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Unintentionally, I'm guessing Vivaldi's Seasons would take this dubious honour in the collection here. I say unintentionally as I have accumulated quite a few "selections' (good for background music) and the Seasons features very often. It also crops up a lot in sets of concertos. It is a nice composition but I would not class it among one of the top 10 to take on a desert island.
Among the operas I'm guessing I would have the most copies of "La Traviata" on CD, DVD, Blu Ray and steam laserdisc. Now that IS a work I would take with me to the desert island but I'm scratching the few remaining hairs about which others would be chosen.
John
Sadly (or is it happily?) an incurable audio-video nutter with an indecent number of toys. Classical music forever!!!!
Follow Ups:
nt.
"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read"
25 copies of Mahler's Symphony 1.
DLB
"Music is framed in silence."
My favorites are Bernstein/Berlin, Walter both Vienna 1938 and CSO, Horenstein Vox and BBC, and probably Maderna.
Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake and Violin Concerto in D.
My wife has a rediculous knowledge of classical music and I'm in the process of learning it. These two pieces just get to my heart and I've got quite a few recordings of each.
I have quite a few pieces with maybe 12-14 different performances.
Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 6 "Pathetique" probably tops them all. Here's what I have of that:
New York Philharmonic/Bernstein (Columbia Masterworks 2 Eyes Promo, MS 6689)
Philadelphia Orchestra/Ormandy (Columbia Masterworks 2 Eyes Promo, 3 Album Boxed Set, MS D3S 727)
Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Solti (London FFrr, CS7034)
Vienna Philharmonic/Maazel (London Jubilee, JL 41014)
The Halle Orchestra/Barbirolli (Vanguard Everyman Classics, SRV-148 SD)
Berliner Philharmoniker/Furtwangler (Dacapo, C047-00837 Mono)
London Festival Orchestra/Gibson (RCA/Reader's Digest Music of the World's Great Composers, 12 Album Boxed Set, K80Y-4609)
Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Reiner (RCA Living Stereo Shaded Dog, LSC-2216)
Boston Symphony Orchestra/Monteaux (RCA Living Stereo Shaded Dog, LSC-1901)
Boston Symphony Orchestra/Monteaux (RCA Shaded Dog, LM-1901 Mono)
Boston Sympathy Orchestra/ Munch (RCA Living Stereo Shaded Dog Dynagroove, LSC-2683)
Austrian Symphony Orchestra/Maas (Palace Living Sound, PST-605)
The Stadium Concerts Symphony/Bernstein (Music Appreciation Records, MAR 106250)
10" Analysis Record that goes with the record above, narrated by Bernstein (Music Appreciation Records, MAR 6250)
Berlin Philharmonic/Karajan (Deutsche Grammophon Privilege, 2535 341)
Berlin Symphony Orchestra/Sanderling (Denon PCM Sampler Part 2, ST 6011)
CDs:
Berlin Philharmonic/Karajan (Penguin Classics)
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra/Jarvi (Telarc SACD)
Appalachian Spring. I've never seen a recording I don't have, from the Stereophile version to CBC Vancouver to the standards like Copland/Bernstein/Dorati
I don't have an exact count, but about seven of Schubert's Winterreise, about the same for the Beethoven Quartets and at least five Tristan Und Isolde.
In addition to LPs, CDs, and one SACD, I even have five different ones on open reel tape. It's a sickness :-)
Bernard Herrmann's version of "The Planets" is a strange gem.
nt
Just kidding. Actually, I was surprised to realize that the answer for me is the Prokofiev D major Sonata, Op. 94. I have several versions of the original flute sonata and several more of the violin version Prokofiev later did at the request of David Oistrakh. Both versions have always been very popular and it is routinely included in "recital" albums by flute and violin players alike.
PHOTO: For some reason I took a photo of a Mahler 8th LP (Tennstedt) still in it's wrapper 20 years after purchase. I have about 400 LP's I still haven't heard!
