JOSEPH SZIGETI: THE COMPLETE COLUMBIA ALBUMS COLLECTION (17 CDs)

Sony Classical is pleased to announce the release of a 17-album box set collecting the recordings made between 1940 and 1956 for American Columbia by the renowned Hungarian violinist Joseph Szigeti. Szigeti had a remarkable career.

Born in 1892 in Budapest, where he studied with Jeno Hubay, one of most celebrated virtuosos and teachers of that golden era of violin playing, he was praised by the iconic German violinist Joseph Joachim at his Berlin debut in 1905; lived in London for several years following his acclaimed 1907 debut and played chamber music with, among others, Myra Hess and Ferruccio Busoni; was a frequent visitor after the war to the Soviet Union, where he introduced Prokofiev's First Violin Concerto; made his triumphant American debut at Carnegie Hall under Stokowski in 1925; toured the world during the 1930s before finally settling in the US in 1940.

It was in that year that Szigeti renewed his friendship with fellow Hungarian émigré Béla Bartók, and in April the two gave a now-legendary recital in Washington which featured Bartók's First Violin Rhapsody of 1928 - a work dedicated to and premiered by Szigeti in Europe. In May 1940, Columbia recorded their interpretation of this "vehicle for Szigeti's biting and wholly magnificent fiddling" (MusicWeb International) in New York. That performance appears here for the first time on album along with another important work by Bartók, the classic first recording of his Contrasts for clarinet, violin and piano, written for and performed with Szigeti and Benny Goodman.

The rest of the new collection displays many more treasures of Szigeti's passionate dedication to chamber music: in Bach, Handel, Tartini, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Dvorák, Debussy, Ravel, Bloch, Busoni, Prokofiev, Stravinsky and Henry Cowell, collaborating with such artists as Andor Foldes - another Hungarian émigré - as well as with Mieczyslaw Horzowski, Myra Hess, Pablo Casals and Igor Stravinsky.

- Disc 1 -
1 Bartók: Violin Rhapsody No. 1, SZ.87 (Remastered)
2 Bartók: Contrasts for Clarinet, Violin and Piano, SZ.111
3 Bloch: Three Pictures of Chassidic Life for Violin and Piano (Remastered)
4 Milhaud (Arr. Lévy): Saudades Do Brasil, Op. 67: No. 9, Sumare (Remastered)
5 Falla (Arr. Levy): El Sombrero de Tres Picos, Parte I, Danza de la Molinera (Remastered)
6 Mozart: Divertimento No. 15 in B-Flat Major, K. 287, "2. Lodronsche Nachtmusik" (Remastered)

- Disc 2 -
1 Mussorgsky-Rachmaninoff: Sorochintsy Fair, Act III: No. 5, Gopak (Remastered)
2 Dvorák (Arr. Kreisler): Slavonic Dance in E Minor, Op. 46, No. 2 (Arr. in G Minor) (Remastered)
3 Dvorák (Arr. Kreisler): Slavonic Dance No. 3 in A-Flat Major, Op. 46, No. 3 (Arr. in E Minor) (Remastered)
4 Hubay: Scènes de la Csárda No.4, Op. 32, "Hejre Kati", I. Lento Ma Non Troppo. Allegro Moderato (Remastered)
5 Hubay: Scènes de la Csárda No.4, Op. 32, "Hejre Kati", II. Allegro Molto (Remastered)
6 Kodály (Arr. Szigeti): Háry János Suite, Izk 26: V. Intermezzo (Remastered)
7 Brahms: 21 Hungarian Dances for Orchestra, Woo 1: No. 5 in G Minor (Remastered)
8 Debussy: Violin Sonata No.3 in G Minor, L. 140 (Remastered)
9 Hubay: The Zephyr, Op. 30, No. 5 (Remastered)
10 Schubert, Francois: Bagatelle Op. 13, No. 9, "Die Biene" (Remastered)
11 Stravinsky: Duo Concertant for Violin and Piano
12 Stravinsky: Pastorale, Song Without Words for Violin & Woodwind Quartet
13 Stravinsky: Russian Maiden's Song

