Classical music - where to start?

[spenny]

i would have reccomended getting the ClassicFM 'music for...' series but this isn't a UK site is it?


either-way; I would recommend the following:
(all available on Naxos)
Beethoven's 3rd, 5th, 6th and 9th Symponies are fantastic.
The Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky
Carmen (suites) by Bizet
The Four Seasons by Vivaldi
----
Echoes: The Einaudi Collection
Shapes by Dominic Miller (classical pieces done on Acoustic Guitar)

 

[Polkfan]

I'd like to recommend Mendelssohn's (Felix) 8th, 9th, and 10th symphonies for strings by the Orpeheus Chamber Orchestra recorded by Deutsche Grammophon. It is pure digital and very good. He is very melodic and entertaining. I did not see a mention of Haydn any where. His stuff is pretty good too. I really like his 94th symphony. Mahler and Stravinsky can be rather shocking at times.

 

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

'Classics' you're probably already familiar with (and didn't even know it):

*Beethoven's 9th symphony
*Moussorgsky - Night on Bald Mountain
*Grieg - In the Hall of the Mountain King
*Bach - Toccata & Fugue
*Beethoven's 14th Piano sonata "midnight"
*Tchaikovsky - 1812 Overture
*Orff - Carmina Burana "O Fortuna"
*Holst - The Planets "Mars: Bringer of War"
*Wagner - Die Walkure (The Valkyrie) Act 3. "Ride of the valkyries"
*Strauss - Blue Danube Waltz
*Mozart - Eine kleine nachtmusik serenade
*Pachelbel - Canon and Gigue in
*Bizet - Carmen: Overture

 

[JJNab]

I recommend Barenboim's first (1960s) recording of the Beethoven piano sonata cycle as a start for piano music. Also his recordings of the Brahms piano concertos. Both are very cheap these days. And the late Schubert sonatas, by Richard Goode, Alfred Brendel, or Stephen Kovacevich. For guitar, I highly recommend the recordings of Antigoni Goni, Franco Platino, Fabio Zanon, and Denis Azabagic on Naxos. I agree with an earlier poster that Bream's Albeniz/Granados disc is superb. Also check out David Russell, arguably the best classical guitarist in the world today, especially his Bach CD on Telarc and either of his Plays Baroque CD's. The earlier one, on GHA, has a recording of Handel's 7th Harpsichord Suite that will knock your socks off. The latter (on Telarc) has a magnificent transcription of a suite by Lloieillet, an French contemporary of Bach. Williams' early recording of the Bach Lute Suites is still the best, IMHO. A wonderful disc too is Ramirez' Barrios disc on Deutsche Gramophone.

For violin music, I cannot recommend highly enough the wonderful Sibelius Violin Concerto. I love the Francescatti recording, but Heifetz and Kremer both have great renditions as well. Don't go Perlman on this one, but he's great for Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, and other romantics. Anything by Isaac Stern is awesome. Check out his old (1970s) recording of the Bartok sonatas. Fantastic.

For symphonies, I say start with Karajan's Beethoven cycle, and Klemperer's Brahms. Throw in Tchaikovsky's 4-6, with Temirnekov, Mozart 35-41 with Karajan or many others, and don't forget Bruckner. Karajan's recording of the 8th is possibly my favorite classical CD. Tintner's Naxos recordings are very good, and cheap. For Mahler, try Bernstein -- very idiosyncratic, but great. I agree with the earlier posters that Michael Tilson Thomas is good for Mahler as well. In fact, he's better than good for anything. Try, for example, his Villa-Lobos CD.

I'm out of space and didn't even get to chamber music. Well, happy discovering. JJ

 

[Zarg]

Join a Disc Club

I'd like to chime in here to recommend an approach that has worked for me... join a music club.

I joined BMG, with an emphasis on classical music, and received a catalog every so often, listing a bunch of worthy discs. You need not order, but remember to notify the club or else they send you discs automatically.

For me, it wasn't so much ordering what I already knew, or thought I knew, but taking a chance on a new composer or orchestra once in a while.

Kreisler is killer for violin, by the way.

