# Sticky  Your Desert Island Discs



## Air

When you saw the title of this thread, the first thing you probably thought was... are you serious? What are you smoking?

Well, nothing really. The superlatives have been worn out: the best, definitive, beautiful, legendary and most of all... the term 'desert island'.

What I have in mind is something a little different. This is not a subjective, "my desert island discs are better than yours" kind of thread. This is merely the thread to share some of your favorite recordings in order to help others expand their collections. They could be rare, they could be cheap, they could be out of print. They could even be Kleiber's Beethoven 5th. It could be anything, as you feel that it is worthy of sharing. If you feel that it is not, then please refrain. If you are just making a list of well-reputed recordings that really mean nothing to you personally, please refrain as well.

So... there's the common argument that we should never take other people's opinions seriously. Really? One of the main reasons I visit music forums is to help guide what I collect. More than half of the CDs I buy are forum-inspired and the majority of the rest is forum-confirmed. The bottom line is, you don't have to take any other opinions besides your own with more than a grain of salt, but you _can_, and this thread at least makes this resource available to you.

One person may like something that someone else may despise. We've covered this many times. And as far as this thread is concerned, criticizing the tastes of others is not appreciated. However, feel free to commend others for their choices.

A couple guidelines:

1) Don't think of it as a 'Top 10 of all time' thing.
2) Any recording, CD, box set, DVD, SACD, LP, etc. will work.
3) Try to limit your number of choices per post. It is hard to take someone's list seriously if they put down every mildly good recording they've ever heard.

It's _your_ opinion, so enlighten us with _your_ choices!


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## Art Rock

Mahler - Orchestral song cycles with Fischer-Dieskau and Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (Rafael Kubelik) / Berliner Philharmoniker (Karl Böhm).
DG 000289 463 5162 8


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## Taneyev

Tchaikovsky's piano trio op.50, Gilels, Kogan, Rostropovich live.


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## Elgarian

Buying this box of 20CDs led to a series of significant life-changing perceptions and experiences, for me.

See here.


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## Polednice

Good idea!

I probably have quite a few things that I'd like to list, but I'll make sure they come in trickles  Also, it's probably worth emphasising that, for this thread to be most useful, try to refrain from giving any random recording of your favourite _pieces_, and just try to consider the recordings on their own merit! 

So, being a Brahms fanatic, that's where I'll start:

_Ein Deutsches Requiem_: absolutely, positively, Sir Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker.

_Hungarian Dances_: all 21 dances for 4-hand piano (the original!) are best performed by James & Kathryn March.

Symphonies 1-4: always looking for new versions of these, I am still consistently impressed with Bernard Haitink, and he also gives a great performance of the _Tragic Overture_ (London Symphony Orchestra)

I'll leave it there for now


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## Guest

Mahler - Symphony No. 2 - Simon Rattle, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Elgar - Cockaigne Overture, Cello Concerto, Sea Songs - Jacqueline du Pre, Janet Baker, John Barbirolli, London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra
Brahms - Piano Trios Nos. 1 & 2 - Suk, Katchen, Starker
Brahms - Ein Deutsches Requiem - Schwarzkopf, Fischer-Dieskau, Klemperer, Philharmonia Chorus & Orchestra
Beethoven - Symphony No. 9 - I like both Karajan's '62 recording, as well as Gardiner's recording.


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## Jaime77

the brahms violin sonatas played by Suk and Katchen - that is SO beautiful eventho I am not a huge brahms fan.

harnoncourt's beethoven's 9th. it is cheap, it is not perhaps legendary (tho from a terrific set) but it is so exciting 

bach violin concertos played by manze, podger and AAM. this is so good ! it is how baroque music should sound imo. 

bruch violin concerto played by janine jansen. SO passionate. i have heard this work so many times and yet this recording was so fresh and thrilling to me. 

there are more... this aint easy... i will be back


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## xuantu

A very interesting topic, to be sure! My picks would be:

Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3; Nos. 2 & 6 (Yehudi Menuhin conducts Sinfonia Varsovia, Live, WARNER APEX)

Beethoven: Violin Concerto & Romances (Frans Brüggen conducts Orchestra Of The 18th Century, Thomas Zehetmair -- soloist, PHILIPS)

Bartók: Complete String Quartets (Hagen Quartett, DGG)

Bartók: Bluebeard's Castle (István Kertész conducts London Symphony Orchestra, Christa Ludwig & Walter Berry -- soloists, DECCA)

Duparc: Mélodies (François Le Roux & Danielle Borst -- soloists, Jeff Cohen -- piano, REM)

Fauré: La Chanson d'Ève & other songs (Janet Baker -- soloist, Geoffrey Parsons -- piano, HYPERION)

Schubert: The Hyperion Schubert Edition, Vol. 25 Die schöne Müllerin (Ian Bostridge -- soloist, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau -- reader, Graham Johnson -- piano, HYPERION)

Britten: The Red Cockatoo & other songs (Ian Bostridge -- soloist, Graham Johnson -- piano, HYPERION)

Bach: Complete Cello Suites (Jean-Guihen Queyras, HARMONIA MUNDI)

Guqin of the Guangling School (Cheng Gong-liang, HUGO)

----

In general, I am not a enthusiast of symphonic music. Of all the genres, I love art song the most.

----

My collection is small and I am not in a hurry to expand it at the moment, but I have to say that this forum educated me a lot about the things I didn't know. My greatest discovery up till now is Lully's _Cadmus et Hermione_, originally suggested by Elgarian in the thread "Opera on DVD".


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## Weston

I am really fond of Andras Schiff's cycle of Beethoven sonatas with the smudgy covers.









That and Bryden Thomson's Vaughan-Williams _Sinfonia Antartica _on Chandos.









[ETA: the covers]


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## World Violist

Bach: Goldberg Variations (Masaaki Suzuki)
Bernstein: Candide (Bernstein conducts the LSO)
Mahler: Symphony No. 3 (Levine/CSO)
Mahler: Symphony No. 10 (Levine/Philadelphia)
Sibelius: The Wood-Nymph (Vanska/Lahti)
Wagner: Das Rheingold (Solti/VPO)


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## xuantu

Pictures:

Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3; Nos. 2 & 6 (Yehudi Menuhin conducts Sinfonia Varsovia, Live, WARNER APEX)










Beethoven: Violin Concerto & Romances (Frans Brüggen conducts Orchestra Of The 18th Century, Thomas Zehetmair -- soloist, PHILIPS)










Bartók: Complete String Quartets (Hagen Quartett, DGG)










Bartók: Bluebeard's Castle (István Kertész conducts London Symphony Orchestra, Christa Ludwig & Walter Berry -- soloists, DECCA)


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## xuantu

Duparc: Mélodies (François Le Roux & Danielle Borst -- soloists, Jeff Cohen -- piano, REM)










Fauré: La Chanson d'Ève & other songs (Janet Baker -- soloist, Geoffrey Parsons -- piano, HYPERION)










Schubert: The Hyperion Schubert Edition, Vol. 25 Die schöne Müllerin (Ian Bostridge -- soloist, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau -- reader, Graham Johnson -- piano, HYPERION)










Britten: The Red Cockatoo & other songs (Ian Bostridge -- soloist, Graham Johnson -- piano, HYPERION)










Bach: Complete Cello Suites (Jean-Guihen Queyras, HARMONIA MUNDI)










Guqin of the Guangling School (Cheng Gong-liang, HUGO)


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## Air

Bach: Mass in B Minor (Gardiner/Archiv)
Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier (Fischer/EMI)
Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro (Bohm/DG)
Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 21, D. 960 (Richter/Praga)
Schumann: Piano Concerto & Quintet (Serkin/Sony)
Brahms: The Piano Concertos; Fantasia (Gilels/DG)
Mahler: Symphony No. 2 (Mehta/Decca)
Ravel: Daphnis et Chloe (Dutoit/Decca)
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3; Ravel: Piano Concerto, Gaspard (Argerich/DG)
Ligeti: Etudes; Musica Ricercata (Aimard/Sony)


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## Chi_townPhilly

Great idea for a thread, *Air*! 
I think we can take this thread to another level if we participate in the spirit shown in this post:


Polednice said:


> So, being a Brahms fanatic, that's where I'll start:


What a resource this could become! Imagine if we could collate, in one place-

Elgarian- on Elgar
Tapkaara- on Sibelius
Artemis- on Schubert
Post Minimalist- on modern instrument Beethoven
Sorin- on period instrument Beethoven
haydnguy- on Haydn
Our Assistant Administrator- on Mendelssohn

apologies for all of the obvious omissions from this too brief list- but you get my drift--

So here follows my three-purchase recommendation for Wagner:









The best selling _pure_ classical unit of all time!









At the time of this writing, this set is working its way out-of-print, and the price is going up. 
Still, it's less than 4 dollars a disc, and it's STILL worth it.









