# A humble dilettante's cd collection...



## Sid James

I've recently made a catalogue of all of my classical cd's. I thought I'd put it up here for comments.

As you can see, I have mainly budget labels and no boxed sets (hate them, they are a waste of money for me, I wouldn't get time to listen to them, plus get a bit bored after listening to dozens of works by the same composer in the same genre). But 2 or 3 cd sets are fine. I'm not hugely into opera, but I like vocal works, especially songs. I have been collecting now for about 18 months, but aim to buy less in the coming years (storage space is an issue for me, plus I like to actually listen to the things I buy, I don't collect just for the sake of collecting). I am also aiming to spend more on live concerts and much less on buying cd's in the future.

I'm interested mainly in expanding my early music/Renaissance collection, as well as chamber (piano trios, violin sonatas & string quartets especially), solo piano & maybe also choral (I like Requiems, but only have about two). I also want to get more into post 1970's stuff like the minimalists and post-minimalists. Any recommendations in these areas would be great, particularly of discs at either budget or mid-price.

My favourite era is the 20th/21st century, my least favourite is the Baroque (don't really like Bach, but Handel is okay). I'm not aiming to be really comprehensive in anything, I like to be a jack of all trades and master of none. I prefer variety and eclecticism to uniformity. I like to see the big picture rather than concentrating on just one particular genre or area. I'm not into duplication either, I'm happy with listening to other friend's cd's or things on the radio or from the local library to hear other interpretations. I'm not hugely interested in "definitive" recordings, I believe nothing is "definitive." Usually, before buying a disc, I read a few reviews if I can find them, but sometimes I am buying things that have not been recorded too many times. I am not a conessieur, i am not an expert, so basically any interpretation that has some merit is ok (& I have bought discs that had negative reviews, but really liked them & disagreed with the reviews). 

So what do you all think? Comments? Thoughts? Recommendations?


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## Sid James

EARLY MUSIC/RENAISSANCE

Byrd, W. (UK)
-	Masses for 3, 4 & 5 voices (Decca Eloquence)

Dufay, G. (France)
-	12 Chansons (Naxos)

Gesualdo, C. (Italy)
-	Madrigals, Book I (Brilliant)

Josquin des Prez (Netherlands/France)
-	Missa “Pange Lingua;” Motets (Tall Poppies)

Monteverdi, C. (Italy)
-	Tasso Madrigals (Brilliant)

BAROQUE/CLASSICAL ERA (C17th-18th)

Bach, C.P.E. (Germany)
-	Concertos for harpsichord & strings Wq. 31 & 33 (Point)

Bach, J.S. (Germany)
-	Brandenburg Concertos 1-3 (PWK)

Handel, G.F. (Germany)
-	Water Music Suites 1-3; Music for the Royal Fireworks; 3 Marches; Violin Concerto in B flat; Concerto in B flat for double woodwind (Seraphim double)

Haydn, J. (Austria)
-	Cello Concertos 1 & 2 (with Vivaldi) (EMI)
-	Horn Concerto (with Mozart) (?)
-	Symphonies 94 “Surprise;” 95,97 (EMI)
-	Symphonies 99 & 101 “Clock” (EMI)
-	String Quartets opp. 51 “Seven Last Words of Christ” & 103 (Naxos)

Mozart, W.A. (Austria)
-	Salzburg Symphonies KV 136-8; Divertimento KV 205 (Naxos)
-	Eine Kliene Nachtmusik (with Haydn) (?)
-	Clarinet Quintet (with Brahms) (Supraphon Archiv)
-	Violin Sonatas KV 301,303,304,481 (EMI)
-	Violin Sonatas KV 304, 454, 526 (Pilz)
-	Mass in C minor “Great Mass;” Ave Verum Corpus (Philips Eloquence)
-	Cosi Fan Tutte; Don Giovanni (highlights) (Point)
-	Opera arias (Kanawa) (Philips)

Telemann, G. (Germany)
-	Table Music 1; La Lyra (Point)

Vivaldi, A. (Italy)
-	Cello Concertos RV 413;417 (arr. Malipiero) (with Haydn) (EMI)


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## Sid James

LATE CLASSICAL & ROMANTIC (C19th)

Alkan, C.V. (France)
-	Piano works: Grande Sonate “Les quatre Ages;” Symphonie for piano solo; Esquisses (selections); etc. (Brilliant double)

Beethoven, L.V. (Germany)
-	Symphony 3 “Eroica;” Coriolan Overture (MCA)
-	Symphonies 1 & 6 “Pastoral” (PWK)
-	Symphonies 3 “Eroica” & 8 (Naxos)
-	Symphony 9 “Choral” (Pilz)
-	Egmont Overture; highlights from Piano Concerto 5; Violin Concerto; Sonata 23; Symphonies 3 & 5 (Vox/Castle)
-	Piano Trios 1, 4, 5 “Ghost,” 7 “Archduke” (EMI double)
-	String Quartet op. 130; Grosse Fuge (EMI)
-	Violin Sonatas 7 & 9 “Kreutzer” (Naxos Historical)
-	Piano Sonatas 8 “Pathetique;” 14 “Moonlight;” 23 “Apassionata” (Adagio)
-	Piano Sonatas 21 “Waldstein;” 29 “Hammerklavier” (Decca Eloquence)

Berlioz, H. (France)
-	Harold in Italy for viola & orch. (with Bloch) (Decca Eloquence)
-	Symphonie Fantastique; Le Carnaval Romain overture (EMI)

Bizet, G. (France)
-	L’Arlessiene Suites 1 & 2; Carmen Suites 1 & 2 (Point)

Brahms, J. (Germany)
-	Piano Concerto 1 (Onyx)
-	Violin Concerto; Academic Festival & Tragic Overtures; Alto Rhapsody (Philips Eloquence)
-	Symphony 4; Academic Festival Overture (Adagio)
-	Clarinet Quintet (with Mozart) (Supraphon Archiv)
-	Piano trios 3 & in A major op. posth. (Naxos)

Bruch, M. (Germany)
-	Violin Concerto 1; Scottish Fantasy (Philips Eloquence)

Bruckner, A. (Austria)
-	Symphony 0 (ZYX)
-	Symphony 6 (with Weber) (Decca Eloquence)
-	Symphony 9 (Point)
-	Mass in E minor; Libera me; 2 Aequale for trombone trio (Helios)
-	Motets; 2 Aequale for trombone quartet; Organ works; Te Deum (SUMS)

Dvorak, A. (Czech)
-	Piano Concerto (with Ravel) (ZYX)
-	Symphony 5 (with Janacek) (Point)
-	Symphony 8; Slavonic Dances (with Smetana) (?)
-	Piano Quintet “Dumky” (slow movement) (with Janacek) (EMI)

Erkel, F. (Hungary)
-	Bank Ban (complete) (Hungaroton double)
-	Laszlo Hunyadi (complete) (Hungaroton 3 cd)

Franck, C. (Belgium/France)
-	Organ works (Point)

Gounod, C. (France)
-	Messe Solenelle de Sainte Cecile; Petite Symphonie for winds (EMI)

Granados, E. (Spain)
-	Piano Trio; Piano Quintet; Intermezzo from “Goyescas” (Naxos)
-	12 Spanish Dances (with de Falla) (EMI)

Grieg, E. (Norway)
-	Piano Concerto; Peer Gynt Suite 1; Homage March from Sigurd Jorsalfar; Ich Liebe Dich; March of the Dwarfs from Lyric Suite op. 54 (Sony)
-	Piano Concerto (with Rachmaninov) (EMI)
-	Peer Gynt Suites 1 & 2; Old Norwegian Romance; Norwegian Dances 1-4 (Award)

Ippolitov-Ivanov, M. (Russia)
-	Caucasian Sketches Suites 1 & 2; Turkish March & fragments (Naxos)

Liszt, F. (Hungary)
-	Piano Concertos 1 & 2; Totentanz; Hungarian Fantasy (EMI)
-	A Faust Symphony (EMI)
-	Sonata in B minor; Funerailles (with Chopin, Schumann, Debussy) (EMI)

