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
How true rok , everyone of us not in the 1% has been the frog in the warming pot for decades .
"Fascism is when you can't tell the difference between the State and the
Corporation."
B. Mussolini

I liked Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, 2nd movement, it had drama and movement.


Rok, everything that speaks the truth gets deleted. The 1% controls it all, they're even trying to control what we think.

I think this is one of the most beautiful things ever written


      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvFH_6DNRCY
A shortlist of my favorites:
  • Many recordings from the LA Philharmonic catalog: https://www.laphil.com/about/watch-listen/la-phil-recordings
  • Steve Reich: All Nonesuch and Elektra-Nonesuch recordings
  • John Adams: All Nonesuch and Elektra-Nonesuch recordings  
  • Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring, Kent Nagano & London Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Los Angeles Philharmonic
  • Salonen: Cello Concerto, Yo-Yo Ma & Los Angeles Philharmonic
  • Ravel: Piano Concertos / Martha Argerich, Claudio Abbado & Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Schumann: Concerto For Piano And Orchestra In A Minor, Op. 54 / Sviatoslav Richter, Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra; Concerto For Cello And Orchestra In A Minor, Op. 129 / Mstislav Rostropovich, Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Bach: Harpsichord Concertos 1 & 2 / George Malcom Harpsichord, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra
  • Copland: Appalachian Spring Suite / Eiji Oue, Minnesota Orchestra
  • Bach: Brandenburg Concertos 1-6 / Münchener Bach Orchester
  • Barber: Symphony No. 1 & 2 / Overture: The School for Scandal / Adagio for Strings, Detroit Symphony Orchestra
  • Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 "Choral" / Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Faure: Violin Sonatas / Shlomo Mintz, Yefim Bronfman
  • Bill Evans: The Paris Concert
  • Keith Jarrett: Platinum Collection
  • Keith Jarrett: Selected Recordings (ECM)
  • Keith Jarrett: Budapest Concert
Very interesting Modern Mass intended for The Death of Christ .
https://youtu.be/wVRLoUknC9o?t=1
Never stops amazing me how amazingly musical of the highest order the Czechs are .
I liked Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, 2nd movement, it had drama and movement.


Classical Music:

It was not ’Classical’ when it was written. More like ’Popular’ or church music among the powers that were.
All Classical music is not created equal. Even from the same Composer.
All performances of the same Classical piece are not equal.
No One likes it all. In some cases, even the composer did not like what he had written.

Beethoven wrote 9 symphonies. 1,2,4,& 8 are not in the same league as 3,5,6,7 & 9. And 9 is in a class of it’s own.

So find the stuff you like, and explore that.

Cheers

Everything follows a bell curve. IOW, the more modern it is, the more noisy it gets.