I would like to start a thread, similar to Orpheus’ jazz site, for lovers of classical music. I will list some of my favorite recordings, CDs as well as LP’s. While good sound is not a prime requisite, it will be a consideration. Classical music lovers please feel free to add to my lists. Discussion of musical and recording issues will be welcome.
I’ll start with a list of CDs. Records to follow in a later post.
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique. Chesky — Royal Phil. Orch. Freccia, conductor. Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn. Vanguard Classics — Vienna Festival Orch. Prohaska, conductor. Prokofiev: Scythian Suite et. al. DG — Chicago Symphony Abbado, conductor. Brahms: Symphony #1. Chesky — London Symph. Orch. Horenstein, conductor. Stravinsky: L’Histoire du Soldat. HDTT — Ars Nova. Mandell, conductor. Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances. Analogue Productions. — Dallas Symph Orch. Johanos, cond. Respighi: Roman Festivals et. al. Chesky — Royal Phil. Orch. Freccia, conductor.
All of the above happen to be great sounding recordings, but, as I said, sonics is not a prerequisite.
National Philharmonic Orchestra Riccardo Chailly Decca 1981
Notes: A brief overview of Rossini’s career and works. He apparently retired at age 37 with 39 opera to his credit, and devoted the remainder of his life to friends, food and drink.
Alicia de Larrocha (piano) London Philharmonic Orchestra Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos Decca 1984
Another one from the dawn of CD. Hanover, West Germany DM37 Notes: "After Manuel de Falla and Joaquin Turina had their celebrated encounter with Albeniz at a concert in October 1907, Turina wrote that "Music should be an art and not a diversion for the frivolity of women and the dissipation of men. We were three Spaniards gathered together in that corner of Paris, and it was our duty to fight bravely for the national music of our country."
The 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic Till Bronner(flugelhorn & trumpet), Simon Rattle(speaker), Janne Saksala(bass) EMI Classics 2002
’ROUND MIDNIGHT
Notes: "For their second EMI Classics release, The 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic explore the worlds of Jazz, big band, spirituals, film music, and even rap. "It’s a musical celebration of the essential American character", explains principal cellist Georg Faust. "Its sentimental and pragmatic qualities are reflected in the amazing vitality of these pieces, and from many little stones, you make a mosaic!"
rok2id -- Yeah. And how 'bout that, too! William Kappel on YouTube. The flipside of the record is even better. A blazing, take-no-prisoners run-through of Prokofiev's Piano Concerto #3. My dad gave me the record as a way to perhaps make me practice the piano more. The thing is, I didn't practice more. I just played the record all day long. How old was I? Eight? In any case, I still regularly play the Kappel Prokofiev Third. RCA reissued it on Victrola in 1970.
Here’s a recording I hadn’t listened to in ages. Beethoven’s late string quartets 131 and 135 done by Bernstein with the massed strings of the Vienna Phil. Achingly beautiful.
Also: is the slow movement of 135 really a significant foreshadowing of Mahler's slow movements... or is it just because Lenny's conducting it?
I started my musical journey with 78's, but I don't have anything by Kappel. Didn't really get into classical until the early 60's. I do remember the NBC Symphony. That's Toscanini's old outfit. Everything seemed to sound 'better' back in the day.
rok2id. Love the 2nd Piano Concerto. My favorite performance is a fleet, unaffected 1940's recording featuring pianist William Kappel and the NBC Symphony.
PIANO CONCERTO NO. 2 IN B-FLAT MAJOR, OP. 19 Leon Fleisher (piano) The Cleveland Orchestra -- George Szell CBS Masterworks 1961
Notes: "The Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major was composed in 1794-1795. Beethoven expressed some dissatisfaction with it, as he had with the C-major Concerto, and substantially revised it in 1798. Even though the work is thoroughly charming and gracious in the manner of Mozart, there is a strength which is incontestably Beethoven."
PIANO CONCERTO NO.4 IN G MAJOR, OP.58 Murray Perahia (piano) Concertgebouw Orchestra -- Bernard Haitink CBS Masterworks 1986 (also available on LP and Cassette)
Notes: "The concerto is unorthodox for the time in several ways: in the very opening bars, which are played not by the orchestra, as was traditional up to that time, but by the solo pianist: in the cathedral-like grandeur of the development section of the first movement: and in the poetic expressiveness of the second movement, which achieves Olympian heights of eloquence completely unknown in the concerto literature of the period."
