I see that many people have asked for advice for certain for works by different classical composers. So I try to go the other way around and ask for some performers that I at least should own one recording by. I am mainly interested in directors, violinists and pianists.

The most interesting composers for me are Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, Brahms, Dvorak, Bruckner, Mahler, Bartok, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky. As you see I am more of a generalists than one who specializes in a certain era.

Christ, there's a question!!

Living performers of particular interest, to me at least, are Alfred Brendel, Thomas Zehetmair, Viktoria Mullova, Nikolas Harnoncourt, the Takacs Quartet, Matthias Goerne, Peter Schreier and Graham Johnson to name but a few! Golly, a question indeed!

EW

The Zehetmair Schumann [sp?], wonderful
I have Vegh and Lindsay's Beethovan, Do you think the Takacs wouls offer something different [their Bartok is incredible, but I like the Vegh too]
SJ

Shostakovich Quartets by the Fitzwilliam Quartet
Tchaikovsky Symphonies 4,5 & 6 with the Leningrad under Mravinsky
Beethoven Quartets - Quartetto Italiano or Tackás Quartet
Chopin - Arrau or Rubenstein
Stravinsky - Bernstein (new DG box with Stravinsky and Shostakovich is very good)
Prokofiev - Fritz Reiner

At the end of the day it is all in the ear of the listener, but these are versions I would prefer not to be without

Huw

SJ

I've only heard the Takacs over the radio, but I think that you can assume that the Vegh aren't challenged in Beethoven.

For a different view, I'd suggest the Quartetto Italiano (Philips).

Graham

quote:

Alfred Brendel, Thomas Zehetmair, Viktoria Mullova, Nikolas Harnoncourt, the Takacs Quartet, Matthias Goerne, Peter Schreier and Graham Johnson

Any specific recommendations by these. I have ordered some Beethoven piano sonatas with Brendel. For Mullova I would like to find her Bach Partitas, but its sadly unavailable (anything else instead?). I know the Takacs Quartet is famous for their Bartok string works, and Schreier should have one of the top-notch Mozart requiems. I don't have anything by the famous Harnoncourt either, and the other ones are so far unknown to me (but not anymore ).

Rubio

If, by "directors", you mean what I undestand as conductors, anything conducted by Carlos Kleiber will be better than just about any other recording of the piece in question.

Sadly, CK hated making recordings, but just about his entire official output is available from Deutsche Grammophon.

Graham

quote:

Originally posted by Rubio:
Any specific recommendations by these. I have ordered some Beethoven piano sonatas with Brendel.

Smart move. You want the latest digital recordings of 109,110 and 111, and the last live recording of the mighty Hammerklavier sonata - if you're interested in looking at the limits of human achievement!!

quote:

For Mullova I would like to find her Bach Partitas, but its sadly unavailable

Christ, that IS sad! I presume you mean this?
It contains probably the best recording of the Chaconne - another of the great monuments in composition.

quote:

and Schreier should have one of the top-notch Mozart requiems.

His greatest achievements are as a lieder singer rather than as a conductor. Start here if you're not yet initiated:


Some of the best lieder perfromances on disc, great value, and a fine introduction to this supreme artist.

EW

quote:

If, by "directors", you mean what I undestand as conductors, anything conducted by Carlos Kleiber will be better than just about any other recording of the piece in question.

Yes, of course I meant conductors . I have purchased the symphonies 4, 5 and 7 with Kleiber already.

quote:

Some of the best lieder perfromances on disc, great value, and a fine introduction to this supreme artist.

I have not yet bought any lieder perfomances, maybe this could be some place to start!

I have the leider recommended by EW by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Gerald Moore. Truely wonderful
SJ

quote:

Tchaikovsky Symphonies 4,5 & 6 with the Leningrad under Mravinsky

This seems very tempting to me as I have a weak spot for Tchaikovsky specifically and russian composers in general.

I would highly recommend Schostakovich 5 with the Lenningrad under Mravinski on Erato. It's a live recording, but so alive. Brilliant!

quote:

Originally posted by Rubio:
I have not yet bought any lieder perfomances, maybe this could be some place to start!

There are few better ones! Hope you enjoy it!

EW

I agree with Brendel for Beethoven interpretation. tho there is also Michaelangoli sp? I don't have one of his pieces but have heard him on radio and he's quite renowned. And then there's Gould, strange as he was.