Mendelssohn, F. (Germany)
-	Symphonies 4 “Italian” & 5 “Reformation” (Point)
-	Symphony 3 “Scottish;” Midsummer Night’s Dream highlights (Point)

Mussorgsky, M. (Russia)
-	Pictures at an Exhibition; A Night on Bald Mountain; Meditation (Largemente) (Pilz)

Puccini, G. (Italy)
-	Messa di Gloria; Salve Regina; Crisantemi (Classico)
-	Madama Butterfly (highlights) (Award)
-	Turandot (highlights) (Opera)

Reger, M. (Germany)
-	2 songs (with Wolf) (Classico)
Rimsky-Korsakov, N. (Russia)
-	Scheherazade (Pilz)

Schubert, F. (Austria)
- Symphony 8 "Unfinished" (with Schumann) (?)
-	Schwanengesang; Sonata for cello & guitar “Arpeggione” (Pilz)
-	“Trout” Quintet; String Quartet 13 “Rosamunde” (Point)
-	String Quartets 12 & 14 “Death and the Maiden” (Pilz)
-	Piano Trios 1 & 2; Notturno; Grand Duo; Trio Sonata (EMI double)

Schumann, R. (Germany)
-	Symphonies 1 “Spring” & 2; Piano Concerto; Cello Concerto; Manfred Overture; Adagio & Allegro for horn & orch. (Decca Eloquence double)
- Piano Concerto (with Schubert) (?)

Smetana, B. (Czech)
-	Bartered Bride orchestral highlights (with Dvorak) (?)

Strauss, J.J. (Austria)
-	Die Fledermaus (highlights) (Decca Eloquence)

Strauss, R. (Germany)
-	Don Quixote; Till Eulenspiegel; Rosenkavalier Waltzes; Metamorphosen; Orchestral highlights from Capriccio, Salome, Feuersnot, Die Frau ohne Schatten (DG Eloquence double)

Tchaikovsky, P. (Russia)
-	Symphony No. 6 “Pathetique;” Hamlet (Naxos)
-	Serenade for Strings; Souvenir de Florence (Naxos)

Verdi, G. (Italy)
-	Choruses from Nabucco, Ernani, I lombardi, Attila, Il trovatore, Rigoletto, La forza de destino, Macbeth, Messa da Requiem (EMI)
-	Macbeth; Otello (complete) (Quadromania Historical 4 cd’s)
-	Il Trovatore (highlights) (Award)

Wagner, R. (Germany)
-	Ride of the Valkyries; Siegfried Idyll, Overtures to Tannhauser & Rienzi; Prelude & Liebestodt from Tristan und Isolde (Rainbow)
-	Flying Dutchman; Tannhauser; Lohengrin – Orchestral highlights (Naxos)

Weber, C.M. (Germany)
-	Piano Concertos 1 & 2; Bassoon Concerto (ZYX)
-	Overtures The Ruler of the Spirits; Abu Hassan (with Bruckner) (Decca Eloquence)

Widor, C. (France)
-	Symphonies for organ; Bach’s memento; 3 nouvelles pieces (selections) (Naxos)

Wolf, H. (Austria)
-	Italian Serenade (with Berg) (Naxos)
-	Songs from Spanisches Liederbuch & Moricke-Lieder (with Reger) (Classico)


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## Sid James

MODERN/CONTEMPORARY (C20th-21st)

Antheil, G. (USA)
-	Ballet Mecanique; Serenade for string orch. 1; Symphony for 5 instruments; Concerto for chamber orch. (Naxos)

Barber, S. (USA)
-	Orchestral, solo piano & chamber works: Adagio for strings; Violin Concerto; 3 Essays for Orchestra; Cello Sonata; Souvenirs; Excursions; Summer Music; etc. (EMI double)

Barkauskas, V. (Lithuania)
-	Sun; Viola Concerto; Symphony 5; Konzertstuck (Avie)

Bartok, B. (Hungary)
-	Concerto for Orchestra; Dance Suite; Two Portraits; Romanian Folk Dances; Music for Strings, Percussion & celesta; Piano Concerto 3 (Decca Eloquence double)
-	Piano Concertos 1-3 (Naxos)
-	String Quartets 1-6 (complete) (EMI double)
-	Mikrokosmos (selection) & other piano works (Naxos)

Bax, A. (UK)
-	Symphony 6; Into the Twilight; Summer Music (Naxos)
-	Symphony 7; Tintagel (Naxos) 

Berg, A. (Austria)
-	Violin Concerto; Chamber Concerto (Sony)
-	String Quartet; Lyric Suite (with Wolf) (Naxos)
-	Wozzeck (complete) (Berlin Classics double)

Bernstein, L. (USA)
-	Chichester Psalms; On the Waterfront – Symphonic Suite; On the Town – 3 dance episodes (Naxos)

Bliss, A. (UK)
-	A Colour Symphony; Adam Zero (Naxos)
-	Clarinet Quintet; String Quartet 2 (Naxos)

Bloch, E. (Switzerland)
-	America: An Epic Rhapsody; Suite hebraique (Naxos)
-	Voice in the Wilderness for cello & orch. (with Berlioz) (Decca Eloquence)
-	Violin Concerto; Baal Shem; Suite hebraique (Naxos)

Boulez, P. (France)
-	Piano Sonatas 1-3 (Naxos)


Britten, B. (UK)
-	Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes (with Shostakovich) (EMI)
-	Violin Concerto; Cello Symphony (Naxos)

Brouwer, M. (USA)
-	Aurolucent Circles; Mandala; Sizzle; etc. (Naxos)

Busoni, F. (Italy)
-	Turandot Suite; 2 Studies from “Doktor Faustus;” Berceuse elegiaque (Naxos)
Cage, J. (USA)
-	Credo in Us; Imaginary Landscape 1; Concerto for piano & orchestra; Rozart Mix; Suite for toy piano; Music for carillon (EMI)
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Carter, E. (USA)
-	Concerto for Orchestra; Three Occasions for orchestra; Violin Concerto (EMI)
-	String Quartets 1 & 5 (Naxos)
-	String Quartets 2-4 (Naxos)
-	Mosaic; Dialogues; Enchanted Preludes; Scrivo in Vento (100th Anniversary release CD & DVD) (Naxos)

Chavez, C. (Mexico)
-	Symphonies 1-6 (complete) (Vox Box double)

Cowell, H. (USA)
-	Quartet for flute, oboe, cello & harpsichord; Suite for violin & piano; Songs; piano pieces; Polyphonica; Irish Suite (Naxos)

Debussy, C. (France)
-	La Mer; Jeux; Le Martyre de saint-Sebastien; Prelude a l’apres midi d’un faune; Images; Three Nocturnes; Printemps (Decca double)
-	Images (selections), Iberia, Estampes (Pagodes), Reverie, Violin Sonata (Onyx)
-	Preludes, Books I & II (Philips Eloquence)
-	Piano works: 2 Arabesques; Clair de lune; Estampes (Gardens in the Rain); Children’s Corner; Valse pour piano; Nocturne; Preludes Book I (selections) (Pilz)

De Falla, M. (Spain)
-	7 popular Spanish songs (with Granados) (EMI)

Diamond, D. (USA)
-	Symphony 8; Suite from the Ballet TOM; This Sacred Ground (Naxos)

Dohnanyi, E. (Hungary)
-	Violin Concertos 1 & 2 (Naxos)

Durufle, M. (France)
-	Requiem; 4 Motets on Gregorian Themes; Our Father; Scherzo; Prelude & fugue on the name ALAIN (Naxos)

Dutilleux, H. (France)
-	The Wolf (Le Loup); Cello Concerto; Violin Concerto; Metaboles; The Shadows of Time; Symphony 2 “Le Double” (EMI double)
-	Cello Concerto (with Lutoslawski) (EMI)

Enescu, G. (Romania)
-	Violin Sonatas 2, “Torso,” 3 “dans le caractere populaire roumain” (Helios)


Feldman, M. (USA)
-	String Quartet 1 (Naxos)

