Best sounding classical CD in your collection

[Glen B]

Pictures at An Exhibition, Nicholas Danby organist, at Ely Cathedral - Helios label.

[bobsticks]

Narrowing it down to one is virtually impossible but I'll stick with the Emmanuel Ax/YoYo Ma~Cello Sonatas that I recommended in the other thread...



...but I have been listening to this quite a bit lately.

(sorry, I couldn't help myself )

[Bingo]

Pictures at An Exhibition, Nicholas Danby organist, at Ely Cathedral - Helios label.

Many years ago in my vinyl days, I had a recording of Pictures at an Exhibition on a Musical Heritage Society Label...anybody hear of them? But my favorite rendition of "Pictures" was an orchestration....I don't have the label and the number handy...but on haloween night when the youngsters came to 'trick or treat' I would have the ORGAN version of that recording playing...it sounds a bit Haloweenie in parts...I believe that Ravel did the orchestration for the orchestra version ... I am reminded to dig into my old stock of Vinyl recordings and find that Organ version and play it again and see how it sounds after all these years...I'll bet my version won't sound as good as yours. Bingo.

[nightflier]

GMichael,

Much of what has been suggested represents the "greatest hits" of classical and the stuff that usually appears in movies. They are, undoubtedly excellent pieces, but they only scratch the surface. Since it sounds like you don't have SACD, I'll skip that recommendation, although SACD is one of the formats where classical shines. I think JohnMichael had some excellent suggestions with the Rach 3 and Mahler 5th. I have heard that Mahler wrote it as an answer to Beethoven's 5th, and it certainly does not disappoint, especially the Wedding March (1st movement), which the Berlin Philharmonic plays very well (many recordings will play this too fast). Mahler, is however, considered part of the Romantic tradition (along with Wagner & others) and may be a bit modern-sounding, so I won't knock Beethoven, Orff, and Mozart any more than I have to.

One little trick that has usually steered me in the right direction, especially with the pre-1900 composers, is to choose symphonies/composers by nationality when buying CD's. So for example, Austrian symphonies/directors tend to do Strauss better than let's say, Copeland. This is not to say that Billy The Kid (another great piece, by the way) won't be good, but, speaking very generally, the better performances tend to have some cultural connection - maybe it's because there is an added sense of pride that the players have, I don't know.

There are lots of exceptions, to be sure. One of which is Wooch's recommendation: Mahler's 6th from the SF Symphony Orchestra. I've read on several occasions that the venue was not the greatest for the recording, but frankly, it does not bother me as much, although I may be not be listening for those details. One thing is for sure, you will need good equipment to hear those kinds of subtleties, and I'm not satisfied that I have the gear. Anyhow, I listen to the music, how it was written and how the players play it more than other factors.

To get back to Bingo's question, one of my favorite recordings of late that I keep returning to is Alan Hovhaness's Mysterious Mountains on Telarc by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. I have it on SACD, but it's also available on RBCD straight from Telarc. I like Hovhaness's Asian-influenced compositions (thanks to his wife's influence) and this CD has many examples. Even for those new to classical, the last section of the CD, which is not part of the three symphonies, the Storm on Mount Wildcat, Op. 2/2, is definitely dynamic and exciting and reminds many people of Dukas' Sorcerer's Apprentice (of Fantasia fame).

Another CD I am really impressed with is Henryk Gorecki's Symphony 3 "Sorrowful Songs," by the Warsaw Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, directed by Kazimierz Kord. The recording is not what grabs me (I suspect that many people will say it's not a good recording), but I am very taken with the writing: Gorecky definitely ranks up there with the top modern composers, IMHO, despite being almost entirely unknown. The recording probably suffers from less-than-adequate resources available in Poland for making world-class recordings, but I've read that the London Symphony recording of the same piece is somewhat better (albeit, not newer).

Anyhow, that's my 2 cents.

[Bingo]

Nightflier...your response was a musical tour of great interest.... I will be reading it more than once to assimilate from it some of the more than interesting facets of good music. I say more than 'interesting' ...perhaps fascinating...or intriguing might be a better term. Obviously you have a great love for what I would call 'good' music, and draw from it many fulfilling experiences. I don't believe many people realize how enriching music can be. In a society distracted by so many things, many do now slow down enough to enjoy this kind of experience...an experience, by the way, that transcends music itself. I believe that one needs leisure in order to enJOY good music. I must have the TIME to really LISTEN in order to have a truly enriching musical experience. In my own case, if I don't have the time to sit down and focus all of my attention on the music itself, then I don't play it. For me background music, no matter how good it is, becomes noise. I'm quite sure that not many people are like me in that respect. But for me to hear music playing in the background is like someone reading a book in the background.... so much is missed! Excuse these comments...they come from an 83 year old fart!

[nightflier]

...But for me to hear music playing in the background is like someone reading a book in the background.... so much is missed! Excuse these comments...they come from an 83 year old fart!

I'm with you 100%. I hate not being able to hear the music clearly. I think this is a dying pleasure. Most everyone I know has background music going at work and during meetings, the TV on 24-7, and top-40 radio with constant commercials on in the car. It's incredibly annoying to try and "find" the music through all the noise. I'm pretty sure that my hearing isn't all that good anymore either, so all that other stuff just adds to the distraction.

Music, particularly complex music like symphonic classical (Berlioz, Mahler, etc.) needs to be unencumbered by noise. There is something about going into my 2-channel room (my wife call it my man-cave), locking the door, putting on an LP of Schubert's Unfinished, setting the volume at 11'oclock, and forgetting for a little while that the rest of the world exists - and there's a lot to forget these days...

And while it's not the same kind of music, I'll say the same for Jazz. I've been listening to this Coleman Hawkins CD I got in the mail and it has a great sound - it's like sitting in that smoky club, just after sunset, after a hot and steamy summer day in downtown Brooklin...

[GMichael]

Thanks Night,

I have received many comps from wonderful members here at AR sinse I made my first comment. I'll look through the huge pile to see how many of your suggestions are among them.
I don't think my system is even close to what many people here have, but it will do for now.