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.
I have been listening to Jenny Lin a lot lately. Her Mompou, and her Silvestrov album "Nostalghia". My kind of music, serene, peaceful, what they call "devotional" in some other cultures. Highly recommended if you like that sort of music. Also like her Stravinsky album, which I have not heretofore appreciated. And now downloading her "Preludes to a Revolution".
While the rest of the world listens to Michael Jackson singing Rudolph the Red Nose , we classical fans have a huge choice of music that actually does celebrate the Birth of Christ . My personal favorite is a great that doesn't seem to get much attention these days , Michael Praetorius . Pick up anything that says Praetorius and Christmas and you can't go wrong .Couple of my go-to are, Christmas Music: Hyperion CDA 66200Westminster Cathedral Ch. , Parley of Instruments , Hill . Renaissance Christmas Music , BIS CD 1035 , Viva Voce .Of course with Hyperion and BIS the sound will be good .
Just received the Sudbin album. Stunning SACD sound! As I’ve said, aside from the B minor Sonata, a brilliant masterpiece, Liszt is not really my cup of tea. But he does play Liszt brilliantly (shallow though I think the music is.)
A very good performance of Gaspard de la Nuit. (Pogorelich is my favorite in this.)
A dazzling performer, I think Sudbin could use more tonal color and imagination in his playing.
JC Thanks for those listings I'll certainly look into them. Isn't it strange though that Radu Lupu never became universally popular in the way Perahia and Brendel did. I think as a person he was quite insular and never pushed himself.
LenI agree wholeheartedly re, Arpegionne Sonata and with your thoughts regarding Schubert as a whole. When Arrau was interviewed once he was asked who was the most difficult composer to play and he instantly said Schubert and the interviewer said that Schubert had written only one piece that was remotely virtuosic The Wanderer Fantasy. Arrau then countered that his music was too easy to turn into schmaltz and also too easy to counter the schmaltz and play very coldly.I agree with that remark in that many years ago I purchased a CD of Polinni doing late Schubert piano sonatas and played it just a couple of times as I found it wonderfully played but cold as ice. That's the problem with Schubert there ar too many people that play him cold. I also agree with your comments about Brendel, also look out for his book Musical thoughts and afterthoughts, a very good read. jcazadorI must look out for the Radu Lupu recordings that you recomended, I love Lupu's Brahms but have never heard his Scubert, in fact I think I'll fire up Qobuz tonight and have a listen. Yes I read that story about Rachmaninov also , he certainly was a towering force of nature and we shall never see his like again. to all,We have been talking about Rachmaninov and his compositions but who today has lifted up his mantle , my thoughts ? none. I get really depressed when I think of our new composers because the more I hear from them the less I like. The piano music they write is awfull and they can't or won't write a tune into there works , try asking one of them to write a fugue. No when Rachmaninov died piano composition died also , I'll even go further and say that when Shostakovitch died western classical music died also.Agree or disagree as you like but those are my thoughts.
Rachmaninov: Études-tableaux
STEVEN OSBORNE piano
That is a new record the Hyperion label have just released and I was at a concert given by Osborne last year and he played more or less all the music on this CD and it was most enjoyable.
Did any musician in history combine performance and composition to such a high degree? And remember, he stopped composing in his early forties for decades, he said because his music was considered too old fashioned. Only then did he turn to concertizing seriously and become arguably the greatest pianist of his age. Towards the end of his life, he returned to composition to write some of his greatest music: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Symphonic Dances, Third Symphony. As late as the 1950’s the Groves Dictionary referred to his music as “warmed over Tchaikovsky!” Only lately has his time come to be recognized as one of the greats.
jim et al I am in full agreement with your comments about Liszt, also Rachmaninoff. I have too many recordings of both to list here. For Schubert, I love Rada Lupu. The Complete Decca Solo Recordings(2010) is 10 cds, about half is Schubert. I read a story about Rachmaninoff, as composer and pianist. His piano teach Nikolai Zverev told Rachmaninoff that he should concentrate on becoming a concert pianist because he had so much talent; and that he should not waste his time studying composition or composing. Eventually Rachmaninoff won a gold medal
at his conservatory
for his composition of a one act opera, "Aleko", and Zverev was on the examination committee. Zverev gave Rachmaninoff his gold watch. Tchaikovsky attended and praised Rachmaninoff.
Jim, When you went to hear Brendel play Scubert, you got Schubert, with many you got/get them . The "heavenly lengths" bit came from Schumann in reference to the Great C major Symphony . Few musicians were/are as learned as Brendel .I’ll look for the Arau.I had it once .
