# Please critique my shopping list & current collection



## huh (Feb 6, 2013)

Hello All Members. I have been lurking here for quiet a while. I never thought I would be into classical. I don't know how I got into and became even passionate about it. I guess the music I used to listen to don't really relate to me anymore. A year ago, I couldn't even finish listening to the 1st movement of Beethoven's 5th. But now, I pretty much can sit through Carmen without getting tired. So on a impulse, I threw away all my old music and started buying classical from amazon. Thanks to you all, I have learnt a lot from your discussions. I feel that it is time for me to build a small but well-rounded collection. So in the meantime, also to stay in budget, I don't want to buy repeats unless absolutely necessary.  Some of the stuff (about 20 albums mostly Bach, Mozart & Beethoven ) I have already bought. Please give your two cents. Thanks. 

Monteverdi
Vespers of 1610 - Pearlman

Telemann
Tafelmusik 

Corelli
12 Concerti grossi, op. 6 - Pinnock


Handel:
Messiah - Pinnock
Water Music - Savall
Rinaldo - Bartoli

Vivaldi
The Four Seasons - Marriner
Gloria Magnificat - Alessandrini
Vivaldi Arias - Jaroussky

Bach
Cello Suites - Rostropovich
- Fournier
Brandenburg Concerti & Orchestral Suites - Pinnock
Brandenburg Concerti - Pearlman
Violin Concerti - Szeryng
Sonatas & Partitas for Solo Vioin - Szeryng
The Goldberg Variations (Both Versions) - Gould
Inventions & Sinfonias - Gould
English Suites - Schiff
French Suites - Schiff
The Well-Tempered Clavier I & II - Schiff
The Art of Fugue - Emerson Quartet
Organ Works (Single Disc) - Walcha
Mass in B minor - Gardiner
St. Mattew Passion - Gardiner
Cantatas - Lieberson

Haydn
The Creation - Karajan
Nelson Mass - Decca Legend
Three Favorite Concerti
Lodon Symphonies Vol. I & II - Davis
Paris Symphonies - Davis 
String Quartets op.76 - Takacs String Quartet

Mozart
Don Giovanni - Giulini
Le Nozze di Figaro - Jacob
The Magic Flute - Bohm
Wind Concerti - Bohm
The Great Piano Concerti Vol. I - Brendel
The Piano Concerti - Uchida
The Piano Sonatas - Eschenbach
The Last 6 Symphonies - Bohm
Symphonies 38-41 - Mackerras
Violin Concerti - Philips Duo (Grumiaux)
Violin Sonatas - Barenboim & Perlman
String Quartets Nos. 14-23 - Alban Berg Quartet
Complete Quintets Vol. I & II
Gran Partita - Mackerras
Serenade - Bohm
Great Choral Works - Philips duo (Davis)
Requiem - Bohm

Beethoven
Symphonies Nos. 5 & 7 - Kleiber
Symphony No.6 - Bohm
Symphony No.9 - Fricsay
Symphony No.9 - Furtwangler 1954
The Symphonies - Karajan (SACD)
The Symphonies - Gardiner
The Symphonies - Klemperer
The Piano Sonatas - Giles
The Piano Sonatas - Kempff
The Late Piano Sonatas - Pollini
The Piano Concerti - Perahia
The Piano Concerti - Gulda
Piano Concerti Nos. 4 & 5 - Kempff
Violin Concerto - Heifetz
Violin Concerto - Schneiderhan
Violin Sonatas - Oistrahk
Complete String Quartets - Takacs Quartet
The Piano Trios - Beaux Arts Trio
Cello Sonatas - Richter & Rostropovich


Schubert: 
Symphony No.8 - Kleiber
Symphonies Nos. 8 & 9 - Bernstien
Complete Symphonies - Blomstedt
"Death & the Maiden& & "Trout"
The Late String Quartets - Emerson Quartet
Piano Sonatas - Kempff
Impromptus - Perahia
Piano Trios - Philips Duo
Arpeggione Sonata - Rostropovich
Complete Lieder - Fischer-Dieskau