John C.-Aussie,
I have about 3,000 LP's and 600 CD's. I usually buy for diversity and performances of music not often heard in recital or on radio. I like a lot of lesser-known keyboard composers- for example at least 30 discs of Froberger and many of Sweelinck and Satie. I've never counted but I think I have about 8-10 versions of Mahler's 5th (Solti/Chicago is a favourite)- and quite a few of 1,2 (Walter definitely) and 4 (Bernstein) also, 4 complete (or nearly complete) sets of Bach organ plus 100+ singles- plus a 155-CD set of Bach's complete works, and 400 other organ recordings, 4 complete sets of Beethoven String Quartets (Quartetto Italiano and Talich are favourites)) plus at extra sets of the Late Qu. and least 50 singles. I'm a big fan of Beethoven's Piano Sonatas and have four complete sets (Brendel and Gulda are favourites) plus another 50 or so singles. I have quite a few recordings of Mozart Piano Conc.s- 50-60 (like the Perahia and Uchida sets). Many recordings of Scarlatti Sonatas- perhaps 60-80 discs. Except for Mahler, I don't have a strong concentration on Symphonies- the emphasis is on solo keyboard and chamber music.
My taste has changed over the last 30 years- as a tot I was only interested in music up to 1750 but now includes a great affection for something a bit newer- Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Adams, Debussy, Webern, Hindemith, Schoenberg, and so on. But, since the LP era is mostly past- I did most of my LP buying from 1982 to about 1988 I have far fewer of the more recent composers' works. I'm still a reluctant CD buyer,..
In the mid-80's, I once spent $900 on LP's in two hours at a Tower Records, N.Y. sale.
Cheers,
Bambi B
Yes, you are the expert.
A favor to ask. Is there a performance on the pensive and wistful side of things? Most I have heard are really of the "horse has the bit in his teeth" or "surging waves crashing on a rocky shore" type. Lots of sound and fury.
Anything that is more chamber-scaled and not trying to be a symphony?
Thanks,
JM
the CBS Masterworks disc with Itzhak Perlman, Jorge Bolet, Juilliard String Quartet keeps the bombast in hand.Perhaps only nearer your criteria is the example from Pristine Classical; Louis Kaufman (violin),Artur Balsam (piano)
The Pascal Quartet:
•Jacques Dumont (violin I)
•Maurice Crut (violin II)
•Leon Pascal (viola)
•Robert Salles (cello)
Recorded in 1951, released as Concert Hall CHS-1071While a Mono recording from 1951 is is clean in sound and très élégant in execution.
Edits: 04/04/10
Always wanted to buy this work, now I can ask the expert, which one should I go for, including good audio and performance
Txs
jazz1
rich sound from the Chilingirian Quartet with Pascal Devoyon et al. It also contains the Quartet for piano & strings in A major, Op. 30.
I have at least 20 versions of the Brahms Double and a fair number of the Tchaikovsky Violin concerto. The Double is something both my wife and I like. She played violin for years and I attempted to play cello. The Double is a good combination of duet/small string ensemble interplay and full orchestra. It is a good one for listening to the players technique and the conductors approach to treating it as either support for the soloists or a full orchestral piece. I like the Oistrakh/Fournier best but might change if I could find a copy of the more stately Starker/Szeryng/Concertgebouw on vinyl.
We are going to hear the Tchiakovsky played by Vadim Gluzman in a couple of weeks.
where do you live? LP's of the latter show up from time to time either on ebay or other on line places, and I might see one here and there.
I have recently been enamored by Heifetz/Piatogorsky on a China sourced non pirated RCA CD. I have several to check, but love the ones you cited.
I'm amazed at the response to this topic!!!
But it has made me feel much better about the otherwise embarrassing number of duplications in this collection. I'm way behind many of you.
John
Sadly (or is it happily?) an incurable audio-video nutter with an indecent number of toys. Classical music forever!!!!
*
Sadly (or is it happily?) an incurable audio-video nutter with an indecent number of toys. Classical music forever!!!!
Anyone who can actually sit down and listen to 60 recordings of any Mahler symphony in a lifetime deserves an award, that's for sure. That's a whole lot of marching and angst! hahaha
"Life without music is a mistake" (Nietzsche)
Edits: 04/02/10
I love Mahler, but yes sometimes he yields a certain 'Dick Van Dyke in a flying car over the Alps trailed by an Italian funeral' fun-house quality.
Wasn't it Bruno who said "Life without Mahler is a mistake".
His music can be sublime. But no argument it takes some time to appreciate it.
And the interesting sidelight is to learn about the man himself. All of which makes me wonder about whether the superb compositions from some of these guys (Beethoven, Wagner, Mahler) is a result of their often unpleasant characters and turbulent lives. I say some, because there are many exceptions to this.
John
Sadly (or is it happily?) an incurable audio-video nutter with an indecent number of toys. Classical music forever!!!!
