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My Essential Classical Albums.


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12 minutes ago, Musicophile said:

I find Haydn's string quartets to be much more attractive to me than his symphonies. I have yet to find my perfect version but like the Quatuor Mosaique's HIP approach very much, especially after having seen them live, playing op 33 some years ago.

 

+1

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Just got this:

MI0003595292.jpg?partner=allrovi.com

And I'm very happy. Don't know any other versions but I think it's great.

 

So what would your essential Bach recordings (cello suites, Goldberg v, keybord concertos, mass in b minor, orchestral suites, sonatas, partitas, fugue, Brandenburg concertos, WT clavier, anything else.?) be.?

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On 5/29/2017 at 4:26 PM, Old Listener said:

Well, I'm a big Haydn fan so I'll weigh in.  There is no set of all 12 London symphonies that I'd recommend for purchase.  [...]

That leaves No. 104. my favorite is Kuijken/La Petite Bande.  I like McGegan/Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra a lot too.  These are HIP / Period Instrument recordings.

 

Thanks. What do you think of the Kuijken/La Petite Bande London symphonies set as a whole?

 

9 hours ago, AnotherSpin said:

Going back to Haydn symphonies – while 'London' cycle of last 12 symphonies seem to be very popular and often recorded, I prefer some of middle figures symphonies from 'Sturm und Drang' period. 49th, 'La passione' probably most of all.

 

Well yes. At one point I was considering the complete Dorati set. But then I came across the 7 disc Tafelmusik/Bruno Weil set which has a good selection in the 45-65 range, plus the Paris symphonies. So now I'm probably going to do something about the London symphonies and be done with this stuff.

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5 hours ago, sphinxsix said:

Just got this:

MI0003595292.jpg?partner=allrovi.com

And I'm very happy. Don't know any other versions but I think it's great.

 

So what would your essential Bach recordings (cello suites, Goldberg v, keybord concertos, mass in b minor, orchestral suites, sonatas, partitas, fugue, Brandenburg concertos, WT clavier, anything else.?) be.?

 

This is a question. Well, there is about ten or fifteen essential recordings of each Cello Suites and Goldberg Var. which I am not willing to part with. My recommendation will be too lengthy. Also it changes constantly, one time I prefer HIP approach, the other time I am listening to modern renditions, than again HIP...) At the same time I believe there was a discussions for both pieces at CA before - I guess many people were sharing their preferences there, me too. Sorry..)

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4 hours ago, AnotherSpin said:

This is a question

I know :)

4 hours ago, AnotherSpin said:

At the same time I believe there was a discussions for both pieces at CA before

That's right - I've found these threads, thanks!

 

@Musicophile Thanks! I was just browsing your blog. What would be your second recommendation for cello suites (I've got Watkin but would willingly add one more version to my collection)?

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5 minutes ago, sphinxsix said:

I know :)

That's right - I've found these threads, thanks!

 

@Musicophile Thanks! I was just browsing your blog. What would be your second recommendation for cello suites (I've got Watkin but would willingly add one more version to my collection)?

So many. But I personally like Isserlis a lot. 

 

https://musicophilesblog.com/2015/05/26/bach-cello-suites-purity-at-the-highest-level/

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5 hours ago, Bob Stern said:

Rostropovich

 

That would be my minus recommendation. 

6 hours ago, sphinxsix said:

I know :)

That's right - I've found these threads, thanks!

 

@Musicophile Thanks! I was just browsing your blog. What would be your second recommendation for cello suites (I've got Watkin but would willingly add one more version to my collection)?

 

Ok, for cello suites. I would suggest to try Thedeen, recent Wispelwey, Bylsma from 1979, Schiff. Watkin is very good. First recording by Ophelie Gaillard is mesmerizing.

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Been listening to The Well-Tempered Clavier performed by Andrass Schiff this morning. I love it. Got also Gould and Aimard versions. Any other performances would get your strong recommendations, guys besides Celine Frisch mentioned by @Musicophile ?

And one more question - a single Bach organ album (would expect the sound quality to be top-notch - with great church acoustics and 'demonstration' quality bass in addition to good musical performance).?

As usually - thanks in advance!

