# Your Absolute Favorite Obscure Album (Containing Less-Known Works)



## Guest (May 18, 2013)

Please post one album you absolutely love that perhaps no one else here has heard. 

The works themselves don't have to be super-exotic but should be off the beaten path. Hopefully we can avoid rare recordings of Beethoven's 9th or other Top 100 classical works.

Of course probably somebody else has heard it, but we're looking for great albums that you can listen to repeatedly and can heartily recommend.


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## Guest (May 18, 2013)

I'll start. This album is absolutely fantastic...









Chants Juifs by Sonia Wieder-Atherton. A collection of amazing music for cello and piano. I've had this one for a few years, but every time I come back to it I'm blown away.


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## Kleinzeit (May 15, 2013)

I just posted this on 'current listening', and it's a new release + new to me but I already like it a lot and I know it's going to be on rotation from here on in.

Opened my newly arrived set of Viktor Kalabis symphonies & concertos on Supraphon.









Symphony No. 2 "Sinfonia pacis" for Large Orchestra Op. 18
Concerto No. 1 for Violin & Orchestra Op. 17
Symphonic Variations for Large Orchestra Op. 24

Prague Symphony Orchestra, Kalabis conducting.

Concerto for Large Orchestra Op. 25

Czech Philharmonic, Bělohlávek

Hearing it you'd say, that's Martinů, right? There's so much of his that's unheard. And Kalabis was Martinů's top supporter. 
But it's also got some of the warm severity of Joonas Kokkonen, something of the disconcerting Finnish trait of never smiling even when they're obviously happy, cracking jokes.

The first mvt. of Concerto for Large Orchestra oughtta have been picked up by Emerson Lake & Palmer. It's large indeed, & loud.

In Kalabis there's a sense of a man insistent on making his own sound. Cutting his own brush, ploughing his own furrow, both on old man Bach's property and on the contemporary fields where he could wave to Stravinsky and Bartok. And chat directly over the hedgerow to Martinů.


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## jtbell (Oct 4, 2012)

Pehr Henrik Nordgren: Portraits of Country Fiddlers
1. The Plucker
2. The Thinker
3. The Old Man's Minuet
4. The Fiddler's Favorite Tune

Edvard Grieg: Two Nordic Melodies, Op. 63
1. In Folk Style
2. Cow-Call

Witold Lutoslawski: Five Folk Melodies for string orchestra
1. Oh, My Jeannot
2. Hi! I'm from Kraków
3. The Grove
4. The Gander
5. The School Master

Heino Eller: Five Pieces for string orchestra
1. Romance
2. Pas de deux
3. Vivo
4. Lullaby
5. Homeland

Sulkhan Tsintsadze: Six Quartet Miniatures (arr. for string orch)
1. Shepherd's Dance
2. Fly Away, Black Swallow
3. Chonguri
4. Khasanbegura
5. Sulko
6. Sachido


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

I have a number of favourites that could be labelled obscure.
But Durium issued "A Chronological Anthology of Neapolitan Songs" on LP performed by Roberto Murolo,
These songs date back in some cases to the 12 th century at least---I find them wonderful listening.


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

Not really an 'obscure' recording...










But this is the only recorded performance of the complete _Cydalise et le chevre-pied_. Think of this work as the little brother to Ravel's _Daphnis et Chloe_ but with some unique twists and turns that make it a Pierne masterwork.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

I could argue that all classical albums are obscure, but that would be annoying.

Obscure but withstands repeated listens? That's still hard. There's a lot to choose from. This Yves Ramette album is the first thing that popped into my head. I love his music.









Here is a YouTube video of his Prélude, Fugue et Postlude, for string orchestra, piano & kettledrums and there are also several mp3s at his web site.

Addendum: I often gravitate toward works for piano and orchestra that are not concertos, works in which the piano plays more the role of just another orchestral instrument to add color. It can be very mysterious in that role. This piece meets that criterion pretty well, though the piano is prominent at times.


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## cjvinthechair (Aug 6, 2012)

Ha - what chance of singling out one above all....nil or less !

So, as a choral fan, going to suggest 3: Rodion Shchedrin - The Sealed Angel
Carl Rutti - Requiem
George Lloyd - Symphonic Mass.


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## Guest (May 18, 2013)

@weston -
i'm listening to the sample tracks on iTunes at the moment. Very good stuff. I just might buy it.


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## Guest (May 18, 2013)

@moody - 
I found La chanson napolitaine de Roberto Murolo on iTunes.
Charming stuff.
Regards,
B


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

BPS said:


> @weston -
> i'm listening to the sample tracks on iTunes at the moment. Very good stuff.


Me too. Though I wish Spotify would put up more than one track from this CD. I guess maybe they want you to buy the CD or something.