Schumann
The Symphonies - Bernstein
Piano Concerto - Richter
Piano Concerto - Zimmerman
Chamber Music - EMI
Dichterliebe - Wunderlich
Kinderszenen - Horowitz
Carnaval; Kinderszenen; Waldszenen - Arrau

Brahms 
The Symphonies - Karajan
The Piano Concerti - Gilels
Brahms & Tchaikovsky Violin Concerti - Heifetz
Double Concerti - Heifetz
Mendelssohn & Brahms Violin Concerti - Mutter
Ein Deutsches Requiem - Karajan
21 Dances - Abbado
Works for Solo Piano - Katchen
Complete Chamber Music (DG)

Mendelssohn:
5 Symphonies & 7 Overtures - Abbado
A Midsummer Night's Dream - Decca Legend
Violin Concerto & Bruch violin Concerto - Perlman

Chopin
Rubinstein Plays Chopin (Boxset)
Preludes, Sonata No.3 & Etudes - Sokolov
Etudes - Pollini
Waltzes - Lipatti
Preludes - Cortot
Ballades - Zimmerman
Scherzi - Pogol
10 Mazurkas - Michelangeli
Mazurkas - Fou Ts'ong 
24 Preludes & Sonata No.2 - Argerich
The Legendary 1965 Recording - Argerich
Piano Concerti - Zimmerman

Liszt
Piano Concerti - Richter
Hungarian Rhapsodies - Leslie
Piano Sonata in B minor - Zimmerman
Piano Sonata in B minor - Argerich
A Faust Symphony - Bernstein

Wagner 
Overtures - Karajan
The Ring Cycle - Solti
Tristan & Isolde - Furtwangler
Parsifal - Karajan

Dvorak
Cello Concerto - Rostropovich
Symphony No.9 - Solti
Symphony No.9 - karajan
Symphony No.9 - Reiner
Symphonies 8 & 9 - Kubelik 
The Symphonies - Kertesz
Brahms & Dvorak Piano Quintets - Rubinstein

Tchaikovsky
Ballet Suites - Rostropovich
Symphonies 4-6 Mravinsky
The Symphonies - Jansons
Piano Concerto No.1 - Cliburn
Piano Concerto No.1 - Richter 
1812 Overture - Mercury Living Presence
Violin Concerto - Oistrakh
Violin Concerto - Perlamn
Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, Borodin String Quartets - Emerson String Quarete

Rachmaninoff
The Symphonies - Ashkenzy
The Concerti - Ashkenazy
The Preludes - Ashkenazy
Piano Concerto No.3 - Argerich

Debussy
Orchestral Music - Haitink
Preludes & Images - Michelangeli
Debussy & Ravel String Quartets
Complete Piano Works - Bavouzet
Sandrine Piau - Debussy: Mélodies


Ravel
Orchestral Works - Martinon
Piano Concerto - Michelangeli

Bruckner
The Symphonies - Wand
The Symphonies - Karajan
Symphony No.4 - Jochum
Symphony No.9 - Giulini

Mahler
The Symphonies - Bernstein (DG)
Symphony No.2 - Zubin
Symphony No.2 - Rattle
Symphony No.4 - Reiner
Symphony No.5 - Barbirolli
Symphony No.5 - Karajan
Symphony No.8 - Solti
Symphony No.9 - Karajan
Das Lied von der Erde - Walter

Sibelius 
Violin Concerto - Heifetz
Complete Symphonies Vol. I & II - Davis

Holst
The Planets - Metha
The Planets & Struass Sprach Zarathustra - Steinberg

Strauss
Also Sprach Zarathustra - Karajan
Also Sprach Zarathustra - Reiner
Four Last Songs - Szell & Schwarzkopf
Eine Alpensinfonie - Karajan
Der Rosenkavalier - Karajan
Salome - Solti
Elektra - Solti

Strauss Jr.
19 Waltzes - Boskovsky
Die Fledermaus - Karajan 

Berlioz
Symphony Fantastique - Munch

Bartok
The String Quartets - Emerson String Quartet
Concerto for Orchestra - Reiner

