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.
I’ve been doing some serious listening to Alwyn the last few days largely because of comments on here . Of course as a non-musician its hard for me to understand what’s going on that makes his music so fresh and original . As best I can understand he keeps melody and rhythm moving together nearly all the time, uses 3-4 phrases used by soloists and gives them to whole sections, moves same small bits of music here and there in different compos , resolves nothing and doesn’t move forward . What IMO he is trying to do is just make music as beautiful and organic as he can , and he succeeds in that . His masterpiece is his Harp Concerto which is on Chandos and Naxos . I have a tendency to get freaky over composers I like but right now I’d put on a level with Sibelius .
I would really appreciate wiser people correcting me .
No correction needed to your analysis; I agree with it completely after spending some time with the symphonies. Need to get the harp concerto. What I notice in particular with his melodic style is that he likes to share the line between several orchestral sections. His orchestration skills accomplish this in a natural fashion. As I suggested above, the Sinfonietta shows this method immediately in the first movement. Found some of his chamber music available on a Naxos release funded by the "William Alwyn Foundation." Wonder if this is run by his daughter who writes some of the notes on the LSO/Hickox release. You will not be surprised that the chamber music is very strong. Like the Winter Poems written for string quartet.
Glad you can appreciate Stanford, cribbing and all. Speaking of cribbing, I was just listening to a real Irishman, Hamilton Harty, who quotes the ’Garry Owen’ in one of his pieces. At least he was Irish! No so much for the 7th Infantry or a couple of movies out of Hollywood. FWIW this tune is a real earworm. You might even try Harty’s "Irish Symphony" where it appears, by Thompson on Chandos if you are inclined.
Following Stanford you might try Arnold Bax. His symphonies and tone poems appear in a set and two separate discs by Handley devoted to his synphonies and tone poems and Bryden Thompson has recorded all of his symphonies, tone poems, etc, on Chandos. One place to start on this music might be Thompsons single disc on Chandos of the 4th Symphony and one of my favorite Bax pieces, Tintangel (a historical and picturesque location on the cliffs of Cornwall). You might also like some of his piano/orchestral music played by Margaret Fingerhut, the LSO by Thompson, Winter Legends and Symphonic Variations (On 2 discs. I’d probably start with Winter Legends.
Newbee, you must be psychic. Ordered the exact Bax volume you mention a week and a half ago and it will arrive tomorrow. Am having some fun in my mind comparing Stanford and Stenhammar. They are rough contemporaries, developed in similar fashions as musicians and composers, and wrote in the same genres (of the late romantic period). So it is interesting that they are, to me, complete opposites. Stenhammar is the creative/innovative type who spent his life fine-tuning his compositional skill. So his music is fresh and exciting, and, occasionally, a bit rough. By contrast, Stanford is the traditionalist whose writing skill always seems fully developed but the content may or may not strike you as exciting. It always sound "perfect" however. So when you shift back and forth between the Stenhammar 1st piano concerto and Stanford’s 2nd, there are more differences than similarities. BTW, think it was Stenhammar to whom Sibelius apparently dedicated the 6th symphony.
How come in these forums folks rarely discuss, or even mention, at least so it seems to me, the music of Dvorak. Occasionally someone will mention his Violin or his Cello Concertos, but not so much his symphonies and even less so his Tone Poems and Overtures. This is a rich source of full throated, dramatic, music with an extensive discography. Or do I just enjoy Eastern European music more than most and others find his music unworthy?
No, but same could be said of hundreds at his high level and thousands at well worth listening to level .
I doubt if anyone would not say he is a great composer . I listen to my favorite work of his , the Masterwork Quintet Op 81 at least once a week and his Mass in D about once a month .The former on a truly great recording, Hyperion CDA 66797 by Gaudier Ensemble , the later on ECM 449508-2 with the wonderful Prague Chamber Choir . If the Czechs are not the most musical people in the world they are right up there with whoever is . The pride of Central Europe .