Sir Georg's Chicago recording. Grammy-winner, Penguin Guide top-rated _Meistersinger_.


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## Polednice

Yay, I get to be a Brahms-man! 

At Air's request, I'm just reiterating the ones I said on the first page so that I can include album covers, and I've added an extra one for now as well:

*Ein Deutsches Requiem*:
View attachment 837

Sir Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Also take a look at the 1955 edition of Rudolf Kempe with the BPO for an older but still moving recording.

*Hungarian Dances*:
View attachment 838

James & Kathryn March (all 21 dances for 4-hand piano - the original version).

*Symphonies 1-4*:
View attachment 839

Bernard Haitink and the London Symphony Orchestra.

*Klavierstucke*:
View attachment 840

Peter Rosel - 5 CDs of Brahms's music for piano solo (Sonatas 1-3, Scherzo Op. 4, Ballades Op. 10, Variations on an Original Theme/Theme by Schumann/Theme by Handel/Theme by Paganini, Rhapsodies Op. 79 and Klavierstucke Op. 76, 116 117, 118 & 119). While there are no doubt some better performances of some of these individual works that I might touch upon, this 5 CD set is unrivalled as a comprehensive modern set of Brahms's piano music.

That's all for now!


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## World Violist

Should I assume I'll be nominated Mahler person (next to Handlebar, of course)? If so...









Symphony No. 2
Bernstein/New York PO (DG)









Symphony No. 3
Levine/Chicago









Symphony No. 6
Levine/Boston SO









Symphony No. 8
Ozawa/Boston SO









Das Lied von der Erde
Fritz Reiner/Chicago SO









Symphony No. 10
Levine/Philadelphia

These are my all-time favorite Mahler recordings.


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## Elgarian

Following CTP's suggestion, here are my Elgar recommendations, though I think they may seem a bit unadventurous and tame. I don't claim to be an Elgar expert - only to have enjoyed a long love affair with his music. I don't rush out and buy every available recording of the major works because by and large I'm happy with the selection I've accumulated over the years. I'm approaching this with the idea that, if I were to lose my entire Elgar collection and had to replace the essentials quickly, what would I do?

First, I'd buy this cheap box set:










Barbirolli is a fine Elgar interpreter and here is a collection of the major orchestral works that will last a lifetime of listening. You get the two symphonies, _Enigma Variations_, _Falstaff_, _Serenade for Strings_, _Introduction and Allegro_, _Cockaigne_, and two classic 'for all time' recordings: Janet Baker singing the _Sea Pictures_, and du Pre's playing the cello concerto. There are other good boxes - Andrew Davis's, for instance - but this is _*the one*_, if I can only have one.

To get the major choral works, I'd choose this companion box by that other great Elgarian, Boult:










This will give you notable recordings of _Gerontius_, _The Kingdom_, and _The Apostles_. It's true that by doing this you miss out on Janet Baker's famous portrayal of the angel (in _Gerontius_) by not choosing the recording she made with Barbirolli; but Boult's _Gerontius_ is a very haunting, 'spiritual' version for all that. You also get the recording of Boult's delightful spoken 'introduction' to Elgar's choral works - invaluable for anyone approaching them for the first time.

You're well on track with these two boxes, but there are still some essentials missing. Half the problem can be solved at a stroke, with this wonderful 2CD set, which I couldn't possibly manage without:










You get all three major chamber works (string quartet, piano quintet, violin sonata) which contain the very essence of late Elgar; and a fine performance of the violin concerto by Hugh Bean. This recording of the violin concerto has been one of my most treasured and inexhaustible musical companions.

Just two more essential recommendations to go. First, this wonderful recording:










You're buying this, *not* for the _Coronation Ode_, which you can easily do without, but for _The Spirit of England_, which is Elgar's most inexplicably undervalued masterpiece. This half-hour recording, conducted by Alexander Gibson and sung with tremendous power and sensitivity by Teresa Cahill and chorus, carries with it all the anguish, strength and hope implicit in the human condition in the face of severest adversity. It's one of the two or three recordings (of music by_ any_ composer) that I simply couldn't manage without. Don't be tempted by other versions. This is *the one* to get.

Finally, to give the lie to the notion that Elgar was burnt out in later life, you really do need a recording of the magnificent third symphony (reconstructed by Anthony Payne):










And there you have it - the essential Elgar for under £50. Of course, instead of these, you could get even better value by buying this:










This 30 CD set includes some (not all) of the recordings I've mentioned and is incredible value for money; but it might be overfacing and, indeed, overkill, for anyone other than an Elgar devotee like myself.

[And here, now, having got this far and about to sign off, I find that I haven't included any of the great man's own recordings of his work! I'd recommend the recording he made with Beatrice Harrison, of the cello concerto. It pops up in various guises on various labels. Naxos currently offer one, for instance.]


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## World Violist

Elgarian said:


> [And here, now, having got this far and about to sign off, I find that I haven't included any of the great man's own recordings of his work! I'd recommend the recording he made with Beatrice Harrison, of the cello concerto. It pops up in various guises on various labels. Naxos currently offer one, for instance.]


Or how about Yehudi Menuhin's glorious violin concerto? That remains my only recording of that work, and it's one of my favorite violin concerti. Though I figure I may well follow your recommendation at some point, when I start looking to Elgar again (I often find myself following Britten's point of view; Elgar can be a little too heart-on-sleeve for my taste).


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## Elgarian

World Violist said:


> Or how about Yehudi Menuhin's glorious violin concerto?


Well yes indeed - an acclaimed alternative. I've left out a lot of wonderful recordings of all kinds, simply to keep the thing manageable. But I do have a very, very soft spot for Beatrice. (I have a photo of her on my computer desktop, playing cello to some doves!)

Elgar: heart-on-sleeve? That makes him seem a bit 'obvious' and I don't find him so myself; but he is, inescapably, a late Romantic and a man of his time.


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## World Violist

Elgarian said:


> Elgar: heart-on-sleeve? That makes him seem a bit 'obvious' and I don't find him so myself; but he is, inescapably, a late Romantic and a man of his time.


I agree that it's a bit of a straitjacket to put on any composer, but that's the first thing that comes to mind for me. In that late Romantic, complex sort of way.

Though I must say I adore many of his orchestral works that I've heard.


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## joen_cph

(In today´s mood):
1. Bruckner 8.Symphony / Haitink, Philips (his first digital recording though, not the others)
2. Pettersson: 2.Violin Cto /Haendel, Blomstedt; the Hoelscher/Daugsgaard is an incoherent disaster. If you don´t know this music, the very grim conflicts of the first half are softened later)
3. Messiaen: des Canyons ... /M.Constant, erato (slightly the best recording, I think ... perhaps ...)
4. Händel: Messiah /Karl Richter
5. Prokofieff: Piano Concerti 4+5 /Krainev,Kitayenko
6. Medtner: Piano Cto 3 /Ponti,Cao
7. Schnittke: Viola Cto /Bashmet
8. Mahler: 10.Symphony / Rattle, or Wigglesworth
9. Mozart: Die Entführung / Solti
10. Bach: Das Wohltemperierte I-II/ Feinberg


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## Air

Chi_townPhilly said:


> Great idea for a thread, *Air*!
> I think we can take this thread to another level if we participate in the spirit shown in this post:What a resource this could become! Imagine if we could collate, in one place-
> 
> Tapkaara- on Sibelius
> Artemis- on Schubert
> Post Minimalist- on modern instrument Beethoven
> Sorin- on period instrument Beethoven
> haydnguy- on Haydn
> Our Assistant Administrator- on Mendelssohn




Great idea! Thanks for your Wagner recommendations, too.


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## Sid James

Some of my favourites:

1. *Piazzolla* - Songs, tangos, Maria de Buenos Aires Suite (Versus Ens., Maria Rey-Joly, Enrique Moratalla, Horacio Ferrer) Naxos

2. *Varese* - Arcana, Offrandes, Integrales, Deserts (Polish NRSO/Lyndon-Gee) Naxos

3. *Carter* - String Quartets Nos. 1 & 5 (Pacifica Q) Naxos

4. *Lutoslawski & Dutilleux* - Cello Concertos (Rostropovich/Orch. de Paris/Lutoslawski/Baudo) EMI

5. *Liszt* - Sonata in B Minor, Funerailles, & works by Chopin, Schumann, Debussy (Horowitz) EMI

6. *Janacek* - Glagolitic Mass, Diary of the One who Disappeared (Haefliger/Lear/Crass/others/Bavarian RSO & Ch./Kubelik) DG

7. *Bartok* - Piano Concertos 1 - 3 (Anton Dikov, piano/Sofia PO/Manolov) Festival

8. *Schnittke* - Piano Quintet, Stille Musik, String Trio (Australian Festival of Chamber Music Ensemble) Naxos

9. *Walton* - Henry V arr. Palmer (Plummer/ASMF & Ch./Marriner) Chandos

10. *Frank Martin *- Petite Symphonie Concertante, 6 Monologues from Everyman, Mass for Double Choir, etc. (ASMF/Marriner/Stockholm Ch. Choir/Jose van Dam/others) EMI

11. *Elena Kats-Chernin* - Wild Swans concert suite, Piano Concerto No. 2, Mythic (Munro/Tasmanian SO/Rudner) ABC classics

12. *Peter Sculthorpe* - Sun Music I-IV, Irkanda IV, Piano Concerto, Small Town (Fogg/Melbourne SO/Hopkins/others) ABC classics


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## tgtr0660

Bruckner's 7th/Karajan/Wiener Ph/DG 

Mahler's 6th/Abaddo/Chicago Sy/DG

Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov/Melik-Pashaev/Petrov et al./Bolshoi Theater Orch/(old USSR label.. the 4 discs that contain this opera are the only vinyls I keep)... 