Rossini
Il Barbiere di Siviglia - Abbado
Overtures - Marriner

Puccini
La Boheme - Freni
Madame Butterfly - Scotto
Turandot - Pavarotti & Sutherland 
Tosca - Callas 

Bizet
Carmen - Abbado

Verdi
Requiem - Karajan
Rigoletto - Pavarotti & Sutherland
Aida - Price
La Traviata - Cotrubas & Domingo

Bellini
Norma - Callas

Leoncavallo
I Pagliacci - Karajan

Mascagni
Cavalleria Rusticana - Karajan

Donizetti
L'Elisir d'Amore - Pavarotti 

Gershwin
An American in Paris - Reiner

Copland
Appalachian - Bernstein

Prokofiev
Romeo and Juliet - Mazzel
Symphony 1 & 5 - Karajan
Peter and Wolf - Rossi
Piano Concerto No.3 - Argerich
Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Webern - Pollini

Stravinksy
The Rite of Spring & 'Petrouchka" - Boulet
The Rite of Spring & The Firebird Suite - Bernstein

Shostakovich
Symphony 5 & 9 - Haitink
The String Quartets - Fitzwilliams String Quartet
Symphony No. 10 - Karajan
Violin & Cello Concerti - Oistrakh & Rostropovich
24 Preludes - Ashkenazy

Rimsky-Korsakov
Scheherazade - Renier
Snow Maiden, Sadko, Tsar Saltan, etc - Schwarz

Vaughan Williams
The Lark Ascending - Marriner 

Elgar 
Cello Concerto - Du Pre

Carl Orff 
Carmina Burana - Jochum

Faure
Requiem - Dutoit
Melodies - Souzay, Baldwin & Ameling

Opium: Mélodies francaises - Jaroussky

Villa-Lobos:
Complete Music for Solo Guitar - Kraft


Essential Guitar 33 Guitar Masterpieces


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## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

Greetings, huh.

I think your list could use more 20th century compositions.
Since you say you can now endure operatic singing, George Enescu's 1931 opera _Oedipe_ is one I recommend.
There's a version on Naxos, so that shouldn't disrupt your budget too much:










Other early 20th century/late-romantic composers who you might wish to investigate include Vincent d'Indy, Florent Schmitt, Josef Suk, Ernest Bloch, Karol Szymanowski, Villa-Lobos, Bohuslav Martinu & Arthur Honegger for starters.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

You have heeded absolutely none of my recommendations.


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## huh (Feb 6, 2013)

Hi, Prodromides. That is very spot on. I like villa-Lobos's guitar works. I have seen Martinu's symphonies in local libraries as well. I will give them a try. As for the other composers you mentioned, I don't have any knowledge of. Could recommend some of their best works. Budget is not a problem. Many Thanks.


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## huh (Feb 6, 2013)

That is very funny. Hilltroll72. Is it the fact I am buying too much at a time? I have sampled a lot of them from local libraries, So I know what I am buying. Or that there are better recordings? Please enlighten me. Thanks.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

Osmo Vänskä for Sibelius.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

huh said:


> That is very funny. Hilltroll72. Is it the fact I am buying too much at a time? I have sampled a lot of them from local libraries, So I know what I am buying. Or that there are better recordings? Please enlighten me. Thanks.


There are performances and performers _I_ like better, in some cases much better. That has little or no bearing on your likes/dislikes though. I was amused by _none_ of 'my people' being on your list - hence the . My tastes aren't particularly outre, so... a complete shutout?

Carry on as you were, _huh_, you're doing OK.

BTW seems like your moniker should have punctuation - a ? 0r a ! would be good.


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## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

Sure, huh.

