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Swiss Broadcast Edition Volume 11
Label: Triston Master Recordings SCHOPPER Edition TMR-SE 0023
180 Gramm Pressing
Original Stereo Recording, November 2nd, 1972, Radio Bern.
Piano: Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli
Programm:
SIDE A
Robert Schumann – Carnaval, Op. 9 (18:30)
Préambule, Pierrot, Arlequin, Valse noble, Eusebius, Florestan, Coquette, Replique, Papillons,
A.S.C.H. S.C.H.A. (Lettres Dansantes), Chiarina, Chopin, Estrella, Reconnaissance
SIDE B
Robert Schumann – Carnaval, Op. 9 (14:02)
Pantalon et Colombine, Valse allemande, Paganini, Aveu, Promenade, Pause,
Marche des "Davidsbündler" contre les Philistins
SIDE C
Robert Schumann – Carnival Scenes from Vienna, Op. 26 (18:15)
Allegro, Romanze, Scherzino, Intermezzo
SIDE D
Robert Schumann – Carnival Scenes from Vienna, Op. 26 - Finale (05:33)
Encores
Edvard Grieg – Lyric Pieces, Op. 38: No. 1 – Berceuse (04:12)
Domenico Scarlatti – Sonata in A, K322 – Sonata in Cm, K11 (08:20)
Vinyl Cut: Simon Kummer von vinylaudio, Schweiz - www.vinylaudio.ch
Pressing: MEK Vinyl, Gossau, Schweiz - www.mekvinyl.ch
Producer: SCHOPPER AUDIO, Jürg Schopper, Schweiz, - www.schopper.ch
This album is an exact reproduction of the original master tape. In order to guarantee the best possible sound quality, no digital equipment or post-processing has been used.
It is a hand-numbered limited edition of 300 copies.
Test pressings and Tape Releases are available on request.
Price: on request
Please order by e-mail:
No shipping to Hongkong and China.
Review by Kenneth Woo, May 2026
This vinyl record of Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli – Piano Recital, Volume 11, released by the Swiss audiophile label Triston Masters, presents Michelangeli's brilliant performance on Radio Bern, Switzerland, on November 2, 1972. The album includes works by Schumann, Grieg, and Scarlatti. It is not only a rare complete recording of Schumann by Michelangeli, but also a document that reveals the contradictions in his perfectionist approach to improvisation. Jürg Schopper, head of Triston Masters, has breathed new life into this lost recording. This previously unreleased album is limited to only 300 copies worldwide, each individually hand-numbered, making it another valuable collector's item for classical music lovers.
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (1920–1995), this Italian piano prodigy, is considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century and was known for his extreme perfectionism. When it came to music, he usually brought his Steinway Model C and D grand pianos, accompanied by a sound engineer. Michelangeli has been described by critics and fans as the iceberg of the piano world or as the architect of sound. His life was full of contradictions; he gave only a few hundred public concerts during his career, and the number of canceled performances probably exceeded the number he actually gave. He would decisively cancel a concert if the piano, the concert hall, or his own physical or mental state was not optimal. Michelangeli left behind only a handful of commercial recordings, but each one is considered the holy grail of the repertoire. His control over the recording process was almost obsessive. Furthermore, Michelangeli rarely gave interviews and was unwilling to reveal his private life, so his art completely replaced his personality in public.
This record contains Michelangeli's complete signed repertoire, stylistically ranging from the Romantic to the Baroque periods. Michelangeli's fingering shapes the melodies, the interplay of the pianos akin to a perfect whisper. The album includes Schumann's "Carnival, Op. 9" and "Vienna Carnival, Op. 26," as well as Edvard Grieg's "Lullaby" and Domenico Scarlatti's "Piano Sonata in A Major, Op. 322." The opening piece, Schumann's "Carnival, Op. 9," is interpreted by Michelangeli with exquisite precision. His touch is clear and transparent, revealing different emotional layers and making Schumann's romantic exuberance and inner conflict evident. Michelangeli plays the complete "Vienna Carnival" with introspection and purity; passages such as "The Dreamers" and "The Happy Peasant" are breathtakingly delicate, every note evoking childhood memories. Grieg's Lullaby is played with a finger technique as gentle as the Nordic morning light, conveying a delicate and profound emotion. Scarlatti's Piano Sonata in A major, Op. 322, concludes the album, its precise and light touch providing a perfect ending.
This live recording of Michelangeli at Radio Bern, Switzerland, in 1972 was meticulously captured by sound engineers Hanus Slivera and Peter Bahren using a Studer C37 tube recorder. However, it was never officially released on vinyl, and the master tape remained unused for over fifty years. It was rediscovered in 2025 by Jürg Schopper, head of Triston Master Recordings. The entire production process of this vinyl record was carried out entirely without digital technology or electronic effects. From mastering and editing to pressing, there was no room for error. Sound engineer Simon Kummer used a Studer C37 tape machine with a Neumann VMS-70 microphone to create the master tape. The pressing was manufactured by Stamper Disc Ltd. in Great Britain and subsequently pressed into a high-quality 33⅓ rpm record (180 g) by the renowned Swiss vinyl manufacturer MEK Vinyl GmbH. Throughout the entire production process, Jürg Schopper spared no effort to offer audiophiles the ultimate in sound quality. The listening test revealed a sound quality comparable to Triston's Black Brain Records, reaching an extremely high level. The background noise was remarkably low; thanks to skillful post-processing, the over fifty-year-old master tapes exhibited excellent noise reduction with remarkably low background noise. The piano sound was transparent and nuanced, with a clear and differentiated attack and a sustained, melodic resonance. Furthermore, the spatial environment was reproduced faithfully, so that the listener felt as if he were in the recording studio enjoying Michelangeli's brilliant performance.
©2026 Iceman