Classical Recs

[bobsticks]

If anyone has ever set themselves up to be hoisted by their own petard, then surely it is I and the time is now. It seems as if much of the time that we discuss classical recordings it ends in disaray and chaos. That's fine and I enjoy spirited debate but I suspect often the OP's question is left unresolved. The following is a list of recordings that I would feel comfortable recommending to newb and veteran alike. Are these the be-all-end-all in recording/mastering and production? Sometimes. Are these the finest examples of performances of a given piece? Possibly. I make no claim other than that these twenty discs represent an outstanding combination of production and performance. Enjoy, flame away, add to the list, or just take it as you will...

--Mahler Symphony No.7 in E Minor~San Fransisco Symphony/SFS 821936-0009-2(SACD)
--Mendelssohn:"Italian" Symphony(No.4)~Berlin Phil/Karajan/DG 423 209-2(CD)
--Mahler Symphony No.4~Boston Symphony/Ozawa/Philips 422 072-2(CD)
--Stamitz,Richter-Early String Symphonies~New Dutch Academy/Simon Murphy/Pentatone PTC5186 028(SACD)
--Mozart Sinfonia Concertante~Midori,Nobuko Imai, Christoph Eschenbach/Sony ss89488(SACD)
--Beethoven Symphony No.5~Philharmonic Promenade Orchestra of London/Sir Adrian Boult/Silverline Classica 288253-9 (DVD-A)
--Handel:Music for the Royal Fireworks-Water Music~Martin Pearlman/Boston Baroque/Telarc SACD-60594
--Rachmaninoff & Prokofiev Sonatas~Emanuel Ax/Yo Yo Ma/Sony sk90397(CD)_
--Mozart's Requiem in D Minor~Weiner Singverein Berliner Phil/Karajan/DG 471 639-2(SACD)
--Kreisler,Brahms,Sarasate,Weiniawski~Joshua Bell/Decca B0004205-02(CD)
--Robert Schumann: Klavierkonzert-Cellokonzert~Weiner Phil/Bernstein /DG 427 819-2 GDC
--Rimsky-Korsakov-Scheherazade~Atlanta Symph/Robert Spano/Telarc CD-80568
--Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake~ Abravanel/Utah Symphony/Silverline Classics 288235-9(DVD-A)
--Wynton Marsalis "The London Concert:Haydn,Hummel,Mozart"~English Chamber Orchestra/Raymond Leppard/Sony ss57497(SACD)
--Schubert Symphony No.8~Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields/Neville Marriner/Philips 412 472-2(CD)
--Bach Violin Concertos by Hilary Hahn~Los Angeles Chamber Orch/Jeffrey Kahane/DG 474 639-2GSA(SACD)
--J.S. Bach: The Complete Orchestral Suites~Pearlman/Boston Baroque/Telarc SACD-60619
--Brahms Cello Sonatas~Yo Yo Ma & Emanuel Ax/BMG/RCA 82876-59415-2(CD)
--Handel:Flute Sonotas~Academy Chamber Ensemble/Philips 412 606-2(CD)
--Mahler's Symphony No.8~Chicago Symph.?Sir George SoltiDecca 289 460 972-2DM(CD)

Cheers to all

[Dusty Chalk]

Will have to work on performances later (I've never been very good about those), but mine:

Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker
Grieg's Peer Gynt (Incidental Music with soprano, not the suites, although that is how I was introduced to them)
Holst's Planets
Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition (there are some fine renditions with both the Ravel orchestration and the original piano composition which are instructive)
Saint-Saens' 2nd Piano Concerto (Andre' Watts)
Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto
Chopin's Nocturnes
Schubert's 2nd Piano Trio in E Flat (pretty much any performance other than the Beaux Arts Trio -- I am partial to the one on Arts Music [.de] by Trio Italiano)
Grimaud's Wolf Box of (mostly just) piano music
Prokofiev's Peter & the Wolf

I'm a newbie to Prokofiev, otherwise I'd recommend some more of his.

...and throw on some Carl Stalling or PDQ Bach just to keep from getting too stuffy.

I will definitely check some of yours out. That Rach/Prokofiev looks interesting, and I really do need a better introduction to Mahler.