I enjoy Mahler, and I own many, many recordings of his music -- LPs, CDs and DVDs. And I participate in Mahler discussion groups as well (although less than I used to). So I have nothing against Mahler's music or those who love it. My comment wasn't intended as unkind. It was an observation. To like Mahler that much, one must like marches and find some personal payoff (catharsis perhaps) in the Mahler angst.
I think you are right that many composers drew heavily on their troubled soul or difficult circumstances as a wellspring for their music. One does not find many happily married, ordinary joes among the great composers. That was certainly true of Mahler. But it is also common throughout the arts.
"Life without music is a mistake" (Nietzsche)
fds
A good PC audio playback program is great for answering this sort of question.
Mozart Symphony No. 40 (G minor, K.550) - 24 recordings
Mozart Symphony No. 41 K. 551 - 20 recordings
Mozart Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor - 16 recordings
Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21 - 14 recordings
other Mozart PC in lesser numbers
Beethoven Symphony No. 5, 7 - 15 recordings
Beethoven Symphony No. 1, 3 - 14 recordings
Beethoven Symphonies 2,4,6,7,8,9 - 11 to 13 recordings
Haydn Symphony 104 - 20 recordings
Haydn Symphony 101 - 18 recordings
Haydn Symphony 102 - 13 recordings
Haydn Symphony 99 - 10 recordings
Haydn Symphony 100 - 12 recordings
Haydn Symphony 103 - 11 recordings
Haydn Symphonies 93-98 - 9 to 12 recordings
Haydn Symphony No. 88, 92 - 15 recordings
Haydn Symphony No. 82-87 - 10 to 11 each
The numbers get smaller for other Haydn symphonies
Brahms Symphonies 1-4 - 11 to 14 each
Dvorak Slavonic Dances - 14 recordings
Dvorak Symphony No. 9 - 13 recordings
fewer recordings of Symphonies 6-8
Lesser numbers of Mendelssohn and Schubert Symphonies
I searched for a long time for performances that fit my notion of the ideal. Then I switched to looking for other interesting performances.
I'm now buying mostly used CDs cheap from Amazon Marketplace sellers to satisfy my more marginal interests.
Bill
can you highlight just a few of the exceptional Haydn symphony performances you own? I'm curious to hear what your personal faves are.
Some exceptional Haydn:
Mackerras / orchestra of St. Luke's - My favorite 31. 100,101, 103, 104 are very good too. These Telarc recordings are often available cheap at Berkshire Record Outlet online.
Derek Solomons / L'Estro Armonico a small period instrument group
Best Symphony No. 48 I've heard. period instruments, high horns, manic mood. Maybe the best haydn of all.
Symphony 39, 45, 59. Also my favorites.
This group recorded 11 volumes of Haydn. Maybe 40% made it to CDs. I have all of their Haydn and find it all very worthwhile.
Single CDs with 45 and 48 and 39,45 and 59 are sometimes available cheap at Berkshire Record Outlet.
David Blum / Esterhazy Orchestra - Their 81 is the best I've, heard. 39 is different from the Solomons performance but just as good. 73 and 75 are very good too. Modern instruments with lots of energy.
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra - 80 and 81 are as good as any. Their very solid lower string sound fits these symphonies and 77-79. The only dud among their Haydn recordings is 102. 22 has English horns and the Orpheus recording is a good way to get this unusual Haydn symphony.
Fischer / Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra - best 76-78 I've heard. The Brilliant Box is a fine way to acquire a complete set of Haydn symphonies so that you can explore the less recorded ones. 1-81 are generally competitive with alternatives. 82-104 are bland and not competitive. The over reverberant Nimbus sound didn't help.
Jane Glover / London Mozart Players - 80,87,89, 83,84, 88 - Glover seemed to have just the right sensibility for Haydn at this time. The recorded sound is not ideal but the performances are well worthwhile.
Bernstein / NYPO - best 82. 83-87 are quite competitive too.
Brueggen / Orchestra of the 18th Century - best 86 for style and the humor of the last movement. This is the performance on a single CD with 88 (sometimes available cheap as Berkshire Record Outlet.) The 86 in the set is good but not as witty. As a set of the Paris Symphonies, Brueggen is as good as any. The London Symphonies are mostly quite good. The Sturm n' Drang symphonies are worthwhile but rarely my top favorites. Just buy the big Box with lots of Brueggen's Haydn recordings.
Hans-Peter Frank / Heilsingsborg Symphony Orchestra - best 88-90 I've heard. I searched for this Big Ben CD for 10+ years.
