My Essential Classical Albums.

[EuroChamp]

5 minutes ago, sphinxsix said:

@EuroChamp What about SQ? Esoteric masterings happen to be ..let's say controversial.

@Speed Racer I like this one too.

 

 

 

I do not have many of these maybe overpriced discs, but this one sounds amazing on my system.

And it is the best Scheherazade and Prince Igor I own - SQ wise, too. Of course, the Reiner SACD is another 5 star.

[rando]

On 8/21/2017 at 1:27 PM, sphinxsix said:

I've just heard Britten's cello suites while going through Tavener's works. Hope for some fantastic recordings recommendations, guys.

 

 

There isn't a single copy of any of them in my collection, but this might be interesting should you decide to look outside the current options; Haimovitz, Mork, Ma, or Muller-Schott (hmmm ).

 

 

[sphinxsix]

My chosen Britten cello suites - Rostropovich and Mork. Plus just the third one - Wispelwey (Channel Classics).

[AnotherSpin]

28 minutes ago, sphinxsix said:

My chosen Britten cello suites - Rostropovich and Mork. Plus just the third one - Wispelwey (Channel Classics).

 

If you like Britten' cello compositions you may want to check his Symphony for Cello. The recording from Yo-Yo Ma paired with beautiful Barber Cello Concerto is very nice.

[sphinxsix]

Have you heard this album, guys? What do you think (performance, SQ)?

 

[AnotherSpin]

41 minutes ago, sphinxsix said:

Have you heard this album, guys? What do you think (performance, SQ)?

 

 

Was impressed with their performance of Prokofiev, it is dark, scary and convincing. What about Rachmaninov... the airplane was moving fast enough, but didn't quite get off the ground. Yuja hits every key with great accuracy and her peculiar ability to be a millisecond or two ahead of time, but Rachmaninov's Third is not about precision, imho. Sound is not bad, but far from outstanding. If you want a dozen of Rachmaninov Thirds, take this one as well, if you want several best look somewhere else.

[Musicophile]

1 hour ago, AnotherSpin said:

 

Was impressed with their performance of Prokofiev, it is dark, scary and convincing. What about Rachmaninov... the airplane was moving fast enough, but didn't quite get off the ground. Yuja hits every key with great accuracy and her peculiar ability to be a millisecond or two ahead of time, but Rachmaninov's Third is not about precision, imho. Sound is not bad, but far from outstanding. If you want a dozen of Rachmaninov Thirds, take this one as well, if you want several best look somewhere else.

Agree. But to me the biggest problem in this recording is Dudamel. I´ve yet to hear a recording of him that really convinced me. 

[AnotherSpin]

2 hours ago, Musicophile said:

Agree. But to me the biggest problem in this recording is Dudamel. I´ve yet to hear a recording of him that really convinced me. 

 

Me too. I can not name one single Dudamel recording which I want keep for sure. 

[sphinxsix]

@AnotherSpin @Musicophile

Thanks, guys. I managed to stream it meanwhile. I didn't listen to Prokofiev. As for Rach 3PC - I tend to agree with you - she's IMO technically very good but somehow doesn't go as deep into this piece as some others (eg Argerich) do. As for orchestra - let's say nothing exceptional either. I think I already have a dozen of Rach 3rds and I can skip this one. Maybe I'll check Prokofiev 2nd some other time.

[rando]

As with most things in my life a bicycle is involved somehow.  By chance I happened to be browsing the the site of a Czech custom bike maker.  Where I came across this graphic depicting the fact they harmonically tune their carbon tubes to the same frequency to avoid unwelcome resonance.  Make no mistake about this being a bike for the cobbles and field paths where breaking apart under force and vibration can be a concern.

 

 

I'd like to request a few suggestions for highly spirited performances that hold together with a firm hand; fervent nationality, peace, celebration, swinging the depths of human emotion, mountains, seas, winds, snow, wild animals, that which puts a song in ones heart.  Bands that haven't subsumed an amorphous overly polished sound.

