Wonderful CD's you may have forgotten about in your own collection?

Posted by Chris from Lafayette (A) on July 7, 2012 at 12:58:14

I'm assuming that a lot of folks here at the AA site have accumulated lots of recordings over the years - in the thousands probably. It's easy to forget or overlook some of the recordings in your own library. I was just thinking about this today as I re-discovered the following CD on the Budapest Music Center label:

It's a very well-recorded CD of in-concert performances of the "Festival" Overture by Dohnanyi, 7 Songs by Debussy (orchestrated by Zoltan Kocsis), and Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 1, with Kocsis conducting the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra. The Dohnanyi work is an entirely characteristic work of great charm and occasional brilliance, and Kocsis' performance of the Rachmaninoff Symphony has a similar freshness to his well regarded SACD of the Bartok Concerto for Orchestra. In fact, one of the Amazon posters claims that this Rachmaninoff performance is "a real revelation" and is perhaps the best recorded performance of this work. Kocsis seems to be one of those musicians who can "do it all": he's an excellent pianist, an interesting and accomplished conductor (even considering his small number of recordings in this role), and, as we hear on this recording, an inventive orchestrator.

Some years ago, my wife and I actually saw a concert performance (at the Mondavi Center at UC Davis) of some of the Kocsis-orchestrated Debussy songs with the exact same performers as on this CD. The soprano, Julia Hajnoczy, not only had a beautiful voice, but was also a beautiful woman, with striking waist-length hair. (I think she's a little older in the picture below.)

I think Kocsis has made a real study of the Debussy songs, because there's another recording, on the Hungaroton label, of his orchestrations of more and different Debussy songs, again with Julia Hajnoczy:

The first CD above is not the type of recording one ordinarily thinks about, with its disparate and slightly unusual repertoire on an obscure label. As I say, I had forgotten about it, but I was delighted to make its acquaintance again. Has anyone else here had the experience of making a serendipitous rediscovery of a recording you had forgotten about in your collection?

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Topic - Wonderful CD's you may have forgotten about in your own collection? - Chris from Lafayette 12:58:14 07/07/12 (28)

Askenazy's Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances - Chuck Y 11:09:50 07/15/12 (3)

Does that Imogen Holst recording - jult52 13:16:28 07/23/12 (1)

RE: Does that Imogen Holst recording - Chuck Y 15:17:26 07/23/12 (0)

RE: Askenazy's Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances - Kal Rubinson 13:08:09 07/15/12 (0)

I can't remember... nt - SambaMaster 09:19:12 07/14/12 (4)

Hey - you guys are stealing each other's gags! [nt] ;-) - Chris from Lafayette 13:13:33 07/14/12 (3)

Yeah, and both parties in Congress equally are responsible for gridlock. - tinear 18:48:53 07/14/12 (2)

OK, OK - He stole your routine! Geez, tin! [nt] ;-) - Chris from Lafayette 23:40:26 07/14/12 (1)

I'm a consistent guy! nt - tinear 17:30:04 07/22/12 (0)

Let's see.... there's ..... I mean.... Damn, I forget. nt - tinear 19:03:10 07/13/12 (0)

Kocsis - Amphissa 15:31:08 07/11/12 (1)

Thanks - I was hoping you'd comment - Chris from Lafayette 17:57:12 07/11/12 (0)

Budapest Music Center label and Disbelief - Mike Porper 13:00:55 07/09/12 (11)

Ashkenazy? - Amphissa 15:44:36 07/11/12 (3)

RE: Ashkenazy? - Chris from Lafayette 18:31:50 07/11/12 (2)

RE: Ashkenazy? - Amphissa 19:06:20 07/12/12 (1)

I was very, very much turned off Ashkenazy - jult52 13:20:33 07/23/12 (0)

Ashkenazy - pbarach 15:14:28 07/09/12 (3)

I've played in SF Sym with him, he is a great musician in every respect. His - oldmkvi 10:43:43 07/11/12 (0)

I agree re Ashkenazy as a conductor - Chuck Y 09:48:51 07/10/12 (0)

Yes, It's a mental block - Mike Porper 07:35:36 07/10/12 (0)

RE: Budapest Music Center label and Disbelief - Chris from Lafayette 14:39:23 07/09/12 (2)

Thanks for the Berkshire Tip and that Schoenberg/Brahms - Mike Porper 07:44:06 07/10/12 (0)

I have the Kocsis Hungaroton and it's good - srl1 16:41:02 07/09/12 (0)

I didn't really forget them........ - Chuck Y 17:35:31 07/07/12 (1)

The "Babe" category - Chris from Lafayette 17:49:46 07/07/12 (0)

RE: Wonderful CD's you may have forgotten about in your own collection? - MichaelV8 16:46:05 07/07/12 (1)

Perfect example - I'd forgotten about the CRD label myself! [nt] - Chris from Lafayette 17:31:49 07/07/12 (0)

Wonderful CD's you may have forgotten about in your own collection?

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