Have always enjoyed the Dvorak Slavonic Dances live and noted there was a certain quality to the strings that could be termed "Slavic Rumble." Recently got the Channel Classics album by Budapest Festival Orchestra/Fisher and found it was the first recording I had heard that captured this "rumble" well.
Also spent some time looking for the ideal recording of the New World symphony and settled on the Cincinnati/Jarvi recording on Telarc in order to get a well-recorded performance. Still like the old Bernstein recording of this warhorse as well.
Newbee, forgot to add that a recent used bin acquisition of the complete Dvorak Symphonic Poems by the Scottish National Orchestra/Jarvi has become a regular listen for me and was surprised at how attractive these lesser-known works are.
Craig, #While Fisher might not be the last word in Dvorak it is certainly pretty good, and the recordings are excellent. If you are interested you might try his version of the VC with the BFO and Akiko Suwanai which is excellent by any standard. If its not quite up to your snuff, you can at least divert your self by looking at the CD cover! Neither are Fisher’s recordings of the 8th and 9th Symphonies and ’Legends’. I have loved Fisher’s Dvorak, unfortunately not so much his work with other composer’ music.
Jarvi’s traversal of the of the Symphonies (and other works on Chandos also gets high marks (from me at least). Other recordings worth exploring are Belohlavek and the Czech Phil on Chandos, Kubelik, and a set by Ivan Kertesz and the LSO (who sez this can’t be done unless the orchestra is Czech.
I just love this Eastern Central European music. Schubert, I know nothing and admit to nothing I don’t know :-)
Have some of Fisher's Mahler recordings and find them powerful with system-testing crescendos. Will check out the VC.
Speaking of CD covers, just found an interesting recording of Franck and Szymanowski Violin Sonatas and Chee-Yun is on the cover looking as if she is making out with the instrument.
So.....checked out the reviews on Amazon and there are 9 reviews of the album -- 8 reviews refer only to completely different violinists and recordings. What's going on? Is there sabotage in the violin world?
Her playing is very powerful and the pianist is quite good -- Eguchi.
Well newbee, Fisher is among the best , he and his Budapest are world class and he goes for string slides in Slavic music .If you want a superb "New World" check out Marin Alsop with the Baltimore SO on Naxos .
I kinda sort of agree about the Istvan Kertsesv/London SO from the 60"s but he was SO great and SO Czech I’d put him as an exception that proves the rule ! I used to have them on Vinyl, sob. sob .At least they are ADD .
Listened to the Scriabin. The sound stage on the Ashkenazy recording on my system was magnificently set back, almost beyond the front wall behind the speakers. When the piano came in, it was like exquisite, limpid, droplets of notes from the clearest of mountain cascades. Delightful!
Superb description, LeftEars. Pontinen has the right feeling for this gesture but the overall rhythm in the BIS recording is ever so slightly muddy at this critical entry. Am going to order the Ashkenazy.
It's an exceptional formal design as the movement starts out like a symphonic theme and variations, then the piano enters as an accompanist, then POW the movement becomes a dramatic piano concerto and, finally, the reversion back to the opening theme.
Have noted this formal experimentation with other symphonies by Scriabin to his credit. Did you enjoy the piano bass notes at the ending?
Small world ! On my bi-weekly Goodwill vinyl hunt this AM I ran across what looked to be a mint LP of one Alexander Scriabin’s 2 Tone Poems, "The Poem of Ecstasy" Op. 54 and The Poem of Fire : Prometheus Op. 60" . I enjoyed the former and was downright smitten with the latter ! Heresy I know , but I’d rather listen to Op. 60 than any Mahler Symphony . I strongly suspect my favorite modern composer , Leos Janacek , was at least a bit influenced by Scriabin , he knew Russian music backwards and forwards, and had the same thing that is required for real musical genius , passion .
