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Your Favorite Classical Music Recordings

I've spent too much time reading reviews and buying stuff. I'd like to get back to the music which is the real reason I love this hobby. I'd like to hear what some of your favorite classical music recordings are. I enjoy all types of classical music from early medieval music to experiemental electronic music. I'm very open minded so long as it's good music. I enjoy classical music because of it's depth and complexity. There's so much to listen to and to listen for! I also love jazz, electronic, and alternative music, but classical is the most fun music to listen to on a good sound system (probably because it is mixed the least).

Please rate your favorite classical recordings based on the musicianship and performance as well as the quality of the recording as far as depth, sound stage, etc. If you have the time, please state the orchestra or ensemble, the label, and catalog number. I will start with several really great classical recordings I've picked up recently. Does anyone has a good recording of "The Planets" by Gustav Holst?

copy/past this if it helps:
compose:
album:
Label/catalog #:
Orchestra/Ensemble
Conductor:
Comments:

composer: Camille Saint-Seans
title: Le Carnival Des Animaux
label: Virgin Classics 7243 5 45603 2 3
bought from barnes & noble
Renaud Capucon
Gautier Capucon
Emmanuel Pahud
Paul Meyer
Musicianship is fantastic. This disc makes me feel like a kid again. There is a sweet innocence to the performances that are very engaging. Sonics are 9/10.

Composer:Ernesto Lecuona
Performer: Mario Sollazzo
(bought from www.cdbaby.com)
catalog# KHA004 (KHA is an Italian label)
album: La 32
If you love piano music this is a truly superb album. The sonics are 10/10 and the performances are so full of joy, humor, and pathos. Lecuona is the most famous Cuban composer and he was obviously no slouch b/c these compositions are incredibly complex and sophisticated.

composer: Rameau
album: Nais / Le Temple de la Gloire
label: Harmonia Mundi HMU 907121
(from barnes & noble)
Orchestra: Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra
Conductor: Nicholas McGegan
Sonics 9.5 of 10. This disc beautifully captures all the splendor and simplicity of 17th century and 18th century France . The delicate trills, airy strings, and bouncy melodies are thoroughly engaging. One of my favorite classical discs. The music is presented in a wonderfully authentic mood and spirit that lacks any pretentious air often associated with this type of music.

Composers: Bach, Monteverdi, Scarlatti, Handel
Artist: Wendy Carlos
Album: The Well-Tempered Synthesizer
ESD81612
This is a must have for any audiophile who loves detail. If only to test out how sensitive your system is and how detailed sounds can be. These remastered performances really show off how much of a genius Bach was. The contrapuntal lines of The Well Tempered Klavier are reinvented with synthesizers. Each sound is so specific that it's obvious Wendy Carlos spent thousands of hours perfecting these sounds and tweaking the performance. Hollow, crisp, crunchy,punchy, boomy, bouncy,laser-light, ticky tacky, bubbly, fizzy, round, mellow, wet, and pneumatic are just some of the words that I can find describe the many wonderful sounds on this disc but in the end it is certianl stil music and indeed very musical. 10/10 sonics. 10/10 performance.
j_evege
j_evege OP
29 posts
 
Newbee,

I think my post is clear if you read it. I hope your comments don't dissuade others from posting. This is definitely not an assignment; it's a forum for those who enjoy sharing and discovering great classical music recordings with other audiophiles. I studied jazz performance at the Conservatory in Cincinnati and I appreciate all eras and genre's of orchestral and ensemble music and know a fair bit about classical music. I'm interested in learning about works, composers, recordings I may or may not have of and expanding my knowledge and classical music library. : )
rushton's avatar
rushton
2,445 posts
 
J_evege, I greatly appreciate your focus on the music and your willingness to start some further conversation about great music. However, I join Newbee in a reluctance to launch into such a broad topic as you've outlined. If you take a look at Newbee's "Answers" you will see that he has made a tremendous contribution over the years. You'll also see many music threads listed under my "Answers" here. An example of where you might start in the archives is to take a look at the threads:

Audiogon "Best Recommendation" threads, a list

Whats on your turntable tonight?