Rattle / BPO - 90 is as good as Frank. 88-92 in this set are all very good. Every now and then you hear an exaggeration but the effort is not as annoying as Harnoncourt sometimes is.
Szell Sym 92, 93-98, 99 - Ideal Haydn to me. Szell had the sense of style to make 92,93 and 94 sound elegant, witty and even raucously humorous as the music required. The latest remastering of 93-99 (post essential Classics) seems to make the performances more enjoyable, especially 95 and 98 that were not my favorites previously. The 2 CD set of 97-99 had a different performance of 97 and my favorite 99.
Jochum / LPO - 93/1 dances as no other recorded performance I've heard does. Odd sound. The rest of the London Symphonies set is worthwhile too.
Jochum - Staatskapelle Dresden - best 98 I've heard. very meaty and dark in mood where it should be.
Reiner / Chicago - best 95. it seems lighter and more graceful in mood than most 95s.
Abbado / Chamber Orchestra 0f Europe - best 96 I've heard (along with Szell) and the best Sinfonia Concertante by far.
Klemperer - Philharmonica - Best 100 and 102. The 2nd movement of 100 sounds so much like an English slow march that I can see the soldiers in dress uniforms marching as I listen. Good 95 too. The 2 CD EMI set should be near the top of your list.
Markevich - a very energetic, meaty performance of 103. The opening growls better than most. Dry recording works well for this performance.
Kuijken / la Petite Bande - surprisingly, the best 104 and a good 103. All the other Haydn by this group I've heard is sadly undernourished. i don't regret many CD purchases but with the exception of 103 and 104, they were a waste of time and money.
Goodman / Hanover Band - the Windsor castle Overture is a fine 4 minutes of late Haydn. 101 and 102 on the same CD are very competitive with other recordings too.
Some symphonies like 101 seem blessed by lots of very fine performances. Mackerras, Monteux, Goodman and Abbado are all very good.
The morning, noon and night symphonies (6-8) have plenty of fine performances. Chmurra / National Arts Center Orchestra (Canada) is my favorite but Adam Fischer, Mullejans, Ristenpart and Ward are also quite enjoyable.
Some symphonies like 99 seem to elude the conductor and orchestra. I can enjoy lots recordings but always feel that none capture some part of the ideal that is in my head.
I realize that I didn't give you a compact shopping list. Sorry. You asked about exceptional performances and that is often a messy question to answer. If you like, I could boil things down and suggest a short list to start on.
Thanks for asking for my opinion. I'm happy to talk about Haydn recordings. Among the 104 symphonies in the regular numbering sequence, about 55 are now in the set of music I regularly listen to. I add a couple of Haydn symphonies to that set every year now.
Bill
Agreed. Love that tiny orchestra, L'estro Armonico.
Here's what I have, all on LP.
Vol. 1 & 2 on Saga - 1, 37, 18, 2, 15, 4, 10, 2, 32, 5, 11, 33, 27, "A", 3
The Sony Digital LP volumes:
No volume# - 35, 38, 39, 49, 58, 59
Vol. 8 thru 11 - 26, 41, 43, 44, 48, 52, 42, 45, 46, 47, 51, 65, 50, 54, 55, 56, 57, 64, 60, 63, 66, 67, 68, 69
What am I missing? Were there more than this? I've never seen any others.
Thanks for your post and your help.
"If people don't want to come, nothing will stop them" - Sol Hurok
My memory about the number of volumes I have was wrong. I have everything on computer files so I had to go dig out the physical CDs to check the volumes.
I have the 2 Saga sets and Vol. 7-11. (Vol. 7 is the same as your unnumbered set.
Sorry to create false hopes.
> Love that tiny orchestra, L'estro Armonico.
Yes. Their period instrument sound fits the Sturm und Drang symphonies. They capture the strong feelings and nervous energy in that music better than most.
I regret that they didn't record more and last longer.
Bill
My hopes have been dashed, again.
I must just enjoy what I have, which would go for life in general.
"If people don't want to come, nothing will stop them" - Sol Hurok
This is a very useful list and I will store it away. Among my favorites are Klemperer's performance of 98, Bruggen doing 103 (sensational slow movement) and I'll name one conductor you haven't listed, Hartmut Haenchen, doing 49 (La Passione) on a Berlin Classics disc that also contains an attractive overture to an opera named the "Abandoned Island." Like you, I also admire Szell - I have him doing 92, 94 & 96 all very well.