Honegger: Symphony No.3 (no specific version; sample any one that may be available)
Szymanowski: Violin Concerto Nos. 1 & 2 (they're stylistically different. Perhaps you will like one or the other - or both.)
Bloch: Both _Schelomo_ and _Voice In The Wilderness_ are for cello & orchestra. Sample any recording you can find. FYI: this is the CD that I like most:










Suk: _The Ripening_ tone poem
Schmitt: suites from his _Antony & Cleopatra_
d'Indy: Jour d'Ete a la Montagne


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

Your list is a decent foundation of the core repertoire. A few alternatives/additions:

Monteverdi- Vespers of 1610 (Vespro della Beata Vergine): Pearlman, Boston Baroque

Handel- Water Music/Royal Fireworks- Jordi Savall (absolutely brings this old warhorse to life)
Italian Cantatas: Delirio: Natalie Dessay

Vivaldi- Gloria: Rinaldo Alessandrini and Concerto Italiano

J.S. Bach- Cantatas 140 & 147: Gardiner
Cantatas for Alto, Cantata for Bass, etc...: Philippe Herreweghe

Haydn- The Creation: Karajan or Gardiner

Mozart- Don Giovanni - Giulini (Yes!... with Krips as a great second)
Le Nozze di Figaro - Solti (No. Giulini, Bohm, Erich Kleiber, or Jacobs)
The Magic Flute - Bohm (A good choice... but Klemperer would be my first choice)

Beethoven 9th: Karajan 1962 or Ferenc Fricsay

Liszt: The Two Piano Concertos; The Piano Sonata by Sviatoslav Richter/Kiril Kondrashin- Essential!

Wagner-
Tristan & Isolde- Karajan 1972 and Furtwangler
Parsifal- Karajan and Knappertsbusch

Tchaikovsky- Piano Concerto no. 1: Van Cliburn w/ Kondrashin

Debussy- Melodies/Gérard Souzay
Sandrine Piau - Debussy: Mélodies

Faure- Requiem: Charles Dutoit
Melodies: Gerard Souzay, Dalton Baldwin, Elly Ameling

Opium: Mélodies francaises by Philippe Jaroussky

Mahler- Symphony no. 2: Sir Simon Rattle/City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Chorus (1990)
Symphony 4- Reiner
Symphony 5- John Barbirolli
Symphony 8- Solti!
Symphony 9- John Barbirolli
Das Lied von der Erde- Kathleen Ferrier/Bruno Walter

Strauss- Four Last Songs; 12 Orchestral Songs: George Szell/Elizabeth Schwarzkopf
Salome- Georg Solti/Birgit Nilsson
Elektra- Georg Solti/Birgit Nilsson
Der Rosenkavalier- Karajan/Schwarzkopf

Strauss Jr.-19 Waltzes: Willi Boskovsky
Die Fledermaus by Karajan, Schwarzkopf, Gedda

Shostakovitch- Violin Concerto, Op. 99; Cello Concerto, Op. 107: Rostropovich and Oistrakh
24 Preludes & Fugues, Op. 87: Vladimir Ashkenazy 

Rimsky-Korsakov- Snow Maiden, Sadko, Tsar Saltan, etc... Gerard Schwarz/Seattle- 3 Naxos discs

Ravel- Orchestral Works: Jean Martinon
Piano Concerto- Benedetti Michelangeli


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## huh (Feb 6, 2013)

huh, huh, huh? That is a good one.


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## huh (Feb 6, 2013)

Thanks, Prodromides. I will check them out.


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## Novelette (Dec 12, 2012)

You need some more Berlioz. My personal recommendations are:


La Damnation de Faust -- Bryn Terfel, Anne Sofie Von Otter, Etc.; Myun-Whun Chung: Philharmonia Orchestra
Harold in Italy, Op. 16 -- Wolfram Christ; Lorin Maazel: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Les Nuits d'Eté, Op. 7 & Berlioz: La Mort de Cléopâtre -- Daniel Barenboim: Orchestre de Paris
Roméo et Juliette, Symphonie dramatique, Op. 17 -- Riccardo Muti: Philadelphia Orchestra
Les Troyens - Colin Davis: London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus


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## huh (Feb 6, 2013)

Hi, Stlukesguildohio. Thanks for the list. I think I will add or substitute the following to my list.

