The Classical Music Guide Forums

I think I would probably vote either for Sullivan, Elgar and Vaughan Williams. Although Sullivan was most-known for the G&S operettas, his serious music also helped him to get noticed in the ranks of British composers. He was like the equivalent of Mozart and Mendelssohn, with that distinctive Briti...

I wish that Solti had had a chance to record Elgar's Introduction and Allegro, and the Serenade for Strings. Normally Solti would conduct big orchestras, but I guess he was not really ready to conduct works that demanded smaller forces. I also wish Marriner and the Academy had had the chance to reco...

Might there be a mention of Satie's Vexations? I understand that there are some CDs that are filled with repetitions of this work and are perhaps much worse than Gorecki's Sorrowful Songs symphony. Though I disagree with many of Norman Lebrecht's ideas in his Maestros, Masterpieces and Madness, I fo...

Have you thought about giving the Uchida set a try? Her approach has a light delicacy that I'm very fond of.

(Often the repackages are in sleeves in a small cardboard box, which is a much better format anyway.) I like this format, as it's neater and cheaper. I only wish they wouldn't sacrifice on the quality of the liner notes. I wish this format were adopted for DG's boxed sets of Beethoven with Gardiner...

Are there any hidden gems in those 225 renditions? Maybe not best in class, but surprisingly good or unique in approach. Yes, but I fear I may not be qualified to talk about No. 2 as I would No. 1. I think that the Zimerman-Bernstein version of No. 1 is like a hidden gem in itself, and I wish it we...

Have you tried the DG recording with Gilels and Jochum? It should demonstrate Gilels' maturity in his rendition of the piece. Perhaps you could also consider the DVD of Zimerman/Bernstein, which also contains a superb Brahms 1, where the introspection of the work is just as valid as the traditional ...

I will second the Brahms that someone has mentioned before.

My tastes have only fluctuated over time, but I have remained constantly against 20th-century atonalism. I would like to say that I started off with works like Beethoven's symphonies and the Dvorak New World, but I've grown to like a little more. I've grown to like the Brahms First Piano Concerto, a...

I grew up listening to the traditional, weighter-sounding renditions of Beethoven's symphonies, as the HIP-styled renditions had yet to catch on. Then, like a breath of fresh air, my Singaporean classical radio stations aired Sir Gardiner's complete cycle, and I felt it was like a totally new breath...

I am aware of the cancer that Abbado suffered almost ten years ago. I hope this illness is not a resurgent cancer, as I admire Abbado very deeply. I feel that though he has achieved some fine work in the past, he still has the energy to treat us to some marvellous performances with his orchestras.

I generally agree with Barry. I might add, though this might be more cryptic than useful, that Schubert, like Mozart is a composer with a rough chronological cutoff between his less and more important works that can be useful to the listener even though it is not entirely reliable. Where that is is...

I've never been a great Ozawa fan. I have many of his recordings on LP or CD but they are not heard very often with one possible exception, a Mahler First Symphony he recorded for Deutsche Grammophon and I have that only on a DGG LP. I'm not sure if it was ever transferred to CD. He also made some ...

Might it please you that I can recommend the sets by Abbado and Mackerras? Abbado's set is an ideal balance of drama and lyricism, but he does not present Brahms in an overly-slushy way. Mackerras offers a lean texture and a propulsive drive that I think might suit your purpose.

I know my recommendation may be out of print, and I know it may not be one you've heard before, but I'd gladly like to recommend the Mercury Living Presence recording of the work with Antal Dorati conducting the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra. This propulsive recording still finds room for colour an...

This is such an interesting discussion on monologues. However, I do have one secret wish that I could probably post here: Yes, I'm glad you've mentioned the pure perfection of the DG disc of the Midsummer with Ozawa and Judi Dench introducing each excerpt with the appropriate passage. Such absolute ...

Dear all, I'm new to the board and I couldn't find a place to introduce myself. I discovered this forum by accident and thought about joining in. But for my first post here I would like to add something to your discussion on Brahms symphonies. I do love the Abbado renditions of this cycle and yes I ...