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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
schubert
7,386 posts
 
Cheer up jim, all is well . The UK now has a savior just like us,blond wig, affairs and all .!MUKGA !!
jim204
881 posts
 
Yes Len we are now ruled by two buffoons , heaven help us.
schubert
7,386 posts
 
Thats just UK, Russia helps us !
jim204
881 posts
 
Len    Going back and reading previous posts I had a good laugh about Saint-Saens maybe writing the Liszt Sonata , that was a scream. Did you know that the Saint-Saens Organ Symphony was dedicated as follows" To the memory of a great man Franz Liszt ". When asked who he thought was the greatest sight reader he had ever came across Liszt thought for a moment and said " well if you discount me it would have to be Hans von Bulow and then Camile Saint-Saens ". Very humble man wasn't he ?Another thing about Saint Saens was he was in company with von Bulow and Wagner and he had gotten tired of the other two speaking in German all night so he went over to the piano and looked at what was sitting on it. He opened a score and it happened to be Wagner's latest opera possibly Parsifal and he started playing it through from full score and at this time no one had heard Wagners latest work. The room went quiet and Saint-Saens carried on playing and at the end of the first act there was a howl of surprise and Liszt who had heard it from the adjoining room thought it was Bulow who was every bit as precocious and Liszt was flabbergasted to see it was Saint-Saens. Liszt worked tirelessly for young pianists and composers.
jcazador
417 posts
 
Jim
Yes I have read your story about Saint Saens and Wagner.
Edward Said wrote a slightly different version of this story.
Said says Saint Saens was visiting Wagner at Beyreuth, and that Liszt was also there.  (Wagner's wife Cosima was Liszt's daughter.)  Wagner and Liszt were chatting, Saint Saens sat down at the keyboard where Wagner had left his unfinished score of Siegfried.  And S.S. played a perfect rendition of the score, sight reading it and transposing the orchestral score to piano.
Edw. Said (in case you don't know) was professor at Columbia, most famous for "Orientalism", and before that for revising literary criticism.  He was also a classical pianist, and wrote reviews for NYT and other publications.
Said and Barenboim founded the West Eastern Divan Orchestra, bringing together young Israeli and Arab musicians.

https://books.google.com/books?id=IVp4jNhkffIC&pg=PA279&lpg=PA279&dq=Saint-Sa%C3%ABns+vi...
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