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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.


rvpiano
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
10,493 posts
 
@rvpiano, Yup, that’s the sound "Historically-informed" or "Period" performers (of which Norrington is) are after. Their argument is that the sound of the modern Symphony Orchestra is far too influenced by the Romantic period (the number of players, use of vibrato, tempi, etc.) to "correctly" perform (as the composer intended) music from earlier periods. It started with the Baroque period, and has moved forward in time to the Classical (Beethoven, etc.). Not everyone agrees with that assertion, or likes the results.
rvpiano's avatar
rvpiano OP
3,010 posts
 
Yes, I’m afraid you’re right about HIP in this case. However, there are numerous examples of imaginative use of this practice that I like,  Francois-Xavier Roth, for example, using period instruments, manages to convey Mahler symphonies very convincingly.
.Norrington’s application in Schumann, though, is not my cup of tea.
jim204
881 posts
 
I'm afraid Norrington in anything is not to my taste . I attended one of his Edinburgh Festival appearances some years back and it was awfull with violin playing that had your ears bleeding nearly. I hear also that he will not countenace any violin soloist performing with him unless they eschew Metal strings for gut. I heard a Proms performance some years ago and it was Victoria Mullova playing the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto on gut with little or no vibrato. It was absoloutely dreadful robbing that girl of her wonderful golden tone and replacing it with a dreadful screech that reminded me of those dreadful busking pipers who plague the streets of Glasgow and Edinburgh . No wonder tourists think we reside in caves .
gdnrbob
4,520 posts
 
Whoo, you guys are a tough crowd.
I think bdp hit the nail on the head.-And, the liner notes on the Schumann symphonies relate that Norrington used scores that as close to what Schumann wrote, if I recall correctly.

When I recall listening to the Brandenburg concertos when I was young and then listening to them performed on 'Period Instruments', it seemed like a breathe of fresh air.
I, for one, like the 'cleaner' sound of period instrument recordings.
And, though Schumann was in the Romantic Period, he was at its' beginning.
B
rvpiano's avatar
rvpiano OP
3,010 posts
 
Bob,

Someone once said “Do not attack men’s [or women’s] pleasures.”
It comes down to a matter of taste.  I, too, took delight in listening to some new historically informed approaches to performance.  Norrington is just not to my taste in the Schumann symphonies, but, I’m sure, many think as you do.


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