I saw a clip with Rubinstein saying the adagio to Schubert’s Quintet in C,d.956 , is the most beautiful music ever written .Lot of folks like Schubert because he wrote so many melodic " little pieces" . True enough, but according to Brahms anyway, everyone was a masterpiece .At 2 am this morning our local BBC 3 played both sides of a new Hyperion CD with Steven Isserlis on Cello,Denes Varjon on pf .One side was the Chopin Cello Sonata Op.65, the other Schubert's Arpeggione SonataD.821 .
I doubt anyone could walk away from this great recording with any opinion other than both pieces are masterworks .
As an add on to Len's comments above regarding Heinrich Schutz, I'd like to recommend the Ars Nova Copenhagen recordings on deCapo. There is a boxed set of the Johannes, Lukas, and Matthias Passions, along with the Christmas and Resurrection histories, and finally Die Seben Worte. https://www.amazon.com/Schutz-Narrative-Ars-Nova-Copenhagen/dp/B005MJDVWI/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?s=music&a... $25 for the set, and these have pretty much become my standby recordings for these works. They are sonically and artistically superb in my opinion. Also the Vox Luminis recording of Musicalishche Exequeien on Ricercar is in the same league. https://www.amazon.com/Musicalische-Exequien-Schutz/dp/B004S7ZZ5Q/ref=sr_1_5?s=music&ie=UTF8&... If works such as these are of interest, and you aren't familiar with the works of Heinrich Schutz, it would be hard to do better than to start with these recordings. My love and respect for Schutz is deep. But he is more of an acquired taste, I suppose.
Hi Len,I do agree with you about the Rubinstein Schubert and I would like to make a suggestion regarding D960, Arrau made a wonderful version of it perhaps even more Germanic than Rubinstein. He also played it with the long section in the first movement that all other pianists cut and when you hear it I am quite sure you will want other pianists to want to keep it also . What Brendel had to say about Schubert was a lot of his work had what he termed heavenly lengths ( pity he didn't stick to his guns and keep the D960 to the original manuscript himself ) . I do remember going to see Brendel in Glasgow in the 70's and beyond and he played the last three sonatas of Schubert and although he didn't shock and thrill as the big vitrtuosos would do his musical taste and commitment were above reproach, he was very well respected and popular in Scotland and when he played up here the houses were always full.
My favorite is whatever Schubert or Schumann is closest at hand .That said , here is 3 of the best seldom mentioned .
From a great not noted for his Schubert, Rubinstein with Wander Fantasia in C and the great sonata D.960 with a few Impromptus thrown in .RCA 63054-2 Kempff on DG 459 412-2 another of the great D. 960 with the most Germanic rendition possible of the Impromptus and Moments musicaux D.780 IMO one of Brendal’s best was Schumann on Phillips 434 732-2 in very good sound which he did not always get .Fantasiestucke Op.12 . Kinderszenen Op.15 and a near perfect Kreisleriana Op 16 .
@jim204, Though I have never been a big Liszt fan, I have to agree with your assessment of the Liszt transcription of the Beethoven symphonies. They are quite amazing. I only knew of the 4 hand transcriptions- which I discovered in an Italian movie that I have now forgotten-It was the Scherzo from the 9th symphony. Perhaps another member can tell me what movie it came from. Bob
You are so right RV I completely forgot about Horowitz what a Blunder that was I do apologiseThat reminds me of a story I read in the Claudio Arrau biography where his mother and him went to a recital by Horowitz and it was in 1925 in Berlin .His mother had nothing good to say about any pianist old or young that they heard but that night his mother sat there in disbelief at what she was hearing . When it was over she looked at her son and said "you had better go home and practice because he plays better than you" . What a downer for Arrau!!!!!
You and I are in total agreement. Rachmaninoff and Volodos, and I have to add Horowitz (and maybe Glenn Gould) are the greatest pianistic geniuses I’ve heard in my lifetime. And just consider, with Rachmaninoff, his even greater genius was as a composer. Just beyond belief!!!!!!
I continued listening through the Sudbin recital disc.
While I had enjoyed the Liszt, Funérailles, Transcendental Etudes, nos. 10 and 11, and“Harmonies du soir”, I thought the List Three Petrarch Sonnets followed by Ravel,Gaspard de la nuit, even better.
The Andsnes Beethoven #5 + Choral Fantasy very, very good too.
