My Essential Classical Albums.

[rando]

I'm struck by the novelty of seeing how long quality can be sustained doing a list of A-Z here.

 

Hugo Alfvén 

 

 

Rostislav Boiko

 

 

And how could you ever have a list of 20th Century composers without including Aaron Copland?  Plethora of options here.

 

 

 

 

 

[AnotherSpin]

2 hours ago, sphinxsix said:

I'm not that familiar with their music. Will check them out. Would you recommend some of their compositions/performances in particular?

 

To start:

Barber - Adagio for Strings (I am pretty sure you know this beautiful piece of music); Cello Concerto

Bartok - String Quartets; Concerto for Orchestra; Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste; Violin Concertos

Sibelius - Violin Concerto; Symphonies 2,4,5

Faure - Requiem (again, you should know at least one fragment from it) - btw, Requiem was written in 19th century

Poulenc - Concerto for two Pianos

[AnotherSpin]

1 hour ago, semente said:

Some more suggestions:

 

 

 

 

+1. I would add Vier Letzte Lieder from Richard Strauss. This is one of my absolute first choices of 20th century music. I believe I should have more than ten versions. Janowitz/Karajan is out of comparison here. Norman, Fleming,  Lisa Della Casa all shine as well.

[sphinxsix]

2 hours ago, semente said:

I remember listening to a four piano and a two piano version and settled for the latter:

I'm not big fan of minimalism but this 'piece' is really beautiful.

Decided to get these two very different versions (and haven't OD'd yet ):

http://www.allmusic.com/album/simeon-ten-holt-canto-ostinato-mw0001840281

http://www.allmusic.com/album/simeon-ten-holt-canto-ostinato-mw0001872469

[christopher3393]

Edgard Varèse : The Complete Works

Riccardo Chailly / ASKO Ensemble / Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

 

One of Frank Zappa's favorite composers.  

[sphinxsix]

32 minutes ago, christopher3393 said:

One of Frank Zappa's favorite composers.  

I am aware of that. Bought Stravinsky cassette many years ago only because I knew Zappa liked him too. As it proved - I was too young for Stravinsky back then Couldn't digest Varese some years ago but maybe it's a good idea to check him out again..

BTW recently I bought 2 more Ensemble Organum albums. Great stuff! Thanks!

 

[AnotherSpin]

47 minutes ago, sphinxsix said:

I am aware of that. Bought Stravinsky cassette many years ago only because I knew Zappa liked him too. As it proved - I was too young for Stravinsky back then Couldn't digest Varese some years ago but maybe it's a good idea to check him out again..

BTW recently I bought 2 more Ensemble Organum albums. Great stuff! Thanks!

 

 

I Love Zappa, but, somehow I was never able to get closer to Stravinsky, even though he spoke the same language.

 

If you interested in minimalism, try dig deeper into Glass. I believe almost all his output is worth checking. My first LP of his music was Glassworks back in 1981, I guess, and I didn't lost my interest yet. His numbered symphonies attracted me recently in particular. Steve Reich is very good (try his Tehillim album), John Adams makes beautiful music. My favorite minimalists however are Terry Riley and La Monte Young. Both are deeply inspired by Indian spiritual tradition. When Riley is easy accessible (Shri Camel is an album to start), La Monte Young's interest in collaboration with recording companies seem to be very limited. What is even more important, his ideas are far beyond of established ways of making, recording and listening to the music. My suggestion to anybody who lives in New York, not far from it or visit anytime soon is to check in La Monte Young's Dream House in Tribeca (google for address and open hours) – it gives an experience not comparable with anything else.

[rando]

Glass,hope I can dig up someone else for the letter "G".    

 

Which is why it bothers me a little how much I've liked the two albums of transcriptions for harp Lavinia Meijer has made of various works by Philip Glass.  Not going to cheat since those stand on her musicianship.

[AnotherSpin]

7 minutes ago, rando said:

Glass,hope I can dig up someone else for the letter "G".    

 

Which is why it bothers me a little how much I've liked the two albums of transcriptions for harp Lavinia Meijer has made of various works by Philip Glass.  Not going to cheat since those stand on her musicianship.

 

I could name only Grieg. Do not think you keep in mind Gluck. Anyway, even taking these two there is plenty of space left for Glass. No problem at all, as with much more populated letter B.

 

Of course there is Grateful Dead. Are you a deadhead? I am.

[rando]

I can assure you the Grateful Dead never entered my mind.  

 

Launy Grøndahl would be my first choice now that I've given it some thought.  Guess I'll take care of "G" right now while I'm at it.   

 

 

And make this a Nielsen full feature to cover "N" as well.

 

   

 

 

[christopher3393]

I thought G was for Gershwin 

 

[AnotherSpin]

18 minutes ago, christopher3393 said:

I thought G was for Gershwin 

 

 

Not Kenny G?

 

[Musicophile]

Seriously? Nobody remembering Enrique Granados? Even brings us back to the 20th century. 

[sphinxsix]

1 hour ago, AnotherSpin said:

Not Kenny G?

We can't take him into account here - he's a romantic composer..

 

For me G in music stands mainly for this piece

 

Gorecki comes to mind.

 

For more composers names starting with G:

http://www.classiccat.net/composers.php

[rando]

My choice was influenced by knowing someone with that surname.  No regrets posting that Dutton disc or throwing out a rarely recorded composer.

 

For future reference, no John Tesh, Phish, or Ween please.  No matter how deep you are into their oeuvre.  

