Best recording labels for orchestral music

He belongs to the very small group of composers, who devoted his music to the tragedies of his own time.

I agree - but he often couched his tragic themes in military music that was acceptable. If you listen to the Lorn Maazel version if his Fifth you will know what I mean about fun - it has a furious tempo....and the finale, wow!!

Hi,yes, you are right to a certain extent. He had to disguise his real intention, and the Fifth symphony is one of the prime example.But still...but I am not familiar with the version of Maazel. I think this is a kind of music, which one really should listen a Russian performance (conductor and orchestra both), or at least an Eastern European one. ... Not only because of Maazel or anyone else not coming from the same musical background is not idiomatic (yeah, I have just heard how Boulez conducts Bartok...funny ... and he obvisously has not have the slightest idea about Hungarian folk music), but one has to be familiar with that feeling of being of mercy of a cruel and wayward omnipotent dictatorship. Sorry of hijacking the theme. But to certain extent -to go back to the main question of the thread - my suggestion is not to look for labels, but for conductors and orchestras, and try to find the best performance which really able to transmit the music. For that, if someone would like to go beyond the "nice" or "audiophile" sound, one has to put effort to read about composers and interpretations and to discover the soul of the music - which is not always about entertainment and being nice.

This has got to be one of the best recordings I've heard of this piece of music.

One of the best performances or best recorded sound?

Are there specific recording labels to stay away from and which in your opinion are the better ones to look at?

Not really; most labels produce average, as well as excellent recordings (performance and sound). Maybe the best thing to do is read reviews; then decide (if you can't hear it first). A good online place is classicstoday.com I think that's what it's called.

Actually, one of the most tragic, soul-gripping music in the world of classical music is that of Shostakovich

We're going to hear his 10th in Cincinnati in March. It's my favorite symphony of his by far. Have never heard it live. Can't wait.

Steve O.

Thanks for all the input so far.

In response to Steveott. Best recorded version would be what I am saying. There seems to be an enormous amount of dynamic swings throughout that I haven't heard on some of my other orchestral cds. I do understand that different conductors and orchestras can play a major role in the interpretation of the composers work.

Just a side note as well.

Do any of you feel that the first performance of a piece of music, recorded or live, becomes the benchmark for other versions you may hear of the same piece. For example I heard Rhapsody In Blue for the first time about 15 years ago and loved it. I don't remember the conductor or orchestra used to perform it. Then a few years later I got a hold of another version and didn't like it very much. (The tempo was much faster for one and it didn't seem as grand as I had once remembered it to be.) Do any of you have any input on this.

Back to the subject.

Where do you all get your classical cd's from anyways. Where I live (Kansas City) there is Best Buy, Circuit City and for the most part thats about it. What are some other avenues I can pursue.

Thanks.

hi tobias:

i do not own any vocal music on that label. none of my instrumental recordings are bright. i like harmonia mundi very much.

it is difficult to generalize about the two labels.

i will now add other labels:

naive
opus
accent
astree
pierre verany

admittedly music is generally from the baroque period.
it is worth listening to anything on these labels.

however, it is worth listening to some of these labels