My Essential Classical Albums.

[accwai]

26 minutes ago, semente said:

I think that good transient response and a clean, smooth treble are essential, as well as adequately balanced high-mids and lower treble.

Speakers and amplifiers mostly.

 

Thanks for the great insight

[christopher3393]

Is anyone familiar with Catalina Vicens 2 solo harpsichord recordings? I think they are recorded a bit differently than usual. I find them easier on my ears than many others.

 

http://www.carpediem-records.de/en/il-cembalo-di-partenope

 

 

[semente]

1 hour ago, accwai said:

 

Thanks for the great insight

 

Yep, and free. No adds. No-nonsense. 

[accwai]

1 hour ago, christopher3393 said:

Is anyone familiar with Catalina Vicens 2 solo harpsichord recordings? I think they are recorded a bit differently than usual. I find them easier on my ears than many others.

 

http://www.carpediem-records.de/en/il-cembalo-di-partenope

 

I have Il Cembalo di Partenope now. The booklet doesn't mention anything special about recording techniques. It's the instrument itself perhaps. I'll take a closer listen when I have a chance. Going through Handel's Solomon right now, so early next week perhaps.

 

Have you compared it with Alina Rotaru's Froberger or Sweelinck? They're on the same record label but done with much more robust instrument.

[sphinxsix]

20 hours ago, semente said:

 

I prefer Liszt's piano works to his orchestral but the Eine Faust-Symphonie is quite attractive:

 

 

Yes, it is! Your favorite performances, guys.?

[christopher3393]

13 hours ago, accwai said:

 

I have Il Cembalo di Partenope now. The booklet doesn't mention anything special about recording techniques. It's the instrument itself perhaps. I'll take a closer listen when I have a chance. Going through Handel's Solomon right now, so early next week perhaps.

 

Have you compared it with Alina Rotaru's Froberger or Sweelinck? They're on the same record label but done with much more robust instrument.

 

A couple of comments by Vicens on her earlier recording, Parthenia:

Quote

The Wish:

When I knew that I was going to record in this vast range of instruments, I had a strong wish: I wanted to have the listener experiencing the instrument at its best; I wanted to have them in the privileged position, that us performers, are lucky to have. Jonas Niederstadt, sound engineer and head of Carpe Diem Records shared this view and had the skill to capture the acoustical experience.

The space:

 Achieving a good recording sound and still being true to the instruments’ qualities was not all that easy. We were using instrument of a public collection, as in many museum, instruments can not be taken out of their space. The rooms at the Castle of Bad Krozingen are quite small and have low ceilings: a nightmare for most sound engineers! Today, most harpsichord recordings are recorded in churches or big halls where the acoustic is rich and forgiving. Nevertheless, solo harpsichord (and more so virginal music) was not meant to be played at church, but rather in a small castle. Like the one we were to record in the small southern German town. So what we saw initially as technical limitations could be used to our advantage: in Parthenia we “had” to capture that authentic intimacy of these original instruments and of the music by these outstanding late-Renaissance composers.

 

https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/ab8099_96e5ae5532884126a1e7d3d2bc390d7f.pdf

 

sorry for OT

[christopher3393]

20 hours ago, semente said:

 

I prefer Liszt's piano works to his orchestral but the Eine Faust-Symphonie is quite attractive:

 

 

1 hour ago, sphinxsix said:

Yes, it is! Your favorite performances, guys.?

 

I like this one:

 

Liszt:  Symphonic Poems Vol.2

Gianandrea Noseda, BBC Philharmonic

 

[tdimler]

22 hours ago, semente said:

 

 

 

 

Regarding Sokolov, I think his musicianship is almost without peer among living pianists.  I just wish we had some quality recordings!  So far the sound quality on the new DG releases is pretty lukewarm IMO.

[semente]

My grandad was quite fond of Claudio Arrau's playing. I grew up listening to his recordings some of which I later inherited.

His Grieg, Schumann and Chopin Piano Concertos are some of my favorites recordings of those pieces.

I also like his Chopin Nocturnes and would probably take this solo Liszt recording to a desert island:

 

[semente]

Moravec is another one of my favorite pianists, particularly for his solo Chopin and Debussy.

He is my first choice for Chopin's Nocturnes and I also recommend this box set:

 

[AnotherSpin]

16 hours ago, tdimler said:

Regarding Sokolov, I think his musicianship is almost without peer among living pianists.  I just wish we had some quality recordings!  So far the sound quality on the new DG releases is pretty lukewarm IMO.

 

I heard recent DG release of Mozart 23d and Rachmaninov 3d with him, and I must admit I was very puzzled with his blathery playing. Ether he was drunken or was in a great hurry to finish it as soon as he could.

[sphinxsix]

As for Liszt's Faust Symphony I've decided to buy Bernstein and Solti performances. Thanks for the recommendation, guys!

 

Today I listened to:

at the local store and I wasn't impressed. Nice photos in the booklet though.. Classical has been going in a sexy direction recently

[rando]

I remember c.1990 walking into the music section of a local store.  The classical section, while not large, was always well stocked with a good mix of new releases and performances that never go out of print.  This time was different.  The classical new releases were all right out front with the heavy metal and soft rock.  Bodices, upscale lingerie, provocative body language, () the classical albums managed to out sleaze metal and sell borderline disrespectful sex better than the slow dancing soft rock albums.  It was so disruptive to my world view I didn't listen to a lick of classical for a good decade or more.  

