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My Essential Classical Albums.


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24 minutes ago, sphinxsix said:

 

 

And BTW can someone recommend a good performance of Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini? I have two - Luganski/Oramo and Ashkenazy/Previn. It's probably quite irrational (I don't know any other performances of the Rhapsody) but I have an impression none of these two isn't the 'ultimate' version. Or maybe I'm wrong and they are really good, what do you think guys?

Terry the recent (2015) recording of Daniel Trifonov with Yannick Nezet-Seguin. It received outstanding reviews across the board. I have little comparison on this particular piece but have listened to this album (on DG) just today and like it a lot. 

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58 minutes ago, sphinxsix said:

I have to confess - couldn't wait. I checked out Daniil Trifonov's 'The Carnegie Recital' fragments. His Scriabin and Liszt seemed more convincing than Chopin  (the additional problem with his 'Carnegie Recital' is some low (!) frequencies noise of this live recording which I can clearly hear using my headphones while streaming the samples from Prestoclassical, quite disturbing as it is it would be even more disturbing on my main system) so I moved on to his Liszt album. Judging by fragments again (risky idea, I know..) - sounds great to me! And I have very few Liszt albums in my collection (which BTW may be a mistake). Ordering. Hope it won't be a mistake!

His Liszt Transcedental Etudes are excellent you won't regret your purchase. 

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4 minutes ago, accwai said:

 

Liebesträume, La campanella from the Grand Paganini Études, Consolation No. 3 from Consolations and the Hungarian Rhapsodies are quite standard in a classical collections. Then you have fascinating oddities like piano transcriptions of Symphonie fantastique and all the Beethoven symphonies. The list goes on and all, unfortunately.

 

In fact, the original Berlioz Symphonie fantastique would probably quite standard too. And trumpet concertos by Joseph Haydn and Johann Nepomuk Hummel too perhaps.

Agree with all your recommendations with the exception of the symphony transcriptions. I see them as technical excercises that were useful in the time of Liszt when recordings weren't available but I'd always prefer the symphonic originals to the piano versions. 

 

Its quite a different story for the Schubert song transcriptions that work surprisingly well. 

 

Again all IMHO. 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Here's a start, all recent releases with good to excellent SQ; and obviously outstanding playing.

 

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The Trifofov includes orchestral and solo piano works. The solo piano pieces, the Chopin and Corelli variations are both outstanding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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4 hours ago, AnotherSpin said:

 

Well, those are too many fine recordings even if we focus on solo from these four names only. I will try to select a few.

 

1. Bach - DWK from Schiff, El Bacha or Zhu Xiao-Mei; Goldbergs - Tharaud, Dinnerstein, Ito Ema, Denk, Rana; Die Kunst Der Fuge - Aimard, Bahrami; English Suites - Anderszewski; Partitas - Perahia, Fray.

 

2. Beethoven - complete sonatas sets from Brendel (black box most), Brautigam, Buchbinder, Guilda, Korstick; Separate sonatas from Lupu, Pires, Giltburg, Perahia.

 

3. Mozart - sonatas sets from Uchida, Haebler, Bezuidenhout, Brautigam, separate - Brendel, Leygraf, Perlemuter, 

 

4. Rachmaninov - I am not listening for his solo music often, but I really love his 3d Concerto. Recording with Martha Argerich is very dear to me. From others version of this concerto I would name those from Bronfman, Gavrilov, Andsnes.

 

+1 on all of the above. Excellent selection.

 

One more very good Rachmaninov solo album springs to mind, that is very much worth having.

 

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http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA67700

 

 

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1 hour ago, burnspbesq said:

Desert island piano recordings.

 

No WTK selection from me; I prefer to hear it on harpsichord.

 

Paul Lewis' Beethoven sonatas.

 

Kovacevic' Diabelli Variations.

 

Ingrid Fitter Chopin Etudes.

 

Bavouzet's complete Debussy

 

Anne-Marie McDermott Prokofiev Sonatas.

 

Levit's "The People United."

 

Last but surely not least, Marc-Andre Hamelin's 'In a State of Jazz." Worth it for the Gulda alone, but there's so much more.

 

(and of course some Keith Jarrett. If I can only have one, I'll take "Rio.")

Plus one, though I would replace Ingrid by Pollini, in spite of the 1970s shoebox DG sound.

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5 hours ago, sphinxsix said:

A question about one of the most inventive, according to many, piano players ever - your favorite Glenn Gould performances, guys.? (except from Bach as I have quite lots of Gould's Bach).

