Classical Music for Aficionados
All my life I've tried to have the aha classical moment. Has never happened, with one exception: Gorecki #3. I own four versions. I find it profound. I own ten records by others, I try each annually to see if I'll warm up to them. One other contender maybe: Saint-Saens #3. Anyhoo - I'll keep eye on this thread for ideas. |
Great thread idea, RV, and thanks for starting it. Also, kudos to Ghosthouse for suggesting the idea in your "Do classical CDs made from early analog tapes sound better on your system than new CDs?” thread. A strong +1 re your mention of the Horenstein/LSO recording of Brahms’ First on Chesky. As I said in the other thread, it’s probably my all-time favorite symphony, and this recording is magical. Some additional favorites of mine. I have all of them on LP unless otherwise noted: --Any of the recordings of solo piano music by Beethoven, Mozart, and Schubert on the French Astrée label, performed on period instruments by Paul Badura-Skoda. Incredible sonics (at least on the LP versions; I have no knowledge of that label’s CDs), and wonderful music beautifully performed. --Dvorak “New World” Symphony, Horenstein/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on a Chesky CD. Music that I would expect to be immediately appealing even to those who are not by any means aficionados of classical symphonic music; a wonderful performance; and as I said in your other thread: I find the sonics on this recording to be so amazing that I would expect anyone having a bias against the CD format would find themselves re-thinking their outlook after hearing it. --Chopin “Piano Sonata No. 3,” Edward Auer on an RCA Japan Direct-to-Disc LP. --Chopin, “Piano Sonata No. 3,” Hyperion Knight on a Wilson Audio CD. This beautiful music is perhaps my favorite piano sonata, and these recordings are the best overall combinations of sonics and performance I am aware of. --"Danses Anciennes de Hongrie" -- Clemencic Consort (Harmonia Mundi France). --“Musique de la Grèce Antique” [i.e., music of ancient Greece] -- Gregorio Paniagua, Atrium Musicae de Madrid (Harmonia Mundi France) It’s hard to go wrong with just about any recording on the French Harmonia Mundi label. And the music on many of their recordings that is from the Renaissance and other early times is generally just plain fun to listen to. Stravinsky “Firebird Suite,” Robert Shaw/Atlanta Symphony Orchestra on Telarc. This excellent performance of a very likeable work may have the widest dynamic range of any recording I have ever heard, other than Telarc’s recording of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture with the notorious cannon blasts. Best regards, -- Al |
Scott_w, Hopefully you’ll get some ideas on this thread that will turn you on. Sonically, my recommendations above all are excellent. You might want to try the Stravinsky L’Histoire du Soldat on HDTT for sonic realism. Maybe the best sound I ever heard. (If you don’t know the site already, Google it. You can purchase a download or a disc.) |
Thanks for starting this, RV and thanks for the acknowledgment, Al. I’m not a huge classical music aficionado but over the years, some pieces have certainly captivated me. Two that have are: 1) Stravinsky’s "Symphony of Psalms". Another commendable work by IS. The version I own is below as listed in Discogs. Not saying the recording is audiophile quality but I do enjoy the music very much. From Discogs... Stravinksky* / Poulenc* - Saramae Endich, The Robert Shaw Chorale and RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra, Robert Shaw – Symphony Of Psalms / Gloria Label: RCA Victor Red Seal – LSC-2822 From Discogs... 2) Isaac Stern - Leonard Bernstein - New York Philharmonic* - Barber* / Hindemith* – Two Twentieth Century Masterpieces - Violin Concertos Label: Columbia Masterworks – MS 6713 The above a gift received many years ago. Everyone knows Samuel Barber’s "Concerto for Violin & Orchestra" (and rightly so) but it was Paul Hindemith’s violin concerto on the same LP that won me over. Here on You Tube is the Hindemith concerto from the same LP. Hope you enjoy it. PH doesn’t get enough love ;-) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJoZ1olUphs |
