Friedrich Gulda's heart was home to many musical souls. Hardly any other pianist could boast such versatility: his repertoire ranged from Bach, Mozart and Beethoven to Chopin, Schubert, Debussy, Ravel, Strauss and Prokofiev. He won the Concours de Genève at the age of 16 and made his acclaimed Carnegie Hall debut at 20. Titanic swagger and unleashed forces of sound were alien to him. His playing was always analytically transparent yet also eloquent, captivating and expressive. For Gulda, the 'mere re-creation of works from past eras' (Gulda) was not enough. He embraced jazz and free experimental music, composing his own perceptive and original works. His collection of recordings from the Deutsche Grammophon, Amadeo, Decca, Philips and Accord labels is released in a box set containing 84 CDs and a DVD, complete with original covers. We experience 50 years of recording history: from the 17-year-old's recordings from the Decca studios in London to the Mozart recordings made at Attersee in Austria in 1999. Alongside numerous CD premieres, the box set includes the first release of a Bach 'Toccata' from 1947 which was previously thought lost. Two complete cycles of Beethoven 'Sonatas' and Debussy's 'Préludes' offer an exciting opportunity for comparison. The set is completed by a detailed booklet containing essays by Gulda biographer Irene Suchy and Reinhard Brembeck, as well as numerous photos.
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