Recommendations for a few high SQ classical CDs

Google the XRCD’s available on eBay for the best recordings

i would go to different sites (US, UK, Germany) because the offerings are different 

I have been listening to a superb Mahler 4th lately and it is a superb recording and a great interpretation. It is Adam Fischer conducting The Dusseldorf Symphony and I have been listening to it quite a lot of late. It is super clean and has a huge dynamic range. Now I have been listening to it via Quobuz as a 24/96 stream but I am sure if you can source a CD from it then I'm sure it will be most enjoyable. While we are on about Mahler I'm quite sure you would enjoy his First Symphony also as those two are his most accessible
able works

Thanks guys. I will look for the Mahler CD. I also have Mahler's 5th and I like it but not as much as 4. I'll look for a good recording of his 1st also.

Nice to have a post on music.

For classical I would stay away from fancy formats and stick with great performances that are well recorded.

For the 9th I really like Solti conducting the Chicago symphony. I grew up thinking Berlin and Bernstein were the best. Now I’m very partial to Chicago. Lots of energy and the brass section is outstanding. 

Another tip I can give is to consider anything on the Naxos label. Great music great performances and very good sound quality overall. Can’t go wrong. 

Happy listening. 

I would label Mahler's 1st as an introduction to Mahler, or "Mahler 101." It's a very good composition, but doesn't show the genius of his later works. A very good quality 1st is Riccardo Muti with the Philadelphia Orchestra on EMI.

I like symphonies that were recorded on analogue tape, then mastered for CD. I can highly recommend James Levine's Maher #4 and the rest of his series with the Chicago and Philadelphia Orch. from the late 70s on RCA Red Seal.

You'll find that the best quality classical recordings to be found are produced by a handful of record labels who specialized in this area. They employed top engineers and used recording techniques specific to this genre.

Solti's Beethoven #9 from 1972 on London Records (remastered) is a masterpiece. The sound quality is very good for a recording from that era, but the performance is unlike any other 9th...and superior to his later digital release.
  I usually prefer a quicker tempo for Beethoven, but Solti's interpretation with the Chicago Symphony is something very special.

Get the Chesky re-issues of Dvorak’s Ninth (the "New World" symphony) and Brahms’ First, both conducted by the great Jascha Horenstein, and prepare to be amazed! You will not believe that they were recorded in 1962.

Both are out of print but are offered by various sellers at Amazon.

Regards,
-- Al

A couple of very high quality and relatively modern recordings of excellent performances -

Mahler Symphony #1 on Telarc by Zander. This disc includes a wonderful rendition of Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen. The sound quality is excellent. The program really satisfies me.

One not mentioned (by you), but if you want a really high quality (read demo quality) I highly recommend Copland’s Third Symphony by Eiji Oue and the Minnesota Orchestra on Reference Recording. It includes "fanfare for the common man" which is especially notable  sound reproduction wise.

Another piece you didn’t mention, which is really a symphony in disguise, Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances by Eiji Oue on Reference Recordings. A very dramatic piece and accessible. More demo music.

FWIW, most older RR recordings are audiophile wet dreams.

Another new (for you perhaps) symphony that is highly regarded and enjoyed by most, is Sibelius' Symphony #2  conducted by Osmo Vanska with the Minnesota Orchestra on a BIS SACD. It includes another relatively accessible performance of Symphony #5. 

And, another very exciting piece of music in very high quality (both sound and performance) Stravinsky's Firebird Suite by Eiji on Reference Recordings.

Any of the named Haydn Symphonies conducted by Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martins on Philips.

There is another symphony by Copland you must hear which is "Appalachian Spring" Bernstien and the New York Symphony orchestra.  I have also have Copland conducting himself as well.  Both are very good.  I can also recommend an audiophile Sampler CD by -Showcase "Opus 3"  it contains an excellent  recording of Ravel's "Bolero"  It also has a SACD layer and is made in Germany mainly of Scandinavian artists.

In my opinion...