I agree wholeheartedly on the Liszt B Minor Sonata and think it was maybe the best Sonata from the 19th century and also that Liszt was probably the greatest example of piano playing during his lifetime and even now. He was responsible for the achievements from Debussy , Ravel , Rachmaninov and all others after he passed. He also has wonderful music written into his Annees de Pelerinage 1,2 and 3.Listen to his Benediction de deux dans la Solitude it is absolutely divine especially played by Claudio Arrau who studied with Martin Krause a student of Liszt who passed on a great tradition of Liszt playing. Also aside from Arrau Krause taught Edwin Fisher who was a great pianist in the first part of the twentieth century. People who denigrate Liszt usually cannot play what he wrote but forget that Liszt was able to play all the music that he ever wrote. Ravel with Gaspard de La Nuit and Balakirev with Islamey are two that I know of straight off. Has anyone ever listened to the Beethoven Symphonies that liszt transcribed for piano, it was an absoloutely Herculean task and again Liszt was able to play every note which took the breath away from all who listened to him.Cyprien Katsaris is a pianist who I have playing the 9 symphonies and the piano playing is astonishing and I have looked on Amazon and the 9 symphonies can be had for , from £17.04 but I can't say how much they can be had for in dollars but I am sure it would be quite cheap also. The pianist that I would say inherited the Liszt way of supreme playing and wonderfull compositions which again he could play with great virtuosity was Rachmaninov. He took over from Liszt in that his compositions demand a pianist of supreme technical abillity.I am really glad this century is producing pianists that are able to take on the mantle of liszt and I think the stand out perfomer at the moment that I would say is way above the herd is Arkady Volodos who can do things on the instrument that everyone can only dream of. Listen to Volodos playing his arrangement of Mozart's Turkish March and you would think he had three hands. I was once at a concert of his and he played it as an encore it was just unbelievable he threw it off like a Chopin prelude it really brought the house down . let me tell you I am glad that I travelled from my little town is south west Scotland all the way to London and back for that one concert. I couldn't get it out of my mind for days and that must be what Liszt's audiences must have felt also.
An interesting question occurred to me that I thought I would pose to the forum:
What is the greatest single piano solo piece ever written? (Or, what is is your favorite? Maybe not the same question.)
I would like to exclude the Beethoven Sonatas from consideration, as there are too many clear winners there. Other than those, I have one to nominate. Although I’m not a big fan of this composer, I have one of his compositions to suggest:
Liszt’s Piano Sonata in B minor. A monumental achievement to me.
Funnily enough I just added Currentzis to my cart last night. I must have more different recordings of the Mahler symphonies than any other composer. I grew up listening to the venerable Solti cycle on Decca, so that became imprinted in a way, and I still notice the differences w.r.t. Solti as a kind of benchmark. So much for the teenage years...
I recently got an amazing new recording of Mahler’s 6th with Teodor Currentzis and Music Aeterna on SONY. I’ve had mixed feelings about this conductor’s past releases, always extroverted, but this one is truly remarkable. Not a dull moment in the entire performance. Inciteful and emotional to the extreme, this is Mahler playing at it’s best, in my opinion. Excellent sound, too I got it from Presto in England. It won’t be released in the States until December 5th.
+1 on Wild's 4th. For that matter I consider one of the great values in audio is the set of all 4 concertos by these forces. It's now available in a set on Amazon for $22 plus. Twoleftears, seriously, don't miss this if you really like these works. :-)
Good recording. I like his performance of the 4th Concerto better than the 2nd. My all-time favorite of the 4th is with Earl Wild and Jasha Horenstein.
And they keep on coming, keeping the mail carrier busy. Daniil Trifonov + Philadelphia Orchestra, Rachmaninov 2 and 4, with some Bach in between as a palette cleanser. Sounding very good so far. But now I'll have to go back and listen to Ortiz, Janis and Michelangeli.
A great rendition of the Schumann Cello Concerto, which I love, is the du Pre/ Barenboim on various Angel/EMI LP’s . CD’s don’t do it justice IMO. My fav is AngelS-36642 because it’s paired with the Saint-Saens Cello Op.33 . One of du Pre’s most charming efforts which is saying a lot .
@jcazador, I don't see the Schumann Piano Concerto in those links. And, the recording I reference to was with the National Symphony Orchestra. It looks like RV was correct: https://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Piano-Concerto-Op-54-Op-129/dp/B0018OC7VM I might get a copy and compare it with my digitized version. Even if it has differing resolution, the performance is one that I consider something Schumann himself would approve of- and, perhaps, Clara. Bob
Curiously, enjoying disc 2 rather more than disc 1. Piano sound still very good. Perhaps it's my mood, perhaps it's the AC. Still, Levit has me wondering if Glenn Gould ever recorded the late Beethoven, and if so, how similar their interpretations would be.
Bought a bunch of CDs recently, many of them based on recommendations from this thread. First one to arrive is Igor Levit, 2CDs, late piano sonatas. Recording: piano image is very present, well fleshed out, more neutral than warm in tonality. Sounds recorded in a fairly small space. The piano is right "there" starting at about the plane of the front wall behind the speakers, so if this were a concert, I'd be sitting close. Performance: 28 sounded, well, intellectual. 29 is a bit more stirring. Perhaps it's just the nature of the late sonatas that I'm reacting to, and perhaps it's Levit.
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