Frank, I think you have a point with K's first Beethoven cycle, have you heard Abado's cycle, also on DGG? The rendering is exiting, though alas typical of DDG's worst! |
This thread has been kept alive over one year. May it survive another! Toward that end, try the "Prelude to Parsifal" by Wagner, especially as performed by Christian Thieleman. |
Hi, Tubegroover, Detlof, Rcprince; may I also recommend the Quator Altis version of 14 on Sony (the version is based on the original text -- so, differs slightly from the others).
Can't seem to find the RCA version of the #15 on catalogue...
Re, Beethoven cycles: there are two of Furtwangler's versions of the 9th (1951 Bayreuth & '54 Philarmonia Orch.) I find very moving. Also a 3rd by Furt: 1944, Vienna Phil.
Khrys: interesting tip about Parsifal/Thielemann. You also might want to consider Klemperer's version of same (EMI).
Cheers! |
Right now I'm rediscovering an oldie from my childhood. Chet Atkins' "Theme From A Dream" from his "In Hollywood" album. This was previously unavailable on CD, but was just issued on JVC XRCD a couple weeks ago.
Strange thing though. I just found out that the songs I loved all these years from that album were actually from a second studio session a few years after the original master was done in 1958. Last year I purchased a second copy of this album on Ebay and while the jacket and label were identical, the arrangements were totally different from my dad's copy. The people at JVC told me that they are aware of this second recording, but that BMG may have unfortunately lost these masters.
What I enjoy so much about the later recording, and why I think it's so achingly beautiful is that it focuses on the simpler guitar arrangements of Mister Guitar rather than the larger orchestrations of the original session.
Those songs are just so beautiful. And sad. It's too bad the only way I can enjoy them now is from a scratchy 40 year old LP. |
Hello Detlof, I have not listened to the Abbado Beethoven cycle, but I think that while Karajan was not exactly suited to Ravel, he really understood Ludwig Van in the first Stereo DGG cycle.
Carlos Kleiber had an outstanding 5 & 7 on DGG back in 75, that most critics praised as THE ONE. It is outstanding, and yet,and yet, I still cant let go of the Karajan magic on the 1963 cycle.
Do you or anyone here care to comment on the great Mahler symphonies? (1,2,3).
My choices are Horensten,(1st & 3rd, and what a third!!!!!on UNICORN LP & CD).
Bernstein, Kaplan( not a conductor per say, but a man who studied the "Resurrection" ad infinitum and probably knows more about the Mahler 2nd than even Lenny did. Produced an incredibly good 2nd on MCA records with libretto notes not found anywhere)...and Walter on the 2nd.
Solti also had an outstanding 1st on Decca. Good to see this place alive again. .........Frank |
Hello Frap. It is indeed good to to see this place alive an kicking again. I wholeheartedly agree with you about the early von Karajan renderings of LvB. I could never really warm to the Kleiber, whereas I loved Reiner's Eroica and the Pastorale, which he did with the CSO. You make me curious about the Horenstein Maler, which I never had the chance to hear. I'll go hunting for Unicorns though I suppose, as in the fairytales, they are rare beasts indeed! |
PIA' s Benediction Moon record. It's an spiritual experience and she has such a beautiful voice. If you like Enya go for this one. |
Bach's Mass in B Minor does it for me. How can I ever forget seeing/hearing it performed in the church Handel attended in London. Check out #7, "Gratias agimus tibi"...it starts simply with the chorus and builds from there, adding tympani and trumpets by the closing forte. You would swear the angels had graced you with a brief appearance in your listening room.
Not so well known is Scriabin's Piano Concerto in F Sharp Minor. If you're partial to piano concerti and haven't heard this yet, I can't recommend it too strongly...as beautiful as anything by Rachmaninoff. I have it with Vladimir Ashkenazy, London 414 252-2 (CD).
