Great recordings of classical music

[pma]

I think we are missing a thread like this, with recommendations of great recordings of classical music.

I would start with this one:

Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 in E Minor "From the New World" – Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Václav Neumann – SUPRAPHON.com

Dvořák - Symphony No. 9 in E minor, "From the New World" / Czech Philhamonic, Václav Neumann Antonín Dvořák - Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95, "From the New World", analogue recording from 1972 Czech Philharmonic, conducted by Václav Neumann On two occasions during his tenure as chief conductor…

www.supraphon.com

and I am also posting a link to a 54 second full quality sample: https://pmacura.cz/Moltovivace.zip

 

[dualazmak]

My summary post here on my "music sampler/reference playlist" including several (or mainly?) classical music would be of your interest, I assume.

If you would be interested, please visit my post series entitled "Excellent Recording Quality Music Albums/Tracks for Subjective (and Possibly Objective) Test/Check/Tuning of Multichannel Multi-Driver Multi-Amplifier Time-Aligned Active Stereo Audio System and Room Acoustics; at least a Portion and/or One Track being Analyzed by Color Spectrum of Adobe Audition in Common Parameters:" consists of posts [Part-00] through [Part-18] on my project thread;

[Part-00] Introduction: #587
[Part-01] Full Orchestral Music: #588
[Part-02] Solo Piano Music: #590
[Part-03] Typical(?) Smooth Jazz Music with Guitar: #591
[Part-04] Bimmel Bolle Antique Orgel; Extremely High-Energy High-Frequency Sharp Transient sound: #592
[Part-05] Color Spectrum of Tracks in CBS/Sony's "Super Audio Check CD": #593
[Part-06] Female Vocal in Jazz and Popular Music, and One Male Vocal Track for Comparison: #596
[Part-07] Female Vocal and Counter Tenor in Early Classical Music: #639
[Part-08] (Smooth?) Jazz Trio: #640
[Part-09] Organ Music: #641
[Part-10] Lute Music: #642
[Part-11] Violin Music: #643
[Part-12] Cello Music: #644
[Part-13] Harpsichord (Cembalo, Clavecin) Music: #645
[Part-14] Piano Concertos: #650
[Part-15] Again, CBS/Sony's "Super Audio Check CD": Analyzed by Adobe Audition 3.0.1 and MusicScope 2.1.0: #651
[Part-16] A Cappella Chorus and A Cappella Vocal Ensemble: #652
[Part-17] Excellent Quality Music Tracks, But Containing Unacceptably High Gain Low-Frequency Air Conditioning Noises; What Counter Measures Can We Have? #658
[Part-18] An Interlude or Provisional Finale of the Post Series: #669

Just for your reference, you can find my latest setup of multichannel multi-driver multi-amplifier DSP-based fully active stereo (2-Ch) audio system here on my project thread.

 

[pma]

@dualazmak - Thank you!

 

[Sokel]

My favorite one:

Rimsky-Korsakoff / Reiner / Chicago Symphony - Scheherazade

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the Vinyl release of "Scheherazade" on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

 

[Ken Tajalli]

I think we are missing a thread like this, with recommendations of great recordings of classical music.

God bless. why didn't I think of this!
My first entry:

 

[computer-audiophile]

I think we are missing a thread like this, with recommendations of great recordings of classical music.

Now a huge world opens up here. What should it be about?

Content wise great ? (composition, interpretation...), I would be interested in that too, or technically great ? (sound quality)
The latter is also important for me, but ultimately secondary. Anyway, I can't do anything with most of the so-called audiophile recordings that are often used in demos. I am also limited to stereo. Multi-channel recordings do not interest me.

 

[Ken Tajalli]

My favorite one:

Rimsky-Korsakoff / Reiner / Chicago Symphony - Scheherazade

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the Vinyl release of "Scheherazade" on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

Great performance, but not very high sound quality. I love it ofcourse.

 

[pma]

Content wise great ? (composition, interpretation...), I would be interested in that too, or technically great ? (sound quality)

Anything you wish, however not limited to "sound quality" only.

 

[Sokel]

Great performance, but not very high sound quality. I love it ofcourse.

It depends,some reissues have made their magic here,the one I posted is an absolute pleasure in SQ,apart from the unmatched performance.

 

[Ken Tajalli]

It depends,some reissues have made their magic here,the one I posted is an absolute pleasure in SQ,apart from the unmatched performance.

Yes, I believe there are reissues. There is a hi-res version of many "Living Stereo" recordings available. The Hi-res does nothing ofcourse, but some care and filtering has gone into them.

 

[dualazmak]

Also, if you would be interested, please visit my remote niche thread entitled "Lute Music and Other Early Music: Stunning Recordings We Love".

