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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
brownsfan
1,508 posts
 
As an add on to Len's comments above regarding Heinrich Schutz,  I'd like to recommend the Ars Nova Copenhagen recordings on deCapo.  There is a boxed set of the Johannes, Lukas, and Matthias Passions, along with the Christmas and Resurrection histories, and finally Die Seben Worte.   https://www.amazon.com/Schutz-Narrative-Ars-Nova-Copenhagen/dp/B005MJDVWI/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?s=music&a...   $25 for the set, and these have pretty much become my standby recordings for these works.  They are sonically and artistically superb in my opinion.  Also the Vox Luminis recording of Musicalishche Exequeien on Ricercar is in the same league.  https://www.amazon.com/Musicalische-Exequien-Schutz/dp/B004S7ZZ5Q/ref=sr_1_5?s=music&ie=UTF8&...
If works such as these are of interest, and you aren't familiar with the works of Heinrich Schutz, it would be hard to do better than to start with these recordings.    My love and respect for Schutz is deep.  But he is more of an acquired taste, I suppose.   
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schubert
7,386 posts
 
Jim, When you went to hear Brendel play Scubert, you got Schubert, with many you got/get them . The "heavenly lengths" bit came from Schumann in reference to the Great C major Symphony .
Few musicians were/are as learned as Brendel .I’ll look for the Arau.I had it once .

I saw a clip with Rubinstein saying the adagio to Schubert’s Quintet in C,d.956 , is the most beautiful music ever written .Lot of folks like Schubert because he wrote so many melodic " little pieces" . True enough, but according to Brahms anyway, everyone was a masterpiece .At 2 am this morning our local BBC 3 played both sides of a new Hyperion  CD with Steven Isserlis on Cello,Denes Varjon on pf .One side was the Chopin Cello Sonata Op.65, the other Schubert's Arpeggione SonataD.821 .

I doubt anyone could walk away from this great recording with any opinion other than both pieces are masterworks .

.
jcazador
417 posts
 
jim et al
I am in full agreement with your comments about Liszt, also Rachmaninoff.
I have too many recordings of both to list here.
For Schubert, I love Rada Lupu. The Complete Decca Solo Recordings(2010) is 10 cds, about half is Schubert.
I read a story about Rachmaninoff, as composer and pianist.
His piano teach Nikolai Zverev told Rachmaninoff that he should concentrate on becoming a concert pianist because he had so much talent;
and that he should not waste his time studying composition or composing.
Eventually Rachmaninoff won a gold medal  at his conservatory for his composition of a one act opera, "Aleko", and Zverev was on the examination committee.  Zverev gave Rachmaninoff his gold watch. 
Tchaikovsky attended and praised Rachmaninoff.

rvpiano's avatar
rvpiano OP
2,516 posts
 
Re: Rachmaninoff 

Did any musician in history combine performance and composition to such a high degree?
And remember, he stopped composing in his early forties for decades, he said because his music was considered too old fashioned. Only then did he turn to concertizing seriously and become arguably the greatest pianist of his age.
Towards the end of his life, he returned to composition to write some of his greatest music: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Symphonic Dances, Third Symphony.
As late as the 1950’s the Groves Dictionary referred to his music as “warmed over Tchaikovsky!”  Only lately has his time come to be recognized as one of the greats.
More to discover