 

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4 minutes ago, sphinxsix said:

Been listening to The Well-Tempered Clavier performed by Andrass Schiff this morning. I love it. Got also Gould and Aimard versions. Any other performances would get your strong recommendations, guys besides Celine Frisch mentioned by @Musicophile ?

And one more question - a single Bach organ album (would expect the sound quality to be top-notch - with great church acoustics and 'demonstration' quality bass in addition to good musical performance).?

As usually - thanks in advance!

 

 

On the WTC: 

 

I'd either go old-school with Richter (my first recording of this, so I may be biased):

 

0035626094928_600.jpg

 

or alternatively Angela Hewitt:

 

034571177410.png

 

With regards to Organ, I'm really not an expert. 

 

I can only recommend Suzuki, well recorded on BIS. Haven't tried vol. 2 yet, but it's supposed to be very good as well, according to reviews.

 

7318599921112_600.jpg

 

You'll probably get better advice from others on the organ works though.

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42 minutes ago, sphinxsix said:

I do have a very good opinion on her performing Bach in General. Would you agree? (I don't have her WTC though).

Hewitt has a very personal style in Bach, but she always has something to say. She clearly is one of the leading Bach players of our time.

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@WAM Thanks!

8 hours ago, WAM said:

" for something completely different": Emerson String Quartet

Sounds intriguing! Will check it out for sure.

8 hours ago, WAM said:

I avoid harpsichord

Not in 100% but I'm not a fan of its sound either.

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4 hours ago, accwai said:

 

 

The difference between piano and harpsichord goes much deeper than the sound. For me their expressions are fundamentally different and are not interchangeable. How plausible a piano rendition is depends on the piece itself. A lot of the more well known Bach pieces work Ok with piano. But some do not translate well to piano at all. Those are usually closer to fantasticus style. And they are the ones essential to me personally.

 

Story: In a recent local music festival, ARCT List A is divided into WTC and non-WTC categories. Almost everybody in the non-WTC group played one of the Toccatas in the BWV 910-916 range. Some of them are very expressive in piano terms, but not a single one even come close to the fantastic and extravagant style required for these pieces. At the end, the adjudicator mentioned to one of the players "I'd be very interested in hearing you play Chopin." Umm... :)

 

Plus many of the French Baroque keyboard work do not make much sense when played on piano. François Couperin is a good example. Even Angela Hewitt is unable to pull a rabbit out of the hat here.

 

It's perfectly fine to remove harpsichord from your consideration, but doing that will also render a rather substential portion of Baroque keyboard works inaccessible. Just my 2 cents...

I'm much less sophisticated than Accwai on this topic but agree that harpsichord really is a different animal and an acquired taste. But it is one well worth acquiring as it opens up a whole new universe. 

 

(Writing this while listening to Jean Rondeau play his beautiful harpsichord on "Imagine"). 

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Two comments on harpsichord music:

 

1.  I normally find solo harpsichord tiresome, so I prefer Bach on the piano.  However, Scarlatti is an exception for me.  His music is so perfectly adapted to the sound of the harpsichord that I enjoy it that way.  I'm no Scarlatti expert, but the recordings I enjoy are the recent ones by Hantaï and the old ones by Ralph Kirkpatrick.  On the modern piano, Horowitz often played Scarlatti, and he has a distinctive style.

 

2.  I enjoy the unusual color the harpsichord can add to some 20th Century compositions, similar to Bartok's use of the celeste in his "Music for Strings, Percussion & Celeste" (fantastic piece — do listen if you don’t know it).

Dutilleux—Les Citations for oboe, harpsi, bass, percussion.

Schnittke's Symphony 4 (1984) includes harpsichord, celeste & piano, but not recommended unless you like modern music.

HQPlayer (on 3.8 GHz 8-core i7 iMac 2020) > NAA (on 2012 Mac Mini i7) > RME ADI-2 v2 > Benchmark AHB-2 > Thiel 3.7

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Here's another 20th Century piece with harpsichord, just as good as Dutilleux and much more approachable than Schnittke:

 

Kokkonen—Durch einen Spiegel (1977) Metamorphosis for Harpsichord & 12 Strings,  Vanska conducting Lahti Sym, on BIS 528.

HQPlayer (on 3.8 GHz 8-core i7 iMac 2020) > NAA (on 2012 Mac Mini i7) > RME ADI-2 v2 > Benchmark AHB-2 > Thiel 3.7

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