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’ll never forget at a momentous Carnegie Hall gala broadcast on the radio, where many of the leading musicians of the time, including Horowitz, played. Cherkassky, cool as a cucumber, in his eighties rattled off the best performance of the evening.
Just heard Cherkassky playing Rachmaninoff's Variations on the theme of Paganini. Wow. Never heard an interpretation like that. Is this type of playing considered outdated? I've heard sofronitsky play in a similar fashion. Whatever they play sounds new, their interpretations make the pieces sound as if I'm hearing them for the first time. 
Tara Kamangar, piano
Listening to East of Melancholy
Shostakovich, Rachmaninoff, Glinka, and some other composers less well known (to me)
bewitching, very nice indeed
cannot find anything more by this pianist