Monteverdi- Vespers of 1610 
Handel - Water Music Jordi Savall (Somehow, I feel this is a better version than the Marriner's I sampled)
Vivaldi - Gloria 

Don Giovanni ( I think I will stick with one first)
Le Nozze di Figaro - Jacobs? maybe

Beethoven - the 9th (I think the Karajan rendition is included in the SACD box set)
Fricsay (added)

Liszt Piano Concerti (Richter instead of Zimmerman then)

Wagner Tristan & Isolde - (Furtwangler instead of Bohm)
Parsifal- Karajan (Added)

Opium - (Added, I love Jaroussky's voice)

All the Mahler Recordings you mentioned.

I bought Van Cliburn's classic recording, I read that he just passed away. RIP

Strauss: Four Last Songs (Walter added, Karajan deleted)
Salome & Electra - Solti (Added)
Der Rosenkavalier (Added)

Strauss Jr. Waltzes - Boskovsky (Added, The Best of Vienna deleted)
Die Fledermaus - Karajan (added)

Shostakovich Violin & Cello Concerti (Added)
24 Preludes - Ashkenazy (Added)

Rimsky-Korsakov 3 Naxos Discs (Added)

Ravel - Martinon 2 Discs (Added, Karajan's Deleted)
Piano Concerto - Michelangeli (Added)


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## huh (Feb 6, 2013)

Thanks, ComposerofAvantGarde. I will check out his Sibelius symphonies. I might want to get a second set in the future.


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## huh (Feb 6, 2013)

Thanks Novelette. I will give them a try.


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## peeyaj (Nov 17, 2010)

@huh

You should add some Schubert on your list. Here are my recommendations



















and










I have chosen the Brendel CD because it contains Moment Musicaux. I prefer Murray Perahia's interpretation of these gems. Good luck.


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## huh (Feb 6, 2013)

Hi, Peevaj. I love Perahia's Schubert. So I will get his Impromptus. I don't care it is incomplete. I guess you are a schubert expert. Which one would you recommend, for Schubert's Wandere-Fantasie, Curzon, Perahia, or Pollini?


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## peeyaj (Nov 17, 2010)

huh said:


> Hi, Peevaj. I love Perahia's Schubert. So I will get his Impromptus. I don't care it is incomplete. I guess you are a schubert expert. Which one would you recommend, for Schubert's Wandere-Fantasie, Curzon, Perahia, or Pollini?


None. Richter is the best.  Richter interpretation is so powerful that I want to jump in my seat at the end of fourth movement.  These two are made in heaven.


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

No Telemann, CPE Bach or Corelli? I suggest these recordings.


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## Wanderer (Mar 8, 2013)

I'm a big Karajan homer, but I really do not like his Mahler. Bernstein is great. I recommend looking at Chailly's Mahler 3rd, and really any other Chailly Mahler recording (some don't care for them, but I feel they're some of the best)


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## huh (Feb 6, 2013)

Hi, Neoshredder. I like music from Mozart to Mahler more. Baroque isn't easy to listen to. I could get lost easily. It feels more like background music to me. I really like Gould's Bach though. Thanks.


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## jani (Jun 15, 2012)

Huh, i don't see Eroica on your list :O


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## huh (Feb 6, 2013)

Hi, Wanderer. I think I will wait. My goal is to build a basic collection first. In the future, I will get more sets of the works that I like. I heard the Bertini set is overall good too. Thanks.


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## huh (Feb 6, 2013)

Hi Jani, I was thinking about giving Szell and the new kid, Damamel, a try. Do you have any recommendations. I am lost in Karajan's 3rd. Thanks


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## huh (Feb 6, 2013)

Peeyaj, What do think about this?


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

*Some suggestions part 1*

I reviewed you list and it is pretty good start.

I saw you had some Vaughan Williams. He composed a lot of great stuff. If you like his music I would consider getting his symphonies.

A composer that has not been recommended yet is the American Samuel Barber. His most famous work is the _Adagio for Strings_.






The atonal/serialist are a bit rough. One either likes it or hates it. I am sixty-six and I could not stand Schoenberg until I was in my fifties. If you want to give them a shot, I think Berg is the most accessible. Maybe his _Violin Concerto_.






One can find some great samples on You Tube to try out.