 

Yuja Wang in her shocking red dresses and David Garrett airing out his sheets are just one more example of (NSFW) this coming around again.(NSFW)  Tom Jones is headlining at The Proms in support of the anniversary of some debauched tour if that gives you any further idea the tactics currently in play to drum up interest in classical music.  Sales of recordings are awful and letting old people decide ways to attract youth into the concert hall isn't working so hot either, internationally.  Old money will win out as it always does in this world and everyone will be back to living in luxury hotels and taking private cars to their performance.       

[semente]

Claude Debussy

Après La mer, currently listening to le Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune:

 

 

I will finalize with a diminuendo, starting with the lovely Sonata for flute, viola and harp followed by the Sonata for violin and piano:

 

[Boris75]

19 hours ago, rando said:

 

Yuja Wang in her shocking red dresses and David Garrett airing out his sheets are just one more example of (NSFW) this coming around again.(NSFW)   to living in luxury hotels and taking private cars to their performance.       

 I agree this "Making Out on Mozart" CD is ridiculous, but in my opinion Yuja Wang's dresses are tasteful; they enhance the enjoyment from the performance, from a very high starting point, as her artistic talent is immense. I very much enjoy her CDs. I was also dazzled when hearing her in concert a couple of years ago. By the way, in that concert, she was wearing a very long dress.

[sphinxsix]

Just finished listening to Argerich playing Rachmaninov 3 PC and asking myself the question - is sound quality of the recording really that important to me if the performance is just breathtaking.. Of course it'd be great if this recording sounded really good but I'm afraid it will never happen..

What do you think, guys.?

[skolis]

There seem to be a number of Opera fans in this thread.  I have about 200 - 250 ( not sure of exact count)  opera CD's,  that I inherited, that I have not listened to, won't listen to and would like to get rid of. These were from a collection of a couple thousand, mostly classical CDs.  A bunch are box sets, with booklets.  If someone will pay me cost of packing/shipping plus 100 bucks, they are yours. Otherwise....Goodwill. PM me if interested. thx.

[AnotherSpin]

2 hours ago, sphinxsix said:

Just finished listening to Argerich playing Rachmaninov 3 PC and asking myself the question - is sound quality of the recording really that important to me if the performance is just breathtaking.. Of course it'd be great if this recording sounded really good but I'm afraid it will never happen..

What do you think, guys.?

 

This performance is so beautiful, I was never able to pay an attention to SQ. Is there anything wrong with it? Anyway, I have a ten or more Rach 3d's, and enjoy most of them (Bronfman, Helfgott, Lugansky, Lang Lang, Andsnes, Janis, Hough, etc.) but Argerich's version is something not be touched even close...)

[AnotherSpin]

2 hours ago, Boris75 said:

 I agree this "Making Out on Mozart" CD is ridiculous, but in my opinion Yuja Wang's dresses are tasteful; they enhance the enjoyment from the performance, from a very high starting point, as her artistic talent is immense. I very much enjoy her CDs. I was also dazzled when hearing her in concert a couple of years ago. By the way, in that concert, she was wearing a very long dress.

 

Yuja is a charming person and one of the most promising modern performers. I've seen several videos of her and I think her dresses are okay.

[rando]

3 hours ago, Boris75 said:

 I agree this "Making Out on Mozart" CD is ridiculous, but in my opinion Yuja Wang's dresses are tasteful; they enhance the enjoyment from the performance, from a very high starting point, as her artistic talent is immense. I very much enjoy her CDs. I was also dazzled when hearing her in concert a couple of years ago. By the way, in that concert, she was wearing a very long dress.

Read more  

Especially in the conservative sphere of classical music.  Her dresses are a completely appropriate response that adds to her already phenomenal performance at the piano.  Albeit in this case one that served to illuminate how quickly red can be turned to blue within the space of a single sentence.    

[semente]

8 hours ago, Boris75 said:

 I agree this "Making Out on Mozart" CD is ridiculous, but in my opinion Yuja Wang's dresses are tasteful; they enhance the enjoyment from the performance, from a very high starting point, as her artistic talent is immense. I very much enjoy her CDs. I was also dazzled when hearing her in concert a couple of years ago. By the way, in that concert, she was wearing a very long dress.

 

I have also listened to her play live, solo, almost 10 years ago.

I remember it as a very intense performance.

[sphinxsix]

19 hours ago, AnotherSpin said:

 

This performance is so beautiful, I was never able to pay an attention to SQ. Is there anything wrong with it? Anyway, I have a ten or more Rach 3d's, and enjoy most of them (Bronfman, Helfgott, Lugansky, Lang Lang, Andsnes, Janis, Hough, etc.) but Argerich's version is something not be touched even close...)

Just checked out - 8 versions in my collection. I love this piece. And I hardly listen to any other version than Argerich's It doesn't sound that bad but IMO the recording isn't the last word in detail, transparency and venue acoustics, even taking into account the fact that it's 1982 recording.

[semente]

Here's another Argerich recording that I really enjoy, Tchaikovsky's PC 1 with BPO/Abbado:

 

[semente]

A few Schumann solo piano suggestions.

Old stuff...perhaps someone can chime in with some modern alternatives.

 

 

 

 

[Boris75]

On 23/04/2017 at 3:49 PM, Musicophile said:

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. 

 

 

 

I very much agree with both your points. The symphony transcriptions do not make much sense to me in our age, when it is so easy to listen to anything anywhere. It was a different story before recordings existed. I like the song transcriptions, on the other hand, because they get rid of the voice, which, in certain listening circumstances, I do not want to hear.