My Essential Classical Albums.

[AnotherSpin]

7 hours ago, Musicophile said:

[...]

My evolution in taste started with the big romantics, Brahms and Bruckner, I moved backwards in time towards Beethoven and Mozart over the years, and only later discovered my passion for baroque, especially Bach, who today is my supreme ruler musically. 

[...]

 

It is interesting. Bruckner was "closed" for me for a long time even after I was already deep into almost everything what is in my very short listening list now. Brahms, or Richard Strauss, or Mahler, for example (I pick those not very far in time and place). Then one day it's just happened. Something switched on in me, and...YES! I do not know, what is the reason, why Bruckner was difficult to accept initially. The only guess, he first came to me either in very old archival recordings with archaic SQ, or in current performances which were not okay then and now, such as Rozhdestvensky cycle.

[AnotherSpin]

3 hours ago, Musicophile said:

For me it was Strauss. To this day, I never really got him. Just not my cup of tea. Maybe I should revisit at some point based on all the recommendations above.  

 

And while I do have quite a bit of Mahler, I don’t listen to him very often. 

 

I was impressed with R.Strauss more than really liked his music before I started listening Rosenkavalier and Vier letzte Lieder. These two pieces are touching something inside me as nothing else. His other operas are in the top of my list as well.

 

My best days with Mahler are probably behind, and my apprehension of his music changed, but I still keep him not far away...)

 

[AnotherSpin]

8 hours ago, semente said:

The eldest's taste is unfortunately very much influenced of his friends who listen to awful rubbish teenage pop... I bought him a nice set of closed-back headphones. ?

 

Influence is a great thing in developing musical tastes. I was heavily influenced by certain things. Such as music parts in films I liked. Or well written reviews. Or, I was very happy, several friends much older than me were kind enough to share their tastes, opinions, and priceless jams of personal collections with me. And I was much surprised when some of them told me many years after I influenced their tastes somehow back then.

[AnotherSpin]

5 hours ago, sphinxsix said:

I've just found this thread:

Have any other Messiaen's "Quatuor Pour La Fin Du Temps" recordings worth considering been released since 2013, guys? What are your favorite performances of this composition A.D. 2018?

 

First heard (or read, to be more precise) about Messiaen and his music 40 or more years ago. Did many attempts to listen his pieces, including concerts, organ, large scale and solo. Quatour among them. Bought several LPs back then. No, I can not get the joke, it is behind my ability to catch. I loved strange composers and I am still listening some, like Morton Feldman, for example. May I suggest his Piano and String Quartet? I prefer one from Ives Ensemble over wide-known recording from Kronos Quartet.

[AnotherSpin]

12 hours ago, sphinxsix said:

Do you mean Piece for String Quartet and Piano?

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Morton-Feldman-Piano-String-Quartet/dp/B00X4UIV7M/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1541502177&sr=8-11&keywords=feldman+piano+and+string+quartet

 

This is a recording I mentioned before. It is called Piano and String Quartet.

[AnotherSpin]

55 minutes ago, sphinxsix said:

@AnotherSpin Frankly - I'm afraid Feldman's Piano & String Quartet develops a little too slow for my taste. Or maybe it's just not a good day for such music. I dare not check out his (6 hours long!) String Quartet II.. Thanks for your recommendation anyway!

 

You may start with La Monte Young's 'The Well-Tuned Piano', it is only five hours solo piano piece.

[AnotherSpin]

9 hours ago, sphinxsix said:

I think I prefer this (it's also a little shorter ). My first associations - something between Asiatic folk and late Coltrane (but it was recorded in 1963!). Has he written more stuff like this?

Edit: he has. Now I recall you recommended him on this thread. Seems interesting.