 

[Bunny]

<font color='#000000'>People, have anyone here heard Daniel Barenboim's DVD-As of Beethoven symphonies? Are they any good?

I can get a good deal in some of them (1&amp;2, 3, 6 and 7&amp;8), and was wondering if they are worth buying. In case they are ok, witch one is better?</font>

I couldn't find anything on Barenboim dvd-a. If they are the same as the recordings on Teldec that were recently released as a cycle, then they are very good indeed, and have garnered great reviews. You need to give a little more information about the recordings.

Here is a review from Classics Today.

Available from Tower and Amazon

 

[Bunny]

I recommend Barenboim's first (1960s) recording of the Beethoven piano sonata cycle as a start for piano music.

I prefer Rudolph Serkin for Beethoven Sonatas or Claudio Arrau's complete cycle. The reference for Beethoven Sonatas is, ofcourse, Artur Schnabel. As he died in 1951 if sound quality is more important than or as important as interpretation, then these recordings are not for you. The Serkin recordings are newer, but they are also a reference and are being re-released as they are remastered. Claudio Arrau's complete cycle of Beethoven Sonatas is also one of the finest. It also includes the Beethoven Piano Concertos which I haven't listened to yet. Stay away from John O'Conor. He is much too fond of the pedal and tends towards the schmaltzy.

For Beethoven's Piano Concertos, look for either the DG recordings featuring Maurizio Pollini and Claudio Abbado conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker Orchester, or my personal favorites, the Leon Fleischer and George Szell conducting the Cleveland Orchestra. The Murray Perahia/Bernard Haitinck (Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra) cycle is also excellent, but more lyrical rather than the heroic interpretation of the former two.

For music clubs, try yourmusic.com, which gives a lot of flexibility.

 

[rgriffin25]

Might Check this out

Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Claudio Abbado does the complete Beethoven Symphony Cycle on DVD-A. Very good quality, I plan on getting the whole cycle for my collection even though I already own it!

Look Here

 

[ducker]

Great thread... with over 20 Mozart cd's, and I haven't bought any more in a while since I have a good portion of his work (it would require most likely ordering specific pieces now). Now I'll have to hunt down some of the SACDs of Mozart's pieces... As well as early Bach organ pieces, and Harpsichord... man I so can't wait!!!

it's funny, much like contemporary music, I can't stand listening to Eine kleine nachtmusik really since it's very much overplayed.

I'm sure there are recordings of "The Carmina Burana" that are quite impressive. Quite a long piece of music overall, but has many pieces that are well known.


Thanks for the great info here!

 

[mfabien]

After reading this thread, I just ordered:

Bach, The Uncommon Bach

in DTS 5.1 music disc.

 

[JoeE SP9]

Although classical is only a small percentage of my music collection. The following get a lot of play here.

Beethoven Symphony No. 9 Roger Norrington Cond. EMI D100467
The Jazz Album, Simon Rattle Cond. EMI 172226
The Firebird, Robert Shaw Cond. Telarc CD 80039
W. A. Mozart Eine kleine Nachtmusik, Raymond Leppard Cond. MHS 11059A
Verdi La Traviata with Beverly Sills, Aldo Ceccato Cond. EMI 7 69827 2
Copland Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, Wuilliam Boughton Cond. Nimbus NI5246
Ein Straussfest, Erich Kunzel Cond. Telarc 80098
Orff Carmina Burana, Eugene Ormandy Con. Sony SBK 47668

I live in the inner city. Any one of these is guaranteed to cause the neighborhood street urchins to find somewhere other than in front of my house to play. No, that is not the reason I play them. I just open my windows and try to raise the level of music appreciation in the area. If it's worth anything, they don't like jazz either. Jazz however, does not cause them to go elswhere.

 

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

I live in the inner city. Any one of these is guaranteed to cause the neighborhood street urchins to find somewhere other than in front of my house to play.

A certain chain of convenience stores has a corporate policy of playing classical music at very-loud level over the exterior loudspeakers if groups of youth start to gather in the parking lot. Not only do surley teens want nothing to do with Hayden, but the store doesn't have to pay royalties to use it.

 

[eljr]

bump