Ginastera, A. (Argentina)
-	Piano Concertos 1 & 2 (Naxos)
-	String Quartets 1-3 (complete) (Naxos)

Glass, P. (USA)
-	Metamorphosis I-V; Mad Rush; Wichita Sutra Vertex (solo piano works) (CBS)

Guarneri, C. (Brazil)
-	Pianos Concertos 1-3 (Naxos)

Gorecki, H. (Poland)
-	Symphony 3 “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs” (Belart)

Gubaidulina, S. (Russia)
-	Seven Words; Silenzio; In Croce (Naxos)

Haazen, G. (ed.) (Belgium)
-	Missa Luba (with Ramirez) (Naxos)

Henze, H.W. (Germany)
-	Violin Concertos 1 & 3; Five Night-pieces (Naxos)
-	Symphonies 7 & 9 (Choral); Barcarola for large orchestra; 3 Auden Songs (EMI double)

Hindemith, P. (Germany)
-	Mathis der Maler symphony; Pittsburgh symphony; Symphonic Metamorphosis on themes of Carl Maria von Weber (Pilz)

Holst, G. (UK)
-	The Planets Suite (with Pluto by C. Matthews); The Mystic Trumpeter (Naxos)

Honegger, A. (Switzerland/France)
-	Symphony 3 “Liturgique;” Pacific 231; Pastorale d’ete; Symphonic Movement 3; Rugby (Naxos)
-	Les Miserables (complete film score) (Naxos)


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## Sid James

Hovhaness, A. (USA)
-	Cello Concerto; Symphony 22 “City of Light” (Naxos)
-	Guitar Concerto 2; Symphony 63 “Loon Lake;” Fanfare for the New Atlantis (Naxos)
-	Symphonies 4, 20, 53; Trumpet Concerto; The Prayer of St. Gregory (Naxos)
-	Symphonies 2 “Mysterious Mountain;” 50 “Mount St. Helens;” 53 “Star Dawn;” other orchestral works; String Quartet 3 “Reflections on my childhood” (Delos double)

Huang Ruo (China/USA)
-	Chamber Concerto Cycle (Naxos)

Ifukube, A. (Japan)
-	Sinfonia Tapkaara; Ritmica Ostinata (piano concerto); Symphonic Fantasia 1 (Naxos)

Ives, C. (USA)
-	Emerson Concerto; Symphony 1 (Naxos)

Janacek, L. (Czech)
-	Sinfonietta (with Dvorak) (Point)
-	Suites from Kat’a Kabanova & The Makropulos Affair (arr. P. Breiner) (Naxos)
-	String Quartets 1 “Kreutzer Sonata;” & 2 “Intimate Letters” (with Dvorak) (EMI)
-	Glagolitic Mass; Diary of the one who disappeared (DG)
-	Piano works: On the Overgrown Path; Piano Sonata I.X.1905 “From the Street;” In the Mists; Concertino; Capriccio; etc. (DG double)

Kats-Chernin, E. (Australia)
-	Wild Swans concert suite for soprano & orch.; Piano Concerto 2; Mythic (ABC)

Kodaly, Z. (Hungary)
-	Hary Janos suite; Dances of Marosszek & Galanta; Psalmus Hungaricus (DG)

Lauridsen, M. (USA)
-	O nata lux; Madrigali; Les Chansons des Roses; Mid-Winter Songs; O magnum mysterium (Naxos)

Lees, B. (USA)
-	String Quartets 1,5,6 (Naxos)

Lehar, F. (Hungary)
-	The Merry Widow (Naxos Historical)

Leyendecker, U. (Germany)
-	Violin Concerto; Symphony 3 (Naxos)


Ligeti, G. (Hungary)
-	Chamber Concerto; Ramifications; Lux Aeterna; Atmospheres (Wergo)
-	String Quartets 1 & 2; Andante & Allegretto (Naxos)
-	Requiem; Aventures; Nouvelles Aventures (Wergo)
-	Etudes (Books I & II) (Naxos)

Lutoslawski, W. (Poland)
-	Preludes & Fugue for 13 solo strings; Paroles tissees (choral); Trios Poemes d’Henri Michaux (tenor & orch.); Postlude No. 1; 5 Songs for soprano & orch.; Cello Concerto; String Quartet (EMI double)
-	Cello Concerto (with Dutilleux) (EMI)
-	Little Suite; Symphonic Variations; Symphony 2; Piano Concerto (Naxos)

Mahler, G. (Austria)
-	Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen; Kindertotenlieder; 5 lieder (EMI)
-	Symphony 4 (with “Blumine” movement) (Brilliant)
-	Symphony 10 (Wheeler version) (Naxos)

Martin, F. (Switzerland)
-	Petite Symphonie Concertante; Polyptyque; Ballades; Sechs Monologe aus “Jederman;” Ariel chore aus Shakespeare’s “Sturm;” Mass for Double Choir; 4 brief pieces for guitar (EMI double)

Martinu, B. (Czech)
-	Piano Concertos 3 & 5; Concertino (Naxos)
-	Symphonies 1 & 2 (RCA)
-	Symphony 4; Sinfonietta “La Jolla;” The Frescoes of Piero della Francesca; Double Concerto; Concerto for String Quartet; Sinfonia Concertante; Memorial to Lidice (EMI double)
-	Sinfonietta “La Jolla” (with Respighi) (Point)

Messiaen, O. (France)
-	Poemes pour Mi; The Forgotten Offerings; A smile (Naxos)
-	Quartet for the End of Time (with Stravinsky) (Philips Eloquence)
-	Trios Melodies; Harawi (soprano & piano) (Naxos)
-	Vingt Regards Sur l’Enfant-Jesus; 8 Preludes (EMI double)

Milhaud, D. (France)
-	Scaramouche; Le Bal Martiniquais (two pianos); Paris (four pianos); Le Carnaval d’Aix (fantasy for piano & orch.); Suite francaise; Suite provencale (EMI)
-	Creation of the Earth; The Ox on the Roof; Souvenirs of Brazil (EMI)
-	Jewish Sacred Service; Additional prayers for Friday evening (Naxos)

Myaskovsky, N. (Russia)
-	Sinfonietta op. 68/2 (with Shostakovich) (EMI)

Nielsen, C. (Denmark)
-	Symphony 4 “The Inextinguishable” (with Scriabin) (Decca Eloquence)

Nyman, M. (UK)
-	The Piano soundtrack (CDVE)

Orff, C. (Germany)
-	Carmina Burana (Pilz)

Ornstein, L. (Russia/USA)
-	Piano Sonatas 4 & 7; other piano works (Naxos)

Part, A. (Estonia)
-	Fratres; Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten; Summa; Spiegel im Spiegel; Festina lente; Tabula Rasa (EMI)
-	Berliner Messe & other choral sacred works (Naxos)

Partch, H. (USA)
-	Delusion of the Fury (Sony)

Pavlova, A. (Russia/USA)
-	Symphonies 2 & 4 (Naxos)

Penderecki, K. (Poland)
-	Orchestral and choral works: Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima; Cello Concerto 1; Symphony 1, Partita; etc. (EMI double)
-	Symphony 3; Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima; Flourescences; De Natura Sonoris II (Naxos)
-	Symphony 8 “Songs of Transience;” Dies irae; Aus den Psalmen Davids (Naxos)
-	Sextet; Clarinet Quartet; Three Miniatures; Divertimento; Prelude (Naxos)

Piazzolla, A. (Argentina)
-	Songs & tangos; Maria de Buenos Aires Suite (Naxos)
-	Songs & tangos (MCPS)

Prokofiev, S. (Russia)
-	Violin Concertos 1 & 2; Love for three oranges suite (Decca Eloquence)
-	Symphony No. 5; Scythian Suite (Ala & Lolly) (EMI)

Rachmaninov, S. (Russia)
-	Piano Concerto 2; Vocalise; Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini; other orchestral & solo piano works (Decca double)
-	Piano Concerto 2 (with Grieg) (EMI)
-	Symphony 2 (Point)
-	Trio Elegiaque 2 (Russian Legacy/Point)