 

 

 

La Monte Young is not making "music" in conventional sense for decades. It is difficult if possible at all to suggest any of La Monte Young compositions for merely "listening", as it is very "non-Western" type of experience. He was studied with Indian vocal guru Pandit Pran Nath, who also taught Terry Riley and others, as Charlemagne Palestine, etc. La Monte Young went beyond "composing" and even "performing" in a search of a perfect primordial sound which is close as it could be to the source of the existence, in this respect he is close to Eastern spiritual views and practices. He is trying to find a certain combination of frequencies which then sound virtually endlessly, for days or weeks in his Dream House, located in Tribeca, NY. I was fortunate to be there several years ago and it can not be compared with any other musical experience I had. The Well-Tuned Piano is available as a video recording of one of extremely rare Young's public performances and this is closer to regular music, one should be aware piano is tuned in just intonation. There are few very old recordings of Young from 60s-70s period and I do not believe it give a more or less adequate idea about what he is trying to achieve. If I would recommend one recording to try, it might be the "Tamburas of Pandit Pran Nath", but I can not imagine how it would be perceived by non-prepared listener.

 

Terry Riley recordings are much more accessible in both performance and availability. Sri Camel album would be nice to try. Electric organ is tuned in just intonation, still it is very easy and enjoyable listening, as majority of other Riley recordings. His most famous piece is "In C", many times performed and recorded by many artists. It is mentioned as one of the most important minimalist music compositions ever, but somehow I was not able to get it. Not recommended.

 

 

 

 

[AnotherSpin]

2 hours ago, sphinxsix said:

 

Thanks for your response. I recall now checking out some La Monte Young's compositions after you had recommended his name on this thread. You say 'He is trying to find a certain combination of frequencies which then sound virtually endlessly, for days or weeks'. I can accept a conceptual (maybe even philosophical) value of such ideas but I'm afraid I find it much harder to enjoy them in actual listening experience. I'm not a big fan of minimalism but there are some IMO interesting performances of minimalist music by the band called Bang on a Can. Their 'In C' is one of the most exciting versions I know. I'd recommend checking it out but you probably know it (?)

 

Yes. Thank you)

[AnotherSpin]

34 minutes ago, sphinxsix said:

 

So I count on @accwai in this regard.

 

I would like to hear recommendations on Takemitsu as well. I heard some of his music in the past, but never followed closely.

[AnotherSpin]

After checking several recordings of Takemitsu I came to a certain conclusion that some European or American performers/performances sound excessive or harsh. Even Boston SO under Ozawa doesn't sound "right" occasionally. One need to understand and transmit better what is behind the sound or what is between the sounds. Imho

[AnotherSpin]

4 hours ago, sphinxsix said:

I had a similar reflection yesterday while checking out some versions of 'A Bird Came Down the Walk' but I don't think it's geography dependent problem - some performances by artists coming from the Far East were like this too, they simply weren't in accordance with the spirit, the essence of the composition which IMO is always a very important factor of a good performance of any piece.

 

I was hinting on culture or philosophy differences rather than geography. Sorry for not being clear enough.

[AnotherSpin]

3 hours ago, sphinxsix said:

Thanks a lot! Checked out fragments of the 5th today, in fact it sounded not bad for mp3 streaming. I must go back to Shostakovich some day cause I have mainly quite old recordings of (just a couple of) his symphonies, usually with not very convincing sonics.

 

BTW I really wonder where is @AnotherSpin , we're discussing Russian composers, here..

I am not sure I deserve a honor to be kept in your memory) anyway, I am in India for cold part of the year, and not bother much about Soviet “music”... We all know too well bad or secondary things in the world have at least the same if not more visible tribe of followers, as things good and original. Happy listening!

[AnotherSpin]

Some of most interesting ex-Soviet composers are or were not Russians. Everybody knows Pärt. Valentin Silvestrov has a lot of excellent recordings for ECM. From earlier composers Aram Khachaturian was very good.

[AnotherSpin]

6 hours ago, Musicophile said:

While we are on Prokofiev we can always go back to Martha. 

 

 

I could go for Prokofiev piano concertos any day. Argerich shines here, agree. From recent recirdings Yuja Wang comes to memory with No.2

[AnotherSpin]

On 2/12/2019 at 6:32 PM, sphinxsix said:

What are your favorite Khachaturian's recordings if I may ask?

 

I believe his ballet music – Gayane, Spartacus is most famous with moments of great beauty. Masquerade is worth to check as well. I can not recommend any particular recording of these at the moment, but guess any decent Soviet recording of suites from these could work, Svetlanov’s maybe. Once I had an LP with ballet music suites conducted by composer himself but that was of rather archival quality.