I remember liking some of Scriabin"s solo piano I bought back in the 60’s but they are long gone and don’t remember hearing anything else of his . Played Album twice , pretty sure it was never played, Dallas SO under Donald Janos, an excellent band and an excellent conductor . On Candide(one of the better old labels) CE 31039 must be from early 60’s in the unlikely event you run in to one buy it . The sound is quite good esp. since is a Dolby, one of the best things I ever bought for $1.99 .
Monteverdi: Madrigals of War and Love, Book 8. Two 2017 releases by Delitiae Musicae/Longhini and Le Nuove Musiche/Koetsveld. Remember those Telefunken days of the 70s? Discovering period performances, L'Orfeo, and the Vespers? And, especially, the Madrigals! So, in a return to youth, decided to find a good modern recording of the 8th Book of Madrigals; yes, it really is the Beethoven 5th of the early Baroque. First got the Koetsveld and it was not so much bad as it completely misses the point. Have no idea why they are recording all the madrigals. Then, today, the Delitiae Musicae arrived. WHOOOOOOO! This is one of the finest early music performances I have heard along with superb recording, acoustics, and, especially, scholarship. The male vocalists and boy soprano are superb. Won't waste any more of your time -- just get this Naxos CD as soon as you can. It's that good. Hope its out there for streaming somewhere. Recorded in 2005 but just released by Naxos (did it appear earlier somewhere else?).
Years ago I was able to go to a concert of Prometheus: Poem of Fire with the color effects that Scriabin stipulated. It was definitely fun, but not ultimately necessary.
craig58, Got an even better deal today ! Box of Bach Cantatas, the heart of his work, 19 CD's by one of the best original instrument ensembles , Le Petite Bande/ Sigiswald Kuijken for 43 bucks on Amazon . Had a few of these already, IMO they are among the best around , one voice to a part as you would have heard in Bach's time . They were going to do all the Bach Cantatas but the label , Accent , was sold .
Congrats on the Bach; they are major works with tremendous variety -- unfortunately I OD’d on them some time ago and have not been a listener since.
Just got the Buchberger recording of all the Haydn String Quartets -- 23 discs. They are period-informed performances with mostly strong violin playing.
However..
...some ripping problems into JRiver caused minor distortion. And, so, have been looking at ripping software apps that compare the rip to an online database to, supposedly, correct any variants.
The first of these I have looked at is Exact Audio Copy. Have not yet gotten it operational but thought I would check with this forum and see if anyone is using these kind of apps to improve their ripped files.
Your description of the Scriabin has me interested. Could you expand on the relationship between colors and musical content? Were there cases where it made sense? Or did it appears artificial or contrived?
craig59 I understand the OD part , but as a devout Anglican with a good command of German has never happened to me after 50 years with Bach, esp. the cantatas , to me they are a form of prayer .
Someone who wrote great religious music in English and was born in same year as Bach is , obviously , Handel . Among people I have known the most neglected of his works are some of his best works , The Chandos Anthems 1-VI . Chandos Label(no coincidence) has nice box sets for good prices , perhaps the best readily available . After I listened to Vol 1 today, I went and dug out my Volume 1 LP on the Vanguard Everyman Classics label . The Vinyl was so much better the Chandos CD seemed like a toy and I have a modest TT set up .
I think I have said it before but again to all , if you ever run into ANY old Vanguard vinyl just buy it .
Scriabin was very taken with that whole Symbolist doctrine (involving synaesthesia) of correspondences between the senses. See Rimbaud’s poem on the different "color" of each of the vowels of the alphabet.
This was in Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, years ago. There was definitely some correlation of the more obvious sort (darker sonorities, dark blue, brighter, yellow, louder, red, etc.), and it was interesting as a curiosity, but you ended up thinking about those possible correspondences rather than just immersing in the music.
P.S. D'Albert two piano concertos in the Hyperion 19C series last night. Pleasant, but not compelling...
One of the foremost pianists alive, Andras Schiff sees either keys or notes in colors . Was a few years ago since I heard the interview, but in any event he see music in color .