[bobsticks]

Hey Dusty,
Good recs-I, myself, want to delve deeper into Schubert. I tend to gravitate toward the 8th at a disproportionate level because I'm always curious to see what a conductor does with it.
As to Mahler, the SF 7th is exceptional. My local Borders is ordering the rest of the series(through the 9th) for me. The Solti was a pleasant surprise in all areas sq.
If you want to keep it less stuffy the Boston Baroque and New Dutch Academy are done on period instruments without a lot of pomp and circumstance. Almost lighthearted...

Cheers

[Woochifer]

The SF Symphony's performance of Mahler's 6th is devastatingly great, so I think you'll be most pleased when that one arrives. Their rendition of Mahler's 1st is also incredible. In all cases, the recording quality is stellar and does a great job of conveying how Davies Symphony Hall actually sounds.

I recently saw the SFS perform Mahler's 8th (the Symphony of a Thousand) at Davies, and that was quite an experience. They plan to record it in a couple of years, but IMO they have some work to do on the arrangement, because they're not going with the full 1,000+ person orchestration. Some parts, particularly in the horns, simply did not have enough musicians on stage to adequately fill in the arrangement. Solti's 1972 recording with the Chicago Symphony is the benchmark version of Mahler's 8th that I've heard so far. That was an 800+ person arrangement and you could hear it on the CD, but it also was not a public performance. All of the SF Symphony's Mahler releases were done during public concerts, which are logistically more difficult to get right.

I definitely have to go through your list and sample some of the recommendations, because I've found there's plenty of variation in how well the recording and performance quality coincide! For example, much of Arturo Toscanini's legendary performances with the NBC Symphony is poorly recorded.

As far as recordings to add to your list, I would add the following:

Gershwin - American In Paris, Saint Louis Symphony, Leonard Slatkin conducting (MFSL surround SACD)

Beethoven - Ninth Symphony, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Reiner conducting (good recording if you don't mind the tape hiss)

[Mr MidFi]

Paging PatD...your input is badly needed here.

[Pat D]

Paging PatD...your input is badly needed here.

Well, we've been busy and have had some guests visiting--old friends of my wife. We've also going on a tour of some local gardens tomorrow (Sat. July 15)--amazing what some people do with their gardens--so I'll be fairly occupied, too.

I haven't heard a lot of the recordings and even some of the works mentioned. But perhaps by the time I can take some time to reply I will have thought of an approach.

[bobsticks]

[QUOTE=Woochifer]I definitely have to go through your list and sample some of the recommendations, because I've found there's plenty of variation in how well the recording and performance quality coincide! For example, much of Arturo Toscanini's legendary performances with the NBC Symphony is poorly recorded. QUOTE]

Well, that's what I was trying to get at and the Toscanini is a great example. I have Tosc/NBC doing Roman Carnival Overture and it's largely unlistenable despite being a great performance. The list was certainly not meant to be a "Best of..." affair as there are some notable absences. I didn't mention any of the Living Stereos as I think one should buy them all! And, with some of the more orotund stuff like Starker's material on MLP everyone gets around to it anyway.That list could go on and on.
Sometimes it boils down to perspective. Alot of the requests come from people that have just gotten into the hobby and realized how limited some of their previous listening habits were. Many approach it from an "audio" enthusiast point of view, rather than a "musical composition and performance" enthusiast outlook. And, then, we recommend some esoteric recording that elicits the only predictable response--"Wow, I just spent$5000 on a new system and this sounds like dog's ass". Frankly, sometimes I think that way to an extent, insofar as there is a very definite threshold of enjoyment. Sure, I'll listen to the Toscanini...once every three or four months.
That said, thanks for your response as I am always and endlessly looking for good recommendations. I picked up SFS Mahler's 9th last night after dinner uptown and I'm looking forward to giving it a spin later tonight. Conversely, I hope you find something up there that suits yer fancy. I'm pretty confident you will...

Cheers

[JohnMichael]

Three recommendations of music from modern composers.