Ramirez, A. (Argentina)
-	Misa Criolla; Navidad Nuestra (with ed. G. Haazen: Missa Luba) (Naxos)

Ravel, M. (France)
-	Piano Concerto in G (with Dvorak) (ZYX)
-	Daphnis et chloe (Melodia)
-	Daphnis et chloe; Bolero (EMI)


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## Sid James

Respighi, O. (Italy)
-	Trittico Botticelliano (with Martinu) (Point)

Revueltas, S. (Mexico)
-	Sensemaya; La noche de los Mayas; La Coronela (Naxos)


Roslavets, N. (Russia)
-	Violin Sonatas 1,4,6; Three Dances (Naxos)

Rozsa, M. (Hungary)
-	Viola Concerto; Hungarian Serenade (Naxos)

Rota, N. (Italy)
-	Film suites from War & Peace; The Leopard; La Strada; Waterloo (EMI)

Rubbra, E. (UK)
-	Violin Concerto; Improvisation for violin & orch.; Improvisation on virginal pieces by Giles Farnaby (Naxos)

Saygun, A.A. (Turkey)
-	Piano Concertos 1 & 2 (cpo)
-	Solo piano music (Naxos)

Schnittke, A. (Russia)
-	Cello Concerto 1; Stille musik for violin & cello; Cello Sonata (Naxos)
-	Piano Quintet; String Trio; Stille Musik for violin & cello; Fuga for solo violin; Kingende Buchstaben for solo cello (Naxos)

Schoenberg, A. (Austria)
-	Violin Concerto (with Sibelius) (DG)
-	Moses und Aron (complete) (Naxos double)

Scriabin, A. (Russia)
-	Poem of Ecstasy (with Nielsen) (Decca Eloquence)

Sculthorpe, P. (Australia)
-	Sun Music I-IV; Irkanda IV; Piano Concerto; Small Town (ABC)
-	Earth Cry; Kakadu; Mangrove; Irkanda IV; Small Town (ABC)
-	Port Arthur: In Memoriam; Djilile; The Fifth Continent; Lament; Little Suite; Night-song (ABC)

Shankar, R. (India)
-	Sitar Concertos & other works (EMI double)

Shostakovich, D. (Russia)
-	Cello Concertos 1 & 2 (Naxos)
-	Piano Concertos 1 & 2; Symphony 1 (EMI)
-	Symphony 4 (with Britten) (EMI)
-	Symphony 10 (Point)
-	Chamber Symphony (String Quartet 8 arr. Barshai) (with Myaskovsky) (Naxos)
-	Odna (Alone) complete film score (Naxos)

Sibelius, J. (Finland)
-	Violin Concerto (with Schoenberg) (DG)
-	Lemminkainen Suite (Four Legends); Tapiola (EMI)


Steiner, M. (USA)
-	Gone with the Wind soundtrack (Evasound)

Stravinsky, I. (Russia)
-	Violin Concerto; Zvezdoliky Cantata; Symphonies of Wind Instruments; The Rite of Spring (Naxos)
-	Symphonies of Wind Instruments; Octet (with Messiaen) (Philips Eloquence)
-	Concertino; 3 Pieces; Double Canon (with Szymanowski) (Naxos)
-	Oedipus Rex (opera-oratorio) (EMI)

Szymanowski, K. (Poland)
-	Symphonies 2 – 4; “Harnasie” Ballet; Mazurkas 1 & 2; Concert Overture; etc (EMI double)
-	String Quartets 1 & 2 (with Stravinsky) (Naxos)

Takemitsu, T. (Japan)
-	Spirit Garden; Solitude Sonore; Three film scores for string orchestra; Dreamtime; A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden (Naxos)

Tal, J. (Israel)
-	Symphonies 1-3 (cpo)

Tavener, J. (UK)
-	The Protecting Veil; In Alium (Naxos)

Tippett, M. (UK)
-	Concerto for Double String Orchestra; Piano Concerto; Fantasia Concertante on a theme of Corelli (EMI)
-	String Quartets 1, 2, 4 (Naxos)
-	String Quartets 3 & 5 (Naxos)

Varese, E. (France)
-	Arcana; Octandre; Offrandes; Integrales; Deserts (Naxos)
-	Ameriques (original version); Ecuatorial; Nocturnal; Dance for Burgess; Tuning Up; Hyperprism; Un grand sommeil noir; Density 21.5; Ionisation (Naxos)



Vaughan Williams, R. (UK)
-	Symphony 2 “A London Symphony;” Partita for Double String Orchestra (Belart)
-	Symphonies 4 & 6 (Belart)
-	Symphonies 7 “Antartica” & 8 (Belart)

Villa-Lobos, H. (Brazil)
-	Bachianas Brasileiras 1-9 (complete) (Naxos 3 cd’s)
-	Bachianas Brasileiras 3 for piano & orchestra; Momoprecoce fantasy for piano & orchestra; Fantasia for soprano saxophone & orchestra; Concerto for guitar & small orchestra; solo piano works (selections) (EMI double)
-	Choros 8 & 9 (Naxos)
-	Chamber music – Jet Whistle; Song of the Black Swan; Duo for violin & viola; Quintette Instrumental; etc (Naxos)

Walton, W. (UK)
-	Piano Quartet; String Quartet in A minor (Naxos)
-	Film suites: As You Like It; Hamlet (Naxos)
-	Henry V: A Shakespeare Scenario (arr. C. Palmer) (Chandos)

Webern, A. (Austria)
-	Passacaglia; Five movements for strings; 6 pieces op. 6; 5 pieces op. 10; Symphony; Variations (Naxos)

Wiseman, D. (UK)
-	Different Voices (Naxos)

Zemlinsky, A. (Austria)
-	The Mermaid; Sinfonietta (Naxos)


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## Sid James

COLLECTIONS

Choral
-	Choir of Christchurch St. Laurence, Sydney – T.L. de Victoria: Requiem; Gregorian chant: Missa pro defunctis; Tallis, Byrd, Palestrina: Motets (Self published)
-	“Kaddish”- Weill: Berliner Requiem; Schoenberg: A Survivor from Warsaw; Bernstein: Symphony 3 “Kaddish” (Nimbus)

Chamber
-	English String Music – Britten: Variations on a theme of Frank Bridge; Holst: St. Paul’s Suite; Delius: 2 Aquarelles; Vaughan Williams: Five Variants of Dives & Lazarus; Warlock: Capriol Suite (Naxos)
-	Lutoslawski, Janacek, Szymanowski: works for violin & piano (Naxos)
-	Melos Ensemble of London – Beethoven: Octet; Septet; Schubert & Mendelssohn: Octets (EMI double)
-	Modern Music – Berg: Lulu Suite; Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony 2; Hindemith: Violin Sonata in E major (Pilz)
-	Music for strings – Hindemith: 5 pieces, op. 44 no. 4; Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives (arr. Barshai); Bartok: Divertimento; Vivaldi: 2 concertos from L’estro Armonico (Decca Eloquence)
-	New World Composers from the Old World – works for string quartet by Bloch, Hindemith, Korngold, Rozsa, Stravinsky, Surinach, Tcherepnin (New World Quartet) (Vox Box double)
-	Works for String Orchestra: Britten: Simple Symphony; Janacek: Suite; Suchon: Serenade (Point)

Concerto
-	American works for Violin & Orch. – Bernstein: Serenade; Barber: Violin Concerto; Foss: 3 American Pieces (Perlman) (EMI)
-	Baroque Guitar Concertos – Fasch, Vivaldi, Krebs (Point)
-	Concertos from Spain – Albeniz; Turina; Monsalvatge; Surinach (de Larrocha) (Decca Eloquence) 
-	Eastern European Works – Janacek: Taras Bulba; Bartok & Kodaly: Concertos for Orchestra (Decca Eloquence)
-	Music for Saxophone & Orchestra – Milhaud: Scaramouche; Glazunov: Concerto; Debussy: Rapsodie arabe; Ibert: Concertino de camera; Mussorgsky (arr. Ravel): Pictures at an Exhibition (excerpt); Ryo Noda: Improvisation I (Naxos)
-	Organ Concertos – Respighi, Lovelock, Poulenc (ABC Eloquence)
-	Prokofiev: Symphony-Concerto; Myaskovsky: Cello Concerto; Rachmaninov: Vocalise (Rostropovich) (EMI)
-	Russian piano music & concertos – Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto 1; Theme & Variations op.19/6; Prokofiev: Piano Concerto 1; Suggestion diabolique; Balakirev: Islamey (Gavrilov) (EMI)