Too many more to mention... these are some of the first ones in my mind but I could add a lot (certainly my favorite, Bach, probably I'd choose Karajan's Mass in B minor/DG)


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## Air

Andre said:


> 2. *Varese* - Arcana, Offrandes, Integrales, Deserts (Polish NRSO/Lyndon-Gee) Naxos
> 
> 5. *Liszt* - Sonata in B Minor, Funerailles, & works by Chopin, Schumann, Debussy (Horowitz) EMI


The Varese is one of my favorite discs too. The complete version of Deserts is mind-blowing. On the Horowitz disc, how do you like the performance of Schumann's 2nd Piano Sonata?



joen.cph said:


> 5. Prokofieff: Piano Concerti 4+5 /Krainev,Kitayenko
> 6. Medtner: Piano Cto 3 /Ponti,Cao


These are on my wish-list definitely. I've been looking more at Kitajenko's set of symphonies, reputedly excellent, as are his set of piano concerti with Krainev. That is, after I acquire the Berman/Gutierrez set with Jarvi conducting.



Polednice said:


> Yay, I get to be a Brahms-man!


So since you skipped the piano concerti, can I assume you agree with me on my choice of Gilels? 



xuantu said:


> Bartók: Bluebeard's Castle (István Kertész conducts London Symphony Orchestra, Christa Ludwig & Walter Berry -- soloists, DECCA)
> 
> Duparc: Mélodies (François Le Roux & Danielle Borst -- soloists, Jeff Cohen -- piano, REM).


I've been pondering Kertész's Bluebeard for awhile now. Duparc also sounds interesting, you wrote a very informative paragraph on his vocal works awhile ago.



Taneyev said:


> Tchaikovsky's piano trio op.50, Gilels, Kogan, Rostropovich live.


'What a trio of giants' to use an overused term! I assume you mean from this 5CD set? I'll definitely have to check this out as well.


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## Sid James

Air said:


> The Varese is one of my favorite discs too. The complete version of Deserts is mind-blowing. On the Horowitz disc, how do you like the performance of Schumann's 2nd Piano Sonata?


I think Horowitz's performance of the Schumann is very flowing and unfussy, I like it alot. As for the Varese, _Deserts_ is my favourite work by him, I love how he combines the sounds of the orchestra with those on tape. Amazing! If you like that disc, check out the other Varese Naxos disc, which includes a performance of the massively scored _Ameriques_, in it's original version for a huge orchestra well exceeding 100 players.


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## Il Seraglio

Lets just say I am a long way off from defining a desert island disc collection for myself and won't come anywhere close until I have amassed a sizeable collection of opera recordings. The trouble with me is that I find myself opting for the DVD a lot of time, despite the obvious benefits of having the audio recordings that I can rip and add to my MP3 playlists and whatnot.


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## Polednice

I'll be back with some more Brahms in the near future, but I had to add this to my list so far:

View attachment 868

*Verdi*: _Requiem_ (Georg Solti conducting the Wiener Philharmoniker, with Joan Sutherland, Marilyn Horne, Luciano Pavarotti and Martti Talvela).

The reason I add this is because not only is it one of my favourite works, but Antonio Pappano's recording with the Orchestra e Coro dell'Accademia di Saint Cecilia has received a lot of good press in recent months. I have listened to the Pappano, and it is truly a great recording, but I then compared it to my Solti and realised just how flawless the Solti is. Not only that, but you would not believe that it is digitally remastered from 1968! The quality of the sound is simply superb, and I'm never much of a fan of obviously old recordings, so you can trust me on it! It's one of those all-time must-have recordings.


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## Polednice

Hey! People should keep posting here (but not ridiculous amounts because that spoils it!) - I like browsing this thread when I feel like listening to something new or searching for better recordings 

As promised, I'm back with a bit of Brahms!

*Brahms*: Piano Concertos No. 1 & 2

View attachment 880


_Bernard Haitink and Vladimir Ashkenazy, with the Royal Concertgebouw and Wiener Philharmoniker._

This is truly a great set if you want a stunning performance of the pair of concertos. I'm always impressed with the way that Haitink conducts Brahms, and Ashkenazy's playing is both powerful and lyrical in the right places without taking it to extremes. The highlight of the disc is really the Second Piano Concerto, though the First is almost as good. If you don't mind listening to a slightly older recording and want to sample another great version of the First, you should look for Leon Fleisher, George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra.

Also, as it's been on my mind, I thought I'd throw in some Tchaikovsky! 

*Tchaikovsky*: Symphony No. 4

View attachment 881


_Gennadi Rozhdestvensky with the London Symphony Orchestra._

*Tchaikovsky*: Symphony No. 5

View attachment 882


_Vasily Petrenko with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic._

*Tchaikovsky*: _Manfred_ Symphony

View attachment 883


_Vasily Petrenko with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic._

Rozhdestvensky gives a performance of the 4th that is utterly devastating in the extreme - it's almost unbeatable. There are obviously a myriad of recordings of the 5th, Petrenko's being as good as any other, with the bonus of a great recorded sound, but another splendid version is Mariss Janson's with the Oslo Phiharmonic.

However, if you were only allowed to have one Tchaikovsky symphony and only one recording of it, then you _must_ get Petrenko's Manfred Symphony!!! It's the best performance of it that I've ever heard and it's one of my all-time favourite symphonies. GET IT NOW!


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## Organum

These would be my desert island picks:

Incredibly moving performance of one of the greatest choral works of all time:










My favorite rendition of the Passacaglia. Biggs' choice of stops is superb:










Gergiev's Firebird recording still blows me away:










And these Boulez recordings of Stravinsky and Debussy are still my faves:


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## muxamed

This is not an easy task but here you go


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## TWhite

I don't know how to post album covers, but these are some recordings I really like: 

Brahms: Piano Concerto #1: Zimerman/Bernstein/Vienna Philharmonic (DGG)
Barber: Complete songs (Secrets of the Old) Studer/Hampson/Browning (DGG)
Mahler: Symphony #5: Solti, CSO (London)
Rachmaninov: Symphony #1: Ashkenazy/LSO (London)
Brahms: The 4 Symphonies/Tragic and Academic Festival Overtures: Solti/CSO (London)
Copland: Symphony #3: Bernstein/NYPhil (DGG)
Strauss: Four Last Songs: Janowitz/Von Karajan/Berlin Phil (DGG)
Albeniz: Iberia: deLaRoccha (London)

Tom


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## muxamed

Shostakovich (Violin Concerto No.1)/Prokofiev (Violin Concerto No.2) - Repin/Nagano (Erato)
Bartok (Complete String Quartets) - Vegh String Quartet (Naive)
Bartok (Concerto for Orchestra, Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta) - Reiner (RCA, Living Stereo)
Brahms (Symphony No.4) - C. Kleiber (DG)
Beethoven (Symphonies Nos. 5&7) - C. Kleiber (DG)
Beethoven (Late String Quartets) - Lindsay String Quartet (ASV)
Shostakovich (Symphony No.8) - Previn (EMI)
Vaughan Williams (Symphony No.4) - Bernstein (Sony)
Ravel (Daphnis et Chloe) - Monteaux (DECCA)
Schubert (Arpeggione Sonata) - Rostropovich/Britten (DECCA)
Walton (Cello Concerto) - Piatigorsky/Munch (RCA)
Bruckner (Symphony No.9) - Giulini (DG)
Sibelius (Violin Concerto) - Heifetz/Hendl (RCA)
Mahler (Symphony No.3) - Horenstein (Unicorn)


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## Air

Polednice said:


> Hey! People should keep posting here (but not ridiculous amounts because that spoils it!) - I like browsing this thread when I feel like listening to something new or searching for better recordings


Definitely!



Polednice said:


> As promised, I'm back with a bit of Brahms!


That's good... but Ashkenazy for the piano concerti? Why bother with him when we have pianists like Gilels, Rubinstein, Curzon, and Fleisher  I'm a little curious, that's it.