Olivier Messiaen
Eclairs Sur L'au-Dela.........
Berliner Philharmoniker
Simon Rattle

Nicholas Maw
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra
Joshua Bell violin
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Sir Roger Norrington

Alfred Schnittke
The Complete String Quartets
Kronos Quartet

[MasterCylinder]

to bobsticks -- in your OP you have a list that looks good -- I have a few of those same recordings.........my question is this:

Out of that list, what are the top three discs (in order) you would personally choose as reference recordings and tell me why ???

Thanks in advance.

[bobsticks]

Actually the answer to your question is pretty easy, remembering that you're asking opinion.
1) Mahler/Solti~ is such a bombastic and overwhelming work. The 96/24 remaster is everything one could expect and it doesn't surprise me that Woochifer, and I'm sure others, consider this a benchmark. The performance demands attention, an assault on the senses with no sonic compromises. Starting with Veni,creator spiritus and its swirling high strings amidst a pummeling of bass and tympany, immediately segueing to the absolute delicacy of Imple superna gratia, I was lost to the outside world by the three minute mark. This is a special recording.
2) Handel's Water Music/ Boston Baroque~ In my limited experience with them, BB delivers the goods--solid performance and the SACD quality is very, very good. Of particular merit is the instrumental separation. Also, I'm a sucker for period instruments. Where else are you going to hear "the Serpeant"? The harpsichordist is extremely skilled as well.
3) Rachmaninoff-Prokofiev/Ma &Ax: The DSD rendering is superb and organic in a way that belies Ma's more clinical attributes. On Prokofiev especially, the light and lithe piano positively sprinkles in stark contrast to the desperation of the solitary cello. In contrast to his Appalachian and Silk Road material this is not playful.

Rounding out the top five would be SFS Mahler 7 because it's really the total package, and the Marsalis London Concert for its nontraditional arrangement.

So much of this is personal preference. There's like 27,000 versions of Scheherazade out there. I like the Spano. Convincing arguments can be made for Reiner/Chicago, or St. Petersburg Philharmony, or a host of others. Spano made this list because I thought it to be listener-friendly and therefore meeting the criteria I had originally set. I like a lot of opera on DG--Il Travatore, Otello, Aida--but because of the micing it can throw folks off a bit, so it doesn't make the cut. Hope that helps.

Cheers

PS> Thanks JM for your input. And you can bet I'll check out those titles as you've never let me down...

[Pat D]

If anyone has ever set themselves up to be hoisted by their own petard, then surely it is I and the time is now. It seems as if much of the time that we discuss classical recordings it ends in disaray and chaos. That's fine and I enjoy spirited debate but I suspect often the OP's question is left unresolved. The following is a list of recordings that I would feel comfortable recommending to newb and veteran alike. Are these the be-all-end-all in recording/mastering and production? Sometimes. Are these the finest examples of performances of a given piece? Possibly. I make no claim other than that these twenty discs represent an outstanding combination of production and performance. Enjoy, flame away, add to the list, or just take it as you will...

