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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
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,320 posts
 
I don't remember who recommended it, but my thanks to whoever in this thread recommended Arrau/Haitink for the Beethoven ## 4 and 5.  Listening very happily now.

By the way, if anyone says decently set up systems can't project a soundstage outside the left and right speakers, listen to this recording.  The orchestra is spread from several feet left of left to several feet right of right.  
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,320 posts
 
Volodos, Mompou.

Wonderful!  Incredible touch in the soft passages.

Very natural piano sound, tremendous dynamic contrasts.
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,320 posts
 
Tonight: Dvorak piano concerto.  I can't imagine there can be much better ambassadors for a piece than Sviatoslav Richter and Carlos Kleiber.  That being said, I think I see why it hasn't caught on more--not as inspired, or at least not as catchy, as the Grieg or the Tchaikovsky, for example.  Still, a very pleasant listen; soundstage quite distant.
newbee
4,781 posts
 
twoleftears, glad you liked this CD. After recommending something its nice to hear that some one tried it out and agreed.

FWIW, although this is not part of this thread we have discussed its elsewhere recently in another thread and I thought perhaps you would like to know. Re soundstaging and the appearance of sound occurring outside of your speakers, this occurs from the presence of 'out of phase' sounds in the recording. For a similar affect, listening to a TV with or without a audiophile set up involved, especially with out, you often hear ambient noises (doors slamming, planes, cars going by etc) coming from all about your room. This is the same out of phase information. The effect is very similar to what you might hear if you were to just reverse the cable connectors on one set of speakers in your system, i.e. you get sound from all about you, but have no focused center image. 
schubert
7,386 posts
 
One reason I bought a pre-amp with a phase switch .
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