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I'm finding it hard to choose good classical CD recordings with all the various performances and vintages available. Would anyone be able to recommend 5 superb sounding, well played CDs? I'm thinking the more popular symphonies or concertos from Mozart, Beethoven etc. as a place to start.
Follow Ups:
What a great and varied responce to our novice's query! Like the rest, I defintely have my favorites, but I haven't lost sight of your emphasis on ....great sonics.What I would submit are all stereophonic recordings with rather good to very great sonics.
NUMBER 1 Bruno Walter & CSO/ Beethoven 6th / Sony SACD/ GET THIS!!!
2. Szell/ Beethoven 3rd/ SACD
3 Carlos Klieber/ Beethoven 5 and 7
That's it. Just start with that. I Know you'll be pleased. After that...go back to Bach and Mozart....maybe even some Handel and Haydn...just don't burn out attempting to digest it all within a few weeks.
gee, that was a standard if ever I heard it, even if the performance was bland, the recording was top notch, ummm..... OK, never trust your memory on this thing. Was it a DG?Anyway, lots of good music to go with here, but the original poster wanted the 'big guns' and specifically mentioned Mozart and Beethoven, so Mussorgsky is probably out in left field.....
Let me add a new age guy or two: Stravinsky's Firebird and any Philip Glass (you pick, they all pretty much sound the same :) )
I guess this may be a little picky, but Pictures was written as a piano piece and only orchestrated (as per the request) later by RavelOn that note, (no pun intended) I personally feel that "Night on a Bald Mountain" is a far better piece.
It's not easy satisfying everyone.....
Vivaldi "Four Seasons", Drottningholm Baroque Ensemble, BIS. Excellent sound and dynamic performance of a warhorse.Ravel "Bolero", Debussy "La Mer", Sinopoli, DG. Wickedly fast and passionate version of the love it or hate it "Bolero". "La Mer" truly washes over you.
Stravinsky "Rite of Spring", Gergiev, Philips. Great sound and a truly Russsian interpretation.
Bach "Transcriptions", Slatkin, Chandos. Big music, will give your system a full workout.
Respighi "Pines of Rome", Reiner, JVC xrcd. Old/great recording but wonderfully remastered to the point where it should be used to hear just how good your system is.
Are you looking for a list of basic repertoire or great demonstration material? How important is the performance? Are you looking for a range of musical styles, time periods, etc. Any particular type of music: chamber, orchestral, vocal, choral, etc?The following is my suggestion for great demonstration music that is also great listening:
1. Bach: B minor Mass (one of the greatest of works and quite accessible). There are many good recordings, try the Herreweghe (Harmonia Mundi), Gardiner (DG), Pearlman (Telarc).
2. Michael Haydn: Missa Pro Defuncto Archiepiscopo Sigismondo (King's Consort on Hyperion). This somewhat obscure work will make you wonder why all the hysteria over Mozart's Requiem.
3. Mahler: 8th Symphony. The closing 10 minutes or so has one of the greatest climaxes in music and will thoroughly test a music system. There are plenty of good recordings. For demonstration purposes, I like the Nagano on Harmonia Mundi.
4. Lauridsen: Lux Aeterna. A recent composition (1990's), but extremely accessible and lovely. I like the premiere recording: Los Angeles Master Chorale on RCM.
5. Vivaldi: Concerti for bassoon, oboe and flute(?). A compilation on the hard-to-find Astree label. Sorry, I can't remember more detail, but this is an incredible recording.
Two more for good measure, one of "old" music, one of "newer" music:
1. Hildegard von Bingen: Feather on the Breath of God (Emma Kirkby on Hyperion).
2. Stravinski: Rites of Spring. Arguably the most important "modern" work. I really like the performance and recording quality of a recent release by Esa-Pekka Salonen on DG.
Thanks for all the recommendations. I've begun to go through many of the recordings and they all seem good. I'm sure there will be some favourites of the bunch. Somebody should make a web page with the top Classical pieces by the various conductors/orchestras and have rankings. There's one for Jazz:
Of course there were quite a few good suggestions but I was very disappointed with the "moldy oldy" responses, at least given your request for "superb sounding, well played" ( versus "superbly played, good sounding" I presume).Some people might consider them "safe", non-reputation threatening answers. There were plenty of exceptions but the sound quality of most of that ancient stuff is abysmal. (MONO indeed! Get a life!!)