Beethoven 9: Staatskapelle Berlin, Omar Suitner, Denon PCM (Nippon Columbia) 1982
https://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Symphony-No-9-Choral/dp/B003RECFJU/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&a...

Mahler 4: Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Reiner, RCA Living Stereo
https://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Symphony-Reiner-Della-Casa/dp/B0009U55SI/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF...

Dvorak 4:Dvorak Symphonies 3 & 4, Deutsche Radio Philharmonic, Karel Chicon
https://www.amazon.com/Antonin-Deutsche-Philharmonie-Saarbr%C3%BCcken-Kaiserslauten/dp/B01LB5AY6W/re...

Brahms 4: Brahms: The Four Symphonies, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons
https://www.amazon.com/Brahms-Symphonies-Boston-Symphony-Orchestra/dp/B06XV2RLTG/ref=tmm_acd_swatch_...

or just the fourth:
Brahms: Symphony 4, Leningrad Philharmonic, Mravinsky
https://www.highdeftapetransfers.com/products/brahms-symphony-no-4-evgeny-mravinsky-leningrad-philha...

Thanks for the excellent recommendations. I'm making a list.

A lot of my little collection is the from the Cleveland Symphony orchestra either Szell or Dohnanyi conducting. These came from my late uncle who was an aficionado. Record companies sent him music to preview so we often got some of his extras. I do not know if he particularly liked the Cleveland Symphony or just had extra ones. 

In my original post I mentioned Dvorak's 4th but I meant the 9th. One of my favorites and it seems certain to me that Williams borrowed heavily for his Star Wars themes.

Side story (I have two). The little former mill city that I live in has just founded a symphony orchestra. My sister in-law is on the founding committee and my wife has helped them with fund raising. They are an excellent group of musicians from around the region (Charlotte, Atlanta, etc). The conductor is from New York. They will be doing Dvorak's 9th for their opener next month. Can't wait. I think it is a wise choice as it will be very accessible even for us local hicks.

Second story (which relates to posts above):  One of the other board members is the chair of the piano department at the University of Colorado.  He is in a duo with a violinist named Bill Terwilliger who teaches violin at the University of South Carolina. They have a number of CDs under the name of Opus Two. They specialize in the American composers, especially Copland. They will be performing with our new symphony from time to time. They are friends of the family and I must admit have never been really into Copland. I think it is time for me to broaden my horizons as I suspect my wife and her sister are likely to stay involved in the symphony.

Anyway, you've all given me a good place to start building from. Thanks.

George

Mahler’s 5th symphony by Frank Shipway. There are two sound carriers available, or at least they were, CD and Hybrid SACD. Go for SACD, just in case you ever get a SACD player. To me, SACD is way better than CD layer, but CD is very good, too.

https://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Symphony-No-5/dp/B00000ICOW

https://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Symphony-No-5-Gustav/dp/B000AAVCY8

I would also recommend Beethoven’s 2&7 symphonies by Vanska and Minnesota orchestra.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=462028

Mahler's 4th by Ivan Fischer sounds really great to me, too.

https://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Symphony-No-4-Gustav/dp/B001PBCZ92

And, if you ever want to feel "less serious", but are in the mood for a guilty pleasure, New Year’s Concert 1987 with Karajan. However, you have to get Japanese K2 CD and not the regular one for $10 or so.

http://www.elusivedisc.com/Herbert-von-Karajan-New-Years-Concert-Numbered-Limited-Edition-K2-HD-Impo...

glupson, thanks, I will add those to my list.

bdp24, thanks for that suggestion. I have always thought of 'classical' being from Bach through Beethoven's early work...but am probably mistaken. But yes, in regard to this thread I meant pretty much everything up to Copland, etc, in the popular sense of classical.