 

[computer-audiophile]

Also, if you would be interested, please visit my remote niche thread entitled "Lute Music and Other Early Music: Stunning Recordings We Love".

I also think it would be useful to narrow down the topic so that it doesn't sink into arbitrariness. Also, it would be good to explain what you like about a title, imo.

 

[dualazmak]

As I wrote here, in case if you would be seriously interested in intact (non-compressed) audio sampler tracks of my "sampler/reference music playlist", please simply PM me writing your wish.

 

[Sokel]

Also, it would be good to explain what you like about a title, imo.

The one I posted is one of the rare recordings in which you can dive in,both sound and performance.
It's the overall feeling,
I believe this was one of these magical days that everything is in the right place.

 

[Sokel]

Very good one in terms of SQ,layered in some matter,not too constrained,not too chaotic.
Lacks the emotion of the great performances but the sound and the overall effort makes it one I come back to from time to time.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Dunedin Consort, John Butt - Requiem in D minor, K. 626, reconstruction of first performance

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2014 SACD release of "Requiem in D minor, K. 626, reconstruction of first performance" on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

 

[computer-audiophile]

In the end, it's too much to listen to. Here are just a few examples of outstanding recordings

Vinyl:

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 - Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan (Deutsche Grammophon)
Bach: Brandenburg Concertos - Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Neville Marriner (Philips)
Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro - Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala, Carlo Maria Giulini (Deutsche Grammophon)
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 - Boston Symphony Orchestra, Pierre Monteux (RCA Victor)
Chopin: Nocturnes - Arthur Rubinstein (RCA Victor)
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 - Vladimir Horowitz, New York Philharmonic, Eugene Ormandy (Columbia Masterworks)
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons - Itzhak Perlman, London Philharmonic Orchestra (EMI)
Handel: Messiah - Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Neville Marriner (Argo)
Mahler: Symphony No. 2 - Vienna Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein (Deutsche Grammophon)
Debussy: La Mer - London Symphony Orchestra, Pierre Monteux (Decca)

CD:

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas - Alfred Brendel (Philips)
Bach: Goldberg Variations - Glenn Gould (Sony Classical)
Mozart: Requiem - Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Neville Marriner (Philips)
Schubert: Winterreise - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Gerald Moore (Deutsche Grammophon)
Brahms: Symphony No. 4 - Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan (Deutsche Grammophon)
Puccini: La Bohème - Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan (Deutsche Grammophon)
Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 "From the New World" - Berlin Philharmonic, Rafael Kubelik (Deutsche Grammophon)
Ravel: Bolero - Orchestre de Paris, Daniel Barenboim (Deutsche Grammophon)
Handel: Water Music - English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner (Archiv Produktion)
Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra - Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan (Deutsche Grammophon)

 

[computer-audiophile]

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 - Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan (Deutsche Grammophon)

I'll just pick out this example for my short description of #1.

Beethoven's 9th Symphony conducted by Herbert von Karajan is considered one of the best recordings of this work ever made. The Berlin Philharmonic plays with great precision and passion, and the recording quality is exceptional, offering excellent sound quality.

 

[computer-audiophile]

You could also limit yourself to great recordings from last year to today. Or any other filter option. Otherwise, the music world of great classical recordings is just too big to pack it here in such a general thread, I'm afraid. You don't get to the point. But I do not want to disturb the idea as such, please do not misunderstand as criticism. So it is not meant.

 

[Gorgonzola]

I think we are missing a thread like this, with recommendations of great recordings of classical music.

I would start with this one:

Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 in E Minor "From the New World" – Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Václav Neumann – SUPRAPHON.com

Dvořák - Symphony No. 9 in E minor, "From the New World" / Czech Philhamonic, Václav Neumann Antonín Dvořák - Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95, "From the New World", analogue recording from 1972 Czech Philharmonic, conducted by Václav Neumann On two occasions during his tenure as chief conductor…

www.supraphon.com

and I am also posting a link to a 54 second full quality sample: https://pmacura.cz/Moltovivace.zip

I will certainly being looking out for CD version of this Neuman Dvorák: Symphony No. 9. I ceased buying vinyl about 25 years ago and removed my turntable, etc., about 15 years ago.

I would be glad have a another good Dvorák No. 9. Recently I acquire the version, below, which is a very decent performance and excellent sound quality; it was 'Grammy Best Engineer Album: Classical' winner in a recent year 2001.

​

 

[computer-audiophile]

it was 'Grammy Best Engineer Album: Classical' winner in a recent year.

This is a very good criterion, which does not only represent the individual taste of a forum participant unknown to me. I like that, thank you.