--Mahler Symphony No.7 in E Minor~San Fransisco Symphony/SFS 821936-0009-2(SACD)
--Mendelssohn:"Italian" Symphony(No.4)~Berlin Phil/Karajan/DG 423 209-2(CD)
--Mahler Symphony No.4~Boston Symphony/Ozawa/Philips 422 072-2(CD)
--Stamitz,Richter-Early String Symphonies~New Dutch Academy/Simon Murphy/Pentatone PTC5186 028(SACD)
--Mozart Sinfonia Concertante~Midori,Nobuko Imai, Christoph Eschenbach/Sony ss89488(SACD)
--Beethoven Symphony No.5~Philharmonic Promenade Orchestra of London/Sir Adrian Boult/Silverline Classica 288253-9 (DVD-A)
--Handel:Music for the Royal Fireworks-Water Music~Martin Pearlman/Boston Baroque/Telarc SACD-60594
--Rachmaninoff & Prokofiev Sonatas~Emanuel Ax/Yo Yo Ma/Sony sk90397(CD)_
--Mozart's Requiem in D Minor~Weiner Singverein Berliner Phil/Karajan/DG 471 639-2(SACD)
--Kreisler,Brahms,Sarasate,Weiniawski~Joshua Bell/Decca B0004205-02(CD)
--Robert Schumann: Klavierkonzert-Cellokonzert~Weiner Phil/Bernstein /DG 427 819-2 GDC
--Rimsky-Korsakov-Scheherazade~Atlanta Symph/Robert Spano/Telarc CD-80568
--Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake~ Abravanel/Utah Symphony/Silverline Classics 288235-9(DVD-A)
--Wynton Marsalis "The London Concert:Haydn,Hummel,Mozart"~English Chamber Orchestra/Raymond Leppard/Sony ss57497(SACD)
--Schubert Symphony No.8~Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields/Neville Marriner/Philips 412 472-2(CD)
--Bach Violin Concertos by Hilary Hahn~Los Angeles Chamber Orch/Jeffrey Kahane/DG 474 639-2GSA(SACD)
--J.S. Bach: The Complete Orchestral Suites~Pearlman/Boston Baroque/Telarc SACD-60619
--Brahms Cello Sonatas~Yo Yo Ma & Emanuel Ax/BMG/RCA 82876-59415-2(CD)
--Handel:Flute Sonotas~Academy Chamber Ensemble/Philips 412 606-2(CD)
--Mahler's Symphony No.8~Chicago Symph.?Sir George SoltiDecca 289 460 972-2DM(CD)

Cheers to all

I'm glad you like these recordings. I have most of the works but I don't think I have any of those particular recordings. I'll take your word for it that they are excellent. I don't much believe in definitive performances because there are different ways of performing the same work and evaluation is in great part subjective.

I do like good sound but I'm more interested in good performances. Some time ago, I did make up a list of recordings which I thought were very good with performances that were at least pretty good, but I haven't updated it for some time.

ANCIENT MUSIC

”The Dante Troubadours,” Martin Best Mediaeval Ensemble. Nimbus 5002

“Songs of Chivalry,” Martin Best Mediaeval Ensemble. Nimbus 5006

“Chominciamento di gioia” (dance music from the time of Boccacio’s Decamerone),. Naxos 8.553131

Praetorius, Dances from the Terpsichore, Westra nos Pijpare. Naxos 8.553865

“:On the Way to Bethlehem” (music of the medieval pilgrim), Ensemble Oni Wytars, Ensemble Unicorn. Naxos 8.553132


ORCHESTRAL

Arnold Bax, Tone Poems (November Woods, The Happy Forest, The Garden of Fand, and Summer Music), Bryden Thomson, Ulster Orchestra. Chandos CHAN 8307

Debussy, “La Mer,” “Le Martyre de saint Sébastien,” “Prélude de l’après-midi d’un faune,” Dutoit, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, London 430 240-2

Feeney, “Dracula,” John Pryce-Jones, Northern Ballet Theatre Orchestra. Naxos 8.553964

Ferde Grofé, “Grand Canyon Suite;” George Gershwin, arr. Bennett, “Porgy and Bess, A Symphonic Picture,” Antal Dorati, Detroit Symphony Orchestra. London 410 110-2

Holst, “The Planets,” Dutoit, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, London 417 553-2 (also on Penguin Classics, Decca 460 606-2)

Ippolitov-Ivanov, “Caucasian Sketches,“ Christopher Lyndon Gee, Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Marco Polo 8.220369

Toshiro Mayuzumi, “Samsara” (tone poem), Baccanales, Phonologie Symphonique, Yoshikazu Fukumura, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. Marco Polo 8.220297 Many people may not like this music, which is often percussive and rather clangy.