PIANO CONCERTO NO.1 IN C MAJOR OP.15 Leif Ove Andsnes (piano) Mahler Chamber Orchestra - Leif Andsnes Sony Classical 2012 Recorded at Dvorak Hall in Prague's Rudolfinum
Notes: Mostly a very interesting interview of the artist by Alan Rusbridger. Andsnes says that the idea for his playing the five concertos came from spending a week in a hotel in Brazil, that had Beethoven's 1st & 2nd piano concertos playing on a loop in the elevator. "at first I thought I would go mad hearing these works over and over again, but the more I listened, the more I loved the experience."
Just goes to show, it don't take much in the way of gear, to get what music has to offer.
PIANO CONCERTO NO.5 IN E FLAT, OP.73 Mitsuko Uchida (piano) Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks Kurt Sanderling Philips 1998
The notes point out that this was written during the time of war between Napoleon and Austria, causing the imperial family to withdraw from Vienna. The slow movement reflects the political events of the time. They also mention that by the time of his late concertos, Beethoven was too deaf to be able to play the work in public.
CAPRICCIO ESPAGNOL, Op.34 Anshel Brusilow (solo violin) Philadelphia Orchestra -- Eugene Ormandy Sony Classical 1959 1962 1966 / 2002
Notes: "Rimsky-Korsakov composed the five movement 'Capriccio Espangnol' in 1887. It was first performed, under the baton of the composer, in St. Petersburg on November 12 of that year. Both popular and critical response was overwhelmingly positive. Tchaikovsky spoke of it as a masterpiece, reserving particular praise for the instrumentation."
This work is one of the pieces that drew me to classical music. Back in the days of the 101 Strings. Way, way back, when American Orchestras made recordings. Alborada https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F4wfPlnQ90
eioI love Sofronitsky.I have several collections of his recordings, including Melodiya, Vista Verdi, Brilliant Classics, and Denon (which is Japanese I believe). I find all of his recordings wonderful. Technically, some are better than others, but the playing is uniformly superb. He also recorded with the Beethoven Quartet (Oistrakh, Gilels, Sofronitsky & Mershavov).
Victor Merzhanov a disciple of Feinberg is indeed a giant himself just beside Neuhaus and Sofronitsky my favorite god....
eioI love Sofronitsky.I have several collections of his recordings, including Melodiya, Vista Verdi, Brilliant Classics, and Denon (which is Japanese I believe). I find all of his recordings wonderful. Technically, some are better than others, but the playing is uniformly superb. He also recorded with the Beethoven Quartet (Oistrakh, Gilels, Sofronitsky & Mershavov).
JOHANN STRAUSS WALTZES Wiener Symphoniker -- Yakov Kreizberg Pentatone Classics 2004 SACD
The Notes: "In those days this intimate dance for two caused a scandal: bodily contact, public displays of sensuality, lasciviousness and eroticism were frowned upon. The waltz, due to these attributes and its suburban origins earned a dubious name; particularly it’s intoxicating effect would, evidently, lead to a loosening of good morals: "The waltz is an invention of the devil," wrote a Viennese newspaper in 1869. Ballrooms will pave the way for the conception of illegitimate children, or so feared guardians of Christian morality."
"Surprisingly Johann Strauss, as he explained to this third wife Adele, was no dancer."
Sound familiar? The more things change, the more they stay the same. Of course, the Guardians could have been right. :)
By the way this piece of music give a taste with only various melodic lines of the synchronised synesthesia of music in heaven.... Dont take my words listen to it... Rivaling with Bach and perhaps beating him at his game is difficult....Listen Bach motets to live the same experience with Gustav Leonhardt interpretation.... Or Gardiner...
Just bought Vladimir Sofronitsky - Complete Recordings Melodiya all NM Vinyl on eBay, to be shipped from Russia. Expected shipping time about a month. Has anyone heard this set or part of it? It was an impulse buy, knowing how much I adore Sofronitsky. The recordings are in Mono. I am not sure about the sonics. Looking forward to playing it on my newly aquired Technics 1200G with cadenza blue cartridge
BAROQUE DUET Kathleen Battle(soprano), Wynton Marsalis(trumpet) Orchestra of St. Luke's -- John Nelson Sony Classical 1990-1991
Wynton has the facial expression of the cat that caught the canary. Informative booklet with nice photo of Kathleen and Wynton on the back. And front. :)
rvpiano -- currently listening to the Qobuz/Blomsted/Beethoven Sixth. A treat...even if the 'buz dropped the stream of the First Movement part of the way through. So I clicked on the Second Movement. Superb so far (fingers crossed).
