{"product_id":"fou-tsong-complete-westminster-recordings-import","title":"Fou Ts'ong: Complete Westminster Recordings (10 CDs)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0067\/4660\/3571\/files\/about_this_recording_transparent_black_shadow_2_5dd0df7b-e128-46a2-bb76-f6754949b44c_480x480.png?v=1639076762\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Westminster label legacy of a master Chopin interpreter, issued complete for the first time in an 'original covers' box of new remasterings. Almost half a century before Lang Lang, the pianist Fou Ts'ong took Europe and then the US by storm. With his third-prize finish at the 1955 International Chopin Competition in Warsaw, listeners and critics alike were astonished to encounter a mature and seemingly instinctive feel for the uniquely Polish rhythms and passing harmonies of Chopin's music, under the fingers of a 21-year-old from Shanghai. Having undertaken further studies in Poland, Fou Ts'ong left his family behind and settled in London to escape the looming shadow of Chinese authoritarianism. He entered into a relationship with the Westminster label, for whom he would record nine albums between 1960 and 1967, all newly remastered and gathered together for the first time in the present collection. They encompass a good range of his repertoire predilections, as well as the scope of his youthful artist maturity. He is also joined by Daniel Barenboim and Vladimir Ashkenazy for a joyous traversal of Mozart's concertos with two and three pianos in a 1972 Decca recording. His Westminster collection of 12 Scarlatti sonatas was praised at the time for it's crisp, modern approach and vividly naturalistic touches. An album of Bach and Handel similarly reveals the intelligence, taste and inherent musicality which Fou Ts'ong brought to this repertoire on the modern concert grand. Several more Westminster albums demonstrate Fou's affinity for Mozart: not so surprising, given that he imprinted on his father's record collection with it's 78s of Artur Schnabel and Wanda Landowska. The pianist may have forsaken his homeland for good, but his musicianship encompassed both European and Chinese aesthetic ideals. He praised Chinese poetry for it's strength of feeling without excess: 'It has to remain dignified, spiritual and always beautiful'. These qualities also illuminate the albums of Beethoven and Schubert sonatas collected here. 'The Chinese are also very concerned with detail,' he said: 'Every part must be right, but on the other side the expression must be spontaneous and true,' and an appreciation for this fine balance made him associated above all with the music of Chopin. Although he recorded Chopin's Mazurkas at different times throughout his career, the group of eighteen issued by Westminster arguably represents his interpretations at their freshest and most creative. The Four Ballades likewise established a benchmark of sensitivity among a younger generation of Chopin pianists. The Second Concerto of Chopin, and it's original coupling of the Schumann Concerto appear in stereo on CD for the first time. The new collection makes a timely tribute to the artistry of a pianist who died of Covid-19 late last year.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“There is a great deal to enjoy on this record, and it is immensely refreshing to come across a Chopin pianist who thinks too much, if anything … I very much hope we shall be hearing more of Fou’s Chopin.”\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eGramophone\u003c\/em\u003e, July 1961\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“His technical equipment is marvellous, and his interpretive abilities are … ideally suited to the music here.”\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eStereo Review\u003c\/em\u003e, January 1962 (Chopin: Ballades)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Fou Ts’ong makes a notable impression with his clean and well-proportioned renditions of these two masterful concertos … recorded sound that is completely natural both in balance and warmth of tone.”\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eStereo Review\u003c\/em\u003e, January 1962 (Mozart: Piano Concertos KV 503 \u0026amp; 595)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“The performances strike me as being within striking distance of ideal … he is a remarkably musical pianist.”\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eGramophone\u003c\/em\u003e, April 1962 (Mozart: Piano Concertos KV 503 \u0026amp; 595)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Fou Ts’ong is a brilliant technician and an inspired keyboard poet … His interpretations are as poetic and romantic as anyone’s, with singing melodic lines and considerable rhythmic license and tonal painting, but unlike the performances one hears so often these build cohesively… I would say that this is quite the best recorded edition of the Ballades.”\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eHigh Fidelity\u003c\/em\u003e, February 1962 (Chopin: Ballades, Préludes, Berceuse)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“The feeling for Beethoven’s musical vocabulary is spontaneous, the approach is wholly sympathetic, and all the difficult passages are carried by an unwavering sense of the style.”\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eHigh Fidelity\u003c\/em\u003e, June 1962 (Beethoven)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“A beautifully balanced, exquisitely shaped reading of subtle charm. It is now my favourite modern recording.”\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eStereo Review\u003c\/em\u003e, June 1964 (Schumann: Piano Concerto)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Fou Ts’ong’s deeply subjective yet rather severe interpretative outlook and his pointillistic fingerwork find an ideal outlet in this literature. While there is a ringing clarity and sharp linearity in a tonal approach at times suggestive of the harpsichord, Fou fully utilizes the coloristic potentialities of which the piano is capable.”\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eHigh Fidelity\u003c\/em\u003e, July 1964 (Bach)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“It is futile to attempt any explanation of the psychic alchemy by which a Chinese pianist has evolved such masterly readings of the most purely Polish and personal of all Chopin’s works. We can only accept such a gift with joy and a sense at fulfilment, as well as with the hope that this artist will one day commit the entire series of mazurkas to discs.”\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eHigh Fidelity\u003c\/em\u003e, February 1965 (Chopin: Mazurkas)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Fou Ts’ong achieves a miraculous blend of the folk-dance, salon, and lyrical aspects of these works … His handling of the trills in Op. 68 No. 4, the last of Chopin’s completed works, makes of this tragic piece a quite shattering experience. The recorded sound is excellent all the way: this is an outstanding disc.”\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eStereo Review\u003c\/em\u003e, February 1965 (Chopin: Mazurkas)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“I am very impressed with the vital and sensitive way Fou plays, and delighted that he should join the ranks of true Handelians … He is a pianist with unusually communicative fingers, and a fine control of line, and he is also admirable in Bach.”