BTW I was quite suprised noone listed GG recordings among his favorite piano albums. A coincidence?

Is he passé.? Or maybe it's just that noone here likes Gould.?

 

At the risk of getting some haters here, I haven't heard any Gould beyond Bach I'd still find relevant today. 

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3 hours ago, sphinxsix said:

I'm not sure I understand your point. But nevermind..

 

 

I have ABM Rach 4 PC recording from 1957 but I don't know this one.

 

 

As for Gould playing Beethoven's sonatas one thing is certain - he does it in a very different way from everybody else (he probably wouldn't be himself if he didn't) and for me it's quite intriguing in some instances (eg fast tempos of 'Moonlight'). Probably won't become my reference recordings of these compositions but it's definitely a different point of view.

 

BTW - your favorite Beethoven's sonatas (especially late ones) recordings, guys.?

 

Brautigam. 

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1 hour ago, sphinxsix said:

As for Ronald Brautigam - is his Mozart (both - solo piano works and concertos) that good too?

He's very good as well but I'd prefer Bezuidenhout for both solo and concerto when talking fortepiano.

 

https://musicophilesblog.com/2015/10/27/my-must-have-mozart-albums/

 

And for modern piano, I already mentioned above Fazio Say's recent complete set. 

 

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3 hours ago, sphinxsix said:

Seems I didn't commit a sin when I bought his complete Beethoven sonatas. What would be your second (or maybe even third) choice? I think about getting some more B. sonatas as I love them.

 

One can't have enough Beethoven, vey much like the other two Bs, Bach and Brahms. 

 

Levit has already been mentioned. Among the classics, Schnabel (VERY Lo-fi) Kempff, Brendel, and Pollini (his old set, not the so-so recent re-recording) stand out. 

 

For the more recent cycles I often go to Andras Schiff on ECM or Paul Lewis, both are relatively straight, no-nonsense interpretations. I was also positively surprised by Richard Goode. 

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3 minutes ago, tdimler said:

Regarding desert island solo piano...the first thing that came to mind:

 

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then maybe

 

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For the Beethoven sonata, this is my standard.  Many other good options though.

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I'm pretty heavily skewed towards piano in my classical collection so here are a few more that I consider essential:

This one is a true MUST HAVE

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Your Argerich Rach 3 is on my list, but I'd have to add her Schumann...

 

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While we're on piano concertos, when surveying Beethoven, my new favorite is the rock solid Leif Ove

 

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Back to Brahms.... the Requiem could be my single desert island piece.  I've tried other acclaimed versions but always come back to this as my favorite.

 

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If you're about solo Bach, I think this newish recording from Rachel Barton Pine is just stunning in every way.

 

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Last for now....the Mozart piano concertos played by Uchida are splendid.....she has a special way with Mozart.  There are also some newer Decca live recordings that are pretty goo too.

 

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Very nice selection.  

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1 hour ago, AnotherSpin said:

 

You mean Fazil Say? I heard some of his Mozart, it is good, I find interesting virtually everything what I head from him.

Yep, annoying autocorrect.

 

This one: http://www.qobuz.com/fr-fr/album/mozart-complete-piano-sonatas-fazil-say/0825646941230

 

 

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1 hour ago, AnotherSpin said:

 

Yes...)) Schnabel stands separately, I was hesitant to recommend because of the recording quality. BTW, did you compare different editions? What is your choice? 

I only have one set I bought ages ago on CD. I´ve never investigated that much as I see this more of intellectual value than for musical enjoyment.

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53 minutes ago, AnotherSpin said:

 

I even had Schnabel LP set once, and the quality was so awful, it diverted me from this wonderful performances for many years...( Now they make several CD sets which sound quite differently. I like one from Membran, one from Dante is not bad too. Many believe Pristine edition is very good, I didn't hear it.

Thanks. Am away from my computer now but will check back which version I have. 

 

I must admit as much as i appreciate the playing the SQ makes me listen to it only rarely. 

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6 hours ago, accwai said:

Quick question: If one were to have only one version of Haydn's London symphonies, which version would be most essential?

I'm not the best one to answer as I'm not the biggest fan of Haydn's symphonies, but here's my 2 cents:

 

Right now I'd probably go with Abbado and the COE, but actually I'm really looking forward to when Giovanni Antonini gets to them in his Haydn 2032 project:

 

https://musicophilesblog.com/2016/09/01/do-you-have-to-be-italian-to-conduct-haydn/

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