Your favourite albums?

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I have not seen many recommendations for classical music in this thread, so I thought I would throw this album out there. I branched out into classical music about 1980 after previously listening solely to pop/rock. At that time I was finding it difficult to discover new popular/rock artists that were to my taste, so decided to try and tap into the wealth of untried classical compositions. When CD came to market this was one of my early CD purchases. This album, particularly The Symphonic Dances , became one of my favourites. It was Rachmaninovā€™s last composition. It seems to me that there was an urgency in this music, and that urgency is portrayed brilliantly in this performance.

Listen for the alto saxophone in the first dance, during a really beautiful section of the music. This final composition is definitely a masterpiece in my view. This was the first version of this work that I heard, and it just sounds right. (Does anyone else feeI that they seem to connect more to the first version they hear, and it sometimes becomes difficult to give alternative versions the time of day?). I just tried a snippet of the Rattle/BPO version and it seemed very ponderous, in comparison with Ashkenazy and the Concertgebouw. Enjoy.

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Beautiful - the music for the Isle of the Dead is a superb interpretation of the painting - the depiction of the dead being rowed to the Isle is wonderfully evocative. Also, the dances really do get you dancing! If youā€™d like to try another version, have a look at Previn and the LSO on EMI. In my view this is a true masterpiece. This recording has been a constant on my record deck (and now on CD rip) since buying my copy of the LP way back in the 70s and its usually one of the first to be played when testing new equipment.

Iā€™ve loved this album since I first heard it in 1980 and have very fond memories of sitting around open fires in winter listening to it quietly with friends. The vibraphone and marimba are especially beautiful. It was recorded before the loudness wars got started, so can benefit from being turned up, but the dynamics are vibrant. The performances are tasteful and evocative. Little changes of speed and emphasis become familiar and anticipated. I donā€™t think there will come a time when I tire of listening to this album.

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In my opinion Murray Head is one of the most underrated artists and this is his best album.

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Itā€™s that time of the year! Prepare for Lā€™Tour! :bicyclist:

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Nice album Wayne! Tnx for the suggestion

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I only discovered the Quatuor Mosaiques a year ago, and theyā€™ve become one of my favorite ensembles.

To anyone interested, I would also particularly recommend their Schubert D 87 & 804 and Haydn Op. 76.

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Is this on Tidal? Having trouble finding itā€¦
Rob.

Yep, almost all their albums are on Tidal. Mozart 575 & 590 has a different cover; sorry for the confusion! - https://listen.tidal.com/album/70071997.

Hereā€™s the Haydn: https://listen.tidal.com/album/65309047

And Schubert: https://listen.tidal.com/album/65308658

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Thanks, the cover threw me off!

A Trick of the Tailā€¦So much goodness in this album it is hard to explain to the uninitiated.

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Introduced to this (Skylarking) by the girl I lost my virginity with as we studied together the morning after it happened. Always will have a special place in my heart. It would shock you too the things we used to do on grass indeed.

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We Canā€™t Dance. One of the most transcendent music moments in my life was when I saw them on what was the last show of the American tour in Chicago and realizing is was just Tony, Mike, and Phil playing Fading Lights during the long instrumental bridge. It was at that instant I knew that was going to be the end for Genesis. I donā€™t know how I knew, but it was revealed to my heart that night. The tears streamed, the band played, and Daryl and Chester came back in for the cool-down at the end. What a night.

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As the star rating suggests this May well be THE overlooked Norah album, but it feels the most organic and raw; unusual given the lavish production values Danger Mouse brings to the record. There isnā€™t a clunker on here and my rule for this album is that it must be listened to from start to finish. This is a cold record, with a sound the blueness of a deep glacier. So good.

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And while I know the rule is one album per month, the original post started in July, so Iā€™m going to call the Norah backdated to then and call this my August record.

Every year on Thanksgiving Day in America (and one year, actually in Afghanistan) I have a date with this album, a dark room, and the best headphones I can get my hands on.

It is indescribable, this album. Very different takes on a few traditional Christmas pieces, but the one that always shakes me is Track 9, ā€œUp North Here Where the Starsā€. That song is home no matter where I am. That song is the home within.

And the title - Darkest Night of the Year. There is that Christmas melancholy that owns me, but more that it describes a world without a saviour on the night before everything changed and a light unequaled enetered the world.

The one album I would take to heaven with me if I ever make it. As Karin singsā€¦ā€a taste of dirt from the floor of heaven.ā€

unfortunately my reasons are purely musical :smile:

Sigh. In the end, so were mine.

Great band to see live, a jam band, so much energy! So given that I pick their live album to showcase. If you are new to the band, recommend tracks 3, 9, 14, 20, and 21(itā€™s a double album). Frank has a golden voice. Enjoy!

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Michael Hedges- Aerial Boundaries

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this is his best work to date, but I think all his albums are great in different ways