The most perfomances of a particular composition

I can beat that. I have 5 complete sets of the beethoven symphonies (Mackerras, Szell, Gardiner, and both Bernsteins), plus another two recordings of the 7th (Kleiber and Harding at the proms a couple of years ago). Favourite? Overall it has to be Mackerras. Szell and Gardiner do a great 4th and Kleiber and Harding do a great seventh.

I also have too many beethoven piano concertos (but only 4 sets: Kempff in both 50s and 60s, Solomon and Brendel/Rattle). My favourite, probably Kempff in the 50s, but they're all very good. Especially Solomon's 5th and Kempff's 4ths.

Then there's mahler (I have 4 complete sets of symphonies: Solti, Abbado and, again, both Bernsteins) and I have at least one other of most of them. I have seven recordings of 5 (adding walter, mackerras and rattle) and 9 (adding walter, bernstein again, this time on the sole occasion he conducted the BPO and Abbado again). I don't really have too many favourite mahler recordings (I love them all for different things), but I suppose Szell's 4th, Rattle 2, Solti's 8th, Jansons' 6th and Abbado's 7th.

As you may therefore have guessed, I'm a tad obsessive about my Beethoven and Mahler. Still, I take comfort from the fact it could be worse: recently I sold my set of Rattle's Beethoven symphonies (which I personally thought were terrible) and the owner of the shop I sold them to told me he had 40 Beethoven symphony cycles on disc (which even I regards as a bit too much.

I also have about 60 discs of Bill Evans and 100 of Miles Davis (anyone beat that?) but they don't really count since there's very little duplication in there.

regards,

Tam

p.s. no need to tell me I need help!

I was trying to work out how many copies of Debussy's "La Mer" I have and I could think of: de Sabata/Santa Cecilia (1948), Cantelli/PO (1954), Reiner/CSO (1960), Giulini/PO (1962), Karajan/BPO (1963), Celibidache/SWRSO (1977) and Abbado/Lucerne (2003). I believe that I may have a Munch/BSO recording on order from Amazon. A bit silly really!

G

Bollox! I've got the Munch/BSO recording from 1956 already, so I don't need to buy it again.

I think that that makes eight prformances.

If I could only have one? Easy, de Sabata.

g

Just noticed I have an 8th recording of Mahler 5 (Barbirolli on vinyl) and an 8th of Beethoven 7 (Klemperer again on vinyl).


regards,

Tam

Tam

Thank goodness only sad people read this site, or we'd be shown up for being the sad gits that we are!

G

Graham,

Very well said. Of course that could apply to pretty much everything around here!


regards,

Tam

Tam and Graham55
You must elaborate that further,
I really don´t understand you.

You're not kidding are you? A language thing I guess. Okay, basically, the point is there are people who might question why a person could possible want to own 8 recordings of beethoven seven. A person who did own that many recordings, or took 'too much' interest in his hi-fi (I know, not possible, forgive the heresy or suggesting it - but there are a great many people who would be baffled at the amount of energy we can pour into debating empty fraim shelves or cable dressing) might be said by some people, to be 'sad'. Fortunately, the kind of people who would make those judgements don't hang around here, so we're free to be as sad as we like.


regards,

Tam

I have twelve versions of Hoagy Carmichael's "Stardust":

Dave Brubeck, Willie Nelson, Aaron Neville (my favorite), Nat King Cole, Ron Carter, John Coltrane, Lionel Hampton, Ronnie Dove, Louis Armstrong, Stephane Grapelli, Frank Sinatra, and the man himself - Hoagy Carmichael.

Tam

I can't (quite) match your collection of Beethoven's Seventh, but I've just had a quick look at my CD shelves and found eight copies of his Fifth: Furtwaengler/VPO, E Kleiber/CGO, Klemperer/PO (earlier mono version), Reiner/CSO, Szell/VPO (live in 1969 on Orfeo), C Kleiber/VPO, C Kleiber/CSO (1978 on an "unofficial" Italian disc) and Bernstein/VPO.

I haven't checked my LPs but, in addition to replicating many of the above, I know that I have Herbie Corrigan's second BPO recording and a marvellous live Bernstein/BRSO one (which also has Arrau in the Fourth Concerto). [It's a great shame that the last has been allowed to slip from DG's lists, but the whole concert, with Leonore 3, was on two LPs and wouldn't fit onto a single CD.]

There may be others!

If forced to jettison all but one, I'd keep the C Kleiber/VPO on the "Originals" CD. But the Szell runs it close.

Oh, happy days!

Graham

Tam

Thanks for your nice explanation above.

I think it makes a big difference when someone is a mere HiFi-nerd or if he is a true music lover. Many musiclovers I know (and especially lovers of classical music) tends to collect different recordings of the same works - I do the same myself - in order to learn more about the music. I think this is quite natural, and people attend concerts for the same reason. The more you listen to e.g. van Beethovens symphonies, the more it becomes apparent, that one single performance can�t cover the full spectrum of the music. For that reason I listen nowadays mostly to LvB�s symphonies in the pianoarrangements of Liszt,- a marvellous experience I think.