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## Ut Pictura

These are some of my favourites (7 for the days of the week):

1. Benjamin Britten War Requiem - Britten/Fischer-Dieskau/Pears
2. Schubert Hyperion vol 11 - Bridgette Fassbaender
3. Berg Lieder - Jessye Norman
4. Schoenberg Gurre Lieder - Boulez/Napier
5. Tippet Child of our Time - Baker
6. Elgar violin concerto - Yehudi Menuhin
7. Skalkottas Largo Sinfonico, (Bis records)


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## realdealblues

First off I'd just like to say Hi, since this is my first post here.

Anyway, I'll just make a short list. A couple classical CD's I couldn't live without:

Bach - Goldberg Variations - Gould on CBS/Sony 1981 Recording
Chopin - Piano Concertos #1 & 2 - Samson Francois/Louis Fremaux on EMI
Mahler - Das Lied Von Der Erde - Bernstein/VPO on Decca w/King & Dieskau
Mozart - Requiem - Marriner/ASMF on Philips w/McNair, Watkinson, Araiza & Lloyd
Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto #1 - Richter/Karajan on DG

The Mozart & Mahler albums especially. I've listened to each of those probably 500 times going to sleep at night. Those are my 2 I really couldn't live without.


----------



## Guest

Brahms - 
Symphony no. 1, George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra.
Symphonies nos. 2 & 3, Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic.
Symphony no. 4, Carlos Kleiber and the Vienna Philharmonic.


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## Guest

More Brahms. 


Piano Concerto no. 1, Rudolf Serkin/George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra.
Piano Concerto no. 2, Emanuel Ax/Bernard Haitink and the Boston Orchestra.
Violin Concerto, David Oistrakh/George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra.
Double Concerto, Gil Shaham/Jian Wang/Claudio Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic.


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## SatiesFaction

I'll just list 5 pieces I'd love to bring with me:

1) Liszt's Jeux d'eaux by Lazar Berman.

2) Chopin's Mazurka op. 17 #4 by Arthur Rubinstein.

3) Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto by Nathan Milstein.

4) Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune *for flute & piano*, by Bernold & Jacob (for some reason, this stripped-down version moves me a lot more than the usual one for orchestra).

5) Satie's 4th Gnossienne - as beautiful as Gymnopédie #1, but not overplayed - also, one of the first pieces I learned to play.

Mathieu


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## Taneyev

Which Milstein's Tchaikovsky?


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## SatiesFaction

The CD I have seems to have been recorded in 1973. Are there several recordings by the same violonist?


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## MadysonBelindaRobertson

Interesting...i will pick

Schubert: The Hyperion Schubert Edition, Vol. 25 Die schöne Müllerin (Ian Bostridge -- soloist, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau -- reader, Graham Johnson -- piano, HYPERION)
Mahler: Symphony No. 10 (Levine/Philadelphia)
Walton Belshazzar's Feast - Previn/LSO (EMI)

http://tire-inflator.org/


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## MArhivist

New limited-edition CDs subscribers series (200 to be issued) "Bolshoi Theatre: Pages in History"

The Russian company 'Aquarius' is planning a subscribers only series of CDs
concentrating on those singers well-known and unjustly forgotten. There will
only be 200 copies of each disc printed.

The first disc will be dedicated to  Nikandr Khanaev (tenor, 1890-1974):










1. Sadko's Aria (N. Rimsky-Korsakov «Sadko», scene 1)
2. Sadko's Song (Oh You, dark leafy grove...) (N. Rimsky-Korsakov «Sadko», scene 2)
3-4. N. Khanaev narrates…
4. Hermann's Arioso (P. Tchaikovsky «The Queen of Spades», act 1)
5. Hermann's Aria (P. Tchaikovsky «The Queen of Spades», act 3)
6. Scene near the Fountain (M.Mussorgsky «Boris Godunov», act 3)
7. A Knight's Ballade (Yu. Shaporin «On the Field of Kulikovo»)
8. Kakhovsky's Aria (Yu. Shaporin «The Decembrists», act 2)
9. Jose's Recitative and Aria (G. Bizet «Carmen», act 2)
10. Samson's Aria (C. Saint-Saëns «Samson and Delilah», act 3
11. Siegfried forges his magic sword (R. Wagner «Siegfried», act 1)

bonus tracks:

12. Am Sonntag Morgen (J. Brahms - P. Heyse) GPT Х2852
13. Hermann's Aria (P. Tchaikovsky «The Queen of Spades», act 3) GPT 454а
14. Hermann's Arioso (P. Tchaikovsky «The Queen of Spades», act 1) MT 1577
15. Hermann's Aria (P. Tchaikovsky «The Queen of Spades», act 3) MT 1578
16. Sadko's Song (Strike up, my Gusli) (N. Rimsky-Korsakov «Sadko», scene 2) MT 01580

GPT - Gramplasttrest; MT - Mustrest (Moscow)

Marina Mnishek - M. Maksakova (6), Mime - A. Peregudov (11)

Recorded in: 1931 (14-16), 1934 (13), 1935 (12), 1937 (4, 9), 1938 (12), 1940 (5, 7),

1946 (1, 2, 10), 1948 (6), 1951 (8), 20.04.1970 (3)

Future discs planned will include Mark Reizen (unissued opera recordings), A. Nezhdanova, Ivan Kozlovsky (rare early recordings), Elena Stepanova, A. Baturin, G.Bolshakov, D. Gamrekeli, X. Derjinskaya, P. Nortsov, V. Slivinsky, A.I.Alexeev (full assembly of records of this forgotten lyrical tenor, including live records from a stage of the Bolshoi theatre 1930 х), S.N.Streltsov, N.N.Ozerov, E.D.Kruglikova (the rare not
published records), E.F.Smolenskaya, E.K.Mezheraup, A.A.Byshevskaja,
O.J.Leonteva, N.D.Shpiller (rare, including live records), E.V.Shumskaja,
G.M.Nelepp, V.N.Lubentsov, V.I.Kilchevsky, V.I.Borisenko, M.P.Maksakova,
A.F.Krivchenja, V.A.Davidova


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## violadamore2

Mine is a long out-of-print recording of the Beethoven Vln Cto. with Grumieaux and Concertgebou conducted by van Beinum.

It was my first childhood classical record, sort of like Proust's "madeline in the tea moment" and I've never forggoten it.


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## SatiesFaction

I haven't heard that Beethoven concerto in a while. I remember it has a great last movement. I saw it live by Gérard Poulet in the mid-90s, very good show. He played a bit of Paganini as an encore (Caprice #17, if I remember correctly).


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## sryu

The first classical records I found by myself and spent hours obsessed with: Chopin piano concerto No 1, Argerich + Abbado; Mendelssohn violin concerto, Heifetz + Munch, BSO; Rachmaninoff concerto No 2, Rubinstein + Ormandy.
After some 30+ more years of listening, I now also have these: 
Schubert piano sonata 664, Radu Lupu; Beethoven piano concerto No 5, Kovacevich; Schumann piano concerto, Lupu; Schumann Piano quintet, Pires-Wang-Dumay; Figaro, Gardiner; Cosi, Rene Jacobs, also Bohem; Don Carlo, Pappano; Schumann, Kreisleriana, Horowitz; Carmen, Karajan/Vickers (Vienna Live 1954, version, Andante); Frank vln sonata (Chung+Lupu); Chopin Waltzs (Lipati); Schumann, Symphonic Etudes, Perahia; La Bohem, Pappano; Schumann, Arabeske, Pires; Alwyn, Lyra Angelica, Hickox;Schubert, Fantacy in C, Perahia or Pollini; Beethoven, 31, Pollini; Bach partitas, P. Anderszewski; Brahms piano cnrt No 2, Pollini;

I am partial to these recordings/performances because they all have some very unique and exquisite moments, imho.


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## Counterpoint

Desert island recordings? Carlos Kleiber, VPO, Brahms 4th Symphony; Richter, Beethoven Piano Sonatas 30, 31 and 32, John Eliot Gardiner/EBS/Monteverdi Choir, Bach "St. Matthew Passion".


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## BuddhaBandit

I haven't posted here in a while (mostly due to college work), but I thought I'd add my two cents to this thread. So, here are three of my faves:

*1. Bach's B Minor Mass conducted by John Eliot Gardiner (on Archiv)*

Bach uses an amazing variety of styles in the mass: everything from _stile antico_ fugue to Renaissance polyphony to the da capo arias of Baroque opera to dance-like sinfonia introductions. The vocal writing is, of course, excellent, but pay close attention to the obbligato solo instruments in the arias and duets. And the opening of the Kyrie is perhaps one of the most magnificent introductions in Baroque music.

