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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
 
craig58,
 Got an even better deal today !
 Box of Bach Cantatas, the heart of his work, 19 CD's by  one of the best
 original instrument ensembles , Le Petite Bande/ Sigiswald Kuijken  for 43 bucks on Amazon . Had a few of these already, IMO they are among the best around , one voice to a part as you would have heard in Bach's time .
They were going to do all the Bach Cantatas but the label , Accent , was sold .
willemj
1,036 posts
 
Good find and indeed strongly recommended. Was listening to Kuijken's Johannnes Passion only the other day.
craigl59
307 posts
 

Schubert:

Congrats on the Bach; they are major works with tremendous variety -- unfortunately I OD’d on them some time ago and have not been a listener since.

Just got the Buchberger recording of all the Haydn String Quartets -- 23 discs. They are period-informed performances with mostly strong violin playing.

However..

...some ripping problems into JRiver caused minor distortion. And, so, have been looking at ripping software apps that compare the rip to an online database to, supposedly, correct any variants.

The first of these I have looked at is Exact Audio Copy. Have not yet gotten it operational but thought I would check with this forum and see if anyone is using these kind of apps to improve their ripped files.

Any experts out there?

craigl59
307 posts
 

twoleftears:

Your description of the Scriabin has me interested. Could you expand on the relationship between colors and musical content? Were there cases where it made sense? Or did it appears artificial or contrived?

schubert
7,386 posts
 
craig59
I understand the OD part , but as a devout Anglican with a good command of German has never happened to me after 50 years  with Bach, esp. the cantatas , to me they are a form of prayer .

Someone who wrote great religious music in English and was born in same year as Bach is , obviously , Handel .
Among people I have known the most neglected of his works are some of his best works , The Chandos Anthems 1-VI .
Chandos Label(no coincidence) has nice box sets for good prices , perhaps the best readily available . After I listened to Vol 1 today, I went and dug out my Volume 1
LP on the Vanguard Everyman Classics label . The Vinyl was so much better the Chandos CD seemed like a toy and I have a modest TT set up .

I think I have said it before but again to all , if you ever run into ANY old Vanguard vinyl just buy it .
More to discover