[AnotherSpin]

On 1/29/2019 at 7:40 PM, Musicophile said:

Currentzis seems to be able to do only love it or hate it recordings. I was typically more in the hate it camp. But recently started liking his Mahler 6 somewhat. 

 

Do you like Mahler?)

[AnotherSpin]

On 2/24/2019 at 7:59 AM, Musicophile said:

Maybe that's the issue 🙂 I've never been 100% a Mahler fan. Many of the symphonies are just "too much" for me. I get the accessible ones, 1, 4, maybe even 5, but most of the others I'm still struggling with. 

 

Generally I like Currentzis, his Tchaikovsky 6th sounds quite nice for my ears. Maybe because it is on a more popular and easily accessible side of classical? But Mahler is a totally different matter, imho. And his choice of Mahler's 6th to start with was... too bold. Too complicated piece for Currentzis, waters too deep, ocean too open. 4th would fit much better for his talents and abilities, if I could offer my 5 rupees on this matter. And tinkering with recording technique which may be acceptable with popish Tchaikovsky is just out of place in Mahler's universe.

 

How about Mahler's 7th? One of my most adored late night listening pieces.

[AnotherSpin]

2 hours ago, Musicophile said:

Ivan Fischer's version was just released on Qobuz. Will check it out tonight. 

 

Didn't listen Ivan Fischer's. Comes to mind Kondrashin with Concertgebouw, Kubelik on Audite, Bernstein on Columbia. However, many fine and quite different versions available to choose from. As with most of Mahler's symphonies. It is difficult and good thing at the same time, if you don't like one particular performance you may try another one always.

[AnotherSpin]

14 hours ago, Bob Stern said:

 

Yes, the last movement is very soothing to put you in a sleepy mood.

 

Sophisticated art may be not so accessible at instance, but time and effort work wonders if on tries really hard.

[AnotherSpin]

12 minutes ago, Musicophile said:

The thing is, I’m currently already on a quest to properly discover Shostakovich. But. Then again, musical discovery and exploration is what this hobby is all about, right? (Or maybe I’d be better off debating the merits of DSD vs. MQA?)

 

Do you see any influences of Mahler on Sh. symphonies?

[AnotherSpin]

13 hours ago, austinpop said:

 

Every new version of a familiar piece can jar at times, because it doesn't conform to the version you're familiar with. I am finding this Fischer version growing on me. So DO listen to it.

 

Beyond that, my favorites are MTT/SFS, Bernstein/NYPO, and Jonathan Nott/Bamberger on Tudor.

 

Of course. I just tried to say Mahler's versions may be very different.

[AnotherSpin]

On 3/3/2019 at 11:37 AM, Bob Stern said:

 

To me his most beautiful works, hence arguably atypical, are his piano trio op 67, cello sonata, and preludes & fugues op 87.

 

Which versions of op.67 you prefer and why?

[AnotherSpin]

1 hour ago, Bob Stern said:

 

In the piano trio my priority is to maximize poignancy rather than modernity.  My preference is Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson, 1995, Arabesque label.  However, Stern and Ma (with Ax) remain unmatched in the poignancy of the first half of the first movement.

 

That is the issue with this composer output, it could be too poignant, or plain depressive. Or sardonically frolic to the effect which is even harder to swallow.

[AnotherSpin]

1 hour ago, Bob Stern said:

I share your distaste for some of his more depressing music, but I think the piano trio is poignant in a beautiful way, not a depressing way.

 

I believe it is not a matter of taste. Probably I was listening too much of S. music in my Soviet childhood, it was virtually every day on radio and tv. I may be too subjective, but almost all Soviet music shares some certain pecularities to my ears which I am trying to stay away these days. 

[AnotherSpin]

3 hours ago, Bob Stern said:

This is a good example of the value of the Idagio classical streaming service.  Even though they don’t sell downloads, you can audition recordings on Idagio to decide which ones you want to buy from some other site or as a used CD on Amazon.

 

Idagio has about 40 recordings of the Alto Rhapsody, including all the ones mentioned above.  Listening for yourself is infinitely better than guessing whether someone else's taste matches yours.

 

Idagio is only $10/month.  All music are streamed at Redbook resolution.

 

I've been thinking about Idagio for a while. Quite impressed with selection. There is some problem with playing it through my sound system, but I am pretty sure it would be resolved.