*2. Mozart's last symphonies, conducted by Karl Böhm (on DG)*

Böhm's real achievement on these discs is his control of dynamics. This is nowhere more evident than in the Jupiter symphony, which, along with the Linz, is the musical highlight of the recording. Each voice in the final fugue is clear, and the suspended Fs are given a slight boost that underscores their importance in the first theme. Böhm's conducting gives the music drama without making it overly romantic (like Bernstein's Haydn).

*3. Rzewski's The People United Will Never Be Defeated played by Marc-André Hamelin (on Hyperion)*

_Defeated_ is the great 20th century set of piano variations, the modern equivalent of Bach's Goldbergs and Beethoven's Diabelli's. The theme (a Latin American protest song) undergoes a series of increasingly chromatic transformations. The return of the theme, like the completion of the three-note motif at the end of Sibelius' second, is cathartic.


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## Earthling

Bach: Cello Suites (Jian Wang, DG, 2005) ~ Of all the recordings I've heard of the Cello Suites, this is a personal fave of mine. Wang's recording is not too heavy on vibrato, and remembers that these are dances (but without being metronomic either).









Bach: Violin Sonatas & Partitas (John Holloway, ECM, 2006) ~ A beautiful clear tone, HIP.









Bach: Goldberg Variations (Glenn Gould, CBS, 1981) ~ yes, grunts and all!









Beethoven: Complete Symphonies (John Eliot Gardiner, Arkiv, 1994) ~ This is an HIP recording, full of energy and clarity.









Beethoven: Complete String Quartets (Alban Berg Quartet, EMI, 1999) ~ especially for the last quartets


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## Earthling

Debussy: Complete Works for Piano, five volumes (Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Chandos, 2007) ~ handles the sustain pedal wonderfully, bringing amazing clarity to the music









Debussy: Pelleas et Melisande (Claudio Abbado, DG, 1992) ~ wonderful singing, a very emotional performance with just the right restraint in all the right places









Debussy: La Mer / Nocturnes / Jeux / Rhapsodie for clarinet and orchestra (Pierre Boulez, DG, 1995) ~ Boulez really brings out all the right nuances in _La Mer_!









Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5 (Richard Hickox, Chandos, 2003) ~ a mersmerising performance of RVW's fifth









Faure: Requiem (Sir Neville Marriner, Philips, 1995) ~ I've only recently settled on this as a favourite of mine, having gone through many other recordings, dissatisfied. Marriner takes his time, not in a rush. Sylvia McNair's Pie Jesu is lovely and the Sanctus leaves me in tears every time.

+ + +

TO ADD: Not an entire CD, but Michael Tilson Thomas's recording of Debussy's _Afternoon of the Faun _is a favourite of mine. MTT isn't hurried, and you can really savour it!


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## JMJ

Bartok, 6 String Quartets - Emerson SQ (DG)
Webern, Orchestral Works - Dohnanyi, Cleveland Orchestra (London)
Stravinsky, 3 Greek Ballets - Craft, LSO, Orchestra of St. Luke's (Naxos)
Debussy, Orchestral Works - Boulez, New Philharmonia Orchestra (Sony)
Ligeti, Piano Etudes - Aimard (Sony)
Donatoni, Francoise Variations - Bellocchio (Stradivarius)
Stockhausen, Freude - Smit, Kooi (Stockhausen-Verlag 84)
Bach, 18 Leipzig Organ Chorales - Chapuis (Valois)
Wagner, Overtures & Preludes - Various (DG)
Faure, Piano Nocturnes - Doyen (Erato)


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## sospiro

What a great thread - really enjoying looking at the choices. Wouldn't mind finding this island, meeting all of you & listening to your favourites.

It's so difficult to choose but these are mine.

*Beethoven's 6th Symphony* because it was my Mum's favourite piece of music & it brings back memories of my lovely Mum & my idyllic childhood. Any recording.

*Beethoven's 9th Symphony* - ditto for Dad. Any recording.

*Vivaldi The Four Seasons* - a favourite of my much loved & much missed brother. Any recording.

*The Original Three Tenors from Rome*. To remind me how I came to love opera. I'd done some fund raising for cancer charities & when I heard about the concert & the reason for it, it inspired me to work even harder to raise money. I realised I quite liked the singing as well so I bought some Carreras recordings. Then I bought some other recordings & started going to live opera. All this has brought me pleasure, new friends & is also great fun.

*Verdi - Simon Boccanegra*. My absolute favourite opera. I can't really explain why but I find the theme of reconciliation so moving.










*Verdi - Un giorno di regno* because it's a gloriously silly comedy which was written at the darkest period in Verdi's life. How he could write such wonderful music at a time like that is a mystery to me.










*Mozart - Die Zauberflöte* because it makes me laugh. And this DVD because I think Simon Keenlyside is 'go to the ends of the earth to see him' gorgeous.










*Puccini - Tosca*. And in particular Tosca: In the Settings and at the Times of Tosca DVD. I've always loved Tosca & this is innovative & brilliant as well.










*Donizetti - Lucia di Lammermoor* José Carreras CD and DVD. JC in his prime & the DVD recorded when he and Katia were close & it shows. I'm sure there are better Lucias but this is my favourite. Despite my love for Boccanegra, "Tu che a Dio spiegasti l'ali" was the first aria I learned off by heart & JC's "O bell'alma innamorata, ne congiunga il Nume in ciel" still makes my insides go to jelly.










*Donizetti - Don Pasquale & La Fille du Régiment DVDs* with Juan Diego Flórez because they're light and funny & have a gentle message. And because I think JDF is gorgeous. Not quite ends of the earth gorgeous but wouldn't kick him out of bed.


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## drth15

*Desert Island*

Berlioz-Requiem-Davis
Saint Saens-Sym #3-Ozawa/Orch Nat de France
Ravel-Daphnis & Chloe- Abbado/LSO
Sibelius-Sym #2-Barbirolli/RPO
Haydn-Die Schopfung-Karajan/ Berlin Phil
Bach-Organ Works-Walcha
Bartok-Quartets-Takacs Quartet
Billie Holiday-Original Decca Recordings
Brahms- Violin Concerto- Szeryng/Haitink
Bruckner-Sym #6- Klemperer/Philh.


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## Rangstrom

Britten-Peter Grimes/Britten DVD
Schubert-String Quintet/Casals et al. 1953
Rzewski-People United/Oppens
Verdi-duets/Bjoerling, Merrill
Barber-Knoxville, Summer 1915/Upshaw
Kodaly-sonata solo cello/Starker
Sibelius-violin concerto/Heifetz (both recordings)
Wagner-Parsifal/Nagano DVD
Mahler-Wayfarer/Fischer-Dieskau, Furtwangler
Smetana-Ma Vlast/Kubelik CSO
Copland-Old American Songs/Warfield
Bartok-quartets/Emerson
Haydn-mass 14/Hickox
Strauss-Ein Heldenleben/Mengelberg
Tchaikovsky-sym 5/Mravinsky

Caveat--some of these (not all obviously) have concert attendance bias.


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## GMSS

This:








I love this boxset so much by it contain most of the works of Mahler and the conductor are give his works an excited feel.

If possible to add other box-set, I will like this:








It's a completely different style with sinopoli's one.


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## Hazel

May "favourite" depends on the mood I am in and what I am doing with my day. But, if I had to pick an overall favourite, it would be anything by Vaughan Williams.


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## charismajc

Bach b minor mass - gardiner
Beethoven piano sonatas 28-32 - schiff
Bach violin sonatas and partitas - gramiaux
Bach goldberg variations - schiff (more recent recording)
Tallis spem in alium - tallis scholars
Isaac missa de apostolis - tallis scholars
Verdi otello - karajan, vickers, freni
Handel messiah - gardiner
Brahms, tchaikovsky violin concertos - reiner, heifetz


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## LindenLea

I actually posted something very similar just yesterday on another music forum, and was actually reprimanded for breaking their (IMO) fatuous rules, as my selection amounted to more than 10 CD discs (their rule), as opposed to 10 actual 'works' or collections (my choices) - their assumption being that if one chose to be stranded on your desert island with, say, Wagner's 'Ring' (which most people consider to be one complete extended work, but in four seperate/inter-linked parts, with a beginning, a middle, and an end, but which usually runs to 14 or even 15 CD's by the time you travel from the Rhinemaiden's first appearance, to Brunnhilde's immolation) then you could take nothing else! In fact, using their criteira, you'd have to leave Wagner's Ring somewhere around the end of Act 2 of Siegfried, or you'd go over their 10-disc limit!!

Needless to say, I won't be wasting anymore time there!

Anyway, my Desert Island selection would almost certainly be as follows...

Elgar : 'The Dream of Gerontius', 'Sea Pictures' : Halle Orch and Chorus, Baker, Lewis, Cond : John Barbirolli

Schubert : Complete Impromptus, D899 and D935 : Piano : Maria João Pires.

