Some Classical Suggestions

The best way to begin is to just start buying and to discover what you like. With Naxos and Arte Nova both offering cheapie discs, this method needn't be too expensive. The majors have got into the act, too, with the Eloquence series from Universal and the Encore series from EMI (along with the Seraphim label). I would go for the Eloquence series first. Then there's the EMI Great Recordings and DG Originals series, as well as numerous other reissue series on other labels at a mid-price point where you get some great artists in usually outstanding performances. You'll end up with some darned fine performances along the way using this method.

Another option is to buy the Gramophone Good CD Guide or the Penguin Guide and buy from those recommendations. Buy one that's a year or two old to save money for precious music. Most of the suggestions are very good, though budgetary considerations are secondary. One helpful hint: stay away from the much vaunted Carlos Kleiber disc of Beethoven's 5th and 7th - an ear bleeder to be sure.

As to repertoire, well, that's the kicker. I would suggest "core" repertoire first, focusing on the Great Composers (Oh, how what follows is open to vicious retaliation!): Bach, Handel, Domenico Scarlatti, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Brahms, Dvorak, Bruckner, Mahler, Schoenberg, Webern, Bartok, Stravinsky, Scriabin, Ives, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Debussy, Ravel, Messiaen, Carter, Ligeti, Boulez, and Dutilleaux. This list and what follows are obviously personal choices – lots o’ modern music, no early music or opera here – so quite a bit is being left out.

What works? If you’ll allow an indulgence, below are some suggestions for works with the occasional suggested recording.

Bach – Goldberg Variations (Murray Perahia is the one to beat for me), The Art of Fugue, Brandenburg Concertos, St Matthew Passion, any organ music (if you like organ music)

Handel – Messiah, Water Music

Scarlatti – Any keyboard sonatas. Naxos has a few volumes available.

Haydn – String Quartets Op 20, 33, 64, 76, or 77 (any mix of any of these works), Symphonies 6-8 (great version on Naxos), 44 – 49 “Sturm und Drang”, 82 – 84 “Paris”, and of course the London Symphonies (Colin Davis or Leonard Slatkin doing the honors)

Mozart – Piano Concertos (especially No 20 and after), Violin Concertos (especially No 5), Piano Sonatas, Symphonies 25, 29, 35, 38-41, various serenades including Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (either Beecham or Bohm)

Beethoven – Where to start? Ah, the Piano Sonatas! Go cheap and buy Alfredo Perl’s set on Arte Nova or go expensive and buy Annie Fischer’s set on Hungaroton. (Almost too good to bear.) You can get one of Kempff’s cycles pretty cheaply. (That’s what I’m going to do next.) If you can stand ancient mono sound, you can get Artur Schnabel’s traversal of most of Beethoven’s piano music on Dante for only $28 bucks (for 14 CDs!) at www.broinc.com. Then there are the piano concertos. And the symphonies. (Too many too mention, but you cannot go wrong with Furtwangler.) And the string quartets. Who here? I rather enjoy the Cleveland Quartet. Then there is the Budapest quartet. Oh my. And the violin sonatas. And, well, just about everything really.

Schubert – Ignoring the lieder since I’m not into lieder too much, I say go for the symphonies. The DG rerelease of the complete cycle conducted by Karl Bohm is hard to beat. And then there are the piano sonatas. The DG release of Kempff playing them all is one of the finest recorded achievements in human history. The late string quartets are fine, as are the piano trios.

Schumann – Symphonic Etudes, Davidsbundlerstanze (Pollini’s new recording is outstanding), Kreisleriana, Papillons, Symphonies

Mendelssohn – String Octet, Symphonies 3 & 4
Chopin – Scherzos, Etudes, Preludes, Polonaises, Sonatas 2 & 3

Brahms – Symphonies (especially 1 & 4), Piano Concerto No 2, Piano Quartets

Dvorak – Symphonies 5 – 9 (Kubelik first, all others second), String Quartets (especially the “American”), Cello Concerto

Bruckner – Symphonies 2 (Tintner on Naxos), 8 and 9 (too many to list on these two)

Mahler – Symphonies 9 (Zander, Bernstein, Abravanel, Walter, Klemperer), 1, 4, and 6

Schoenberg – Verklarte Nacht, Piano works (the Peter Hill Naxos disc is a must have), String Quartets (The Arditti are clearly the best in these works)

Webern – Passacaglia for Orchestra, String Quartets

Bartok – Everything. OK, OK, start with the Concerto for Orchestra (Reiner, Dorati, or Fricsay conducting). Then go to the Piano Concertos (Andras Schiff, Geza Anda, or Gyorgy Sandor doing the honors), Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celeste (Reiner or Fricsay), Violin Concertos, and Violin Sonatas. The String Quartets are a must have (The Emerson, Takacs [newer, Decca set], or the Vegh are the way to go), and of course piano music with either Gyorgy Sandor or Zoltan Kocsis, or preferably both. Allow me this indulgence; Bartok is possibly my favorite composer.

Stravinsky – The Rite of Spring, Petroushka – both orchestral and piano, Symphony of Psalms, Symphony in 3 Movements, Violin Concerto, Dumbarton Oaks Concerto, Pulcinella Suite

Scriabin – Symphony No 3, Poem of Ecstacy (go for that ravishingly beautiful Askenazy Decca set), Prometheus, Piano Sonatas, Preludes

Ives – String Quartets (the Emerson are sovereign here), Symphonies 2 & 3

Prokofiev – Piano Concertos, Symphony No 5, Piano Sonatas 6-8

Shostakovich – String Quartets, Symphonies 5, 8, and 9, Piano Concertos

Debussy – La Mer, Nocturnes, Images, Preludes, Suite Bergamesque, Etudes, Fantasie for Piano and Orchestra

Ravel – Daphnis et Chloe, Bolero, Miroirs, Piano Concertos

Messiaen – Turangalila Symphonie, Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jesus, Quartet for the End of Time

Carter – Symphonia, Concerto for Orchestra, String Quartets 3-5

Ligeti – Etudes, String Quartets, Violin Concerto, Piano Concerto, Horn Trio

Boulez – Piano Sonatas 1 & 2 (Pollini’s version of number 2 is astounding), Sur Incises, Repons

Dutilleaux – Cello Concerto, Ainsi la nuit, Symphonies

[This message was edited by Todd Arola on THURSDAY 08 November 2001 at 23:07.]