Regards

Graham,

Can't match you on the 5th, but have to agree with you about the Kleiber disc, truely stunning. Didn't know about the Bernstein disc and as something of a fan of the man (as you can probably tell from my lists above), I will be keeping my eyes open. It seems to me that there are still a fair few gaps in the recent series of Bernstein boxes that DG released, perhaps they're going to plug them soon?


regards,

Tam

Tam

The concert was held in Munich in aid of Amnesty International on 17 Oct 1975 and recorded by DGG. It was originally released on two LPs on 2721 153, all profits going to Amnesty. As far as I know, this was something of a dry run for Bernstein's idea of making his recordings "live": I think that this was his first live recording for DG.

The record wasn't available for long, as it was "superseded" by his VPO recordings of Beethoven. I have read at least one review which suggests that the Munich performance was deleted and never reissued because it was so much better than the Vienna one.

Anyway, good luck in trying to locate a copy . If you can't, let me know. I am just in the process of having my LP12 brought back to life, after a ten year hiatus, with a S/H Armageddon and brand new Aro. You'd be welcome to come and listen and, although I have no taping facilities, you'd be welcome to tape a copy.

Graham

HR,
I seem to have only four recordings of the Goldberg Variations, despite the fact that it's probably my favourite piece of music that's not by Kraftwerk. These are by Gustav Leonhardt, Karl Richter, Wanda Landowska and Pierre Hantai.
The latter is on CD, so at least I can listen to it. It was actually recommended by a fellow forum member - something of an expert on Bach - but I haven't mentioned it until now because I am so perplexed by it that I've only listened to it twice. I cannot believe this is how Bach would have wanted it performed, even if this is what the best evidence suggests. At the same time, however, it has made me appreciate how much better the Leonhardt might have been, even though the latter remains my favourite of the ones I have...[/QUOTE]


If you have a chance, listen to Sitkovetsky's string arrangement. It is real speciial. Haim

Currently, the champion in my collection is Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra, of which I have 24 orchestral versions as well as the piano reduction. I cannot choose a single favorite from among them, but rather must rely on Fritz Reiner, Ferenc Fricsay, Antal Dorati (Mercury), and Ivan Fischer to share the honors.

Next is the Emperor at (I believe) 19 versions, with the Pollini / Bohm leading the pack. I may have the same number of LvB's Op 111, too (I haven't counted in a while), and here I have no clear favorite.

In addition to these, I have at least 10 versions of each LvB piano sonata, and ten or more versions of perhaps another three or four dozen other works from a variety of composers.

Stunned silence follows...............

Wow, I think we have a winner (unless that chap I met with 40 beethoven symphony cycles in his collection happens to be a member). Makes me feel a little less obsessive about my 5 mahler cycles.

Todd, out of interest, whose beethoven sonata cycle do you like best? For me it has to be kempff, in mono (although Solomon was quite something too).

Graham, it's such a shame they seem to have deleted that bernstein concert (I'd always assumed his back catalogue was fairly invulnerable), I may have to take you up on that offer some time.


regards,


Tam

Fasten your seat belts chaps. I own thirty (30)
complete or almost complete sets of Beethovens pianosonatas. The almost complete ones (three of them) because they didn´t record all the sonatas (Gieseking,Solomon and Gilels). On the other hand I own almost no Beethovensymphonies.

quote:

Originally posted by Tam:

Todd, out of interest, whose beethoven sonata cycle do you like best?

Annie Fischer.

And since I posted my initial response, I have added two more Emperors, one in my possession, the other soon to be in the mail.

I hate to say it Todd, but I do not own the Fischer-cycle. I started with the first two volumes, but I find her too variable.
My preferred version is Arrau. Barenboim (HMV),
Kempff(DG mono) and Gilels being strong contenders.

quote:

Originally posted by pe-zulu:
I hate to say it Todd

Why do you hate to say it? You like what you like.

You are certainly right, but I was afraid you might be offended. Happy to realize that this is not the case.

Haven't heard the Barenboim or Arrau, but the Kempff mono is the only complete one I own (I have to say, I think Kempff is one of the greatest pianists, I think he could play delicately exceedingly well, something all too many pianists can't. There seems to be more and more of a trend these days for people who thump the keyboard for all their worth and that completely turns me off). I'd be interested to know how kempff's mono compares to his stereo (if his concerto cycles are anything to go by it's not too much of a contest).

I'm not a huge fan of the Emperor, though the Solomon has gone a long way to convincing me. My favourite concerto has to be the 4th, but I only really like it when Kempff plays is (his own cadenzas seem to fit so much better than any others).

regards,

Tam

Tam
I can´t but agree with you. I grew up with the Kempff mono (my parents choise), and if I were sent to a desert island I should bring this with me, not Arrau. The Kempff stereo is milder in expression than the mono, things like the Pastoralesonata and the slow movement of the Hammerklaviersonata being just marvellous, but when more manly force is needed Kempff is perhaps to smoth. I write perhaps because I like his poetical singing way of playing.
I have heard him twice live, and he was in both instance (if possible) even more convincing than on LP/CD.

quote:

Originally posted by pe-zulu:
You are certainly right, but I was afraid you might be offended. Happy to realize that this is not the case.

I save my pissing matches for other forums.

quote:

Originally posted by Tam:
I have to say, I think Kempff is one of the greatest pianists

You are correct.

I love both his mono and stereo cycles, his mono LvB Piano Concerto cycle, his Brahms, his Schumann, his Schubert (Oh my, how I love his Schubert!), and everything really. I just prefer Annie Fischer in LvB’s sonatas.