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

*Some suggestions part 2*

Two of my personal favorites that have not been mentioned you are Benjamin Britten and William Schuman. Even though Schuman is one of my all time favorites he can be inconsistant. His early works are the most popular. His most famous is the New England Tryptich:


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

huh said:


> Hi, Neoshredder. I like music from Mozart to Mahler more. Baroque isn't easy to listen to. I could get lost easily. It feels more like background music to me. I really like Gould's Bach though. Thanks.


The ones I mentioned are easy to listen to.  Here are samples from each cd.








And CPE Bach isn't Baroque. He was around the same time Haydn was. Big influence to Mozart btw.


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## peeyaj (Nov 17, 2010)

huh said:


> Peeyaj, What do think about this?
> 
> View attachment 14364
> View attachment 14364


I think its fine. Brendel is generally dependable on Schubert. I found his interpretations dry, but for a casual listener, it doesn't matter. Brendel is one of the most popular Schubertians after all. kempff is a really good choice though.


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

peeyaj said:


> I think its fine. Brendel is generally dependable on Schubert. I found his interpretations dry, but for a casual listener, it doesn't matter. Brendel is one of the most popular Schubertians after all. kempff is a really good choice though.


Yeah this one is highly rated.


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## huh (Feb 6, 2013)

OMG! You are right! I like the fresh sound, very charming and relaxing. It is not overly garnished or pompous like Louis 14th is descending. I don't know about Bach's son though. For symphonies, I like Beethoven and the later composers better.  Thanks!


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## huh (Feb 6, 2013)

Thanks Peeyaj, then it is addded to my list. Oh, I like the Richter's very much. Richter is always very warm.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

If you like Haydn as well as Mozart, CPE Bach would be great too. Real Sturm und Drang pressing forwards to the Romantic era while still firmly in the Classical style.


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## cwarchc (Apr 28, 2012)

If you like piano? you could try
Gymnopédies by Erik Satie, try this one
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/313WASM9XAL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
Which has a good selection of his works


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

you might need more (even funnier) Rossini, such as La pietra del paragone, L'italiana in Algeri, Il turco in Italia and Le Comte Ory.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Some of the major 20th century names not yet included are:

Nielsen - try Symphony 3+5/Bernstein CBS-Sony, Symphony 3, Clarinet Concerto
Janacek - Taras Bulba+Sinfonietta, string quartets, piano works
Scriabin: Piano sonatas; the Ashkenazy budget 2CD set is a good start.
Delius - Florida Suite, North Country Sketches/Handley, chandos label
Schoenberg - Verklärte Nacht, for instance Karajan DG

you need more Vaughan-Williams - such as the 4th Symphony; works for strings including the Tallis Fantasia

Some captivating pieces a bit off the beaten track:

Respighi: Belkis Suite, Metamorphosen/Simon, chandos label
Elgar: Violin Concerto


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## Avey (Mar 5, 2013)

Mendelssohn String Quartet #6.


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## huh (Feb 6, 2013)

Hello Guys! Thanks for all your critiques. I have just purchased the following in addition to the list I put together with help from all of you. 


C.P.E Bach: Symphonies; Cello Concertos - Leonhardt


Berlioz
I don't want to wait for Davis' expansive set. So I bought the following

La Damnation de Faust - Chung
Harold in Italy, Op. 16 - Gardiner
Les Nuits d'Eté, Op. & Handel Arias - McGegan
Les Troyens - Davis 

Thanks, Novelette!

Schumann

Dichterliebe - Fischer-Dieskau (Baritone, somehow I like lieder sung by Baritones better)

Dvorak
Cello Concerto & Bloch - Fournier 

Mendelssohn
Complete String Quartets, Quintets, Sextets & Octet - Brilliant Classics

Elgar 
Symphonies 1 & 2 / Cockaigne Overture / Sospiri - Tate & LSO
Cello Concerto - du pre & barenboim (classic performance)
Violin Concerto - Kennedy & Rattle

Delius 
Delius Edition - Mackerras 

Vaughan Williams
Boxset: Symphonies & etc- Haitink

Britten
Serenade for Tenor - Bostridge

Bernstein - The Symphony Edition 100 dollars!