I am familiar with some Bach, some Handel and some Vivaldi as most people are. But other than a few exceptions Baroque has not drawn my interest....which is not to say that it won't, but I'll have to make an effort. Years ago when I decided to dive into southern literature I realized that I needed to understand what it was built on. And while it is still my primary literary focus I came to love and enjoy Homer, Virgil, Dante, Cervantes and Shakespeare. ( I wish I had as much music as I do books!). Which is all to say, if I take the plunge into Classical and Romantic era music, I'll probably want to at least explore the foundational stuff. I do have 8 or 10 Haydn symphonies which I have not listened to in ages.

But I will say, a lot of my rock taste is progressive...so the long, heavy, dramatic symphonies of the Romantics fit well with that rock genre.

George, 

If you have Beethoven's 9th by Cleveland/Szell, hold, on to it. 

The San Francisco Symphony runs their own music label which is always of very high quality for both the performance and the recording. They have all of Mahler’s Symphonies (including the 4th). They also have the Beethoven 9th. If you get these on SACD, they are recorded in natural 5 channel surround sound that is REALLY AWESOME if you have the system to play it on.

https://bluecoastmusic.com/store?f%5B0%5D=field_record_label%3A139

n80,

Once upon a time, I heard a report on the radio that talked about popularity of opera among people who otherwise prefer punk rock. It talked about similarities between those two, what appears to be completely different, styles of music. I cannot repeat it now, but they dissected it and it made sense.

https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=911160

I'd like to comment on SQ of some of the CD's listed. The Karajan New Years Concert was mentioned. First some history; Deutsche Grammophon's digital recordings from the 1980's are far from good sound quality. Sound was dry, harsh, and their technique of multi-mic'ing resulted in a closed-in and flat presentation. DG was far behind other record labels during the early years of the CD.
    My point is to steer clear of the early DG DDD recordings, as most were remastered later in an attempt to make them listenable.

Now, I would assume the Japanese K2 CD would be superior to the DG issues for sale from US vendors.

One last comment; The San Francisco Symphony's recordings from
their record label are some of the best I've heard. It's true the SQ and performances are top class.
   Other major symphonies have created their own record labels and sell very high quality CD's. One that comes to mind is The London Symphony Orchestra.

Thanks lowrider. I've got several CDs by the London Symphony Orchestra. Not home right now so I'll check which ones later.

glupson, in Italy opera is still popular with young people. I saw Tosca at the Parma opera house in April (my first opera) and there were lots of young people and children there. They sell tickets for the top tier which is standing only, no seats, and they say it is often full of young people who stand through these two hour productions.

My first thought was that these must be wealthy young folks because even standing tickets aren't cheap and floor seats are high....but you commonly see rock concert tickets for $150 and pro football tickets are that high too.

+1 lowrider. Deutche Grammophone  is one of the offenders I was referring to when advising to stay away from the fancy formats. Such great names and lots of techno involved but the result is totally flat.

To bring together a few recommendations - the San Francisco SO does a great Copeland as well, lots of air nice brass and good clean sound with depth.

+1 bdp24 on baroque music. I was a romantic snob but finally came around to the older music and find it totally beguiling. One example - Handels Tamerlane opera. Who knew? Not me until recently.

Enjoy

In addition to all suggestions made so far, you can entertain yourself in near perpetuity perusing Arkiv Music and Presto Classical's websites for further ideas and reviewer recommendations. Any composition you are interested in can be searched by several parameters. I have found many gems searching under the "recommended"heading. 

Great resource, thanks.

For two classic performances of the violin concertos:

Heifitz: Beethoven Violin Concerto Munch/BSO, and
            Brahms Violin Concerto Reiner/CSO    RCD1-5402

Subscribe to tidal hifi and compare dozens of performance of the same piece of music to find out what you like. Worked for me and once you identify what you like it gets easier.

I've got the Tidal 30 day trial but am not satisfied with the SQ just running it from my laptop via headphone jack/RCA y cable.