Folk
-	Csardas – Hungarian Gypsy Music (F. Santa & his gypsy band) (Naxos)
-	Huaxin – Contemporary music for traditional Chinese instruments – works by Zhu Lin, Tan Dun, Chen Yi, etc. (Chinese Chamber Ensemble) (Delos)

Orchestral
-	American Orchestral Works – Gershwin: Porgy and Bess, A symphonic picture; Barber: Adagio for Strings; Bernstein: Candide Overture; On the Town – 3 dance episodes; Copland: Billy the kid (EMI)
-	Australian composers: Fritz Hart; George Marshall-Hall; Robert Hughes; Dorian Le Galliene; Margaret Sutherland; Barry Conyngham; Brett Dean (ABC double)
-	Baroque Experience Vol. 4 – Handel, Arne, Boyce, Albinoni, Torelli, Locatelli, Telemann (Decca)
-	Bolero & other Spanish Favourites – Ravel: Bolero; Chabrier: Espana; Falla: highlights from The Three Cornered Hat, La Vida Breve, El Amor Brujo; Massenet: Le Cid; Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnole
-	British Light Festival – works by Coates, Ketelbey, Elgar, German, etc. (Naxos)
-	French Ballet Suites – Adam: Giselle; Delibes: Coppelia & Sylvia; Gounod: Faust (Point)
-	Hungarian Festival – Kodaly: Hary Janos Suite; Liszt (ed. Doppler): Hungarian Rhapsodies 1,2,6; Hubay: Hejre Kati; Berlioz: Rakoczy March (Naxos)
-	Melbourne Symphony Orchestra/Hiroyuki Iwaki (Vol. 1) – Stravinsky: Rite of Spring; Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra; Messiaen: Turangalila-symphonie (ABC double)
-	Orchestral Favourites – Weber, Enescu, Dukas, Rimsky-Korsakov, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Sibelius, Smetana (Naxos)
-	Russian Orchestral Music – Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnole; Mussorgsky: Night at the Bald Mountain; Tchaikovsky: Suite 4 “Mozartiana;” Borodin: Polovtsian Dances from “Prince Igor” (Point)
-	Ultimate Collection of Classical Music (various composers) (Quadromania 4 cd)

Solo Instrumental

-	American Piano Sonatas Vol. 1 – Barber, Carter, Copland, Ives (Peter Lawson, pno) (EMI)
-	American Piano Sonatas Vol. 2 – Griffes; Sessions; Ives (Peter Lawson, pno) (EMI)
-	Kathryn Selby Recital – Sonatas of Beethoven (Pathetique); Bartok; Chopin (3 in B minor) (ABC)
-	Twentieth Century Piano Sonatas – Berg, Hartmann, Hindemith, Schoenberg (Naxos)

Opera/Song

-	Caruso, Enrico: Romanze d’opera (Opera)
-	Callas, Maria: Arie celebri Vol. 1 (Opera)
-	French Song Cycles – Berlioz: Les nuits d’ete; Chausson: Poemed l’amour et de la mer; Dukas: La peri (Naxos)
-	Gigli, Beniamino: Recital (Opera)
-	Te Kanawa, Kiri: French songs & arias by Duparc, Ravel, Charpentier, Debussy, Berlioz (EMI)
-	Songs of Nietzsche, Liszt, Wolf, Satie, Poulenc (Point)


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## Sid James

Ok, all done, now write away folks...


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## HarpsichordConcerto

Thank you, member Andre for compiling this list. It must have taken you a great deal of effort, sorted by period and then alphabetically too! You have a varied and interesting CD collection. It's always fascinating to see what others have. It simply sums up what one prefers to listen.

A few surprises. I was expecting to see more CD's of works by Bruckner and Schoenberg, for example. But I would guess your listening experiences of these two composers' works must also include a significant amount of radio and live performances, as you have told me before.

A couple of thoughts regarding your "big picture" versus one particular genre approach. Sometimes, it is by having a good "micro" foundation that one appreciates the "big picture" even more. But in reality of course, this is not always achievable, as you said, there may be time constraints, financial constraints etc. on how much resources you just want to dedicate to a particular genre.

Variety, I think, is the best point about your collection. I probably do not have as many different composers as you have listed here (but my emphasis is on collecting and listening to as much as possible on those composers whose works I click particularly well with; thus was a little underwhelmed by reading you have no vocal music of Handel)!

Now, here's the interesting part (for me anyway). I shall ask you random questions about those CD's that you have listed, which appear to intrigue me by none other than the genre of the works. Can you tell me about this one because the piano concerto is one of my very favourite instrumental genres, and I have never heard of this composer:-



Andre said:


> Guarneri, C. (Brazil)
> -	Pianos Concertos 1-3 (Naxos)


P.S. We shall have to fix you up on your Baroque collection some day!


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## Sid James

Thanks for your comments, Harpsichord. I actually have a great deal of respect for people like you who concentrate more on a particular era/composer/genre. I know what/how you mean that concentration can give you an equally durable view of the great world of classical. I enjoy reading your posts about your areas (the Buxtehude thread intrigued me), as I do others around here who specialise in particular areas.

As regards Baroque, I kind of gravitate towards either the Italians or people who were influenced by them more. I can really hear a warm "Italian" feel in Handel's works (I understand the man actually visited Italy - but what city/region I am not sure). I know Vivaldi & Corelli had a huge influence on him as well as J. S. Bach - but I like Handel better than him (for some reason?). So I do plan to get some more Baroque down the track, it's just that it's not a high priority now. Particularly the "crossover" Renaissance/Baroque guys like Monteverdi, Buxtehude, Frescobaldi & Sweenlick. Feel free to make some recommendations regarding these, if you wish.

I am also interested in getting more organ works, particularly the French guys (& maybe some of the English as well). Again, J. S. Bach's efforts in this area interest me little, but I have heard some of Handel's _Organ Concertos _& I'll probably get a cd of those sometime down the track. I also saw a double cd set of Couperin's masses for organ, & I want to get this as well.

You are right regarding your assumptions about my listening habits. About 50% of recorded music I listen to is on radio (particularly the excellent 2mbs-fm here in Sydney). The rest is my own collection, a friend's (we get together every week to listen to eachother's cd's - he's more into the older stuff, I'm into the more recent stuff), & also borrowings from the local library, which has a pretty wide-ranging collection. I am also going to more and more live concerts (there's so much happening in this great city - we are spoilt for choice). Usually, if I can hear it regularly on the radio, I am less likely to purchase something. This is why I'm not really interested in getting all of the Beethoven symphonies, for example. I hear great recordings of these virtually every week on the radio, so why get them? I also hear tons of the big Baroque names on air - like J.S.Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Corelli, etc. So I still know the basic repertoire, even though I might not own it.

As for Mozart Camargo Guarneri, he was a C20th Brazilian composer. He was recommended to me by a former Brazilian member of these boards, bdelykleon (sadly, he seems to have disappeared). The Naxos cd has the first three of his six piano concertos. Naxos has not released the second cd, but I believe it is downloadable from their site. The first concerto has a distinctly neo-classical and Brazilian folk-like feel (similar to the music of his countryman, the older Heitor Villa-Lobos). Traditional Brazilian percussion instruments are used in this concerto. The second concerto has a more pared-down feel, it brings the soloist to the fore much more, the orchestra is less prominent. & the third concerto I don't remember that much about, except it is different from the other two, perhaps more in the "Romantic" vein, but it's hard for me to remember (this is what I mean, I am beginning to own so many cd's that I can't remember much about some of them). If you like music with a neo-classical, middle of the road modernist and folksy feel, then you will probably like this disc. It's a pity the rest of the set have not (yet?) made it onto disc, because they would be fascinating to hear (for me, maybe not for you?). In his last three concertos, Guarneri turned to atonality and serialism, adapting it to his own style. The member bdelykleon also said that Guarneri was a much more successful symphonist than Villa-Lobos, but I have heard none of thier symphonies as yet (& maybe unlikely to, as they are not on budget or mid-price labels). This disc is all that I have heard of Guarneri...


