'), Op. 25: 1. Allegro
10. Symphony No. 1 in D major ('Classical'), Op. 25: 2. Larghetto
11. Symphony No. 1 in D major ('Classical'), Op. 25: 3. Gavotte: Non troppo allegro
12. Symphony No. 1 in D major ('Classical'), Op. 25: 4. Finale: Vivace

Disc: 9
1. Symphony No. 1 in D major ('Titan'): 1. Langsam. Schleppend. Im Angfang sehr gemächlich
2. Symphony No. 1 in D major ('Titan'): 2. Kräftig bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell
3. Symphony No. 1 in D major ('Titan'): 3. Feierlich und gemessen, ohne zu schleppen
4. Symphony No. 1 in D major ('Titan'): 4. Stürmisch bewegt
5. Le tombeau de Couperin, for orchestra: Prélude: Vif
6. Le tombeau de Couperin, for orchestra: Forlane: Allegretto
7. Le tombeau de Couperin, for orchestra: Menuet: Allegro moderato
8. Le tombeau de Couperin, for orchestra: Rigaudon: Assez vif

Disc: 10
1. Violin Concerto: 1. Andante. Allegretto
2. Violin Concerto: 2. Allegro. Adagio
3. Le boeuf sur le toit, ballet for orchestra, Op. 58
4. Concerto for piano & orchestra No 3