George, I have an interesting recommendation for you. Welsh Rock ’n’ Roll guitarist/singer/producer Dave Edmunds (well known as producer of The Stray Cats, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, The Everly Brothers and others, and member along with Nick Lowe of the great band Rockpile) was in a band before in 1970 starting his solo career, named Love Sculpture. Inspired by Keith Emerson’s reworkings of Classical compositions for ELP (Mussorgsky’s "Pictures At An Exhibition", of course), Dave and the two other Love Sculpture members recorded a Rock band version of Khachaturian’s "Sabre Dance". I am in general no fan of Rock versions of Classical music, "Sabre Dance" being the lone exception. Love Sculpture released two albums on British EMI.

It's much more than you asked for, but the Belohlavek set of Dvorak symphonies and concertos with the Czech Philharmonic on Decca is beautifully recorded and there are good prices on Amazon Marketplace:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00JOX77GE/ref=tmm_acd_new_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=new&...

There are also 24/96 downloads available.

bdp24, I think Dave Edmunds did some solo work too. I love "Pictures at an Exhibtion". I'll look into Sabre Dance.

Would also like a reference for a good CD of "Pictures at an Exhibition."
It seems like it always has stuff I don't want tacked onto the CD with it.

It may be a bit of nostalgia, but I’ve always been very fond of the old Leibowitz "Power of the Orchestra" on RCA, first on Lp and then in gorgeous sounding DSD.

http://www.elusivedisc.com/Leibowitz-The-Power-of-The-Orchestra-Moussorgsky-Hybrid-Stereo-SACD/produ...

(Oops, didn't see that it was a pre-order.  I guess the SACD is currently out of print.)

daverz, I don't mind boxed sets of good recordings. I'm never going to be an aficionado or a serious collector of classical CDs. I'll probable never own many duplicates of any given works. So a well recorded box set makes sense. I'll look into that Dvorak set.

@n80, oh yeah, Edmunds has a lot of solo albums, and one as a member of the great Rockpile (with Nick Lowe, Billy Bremner, and Terry Williams). Dave just announced his retirement---he's in his mid-70's. He continued to perform "Sabre Dance" after going solo, usually as a set-closer. His playing on the piece is a real tour de force.

I need to dig deeper there. Free 30 day Tidal and 90 day Apple Music will help with that.

No mention of Solti's interpretation of Mahler's 8th on the London label?
I am shocked!

Try Blu-ray disk. In my experience,  I find the SQ superior to my SACD, DSD and other high resolution format. very dynamic and open

System is Oppo player and Stax SR-009 headphones with BHSE tube amplifier.

For Mahler: Ivan Fischer, Budapest Festival Orchestra from Channel Classics or Ricardo Chailly, Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Decca.
For Beethoven: Osmo Vanska, Minnesota Orchestra, BIS Records.
For Dvorak: Nicholas Harnoncourt, RCO, Teldec or Leonard Bernstein, NYPO from Sony Classical. 
There are also reference interpretations!

thanks guys for all the great suggestions.  i have a reasonably large (500 or so) of classical cds and there are many above that i need to look into.  my suggestion for an outstanding recording both performance wise and SQ wise is this cd:  https://www.amazon.com/Stravinsky-Rite-Spring-Petrushka-Igor/dp/B004QI1556/ref=sr_1_20?s=music&i...

Decca issued a big box with a nicely varied selection of music from their catalog, The Decca Sound:

https://www.amazon.com/Decca-Sound-50-Box-Set/dp/B018FCVK8U

IMO only one real clunker here: I cannot abide Ute Lemper's mannerisms in her Kurt Weill disc.  YMMV.  But that's a really good batting average for a box like this.

@ ronkent: For the Rite of Spring I'm gonna say Ivan Fischer, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Channel Classics once more! :)

lowrider57,

You got the part about 1987 New Year's Concert right. It is far from the best sound quality that ever was. I, don't ask why, happened to have had a plain any-store copy Made in West Germany, one more like that Made in U.S.A. and now I have this Japanese K2. I bought K2 simply because it existed and those regular copies were getting on my nerves. Not that I listened to them more than once a year, or every two years. K2 is definitely better than ordinary CD, surely not four times better like the price might suggest but I think it is decent. Still, I suggested it as a decent-sounding material for some easy-classical listening. Kind of when we get tired of Mahler's attacks and need a break.

