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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
 
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 .
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,313 posts
 

Scriabin was very taken with that whole Symbolist doctrine (involving synaesthesia) of correspondences between the senses. See Rimbaud’s poem on the different "color" of each of the vowels of the alphabet.

This was in Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, years ago. There was definitely some correlation of the more obvious sort (darker sonorities, dark blue, brighter, yellow, louder, red, etc.), and it was interesting as a curiosity, but you ended up thinking about those possible correspondences rather than just immersing in the music.


P.S. D'Albert two piano concertos in the Hyperion 19C series last night.  Pleasant, but not compelling...

schubert
7,386 posts
 
One of the foremost pianists alive, Andras Schiff sees either keys or notes in colors . Was a few years ago since I heard the interview, but in any event he see music in color .
craigl59
307 posts
 

Speaking of colors and composers here's a Swedish composer who was also active as a watercolor painter:

Hugo Alfven: Symphonies 1-5, Swedish Rhapsodies, Royal Stockholm Phil/Jarvi.

Have had this for a week or so and was not immediately impressed. Then, listened to the 2nd Symphony a second time, and was hooked. Worth investigating.

The 4th Symphony "from the outermost Skerries" uses two soloists singing only vowels. At times its brilliant and at other times, doesn't quite seem to work.

Lots of incidental music of interest; performances/fidelity range from good to very good.

craigl59
307 posts
 

twoleftears:

As regards diverting attention, I have a similar concern with bluray music performances. Have the Holst Planets by philharmonic orchestra/Salonen that is an over-the-top recording (signum vision). Huge number of mics and cameras and the sound is the best of any Holst I have heard.

There is, however, so much visual action/panning that the mind is pulled away from the musical content and I find myself preferring just CDs that simply provide the music.

Curiously, do not encounter this same divergence in live orchestral performances where the musical content and performers' actions seem to blend naturally. Perhaps in one, you decide where to turn your attention to and in the other, the engineer is doing so for you  and you must pay attention to this view.

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