There is a remarkable set of the nine Beethoven symphonies recorded by Herbert Blomsted in 2017 when he was 90, in just about ideal sound, it really soars in performance as well. It may not be HIP, but it’s modern nonetheless in vision. Highly recommended. On Qobuz in hi res sound.
A one hour piano lesson by the greatest teacher of piano in the last century if we take the ratio : greatest pianists student/common teacher as a rule...
Heinrich Neuhaus....
His personal life is a teaching about life also....
THE BERLIN RECITAL Anne Sophie Mutter(violin), Lambert Orkis(piano) DG 1995
Not only a great violinist, but also, a Stone Fox.
Notes: "That indefatigable conversationalist, Johann Peter Eckermann, once asked Goethe, more or less in passing, why the phenomenon of precociousness was so widespread among musicians. The great man answered without hesitation: music, he said, was something entirely innate, something inborn, a gift that needed no outward stimulus to sustain it and was not based on real-life experience."
"Anne-Sophie Mutter's highly developed musicianship is "something entirely innate, something inborn" to quote Goethe. Such gifts can never be coerced. -- Peter Fuhrmann
PIANO CONCERTO NO.1 IN B-FLAT MINOR, OP.23 Lang Lang (piano) Chicago Symphony -- Daniel Barenboim DG 2003
Great Booklet with lots of information.
From The Notes: The Chicago Symphony played Tchaikovsky's B flat minor Concerto at its very first concert in 1891, two years before the composers death. Nikolia Rubenstein's claim that Tchaikovsky's first piano concerto was unplayable is one of music history's most famously mistaken first impression. After hearing the entire work, Rubenstein did not mince words, declaring the solo part was impossible to play and that the music itself was vulgar. When he suggested it needed to be completely recomposed, Tchaikovsky insisted he would not change a note. Eventually it was played by Hans von Bulow in Boston in 1875, where it was a big hit. The rest is history.
Beethoven GEORGE SZELL CONDUCTS BEETHOVEN Symphonies Nos, 1 - 9 - Overtures Symphony No. 5 The Cleveland Orchestra -- George Szell Sony Classics 5CD Box No Booklet or notes.
Starting a few years ago, I pretty much lost all my interest in classical music from the common practice eras (1600-1900). I was not exactly happy about the situation, since a large part of my music collection has been sitting dormant since then.
I listen to more classical music than I ever have, but most of it is from the mid 20th century until the present era. As well as, Bartok, Stravinsky, Barber, Britton, and the 2nd Viennese school.
So, since my tastes lean toward the 'thorny', YMMV...
This LP on the Varese Sarabande label, has a huge, well defined soundstage, and great imaging.
Just watching the “Horowitz in Vienna” video and it occurred to me that this man is akin to one of the great treasures in the world of art: the Sistine Chapel ceiling, the Taj Mahal, Donatello’s David, etc. Though a re-creator, the rarity of his genius is no less an accomplishment than that of actual creators. To touch the heart and soul as he did is parallel. Playing Viennese music in a Vienna concert hall was an elemental force to the listeners there. Such superability comes to this earthly terrain not often.
Mozart CONCERTOS FOR 2 & 3 PIANOS Katia & Marielle Labeque (piano) Berliner Philharmoniker -- Semyon Bychkov Philips Classics 1989
Notes: Excellent booklet with a nice picture of the sisters. "The concerto in F for three pianos was written for Countess Antonia Lodron, the sister of Mozart's unloved employer..."
Beethoven THE LATE STRING QUARTETS Takacs Quartet Decca 2003 - 2004 3CD set with booklet
From the notes: The quartet was formed in 1975 in Budapest and since 1983 has been in residence at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
"Beethoven's series of late string quartets formed his main creative preoccupation during the final years of his life. To many listeners these five works contain the most profoundly personal and spiritual music he ever wrote." -- Misha Donat
Btw, since on the subject of sound quality and as a point of interest. Here is what I believe is the version from the original master, not the remastered version above. I believe it to be so because I own both versions and I hear the same issues. An example of perhaps needing to not tamper with success and leave well enough alone. The remaster “improves” clarity at the expense of a bit of digititis with a slight thinness in the upper registers and less well integrated vocal sibilants. The original sounds slightly covered up top, but sibilants are well integrated and don’t sound like artifacts; and the performance sounds even more relaxed. We pick our poison.
Neither gets in the way of the fabulous performance.
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