As far as actual Deutsche Gramophone recordings go, would it make a difference that this particular CD/concert was recorded live with whatever constraints the venue might have brought? I have no idea, but I do have some of the Deutsche Gramophone recordings you are implying and I think you are spot on about the imperfections of sound. It may be my ears, but I think that this particular New Year's Concert is a bit better to start with. To repeat, not great.

@glupson, First of all, I'll try to control my anger and disappointment at DG for screwing up the sound on such a vast catalogue of wonderful performances from many of the greatest artists, orchestras, and conductors who ever graced the stage.

I usually watch the Vienna New Year's Concerts on PBS. I haven't heard the Karajan performance in its entirety, but there are several positives. It takes place in the Musikverein with its unique and unsurpassed sonics, and it has Karajan (albeit near the end of his life) leading the VPO in which they shared an amazing chemistry. IMO, live recordings from the Vienna "Great Hall" seem to sound a bit better than many of the other venues recorded by DG engineers. The ambience of that concert hall adds so much to the recording.
   The audio mix on the live TV broadcast usually sounds pretty good. Live TV broadcasting takes priority over music recording companies, so maybe the DG engineers are not allowed to use their standard over-mic'd recording techniques. Even so, they record and mix their own audio feed for a later release.

I've never heard K2HD, but I own some Japanese SHM-CD's and Blu-spec and since they are simply remasters made from the original digital masters, to my ears they just sound like a cleaner CD with tipped-up highs.

@n80, check out Anton Bruckner, one of the masters of the symphonic form. Symphony No. 7, 8 and 9 were written at the peak of his creativity. Symphony No. 4 "Romantic" is a good introduction to Bruckner since it is very melodic.

Gunter Wand/ Berlin Philharmonic on RCA Red Seal has outstanding SQ with terrific performances. RCA Red Seal is one of the great classical labels known for high quality recordings.

https://www.amazon.com/Symphony-7-Anton-Bruckner/dp/B00004YMJ0/ref=sr_1_5?s=music&ie=UTF8&qi...

https://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-Symphony-No-8-Anton/dp/B00005Q66Y/ref=sr_1_5?s=music&ie=UTF8&...

https://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-Symphony-No-4-Anton/dp/B0000247D1/ref=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&...

... and don't buy any remastered versions.

I own very few CDs since they are too flat sounding but some SACDs are really good.The best I have heard for sound quality is the Colin Davis/Concertgebouw version of Symphonie Fantastique on Pentatone.
Even in the 2 track stereo output it is simply fantastique!

- Herbert von Karajan Beethoven Symphony No. 9 Japanese Import (UHQCD). *Currently out of stock on Elusive Disc
- Mahler Symphony No.1 (XRCD24) - http://www.elusivedisc.com/Mahler-Symphony-No-1-XRCD24/productinfo/HIQSXR35/- Brahms: Symphony No.4 [SHM-CD] [Limited Release]  - http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/UCCG-9956?s_ssid=e363725b8189cb6df7

Wagner Ring by either Von Karajan or Solti. From the golden age of Vienna and Berlin orchestras.

You requested recommendations for high sound quality classical CDs. Here you go.

Beethoven 9: Sir Simon Rattle, Berlin Philharmonic (issued 2016). If you can't buy the individual CD and don't want a digital download, go for  Osmo Vänskä's 9th with the Minnesota Orchestra, on the BIS label. 

Mahler 4th: Adam Fischer, Dusseldorf Symphony

Brahms 4th: Andris Nelsons, Boston Symphony Orchestra; or Riccardo Chailly,  Gewandhausorchester

Dvorak 9th ('From the New World'):  Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Houston Symphony

All of these are recent recordings (within the past 10 years). For quality of performances and sound quality, check the online reviews.
 
Hope this is helpful.

TimT

Thanks guys, the list is getting longer!

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