Speaking of colors and composers here's a Swedish composer who was also active as a watercolor painter:
Hugo Alfven: Symphonies 1-5, Swedish Rhapsodies, Royal Stockholm Phil/Jarvi.
Have had this for a week or so and was not immediately impressed. Then, listened to the 2nd Symphony a second time, and was hooked. Worth investigating.
The 4th Symphony "from the outermost Skerries" uses two soloists singing only vowels. At times its brilliant and at other times, doesn't quite seem to work.
Lots of incidental music of interest; performances/fidelity range from good to very good.
As regards diverting attention, I have a similar concern with bluray music performances. Have the Holst Planets by philharmonic orchestra/Salonen that is an over-the-top recording (signum vision). Huge number of mics and cameras and the sound is the best of any Holst I have heard.
There is, however, so much visual action/panning that the mind is pulled away from the musical content and I find myself preferring just CDs that simply provide the music.
Curiously, do not encounter this same divergence in live orchestral performances where the musical content and performers' actions seem to blend naturally. Perhaps in one, you decide where to turn your attention to and in the other, the engineer is doing so for you and you must pay attention to this view.
I hope our OP hasn't contracted the flu . The way its raging here in the Twin Cites I would not get on a flu machine aka airplane unless a close relative had died . A very close relative that I really loved .
in my lifetime I have had the occasion to hear LARGE audiences cheer for music they never heard before over their favorite music simply because the artist in the former was authentic and that in later was not .. It was a totally spontaneous reaction which convinced me that we humans are hard-wired to know authenticity when we see or hear same . And that we get a bit antsy when our culture presents us something we unconsciously know is not .
How did you ever guess!? I was on a cruise ship, which is a germ generator. As I write, I’m coughing my head off and wheezing out lyrics to songs. I didn’t exactly get the flu, but something very close to it, and have been laid up all week. Not a happy camper! I’ve been following the discussions, though. I’ll contribute something when I feel more human.
How? Most logical thing when a retired music lover of the 1st order says he will post and does not . Don't do much for a week after you THINK you are all better . Keep him in your prayers guys .
I read the German blogs and classical reviews primarily in order to retain my German language skills, such as they are . . In last few years the rave revues on the young(ish) Chinese violinist Tang Yang have been nothing less than spectacular . I finally broke down and bought her Naxos CD of Saint-Saens "Works for Violin and Orchestra " which are seldom played . I’ve not heard such perfection of technique combined with unreal sensitivity to the music itself in many a year . I suspect she doesn’t get much press in US because she was offered scholarships by both Julliard and Curtis at a very young age but turned them down for a German scholarship in Chamber Music .
She still resides in Germany and has 6 recordings on Naxos,,which is a German Firm , I ordered the other 5 today .
Here's a vote for Rachel Podger, she's quite well established now but I heard her years ago and remember thinking then that she was going places. I have a few CDs by her, and they never fail to please.
Today's recommendation: Corelli, Violin Sonatas, Op. 5, Avison Ensemble on Linn, 2 CDs.
Surprised there is no love for Glenn Gould here. But I'll throw in some must haves. Goldbergs '81 analog not digital version Music of the Renaissance and Baroque 2 cd set
Also what on vinyl was considered a demonstration disc(try and find one!) Cluytens Debussy's Jeux
And I happen to be a big fan of Baroque played with high cholesterol style rather than on blood thinner so I'll add Vivaldi's L'Estro Armonico by the Berlin Philharmonic. Often making music is very different from academic archeology. And let's face it no one will ever know what contemporaries of the early music and baroque composers really heard. Though it is fun to speculate. But not too much.
There may be a case for early music but by Baroque era it is pretty well known what was what in instruments,and you can hear them today . My self, I don’t pay much attention to those who say Bach etc would have used this or that modern instrument had it existed in favor of what he did write for those who did exist . As always to each his own .
Dag Wiren: Symphonies 2,3, Overtures by Norrkoping SO/Dausgaard. A CPO release.