- Disc 3 -
1 Beethoven (Cadenza: Joseph Joachim): Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61

- Disc 4 -
1 Brahms: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77
2 Brahms: Violin Sonata No.3 in D Minor, Op.108: II. Adagio

- Disc 5 -
1 Beethoven: Violin Sonata No.1 in D Major, Op. 12, No. 1 (Remastered)
2 Schubert: Violin Sonata in D Major, D.384
3 Schubert (Arr. Friedberg): Piano Sonata No.17 in D Major, D.850: IV. Rondo. Allegretto Moderato (Remastered)
4 Beethoven: Violin Sonata No.7 in C Minor, Op. 30, No. 2 (Remastered)

- Disc 6 -
1 Prokofiev: Violin Sonata No.1 in F Minor, Op. 80 (Remastered)
2 Prokofiev: Violin Sonata No. 2 in D Major, Op. 94Bis (Remastered)

- Disc 7 -
1 Bach, J.S.: Violin Sonata No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1005
2 Bach, J.S. (Arr. Reitz): Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, BWV 1052

- Disc 8 -
1 Schubert: Fantaisie for Piano & Violin in C Major, Op. Posth. 159, D. 934
2 Corelli (Arr. H. Leonard): Violin Sonata in D Minor, Op.5 No.12 "La Folia" (Variations Serieuses)
3 Debussy (Arr. Roelens): Suite Bergamasque, L. 75: No. 3. Clair de Lune
4 Lalo (Arr. Szigeti): Aubade from "Le Roi D'ys" (Act III)
5 Tchaikovsky: 6 Pieces, Op. 51: No. 6, Valse Sentimentale
6 Bach, J.S. (Arr. Szigeti): Violin Partita No.3 in E Major, BWV 1006: VI. Bourrée (Remastered)

- Disc 9 -
1 Bach, J.S.: Concerto for Flute, Violin and Keyboard in a Minor, BWV 1044 (Remastered)
2 Bach, J.S.: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, (Arr. BWV 1052/1056) (Remastered)
3 Bach, J.S.: Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major, BWV 1050

- Disc 10 -
1 Schubert: Rondo in B Minor for Piano and Violin, D.895 (Op.70) "Rondeau Brillant"
2 Beethoven: Violin Sonata No.10 in G Major, Op. 96 (Remastered)
3 Schubert: Violin Sonata in a Major, Op. 162. D. 574 "Grand Duo" (Remastered)

- Disc 11 -
1 Brahms: Piano Quartet No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 60
2 Brahms: Piano Trio No. 2 in C Major Op. 87

- Disc 12 -
1 Cowell: Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano (1945) (Remastered)
2 Shapero: Sonata for Piano Four Hands (1941) (Remastered) (Harold Shapero, Piano; Leo Smit, Piano)
3 Cowell: Celestial Vision: How Old Is Song? (Remastered)

- Disc 13 -
1 Beethoven: Violin Sonata No.5 in F Major, Op. 24 "Spring"
2 Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 6 in a Major, Op. 30, No. 1

- Disc 14 -
1 Bach, J.S. (Arr. Szigeti): Violin Concerto in G Minor, BWV 1056 (Remastered)
2 Handel: Violin Sonata in D Major, HWV 371 (Remastered)
3 Tartini (Cadenzas: Szigeti): Violin Concerto in D Minor, D. 45 (Remastered)
4 Tartini: Violin Sonata in G Major, B. G19 (Remastered)

- Disc 15 -
1 Ravel: Violin Sonata No.2 in G Major, M. 77
2 Hindemith: Violin Sonata in E Major (1939)
3 Prokofiev: Sonata for Solo Violin in D Major, Op. 115 (Remastered)
4 Prokofiev: Five Melodies for Violin and Piano, Op. 35Bis (Remastered)

- Disc 16 -
1 Busoni: Violin Concerto, Op.35A, BV 243
2 Busoni: Violin Sonata No.2, Op.36A, BV 244

- Disc 17 -
1 Brahms: Violin Sonata No.1 in G Major, Op. 78 "Regen" (Remastered)
2 Brahms: Violin Sonata No.3 in D Minor, Op.108 (Remastered)