Monteverdi : 'Vespers of the Blessed Virgin, 1610' : Monteverdi Choir, EBS, Cond : John Eliot Gardiner (the 1990 recording in St Mark's, Venice, and not JEG's earlier recording of the same work)

J.S.Bach : 'St Matthew Passion' : London Oratory Junior Choir, EBS, Monteverdi Choir, soloists, Cond : John Eliot Gardiner.

Vaughan Williams : Song cycles - 'Songs of Travel', 'On Wenlock Edge' : Robert Tear, Thomas Allen, CBSO, Cond : Simon Rattle.

Beethoven : Symphonies No.5 and No. 6 'Pastoral' : Berlin Philharmonic, Cond : Herbert von Karajan.

Schubert : Song cycle - 'Die Schone Mullerin' : Ian Bostridge (Tenor), Mitsuko Uchida (Piano)

Delius : Orchestral Works : Halle Orch, Cond : John Barbirolli.

J.S.Bach : Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 : Angela Hewitt (Piano)

Haydn : String Quartets, Op. 76, 77, & 103 : Amadeus Quartet


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## Chi_townPhilly

LindenLea said:


> I actually posted something very similar just yesterday on another music forum, and was actually reprimanded for breaking their (IMO) fatuous rules, as my selection amounted to more than 10 CD discs (their rule), as opposed to 10 actual 'works' or collections (my choices) - their assumption being that if one chose to be stranded on your desert island with, say, Wagner's 'Ring' (which most people consider to be one complete extended work, but in four seperate/inter-linked parts, with a beginning, a middle, and an end, but which usually runs to 14 or even 15 CD's by the time you travel from the Rhinemaiden's first appearance, to Brunnhilde's immolation) then you could take nothing else! In fact, using their criteira, you'd have to leave Wagner's Ring somewhere around the end of Act 2 of Siegfried, or you'd go over their 10-disc limit!!


Yeah, I kind of saw that. Hopefully, here we'll continue to shade things towards the _dissemination_ of people's earnest info in this regard, rather than restriction of it.

It reminded me of this post (which, if I had to do over again, I'd modify slightly), where all the bases got covered (I hope).


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## LindenLea

Chi_townPhilly said:


> Yeah, I kind of saw that. Hopefully, here we'll continue to shade things towards the _dissemination_ of people's earnest info in this regard, rather than restriction of it.
> 
> It reminded me of this post (which, if I had to do over again, I'd modify slightly), where all the bases got covered (I hope).


Yes CtP, it really is a most curious place, seemingly run on - quite literally - strict military lines, where members are designated a rank, starting with Private, all the way up to General, and are promoted accordingly, depending presumably on how much (or how little) insubordination they dish out, most extraordinary for a classical music forum. My tiny handful of posts before I took a voluntary Court Martial were either randomly moved around the forum for no logical reason, or in the case of my Desert Island thing, thrown back in my face after being dissected for infringements of The Rule Book, and as I left I explained that I was much relieved that I'd only posted there 8 times before I'd caught on to the fact that I was unknowingly participating in surely the internet's first, and hopefully only, 'On-Line Classical-Music Boot Camp'! I think they have about 6 active members/troops, just sufficient to fit into the turret of a Sherman Tank for their next fun day out to the Afghan Philharmonic's performance of Britten's War Requiem.


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## starthrower

William Schuman-Symphonies Seattle Symphony on Naxos

Varese/Boulez on Sony

Dutilleux-Symphonies 1&2 BBC Philharmonic on Chandos

Alban Berg-A Portrait, EMI Gemini

Kalichstein, Laredo, Robinson Trio-Shostakovich Complete Trios & Sonatas

Charles Ives-Symphonies Nos. 1&4 CSO/M.T. Thomas on Sony


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## chung

Air said:


> When you saw the title of this thread, the first thing you probably thought was... are you serious? What are you smoking?
> 
> Well, nothing really. The superlatives have been worn out: the best, definitive, beautiful, legendary and most of all... the term 'desert island'.
> 
> What I have in mind is something a little different. This is not a subjective, my desert island discs are better than yours kind of thread. This is merely the thread to share some of your favorite recordings in order to help others expand their collections. They could be rare, they could be cheap, they could be out of print. They could even be Kleiber's Beethoven 5th. It could be anything, as long as this is a recording that you feel is worthy of sharing. If you feel it is not, then please refrain. If you are just making a list of well-reputed recordings that really mean nothing to you personally, please refrain as well.
> 
> So... there's the common argument that we should never take other people's opinions seriously. Really? One of the main reasons I visit music forums is to help guide what I collect. More than half of the CDs I buy are forum-inspired and the majority of the rest is forum-confirmed. The bottom line is, you don't have to take any other opinions besides your own with more than a grain of salt, but you _can_, and this thread at least makes this resource available to you.
> 
> One person may like something that someone else may despise. We've covered this many times. And as far as this thread is concerned, criticizing the tastes of others is not appreciated. However, feel free to commend others for their choices.
> 
> A couple guidelines:
> 
> 1) Don't think of it as a 'Top 10 of all time' thing.
> 2) Any recording, CD, box set, DVD, SACD, LP, etc. will work.
> 3) Try to limit your number of choices per post. It is hard to take someone's list seriously if they put down every mildly good recording they've ever heard.
> 
> 4) It's _your_ opinion, so enlighten us with _your_ choices!
> 
> [I will be back later with recordings.]





























(notwithstanding its faults)


















This contains my favourite piece of orchestral vocal music: The Origin of Fire (Tulen synty). The other selections on this disc are very enjoyable as well. If the budget and desire permits, I'd recommend getting BIS' box set of Sibelius' vocal music which contains the same recordings and more. Yet that might be excessive for the purposes of sharing with someone who would be new to Sibelius)









Stolz's recordings of the Strauss family are something else - even finer than Boskovsky's to my ears.


----------



## Lipatti

sospiro said:


> *Beethoven's 6th Symphony* because it was my Mum's favourite piece of music & it brings back memories of my lovely Mum & my idyllic childhood. Any recording.
> 
> *The Original Three Tenors from Rome*. To remind me how I came to love opera. I'd done some fund raising for cancer charities & when I heard about the concert & the reason for it, it inspired me to work even harder to raise money. I realised I quite liked the singing as well so I bought some Carreras recordings. Then I bought some other recordings & started going to live opera. All this has brought me pleasure, new friends & is also great fun.


Amazing... These two recordings have a very special place in my heart also. The 6th Symphony was the first piece of classical music I ever liked (and ever listened to, probably). The Original Three Tenors from Rome reminds me very much of my father, of my childhood in general. Brings back a lot of bittersweet memories. Has subconsciously made me an opera fan for my entire life, I guess.

Another recording that has a huge nostalgic value to me, and which I still listen to nowadays, is this one:


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## music11

Mine would be:

Anne Sophie Mutter - Brahms Violin Concerto, Kurt Masur, New York Philharmonic - by far!

Wand, BPO, Bruckner Symphony 7

Wand, BPO, Bruckner Symphony 4

Chailly, RCO, Bruckner Symphony 9

Pogorelich, Chopin 24 Preludes


----------



## science

.
















.
















.









There is a start....


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## science

I really cannot find a bigger image of that: Mirabile Mysterium: Sacred Music of Rudolfine Prague

Duodena Cantitans, Capella Rudolphina, Petr Danek

Supraphon 1996

If anyone here has any sway at Suprphon, get them to re-release this ASAP!


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## Hazel

Gracious! I haven't heard Ravel's "Bolero" in so long that I had forgotten it existed. Now I am on a 'search and find' mission. Thanks.


----------



## science

.
















.
















.


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## Hazel

I was listening to Chopin's Nocturnes last night and had a book out reading about them at the same time. I did not know that Chopin got his idea for calling them "nocturnes' from an Irish piano composer, John Field, who used the title to describe his dreamy and romantic compositions. Now Chopin is well-known. How many knew about John Field?


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## science

I do! But only for the same reason you do. I've never heard his music.


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## Hazel

science said:


> I do! But only for the same reason you do. I've never heard his music.


Might be worth looking for. One of our Barnes & Noble stores has a woman in the music department who is very good at searching for what one wants. I may ask her to see what she can find.


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## science

Looks like you can get them on Telarc or on Naxos.


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## Hazel

science said:


> Looks like you can get them on Telarc or on Naxos.


Thank you. I've made a note.


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## World Violist

I haven't heard as many of Mitropoulos' records, but I can't imagine him not being on my desert island list at some point. He blows most other conductors I've ever heard out of the water.

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet has within a few days become pretty much my favorite pianist, and I haven't heard many of his records yet either, but he'll certainly be on my desert island list also... I'll have a better idea of my list toward the end of this semester.


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## science

(of course, right?) but here's a stretch I think I can get away with:










and the newest member of my desert island list:


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## Hazel

While you all are swimming for that desert isle, did you remember to lug along a CD player? Or, will Robinson Crusoe meet you with a good one all plugged in and ready to go?