Wiren was a Swedish figure (1905-86) sometimes cited as a Nielsen disciple during his lifetime. The 2 symphonies here are very different but the 3rd symphony (1944) is composed of recurring motives, ostinato accompaniments, and limited harmonic motion.
As such, it sounds proto-minimalist in style and you can almost hear Glass waiting in the wings. Play it loud on a good audio system.
Another poster mentioned the Gendron box while saying it was pricey. It is available on Amazon.uk for almost half the price coming out to about $6.00 a cd which back in the halcyon days of Tower would have been considered budget cds. And we're talking 25-30 years ago so with inflation they're super budget.
The field of classical music is undergoing the same extreme downturn that all musicians have been facing since the 1980s. Here’s a NYT article stressing the need to pass legislation to bolster funding as well as alarming stats showing why many, including yours truly, moved to another field to make a living. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/28/opinion/congress-musicians-music-bus.html?action=click&pgtype... Note that the Grammys tonight are unlikely to spend any time at all with classical activity and, as well, that the ability to purchase classical media has become increasingly difficult. The number of new classical recordings being produced each year has plummeted and is largely centered in Europe. When it becomes clear you cannot make a living in a field, the best minds select other fields even if they are musically inclined. Comparing the Grammys with the Oscars shows where the money is.
Only important thing about the Grammie's was my "home" Band , the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra ,won for Best Chamber Music Recording/ Small Ensemble . Schubert's " Death and the Maiden" with Patricia Kopatchinskaja .
Best CO in USA playing in best Hall in USA has the lowest ticket prices of any major orchestra in America AND up to 4 kids get in free with parents . Also players do about 50 concerts a year free in St. Paul Schools .
This forum seems to have dried up since I was taken Ill. Thank goodness, I’m feeling a lot better. I’d like to revive it. I wonder if there are any Mahler lovers out there. If so, who is your favorite Mahler conductor? I know Horenstein is considered by many to be the non plus ultra, but I like Solti a lot, even though he’s put down by many Mahler aficionados. Who do you like? And for that matter, who are some of your favorite conductors in general?
The first set of LPs I got were by Solti, so to a large extent I learnt them all in his interpretation, and as we all know, teenagers are impressionable, and his way has become for me in many ways the right way.
That being said, I will admit a soft spot for Bernstein. His romantic way with the slow movements seems right--to me at least.
Then there are a number of other conductors' individual versions of symphonies that are great.
I have both the Sony and DG Bernstein/Mahler sets. I have to listen to them more often. I like Abbado for Mahler and in general. George Szell has wonderful recordings of the 4th and the 6th, and of, course, I like him for everything else. Von Karajan is up there with Mahler. And, believe it or not, my favorite Mahler 9th is conducted by Kiril Kondrashin with the Moscow Symphony. The aforementioned Solti is great in Mahler as well as Horenstein. Off the top of my head, these conductors come to mind. I’ll look through my collection and come up with more later.
btw, What’s your favorite Mahler symphony? Mine is the 9th. After that, it’s a toss-up. Each is so unique and wonderful.
First I must admit that I prefer my Mahler big, bold, full of angst, etc. Don't care much for the soft romantic approach preferred by many. My favorite symphony is his sixth. I'm partial to Thomas Sanderling and the St Petersburg PO in this symphony but there are others equally enjoyable.
Next I enjoy the 9th - my favorite is probably Leonard Bernstein and the Berliner Phil in a live performance recorded in 1979 on DG. But there are so many others.....(not all his :-)_
Probably what has gotten the most listening over the past few years is his 1st in a performance by Benjamin Zander on Telarc. What I really enjoy about this disc is the coupling of his Leider eines fahrenden Gesellen. Love it!
I probably have 200+ recordings of Mahler - it can be tough to choose. This is one body of music where performances really can really critical to the listener. Generally I found I enjoy Tennstedt, Solti, Levine, Boulez, and of course Bernstein as much as any.
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