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Top 5 Classical recordings

HI all,

I was wondering how many of the AuidogoN fellows engaged in Classical Music would like to have a Thread to share top picks and recommendations, that hopefully will be useful for those looking to start or otherwise expand a collection.

In order to be of help not only to people already into it, but also newcomers, I would ask a double question:

A.- If you were to recommend a top 5 list of masterpieces of all time, to a person looking to get into classical music with no knowledge at all, which would be you recommendations?

B.- Your favorite 5 composers and his 5 top masterpieces.

I know just 5 may be very hard, for question one specially, but to keep it simple and of help to others I thought it may be a good number. And will be easier to to average in the different responses.

Also please provide a recommended recording of each piece if possible.

Lastly I would ask to indicate the number of disks each one owns of the category. It can be interesting to see if the responses changes with the experience of the individual. I don't mean an specific number... don't wanr anyone counting for 3 days 3,543 discs... but maybe a range like:

C.-

1.- < 10
2.- > 10 - < 100
3.- > 100 - < 1000
4.- > 1000

What do you think?

I will start myself:

A.-

1.- Mozart, Piano concerto No. 20 & 21:

Recommended recording: Mozart Piano Concertos 20-25, Decca, Vladimir Ashkenazy, ASIN: B0000041LF

2.- Beethoven, 5th symphony

Recommended recording: DG, Carlos Kleiber ASIN: B000001GPX

3.- Vivaldi, 4 seasons

Recommended recording: DG, Anne-Sophie Mutter ASIN: B00002DE2L

4.- Schubert, Trout Quintet

Recommended recording: DG, Amadeus Quarter, Emil Giles ASIN: B000001GXF

5.- Brahms, Piano trio no. 1

Recommended recording: Phillips, Beaux arts trio (complete trios), ASIN: B00000416K

B.- (in no particular order)

1.- Schubert

a) String quintet D956.

Recording, DG Late sting quartets, string quintet, Emerson Sting quartet. (Trio series). ASIN: B0001ZWGI8

b) String quartet death and the maiden D810

Recording, DG Late sting quartets, string quintet, Emerson Sting quartet. (Trio series). ASIN: B0001ZWGI8

c) Symphony no. 9 the great

Sony Classical. Bernsein century. Symphony no 8 and no. 9. New York Philharmonic and Bernstein. ASIN: B00003WGO4

d) Piano quintet The trout D667

DG, Amadeus Quarter, Emil Giles ASIN: B000001GXF

e) Piano trio in E flat D929

Decca. Schubert complete trios. Beaux arts trio, Grumiaux trio. (Duo series). ASIN: B00000417B

2.- Tchaikovski

a) Violin concerto no 1

Living stereo. Brahms/Tchaikovsky Violin concertos. Heifetz/Reiner. ASIN: B0009U55RE

b) String quartet no 1

DG Masters. Dvorak American quarter / Tchaikovsky quartet no 1 / Borodin Quarter no 2. Emerson String quartet. ASIN: B000001GO3

c) Piano concerto no 1

Living Stereo. Tchaikovsky piano concerto no 1 / Rachmaninov piano concerto no 2. Van Cliburn. ASIN: B0002TKFRC

d) Trio for piano op 50

DG. Shostakovich - Tchaikovsky trios. Argerich, Kremer, Maisky. ASIN: B00000JSAC

e) Symphony no 6 Pathetique

DG, Tchaikovsky symphonies No 4, 5 & 6, Karajan. ASIN: B000001GYJ

3.- Dvorak

a) Cello Concerto. DG. Dvorák: Cello Concerto, Op. 104 / Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations, Op. 33. Rostropovich. ASIN: B000001GQ8

b) Quarteto Americano. DG. Dvorák, Tchaikovsky, Borodin: Quartets. Emerson String quarter. ASIN: B000001GO3

c) New world symphony. Dvorák: Symphonies 8 & 9 / Kubelik, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. DG. ASIN: B000001GQ7

d) Piano Quintet. Dvorak: Piano Quintet, Op. 81/ String Quartet No. 10, Op. 51. Decca. Tacaks quartet & Andreas Haefliger. ASIN: B00001IVQR

e) Slavonic Dances. Sony. Cleveland Orchestra and George Szel. ASIN: B00005YD5H

4.- Rachmaninov

a).- Piano concert no 3. Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos 2 & 3 / Ashkenazy, Kondrashin. Decca. ASIN: B00001IVQT

b) Piano concert no 2. Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos 2 & 3 / Ashkenazy, Kondrashin. Decca. ASIN: B00001IVQT

c) Symphony no 2. Rachmaninov: The Symphonies. Ashkenazy. Decca. ASIN: B0000042HY

d) Piano sonata no 2. Horowitz Plays Rachmaninoff/Concerto for Piano in Dm; Sonata for Piano No2/Vladimir Horowitz. RCA. ASIN: B000003ER1

e) Piano concerto no 1. Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 - 4, Decca, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Andre Previn, ASIN: B00000427L