[sphinxsix]

3 hours ago, rando said:

Czech custom bike maker

Custom so I assume you didn't mean Czech 'Author' brand.

 

3 hours ago, rando said:

Make no mistake about this being a bike for the cobbles and field paths where breaking apart under force and vibration can be a concern.

There were quite many carbon mountain bikes though.

 

3 hours ago, rando said:

they harmonically tune their carbon tubes to the same frequency to avoid unwelcome resonance

This is really interesting. Adds slightly different dimension to the word 'tuning'.

 

3 hours ago, rando said:

 Bands that haven't subsumed an amorphous overly polished sound.

You mean - pop or rock bands?

 

[rando]

Festka, they do stock sizes but are among the few doing quality custom carbon road bike frames.  One of the better reasons for using it in bikes is dampening vibration that transfers through to the body causing fatigue.  Mountain bikes are for the mountains not flat fields.  

 

The international orchestral sound has been wearing thin lately.  A recording, perhaps a work unknown to me, which can grab me by the lapels and make me straighten up would be appreciated.  The Fitzwilliam String Quartet recording of Shostakovich 8th & 15th string quartets for example caught me off guard.  The Zinman/Upshaw recording of Gorecki's 3rd Symphony being another.  Both are too sad and memorial.  I'd like a few recommendations  for cheerier works and performances more on the order of pastoral scenes and unexpectedly riveting tales.

[AnotherSpin]

53 minutes ago, rando said:

The international orchestral sound has been wearing thin lately.  A recording, perhaps a work unknown to me, which can grab me by the lapels and make me straighten up would be appreciated.  The Fitzwilliam String Quartet recording of Shostakovich 8th & 15th string quartets for example caught me off guard.  The Zinman/Upshaw recording of Gorecki's 3rd Symphony being another.  Both are too sad and memorial.  I'd like a few recommendations  for cheerier works and performances more on the order of pastoral scenes and unexpectedly riveting tales.

 

An ability to be cheered or shattered declines with age. It is still possible to keep the vague and vanishing memories of impressions from the past but difficult to replicate the similar response to new and unusual. In any case it is inside rater than outside. 

[rando]

So Zen.

 

As in live concerts, there are nights where more energy enters the room.  Fairly ageless phenomenon.

[sphinxsix]

I'm still checking out some of your past recommendations, guys but I think I'm ready to ask another question. Quite a big one I believe.

What are your favorite Beethoven and Mahler symphonies recordings.?

[AnotherSpin]

1 hour ago, sphinxsix said:

What are your favorite Beethoven and Mahler symphonies recordings.?

 

It is very difficult to narrow down recommendations for Mahler and Beethoven. Too many great versions available. I would name some, mostly with better sound than archive (some of the greatest performances are very old and sound far from modern quality standards).

 

For a couple recent years I select for listening HIV versions of Beethoven most of the time. Overall, complete sets – Immerseel, Gardiner, Bruggen, Harnoncourt, Vanska, Jarvi, Haitink (LSO), Thielemann, new Rattle.

 

Mahler sets - Kubelik (Audite), Bernstein (Sony), Haitink, Tennstedt. Separate symphonies in addition:

2. Levine (Wien), Klemperer

4. Szell

5. Barbirolli

6. Barbirolli, Leinsdorf, Abbado (Berliner), Mitropoulos

7. Kondrashin (Concertgebouw) 

10. Rattle (Bournemouth)

Das Lied von der Erde - Horenstein, Klemperer, Walter

[Musicophile]

Another spin already has a very good list there. 

 

For Beethoven, my favorite these days ä still is Pavo Järvi, but also Chailly's Gewandhaus cycle. Giovanni Antonini's Basel cycle also has some interesting moments. 