Mozart, Overtures and “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik,” Bruno Weil, Tafelmusik. Vivarte SK 46695

Mussorgsky, Pictures at an Exhibition, Lorin Maazel, Cleveland Orchestra. Telarc CD-80042

Prokofiev, Alexander Nevsky cantata, Lt. Kijé, Charles Dutoit, Choeur et Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. London 430 506-2

Prokofiev, Scenes from the “Romeo and Juliet” ballet, plus Ravel, “Boléro,” etc., Jan Pascal Tortelier, London Symphony Orchestra. Castle CIDC 100

Respighi, “Pines of Rome,” “Fountains of Rome,” “Feste Romane,” Dutoit, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, London 410 145-2 (also Decca 430 729-2)
Rossini, Overtures, Roger Norrington, London Classical Players. EMI CDC 554091

Smetana, “Ma Vlast“ (“My Homeland“), Antoni Wit, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. Naxos 8.550931

Stravinsky, Firebird Suite plus Borodin Music from Prince Igor, Shaw, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Telarc CD-80039

Deems Taylor, “Through the Looking Glass,” plus Charles Griffes, various orchestral works, Gerard Schwarz, Seattle Symphony Orchestra. Delos DE 3099

Wagner, “The Ride of the Valkyries,” “Siegfried Idyll,” “Overtures,“ Vernon Handley, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Durkin Hayes DHM008 (or Tring Digital TRP008)

SYMPHONIES

Beethoven, Symphonies nos. 4, 8, Otmar Suitner, Berlin Staatskapelle Orchestra. Denon 198C37-7254

Beethoven, Symphony no. 9, Otmar Suitner, Staatskapelle Berlin. Denon 198C37-7256

Brahms, Symphony no. 1, Jascha Horenstein, London Symphony Orchestra. Reissued on Chesky CD19

Brahms, Symphony no. 4, Fritz Reiner, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Reissued on Chesky CD6

Bruckner, Symphony no. 4, Tintner, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Naxos 8.55412869

Bruckner, Symphony no. 7, Tintner, RSNO, Naxos 8.554269

Dvorak, Symphony no. 9, “New World,” plus Wagner, Siegfried Idyll, Flying Dutchman Overture, Jascha Horenstein, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Reissued on Chesky CD31

Haydn, Symphonies 23, 24, and 61, Nicholas Ward, Northern Chamber Orchestra. Naxos 8.550723

Haydn, Symphonies 77,78, and 79, Nicholas Ward, Northern Chamber Orchestra. Naxos 8.553363

Haydn, Symphonies 96, 102, Adam Fischer, Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra. Nimbus 5135

Mahler, Symphony no. 4, Lorin Maazel, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. CBS WDMK-44908

Toshiro Mayuzumi, Nirvana Symphony, Hiroyuki Iwaki, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra; plus Buddhist Chant of the Yakushiji Temple, Nara. Denon CO 78839

Mozart, Symphonies nos. 35, 41, Haydn Symphony no. 104,. Josef Krips and René Leibowitz, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Reissued on Chesky CD16

Mozart, Symphonies nos. 39, 41, Colin Davis, Staatskapelle Dresden. Philips 410 046-2

Mozart, Symphonies nos. 31, 40 and 34, 41, Christopher Hogwood, The Academy of Ancient Music. L’Oiseau-Lyre 410 197-2 and 411 658-2

Schubert, Symphony no. 8, “Unfinished,” and Mendelssohn, Symphony no. 4, “Italian,” Giuseppe Sinopoli, Philharmonia Orchestra. DG 410 862-2

Sibelius, Symphonies 4, 5, Lorin Maazel, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Sony SK 46499

Vaughan Williams, Symphonies nos. 7 (Sinfonia antartica) and 8, Kees Bakels, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Naxos 8.550737

PIANO

Beethoven, The Five Piano Concertos, Rudolf Serkin, piano, Seiji Ozawa, Boston Symphony Orchestra. Telarc CD-80061-5

Brahms, Piano Concerto no. 2, Gina Bachauer, piano, Antal Dorati, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Reissued on Chesky CD36

Chopin, 4 Ballades and 4 Scherzi, Earl Wild, piano. Chesky CD44

Liszt, Années de Pèlerinage, 3 volumes, Jeno Jando, piano. Naxos 8.550548, 8.550549, 8.550550 Box set is 8.503004
.
VOCAL

Berlioz, Requiem, Robert Shaw, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Telarc CD-80109-2

Brahms, Ein deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem), Robert Shaw, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Telarc CD-80092

Handel, Messiah, Robert Shaw, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Telarc CD80093-2

“En la fête de Noël. - O Holy Night,” Martin Dagenais, La petite bande de Montréal. Naxos 8.554435

