Audiophile Classical cds?

If you are new to classical or not I highly recommend the Mahler and Beethoven CDs recorded by Benjamin Zander conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra of London.

Not only do you get a good sounding CD (Telarc) and an excellent performance, you get a second CD with Zander analysing the music in detail.

Many in the Mahler Society in New York consider Zander one of the best living Mahler conductors. (His Beethoven is also good.) Having hear Zander conduct for many years when I lived in Boston, I agree 100%. Zander teaches young gifted students at the New England Conservatory and has his own Boston Philharmonic that is more fun to listen to live than the Boston Symphony. He even speaks to corporate managements nationwide on inspiring people.

http://www.bostonphil.org/

http://www.benjaminzander.com/

Be sure to check out this two page Telarc brochure..

http://www.benjaminzander.com/newsletters/telarc2005.pdf

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Thanks Sugarbrie, those look great.

Any comments on this Recommended list?
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/AlbumGroup?album_group=5

Seems like their 10/10 artistic quality/sound quality might be a simple way for me to browse.

Sugarbrie is right Zander has done some masterful stuff. I met him a couple of years ago in Boston. Terrific person as well as a legendary conductor.

Zander produced a CD of Mahler's 3rd with the Boston Philharmonic which includes a bonus CD with Zander's detailed verbal explanations highlighting all the complexity and detail of this work.

Others;
Telarc's recording of Rachmaninov's 2nd and 3rd (Guitierrez) is also awesome. (basically any Telarc recording is of very high standard)
Lorin Mazel and Cleveland Orchestras 5th by Shostakovich
Christopher Hogwood/Academy of Ancient Music did some brilliant stuff in the past. (Mozart Mass in C Minor K427, Requiem K626, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik K525, Mozart Symphonies 40 and 41, Exultate Jubilate with Emma Kirby, Bach Double Concertos, for example)

If you don't have already, you should have Mussorgsky Pictures of an exhibition, Grieg Peer Gynt, Borodin Polovstian dances, Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade, and, of course, the usual well known fare of Chopin, Beethoven, Strauss, Kachaturian, Handel, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev...just to name a few. I can't recommend a particular recording for these....but once again Telarc is a safe bet....my experience with Reference Recordings is limited to jazz fare and it was NOT good at all....so I don't recommend those.

Another thing to try is film soundtracks from composers like Zimmer, Williams, Elfman, Howard Shore... these are recorded with BIGGER budgets than many classical fare and for Cinema quality theatre systems....i.e. big dynamic range, good low frequencies and good overall quality. Sound may be a little over powering at times, however, movies not being known for delicacy...

Here is a link about Telarc...

http://www.zioshow.com/view.php?id=1159&area=1

Nikturner920,

The Kempe R. Strauss recordings on Brilliant are wonderful conductions. Recording quality is good for the time. The Jochum Bruckner and the Barshai Shostakovich, both also on Brilliant, are also really great. All three of these sets are among my favorites. As a bonus, the Barshai Shostokovich recording quality is quite good. Generally, I'd take the Archiv 10's for sound quality with a grain of salt. The reviewers may not have the golder ears typical of this group.