I am much more positive about Kuijken. I think he brings a sensuousness and interest in color to the scores and am particularly fond of his rendition of 86. On the other hand I am much more negative about the Orpheus Ensemble - I simply gave away their disc of 53/73/79 - an ensemble which always reminds me just how important a role the conductor plays.
Thanks for the other tips and expert commentary.
Thanks for the information. I found a 5 CD set by Haenchen of Haydn 'name' symphonies on Amazon and listened to almost all the samples. Good sound, good recording with a perspective a bit more distant than I prefer, good orchestra balance. I didn't hear much "Passione" in 49 though. I think your tastes in Haydn might be rather different than mine.
> I am much more positive about Kuijken.
> On the other hand I am much more negative about the Orpheus Ensemble
Nothing wrong with a difference in taste and performance values.
I kept the Kuijken CDs with less recorded Haydn symphonies but sold the Paris Symphonies CDs. I kept all the Orpheus CDs. Sounds as if we could swap CDs we don't want. (g)
FYI, Berkshire Record Outlet has this CD for $ 4.99
---
Haydn, Symphonies 39, 45 ['Farewell'] & 59 ['Fire']. (L'Estro Armonico/ Derek Solomons.)
---
I recommend it if you like vivid period instrument performances. The strong feelings and nervous energy of these symphonies are brought out very well.
Good hunting on finding more Haydn.
Bill
as you recommended. I will report back after I've listened to it.
About the Haenchen 49, I think it is an expressive, well-recorded performance. The Sturm und Drang works don't have to be played with violent emotion for me.
We haven't listed dog recordings - prob the worst Haydn symphony recording I own is of Bruno Weil & Tafelmusic 88-90. Good technically, but reduces Haydn to fast-paced background music.
> We haven't listed dog recording
I try not to spend too much time on such thoughts. It isn't fun to re-listen to dogs to be sure your memories are correct.
> I will report back after I've listened to it.
> ...
> The Sturm und Drang works don't have to be played with violent emotion
> for me.
Given the clear differences in taste, I'll be interested in hearing your reaction.
> prob the worst Haydn symphony recording I own is of Bruno Weil &
> Tafelmusic 88-90.
So what's your favorite for each of 88, 89, 90?
> (Weil) Good technically, but reduces Haydn to fast-paced background
> music.
You aren't the first person to say that about the Weil / Tafelmusic Haydn recordings.
I rather like Weil / Tafelmusic for Sym. 41-43 where the pickings are even slimmer.
---
A conversation like this encourages me to do some comparative listening. When you asked about extraordinary Haydn, I listened to several recordings including the Markevich 103. After you named Brueggen 103 as a favorite, I listened to that recording and the Mackerras 103. Then I listened to Kuijken 90. I kept checking my watch - a bad sign.
Now I'm listening to Weil / 90 in response to your mention as a dog. I quite like the sound and performance in the trio section of 90/3. Lots of C major energy and drive in 90/4 but not much joy or humor. Not a favorite but not the worst I've heard.
Bill
no recommendations as I don't know many versions. I will say that #88, oddly enough, is one of my least favorite Haydn works.
I just acquired an absolutely outstanding Mozart concerto rec, by the way. A young Andras Schiff doing #17 & #18 on MHS with Sandor Vegh conducting his Salzburg orchestra. Sparkling, exremely musical, Vegh really brings out the contrapuntal interplay that I think is so important to Mozart. Sonics are iffy (boomy bass, astringent string treble) but this is a recording you'll want to hear regardless if you haven't already.
> A young Andras Schiff doing #17 & #18 on MHS with Sandor Vegh
I agree with your recommendation. I've had that recording for years. I just got their recording of # 22 & 23 as a used CD. Vegh was a gold standard Mozart conductor.
There are lots of fine performances of 17. I recently listened to Bilson / Gardiner and continue to value that performance highly. Peter Serkin / Schneider is another long term favorite. So many other great ones too.
> I will say that #88, oddly enough, is one of my least favorite Haydn works.
Well, there are lots of recordings of 88. You often get a performance of 88 when you acquire a less often recorded piece of music. I wound up with 15 performances that I kept. The only complete dud (long sold) was a Furtwangler on DG coupled with a Schubert 9 which was also a dud.
I'm listening to Jochum / BPO right now and loving it. I also like Brueggen, Frank, Glover, Rattle / BPO, Reiner, Scherchen, Szell and Walter.
