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
I consider myself a Christian, with no church affiliation though...

I like choral religious music a lot...On par with Bach.... 😊 For me Josquin Des Prez is a musical god, and Tallis and Obrecht ,Gesualdo and too many others to be named...

Between Hildegard of Bingen and Bach the number of musical known geniuses COMPOSERS by me exceed the number of geniuses composers i know of in the period beginning AFTER Bach till our day ...

And sometimes so good a modern genius is , it does not move me like an old one....Glass whom i like a lot is not a genius on the level of Schutz or Vittoria or Schubert or Bruckner...This is clear...But it is also clear how Glass inherited from the growing seeds of these master in him....His music make sense in this history not out of it....I will place Glass with Villa-Lobos for example and others great modern masters...Neither walk in the shoes of the past giants but they are admirable and original pupils at least and own a merit which is related to compositional and fusional techniques which are relatively new in their scope....

It is perhaps the opposite for the number of great musicians compared to composers in this century, i feel there is more geniuses playing musicians now more than ever.... Demographic? Technological succeess of music diffusion and reproduction?
With the communicating interpenetrating cultures now , written music has receded in favor of improvisationnal playing and fusion....jazz was the begininng of the modern era for me....

A great % of my music collection is more improvised music than european written one....Some tanbur master may rival Bach on his own ground....Ostad Elahi for example....

And also astute observation of history has proven that the instinct toward the "sacred" when no more satisfied by genuine traditional religions oriente itself towards cults, uncontrolled irrational fears and idolatry and sometimes worst : new abominations and unrecognized and hidden "religious movement" like transhumanism....

Good point schubert....

Thanks
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frogman, 

Very true about the Belgian piece , a LOT  to say in a world going to hell .

The county has a lot of fine classical groups not known in North America .

IMO Ghent is among the best cities to live in in all Europe .


I have almost everything you have and feel about the way you do .

We are about 2 souls in a thousand , if that .


When we speak truly with one another, we are always two.....

Thanks for your beautiful post to me...

My deepest respect...
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