Anything by Puccini works for me. I wish everyone could hear Jose Cura sing "Ch'ella mi Creda" from La Fanciulla del West, an extraordinarily powerful aria. |
re, Mahler: Hello Frap & Detlof, my personal conclusions:
1st-- Walter/ N.Y.Phil. (Sony)
2nd-- Klemperer/ Philharmonia (EMI-Great Recordings...etc NOT the Concertgebouw-Decca)
3rd-- Adler/ Vienna S O (ORF)
4th-- Walter/ Vienna Philharmonic (Urania - must exist on other labels too)
5th+6th-- Barbirolli/ Philharmonia (EMI, etc)
7th-- Barbirolli/ Halle Prch (BBC Legends)
8th-- Horenstein/LSO (BBC Legends)
9th-- Bernstein/Berliner (Deutsche G)
10th--Bernstein/Vienna Phil. (Deutsche G)
6th-- Horenstein & Kubelik (with the Bavarian S O) also offer (to me) interesting versions.
Cheers! |
Eva Cassidy "SongBird". Thought I'd never compare a female voice to Ella and get confused as to who I preferred.., well it has happened. She died in a car accident in 1996, but her music lives on. Please try it, then drop me an email and tell me thanks :)
Mike |
Mikeam, you're a man after my own heart. You must also try Eva Cassidy's Live at Blues Alley. Her "covers" of Fields of Gold, Autumn Leaves, People Get Ready and What a Wonderful World are fabulous. Concerning her much lamented death, my understanding is that she died at age 34 of cancer. The world has lost one of the great blues voices. |
OK it's time for some Rock n Roll and blues. There is so many tunes that move me that it is impossible to give a top three. Right now I am listening to Elvin Bishop's "Struttin My stuff" and it is moving me. Among others that move me are
"Golden Country" REO Speedwagon
"Fantasy Girl" 38 Special
"Good Day for the Blues" Storyville
"Easy Rider" Iron Butterfly
"More Than One Way Home" Keb Mo (many more by keb Mo)
Some others
Handel's "Halleluia Chorus"
Tchaikovsky's "Waltz of the Flowers"
Charles Wesley's "And Can It Be"
Uh Oh Got to go. Delbert McClinton's "Every Time I Roll The Dice" just came on. I can't type and tap my foot at the same time. Happy listening |
Pendragn, I also own the "Live at Blues Alley" CD, so I know exactly what you are reffering too. You are so right in that the world has lost a great voice, perhaps, the best voice I have ever heard. I certainly can think of no other voice except for Ellas' in the same league.
Best regards,
Mike M. |
Mikeam, I forget to mention Eva's exquisite rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. This is the first of her songs that I heard...more than enough to hook me. As for Ella, no one has surpassed her in an overall sense...so versatile and always spot on. |
I agree with you Pendragn, but Eva sure makes her work for her money.
Mike |
Andrew Latimer's guitar paired with Peter Bardens keyboards on Camel's Flight of the Snow Goose |
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Beethoven .... piano sonatas, 2nd movement of 5th symphony.
Mozart requiem. Some parts of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake are very moving.
Also, there's AC/DC "Rock & Roll Damnation" from the classic Powerage album.
One of these is a facetious answer, can you spot which one it is ? :-) |
Saint-Saens & Springsteen. The Swan and the version of The River from the Live in NYC CD/DVD. |
Grateful Dead: Terrapin Station |
I've been listening a lot to a couple of albums. Both these are music suitable for being in pain.
Etta James: "Love's been rough on me". A beautiful, pained, strong, bluesy sound. Rolling guitars and horns. Sample lyric "I was your rock, now I'm rolling away." As it happens, I'm listening right now. Very nice recording in terms of sound on a good system also. This was an Audiogon recommendation, so thanks to whomever...
John Hiatt's latest (I think). "Crossing Muddy Waters". Check out the cut "What do we do now?", which says it all. Just a consumate songwriter, playing with good musicians. The sound is very good, if a bit bright.
You asked for achingly beautiful music, which these are. Maybe even better description would be music to listen to when you are aching.
Best,
Eric
p.s. To seandtaylor99, what is your favorite recording of Beethoven's 5th? I love this also, but picked up Thielmann conducting it, and have been disappointed. Looking for something that is a powerful (symphonic!) interpretation, and which also sounds great on a modern sound system. |
Any ECM afficianados out there? Don't know how he does it, but Manfred Eicher gets the best out of his musicians. My vote would be..
