Classical music - best recordings?

Frequently good advice on Pink Fish media especially secondhand vinyl recommendations.

Pink Fish

regards

Richard S

The Penguin Guide can be quite helpful in the areas that its contributors enjoy, i.e. the central, germanic-focussed repertoire, from Bach through to Schubert and Brahms. Where it starts to break down is in the late nineteenth century, and it can completely miss the point in the twentieth century (where the reviews frequently reveal some rather half-baked prejudices). Gramophone has similar weaknesses. However, if you concentrate on the areas in which it is strong, it is OK. The Penguin Rough Guide is also pretty good, particularly if you are starting out.

I have many Hyperion recordings, but I have to say that their recording quality can often be below par - which is disappointing as Angela Hewitt's Bach, and Graham Johnson's Schubert Lieder are cornerstones of my collection. The labels that have the best recording quality include ECM, Mode, Wergo, Decca (for opera), and Teldec. Fortuitously, the quality of performances on these labels can also frequently be very high.

Hi Steve,
While the above postings are very good, I sense that you may have liked a few more for specific recommendations. I believe I can make several non-controversial recommendations (shall we re-visit Glenn Gould/Golberg Variations?)

For CDs, it is hard to go wrong with the JVC XRCD re-issues. The JVC team has obviously gone to some trouble to pick some of the historically best recordings to perform their magic on. Pictures: Fritz Reiner, Chicago S.O.; JMCXR-0016. Romeo & Juliett (I assume you mean Tchaikovsky): Charles Munch, Boston S.O., JMCXR-0022. Two other excellent classical XRCDs are Rimsky-Korsakoff Scheherazade: Fritz Reiner, CSO, JMCXR-0015. Tchaikowsky 6th Symph (Pathetique) Fritz Reiner, CSO, JMCXR-0021.

Digging through my LPs acquired in the 70s and 80s, I found the same performance above of Pictures on something RCA called "Red Seal .5 Series". This was a half speed re-mastering done in the 80s pressed by Teldec in Hamburg: ATL 1-4268. If you can possibly find this, it makes an interesting comparison to the XRCD, particularly since you have a good vinyl set up. As far as vinyl re-issues go, Classic Records also has chosen the best of the classic performances, but their LPs are certainly not cheap (wonder what they cost on your side of the pond?)I have the same Scheherazade performance noted above on the Classic Records re-issue. With a CDS3, it is hard to justify getting up to flip the LP over. Glad I acquired most of my LPs when they ranged from $3 to $8 apiece.

While on the subject of XRCDs, the pressing of Bill Evans "Waltz for Debby" JVCXR-0220-2 is wonderful: , and the Miles Davis Quintet series Cookin', Relaxin', Steamin' and Workin' are great. Mono, but classic performances.

Finally: Mozart piano works. Just go to your local CD outlet and scoop out all of the CDs in the bin by Mitsuko Uchida; Sonatas and Concertos alike. You will be Happy, Happy, Happy.

Norman

And by the way, I find the music reviews in the back of the usual audiophile magazines to be very helpful, and I do believe that we should be supporting living artists as well. Though I have only purchased a couple of issues of HiFi+, I do like their capsule reviews. And, it was the positive review of the sonics of the Sony 3 disc re-issue of the Glenn Gould Goldberg Variations that made me go out and get it.....

Info on the XRCD process can be found at http://205.231.187.178/shopping/

or you can type in xrcd.com

There is no encoding/decoding or any hocus pocus. They just make CDs like they should be done.

Hi Nick,

Fortunately, I picked up about 20 titles last year when Music Direct http://amusicdirect.com/
had a 25% off sale. However, I agree, after perusing their list, those 20 titles were pretty much all I could come up with. Still, stunning sound, and I am glad to have what I do.

Norman

I'm not that much into so called classical music, but I have about a hundred or so LP:s. Of them "Gould - Gould conducts Gould", a direct to disc done by Crystal Clear in 1978 is clearly the best sounding. It's even available at a reasonable price here: http://www.lastvestige.com/vinyl/masters.htm

This, I think, was the last DD recording of a big orchestra before everybody switched to digital (with known result).

JohanR

quote:

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Originally posted by Ross Blackman:

There are a few books, including the Penguin Guide and the Gramophone Guide. The Penguin Guide looks authoritative, but its recommendations are a bit of a joke - I don't know anyone who takes them seriously.

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May I disagree with your comments on Penguin, Ross? I've found it to be a very good guide. This is simply because, more often than not, stuff I like is favourably reviewed in Penguin. I'm not sure what that says about Penguin and I! An example; my very favourite piece of music is Monteverdi's 1610 Vespers. I've loved it ever since I first heard the Jürgens/Harnoncourt vinyl back in the 1970s. The version I love most of all is Gardiner's second, recorded live in San Marco, Venice. "Gramophone" damns this one with faint praise, whereas Penguin gives it top rating, which to me is dead right. As a classical lover but non-musician, I find the sometimes academic pontifications of "Gramophone" somewhat off-putting (I tend not to care if the artist omitted the repeat at bar 183), but I admit always to reading them.

With regard to 20th. century music, I avoid this like the plague, so Penguin's reported weaknesses in this area are of no importance to me.

To sum up, I find Penguin a generally reliable guide as to what to listen to - but then I always go and listen to it to make sure!

Regards,

You could try the BBC site:

Building a library

cheers

Nigel

Watch out for live recordings ... maybe you like them / maybe not ... but be sure what you are getting.


James H

I just saw the new Penguin guide and thought I'd look up Lou Harrison and he wasnt' even listed, then I heard teh dealer say several others weren't listed because they didn't like them either. what a piece of crap. It totally discredited them for me.

Life is analogue

I listen to Classic FM, then look up things I like on their website on the 'playlist' page, then you can click on the 'more info' button for more info (surprisingly!) where you will find all details including soloists, orchestra and catalogue number. You can also click on 'buy now' button which will take you to another website to buy it. Key in your credit card number and it arrives through your letterbox. Brilliant!

Is Fanfare available in England? See www.fanfaremag.com.
The last November-December issue of every year has the critics' 'want lists', which seem like very good guides to sepcial recordings.

I find Fanfare very reliable, especially since the critics often compare recordings.

I find the Penguin Guide to be pretty useless - the reviews are too short, and the descriptive terms they use are vague - and it's a real pain to figure out what they mean. In Fanfare, the reviewer is well identified, and the reader can build a dossier on each reviewer to see how useful a particular reviewer is to the particular reader.

Regards.

Phil

I was at a music festival here in California and Penguin was showing it's classic books. and the music guide was there. I picked it up and looked up Lou Harrison a major west coast composer and there was nothing , I kept going back and forth and ....nothing. I couldn't believe it. The man at the booth said he'd checked out other contemporary composers and they weren't there. Said they were rather opinionated and didn't include things they didn't like. I put it down and moved on. Bought two Steinbeck novels tho.

Life is analogue