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## GraemeG

Go to concerts, Andre. I presume you're a youngster - in my 20's I went to loads of SSO, Opera Aust, Aust Ensemble, etc gigs. Between student rush, standing room, etc, etc (ie. cheap tickets); you can hear a heck of a lot - probably more now than back then in the 80s.
This is never money wasted. (well, perhaps occasionally, but it all forms you as a better person )
I long ago lost track of my LP & CD collection - and it only ran to about 300 of each, which isn't much - although it does allow you to pick the eyes out of the last 300 years of humanity's musical heritage.
Once family & things take over, you tend to live with your memories for a bit...
cheers,
G


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## Chris

A delectable collection. Two obvious omissions are Sibelius symphonies and Stravinsky's Firebird suite.


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## Fsharpmajor

Andre said:


> Comments? Thoughts? Recommendations?


You and I seem to have similar taste in Naxos CDs--there's a lot of overlap with my collection. I'm surprised that you don't have this, though:

*http://www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=11821*

I would also recommend this Nancarrow:

*http://www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=9184*

And this Balada:

*http://www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=3743*

Also (relating to earlier discussion), Guarnieri's Piano Concertos 4-6 has just been released on Naxos. I bought the CD a couple of weeks ago.


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## StlukesguildOhio

A few surprises. I was expecting to see more CD's of works by... Schoenberg, for example. 

Indeed! It appears I actually own considerably more by Schoenberg than Andre... in spite of the fact that I am yet sold on the merits of his work and we have had long disputes over this. I actually like what I've heard of Berg more.

P.S. We shall have to fix you up on your Baroque collection some day! 

Yes, indeed! I've been fleshing out my own for the past several months... but only one disc by J.S. Bach!!??


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## Sid James

I used to have another comparatively large collection, but got rid of it years ago due to lack of storage issues. I did have more J.S. Bach in that collection - two tapes of CBS "Bach's greatest hits," a Naxos cd of his violin concertos, a tape of his famous organ works, all (most?) of his Brandenburgs, a cd of music for piano (eg. Italian Concerto), and a couple of cd's of his Well-Tempered Klavier (harpsichord version - this I found quite mesmerising, rather like Philip Glass). So I did have more of his stuff before, I just haven't felt compelled to buy these things again. The main reason is that I always seem to "bump into" old J.S. when listening to the radio, so I hear his stuff quite often. I'm quite lukewarm on him, don't hate him or love him, but when it comes to Baroque I prefer the Italians or Handel. I feel there's more "warmth" there, but obviously this is highly subjective.

I suppose it is true that I have probably heard less Schoenberg than you, St. Luke's. Unfortunately, not much of his music is played on radio, even the less conservative 2mbs-fm that I listen to. I have the _Violin Concerto_, _Chamber Symphony No. 2_ & _Moses und Aron_. I also remember borrowing his_ Perriot Lunaire_ from the library years back. I like Schoenberg, but I'm more interested in his "children" like Berg, Lutoslawski, Carter.

Thanks FSharp for your recommendations, I have been thinking of getting Nancarrow & Balada as well. I'm glad that the second Guarneri piano concertos cd is now available.

Yes, Graeme, I am going to more and more concerts. Two this weekend, and in May I went to about 5 in all. I really enjoy them, they are a highlight of my life. No matter how good a recording is, it's only a reproduction, and the best thing is to see music done live.

I didn't list my LP collection, which is smaller, but I do have Sibelius' _Oceanides, Symphony No. 7_ & _Pelleas & Melisande_ as well as Stravinsky's _Firebird Suite_. I've never been a huge fan of either of these guys, but I do plan to get Sibelius' symphonies 4-7 on cd and maybe some of Stravinsky's serial works as well.

Composers who I want to get more cd's of are Lutoslawski, Shostakovich (the chamber works cd Conor mentioned on the piano trios thread), Ives (symphonies, chamber works), Copland (his serial works especially), Schumann (piano works especially), Philip Glass, Prokofiev (piano sonatas especially), Boulez. There are of course other composers whose works I don't own as yet, but whom I have come across in concerts or on radio or by reading about them, people like Xenakis, Reich, Gerhardt, Birtwistle, Murail, Lachenmann, etc. I also want to greatly expand my early music/Renaissance collection & get more organ works as well...


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## Air

Your Bach collection is severely lacking, but I envy the general eclecticism. And I'm glad to see a lot of C20th piano repertoire in there!


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## Edward Elgar

Whoa! I wouldn't want contemplate how much all that would have set me back!

Saying that, it's got to be money well spent!


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## Huilunsoittaja

Seeing that, I wouldn't call you a dilettante. I'm much more of one, since I only have about 30 CDs worth of music (including just downloads). And you would also consider my collection much less eclectic than what you have here.


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## Sid James

Thanks for all of your kind & encouraging comments. I appreciate it. I was expecting a lot of flack re J.S.Bach, it's true he's really missing, but I do intend to get more of his stuff later, it's just on the back-burner for now. There was a concert here in Sydney I missed a few months back, they played all of his Brandenburgs, I'm really sorry I missed that.

I suppose I'm kind of a dilettante in that I don't read music or play any instruments. I have friends who do, and my mother is very musical, but a hand injury has meant she rarely plays nowadays (it was a hobby). I have a composer friend who has introduced and encouraged me to explore the world of C20th classical. I have another friend & we go to classical concerts together here in Sydney. He's more into the older stuff, I'm into the newer, but we have learnt a lot from listening to eachother's collections. He was a big collector in the 80's & 90's.

Yes, I am eclectic. Going to the cd shop, I have bought things like Brahms & Boulez on the same day! I enjoy the huge variety of styles and eras in classical & I like to read about the composer's lives. I have also gotten into genres like solo piano, organ (a bit) and choral, things that I wasn't that interested in in the past.

I rarely make impulse buys & tend to read up on the works that I buy before purchasing them. So my collection is "built to last." But I'm really getting into listening to radio & going to live concerts, I want to move out of my "comfort zones" constantly. There's so much happening here in Sydney, every weekend there is an interesting gig to go to (I don't always have the money, but I go when I can). Music is a HUGE part of my everyday life, I don't know what I'd do without it...


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## HarpsichordConcerto

Andre,

In random, based on what I read from everyone and you above:-

Handel spent four years in Florence, Italy (1706 to 1710) under the patronage of Tuscany's powerful aristocracies, including ecclesiastical aristocracies. These families were great patrons of the arts, making Italy the artistic capital of the world, back then. Handel infused himself with the Italian style, which he kept for the rest of his composing life. He definitely wrote music to entertain, accessibly so. One doesn't need to be a fugue connoisseur to appreciate his music, as one might need to be to really get into J. S. Bach's music, for example. Handel's cantatas from these early years excelled those of Bach's in terms of the variety of emotions encapsulated. That probabbly helps to explain why you find the Italian-ness in Handel's music quite warm? 

I find your approach to not acquiring some CD's because those works are often broadcasted on radio interesting, too. Most of us (me included) after hearing some impressive piece (whether or not a commonly broadcast piece) would want to rush out to buy/download the recording, and thus end up with a collection. Unfortunately, these days I don't listen to much radio. If I want to listen to a piece, then I usually end up buying a CD of it. When I do listen to radio, I often switch between ABC-FM and 2MBS-Fm but the quality of the reception could be better at times, which irritates me.  It's simply far to easy/lazy of me, to put on a CD and to order them via the internet. 

Thanks for the Guarnieri piano concertos. You'll be pleased to know Naxos has released the other CD instalment only last month, May 2010! (Naxos is a wonderful label, because it's so cheap, it's worth spending a few dollars for the sake of exploring unknown composers, whatever the era/period).