Pat Metheny and Friends ("80/81"): the last 5 minutes of "two folk songs"
Pat Metheny: New Chautauqua
Egberto Gismonti: Solo (this guy is amazing. Like a Brazilian Keith Jarrett)
Mick Goodrick: In Passing
Kenny Wheeler: any early album (Gnu High, Deer Wan, Around Six)
Dave Holland: Life cycle, Extensions
W. A. Mozart: String quartet #15
Chopin: The Nocturnes |
In no particular order:
Simon and Garfunkels "Bridge Over Troubled Water"
Always makes me feel like everything's gonna be ok no matter what.
Billy Joels "Innocent Man"
Always makes me feel like everything is gonna be ok when I'm havin' woman problems.
Joaquin Rodrigo/ The Adagio from the "Concerto de Aranjuez"
Sad, bitter sweet,cerebral,intensely sexual, but hopeful as well. This works on so many emotions and I never tire of it. Julian Breem does this piece exceptionaly well. However, Christopher Parkening's performance is absolutely astonishing. |
Bach's cello suite no 2. "Famous blue Raincoat" by Leanoard Cohen. "Fly" by Nick Drake. |
Great thread! I have just a couple of suggestions. Gorecky's Symphony For Sad Songs, UTE Lemper's BARABARA, Keith Jarrett, Charlie Haden, Jan Garbarek and orchestra on ARBOUR ZENA. |
Getz/Gilberto - everything - gentle and romantic
Neil Young - live, alone, acoustic, small intimate venues (mostly bootlegs) - raw, emotional performances
Pink Floyd - early, live recordings, best before Dark Side of the Moon (mostly bootlegs) - cutting edge (but still accessible) experimentation with music that evokes awe and respect for human creativity (like the Beatles, but we all know about what awesome work *they* did). |
Two works by R.Straus need mentioning:Death and Transfiguration--and the trio and duet from the last act of der Rosenkavalier.
Other favorites of mine are the Bailero from Songs of the
Auvergne (Canteloube), sung by Kiri te Kanawa; Deux Arabesques (Debussy), for piano; and the Humming Chorus from the second act of Madame Butterfly (Puccini).
The Gorecki Symphony mentioned above is his #3,
nicely performed by London Sinfonietta with soprano Dawn
Upshaw. |
Astor Piazzolla's "Death of an Angel"
Astor Piazzolla's "Libertango"
Pat Metheny -- "Offramp". |
Mr. Dieyingly Sad by the Critters 1966...... |
Aphex twins latest ' druqks' has some of the most beautiful music in electronic music ( and some worst) but the achingly beautiful material makes it worth while. A lot more than worth while. |
V. Monlti "Chardash" in performance of Vengerov(solo-violin) |
and Kool and the Gang have musical compositions /performances that I have found to be achingly beautiful. The Coltrane/Ellington rendering of "Sentimental Mood" is about as beautiful and piercing as it gets. Grover Washington, Jr. performance of "A Secret Place" was very fresh with melodic transitions and extremely soulful solos and a bass line that just takes you for a ride. Kool and the Gangs' two versions of Summer Madness (live and studio) contains drama that moves all over the place and is a very spiritual piece. These pieces have made me thankful that I got involved with high end stereo. |
Most of the TANGO is indeed. |
Right now--the new remaster, in the original jamacian release, of Bob Marley's "Stir It Up." Gorgeous, erotic, makes you wanna cry. I was devestated. |
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star would probably induce weeping if sung by Mickey Newbury. I'm only half joking. Check out his early works. (Looks Like Rain/Live at Montezuma Hall, etc.) You will ache all night long! |
Pat Metheny and Charlie Haden, Beyond The Missouri Sky. See tracks 3 and 6. Also 9 and 13. This is heavenly music. Noone I've recommended this music to has ever been disappointed. Everyone from rock to classical listeners have at some point a mood for this special music. Enjoy. |
Eva Cassidy (Songbird), my wife and I were moved to tears listening to ("Stings" Fields of Gold) and (Autumn Leaves). The rest of the album is wonderful as well. The late Eva had the ability to convey emotion in a song that is truly remarkable. |
Much of Neil Young's catalog, most of Nick Drake's, some of John Coltrane's... This kind of list is so mood and situation dependent. Catch me at the right (or wrong) moment, even Meat Loaf can get to me. Since my father passed away last year, I cannot listen to Lucinda Willliams sing the title cut off "Sweet Old World" without getting choked up. It really is a sweet old world--music can show us the way. I guess that's why we're all here writing these posts, huh?