“The Mystery of Christmas,” Noel Edison, The Elora Festival Singers. Naxos 8.554179

“Let the Organs Thunder,” music for chorus, brass and two organs, William Ferris, William Ferris Chorale (Chicago). WFC 588289

“The World of Wagner,” Georg Solti, various soloists, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. London 440 069-2

Renée Fleming, soprano, The Beautiful Voice, Jeffrey Tate, English Chamber Orchestra. London 289 458 858-2
CHAMBER MUSIC AND INSTRUMENTAL

Brahms, Serenade no. 1, and Wagner, Siegfried Idyll, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields’ Chamber Ensemble. Philips 426 298-2

Dvorak, Quartets nos. 10, 14, Opus. 51 and 105, Vlach Quartet of Prague. Naxos 8.553374

Laura Jeppesen, “Music for Viola da Gamba,” (Le Sieur de Machy, Schaffrath, Abel, Mozart). Titanic Ti-183

Jean-Jacques Kantorow, violin, Romantic Violin Miniature, Michi Inoue, New Japan Philharmonic. Denon DC-8077

Schubert, Piano Quintet in A, “The Trout,” Ingrid Haebler, piano, Jacques Cazauran, double-bass, Grumiaux Trio. Philips 422 838-2

The Wallace Collection brass ensemble, “Gabrieli & St. Mark’s,” John Wallace, trumpet, Simon Wright, conductor. Nimbus 5236

ORGAN

J. S. Bach, Passacaglia in C Major, Toccata in F, Fantasia and Fugue in G Minor, Michael Murray, the Great Organ in Methuen Hall. Telarc CD-80049

“The World of the Organ,” Simon Preston, organ. London 430 091-2

WORLD MUSIC

Rag Jhinjhoti, Rag Pilu. Imrat Khan, sitar; Vajahat Khan, sarod; Shafaatullah Khan, tabla. Nimbus 5195

Rag Shankara, Rag Mala in Jogia, Ram Narayan, sarangi, Anindo Chatterjee, tabla. Nimbus 5245

Rag Bhimpalasi, Hariprasad Chaurasia, flute, Fazal Quereshi, tabla. Nimbus 5298

[MasterCylinder]

1) Mahler/Solti~ is such a bombastic and overwhelming work. The 96/24 remaster is everything one could expect and it doesn't surprise me that Woochifer, and I'm sure others, consider this a benchmark. The performance demands attention, an assault on the senses with no sonic compromises. Starting with Veni,creator spiritus and its swirling high strings amidst a pummeling of bass and tympany, immediately segueing to the absolute delicacy of Imple superna gratia, I was lost to the outside world by the three minute mark. This is a special recording.
2) Handel's Water Music/ Boston Baroque~ In my limited experience with them, BB delivers the goods--solid performance and the SACD quality is very, very good. Of particular merit is the instrumental separation. Also, I'm a sucker for period instruments. Where else are you going to hear "the Serpeant"? The harpsichordist is extremely skilled as well.
3) Rachmaninoff-Prokofiev/Ma &Ax: The DSD rendering is superb and organic in a way that belies Ma's more clinical attributes. On Prokofiev especially, the light and lithe piano positively sprinkles in stark contrast to the desperation of the solitary cello. In contrast to his Appalachian and Silk Road material this is not playful.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


thanks bobsticks............I just ordered all three of those since I do not have versions of any of them........interestingly, I expected the DVD-A or SACD discs to be recommended first............out of these three, I found one that was a hybrid and one was a 96/24 CD.........you never know, do you ?
I got the 2-day shipping and will give these many spins during the next weeks.