For String quartets the Hollywood SQ ws a very fine outfit (tho all are deceased), but I'd also go with the Takacs, I happened upon a box set of the Bartok pieces is mint condition. They are wonderful and strange.

New to the scene (relatively) is Esa-pekka Salonen for conductor. A New York Times article recently aknowleged him as the best in America, and the LA Phil, whom I dearly love to hear every chance I get.

Violin I like Gidon Kremer, did a bang up job on Adams' Violin Concerto and has a strong presentation.

Dear Rubio,

I have to say I saw this and wondered where it would go! There are no indispensible performers - only indispensible music. The idea of ideal performance is impossible. The best performance of every piece is in the future, or else, why bother with performance at all! Just select all the perfect performamnces for release in the medium of choice, and delete everything else. Everyone has their own preferences as to who they want to listen to in their own favourite music, and that is about as far as it goes! I find Klemperer and Furtwangler both compelling in the Pathetique, but no one else here mentioned them!

The fascination with assembling a classic record colection is to investigate a range of performers and styles in a chosen repertoire, and then making informed choices of your own.

The only real help that can be given is a making a recomendation for a sound, and hopefully great performance to introduce the starter in mainstream repertoire, but after that it is far more enjoyable to strike out on your own and even discuss with like minded people (not hear as it all gets far too heated!), maybe what they prefer and what you do! This is something I enjoy very much. I have learned a huge amount and had my repertoire and roster of favourite artists modified by the process of sharing opinions and listening with musical friends in this way. But most of all you will enjoy the fascination of investigating your favourite music in performances that you find the most revelatory!

Good Musical Hunting from Fredrik

Dear Rubio,

From the above you will gather that I take absolutely no notice what so ever of the writings of record reviewers! I find their influence perniscious and damaging to a great extent in the range and possibility and even style and nature of performance which the market place allows to survive.

If there ever were a University Chair in Record Reviewing I would happily second Sir Thomas Beecham's view that it should be an electric chair, though TB was talking of the Music Critics, who used to write daily concert reviews for the quality daily newspapaers of a long gone age!

Fredrik

quote:

Originally posted by Fredrik_Fiske:

If there ever were a University Chair in Record Reviewing I would happily second Sir Thomas Beecham's view that it should be an electric chair
Fredrik

Nice one Fredrik

quote:

From the above you will gather that I take absolutely no notice what so ever of the writings of record reviewers! I find their influence perniscious and damaging to a great extent in the range and possibility and even style and nature of performance which the market place allows to survive.

I must say I find record reviewers of great help from time to time (especially when it comes to rock, pop, world music +++). I guess the important thing is to pick out the reviewers that share your taste of music. This obviously involves a miss-and-hit process, but it's very interesting after all. I find it very useful with the recommendations I find here on the forum, and I have made many excellent purchases of classical music so far.

Rubio,

As far as a conductor for Mahler I would have to say Carlos Kleibor or Sir Georg Solti get my vote. Both conductors portray Mahler with such passion that I feel many other great conductors miss.

Regards,
Charles

Indispensable artists? That’s an almost impossibly broad question, and each person’s answer will be informed by personal tastes and biases and experience. And there are so many wonderful artists.

Take pianists: I could list dozens of names, from early in the recorded era to today, covering repertoire from the Baroque masters to something as gnarly (in a wonderful way) as Boulez. As to names, well, Pollini, Michelangeli, Cortot, Richter, Klien, Freire, Fischer (Edwin and Annie), Backhaus, Kempff, Anderszewski, Casadesus, Haskil, Kocsis, Lupu, Lipatti, Gieseking, Perahia, Andsnes, Schiff, Barenboim, Firkusny, Gulda, and Sandor are all indispensable for me, and I only stop there because two dozen seems a nice enough number.

For conductors, the list may even be longer. Who’d want to be without Furtwangler or Walter, either Kleiber, Abbado or Boulez, Jochum or Bohm, Sinopoli, Schuricht, Ancerl, Kubelik, Talich, Mackerras, Krauss, Barenboim, Nagano, Reiner, Szell, Giulini, Toscanini, Celibidache, or Bernstein or Karajan? (I’ll just stop there.) Not I!

The same thing could be done for violinists, too, though I’ll confess I’m not as enamored with the violin. Really, Grumiaux sets the standard for me, but I could still tack on name after name to a list (and will throw in Ivry Gitlis just for good measure!). Bottom line, there are plenty of indispensable artists. But more important still is the music.