I enjoy getting ideas about new music to check out from all of you. Thanks. |
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J.S. Bach, Goldberg Variations (Glen Gould, first issue); Super Session, Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield with Steven Stills; Helter Skelter, The Beatles (not achingly-beautiful, but if you are not moving, you must be dead). |
Rachmaninoff: Sonata in G-minor, Op. 19, for cello and piano, performed by Stephen Kates and Carolyn Pope Kobler, on the Bainbridge label, BCD6272, 1981, utilizing the patented "Colossus" recording system -- one of the very best early digital recordings, and heart-breakingly beautiful, especially the third movement Andante. One of the small handful of CDs I take with me to audition speakers and components. Breathtaking recording of a 1739 Montagnana cello and a magnificent Bosendorfer Konzertfluegel grand. Don't know if it's still in print. |
The Adagio from Mahler's uncompleted 10th Symphony, fabulously performed by the RSO Berlin under the baton on Riccardo Chailly, London 421-182-2, 1987 (two discs; with Schoenberg's Verklarte Nacht). Transcendent Mahler. |
Miles Davis, Sketches of Spain.
Joni Mitchell, Blue.
Jefferson Airplane, "Comin' Back to Me" from Surrealistic Pillow.
Charlie Haden, Magico.
Nanci Griffith, "From a Distance," on One Fair Summer Evening.
Joan Baez, Diamonds & Rust. |
Dave Van Ronk died of colon cancer on February 10, 2002, at the age of 65. He released more than 40 albums during his long career. I don't know if it ever came out on CD, but I'd love to get a CD or Minidisc copy of the early 1968 LP "Dave Van Ronk and the Hudson Dusters," in which he did the most achingly beautiful cover of "Clouds" (Both Sides Now), the Joni Mitchell classic. His recording finally gave a good song the piercing intensity it needed in that year we lost Robert F. Kennedy and what little was left of our national innocence.
Can anyone help me out? hubbard2@cox.net |
Bartok: The Miraculous Mandarin, Etc., Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Antal Dorati conducting, London 411 894-2, 1985. Track 10, the Allegro from Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, is the best test for bass response in full-range speakers and a powerful amp's ability to clarify extremely complex (and beautiful) orchestral passages. This cut also has the added benefit of driving most audio salesmen out of the listening room.
If you *don't* clearly hear the enormous bass drum that enters at about 3:00 minutes into the piece, then your system is simply missing the lowest octave. The entry of the bass drum should not just be a quiet suggestion of something going on in the bass, it should have the same full, expanding "bloom" as a large orchestral gong and be quite loud. Sometimes I do miss my Vandersteen 4's! |
Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Rubinstein)
Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue (Telarc) |
My three choices are Ravel's String Quartet in F major by the Ad Libitum Quartet,Bela Bartok String Quartet No. 4 by the Juilliard String Quartet, and Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8 in C minor by the Emerson String Quartet.
One thing I have just learned about classical music is that one piece played by different musicians can affect you differently.The musicians that I named seem to play the pieces that I named just a bit more effectively than some others that I have heard. |
1) Liszt - Benediction de Dieu dans la solitude. Favorite recording by Garrick Ohlsson on EMI/Angel, unfortunately OOP.
2) Durufle - Requiem. Robert Shaw, Telarc
3) Mozart - Ave Verum Corpus. Robert Shaw (again.) This should have been the closing theme for Amadeus...
4) Okay, so I cheated. Morten Lauridsen - Lux Aeterna. Paul Salamunovich with the Los Angeles Master Chorale. Proving (once again) Maestro Salamunovich to be the finest choral director ever to have graced our planet...
If these don't move you, you have no soul. |
Verdi's Requiem - the whole thing. |
Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez" is simply The most haunting and beautiful melody I have ever heard...
Bach's "Air For the G String"
For popular music... any ballad played by the late cornetist Bobby Hackett (who can be heard on most Jackie Gleason recordings, "Music For Lovers Only", etc.) |