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## Gustavgraves (May 11, 2013)

Lopes-Graça Requiem conducted by Mário Mateus

If I'm not mistaken, there are just two recordings of this 1979 piece. The oldest, from the 80's is very hard to find. The second (in the image) is from last year, so probably nobody here has had the chance to hear it yet. The composer is Portuguese, like myself, so the opinion can be a little bit biased. I think this is a great Requiem, very dark and powerful, without being very loud or explosive. And the sound quality of the recording is amazing...

(If anyone's interested, I know where you can download it).


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

BPS said:


> @moody -
> I found La chanson napolitaine de Roberto Murolo on iTunes.
> Charming stuff.
> Regards,
> B


Good for you,I had a look and it would seem that some of his other recordings were made somewhat late in life.
Mine were from 1966 and they seem to be there OK.


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## Kleinzeit (May 15, 2013)

jtbell said:


> View attachment 18067
> 
> 
> Pehr Henrik Nordgren: Portraits of Country Fiddlers
> ...


Nordgren & Eller are worth investigating.


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

Neo Romanza said:


> Not really an 'obscure' recording...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Certainly not all that obscure. Indeed, it seems as if the record companies have shown some increasing interest in Pierne as of late. I have the _Cydalise et le chevre-pied_ myself... a charming recording... and I think three others by Pierne.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51U5VvguJmL._AA160_.jpg

Just the thing if you like a soundworld not too far removed from Janacek's Glagolitic Mass. The Czech Requiem weighs in at a hefty 90-odd minutes. Hardly ever mentioned in the West but I gather the composer (1882-1969) is still revered in Czech Republic/Slovakia.


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Certainly not all that obscure. Indeed, it seems as if the record companies have shown some increasing interest in Pierne as of late. I have the _Cydalise et le chevre-pied_ myself... a charming recording... and I think three others by Pierne.


The work itself is obscure no question about it. Yes, I own three Pierne recordings myself (two Timpani recordings: the one pictured and the other containing works such as _L'an Mil_ and _Les cathedrales_ and the Chandos recording of the _Piano Concerto_ with Bavouzet as soloist). All are very enjoyable recordings.


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## Kleinzeit (May 15, 2013)

elgars ghost said:


> http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51U5VvguJmL._AA160_.jpg
> 
> Just the thing if you like a soundworld not too far removed from Janacek's Glagolitic Mass. The Czech Requiem weighs in at a hefty 90-odd minutes. Hardly ever mentioned in the West but I gather the composer (1882-1969) is still revered in Czech Republic/Slovakia.


Wow. Thanks for this. I'm listening to many Czechs lately. Just discovered Kalabis. Been looking for more of the Janacek Glagolitic Mass sound world. Ginastera's Popul Vuh, in its own way. Looks like there's a fair bit of Vycpálek on YouTube. Might not have found this lead for a while. Yay TC!.


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## hello (Apr 5, 2013)

Some fantastic contemp. classical pieces, some of which overlap heavily with avant-garde progressive rock.


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## Head_case (Feb 5, 2010)

Kalabis' string quartet cycle by the Zemlinsky and Kocian Quartets are fascinating Czech repertoire. Jiri Teml'obscure string quartets on Czech radio release are my favourites...but they aren't available on a single CD yet...


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## Kleinzeit (May 15, 2013)

Head_case said:


> Kalabis' string quartet cycle by the Zemlinsky and Kocian Quartets are fascinating Czech repertoire. Jiri Teml'obscure string quartets on Czech radio release are my favourites...but they aren't available on a single CD yet...


Kalabis string quartets by Kocian & Zemlinsky-- 36 bucks @ Amazon Canada. One left, and when you order it the price drops ten bucks after it ships to you. Then it's $26 for the next guy who waits two weeks. I know it's just algorithms doing it but day-um!


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## Head_case (Feb 5, 2010)

I paid about US$20 pre-release for my double CD set.

Ahh...one of the few times things in Yurop are cheaper......because they are made here.


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## paulbest (Apr 18, 2019)

Kleinzeit said:


> Kalabis string quartets by Kocian & Zemlinsky-- 36 bucks @ Amazon Canada. One left, and when you order it the price drops ten bucks after it ships to you. Then it's $26 for the next guy who waits two weeks. I know it's just algorithms doing it but day-um!


Sorry as much I love kalabis, I just have to draw a line somewhere. Now some 6 years later, you'd think the price should have droped back to say,,,,,$25-$30, They are demanding $50!!!! now

No,. I refuse to pay, Its a waiting game, as kalabis is not on any ones wish list,,that price will tank,, its just a matter of ttime,,,I know how this game works,,put it in my box,,and leave it there,,,,,amazon will tell the seller *look some one has your Kalabis cd in their box now for 6 months,,,think you could give him a offer?*.
I know how this game works,,,but honestly I bet the SQ's are as outstanding as his orchestral = priceless, Whats $50 for music that is sunning if not ,,,spectacular. .
How can we put a low price on works that are beyond money values?

ok, ok, I just sold myself,,,
,,,btw I am enjoying my new 3 cd set from Supraphon I'd say for this quality of compositions, its the best , most obscure.


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