[Bob Stern]

On 7/30/2017 at 6:30 AM, AnotherSpin said:

Barber, Bartok, Sibelius, Faure, Poulenc...

17 hours ago, sphinxsix said:

I'm not that familiar with their music. Will check them out. Would you recommend some of their compositions/performances in particular?

 

Barber:  Violin Concerto, Essays 1 & 3 for Orchestra.  My favorite is Slatkin, St Louis, 1986-88 on EMI, with Elmar Oliveira in violin concerto.  If you like those, listen to his Cello Concerto (Poltera), Piano Concerto (Browning), and String Quartet (Emerson Qt).

 

Barber's songs include some of his best pieces.  His best is "Knoxville, Summer of 1915".  Perhaps the most famous & dramatic recording is Leontyne Price w/ Schippers (RCA 1968), but SQ should be better with the more straightforward performance by Dawn Upshaw & Zinman.  In the non-orchestral songs I like the recording by Cheryl Studer and Thomas Hampson, with Barber specialist John Browning on piano.

 

Sibelius:  Violin Concerto by Heifetz.  Symphonies 2, 5, 7.  I love Bernstein/Vienna with 5 & 7 on one CD.  In #2 I prefer Ashkenazy, Segerstam or Mehta.  #2 is Sibelius' only romantic symphony, and I dislike Vanska's anti-romantic approach, which is better suited to #4.

 

Faure:  His most famous works are the Requiem and two very short works: Pavane (for orchestra) and Sicilienne (for cello & piano).  I also love:

Cello Sonata #1

Piano Quartet #1 by Rubinstein & Guarneri Qt.

Piano Trio, op 120 by Shaham, Eguchi & Smith on Shaham's label Canary Classics.

 

Poulenc:  A strange choice, IMO.  Much of his music schizophrenically alternates between being lovely and garish.  His most famous pieces, the Gloria and Stabat Mater, exemplify this.  I'd be interested in AnotherSpin's favorite Poulenc pieces.  Sharon Bezaly made a great recording of the flute sonata.

 

[Bob Stern]

Nielsen's symphony #4 should be added to the list of essential 20th century pieces.  If you like that, try 3 & 5.  Bernstein & Dausgaard are great in the symphonies.  

 

Other great pieces by Nielsen:

 

String Quartets 1 & 4 by Danish String Qt (Dacapo label).

 

"Pan & Syrinx" is gentle & pretty.

 

Snefrid Suite and Helios also are very good.

[AnotherSpin]

3 hours ago, Bob Stern said:

 I'd be interested in AnotherSpin's favorite Poulenc pieces. 

 

 

It was named above. Thank you.

[Bob Stern]

1 hour ago, AnotherSpin said:

It was named above.

Sorry; I see that now.  I originally saw only sphinx's quote from your post that included the composers' names without the pieces.

 

(Dipping into a long thread sporadically without reading all the posts can be dangerous!)

[rando]

12 hours ago, Bob Stern said:

 

Barber:  Violin Concerto, Essays 1 & 3 for Orchestra.  My favorite is Slatkin, St Louis, 1986-88 on EMI, with Elmar Oliveira in violin concerto.  If you like those, listen to his Cello Concerto (Poltera), Piano Concerto (Browning), and String Quartet (Emerson Qt).

 

Barber's songs include some of his best pieces.  His best is "Knoxville, Summer of 1915".  Perhaps the most famous & dramatic recording is Leontyne Price w/ Schippers (RCA 1968), but SQ should be better with the more straightforward performance by Dawn Upshaw & Zinman.  In the non-orchestral songs I like the recording by Cheryl Studer and Thomas Hampson, with Barber specialist John Browning on piano.

 

I own the Upshaw/Zinman disc and nearly ran to retrieve it, mailer in hand, with hopes of getting someone else to take it before they had time to change their mind.  Just goes to show how widely tastes can vary.

 

 

In running through the alphabet my hope was to bring a few one hit wonders, so to speak, into view.  Not every composer spent their entire life with pen in hand.  Many were career musicians or conductors.  Not to mention the effects WWII had.  

[Musicophile]

I'd guess among the one hit wonders in classical music you could count Paul Dukas (l'Apprenti sorcier), Pietro Mascagni (Cavalleria Rusticana) and Borodin (The Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor). 

[rando]

Some even managed to have that hit in more than one discipline of music with compositions nearly unrecognizable as coming from the same person.  

 

Ernst Krenek came onto my radar for nearly leveling a local private college that had no idea who they were messing with.  His breakout hit was the opera, I only dare mention it due to lack of racial flashpoints boiling over this Summer, "Jonny spielt auf" that was seized on for lower class pretensions not present in his intellectual conversation suitable for a broader audience.  Playing  Lamentatio Jeremiae prophetae, his sixth string quartet, and sinfonia n.3 following it would confuse anyone.  

[AnotherSpin]

More - Orff, Villa-Lobos. Enescu, Korngold, Szymanovsky, Sorabji, Messiaen, Deluis, Walton, Kodaly, Khatachurian. Nobody mentioned Hindemith? John Cage. Morton Feldman.

[rando]

A few more that were widely performed (if not recorded in pairs such as follow).  

Gunther Schuller - Seven Studies on Themes of Paul Klee

Ernest Bloch - Sinfonia Breve

Osvaldo Golijov - Ayre

Luciano Berio - Folk Songs

Frank Martin - Etudes

Arthur Honegger - Symphony No. 2

 

[Musicophile]

Back to the topic of 20th century music: does anybody have a recommendation for Prokofiev's Symphonie classique?