Topic: Classical music recommended CDs/SACDs

[Rivers]

It's high time we had a classical thread in "Other musical interests" and since I'm totally enthused by a new (to me) young violinist, and finally have an audio system to do the music justice, here is a classical topic.

I'm coming back to classical music after a long intermission. When I left off 20 years ago I was into mostly baroque, so that's where I'm resuming from. I have a lot still to learn about classical music (but I know what I like ) and hope some weenies will post recommendations for must-have CDs. It's a lifetime thing.

SACDs are the dog's nuts! Classical music and Jazz come alive mixed to 5.1 surround. If you have a so-called home theater system and you're into Jazz and Classical in even a small way you need a player that can handle SACDs. I recommend the Oppo BDP-83 which is pretty much the perfect value box that spins-up Blu-Ray, DVD, DVD-Audio, SACD, CD, and also some computer formats like AVI files. I love my Oppo.

This first recommendation is not a SACD though. It's Julia Fischer w/Academy of St Martin In The Fields - Bach Concertos on Decca. I've always been in love with the Bach Dm double-violin concerto and played the Deutsche Gramafon LP record of the Oistrakh brothers, later on cassette and a very disappointing transfer to CD, to death. Finally a modern recording that surpasses the DG release.

That's my classical recommendation for this week folks. Buy it, you will not be disappointed.

[Mr.OMuck]

good idea this thread. thanx for the recommendation.

[Rivers]

Glad you think so O'Muck. Julia is the real deal as far as my taste in violinists goes, walking a tightrope between too much romanticism and too much discipline.

I like it all actually, I appreciate Yehudi's romantic vibrato and timing, and others who play very clean baroque style, which may have been how it was played back in the day but nobody knows for sure. I also enjoy the very individual players like Kennedy. It's all good.

Julia Fischer strikes just the right balance, for me, between emotion and intellect. The Oistrakh brothers' recording was, to my mind, unsurpassed for decades in that respect.

It's also the best sounding standard CD I've ever heard, bar none.

[Slack]

Ah c'mon rivers cut it out -- just admit that you bought the CD for the cover art!
   (sorry, couldn't resist)

[uncle bud]

Not an SACD and it's been ages since I listened but Tatiana
 

is obviously a cover art candidate as well. Keith Jarrett does a pretty impressive Shostakovich IMO too.

[Mr.OMuck]

Chops!

[Mr.OMuck]

This is very beautiful playing indeed. Thanks for the tip. Never heard of her before. Happen to have her phone number?

[Slack]

Lovely playing, and a really nice encore piece.

[Mr.OMuck]

If you'd like to see what a well mannered, good natured bunch we cb aficionados are, get a load of the comments on youtube about various violinists performances. Completely psycho!
They usually start with something like:
"You must be a complete moron" and deteriorate from there. Big fun I must say

[Parlor Picker]

Interesting thread. I wonder what that poor girl would think if she found out a bunch of grizzly old guitar-pickin' downhome blues fans were enthusing about her playing - and her good looks!

Perhaps she'll attempt something by Patton or Blind Willie Johnson....

[LeftyStrat]

I first got into Classical music around the time, unfortunately, that Jascha Heifetz passed on, and therefore got to hear quite a bit of his playing on tribute shows and the like. He was definitely otherworldly, as that video showed me yet again.

An excellent performance as well, by Julia Fischer. She makes it look so easy. I've been tempted in the past to attempt learning to play a violin, but I'm not sure I could stand the racket I'd be sure to make up until I got the hang of it.

My tastes in classical music of late have been mostly lying in Opera, which some may consider a whole different animal altogether.

Some recommended recordings:

Don Giovanni (Mozart): Samuel Ramey, Ferruccio Furlanetto, et. al  w/ Berlin Philharmonic. Herbert von Karajan conducting (1990)

L'Elisir d'amore (Donizetti) Gosta Winbergh, Barbara Bonney, Bernd Weikl, Rolando Panerai.  Gabrielle Ferro Conducting (1987, re-released 2005)

Rigoletto (Verdi) Luciano Pavarotti, Cheryl Studer, Vladimir Chernov, Metropolitan Opera, James Levine Conducting (1999)

There are a couple of video playlists of performances of Don Giovanni on Youtube that are excellent, also.

I've yet to hear anything with Pavarotti in it that is bad.  I say the same about Andrea Bocelli, when it comes to his non-pop (for lack of a better way of putting it) recordings.

I'm sure there are others that I just can't think of at the moment, but that's a start, I suppose

[dj]

Since Christmas is somehow just around the corner, let me put in a plug for my favorite classical Christmas CD: While Shepherds Watched - Christmas Music From English Parish Churches, 1740-1830 (Hyperion CDA66924).  The performers are Psalmody and The Parley Of Instruments, conducted by Peter Holman.  The CD is just what it says, music from out-of-the way composers that you never heard of (well, unless your speciality is 18th century English ecclesiastical music).  The writing is often a bit rough-and-ready, in a wonderfully charming way.  Listening to this CD is the Christmas music equivalent of listening to those Document anthologies of minor blues or gospel musicians, with the one difference being that the performances on this CD are always first-rate.     

[phhawk]

I'll admit I'm a bit  of a classical lightweight and I'm sure some will gag at the mention of E. Power Biggs, but, one of my favorite classical albums, (don't know if it's out on CD) is E. Power Biggs playing Bach on the pedal Harpsicord. Apparently, the theory was that it would have been impracticle for Bach to compose organ pieces on the pipe organ so the pedal harpsicord was created to serve the purpose. A phenomenal instrument with incredible range and synthesizer precisicion.

Regards, Phil