[Woochifer]

Actually the answer to your question is pretty easy, remembering that you're asking opinion.
1) Mahler/Solti~ is such a bombastic and overwhelming work. The 96/24 remaster is everything one could expect and it doesn't surprise me that Woochifer, and I'm sure others, consider this a benchmark. The performance demands attention, an assault on the senses with no sonic compromises. Starting with Veni,creator spiritus and its swirling high strings amidst a pummeling of bass and tympany, immediately segueing to the absolute delicacy of Imple superna gratia, I was lost to the outside world by the three minute mark. This is a special recording.
2) Handel's Water Music/ Boston Baroque~ In my limited experience with them, BB delivers the goods--solid performance and the SACD quality is very, very good. Of particular merit is the instrumental separation. Also, I'm a sucker for period instruments. Where else are you going to hear "the Serpeant"? The harpsichordist is extremely skilled as well.
3) Rachmaninoff-Prokofiev/Ma &Ax: The DSD rendering is superb and organic in a way that belies Ma's more clinical attributes. On Prokofiev especially, the light and lithe piano positively sprinkles in stark contrast to the desperation of the solitary cello. In contrast to his Appalachian and Silk Road material this is not playful.

Rounding out the top five would be SFS Mahler 7 because it's really the total package, and the Marsalis London Concert for its nontraditional arrangement.

So much of this is personal preference. There's like 27,000 versions of Scheherazade out there. I like the Spano. Convincing arguments can be made for Reiner/Chicago, or St. Petersburg Philharmony, or a host of others. Spano made this list because I thought it to be listener-friendly and therefore meeting the criteria I had originally set. I like a lot of opera on DG--Il Travatore, Otello, Aida--but because of the micing it can throw folks off a bit, so it doesn't make the cut. Hope that helps.

Cheers

PS> Thanks JM for your input. And you can bet I'll check out those titles as you've never let me down...

Funny thing is that I hadn't noticed that you included the Solti/CSO/Mahler 8th CD on your list! Well, you know what they say about thinking alike!

Another very interesting interpretation of Mahler's 8th is the one that Leonard Bernstein did with the Vienna Philharmonic. I don't think it quite has the confident power and majestic presence of Solti/CSO's performance, but it has a grace and understated strength to how it conveys the Faust story in the second movement. An added plus is that it was filmed at the same time it was originally recorded. I have the DVD of that performance, and the soundtrack on that one is 48/16 resolution PCM. Well worth acquiring because that DVD also includes Mahler's 7th.

Out of the 7 Mahler CD/SACDs that the SF Symphony has released so far, I now listen to the 6th Symphony the most. In general, the SF Symphony and Michael Tilson Thomas like to play around with the music, and they're known for the creativity and inventiveness of their repertoire and their interpretations of familiar pieces, but not necessarily their technical prowess or discipline compared to other orchestras. Their recorded performances of Mahler's 6th started on September 12, 2001, which made for an emotionally charged rendition of Mahler's "tragic" symphony. People in attendance that night have noted that they'd never seen the SFS so single-mindedly focused and "on" as they were that evening. I'd seen the SFS perform Mahler's 6th several years ago, but those post-9/11 performances were on a different level altogether. (FYI, Mahler's 1st was recorded the week after) Since you already have that disc on order, I'll just send my congratulations and let you enjoy it.

I'll look through your list more carefully! Seems like a lot of good stuff to mine through, and I got a little bit of time to flip around through Tower's SACD section (well, what's left of it) after work.

[bobsticks]

PAT D: Obviously, your the breadth of your kowledge and experience on the topic is vast. Thanks for taking the time to compose such a varied yet complete listing. Lest you think your time wasted, I can assure you I'm going to look like quite a geek walking around multiple stores with a two-page printout. And, I'm looking forward to it. I agree that there are many ways to judge a particular performance and would add that my favorites are not always the most technically accurate or "purist" in nature. To each his own, I suppose. I have a very good source for DG and Telarc, and so, I should be able to sample several of these titles by the end of the week. Thanks again.

MC: No, you never can tell. I guess that if all I wanted was production value, the list would have been nothing but SACD and DVD-A, however the emotional translation of the work is of coequal interest to me. I'm glad you were so easily able to locate a few titles. I hope you take away some of the same things I do and get some good spins.

Wooch: Oh ye of little faith. I did sneak the Solti in at the end. Happy hunting at Tower and hopefully you'll find some good stuff to feed the soul and test the mind. Thanks for the introduction to the SFS--these performances have sort of re-energized my listening and settled my oft wandering eye...

