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
To Jim and anyone else awake.

This is the most remarkable thing in Music I have ever seen and that
on one of the hardest instruments .

Unreal !                                      https://youtu.be/w3frQW6zLE4         
I just discovered on Qobuz a recent release of a monumental performance of Verdi’s Requiem conducted by Ricardo Muti, with Jesse Norman and Jose Carreras among the soloists.
Muti is a wonderful musician.  I heard him twice in recent years live at Carnegie Hall with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and both concerts were remarkable.  On record, his Prokofiev is especially terrific.  
I just discovered this on youtube...

Ervin Nyiregyházi is one of my piano god....I dont have many....

He says " i dont mind really about the notes because what matters really is not there"...

Not the usual humility of an interpret to a composer... 😁😊

But the master of Ervin Nyiregyházi, Liszt, would have understood very well himself this iconoclastic way of playing....Our pianist is made of the same cloth that these notoriously "possessed" artists, Listz, Paganini or Scriabin....

I never listen to a more beautiful rendition of Liszt.....It is a heartfelt telluric playing where sophistication is only a memory not the center of the day....

With him we hear how a melody could be a spoken language....

Music dont accompany the written song here, music IS the original spoken word itself out of any language......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2_X8Mgk-jA
@Schubert      Yes Len that was a lovely rendition by that young man. your comment on one of the hardest instruments reminds me of a comment the French Horn virtuoso Denis Brain once made. He said that playing the horn was like driving a truck down a frosty hill with no brakes !!!