Karajan 1960s Boxset

Horowitz 
Complete Masterworks Recordings, 1962-1973

Richter
Pianist of the Century 

Heifetz
Heifetz Plays Great Violin Concertos (20 dollars! Ridiculous!)

The Decca Sound (Boxset)

Pavarotti: The Best (Farewell)

Sutherland: The Art of the Prima Dona

The Very Best of Maria Callas

EMI 100 - Ballet 

Decca Ultimate Strauss Family - Boskovsky (Much better deal. Isn't it?)
(I took off the 19 Waltzes by Boskovsky) 

The Essential Sibelius (Since so many of you like this, I would just get it)


Thanks all for you help. I wish you all the best!


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## Bone (Jan 19, 2013)

Wish I had started out so well: I bet I've been thru 1000's of recordings trying to find "the best" (especially when I lived in California and went to Amoeba used records in Berkley all the time). 

For the Sibelius violin concerto, Cho-Liang Lin is my fave. On the same disc is a wonderful version of the Nielsen concerto - and his symphonies (San Francisco and Blomstedt are tops) are well worth your time.

For Bruckner, try Celibadache for the 4th symphony. Also, if your HvK Bruckner doesn't include his late recording of #8 with Vienna, get it immediately!!

Finally, let me ring my Kleiber bell for his recording of Brahms 4. Absolutely perfect (and then go on youtube and watch him doing Brahms 2 with Vienna - chills just thinking about it).

You are so lucky to have this forum as a resource. I learn something new everytime I come here.


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## huh (Feb 6, 2013)

Hi Bone, I heard Wand's 8th is also a great one. Somehow, Brahms' symphonies don't work for me, neither do his piano concertos. I like his chamber, Violin Concertos much better. But I feel this 4th you recommended is a good one, so I will give it a try. I like Heifetz's Sibelius very much. Yes, I am very lucky to see all you experts bickering who and why what is the best.


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## Guest (Mar 10, 2013)

As one who got into classical music from a cold start only a few years ago, I can certainly empathize.

A couple of remarks off-hand - for a newbie, your collection is fairly heavy on opera. I would suggest making sure you really like opera before buying a lot of stuff that you might soon abandon. Also, there's a very good argument for buying operas on DVD instead of CD. I assume you can get subtitles on the DVD which let you follow the libretto. Plus you get the visual element.

Second, your collection seems tilted toward symphonies. I would recommend that you add a bit more chamber music, particularly violin sonatas, cello sonatas, and combinations with flute, harp, clarinet, etc. Also at least some solo piano. Some people love string quartets (I don't). Regardless, you may find that you like one of these other formats better than the full-bore symphonic wall of sound.

Third, I think you could better balance your collection between core Germanic composers and more peripheral music traditions. There's a lot of easily accessible beauty in Spanish, Russian, French, Latin American, and even Asian classical music. Again, you may find you like this stuff better than those stuffy Germans. One of the best purchases I ever made was Villa-Lobos' Bachianas Brasileiras and Choros on BIS, still a bargain ($30) at ClassicsOnline.

I will leave it to others to argue that you should include in your collection more modernist stuff. But surely you can find more love for the late romantics?

The bottom line: it may take a year or two for your likes and dislikes to crystalize. Don't over-commit to a type of music you might not care for too much later.


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## huh (Feb 6, 2013)

Hi, BPS. Thanks for your comment. It is true that I like Symphonies and Concertos better especially Beethoven's; however, my collection includes pretty much all essential chamber works by major composers that I could think of. For examples, I have the Brahms' complete chamber music, Beethoven's complete string quartets, piano trios, piano sonatas, violin sonatas, Schubert's string quartets, quintets, Haydn's string quartets and Mozart's quartets, quintets, piano and violins. The list goes on. As for Solo Piano, I think it is abundant. I have some of the best works from, some of the best pianists of the century, Richter, Rubinstein, Horowitz, Pollini, Zimmerman, Ashkenzy, Gould, Argerich, Cortot, Lipatti, Michelangeli and etc. I say I have spent much on solo piano works.