\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eGramophone\u003c\/em\u003e, June 1965 (Bach\/Handel)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“[Mozart] finds Fou Ts’ong on good terms with the music, probing deeply into the sadly expressive Andantino with as much intensity as taste. The outer movements tend towards youthful élan”\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eHigh Fidelity\u003c\/em\u003e, February 1968 (Mozart: Piano Concertos KV 271 \u0026amp; 414)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0067\/4660\/3571\/files\/TRACK_LISTING_WITH_WORLD_transparent_blue_background_correct_version_61b51729-71bb-43af-9967-79b27e53512c_480x480.png?v=1639076817\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eCD 1\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eDOMENICO SCARLATTI\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(1685–1757)\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eKeyboard Sonatas\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eSonata in C major, Kk 132 (L.457)\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSonata in C minor, Kk 73 (L.217)\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSonata in F major, Kk 82 (L.82)\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSonata in B minor, Kk 27 (L.449)\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSonata in E major, Kk 380 (L.23)\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSonata in F major, Kk 483 (L.483)\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSonata in G major, Kk 124 (L.482)\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSonata in F major, Kk 151 (L.238)\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSonata in F major, Kk 256 (L.256)\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSonata in E major, Kk 206 (L.257)\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSonata in C minor, Kk 11 (L.352)\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSonata in C major, Kk 255 (L.255)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eCD 2\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eGEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e(1685–1759)\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eChaconne in G major, HWV 435\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSuite No. 14 in G major, HWV 441\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMinuet in G minor, HWV 434\/4\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eJOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e(1685–1750)\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eChromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D minor, BWV 903\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eCapriccio on the departure of a beloved brother, in B flat major, BWV 992\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eCD 3\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eLUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e(1770–1827)\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePiano Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePiano Sonata No. 31 in A flat major, Op. 110\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eCD 4\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFRANZ SCHUBERT\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e(1797–1828)\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePiano Sonata No. 14 in A minor, D.784\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePiano Sonata No. 21 in B flat major, D.960\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eCD 5\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e(1810–1849)\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMazurkas\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eMazurka in E major, Op. 6 No. 3\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMazurka in A minor, Op. 7 No. 2\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMazurka in E minor, Op. 17 No. 2\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMazurka in A minor, Op. 17 No. 4\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMazurka in G minor, Op. 24 No. 1\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMazurka in C major, Op. 24 No. 2\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMazurka in B flat minor, Op. 24 No. 4\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMazurka in C minor, Op. 30 No. 1\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMazurka in B minor, Op. 30 No. 2\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMazurka in B minor, Op. 33 No. 4\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMazurka in E minor, Op. 41 No. 2\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMazurka in C sharp minor, Op. 50 No. 3\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMazurka in C minor, Op. 56 No. 3\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMazurka in A minor, Op. 59 No. 1\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMazurka in G minor, Op. 67 No. 2\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMazurka in A minor, Op. 67 No. 4\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMazurka in A minor, Op. 68 No. 2\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMazurka in F minor, Op. 68 No. 4\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eCD 6\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e(1810–1849)\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBallades Nos. 1–4\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePrélude in A flat major, Op. posth.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePrélude in C sharp minor, Op. 45\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBerceuse in D flat major, Op. 57\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eCD 7\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eROBERT SCHUMANN\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan 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data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e(1756–1791)\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePiano Concerto No. 9\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ein E flat major, KV 271 ‘Jeunehomme’\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePiano Concerto No. 12 in A major, KV 414\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eVienna Radio Orchestra \/ Brian Priestman\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eCD 9\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e(1756–1791)\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePiano Concerto No. 25 in C major, KV 503\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePiano Concerto No. 27 in B flat major, KV 595\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eOrchester der Wiener Staatsoper \/ Victor Desarzens\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eCD 10\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e(1756–1791)\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eConcerto for Three Pianos and Orchestra (No. 7) in F major, KV 242 ‘Lodron’\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eConcerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra (No. 10) in E flat major, KV 365\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eVladimir Ashkenazy, Daniel Barenboim, Fou Ts’ong; English Chamber Orchestra\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFOU TS’ONG,\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003epiano\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSTEREO RECORDINGS\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"DECCA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42192405987578,"sku":"028948437122","price":100.51,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0067\/4660\/3571\/products\/artwork-440x440-1-compressed.jpg?v=1639430660","url":"https:\/\/classicselectworld.com\/en-de\/products\/fou-tsong-complete-westminster-recordings-import","provider":"ClassicSelect World","version":"1.0","type":"link"}