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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
jim204
881 posts
 
Schubert

You are bang on about Julia Fischer she is by far the greatest violinist of ourtimes with musicality in every stroke of the bow. I can only name one more in her class and to me that is Maxim Vengerov who is every bit her equal technically but she I think has it in tone control . I have never heard he play a wrong note and her intonation is spot on ( I cannot say that for a lot of her superstar pals). 
schubert
7,386 posts
 

Thank you rv and jim .

It not that I don’t like other violinists , I am in love with Nicola Benedetti, almost broke my dial finger when I heard she was coming to Minneapolis last year and bought the best seat in the house .

Of course the fact that she is 200% Scottish and has done so much in general for my DNA land had something to do with it . But I could make a list of dozens of others . I went hundreds of miles to hear Milstein and Oistrakh both of whom who I still listen to often and so on and so forth .


The simple home truth is than God gave Julia Fisher the entire package .

Thank you Lord !


P.S . rv, I put the Glazunov toward the top as well though Brahms is my smack dab tops . What makes the Glazunov so great is the same thing that makes the Brahms great , it is in superb taste .

So many sound like honey dripping off Perlman’s bow .


jim204
881 posts
 
Schubert
Funny about Benedetti but she was educated in my hometown of Ayr and I have seen her many times in Ayr as well shopping with her mum. She went to a swanky private school for girls in the town and I am glad she won the BBC competition Young Player of The Year as that got her away from the stupid education system of this country and into a whole new area where art is first and foremost. A couple of years ago she helped The international composer now James McMillan with a festival that he organised in his hometown of Cumnock about 13 miles from our town. I went to one of their concerts and Miss Benedetti played the Chaconne of Bach and very well she did it. The other stuff in the program was definitly not to my taste, I cannot stand music that I cannot hear at least the gist of tonallity in it. I have often been chided about my tastes in music but I really have no interest is any music after Shostakovitch. I used to go to subscription concerts in Glasgow and they used to have the experimental music on first and after the piece was over there was a scramble of people rushing into the hall to get their place for the next piece on the program. I am glad I am an old retired gentleman now as I won't have to stomach that swill for too much longer.
schubert
7,386 posts
 

UK public education is similar to US model . If your economy rests on buying scraps of paper from someone who then sends you an I.O. U . you’d better keep them dumb . Even in private schools they neglect that .

I like some composers , like the Great Leos Janacek ,who use dissidence but with him it is logical with what he has to say which is a lot . Simple truth was revealed to me at uni by an eminent French philosopher . She said none born in the age of TV and rock will ever have the clarity of mind to write something like Bach or Mozart . Brain is rewired .


I spent a night in Ayr after landing at Preswick for the sole purpose of the Bobby Burns museum , you could do a lot worse laddy .



jim204
881 posts
 
Schubert
You should see Ayr today Len it is a very sad place . The unemployment rate is huge and there are hardly any shops open in the High St. The pavements of the place are begging points for Romanians and Roma gypsies. I had a laugh the other day when a known MUSLIM tried to sell me a pro Christian pamphlet which in itself is freely given out for nothing and when I told her to piss off she literally swore every swearword known in Arabic. So I don’t think I shall get into her version of heaven ( Lucky me )
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