5.- Mozart

a) Piano concerto no 21. Mozart Piano Concertos 20-25, Decca, Vladimir Ashkenazy, ASIN: B0000041LF

b) String quartet no 14. (Hayden quartets). Warner Music. Alban Berg Quartet Mozart: String Quartets Nos. 14 - 23. ASIN: B000024MCP

c) Clarinet quintet. DG. Emerson String Quartet. Mozart / Brahms: Clarinet Quintets. ASIN: B00000IX73

d) Requiem. Mozart: Requiem / Tomowa-Sintow, Müller Molinari, Cole, Burchuladze; von Karajan. ASIN: B000001GK8

e) SYmphony no 41 Jupiter. Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 35, 36, 38- 41. DG. Karl Bohm. ASIN: B000001GQB

C) >100 - < 1000

Ok who is next... thanks
Eli
eelii08
rcprince
2,830 posts
 
I think that had the public better accepted Rachmaninoff's 1st Symphony and 1st piano concerto when they were first performed, he might have gone in a different musical direction than he did. The first piano concerto in particular is not a particularly romantic work--worth a listen. Personally, I like all types of music, and would not want to have been without his later piano concertos and the Symphonic Dances as well as his earlier works. For Symphony No. 1, there is a Naxos recording (cthat is very good and includes his Caprice Bohemien, which you might mistake for a Czech composer's work. I would also recommend the Previn cycle of Rachmaninoff's symphonies on EMI. And finally, for Piano Concerto No. 3, I would suggest you get Martha Argerich's live performance on Phillips from 1995, it is as passionate a performance as there exists on record.
newbee
4,093 posts
 
Reprince, Agreed. Because of my aversion to long drawn out performances of the mid-symphonies and piano concertos I have enjoyed Pletnev's versions of Sym 2 & 3 and Leif Ove Andsnes Piano Concertos #1 & #2. If you haven't heard the PC's you should if you can. FWIW. :-)

BTW, for folks looking for general recommendations Askenazy's LSO set on the London label is at the top of the heap. And for those looking for a more traditional set of the Piano Concertos Wild's performance with Horenstein on Chandos or Chesky is a classic and my favorite, followed by Ashkenazy/Previn's set.
eelii08 OP
169 posts
 
Hi Donjr, you bought the mozart from my initial list. i certainly hope you like it. Think is a very good point to start listening to mozart and see if you like it to explore farther. The recording and performance of ashkenazy is superb.

If you read farther down on the list of 5 composers I made you will find Rachmaninov. He is romantic era, late. Went well into early XX century. In any case also a master in my opinion. I would start with his piano concertos 2 and 3. Would also recommend Ashkenazy performance. There are 2 recordings of Ashkenazy of these performances. Both are great but the older one, when he was younger of the concerto 3 and also 2 is just incredible in my opinion. I think that is the one I recommended for both pieces. You can really tell he was younger in his playing and his playing at the time I like it better for these 2 particular pieces.

There is a movie that goes around his cojcerto for piano 3 and the technical dificulty and challenge it represents for the piano performer. I remember reading somewhere that it is one ofnthe most dificult to perform, if not the most, piano piece and that many refused to perform it. i think the movie was called Shine and got an Oscar award If I recall correctly as best movie. It is a fantastice movie and I also recommend it.

Regarding mozar you bought, I would start with 21. You will love it I hope, and will probably be familiar with it, than maybe 20, and take it from there. You now what? i have not listened to that record for a long while andI I am just now going put it in my stereo. I want to listen to it all but specially second movement of.21st came to my memory...
goofyfoot
451 posts
 
There is only a difference of 8 years between the age of Sergei Rachmaninoff and Bela Bartok yet their composing styles seem worlds apart. If your digging into the Rachmaninoff catalogue, the piano trios are nice but often overlooked. The copy I own is on Hyperion by the Moscow Trio. Also, the Bartok piano concertos are beautifully written as are his string quartets. Géza Anda was the premier Bartok interpreter for the piano and he brings the Bartok piano concertos to life on a number of recordings. Géza Anda was extremely popular during his lifetime but has become largely overlooked since his passing in 1976.
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