Bill
For a long time I bought every new Brahms Violin Concerto that came out. And then, I noticed that the new versions were falling pretty much into two camps, safe solid, un-personal versions (music by a committee led by the producer) and versions that were perverse for perversity's sake (or more likely publicity's sake).
So, I stopped.
My favorite interpreter is Oistrakh, and of the several I have of his, I'd say that the Szell/Cleveland one is my all-around favorite.
However I would never want to be without the Menuhin/Furtwaengler version with the incandescent Kreisler cadenza.
I am not aware of a Heifetz recording that I warm up to.
JM
not-to-be-believed artistry of Heifetz.
I think that Heifetz made a Faustian bargain, either with the Devil or with a PR machine, and he found himself a slave to his public image. Technical (near-) perfection he had, but, his musical interpretations were often one-size-fits-all, and the size was "fast and steely." I have on DAT and I can no longer play it an aircheck of H.'s playing in the WWII era of Kreisler's Recitativo and Scherzo-Caprice, and he just tears it to tatters in the quest for absolute speed.
There are a few recordings, however, which are on the whole not objectionable and a very few I find treasureable. Chief among which is his mono LP "Vitali" "Chaconne," in which his often hear-hysterical thrashing around really does work, and he backs off and adds to the drama at the end.
Whereas his Franck Sonata performances where he added an extra measure to the violin part at the end because he just could not bear to let the piano have the stage for all of three seconds are unforgivable travesties. Critics should have pilloried him for that.
Whereas his added double trill at the end of the Chaconne is excusable on a claim of historical performance practice, although it was about the only HIP touch he used. Just showing off in my book.
I gather his own playing brought him little joy, and he just went about it with steely determination, because--who knows? Perhaps trying to win his mother's approval.
JM
For example, listen to his Mozart G minor viola quintet,one of the high points of Western civilization, IMO. He turns it into a concerto for violin and strings. Primrose, Piatigorsky and Israel Baker (I forget the name of the other violist) are more than capable of keeping up with him and matching his ultra-high energy style, and it is spectacular in a way, but -- what a travesty!
I guess we should be grateful he didn't record any string quartets (at least to my knowledge).
And I couldn't agree more about Oistrakh and the Brahms concerto.
And I am impressed.
Don't have more than three of anything so I bow and quietly leave this room.
I am also amazed at the number of copies some have of the same work.
And I have collected a few more versions of "Scheherazade", "Symphony Fantastique" and Pictures at an Exhibition" than are warranted because I like those works + have been struggling to find one which is really satisfying to me despite high praise from others.
Which, once again, emphasises how different tastes can be.
John
Sadly (or is it happily?) an incurable audio-video nutter with an indecent number of toys. Classical music forever!!!!
mine: is there actually a really good performance of Mozart's 9th Concerto ("Jeunehomme"). I've cycled through a series and the best so far is the Pletnev performance on Virgin (he conducts as well) but I wouldn't call it an excellent performance, just a pretty good one.
... if you count the 3 different remasterings of Casals' 78s.
Jeff
"Yeah, that's what they all say; they all say D'oh!"
Chief Wiggum
nt
And since my wife plays cello, we've got a lot of recordings and have seen some of the greats play this in concert. Wonderful music (and about the only Bach that interests me).
"Life without music is a mistake" (Nietzsche)
I thought that was a lot until this thread.
Lovely stuff.
Easily my favorite piece of music. I like the original Oistrakh recording the best. Sarah Chang gave the best live performance I've ever seen with the LA Phil in 2004. It was stunning. Her recording sucks though.
The ones I am most likely to add to of the ones I have are Bruckner 8 and the Kreutzer sonata. I probably have more than 20 of each of them.
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No.2
My collection strategy has been reach rather than depth but I do have six Four Last Songs. Which I used to think was a lot. Before this thread.
Roughly 30 of each but I am not sure exactly, or of which I have more.
I probably own, in various forms, 50-60 different recordings. Five of them are by the same singer (Fischer-Dieskau).
The two works that tie for the most recordings in my collection at 14 each are the Symphonie fantastique and the Bruckner 7th. Some other counts:
Beethoven, Symphony No. 3: 13
Bruckner, Symphony No. 9: 12
Prokofiev, Symphony No. 1: 12
Sibelius, Symphony No. 5: 12
Bruckner, Symphony No. 8: 11
Beethoven, Symphony No. 6: 11
Dvorak, Symphony No. 9: 11
Beethoven, Symphony No. 2: 11
(If you collect Prokofiev, you'll inevitably end up with a lot of recordings of the Classical Symphony.)