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## science

The desert isle is equipped with the finest audio and visual technology. 

The only unfortunate thing is the lack of storage space.

Funny thing - the next generation will never understand this stuff. They'll have it all on their I-thing and to them the desert island will just be a beach.


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## Hazel

Right. I have had several music department stores tell me that CDs just aren't selling any more. Technology is changing too fast for me to keep up with. I am not even trying. Just enjoy what I have.


----------



## Vaneyes

These kick my *** to heaven each time I hear them.


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## Hazel

I have it! It took me a long time to think what I want on my desert isle. Then, I heard it again this morning. This isn't a CD but one particular piece. I want a recording of Annette Bryn Parri playing Richard S. Hughes's "Y Dymestl". I have it with Bryn Terfel singing it but it is that piano that I want to hear. 

Annette Bryn Parri rates among the best of piano players in my opinion. She makes that piano come alive and the storm rage. I know nothing more about her other than her total success with "Y Dymestl". Maybe she wasn't a professional player. I do not know. But, she could have been. If she has ever recorded anything else, I have not been able to find it - and I have tried. She deserves more renown than she gets.

Some of you know. "Y Dymestl" is Welsh for "The Tempest" or "The Storm". Richard Samuel Hughes, the composer was considered one of the greatest composers in Wales. Truthfully, I do not know how many classical composers have been Welsh but I can promise that "Y Dymestl" is well worth hearing.

So, there is my choice. I'll not be greedy and ask for a full library. Just Annette playing "Y Dymestl". :tiphat:


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## TxllxT

Well, living actually on an island  ... I'm wondering how much music could be stowed away on an Ipod (lossless quality of course). In my car I have all Prokofiev operas under Valery Gergiev on one CD: 'Semyon Kotko' is my favourite. And Prokofiev's 'Betrothal in a monastery' with Alexander Lazarev as conductor a close 2nd. Such music full of     makes one feel reconciled &  with waiting in any queue.


----------



## kv466

Earl Wild - The Rachmaninov Concerti








these, as you can see, are property of the drac...get your own!


----------



## Vesteralen

I would like to list one recording each from each of my favorite composers:

Monteverdi - L'orfeo (Concerto Italiano - Rinaldo Alessandrini)

Haydn - Symphony No. 96 (Szell - Cleveland Orchestra)

Schumann - Overture to "Genoveva" (Kubelik - Berlin Philharmonic)
(might swap this with Overture to "Manfred" - Munch BSO
or Piano Sonata #2 - Claudio Arrau)

Brahms - Piano Concerto No. 1 (Curzon/Szell)

Elgar - Enigma Variations (Barbirolli - Philharmonia Orchestra)

Vaughan Williams - Symphony No.2 (Barbarolli - Halle Orchestra)

Nielsen - Symphony No. 3 (Bernstein - NYP)

Barber - First Essay for Orchestra (Measham - LSO)


and three works from other composers:

Mozart - Symphony No. 39 (Szell/Cleveland Orchestra)

Novak - Lady Godiva (Pesek/BBC Philharmonic)

Harbison - Symphony No 1 (Ozawa/BSO)

I can't believe how many of these selections are my old vinyl records. Seems the past dies harder for me than I would have thought.


----------



## Hazel

Vesteralen said:


> I would like to list one recording each from each of my favorite composers:
> 
> Monteverdi - L'orfeo (Concerto Italiano - Rinaldo Alessandrini)
> 
> Haydn - Symphony No. 96 (Szell - Cleveland Orchestra)
> 
> Schumann - Overture to "Genoveva" (Kubelik - Berlin Philharmonic)
> (might swap this with Overture to "Manfred" - Munch BSO
> or Piano Sonata #2 - Claudio Arrau)
> 
> Brahms - Piano Concerto No. 1 (Curzon/Szell)
> 
> Elgar - Enigma Variations (Barbirolli - Philharmonia Orchestra)
> 
> Vaughan Williams - Symphony No.2 (Barbarolli - Halle Orchestra)
> 
> Nielsen - Symphony No. 3 (Bernstein - NYP)
> 
> Barber - First Essay for Orchestra (Measham - LSO)
> 
> and three works from other composers:
> 
> Mozart - Symphony No. 39 (Szell/Cleveland Orchestra)
> 
> Novak - Lady Godiva (Pesek/BBC Philharmonic)
> 
> Harbison - Symphony No 1 (Ozawa/BSO)
> 
> I can't believe how many of these selections are my old vinyl records. Seems the past dies harder for me than I would have thought.


Hold on to those vinyls! I am so glad I did. I've given away a few but all my favourites are still being enjoyed.

Yesterday, after reading an tidbit in BBC Music, I was thinking of this thread and wondering what a thread about music that one would not take with him to a desert isle would look like. That would get a whole different crop.

I hope you all are keeping as cool as possible in this blast furnace of summer.


----------



## Vesteralen

Hazel said:


> Hold on to those vinyls! I am so glad I did. I've given away a few but all my favourites are still being enjoyed.
> 
> Yesterday, after reading an tidbit in BBC Music, I was thinking of this thread and wondering what a thread about music that one would not take with him to a desert isle would look like. That would get a whole different crop.
> 
> I hope you all are keeping as cool as possible in this blast furnace of summer.


My vinyl collection used to number around 500 or so. I took a long, long time to give in to CDs, but after I did, my vinyl collection shrunk to about 250. Just moving into an apartment this year, my vinyls took another hit and now I'm down to 70 or so, though 16 of those are multi-record sets. (I did keep two turntables, though, just in case..)

Nine of the recordings I listed in my original post are vinyls still in my collection.

We're just starting to get the heat here. Sorry you've had to deal with it for so long.


----------



## Hazel

That's a problem with apartments - records and books (our best friends) take up so much room. At least you can hang art on the wall - usually.


----------



## peteAllen

Here are the first of my desert island discs...







(well, more for the Sea Pictures - the first classical piece I ever loved)

Bach's Cello Suites with Rostropovich:









Schumann's Dichterliebe with Fischer Dieskau:









Beethoven played by Barenboim:


----------



## ddoyle

I would nominate:

*Bruckner 9* by Bruno Walter - never fails to move me and is 1 of two recordings I put on when I come home fried
*Bach - Solo Cello Suites *- my current favorite is Bailey on Telarc, but Isserlis and Truls Mork are never really out of the mix either.
Then Bach Organ to cleanse my soul - current favorite is a 4 disk set by Antony Newman (*24 Preludes & Fugues*) - after about an hour under the headphones with any of these I'm fit company again.


----------



## tahnak

The Scherchen Resurrection with the Vienna State Opera is indeed a superb and distinct reading. I heard it in 1976 and added it to my collection without any hesitation.


----------



## CostaSimpson

Isabelle Faust playing Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for solo Violin
Celibidache conducting Brahms' German Requiem
Quatuor Ebene playing Faure, Debussy and Ravel's String Quartets
Zubin Mehta conducting Turandot with Sutherland and Pavarotti
Chet Baker's "Something I'm Singing"
Boulez conducting Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe
Rattle conducting Stravinsky's Rite of Spring
Celibidache conducting Beethoven's Eroica
and Jascha Horenstein conducting Mahler's 4th


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## beethovenian

Bach Mass in B minor - Frans Brüggen (Glossa)


----------



## fartwriggler

My castaway choices (top 5) have gotta be:
1. Bach Cello Sonatas -Pau Casals








2.Brahms Hungarian Dances








3.Schubert String Quartets 








4. Brahms Piano Concerto 2 (allegretto)








5.Dvorak Slavonic Dances


----------



## fartwriggler

(6-10):
6.Mozart piano concertos 21&27








7.Beethoven Symphony no.9








8.Bach well Tempered Clavier








9.Debussy Piano Works








10.Beethoven Piano Concerto no.5


----------



## starthrower

William Schuman Symphonies on Naxos
Lutoslawski-Orchestral Works on EMI
Beethoven-Piano Sonatas Pathetique, Moonlight, Appassionata 
Debussy-Piano Music, Nocturnes, La Mer
Stravinsky Box Set on Sony
Bartok/Boulez series on DG


----------



## jamesvr

my ipod, headphones, solar charger


----------



## AlexD

Serenata A Filli, Scarlatti, with Bioizzoni GCD921511 - lovely songs 

Stravaganza, Vivaldi, Biondi & Europa Galante - a contrast to the previous disc - very cheerful. Still not got fully to grips with it, but it is fun all the way.