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## Sid James

That's interesting that Handel lived in Tuscany, because that area (if I am not mistaken) was where Verdi & Puccini spent much time as well (they may have been from there originally as well?). Anyway, seeing the Tuscan landscape in the episode on those two composers in the series Classical Destinations makes me understand the warmth & sunnyness of Handel's music (particularly his vocal works). I will almost definitely go to see Messiah at the end of the year, I'll probably save the money starting now. I am hugely impressed by that massive work, it's a masterpiece, yet written in only a few weeks, if I'm not mistaken. The man was a genius. Seeing Beethoven's _Choral Symphony_ live just yesterday made me realise what a huge influence Handel was on him. Handel & the Italians are the composers I like most from the Baroque.

Obviously I listen to the radio because it's impossible to own everything. I can enjoy the vast collection of the radio station for free (but I plan to become a subscriber to 2mbs in Sydney which is not expensive). Reception is wierd, I have two radios & one of them is crap, the other excellent. So it probably depends on the equipment you have. & I will get the Guarneri cd at some stage too...


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## HarpsichordConcerto

Andre said:


> Martinu, B. (Czech)
> -	Piano Concertos 3 & 5; Concertino (Naxos)
> -	Symphonies 1 & 2 (RCA)
> -	Symphony 4; Sinfonietta "La Jolla;" The Frescoes of Piero della Francesca; Double Concerto; Concerto for String Quartet; Sinfonia Concertante; Memorial to Lidice (EMI double)
> -	Sinfonietta "La Jolla" (with Respighi) (Point)


What do you think of Martinu? There have been much interest in his music of late.


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## jhar26

As a fan of the genre I'd say that a little more opera would be nice, but an interesting collection for sure.


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## Sid James

@ Harpsichord Concerto:

I think that with your appreciation of Baroque & classical era music, you'd probably like Martinu. Some jazzy influences, neo-classicism, Czech folklore (obviously), but also a hint of atonality, but not too much. His symphonies were all written in the USA, after he was exiled there after the Nazi invasion of France. There's alot of colour and melody in these symphonies, as well as robust Czech folk themes to boot (but he never makes direct quotations). _The Frescoes of Piero della Francesca_, a late work, is full of vivid and also subtle colours, reflecting these artworks that Martinu saw on a trip to Italy. _Sinfonietta La Jolla_, dedicated to the Californian town in which Martinu lived, is a very lighthearted, witty and gentle work.

An earlier work, written as a response to the Nazi annexation of Czechoslovakia in 1938, was the Double _Concerto for piano and timpani_. This is probably as "atonal" as his music gets, the themes are fragmentary, and I feel that the piano is almost oppressed (sometimes even hushed), symbolising the state of affairs. This was the first work of his that was banned by the Nazis, undoubtedly they understood perfectly what it was about. But it's also very Baroque in a wierd way (probably the structure) and the other two concertos on that set are unashamedly neo-classical, so you'd probably warm to them more. His _Memorial to Lidice _is also a very moving piece, written in memory of that town which was decimated by the Nazis. He quotes Beethoven's 5th symphony at the end - what this exactly means, we'll probably never know. Freedom? Oppression? Hope? Despair? It's a pretty ambigious ending.

The Naxos piano concertos disc is also quite accessible, especially the more romantic & Brahmsian 3rd, while the 5th is more dissonant and Bartokian (but still has a neo-classical feel). The bonus track on the cd, the _Concertino_, is a lighter work than either.

Significant works of his that I don't have are the early Parisian & jazzy _Revue de cuisine _& the haunting_ Field Mass _(maybe his finest work?), composed in memory of the war dead (don't remember which war, though). I have heard these works on radio, they have made an impact, and I want to get them down the track. But I think he was quite an interesting composer, and there's alot of variety in his music.

@ jhar26

I do enjoy opera, but I hardly listen, to either my cd's or the weekly radio opera nights. I prefer the highlights. I kind of gravitate towards the C20th, as with most things, but I would maybe also be interested in hearing something by Monteverdi. From the C19th, I like Verdi & Puccini, Wagner is ok, but I find his operas too long. I suppose I will listen to more opera later & maybe even get some too down the track (Berg's Lulu is on my to-get list, so too Janacek, & maybe Britten & Shostakovich)...


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## Conor71

Great collection Andre, thanks for posting it for us .
I like the diversity in the Composers and the works that are represented and also like your approach to keeping the collection managable - I also trying to keep my collection on a scale that I can listen to and revist everything in it many times as I get a lot of satisfaction from getting to know each piece well.
You have inspired me to catalogue my own collection and I will try to post it here also for everyone to peruse when I have finished .


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## Sid James

Well, I'll be interested to see your catalogue, Conor. I would have liked to include the performers as well, but that would have been a mammoth task, so I only put in the labels. But at least my catalogue gives people a general idea of what I've got on cd.

Today, a classical music cd shop here in Sydney had a week-long sale of three *Naxos* cd's for $20. I went in there just to buy the Crumb cd (I am going to a concert tommorrow were they will play his music, and I'm not highly familiar with it). But I ended up walking out of the shop after buying the following six discs (thought this would be a good place to post them). So I'm kind of stuck in the C20th, but happily so:

*Crumb* - Songs, drones and refrains of death; Quest

*French Organ Music* - Guilmant; Vierne; Charpentier; Langlais; Bonnet; Malengreau; Boellmann; Widor

*French Piano Trios *(Vol. 1) - Debussy, Ravel, Schmitt

*Janacek *- Choruses for male voices

*Lutoslawski* - Sympony 3; Paganini Variations; Paroles Tissees; Les Espaces du Sommeil

*Shostakovich *- String Quartets (Vol. 5) - Nos. 14 & 15


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## mamascarlatti

Your collection is very interesting, especially the 20th century+ section.

Pieces by Philip Glass that I really enjoy are his opera Akhnaten (I don't think you could really choose highlights from this) and his violin concerto.

Another opera you might enjoy is Prokofiev Love of three Oranges - I see you have the suite.


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## Sid James

Thanks for your comments & suggestions, mamscarlatti. The C20th is the era I'm most interested in expanding, but also the early music/Renaissance era as well.

Yes, have heard Glass' _Violin Concerto_, actually borrowed it from the local library a few weeks back (coupled with John Adams'), but I never got a chance to listen to it in full. I've only read about things like _Akhnaten _& _Einstein on the Beach_, but I've never actually heard them. It would be interesting to explore those down the track.

Yeah, I've also been thinking of getting that Prokofiev opera, especially since I like the suite so much. I would also be interested in getting one of the operas of Shostakovich as well, down the track.


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## mamascarlatti

Another Glass piece that I've loved for many years is his collaboration with Ravi Shankar, "Passages", where the two composers work on musical themes presented by the other.


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## Vaneyes

Andre, initially, you've done a number of good things in your collection-building quest--including listening to everybody and buying inexpensive CDs to make "learning the music" easier on finances. 

I would continue along this road, until you are confident that you've developed an ear. Once this day arrives, you can begin the next phase. Which is, buying quality instead of quantity.

As the second phase and subsequent phases begin, you should find yourself eradicating most of what you've currently collected. Embracing a weeding process as soon as possible is a good idea. To hoard is to clutter, both physically and mentally.

Rather than attending a lot of inconvenient and uneventful concerts, I suggest investing in good sounding computer equipment...for listening purposes, not burning.

Browsing CD shops can be pleasurable, but they are restrictive in new & used inventory. For practicality, it's better to utilize Amazon Marketplace.

Good luck in your journey.


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## Sid James

Hi Vaneyes,

As I said, I'm not an "expert" and am virtually a musical illiterate (can't read a score, etc). So the budget labels are good enough for me (and many critics, whose reviews I often read before buying Naxos cd's). I wouldn't say that some of the reissues I've got at budget or mid price on labels like DG, Eloquence, or EMI are less quality than any of the full price recordings. So I think that I do have many good quality recordings. But I also listen to a lot of radio, which is more economical than buying. The classical radio stations have hundreds of thousands of cd's, and I can have access to that in this way. So I am exposed to much more music than just from my collection.

