Classical Music for Aficionados

The Eiji Oue/ Minnesota "Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances " recording on Reference is , as Frogman has said , a magnificent recording .
The woodwinds on the first 5 minutes make me play just that over and over.
My other favorite , Simon Rattle with the Berlin Phil. has more drive but the
Minnesota winds play better, IMO than the Berlin ones which surprised the hell out of me , and the Minnesota is more lyrical and refined . Berlin percussion is better but its always better than anyone.
That said, there is a triangle bit that the MN player played better than any triangle piece I ever heard .

This thread's a real pleasure for me, and a refreshing reminder of why we do this stuff with audio:  to hear good music well rendered.

scott_w

I agree with you and other's about Gorecky's Symphony #3. It's chilling and rousing, ennobling and sad at the same time.

Re: Rachmaninoff “The Bells”.
I based my recommendation of Simon Rattle in this piece because of a live telecast of him on the Berlin Philharmonic Concert Hall site— a truly exciting rendering.  Sadly, his Warner Classics CD, IMO, is leaden with the sound to match.
I did a comparison of 12 recordings of “The Bells” and came to the following conclusions: Ashkenazy on Decca/London was my favorite along with Kondrashin on RCA. The former had among the best sound, the latter, unfortunately, the worst.  Surprisingly, the non-Russian Jose Serebrier on Warner was among the best performances, with some of the best sound. Semyon Bychkov on Hanssler was similarly good.

Probably more than you wanted to know about this piece.😊

Hello everyone. I thought perhaps some "Contemporary Music" would be of interest as well. I have about 3000 Lp’s. Some rock, jazz, folk rock but the bulk of my collection is Classical with about 800 being 20th Century only. I enjoy almost all forms oof music but get a particular thrill discovering music that I have never hear of, much less heard.

 Starker doing the Kodaly unacompanied Cello Sonata on Period Pecords is a killer of gigantic proportions. I wish you could all hear it in the original in mono. Here is Starker playing it at a much later date:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MEUIGjfHNw

Most people that I know, who do listen to Classical music, draw the line at Schoenburg. So, here are a few of my favourites:

Hans Werner Henze. I have over 30 of his recordings on DG Lp’s. All of these are very good recordings.

Doppio Concerto (1966), for oboe, harp & strings (Holliger, 2017)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-J__TrbevCw

Il Vitalino raddoppiato, for violin & chamber orchestra (1977)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvk7vYP8EwQ

Labyrinth, Apollo et Hyazinthus, Wiegenlied der Mutter Gottes & L’usignolo dell’imperatore
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhKxGNU4y8U

Elliot Carter. A 20th century giant. He composed untill he died at 101.

String quartet No.1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTR1vnBeXzA

Piano Sonata
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpZkNgoApm4

(Variations for Orchestra)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_tb0JY2O5U

Here are some other greats;

Penderecki: Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima
Penderecki: The Devils of Loudun (Historical Studio Production from the Hamburg State Opera 1969)

Lutosławski - Concerto for Cello (Paul Watkins Cellist, Proms 2013)

For me, a part time classical lover, I'll never forget one of the first pieces that I was introduced to as a young boy.  I must have been 7 or 8 years old, and a family friend use to play Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major for me on his turntable.  I would get super enthusiastic and move my hands like a conductor of an orchestra, the music playing nice and loud :-)

To this day, it is a favorite of mine.  I have tried a few versions, but the one I like most this far, with a wonderful performance as well as great sonics is this one:

Fritz Reiner - Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto/ Heifetz, violin
Label: Analogue Productions (RCA Living Stereo)