Bill Bailey
___________________________________________
See my stereo config
Feanor writes:"(MONO indeed! Get a life!!)"
Your ignorance, (I mean this specifically, no disrespect), is totally understandable, but it would be shameful to paint early recordings with such broad brush-strokes. Some mono recordings, esp. on the Westminster label involving chamber music, are so uncannily real that I use them to demo my system right along with the latest recordings. Not to mention the Furtwangler Tristan and the Karajan Hansel, both on EMI. They blew all my ideas about mono out of the water.
So I'm not totally ignorant of mono, right?My point would be that there are today sufficient very fine performances that are wonderfully recorded, that there is little reason for deny oneself good sound for performance' sake.
To hear some people talk you would suppose that current conductors and performers are, in general, inferior to those of the 'fifties and before. This is humbug. Perhaps for this or that specific piece of music, a performace from the era is still the greatest, (in the subjective judgement of many), but not by much I'd submit, and it is not true in general.
Bill Bailey
___________________________________________
See my stereo config
so I'm not totally ignorant of stereo, right?There's good and bad from every era. With regard to conductors, and even imprinting on Brahms and Beethoven with the usual '80's suspects: Karajan, Abaddo, Rattle, Barenboim, etc. I can tell you that in most cases Furtwangler and Walter--to name two from a distant era--blow the rest away.
That said, I wouldn't give up Dutoit's "modern" Ravel cycle for just about anyone from the past.
Why watch black & white movies? The remakes are in color!
> > My point would be that there are today sufficient very fine performances that are wonderfully recorded, that there is little reason for deny oneself good sound for performance' sake. < <The converse of this is that one is deliberately avoiding what are arguably the best performances to get a modest improvement in sound quality.
> > To hear some people talk you would suppose that current conductors and performers are, in general, inferior to those of the 'fifties and before. This is humbug. Perhaps for this or that specific piece of music, a performace from the era is still the greatest, (in the subjective judgement of many), but not by much I'd submit, and it is not true in general. < <
Nobody said it was true in general.
I think the older masters are far from moldy. It is just what you're interested in, and how far in depth. I picked up an old Columbia 2 eye of Bruno Walter rehearsing the Beethoven 5th with the Columbia Symphony. The sound is raw and close, almost like a Mercury Living Presence Dorati record. But it is oh so real.I then got out my 6 eye Columbia Beethoven 5th, presumably the recorded performance after this rehearsal. Disappointed. No fire and sound is as if one filtered it through some softening effx on a mixer.
This listening experience reminded me of the Ansermet New Philharmonia rehearsal of the Stravinsky Firebird. Outstanding, better than the final record imo.
Your disappointment suggests that we should focus on newer recordings, but someone who loved Beethoven or Bruno Walter would have totally missed the fun I had trying out my $1 purchase last night.
In general, the posters answered that the most definitive performances were older, and I agree. But the OP asked for both good sound and performance, immediately disqualifying a lot of the recommended stuff (Furtwangler!). And he wanted "top 5." Impossible, although you may be able to compile a list of one's personal favorites.
Actually, there is plenty of good-sounding Furtwaengler material.DG issued at least two box sets of wartime Magnetophon tapes which, with the exception of some overload and blasting in the climaxes, is very modern-sounding, albeit mono. There is a 1954 VPO "Moldau" that captures some of the finest orchestral playing on record (and a majesterial interpretation) quite vividly, in a first-class CD transfer.
> > Hear it and be mesmerized. < <Yeah. I guess this is the whole point, no? When I think "great sounding and well played" I think what recorded performances really transport me. I've given up on recording quality as a mesmerizing factor - rather, as it is reproduced on my equipment a recording should not substantially detract from the performance. Mono doesn't bother me, nor does hiss, noise and (modest) overload from most 30s and 40s recordings. In fact, early in my audiophilia I sought out performances significantly on the basis of recording quality. This was a mistake. It's the performance that matters.
Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm delighted when I can find a well recorded brilliant performance.
nor his material. I covet, for instance, our LP's of his Beethoven 9th Bayreuth (although earlier BPO is supposedly even better), much of his other Beethoven, his Hadyn 88/Schumann 4th DG or even Heliodor, his Menuhin Beethoven VC, etc. and so on. But, the OP asked for good or better sound and performances and "top 5."Your standard of sound is not what he asked for. I don't care about lousy or aged sound with great music, either. The CD's of 30's and 40's material are difficult to listen to but otherwise from 40's on I can usually enjoy. So I agree with you and thanks for the tips.
... music is such a personal experience I'll desist. Logan, in his post below, put it all into perspective very succintly.That said I guess that in general terms I'm on the side of sound quality rather than an old superb performance. Note I said "in general terms" - not absolutely as there are notable exceptions.
If you are just into exploring the superb choices in the classical field I suggest you try a few samplers. OR, there is an excellent set (and they are good performances) in an Australian set available on the net - see the link below. This way you can see what your present taste is and explore along those lines. It might well start off with Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Grieg etc but, if you are like the rest of us, you will explore other composers.
David has some good modern works recommended and they might take your fancy but my take is you would be better off zeroing in on the old masters first. Once you have established what is to your liking then, as suggested below, some net research will point you in the right direction. "The Gramophone" and "BBC Music" magazines are good pointers but even better, IMO, is the Penguin Guide.
Good hunting and welcome to the wonderful world of classical music.
John
Do not criticise the idiots in this world - we need them as they make the rest of us look so much better :-)
In no particular order, and some of these are collections:Bruno Walter - Mozart 39, 40 and 41
Furtwangler - Brahms cycle (4 CD set)
Furtwangler - Wartime Beethoven collection (contains the '42 9th - 4 CD set)
Herreweghe - Bach Cantata and Missae (4 CD set)
Karl Richter - Mozart Requium
Special bonus recording - the Emersons performing Art of the Fugue.
Versus "superbly played, good sounding". Your emphasis works for me. OK, I'm a philistine, but I prefer a good performance with great sound to having it the other way around. I suppose my almost complete lack of musical training and musicianship help in that regard.(Please note: I said a "good" performance, not "mediocre", much less "flawed".)
I'll work on my own recommendations: stay tuned.
Bill Bailey
___________________________________________
See my stereo config
Personally, I'd much rather listen to a flawed recording than a flawed or mediocre performance. The best performances bring some of these quite ancient works to life. One example: Szell's rendition of Dvorak 7th symphony on SACD. A wonderful interpretation. Sound is ok, but a bit distant from the best on SACD.You want the best sound, choose from among the new DSD recorded works on SACD. Lots of them out there. Most not up to the performance standards of the past.
Check out the reviews on the SACD net site for your picks. Or you could study the Penguin Guide or read Jim Svejda's writings, especially if you are a beginner interested in the finest performances of the past as well as the new stuff.
Ok, some picks from recordings I like in very good to excellent sound. All are on SACD and I ONLY recommend those SACD versions.Szell and Cleveland Orchestra on Sony:
Wagner Orchestral Music
Grieg, Bizet, Mussorgsky
Strauss WaltzesReiner and Chicago Orchestra on RCA:
Strauss Don Quixote
Rimsky Korsakov Scheherazade
Bartok Concerto for OrchestraArtur Rubinstein Piano on RCA;
Beethoven Sonatas
Chopin BalladesVan Cliburn Piano on RCA:
Tchaikovsky Piano Cto #1 & Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto #2
Vanska on BIS:
Beethoven Ninth Symphony
Boulez on Sony:
Bartok Concerto for Orchestra and Miraculous Mandarin
Dorati on Mercury:
Enesco Romanian Rhapsody and Liszt Hungarian Rhapsodies
1. Elgar Cello concerto/Sea Pictures Dupre/LSO/Barbirolli-The definitive performance of one of the great romantic concertos
2. Beethoven 5th/7th symphonies Carlos Kleiber conducting.
3. Bach Solo Cello Suites I prefer Anner Bylsma's first Sony recording now avialable on Sony's "Essential Classics" budget line but any of the recordings by Pieter Wispelwey, Peter Bruns (great budget recording on Naive records, a french label), Anner Bylsmas's second recording (also on Sony), Jian Wang, Mischa Maisky (for a different more "Romantic" reading) are fine. Sorry I have over 20 recordings of the Cello suites and sometimes can't make up my mind.
4. Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4-6 LSO Igor Markevitch conducting the London Symphony Orchestra (budget 2CDs from Philips. Mravinsky's later Stereo reading on DG is also ver fine and is regarded by many as the definitive performance. I have a liking for Markevitch's reading.
5. Mendelssohn and Bruch Violin Concertos (Bruch #1) Any of the recordings by Kyung Wha Chung as the Violinist. There is a great combo disc on Decca's Legends series that also includes Bruch's Scottish Fantasy.There are really hundreds more but these should get you started. I focused more on teh quality of the performance but all of the recordings are also fairly well recorded.
Sincerely,
Sorry for the typos!
Bach Cello Suites--Can't really pick a favorite here, but Rostropovich will do.
Bach Goldberg Variations
--Remastered Gould
Bach violin partitas and sonatas
--Milstein, Hahn, but my fave is Lara St. John
Beethoven "late" piano sonatas
--Gilels, Brendel
Beethoven "late" string quartets
--Lindsay Quartet
Vivaldi La Stravaganza
--Rachel Podger. Must-have Vivaldi for the sheer fun and sound quality
...which are well recorded and have been audiophile chestnuts for some years:Rimsky-Korsakov, "Sheherezade", Reiner and CSO on RCA, remastered CD.
Stravinsky, "Firebird Suite", Atlanta Symphony Orchestra on Telarc.
Both of these are very dramatic and will interest even those unschooled in classical music.
Here are five cds of core repertory that sound good, are well-played, and frequently get recommended around here:Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra etc., Reiner and the CSO (RCA Living Stereo)
Beethoven: Symphonies No. 5 and 7, Kleiber and the Vienna Philharmonic (DG)
Beethoven: Violin Concerto (with the Bernstein Serenade), Hahn, Zinman and the Baltimore Symphony (Sony)
Holst: The Planets, Dutoit and the Montreal SO (London)
Rachmoninoff: Piano Concerto #3/Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto #1, Argerich, Chailly and the Berlin RSO (Rach)/Kondrashin and the Bayerischen (Tchaik) (Philips)
All of these recordings are worth owning. Whether they turn out to be your favorites is another question entirely.
Happy listening,
The best way for me to answer that is to list some of the works that inspired my interest in classical music. In some cases, I have listed the recording that first grabbed me; in others I list recordings I now find preferable.Beethoven 5th and 7th Symphonies - Carlos Keliber DG
Mozart Clarinet Quintet/Schubert Trout Quintet - Music from Marboro, Sony
Chopin Ballades and Scherzos - Rubinstein RCA/BMG
Bach Brandenburg Concertos - Harnoncourt - Teldec(?) Actually I no longer own this recording, but I don't have a favorite set of Brandenburgs and the Harnoncourt was my the first version I heard. Also, this is a bit of cheat as a complete set of Brandenburgs requires two disks.
Bartok Concerto for Orchestra/Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition - Solti & Chicago Symphony Orchestra. London - This recording was chosen for the pairing. I'm not sure if it's still available. You could also consider Fritz Reiner's versions of the same two works with the same orchestra, but these are on separate disks.
and reissued as a mid-price Decca Originals. It sounds FABULOUS.
I second the people who advised against limiting yourself to the standard repertoire (baroque, classical, and romantic periods). Stretch out and explore the wonderful music composed before and after those eras. Some references:
1) Norton/Grove Concise Encyclopedia of Music
2) Gramophone (http://www.gramophone.co.uk/) (somewhat conservative)
3) If you get the Rhapsody internet music service, they have nice little essays about genres and composers.
Five recordings I keep returning to:Hildebard von Bingen: 11,000 Virgins, Anonymous 4
Bach: Mass in B Minor, John Eliot Gardiner
Beethoven: Piano Concertos 3 and 4: Murray Perahia
Babbitt: Piano Works, Robert Taub
Pärt: Tabula Rasa & Fratres, Gil Shaham - Symphony No. 3, Neeme Järvi
- Hunt
Hmmmm, lots of nineteenth century aural wallpaper being recommended. Let's try the tough end of the 20th century for some variety here. These are discs I know and like, but there's a lot of stuff out there that I've never even heard and it's very different to what I'm going to suggest so you can hate my suggestions, get a bad fix on contemporary classical music, and ignore the fact that there's going to be a lot of good stuff out there that you might like.So, let's step into real flame territory with:
John Adams: Chamber Symphony/Grand Pianola Music - London Sinfonietta conducted by Adams, Nonesuch
Alvin Curran: Songs and Views of the Magnetic Garden - Curran, Catalyst
Lou Harrison: Lo Koro Sutro - New Albion Records
Meredith Monk: Mercy - Monk & ensemble, ECM
Arvo Part: pretty well anything. Try "Passio" on ECM. I don't have it but it was the first Part I heard and it has stuck with me, or try "Kanon Pokajanen", also on ECM, which I do have and which is music for the Orthodox rather than the Catholic church for which Part normally writes.
