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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
rok2id's avatar
rok2id
7,859 posts
 
Franz Liszt

PIANO CONCERTOS NOS. 1 & 2 - TOTENTANZ

Krystian Zimerman (piano)
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Seiji Ozawa
DG 1988

Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in A major

1. Adagio sostenuto assai - Allegro agitato assai
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceACxZx2OAI

2. Allegro moderato - Allegro deciso
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iW1bzkwOIU

3. Marziale un poco meno allegro
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaU9Fdupq7k

4. Allegro animato - Stretto (molto accelerando)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AJwHgBoMc0

Cheers
rok2id's avatar
rok2id
7,859 posts
 
Franz Liszt

PIANO CONCERTOS NOS. 1 & 2 - TOTENTANZ

Krystian Zimerman (piano)
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Seiji Ozawa
DG 1988

Totentanz (Dance macabre)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BFT2rlaMIo

Cheers


rok2id's avatar
rok2id
7,859 posts
 
Franz Liszt

SONATA IN B MINOR

Alfred Brendel (piano)
Philips   1982

Liszt: Piano Sonata in B minor, S.178
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xDv_37vwZ0&t=234s

Cheers
rok2id's avatar
rok2id
7,859 posts
 
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

Lilian Watson (soprano)
Delia Wallis (mezzo-soprano)
London Symphony Orchestra
Andre Previn
EMI Classics  1977 /1985 / 2002

Notes: "It is not surprising that Mendelssohn grew up with an interest in, and a love for the works of William Shakespeare, since it was his father's brother-in-law, August Schlegel, who had translated them into German.  In 1826, when he was seventeen years old, Mendelssohn composed "in a state of delirium", so he said, an Overture inspired by Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'.  Seventeen years later he added to this some incidental music for use at performances of Shakespeare's play in Berlin."

A Midsummer Night's Dream: Incidental Music, Op.61

Overture
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuXF5CY4pKs

Scherzo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jX55L1aXMQ

Song with Chorus, "You spotted snakes"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr-ry0iIMI4

Wedding March
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_waxRSDlC0

Finale
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDOBXy65D28

Cheers

edcyn
1,876 posts
 
My favorite Liszt Sonata/Six Paganini Etudes compendium is still Andre Watts' initial foray on CBS Masterworks. I wish the fidelity were better, but Watts plays them with unmannered, headlong passion. There's nothing cute in his performances. He has an innate sense of what the pieces are telling us and where the pieces should go.
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