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Classical Music for Aficionados

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.


128x128rvpiano
jcazador
417 posts
 
yes indeed jim
What a saga
From his teenage job accompanying the Odessa opera rehearsals
to the death of his father (father was german, was warned to leave, but his mother was too attached to her lover, so dad stayed and was arrested, executed - while Sv. was in Moscow studying with Neuhaus)
to his long hibernation in USSR (allowed out once to play at UN)
and his final world wide recognition when he was finally allowed out
in 1960 at age 45.

I hear rhythms within rhythms where other pianists are struggling to keep up.

Do you have the Richter in Hungary (1954-93) set of 14 cds?
Have you seen Bruno Monsaingeon's 1998 documentary, “Richter the Enigma"?
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=richter+the+enigma

Compilation of his recordings here:
http://www.doremi.com/sr.html
apdxyk
20 posts
 
jim204, Richter lived in the West for over 30 years, he just hated recording process, he was an accomplished theatre man. I was fortunate to be at his recitals a few times and it was out of this world. I keep coming back listening to him and discovering more and more, especially in his late, ’simple’ and ’cold’ performances. His counterpoint playing is like a Gothic cathedral: there are so many storeys and layers hidden underneath his simplicity. He played a piano as if it were an organ - a true klavir player. You can also give Andrey Gavrilov and Ekaterina Derzhavina a listen. Gavrilov was a kid, when Richter proclaimed to be his student, not the other way around. Ms Derzhavina is a true musicians’ musician, a musician from a heavenly ensemble - she is up there with Richter, but went her own way.
Here is Odessa Opera:
https://ariananadia.livejournal.com/835328.html
(you don’t need to understand the nonsense she wrote, pictures are great)A grandfather of mine was singing there when Richter was active in Odessa Opera.

jcazador
417 posts
 
thank you apd
just downloaded and now listening to Ekaterina Derzhavina
Haydn piano sonatas 9 cds
Somehow I had never heard of her

Gavrilov is one my favorites, his old recordings
(Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Schubert, Handel, Prokofiev, Schumann, Shostakovich, Bach , Balakirev, Scriabin, Tchaikovsky)
as well as his newer (esp Chopin nocturnes)
another USSR musician saga!


jim204
881 posts
 
I used to really like Gavrilov ,I have the two cd copy of his and Richters Handel keyboard suites. Why does R ichter start the Harmonious Blacksmith Variations with such a long note ? I find it most unsettling. I am going to linvestigate Ekaterina Derzhavina today so thanks apdxyk I shall let you know how I get on. I am into the second week of my take up of Idagio and I have to say that i am really enjoying it and I don't miss the fact that it is only CD playback. I find their playback very fullsome sounding but do miss the abillity to fine tune playback the way Qobuz does but if it is a recocording I like and want a hard copy of I can then record the music stream using Sound Tap and then put the recording into Sound Forge and edit it as I please.
jim204
881 posts
 
I have just had a look at my previous post and will you please forgive those awful spelling mistakes as i usually look at and correct before I post but my wife called me and I had to obey !!!This gives me a chance though to say something about Ekaterina Derzhavina . Well I am very pleased because I have only listened to her Goldberg Variations up to now but I am so pleased with them that I can safely place them up in my top tier of go to recordings.
More to discover