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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
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.
audphile1's avatar
audphile1
5,393 posts
 
J_evege, your intentions are good. I understand.

But the problem with classical music is that it is an endless subject. Honestly I would not even know where to begin answering about what my favorite classical recordings are. There are at least 50 i can name.
If it was more specific to a certain composer, time period, or even a certain conductor/orchestra, it would be easier and even then it would come down to an individual preference. It would only serve as a guideline.

Newbee makes an excellent point in his first post. If you are interested in a particular piece, then the recommendations would follow. Also I agree with him on the assessment of classicstoday reviews. Example: I recently bought a Mahler set by Gary Bertini that they had rated the highest 10/10. I kind of like the set as far the performance is concerned but the recording quality is very far from being 10 grade. More like 6 I would say.

So if you refine your request and make it more specific, at least down to a certain style of composition, time period, scale(orchestral, instrumental, chamber), then it would be easier. I'd be glad to chime in.
steveott
54 posts
 
Tell you what: I'll list some of my current favorites (subject to change without me noticing). And "current favorite" may mean something I bought years ago, but am enjoying again.

Rachmaninov piano concertos
Stephen Hough (Hyperion)
Natural sound; not in your face. Hough plays a lot like R.: very fluid, in complete control. Not flashy like, say, Horowitz.

Brahms Piano Trios
Angelich, Capucon, Capucon (Virgin)
Not as intense as some, but very moving and playful.
Nice acoustic, lots of air around players.

Brahms Piano Quintet
Prazak Qt. Ivan Klansky (Praga)
Excellent sound; lots of space, natural timbre
Very good playing

Mahler Sym. no. 9 ("number nine, number nine, .........")
Cincinnati Symphony (Telarc)
Great sound, lots of detail, but warm.
Cincy plays its ass off; my favorite ninth.

Brahms Symphony no. 4
German Symphony Orchestra Berlin (who dey?)
Kent Nagano (Harmonia Mundi)
Not a real intense 4th (like, say, Kleiber), but simply gorgeous playing and sound. Made me love this piece all over again.

Beethoven Piano Sonatas 21, 23, 26
Mari Kodama (Pentatone)
Best piano sound I've heard (that isn't live); full, rich, natural...
Excellent playing, but maybe not the last word...

Mahler Symphony no. 2
Ivan Fischer, Budapest (Channel Classics)
I may like the Andrew Litton/Dallas recorded sound (more back-of-the-hall, grander sounding) more than this one (more up-close), but the attention to detail of this performance!

Bach, Stokowsky's Transcriptions
Matthias Bamert, BBC Philharmonic
Volume I (1993), and II (2005) (Chandos)

Good, if not great, sound (2005 better). Heart-felt playing. These recordings prove that Bach's music was/is bigger than any one instrument.

So, there.

I also recommend Dutoit for the Planets. My son borrowed mine years ago and haven't seen it since. Saw this at half.com the other day for five bucks.

Steve O.



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