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
Fascinating thread, too much to recommend from my side. To avoid taking too much space, I'll stick to a few Mahler & Brahms "specials" going by performance, not sound quality *which is not always bad!)Mahler symphonies 1-8: Tennstedt, LPO, Live (the live is better) -- (EMI and other labels); also Tennstedt live with NYPO, from 1980.Mahler-5: Barbirolli, NPO, emi; Mahler-9 Barbirolli, Berlin SO, (Warner Classics)Mahler - Klemperer: 2, Philarmonia (EMI) // 4 Bavarian RSO (EMI)Mahler - 8 : Horenstein, LSO, (BBC)Mahler-9 : L Bernstein, Berlin SO, live (DG)
Regards


Mahler con'nued:Mahler -2: Klemperer, Philarmonia (EMI) / Klemperer, Concertgebouw (Guild)Mahler - 4: Mengelberg, Concertgebouw, (gripping; historical rec from late 30s, Archipel) // B Walter, NYSO, (Sony classical)// Klemperer live, Philarmonia (EMI)
For Brahms piano concerto, keep the Curzon-Szell version on your list: intense & dramatic!
The same old story , sad to say, sex sells .
rv, at our age what we hear is largely what memory the brain has stored of a given LIVE piece ,.aka garbage in garbage out .
And how some conductors are better then ever into their 90’s aka Herbert Blomstedt .
And why present generations will become essentially robots .
Just listening to a new recording beautifully performed by the Danish String Quartet of maybe the greatest movement ever written: Beethoven’s Grosse Fuge (on Adagio.)