Regards,
ludimagis
130 posts
 
great post, hope that many leave thier suggestions

compose:
album: OSTINATO
Label/catalog #: ALIAVOX
Orchestra/Ensemble HESPERION XXI
Conductor: JORDI SAVALL
Comments: JUST LOVE JORDI SAVALL, PLAYS WITH A JOY AND CREATIVE INSIGHT THAT BRINGS LIFE AND LIGHT TO MANY EARLY MUSIC MASTERS, HE & HESPERION XXI HAVE SEVERAL OTHER EXCELLENT CD'S ON THIS LABEL

compose:TELEMANN
album: several different cd's
Label/catalog #: ARCHIV
Orchestra/Ensemble MUSICA ANTIQUE KOLN
Conductor: REINHARD GOEBEL
Comments: REINHARD IS ANOTHER THAT HEARS AND PLAYS HIS OWN WAY, COSISTANTLY EXCELLENT WITH TELEMANN

compose: VAGN Holmboe
album: SYM NO.'s 1, 3, 10
Label/catalog #: BIS
Orchestra/Ensemble AARHUS SO
Conductor: OWAIN ARWEL HUGHES
Comments: HUGHES AND ASO HAVE A WONDERFUL AFFINITY WITH HOLMBOE

compose: BEETHOVEN
album: PASTORALE SYM NO 6
Label/catalog #: SONY SACD
Orchestra/Ensemble COLUMBIA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Conductor: BRUNO WALTER
Comments: WALTER IS MY FAVORITE CONDUCTOR, HE SEEMS TO HEAR & LEAD FROM THE HEART OF THE COMPOSER. (Just a Romantic) HIS LATE IN LIFE RECORDINGS WITH CSO OF BEETHOVEN, BRAHMS, DVORAK, & SCHUBERT ON SONY BUDGET REMASTED CD'S ARE ALL VERY GOOD AND INEXPENSIVE; THE ONES HE RECORDED FROM 58-60 IN CA.(IF YOU LIKE BRUNO, THESE ARE HIS BEST)

compose:PAQUITO D'RIVERA, Yo-Yo Ma, ETC.
album: OBRIGADO BRAZIL LIVE IN CONCERT
Label/catalog #: SONY
Orchestra/Ensemble
Conductor:
Comments: YO YO PLAYS WITH SUCH A SENSE OF JOY. ALONG WITH AN ALL STAR CAST PLAY TANGO & S. AMERICAN FOLK MUSIC.

AliaVox, Harmonia Mundi, BIS, EMI all have consistantly excellent sonic quality. aND THERE ARE GEMS ON ALMOST EVERY LABEL.

ENJOY
newbee
4,775 posts
 
J_evege, Your post is clear, but evidentially mine was not.

It was not my intent to discourage anyone from responding to your thread. IMHO your thread was all too effective in doing that within its own construction.

The purpose of my post was to encourage others to respond inspite of what I percieved, and I even created a path that could be followed. I commented on one of your inquiries and I tried to expand on one of your other selections, but not within your construction.

BTW a recording company, BIS I believe, catalogued all, or at least most of, Lecuona's music. I have some of these recordings but I've misplaced them. His granddaughter also recorded much of his music in a Dynamic CD.

I have no affinity for Baroque so I took a pass on the other two.

What I suggest, if you want to be successful in expanding your collection of classical music is to set about by posting over time a series of threads inquiring in the music of composers of interest to you and try to do so in a way that opens up an opportunity for dialogue about recommendations. I would offer this for example:

"I heard some music by Sibelius on the car radio and I found it incedibly beautiful. I believe that it was his 2d Symphony. Can anyone share with me their views of this piece and give me some recommendations?", or

"I would like to explore the music of Sibelius and Mahler, can anyone point the way for me to their more assessible music as well as any recommendations for specific performances".

Either post will get you some answers sufficient for the purpose at least for establishing a point for further research. Note you have two references for highly regarded performances/recordings of Holst Planets. Now since you know neither poster nor recording it's time to start doing research on Google or in any of the good books of reviews of classical music, and see what critic's or other enthusiasts have to say about them, or some others that they consider better.

Hell someone might even give you a numerical evaluation of recording/performance. Hur(l)witz does this on Classic's Today - it is in that web's sites methodology. FWIW I think its fallible more often than not and would not buy a recording just because it has a 10/10 rating. But I guess, in retrospect, I'd probably be unlikely to buy one that had a 6/6 rating :-).

Speaking of dialogue, what did you think about my recommendation of Gottschalk. Of any interest to you?
newbee
4,775 posts
 
Rushton, Thanks for the reminder about the '"Best Recommendations" list. I looked at the first list for classical beginners and still consider it an excellent starting point. In the future I'll simply refer folks new to classical, and looking for general recommendation, there.

BTW, for your benefit at least, but also for anyone else including J_evege if he is up to Mahler, I must upgrade my Mahler 1 recommendation. Zander on TELARC. Excellent as it is, I think it is surpassed by, and perfectly balanced by, the preceeding rendition of Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen by Christopher Maltman. They really blend and compliment each other so well. I couldn't be more enthused. If you haven't already picked this up, do so and treat yourself to something really!!! special.
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