I can't afford to buy expensive computer equipment. I haven't even got a computer. I did the sums, and I just can't afford it, plus internet access. So this will not happen for some time, and I don't really care. I'm ok with the way it is, but obviously this may change in future, when my financial situation improves. But I'm not overtly fussed about it, I'm still highly computer literate, etc.

I would disagree that the concerts I attend are "inconvenient and uneventful." Yes, some ensembles I see are not exactly the Berlin Philharmonic, but who cares? Live music is like a form of therapy for me, it helps me to be in the "present" and more fully engage with the music. & there are some excellent top-class ensembles here in Sydney. I just saw the Kammer Ensemble, with award winnning pianist Stephanie McCallum this weekend, playing works by Crumb and Golijov (she is no second rate pianist, she has made acclaimed recordings of all of Alkan's works for ABC classics). This was an amazing experience, even the best recording cannot replicate this. It's only "canned" music, not the real thing, a reproduction, maybe only 10% of the full experience. So I strongly disagree with you on that point...


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## HarpsichordConcerto

Andre,

You could also point out to member Vaneyes that classical CD recordings are one of those rather unusual items that we can buy where price does not positively correlate with quality. I have many Naxos CDs and many full price CDs; both producing excellent recordings, yet one is significantly less priced than the other (brand new).

Classical music is meant to be enjoyed performed live. That's without a doubt. But for better or worse, technology and economics have meant that we can select tracks from our finger tips with remote controls on which music we want to listen to and acquire. I admit I am very guilty of being lazy; it's all to easy to acquire a recording and to listen to the radio, instead of attending live concerts. But most people I think do make an effort to attend a live concert.

This is the next concert I am attending (only a few hundred metres away from where I am typing this). My favourite local band for obvious reasons. 

http://www.brandenburg.com.au/2010/bookings/concerts/2010-subscription-season/handel-coronation

You seem to like the music of Philip Glass? I admit I have no CD of his music. I might acquire this (just released, too).


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## HarpsichordConcerto

Vaneyes said:


> Rather than attending a lot of inconvenient and uneventful concerts, I suggest investing in good sounding computer equipment...for listening purposes, not burning.
> 
> Browsing CD shops can be pleasurable, but they are restrictive in new & used inventory. For practicality, it's better to utilize Amazon Marketplace.


I disagree on both points.

Attending inconvenient and uneventful concerts? Convenience or the lack of it, is entirely subjective, so I'm not sure what point you are trying to make. Uneventful concerts? A classical concert is an event itself, worth every second of our listening attention (which is not to say all that concerts are of necessarily fine performance).

Why invest in computer equipment for listening purpose? Why not a high-fidelity system?

Finally, your emphasis on "not burning", and your very judgemental comments overall here and in response to me in the _Mature criticism_ thread, strongly suggest to me that you are an employee of a non-Naxos recording company, and or have an economic interest in such.


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## Sid James

Yes, Naxos is pretty good. I have seen many of their recordings highly praised on some classical review sites on the net as well as in hard copy. Thanks for telling me about the Glass SQ's, I will put them on my to-get list, as I've been getting into this genre lately.

& going to the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra may be a possibility. As you know, I like Handel & that would be a great concert to go to (I've seen it on a flier recently). I've been to Angel Place and I like it's intimacy and fine acoustic (I'm sounding a bit like a conessieur here, but it's true!).

I suppose any criticism of my collection, like that of Vaneyes, is valid. When you put stuff like this out there, you are likely to get quite critical views. I'm glad Mirror Image isn't here, because he would have shot me out of the water. He'd say something like it's lacking, and that he has 5000 cd's or whatever, and that he is the best, etc. That's a bunch of elitist BS coming from a guy who doesn't listen to radio or go to concerts. I'd hate to be like that, really.

Because of my budget, I prefer to buy reissues & Naxos. But I agree with you Harpsichord. I mean, I was listening to mezzo soprano Christa Ludwig's classic 1950's/60's Mahler recordings on EMI Encore (I got it for $10). I seriously doubt whether any better recordings of such repertoire has been made, surely this is the benchmark? But I have also purchased things on full-price labels that I wouldn't get on budget or mid-priced labels, like Ligeti (on Wergo) and Partch (on Sony/Innova). I do plan to get more things like that, but only sporadically. I think that there are many fine quality reissues and budget discs that are more affordable, of a high quality, and therefore a good choice for me.

But basically, to access other good interpretations, I often listen to the radio & also borrow cd's from my local library. It's all about variety, and you can't own everything.

& about "weeding" - I did a major weed out of virtually everything I owned in 2000 and seriously regret it. Many of those recordings are now out of print. Things that one might think as insignificant in one decade may be seen otherwise in the next. I had some mono recordings that I really regret getting rid of. Philips had an excellent historical series that I had quite a few of, and they're now out of print. So I won't weed, because I fear making the same mistake again.


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## Earthling

Andre said:


> & about "weeding" - I did a major weed out of virtually everything I owned in 2000 and seriously regret it. Many of those recordings are now out of print. Things that one might think as insignificant in one decade may be seen otherwise in the next.


Ditto. That's terrible mistake I've made before.  At most it is best to keep those CDs you haven't listened to in a long time or appear to have lost interest in kept or stored elsewhere. That way you can always pull it back out when your interest in a particular piece revives later.


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## rojo

Nice collection, Andre. 

I notice you've got Respighi's Trittico Botticelliano. The Birth of Venus is among my favourites. I enjoy the ascending pattern. Very uplifting.


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## Sid James

Yes, rojo, the Respighi _Trittico_ is a very evocative piece. The only other piece I've got by him is his neo-Baroque _Suite for organ and strings_. I've also heard his pines, fountains & festivals of Rome (a friend's Telarc recording). I think they will play the _Pines _later on in the year at a concert which I want to go to. He was definitely an interesting composer, especially for eschewing writing opera in Italy, a country mad about opera...


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## rojo

Indeed. I don't know much about Respighi. I first heard the Trittico on the radio, and was smitten by it's beauty. Other pieces he has written haven't impressed me as much, but that may change.

I wonder why he chose not to get into writing opera.


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## joen_cph

> I wonder why he chose not to get into writing opera.


On behalf of Respighi: he doesn´t agree, _veramente_, since he wrote nine of them !


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## rojo

Hmm, I guess I best be doing more researching and less wondering in that case.

Thanks for setting the record straight, joen_cph.


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## Sid James

Well I seem to remember that they said on the TV series _Classical Destinations_ that Respighi didn't write any operas (if my memory serves me correctly?)...


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## joen_cph

Well, I suppose you agree that the radio hosts cannot always be trusted these days, especially when the old school of scholarship is declining. I remember one of the hosts of the official Danish classical radio pronounced Charles Ives as "Yves" the _French_ way when presenting his music ... Another classic is talking about the well-known composer "_Sing-Sing_" ...


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## mamascarlatti

Are these operas ever performed? I could only find one recording, of Lucrezia, on Amazon.


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## joen_cph

Wikipedia lists these:

_Re Enzo (1905)
Semirâma (1909)
Marie Victoire (completed in 1913, but not produced until 2004)
La bella dormente nel bosco (1922)
Belfagor (1923)
La campana sommersa (1927)
Maria Egiziaca (1932)
La fiamma (1934)
Lucrezia (1937) (completed posthumously by his wife, Elsa, and his pupil Ennio Porrino)_

I know that "La Fiamma" has been quite popular. Most likely they have all been recorded, but they might not be easily available right now. I know there´s also an orchestral suite from Belfagor recorded, by the Marco Polo label, as far as I remember. Italian opera is not a subject I know much about, except from titles, but I like Respighi a lot, including the lesser known works such as the concerti and the "Metamorphosis", the "Belkis"-Suite (the chandos recording by Geoffrey Simon is one of the most spectacular orchestral recordings !) etc.

By the way, I´m delighted that Wikipedia also mentions that Respighi was not pro-fascist, as has been maintained, but began to criticize their system during his later years and helped Toscanini, for example. Didn´t know that.


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