"The Trial between Harmony and Invention" Opus 12 I think. When played with point each is a very good representation of each season in the Veneto region. The storm at sea concerto is possibly as good and certainly more dramatic, as it ought to be.
Bach thought that set, and many others of Vivaldi's compositions, worthy of study.
I'd suggest you have too many recordings of the piece of no great merit, and too few if any worth bothering with.
BTA I just don't get Mahler or Bruckner, so YMMV. ;-)!
I have access to heaps of versions of most things via ABC Classic FM, don't you too!?
Warmest
Timothy Bailey
The Skyptical Mensurer and Audio Scrounger
And gladly would he learn and gladly teach - Chaucer. ;-)!
'Still not saluting.'
http://www.theanalogdept.com/tim_bailey.htm
Just because I said it is not among my 10 desert island works does not mean I dislike the work. Just it is a bit over exposed for me both on the air waves and in this collection.
I purchased the version performed by our own Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and it it still the best IMHO.
And yes I do like Mahler and Bruckner co, as you say, YMMV, and a good thing too.
John
Sadly (or is it happily?) an incurable audio-video nutter with an indecent number of toys. Classical music forever!!!!
All of the discs he led with the TSO are good IMO.
Warmest
Timothy Bailey
The Skyptical Mensurer and Audio Scrounger
And gladly would he learn and gladly teach - Chaucer. ;-)!
'Still not saluting.'
http://www.theanalogdept.com/tim_bailey.htm
Myself I do not have so many versions of the same works, maybe 4 or 5 versions of some of the Beethoven piano sonatas, 5 versions of Rachmaninoff 2nd and 3rd piano concertos
4 versions of the Goldberg variations
and 2 or 3 or 4 versions of most Beethoven and Mahler symphonies.
I am a beginner, and being a big fan of Haydn I am still trying to complete my collection of his symphonies and string quartets while I already have duplicate.
Not the 'right' Brahms to admire, I know, but I've been hooked since hearing Waldo de los Rios's kitschy Europop adaptation as an impressionable teenager, way back when.Small beer in comparison with many here, but: Karajan, Abbado, Boult, Weingartner, Abendroth, Knappertsbusch, Walter, Reiner, Celibidache, Szell, Haitink, Cantelli + ?
Abbado gets returned to most often. Still looking - for no discernible reason!
Edits: 04/02/10 04/02/10
Urg -- it's close. I know I have more than 100 recordings each of the Rachmaninoff's 3rd piano concerto and Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade. Of course, 100 recordings of those works is but a portion of the extant number of recordings.
On the other hand, I own every recording ever made (so far as I can determine) of Rachmaninoff's Sonata No. 1 and "The Bells" and most every recording of his 1st symphony, all of Taneyev's John of Damascus and Oresteia Overture, all recordings of Myaskovsky's symphonies and concertos, and all but one recording of Gliere's symphony No. 3. (There are not many recordings of any of those works, but some of the Russian recordings are difficult to track down.)
"Life without music is a mistake" (Nietzsche)
d
That's some very fine repertoire to have so many recordings of! :-)
BTW, I actually like Rachmaninoff's Sonata No. 1 better than his Sonata No. 2 - I don't know why No. 2 is so much more popular.
I do too. However, it is fiendishly difficult to draw out the line from all the gazzillion notes of gnarliness, so I've only heard 2 recordings that I think are really good. The best IMO by a huge margin is Yakov Kasman's live performance during the Van Cliburn competition. I'm convinced that performance won him the silver. It was really quite spectacular, probably contributed to because of the intensity of live performance. There are a few studio recordings that are pretty good. But most performers just don't get it and its a waste of time listening to them.
I keep waiting for some intrepid virtuoso to tackle the complete score. No one, to my knowledge, has ever played the complete version but Rachmaninoff himself.
"Life without music is a mistake" (Nietzsche)
I knew there are original and revised editions of the Second Sonata, but I didn't know that is also true of the First Sonata. Even in the version I know (International Edition), the First just seems to be a more epic work than the Second. Is the complete score of the First published somewhere?
I think, in general, Rachmaninoff needs his compositional expansiveness - things didn't work out quite as well for his music, IMHO, when he tried to tighten up the structure, as in the Fourth Concerto and the Third Symphony - those works sound fragmented compared to the real masterpieces of his output.
