Will have to explore, this is completely new to me… Thanks for the recommendation!
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Greetings, Classical music lovers!
The new installment of our Classical Community playlist is live on the Roon home page. You’ll find another inspired selection of expert recommendations culled from the lively conversation here and new releases added by me.
My sincerest appreciation goes out to our playlist contributors for the new edition. In order of appearance: @eclectic, @Andreas_Philipp1, @bill_perkins, @CoralRad, @woodford, @Richard_Graham, @Bugsrus, @Nathan_Wilkes, @Thomas_Becker, @Rugby, and @mSpot
Thank you all once again for your lovely contributions to this list and continuing conversation - as well as the Creepy Classical selections!
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I think Qobuz may have this performance on a Readers Digest Music issue - Open Qobuz
Regards
Graham
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The expectation is always up when a new Le Consort release is out… these young French musicians have already made a name for themselves in different and varying ensembles. Their second release this year presents a beautifully varied program with Baroque suites and sonatas, and the hidden gem here is the (first?) recording of four sonatas by a mysterious English female composer, who published some works under the pseudonym Mrs Philarmonica, and from whom the only known fact is that she must have been alive and composing around 1715… her identity and biography are unknown…
To be recorded amongst such luminaries as Purcell and Matteis and being able to fully stand on her own is no small feat… I am surprised by the musical quality of Mrs Philharmonica’s compositions… and happy to have learned something new by means of this recommendable new release…
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Of all Beethoven’s symphonies, No. 8 I have probably listened to the least. But I found myself enjoying the recent Gianandrea Noseda account, which coincided with a BBC Radio 3 ‘Building a Library’ review of the recordings of the symphony.
Somewhat to my surprise, the recommended recording was by Paavo Jarvi, whose Beethoven recordings I had neglected. Worth a listen.
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Thanks for sharing @CoralRad.
I don’t know the more recent BIS set, but the first BIS Nielsen cycle was my introduction to the symphonies. My favorite of that early set is #3 (Chung), including an exhilarating Overture to Maskerade that I must have listened to perhaps 50 times when I first heard it:
For #1 and #2, I have a soft spot for the cycle under Berglund:
I want to like the San Francisco cycle, as it always has received lots of accolades, but somehow I have never warmed to them. (On the other hand, the Hindemith from the same time period is just amazing, especially the horn playing.)
:
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I like all the cycles you listed but I’ve only listened to Oramo once so that cycle is going on the docket now.
Just before the pandemic, I attended Salonen conducting Nielsen’s 6th Symphony so I listened to the cycle he did with Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra (CBS) a few times and liked a lot of it but the variation in fidelity distracted me.
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At the end of the day, for me, there is really only one cycle I would take to that deserted island and that’s San Francisco / Blomstedt (London). I find every symphony mysterious, delicate, thrilling and every listen I find something more. I cherish the original CDs I own.
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Of the complete cycles I listed the Oramo on BIS is currently my favorite.
I also like Gilbert/NYPO:
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Really enjoyed these performances from Riccardo Minasi. (Must dig out the Mackerras versions.)
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I know that Rachmoninoff’s Isle of the Dead, Op. 29 is a favorite among many of the regulars here. I had the pleasure of playing several versions after @CoralRad recommended the one below - used in the Creepy Classical playlist.
This John Wilson/Sinfonia of London version has become a favorite of mine. I believe one of our members mentioned it somewhere in our conversation. I highly recommend it, as well.
This one by Jurowski & the LPO is also spellbinding.
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Thank you for the recommendation @Thomas_Becker! I’ll give it a careful listen once I’ve finished enjoying Karajan & the Berlin Philharmonic Orch’s Mozart Requiem - Adagio & Fugue K.546
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I do too. This is such a great recording. I think the Jansons’ Warner recording is very good too.
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@Richard_Graham Oh, I definitely agree I’m glad you posted about Jansons.
The EMI (Warner) Jansons Rachmaninov trio of albums released in the mid 1990s were my introduction to the three symphonies and additional pieces.
I bought the first release (3rd symphony + dances) on impulse because the cover art pulled me in and then the recording… wow… which is the case for all three albums.
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Absolutely true! I might want to add that other recordings of that series are a delight as well! Especially No. 6 and No. 9 are absolutely worth it despite from being the most unusual choices for a chamber orchestra as they are commonly associated with large orchestras and massive readings.
Beethoven No. 8 with its Haydn-like paraphrases and humoristic stylistic references is made for such a a chamber approach. I recommend to listen to a similar concept yet more dynamic reading adding a certain amount of ´Sturm und Drang´ by Stefan Blunier:
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That’s a mostly overlooked and very worthwhile cycle… all but the Choral, for which my one and only version is the Ansermet/Suisse Romande rendering, recorded in 1959 at Victoria Hall, Geneva… This holds a very special appeal to me, out of sentimental reasons. Many consider it to be a definitive interpretation, though…
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