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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
jim204
881 posts
 
@schubert     Len I can't fault you on the pollini treasure , I think it was not long after that disc that he retired from the platform to study for a while longer. That was the worst thing he ever did in my opinion because he went to study with Michaelangeli for a while and when he emerged he was quite a different pianist , gone was that beautiful crystalline tone to be replaced with pure ice. As far as I am concerned He just wasn't the same. I probably said before that I heard him in Glasgow once and he played a Mozart Piano Concerto and I think he was well suited to it. He played the whole concert with not a finger out of place and some of the most perfect pianism I have ever seen , but cold as ice. Pity.
schubert
7,386 posts
 
Amen
edcyn
1,876 posts
 
I have Pollini vinyl from both the EMI and DG eras and I got no quarrel with either, other than DGs' slightly cool tonal quality.  As a matter of fact, it was the DG volume of Chopin Etudes that induced me to drag my childhood piano out of my parents' house and start going at it again.  I may have mentioned this previously but I saw him live once.  Utterly superb.
mahgister's avatar
mahgister
13,194 posts
 
He played the whole concert with not a finger out of place and some of the most perfect pianism I have ever seen , but cold as ice. Pity.
It was also my experience of him.....in cd....Not lived tough....Perfection is not enough...

« Imperfection is the peak»  René Char
jim204
881 posts
 
@mahgister     I think you are absolutely right regarding his CD's , I also find them quite cold to  listen to with the exception of Stravinsky's Three Movements from Petrushka. He plays that piece as if The devil or in Scot's parlance ( Auld Nick - for you Len ) was sitting at the keyboard playing it himself. If poor old Arthur Rubinstein the dedicatee could have played it like that , but sadly that is the type of thing that Pollini excelled at. While on the subject of Pollini has anyone heard Pollini's latest Beethoven's last three piano sonatas, I wish I could say it was great but I found it quite difficult to listen to. That famous accuracy is gone and the pieces lack any cohesion and there are a few finger slips which I am putting down to age. Take Martha Argerich she is now over seventy five now and she plays like a 40 y.o. which I am sure most 40 year olds would love.
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