Cheers to all

[Resident Loser]

...one of the best is Beethoven's Piano Concerto #5 "The Emperor"...Serkin/Ozawa on Telarc...the piano cross keyboard runs will reveal how well-balanced (FR-wise) your system is...

jimHJJ(...I also concur with Pat D.s inclusion of Schubert's Trout Quintet...)

[Woochifer]

...one of the best is Beethoven's Piano Concerto #5 "The Emperor"...Serkin/Ozawa on Telarc...the piano cross keyboard runs will reveal how well-balanced (FR-wise) your system is...

jimHJJ(...I also concur with Pat D.s inclusion of Schubert's Trout Quintet...)

Hmmm, I might need to pick this one up for my dad. He used to play RCA's 1941 Serkin/Walter/NY Phil recording of The Emperor Concerto until the LP got completely worn down. He also wore out the tape copies that I made for him for the car.

[Pat D]

Hmmm, I might need to pick this one up for my dad. He used to play RCA's 1941 Serkin/Walter/NY Phil recording of The Emperor Concerto until the LP got completely worn down. He also wore out the tape copies that I made for him for the car.

The Serkin/Ozawa Emperor is very good, of course. I've not heard the older one.

For an old mono recording though, Horowitz/Reiner is very exciting and there is a CD reissue.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...e=UTF8&s=music

[Pat D]

Will have to work on performances later (I've never been very good about those), but mine:

Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker
Grieg's Peer Gynt (Incidental Music with soprano, not the suites, although that is how I was introduced to them)
Holst's Planets
Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition (there are some fine renditions with both the Ravel orchestration and the original piano composition which are instructive)
Saint-Saens' 2nd Piano Concerto (Andre' Watts)
Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto
Chopin's Nocturnes
Schubert's 2nd Piano Trio in E Flat (pretty much any performance other than the Beaux Arts Trio -- I am partial to the one on Arts Music [.de] by Trio Italiano)
Grimaud's Wolf Box of (mostly just) piano music
Prokofiev's Peter & the Wolf

I'm a newbie to Prokofiev, otherwise I'd recommend some more of his.

...and throw on some Carl Stalling or PDQ Bach just to keep from getting too stuffy.

I will definitely check some of yours out. That Rach/Prokofiev looks interesting, and I really do need a better introduction to Mahler.

A good selection of music.

I'm not really big into Prokofiev. We've always liked Peter and the Wolf, of course. I have one narrated very well by Michael Flanders on LP, and a couple by Sir John Gielgud on CD. The one by Dame Edna Everidge looks interesting on Naxos, but I'll want to listen to it first.

We've always liked the Alexander Nevsky Cantata, and the recording with Dutoit and the MSO and chorus is splendidly recorded, with Lt. Kije as a coupling. Another big work is the Scythian Suite.

Romeo and Juliet is possibly the greatest ballet of them all--at least, that is what one of my friends, an orchestral musician, thinks.

Prokofiev's 1st Symphony (Classical) is a fun work, at least in the old Ansermet recording.

I've not warmed up to his violin and piano concertos or piano pieces.

[Dusty Chalk]

The one by Dame Edna Everidge looks interesting on Naxos, but I'll want to listen to it first.

Yeah, I saw that, it does look interesting...but as you, I didn't purchase it. Scaredy cat, aye.

Another big work is the Scythian Suite.

Will look it up.

Romeo and Juliet is possibly the greatest ballet of them all--at least, that is what one of my friends, an orchestral musician, thinks.

One I'm actually familiar with from way back, but I haven't warmed up to that one so much. Perhaps it's "overfamiliarity", and perhaps I will revisit this as well as the version of Lieutenant Kije' from the wonderful "three heroes" disk I have. I think I also have the MFSL of some Prokofiev; if not, I'll have to fix that.

I've not warmed up to his violin and piano concertos or piano pieces.

I'm definitely warming up to his piano sonatas (been listening to Bronfman's renditions). I got turned on to him by Rick Wakeman, whom I saw recently on a solo piano tour. Rick mentioned in passing how much he loved loved [b]loved[/i] Prokofiev, and since I feel similarly about Rick Wakeman's ability to play, compose, and arrange, I thought I'd pursue him more avidly. I'll post if I find anything interesting.