Classical Music for Aficionados

Jim,

Currently, listening to the Purcell harpsichord suites.  Really beautiful, sensitive playing.  And the sound really makes the speakers sing.  The lute stop you mention is quite lovely. 
Truth be told, I’m not much of a harpsichord player myself, merely a pianist who has filled in on harpsichord when needed professionally.

RV   I'm quite sure you are being overly modest but I am glad your a harpsicordist now as there is quite a ressurgence in harpsicord popularity at the moment and I am heartily glad of it. I love the sound of the instrument with those wonderfull treble overtones, it must be a nightmare to record. I spent months one time trying to get an acceptable recording of the Goldbergs on it and I found it last week again on Idagio, Kenneth Gilbert .I must admit that I have allways loved the instrument but mostly live but now with modern digital recording techniques they don't now need to insert various mikes inside the poor instrument. I also think that todays instruments have a super tonal range from new but I do wonder if any of them will last for three hundred years as the old clavecins have. I will certainly look up that Schubert with Holliger conducting but a the moment I am listening to Sibelius Symphony No 1 with the Gothenburg SymphonyOrchestra cond by Santtu-Matias Rouvaly. Its on Idagio and it really is quite stirring. Well thanks for the recomenation and I'll let you know in a few days.

IMO Purcell is THE most underplayed composer in the world .

@schubert I think you could be right and I remedied that this afternoon also. I listened to his harpsicord suites today as I was doing a bit of digitising my CDs and I came across Dido and Aeneas and of course I had to listen to it and what a pleasure it was to revisit it.It’s the one with Catherine Bott as Dido and Emma Kirkby gets a look in with a contribution.The Orchestra is a Period band that I like, The Academy of Ancient Music and conducted by Christopher Hogwood. The bass is provided not by a double bass but a Theorbo and Beautifully played as well.No wonder I am very slow at digitising my collection as I keep comming across "Finds" and I get distracted and my dear wife comes up to my garret and gently chides me for wasting time with that infernal recording thingamy as she calls it and me forgetting it’s a nice day and the garden is very untidy !!!

When Hogwood and Kirby are together even God stops to listen .
Tell wife what a monster you would have been had not classical music made a refined Scottish Gentleman out of you .Down at the local with the lads at all hours etc .Worked for me .