Nothing in that selection is too prickly or aggressive, and some of it is downright sweet.
There was a time when people listening to what is now called 'classical music' listened mostly to music that was contemporary with them, after all they had to listen to what was being played live because there were no recordings and there also wasn't a down on contemporary music. If Mozart and Beethoven's contemporaries hadn't played and listened to their music, neither would we, yet many people seem happy to ignore what's being written today. Traditions last while innovation still occurs within them. When the innovation stops, the tradition stagnates and dies. The quickest way to relegate Mozart, Beethoven, and a lot of other great music to the scrap heap of history is to ignore contemporary music and allow that whole tradition to stagnate and die.
that "the classics" are being recommended for a "top 5" request? I mean, I understand your sentiment but there are plenty of places to bring up and/or bring attention to composers of today, and I'm surprised that you would choose a list of people's top 5 to do so. Would you really rate your recommendations as the five most important pieces of music in history? Five interesting/excellent/pieces worth checking out, sure.But if Bach and Beethoven are "aural wallpaper" to you, I'm less inclined to check out your recommendations already...
You said "But if Bach and Beethoven are "aural wallpaper" to you, I'm less inclined to check out your recommendations already..."Well, what I said was "…lots of nineteenth century aural wallpaper…". The last time I looked, Bach was 18th century and while Beethoven managed to make it into the 19th century, I didn't suggest all of the 19th century was "aural wallpaper".
You asked: "Would you really rate your recommendations as the five most important pieces of music in history? "
Well, no I wouldn't but let's go back to the original post which said (exact quote):
"I'm finding it hard to choose good classical CD recordings with all the various performances and vintages available. Would anyone be able to recommend 5 superb sounding, well played CDs? I'm thinking the more popular symphonies or concertos from Mozart, Beethoven etc. as a place to start. "
So, a person finding hard to choose good recordings with the variety of performances and VINTAGES available. Should I interpret "vintage" as referring exclusively to old recordings (no one else has) or to the various periods of classical music which does include the contemporary period. What I did was list 5 good to superb sounding, well played discs from one period that everyone else was largely overlooking. I also commented that nothing in my selection was "too prickly or aggressive, and some of it is downright sweet". I tried to pick pieces that I thought someone who enjoyed Mozart and Beethoven might find approachable and perhaps, even, enjoyable.
Note also that the original request was not for "the five most important pieces of music in history" but rather simply for "5 superb sounding, well played CDs" with no mention of how important the music had to be.
My reply was a genuine and relevant response to the actual question asked, adding some suggestions for good to superb sounding, well played discs from a "vintage" that had to then been largely ignored by other posters.
I see that while you're prepared to attack my response and misrepresent what I said, you haven't been prepared to make any suggestions of your own. Come back and have another go at me after you've made an response to the original request. Let's see what you think are some good discs to throw into the list of suggestions.
'Well, no I wouldn't but let's go back to the original post which said (exact quote):"I'm finding it hard to choose good classical CD recordings with all the various performances and vintages available. Would anyone be able to recommend 5 superb sounding, well played CDs? I'm thinking the more popular symphonies or concertos from Mozart, Beethoven etc. as a place to start. "'
Except you forgot the title of the thread which was "Recommend 5 *TOP* classical recordings" so I don't think it's such a stretch to figure that he wants suggestions of what people would consider their "top 5" or "5 top" if you want to be literal.
Yes he said recording not piece of music, but it shouldn't be a surprise that for many they are not far apart.
So what is 19th century aural wallpaper? Brahms? Tchaikovsky? Wagner?
If I'm supposed to answer your "challenge", presumably to clear my name from the accusation of being unable to adequately name five good recordings/pieces of music, I'll pass thanks and go on living in shame. We should have another thread that rates the top 5 recommendations of top 5, and see who wins... fun.