 

https://musicophilesblog.com/2015/09/22/gramophones-artist-of-the-year-paavo-jarvi-and-his-beethoven-symphony-no-4/

 

For Mahler, Kubelik and Abbado are pretty safe bets, but I also like the Zinman Zurich cycle and, very well recorded, Ivan Fischer on Channel Classics. 

 

[AnotherSpin]

8 hours ago, Musicophile said:

 

For Mahler, Kubelik and Abbado are pretty safe bets, but I also like the Zinman Zurich cycle and, very well recorded, Ivan Fischer on Channel Classics. 

 

 

Zinman has good cycles with Zurich of Beethoven as well, I was a fun of it in certain time. And, Chailly's Mahler is very good. In fact, this is possible to spend years only for listening good Beethoven and Mahler symphonies current versions..) And we didn't touch historic recordings yet! 

[Musicophile]

1 hour ago, AnotherSpin said:

 

Zinman has good cycles with Zurich of Beethoven as well, I was a fun of it in certain time. And, Chailly's Mahler is very good. In fact, this is possible to spend years only for listening good Beethoven and Mahler symphonies current versions..) And we didn't touch historic recordings yet! 

Zinman's Berthoven can sometimes get a bit hectic, as he really tries to take Beethoven's metronome figures literally. That said, there are some great moments in the cycle. 

 

Chailly really wasn't on my radar for Mahler, will check that out. 

 

And with regards to historic (but acceptable SQ) Beethoven cycles, the 1960s recordings of Bruno Walter, Otto Klemperer, and even the young Karajan (EMI and First DG Cycle) are very much worth exploring. 

[AnotherSpin]

42 minutes ago, Musicophile said:

And with regards to historic (but acceptable SQ) Beethoven cycles, the 1960s recordings of Bruno Walter, Otto Klemperer, and even the young Karajan (EMI and First DG Cycle) are very much worth exploring. 

 

My interest in historic goes even further, I like Weingartner cycle from 30s, Furtwangler wartime recordings, etc.

[Musicophile]

I'm interested as well but find that before around 1950 the SQ typically is too much of a distraction for my musical enjoyment 

[AnotherSpin]

20 minutes ago, Musicophile said:

I'm interested as well but find that before around 1950 the SQ typically is too much of a distraction for my musical enjoyment 

 

It may depend just on a habit, which may be evolved very fast...) And, when done, it may add or open a fundamentally different perspective. I love some modern versions of Beethoven Quartets, but when I am listening to pre-war recordings by Quatuor Capet or Bush Quartet I know this is profoundly different experience.

 

It may also depend on a sound set. I developed a passion for old recordings when I had a tube based equipment.

[Musicophile]

8 minutes ago, AnotherSpin said:

 

It may depend just on a habit, which may be evolved very fast...) And, when done, it may add or open a fundamentally different perspective. I love some modern versions of Beethoven Quartets, but when I am listening to pre-war recordings by Quatuor Capet or Bush Quartet I know this is profoundly different experience.

 

It may also depend on a sound set. I developed a passion for old recordings when I had a tube based equipment.

I´ll always make an exception for the Busch Quartett´s recording of Death and the Maiden.

[AnotherSpin]

On 9/1/2017 at 11:39 AM, Musicophile said:

Chailly really wasn't on my radar for Mahler, will check that out. 

 

Chailly's Mahler set is not the one to start with. I believe Chailly was trying to avoid replicating the ideas which we know already from previous recordings by other conductors. Sure it may work or not, and I would understand easily how some would run to debunk at least some aspects of these recordings. Chailly visions may be debatable here, but he is never dull or insensitive, imho. The sound is impressive.

 

I was listening his Beethoven with Gewandhaus today and I glad I did. I loved 3d. Thank you for mentioning it earlier.

[austinpop]

My favorites for Mahler are:

1. The full cycle by Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony 

2. The partial cycle by Benjamin Zander and the Philharmonia Orchestra 

 

Both are excellent modern recordings. Zander's bonus discs explaining the pieces are icing on the cake.