In terms of vocal music, I like Schubert, Schumann, Verdi and Puccini very much. I have heard all the discs several times already. I still need to warm up to german operas although I like Wagner's music without the singing. As for Opera videos, Youtube is a great source for watching substitutes. You can even find Netrebko's La Traviata of high resolution and Freni & Domingo's Madama Butterfly (not available on CD though) Great! 

I am always open to Latin, French and Russian composers. I like Villa-Lobos and Rodrigo's guitar music. The Decca Sound that I ordered contains many important works from non-german composers. Again, I wanted to purchase the best out there so that I would not throw away or dislike easily. Even if I get tired of Kleiber's Beethoven's 5th or Bohm's Mozart's Last 6 Symphonies or after repeated listen, they would still remain in my collection. Yes, I need to import more works from modern composers which is what I have been trying to work on. 

I can't what is that I like the most yet. But I tend to prefer Bach's cello suites & violin concertos, Mozart's concertos, Brahms & Mendelssohn's chamber Music, Schubert & Schumann's lieder, Verdi & Puccini' Operas, and Mahler & Beethoven's symphonies. And like you said, I am still learning and interests expanding. I might shift to Baroque one day. =)


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

Your choices of both repertoire and recordings are uniformly excellent ! You should also try these other composers, for example Carl Nielsen : symphonies, Blomstedt/Decca. Concertos for violin, flute,
clarinet Schonwandt/Chandos . Orchestral works Dausgaard ,Danish RSO. 
Albert Roussel , 4 symphonies. Spider's Feast ballet, Bacchus&Ariane ballet, Suite in F for orch ,
Mily Balakirev, sym no 1., Islamey, piano or orchestral, Alexander Gazunov, violin concerto, 8 symphonies, 
Ballet, the Seasons . Karol Szymanowski, 4 symphonies, 2 violin concertos, Ballet, Harnsie .
Franz Berwald, 4 symphonies, piano and violin concertos. Wilhelm Stenhammar , 2 symphonies,
2 piano concertos, Sereande in F for orchestra . Sergei Tanyeyev, sym no 4. Oresteia overture .
Ferrucio Busoni, Piano concerto . Reinhold Gliere , sym no 3 "Ilya Murometz ", horn concerto .
Hans Pfitzner, 3 Preludes from opera "Palestrina", violin concerto . Alexander Zemlinsky, Lyric symphony .
Franz Schmidt , sym no 4. Arnold Bax, 7 symphonies, Tintagel. Gheorghe Enescu , 3 symphonies .
Leos Janacek, Taras Bulba, Sinfonietta , Bohuslav Martinu, 6 symphonies . Arthur Bliss, A Color symphony .


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

Like others, I find your collection impressive; very good choices! If you are keen on exploring more Berlioz, you should get his Requiem and Grande symphonie funebre et triomphale. There's an excellent record that includes both of these masterpieces, by Sir Colin Davis.

Also, how about a neglected super masterpiece, the "Christus" oratorio by Liszt? It's not even an acquired taste, just a universal masterwork that should appeal to just about everybody. Get a record by Helmuth Rilling.


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## GGluek (Dec 11, 2011)

You need a Mozart Clarinet Concerto.


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## samurai (Apr 22, 2011)

Hello, huh and welcome to the Forum. Just how much are you able to spend at one shot on music? It almost seems as if you have an unlimited budget to work with.


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## huh (Feb 6, 2013)

Hi, Samurai. I do have a budget. Obviously, it is not couple hundreds. But, I thought the other day, if I could afford a nice book collection, so could I afford a cd collection. I know it is a lot of money; however, it costs much less than a new car.


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## huh (Feb 6, 2013)

Thanks for the list, superhorn. I will check them out.


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## huh (Feb 6, 2013)

hi, Xaltotun. I like Davis' Berlioz. His complete Berlioz is ridiculously expansive, so I am waiting for a new release.


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## huh (Feb 6, 2013)

Hi, GGluek. I would never miss mozart's clarinet concerto or quintet.


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## huh (Feb 6, 2013)

Hello, all members. A news to you all. I have just received the first shipment of the cds I ordered. I am listenning to one of them through my colored and expansive Sennheiser HD650 as I write this post.


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