My point is that you chose an awfully strange thread to make a big deal about 20th century music, and the fact that other people didn't name any in their "5 top" is no reflection of their relative awareness of it.
Well, the thread was about top recordings, not top music, and I for one do make some big distinctions between the two. You may have a point about the poster seeking other's "top" choices, but he also said that he was thinking of the more popular symphonies or concertos from Mozart and Beethoven as a starting point so rather than choosing my top 5, I tried to select some music from an area that wasn't getting much representation and which might appeal to someone who liked Mozart and Beethoven. A little variety is nice and others were covering the standard reportoire quite well. I felt no need to duplicate or add to recommendations in that area but I thought it worth while to offer a few choices from a different period, a period which I think does not receive the attention and recognition it deserves.I did try to suggest works that might appeal to someone with the tastes he mentioned rather than suggesting recordings I loved that would likely leave him cold. Part of the reason for that is simply that I don't like using taste as a base for classifying things as "top". Everyone does have individual tastes and one person's top 5 can easily be another's "not even also rans". I wasn't interested in trying to say that these are "the top 5 recordings and you have to have and appreciate them". I was interested in saying "here are 5 great recordings from a period that isn't getting much attention in the responses you're getting, and which I think could appeal to someone who likes Mozart and Beethoven".
"…the fact that other people didn't name any in their "5 top" is no reflection of their relative awareness of it."
I did not criticise any poster as being unaware of the late 20th century. I made the observation that it was not well represented in the recommendations others had made, and that I thought ignoring this period was detrimental to the health of classical music as a tradition. I made no criticism of other posters or any attack on their tastes. They chose to give choices that they thought would suit someone who liked Mozart and Beethoven and so did I. I simply stepped a little further away from those 2 composers and avoided duplicating the recommendations of others whilst making an observation about why I thought concentrating on the works of past composers to the exclusion of contemporary ones was detrimental to classical music.
There are going to be a lot of recommendations made in response to the original request, and the poster is not going to race out and buy them all. I certainly wouldn't suggest that he race out and buy all 5 of mine. I would like to see him consider the purchase of at least one 20th or 21st century work in his choices (not necessarily including one of my recommendations), and also some music from the renaissance, baroque, and classical (mostly before 1800 AD) periods as well. I'd love to see others join in with selections from those periods that they think are well recorded, and which would add a bit more variety to the general run of recommendations. There's an awful lot of music in the classical tradition and the late 18th to early 20th century tends to get a disproportionate amount of attention in many ways.
As to what constitutes aural wallpaper, I'd respond that it largely falls into 3 categories. The first is great music that gets played far too often so that it loses its freshness and appeal for the listener. Beethoven's 5th Symphony has probably qualified for a long time now. Back in the 60's or 70's when the film "Elvira Madigan" came out, Mozart's 21st Piano Concerto definitely qualified for a decade or more. Thankfully it is heard much less often these days, and I appreciate it much more as a result. There's nothing wrong with such music, it is genuinely great music, but it can be destroyed and reduced to cliché status by being played too often. The second category is less than great music that gets too much attention for some reason or another. Lots of Mozart got there during his 250th anniversary year. All of Mozart's music is at least good, and a lot of it is great, but Mozart became wallpaper for me that year because of the fact that my local radio station embarked on a "let's play everything he wrote, and play it as often as we can" campaign which resulted in a lot of less than great Mozart being played in preference to playing some great music from other composers. The third category is that of music which simply does not engage the listener making the judgement. Everyone has their own choices here and I see no reason to identify mine since the 'problem' if you want to call it that is not so much the composer or the music but simply the fact that it does not suit my taste.
So, for me the term "aural wallpaper" is not necessarily a criticism of the music but, more importantly, a criticism of the way in which a lot of good music is abused by excessive exposure. Listening to other music can open new horizons, but it also has the virtue of 'cleaning the ears' and allowing one to appreciate the standard reportoire again, even being able to appreciate it more deeply than previously simply because one's experience has grown and returning to a work which had previously become overly familiar and boring with a bit of new experience under the belt can allow you to find new things in the work, things that could not be found if one did not also listen to other music as well.
