Most achingly-beautiful music

Jules Massenet's Intermezzo from Thaiis only played by Michel Schwalbe of the Berlin Philharmonic
Try to find the "flower" Label LP pressing of this great Karajan record of opera intermezzi. The LP was
KARAJAN: OPERN INTERMEZZI, DGG (138 OR 139 SERIES) 1968
BERLIN PHILHARMONIC. Do NOT get the EMI Intermezzi record, its not the same.
The playing is none finer .The version is one for all time.
Pure Magic. If you dont care for Karajan(his first Beethoven Cycle is still unsurpassed [early 60s], you will after this LP..........Frank

Frank, I think you have a point with K's first Beethoven cycle, have you heard Abado's cycle, also on DGG? The rendering is exiting, though alas typical of DDG's worst!

This thread has been kept alive over one year. May it survive another! Toward that end, try the "Prelude to Parsifal" by Wagner, especially as performed by Christian Thieleman.

Hi, Tubegroover, Detlof, Rcprince; may I also recommend the Quator Altis version of 14 on Sony (the version is based on the original text -- so, differs slightly from the others).

Can't seem to find the RCA version of the #15 on catalogue...

Re, Beethoven cycles: there are two of Furtwangler's versions of the 9th (1951 Bayreuth & '54 Philarmonia Orch.) I find very moving. Also a 3rd by Furt: 1944, Vienna Phil.

Khrys: interesting tip about Parsifal/Thielemann. You also might want to consider Klemperer's version of same (EMI).

Cheers!

Right now I'm rediscovering an oldie from my childhood. Chet Atkins' "Theme From A Dream" from his "In Hollywood" album. This was previously unavailable on CD, but was just issued on JVC XRCD a couple weeks ago.

Strange thing though. I just found out that the songs I loved all these years from that album were actually from a second studio session a few years after the original master was done in 1958. Last year I purchased a second copy of this album on Ebay and while the jacket and label were identical, the arrangements were totally different from my dad's copy. The people at JVC told me that they are aware of this second recording, but that BMG may have unfortunately lost these masters.

What I enjoy so much about the later recording, and why I think it's so achingly beautiful is that it focuses on the simpler guitar arrangements of Mister Guitar rather than the larger orchestrations of the original session.

Those songs are just so beautiful. And sad. It's too bad the only way I can enjoy them now is from a scratchy 40 year old LP.