I agree with you about the effects of revision/condensation on his 4th concerto and 3rd symphony. But also, when he wrote those two works, he was feeling pressured to become more "modern." The 3rd movement of the 3rd symphony is an example. It consciously pusheed into areas of atonality that were quite uncharacteristic for him, and not successfully to me. He commented repeatedly about how difficult it was for him to compose in that style. Melody was in his soul. And the 4th concerto suffered from the influences of others whose opinion he decided to accept, rather than just writing another great romantic concerto. Too bad.
The second sonata is easier, more accessible for the listener and less challenging for the performer (although still quite daunting). But the melodies are more on the surface, less embedded in the complex fabric of dense writing. (I am not a pianist, so I'm sure I am completely out of my depth talking about this with you.) The first sonata requires a real understanding of the whole, beginning to end, in order to extract the line and themes, yet retain the richness of the writing. Much more challenging, but also possessing great beauty and power, if played well.
I'm not a pianist, but I don't perceive the 2nd sonata as being as difficult as a performer to make accessible to listeners.
Yes, epic is a terrific way to characterize the 1st. The original was even more challenging than the version currently available. I think it was 10-15 minutes longer, and I can only imagine the sort of talent and sheer stamina it would require. It is my understanding that Boosey & Hawkes were planning to publish the original score, but I don't know if they ever did.
"Life without music is a mistake" (Nietzsche)
d
I thought having five different versions of the same work was a little obsessive........
Although with the Rach 2, every time I try listening to another performance, I almost always play the Shipway performance afterwards.
between Mahler's First and Stravinski's Rite of Spring. Or so it would seem.
"Man is the only animal that blushes - or needs to" Mark Twain
Dunno, maybe 7-10 each of Beethoven 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th symphonies, and perhaps 5 or more of the others.
I would say that I have at least 7 different versions of "Cannon in D major" I guess when I see a new one when I am at the record store I have to buy one...
i dont have 50 but probably 20. there are lots of ways to skin the cat and not all are right nor wrong. it helps if the tempos are right and its quite interesting to hear how many ways there are to accomplish the same score.
orchestra, organ, piano, guitar, and synthesizer. i have heard numerous versions of each and usually like it each time.
another piece that lends itself well to interpretation is the planets. i havent got as diverse a collection as pictures but several to say the least.
...regards...tr
And my wife and I blame Kavi Alexander for this! :-)BTW - the latest one I got was the Mehta SACD on the Farao label - sounds as if third time was the charm for this conductor!
Edits: 04/02/10
Holy smokes!
Question - do you ever listen to them more than once after you're done with the initial listening period?
Formerly Audiophile10000
. . . to 36 of these recordings. They're in a PDF file on my web site - which I've not updated since 2006! (URL below.)
In answer to your question, it depends on the performance - there are a couple that I surely do not WANT to hear again! :-)
Thanks for tip on the Mehta (which will be #51!).
Russell
I think I've really slowed down on this quest in the last couple of years. :-)
BTW, that's what's impressive about the new Mehta recording: he's sobered up his approach, and no longer seems to be only after the cheap thrills.
... of which I'm sure I have at least 50. I think I probably own 8-10 different versions by Toscanini alone, maybe 6-8 Furtwanglers, so it might even be more like 60-70 total. Which is nothing compared to some people! Anyway, it's one piece that always interests me, in almost any interpretation, although obviously I like some much better than others, and I always look forward to hearing a new version.
My favorite symphony as well, yet I probably have fewer than twenty versions. Well, maybe two dozen counting those I seldom play. Szell has been a favorite of mine for years and I also have several by those you mentioned.
As of now, my favorite is the new Jarvi SACD. His versions of the other Beethoven Symphonies are worthwhile, as well. I've only listened to the ninth once, but it was impressive as are they all. Whether they will be for the ages remains to be determined.
I have about 20 versions of the Eroica, such a great piece. Ironically my favorite is still the first recording I got - Szell and Cleveland. They really captured something with that performance!
"La Fanciulla Del West" - Puccini
I KNOW that's weird but there you are. I discovered it in graduate school and I was nostalgic for my home town at the time. I got to be in it once (Bello) with Cornell MacNeil (my favorite dramatic baritone) and Carol Neblett.
Yeah, Traviata is the tits. I did it on tour about 40 times in 10 months plus a couple of times with Sills so I don't listen to it that much, doncha know.
"If people don't want to come, nothing will stop them" - Sol Hurok
.
"If people don't want to come, nothing will stop them" - Sol Hurok
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