David Aiken
g
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It appears that is TRULY happening. Education is gone, radio play is gone, public funding is gone, audiences are gone. All concerts, all seats are $25 for all who wish to purchase them in Baltimore next year. You and I search out and purchase NEW Classical music, but the traditional "core" fans do not, and certainly potential new fans would not begin with the newest works. I think it's a done deal. When the oldsters pass on there will be no base for the music. Perhaps sometime in the distant future there will be a renewal, but by then the format of the genre will most likely have changed to shorter works, perhaps no longer even "linked to the tradition" that goes back through Beethoven and Bach etc. Neo-Classical. If there is a break in an evolutionary chain of style and influence, will a revival of "outwardly similar music" constitute a continuation of a tradition? Dunno.
To put it quite simply, I am concerned that those people who love Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, etc and who don't listen to contemporary music, people who seem to make up a majority of classical music lovers, are simply loving that music to death. It would be a shame to lose it, but I think the cost of keeping it alive is listening to it a little less and listening to contemporary music a lot more.And let's make no mistake about it. If every classical music lover listened to 1 hour less of the traditional reportoire a week and used that hour for listening to contemporary music instead, we would have a situation of listening a little less to the traditional reportoire and a lot more to contemporary music. Not only would it do wonders for classical music as a whole, it would give many listeners a whole new appreciation of the music they already love.
rather than a "contracting universe" in which one narrow's one's taste as time goes by. Encouraging an appetite for the new...
When I revisit Beethoven. I always think, 'you know this really is great stuff! Why don't I listen to it more often instead of chasing more modern compositions?' I guess the answer is curiosity, can't think of another. :-)
Mozart- Concertos 21,24 Istomin/Schwarz/Seattle - Reference Recordings
Debussy- "La Mer" Boulez/Cleveland - Deutsche Grammophon
Wagner Orchestral Music, Karajan/Berlin - EMI
Strauss- "Also Sprach Zarathustra" Reiner/Chicago - RCA
Brahms- Symphony 4 Walter/Columbia - Sony (?)
I don't mind recommending my favorites. I cut my musical teeth on these two:Rachmaninoff: PC #3 D minor, Cliburn, Kondrashin, Sym of the Air (RCA). Live recording from 1958.
Tchaikovsky: PC #1, same as above (unidentified orchestra), (RCA) Made in a studio 3 hours after the Rachmaninoff.
SACD's of these performances are now available in budget issues.
Equally terrific but not in stereo:
Beethoven Sym #5, Berlin PO, Furtwaengler (1937), various labels.
"The greatest example of the conductor's art on record" (David Hall)Schumann Sym #2, Bernstein, "Stadium Symphony Orchestra" (NYPO) (1953)
DGG Originals. Lenny at his finest.Beethoven Sym #6 "Pastorale" Walter, Columbia SO (1958). The great Bruno at his finest, in stereo. Dub in the 1936 Vienna "Storm".
Want more? There are hundreds.
I can recommend 500 top classical recordings that I like. But how do I know that you will like any of them? My interests and tastes may very well be 100% different from yours.So why not do what the rest of us do - read the reviews online and in magazines, listen to your local classical radio station (if you have one), and borrow some CDs from your local public library (if you have one).
I've been listening to classical music for more than 50 years and I'm still working on it - still learning and sorting out what I like from what I'm indifferent to. You've got to work on it too.
Oh, but there are so many.Here are some favorites:
Mozart, Symphonies nos. 35, 41, Haydn Symphony no. 104,. Josef Krips and René Leibowitz, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Reissued on Chesky CD16
Brahms, Symphony no. 4, Fritz Reiner, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Reissued on Chesky CD6
Smetana, “Ma Vlast“ (“My Homeland“), Antoni Wit, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. Naxos 8.550931
Beethoven, "Symphonies Nos. 6 and 8," René Leibowitz, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Reissued on Chesky CD69
Mussorgsky, Pictures at an Exhibition, Lorin Maazel, Cleveland Orchestra. Telarc CD-80042. Not my favorite performance but a good one in spectacular sound. I don't own it, but have heard the library's copy. My favorite recording is with Ernest Ansermet and the Suisse Romande Orchestra but the sound, while quite good, is not in the same class.
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"Opposition brings concord. Out of discord comes the fairest harmony."
------Heraclitus of Ephesis (fl. 504-500 BC), trans. Wheelwright.
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