Mozart Clarinet Concerto K622 Thea King & The English Chamber Orchestra cond. Jeffrey Tate - the deftness and lightness of tone of this just lifts my mood. It could be a dark winter's night, but with this on it really doesn't matter. Hyperion CDA66199


----------



## Hazel

AlexD said:


> Serenata A Filli, Scarlatti, with Bioizzoni GCD921511 - lovely songs
> 
> Stravaganza, Vivaldi, Biondi & Europa Galante - a contrast to the previous disc - very cheerful. Still not got fully to grips with it, but it is fun all the way.
> 
> Mozart Clarinet Concerto K622 Thea King & The English Chamber Orchestra cond. Jeffrey Tate - the deftness and lightness of tone of this just lifts my mood. It could be a dark winter's night, but with this on it really doesn't matter. Hyperion CDA66199


Hmmm! Considering that our lovely weather has decided to go gray, cold and gusty, promising rain, maybe I'd better hurry out for Mozart.


----------



## bigshot

I have three recordings that I treasure...

Beethoven Diabelli Variations Schnabel
Wagner Walkure Act I Walter/VPO Lehmann, Melchior List
Mozart Elvira Madigan Piano Concerto 17/21 Anda/Mozateum

The first two I scoured ebay for original shellac pressings to do my own transfer. Anda was the first classical record I owned.


----------



## fartwriggler

Pablo Casal's interpretation of Bach's Cello Suites on its own would satisfy my musical needs for a lifetime as a castaway....


----------



## science

I'm going to do this again. My first attempt was pretty good, but I can improve upon it.

















































The latter is Piazzolla's Tango Zero Hour.


----------



## science




----------



## science

And one last post for this time around:


----------



## GGluek

Beethoven: Missa Solemnis (Klemperer)


----------



## GGluek

Also:
Beethoven: Piano Cto. #4 (Schnabel/Stock)
Mahler: Das Lied . . . (Klemperer/Wunderlich/Ludwig)
Tippett: The Midsummer Marriage (Davis, et al)


----------



## Air

I wish I could buy all the recordings in this thread with a click of the button for a discounted "TC special" price. 

Anyways, thanks to everyone who participated so far. I am overwhelmed with new things to try out!


----------



## moody

Of course the BBC have been running Desert Island Discs with celebrity guests for about 150 years. Schwarzkopf chose only recordings of her own---why am I not surprised ? The thing is to cover all moods I suppose, what an 
impossible task.

Padre Antonio Soler, Six Concerti For Two Organs. E.Power Biggs and Daniel Pinkham. A wonderful discovery at the time.
Schubert. Trout Quintet. Serkin/Laredo/Naggele/Parnas/Levine. So thrusting and alive.
Beethoven. Emperor Concerto. Casadesus/Concertgebouw/Rosbaud.
Chopin. Music For Piano and Orch. inc. La Ci Darem Variations and Grand Fantasy On Polish Airs. Weissenberg/Skrowaczewski.
Donizetti. L'Elisir D'Amore. Carteri/Alva/Taddei/La Scala/Serafin.
Gounod. Faust. Simoneau/Alarie/Rehfuss/Vienna state Opera/Rivoli. Simoneau and Rehfuss so good.
Lortzing. Undine. Schock/Frick/Otto.cond.Schuchter.
Schubert Lieder arr. Liszt. John Bingham,pno.
Gottschalk Piano Music. Eugene List. French,Spanish,Cuban,Brazilian sounds.Extraordinary discovery at the time
Chavez. Symfonia India. Plus two others. Stadium Symphony/ Carlos Chavez. Exotica !!!


----------



## Pestouille

My whole collection.... I know... but I can't give a few records only... and I cannot remove that picture which has nothing to do here... Sorry


----------



## Vaneyes

Pestouille said:


> My whole collection.... I know... but I can't give a few records only... and I cannot remove that picture which has nothing to do here... Sorry


You can, but then there's just a word and some numbers that replace it, which is equally nonsensical, but less attractive.


----------



## Ut Pictura

Skalkottas, Largo Sinfonico. BIS Recordings.


----------



## meaned

Kurtag chamber music by Arditti Quartet on ECM... somehow feels like home,
Chopin Nocturnes by Ivan Moravec
Bruckner 4th Symphony, Munchner Philharmoniker with Sergiu Celibidache from an in-house recording from Symphony Hall, Osaka, Japan  20 April 1993... (on my blog. it really is my fave though, notwithstanding the unabashed plug)
Bach violin sonatas & partitas Rachel Podger
Anything from any band led by Georges Prêtre from the last 15 years
Beethoven Missa Solemnis Kubelik, Sinfonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks on Orfeo
Samson François in most any repertoire
Sviatoslav Richter in Prokofiev, Debussy, or (later recordings) Bach

how big is this island?

Guillermo 
http://statework.blogspot.com


----------



## Txitxo

Beethoven Sonatas, Emil Gilels
The Well Tempered Clavier, Books I & II, Sviatoslav Richter
Bach Piano Concertos (Gavrilov and the Moscow Conservatory Chamber Orchestra)
Shostakovich 10th , Mravinsky and the LPO
Beethoven Symphonies (Harnoncourt)
Beethoven Quartets No 7 & 15 (Amadeus Quartet)
Prokofiev Piano Concertos (Ashkenazy)
Beethoven & Brahms violin concertos, Milstein


----------



## Txitxo

Beethoven Sonatas, Emil Gilels
The Well Tempered Clavier, Books I & II, Sviatoslav Richter
Bach Piano Concertos (Gavrilov and the Moscow Conservatory Chamber Orchestra)
Shostakovich 10th , Mravinsky and the LPO
Beethoven Symphonies (Harnoncourt)
Beethoven Quartets No 7 & 15 (Amadeus Quartet)
Prokofiev Piano Concertos (Ashkenazy)
Beethoven & Brahms violin concertos, Milstein


----------



## UberB

If you are a piano fan, you simply have to hear these discs:

1. Richter in Leipzig, on Parnassus (contains the last 3 beethoven sonatas and some late Brahms encores)
2. Richter's Rach 2 + Tchaikovsky 1 on Melodiya with Sanderling and Mravinsky respectively (NOT the ones on DG with Wislokcki and Karajan respectively)
3. Kapell's performance of Chopin's B minor sonata (available on the Great Pianists series and on the Kapell Edition)
4. Lipatti's last recital in 1950 (part of EMI's Lipatti boxset)
5. Richter's Live Schubert D960 in Prague 1972
6. Gilels' live Liszt Sonata in 1961 (The Art of emil Gilels, vol 2)


----------



## Xaltotun

These come to mind


----------



## Polyphemus

In no particular order.

Mahler Symph 2 LSO/Solti
Bruckner Symph 8 VPO/Haitink
Walton Symphonies LPO/LSO/Mackerras
Rachmaninov Pno Conc 2 & 3 Ashkenazy/Kondrashin/Fistoulari
Bruckner Symph 6 NPO/Klemperer
Penderecki Symph 1 LSO/Penderecki
Simpson Symph 9 Bournemouth SO/HandleY
Beethoven Missa Solemnis Klemperer 
Bruckner Symphs Dresden/Jochum It was a toss up between his Dresden and Berlin cycles the choice could change
Bartok Music For Perc etc/Conc For Orch /Saito Kainen/Ozawa

I could add more but looking for the Cover pics is a pain.


----------



## Polyphemus

Sorry bout that


----------



## jtbell

The BIS Sibelius Edition:


----------



## techniquest

Here are just a few of my 'desert island' recordings:



























The Mahler 4 in this version has Max Emanuel Cencic (boy treble) and the sound is just beautiful (far better than Helmut Wittek on the DGG Berstein recording)

This Sinfonia Antartica is a really sparkling recording, wonderfully paced, full of emotion and with a rip-roaring organ!

The Mahler 2 conducted by Oleg Caetani is by no means the 'best' performance out there, but the finale certainly ranks as one of the most heartfelt I've ever heard. The recorded sound on audio dvd is fantastic.

The Barshai Shostakovich set is obvious: you can't get better.


----------



## EddieRUKiddingVarese

Pestouille said:


> My whole collection.... I know... but I can't give a few records only... and I cannot remove that picture which has nothing to do here... Sorry


I don't understand what you are saying (the picture is of Joan Sutherland (when much younger) and the record is of Prima Donna- which presumably has Joan Sutherland singing on it??


----------



## moody

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> I don't understand what you are saying (the picture is of Joan Sutherland (when much younger) and the record is of Prima Donna- which presumably has Joan Sutherland singing on it??


He's gone so you'll get no answer.


----------



## EddieRUKiddingVarese

moody said:


> He's gone so you'll get no answer.


Gottcha - thanks for the update


----------



## RJay

1st time poster here:

Compilations to start:

Dorati: Rite of Spring is right in your face, either you like the Mercury sound or you don't...
Ormandy: Great variety, Philadelphia Orchestra c.1960
Kovacevich: Especially the late Beethoven piano sonatos, a real revelation here
Mozart: Deutsche Grammaphone compilation I took a chance on in a record store, first classical CD I ever bought so thanks for getting me started DG!


----------



## RJay

And six I like quite a bit:


----------



## RJay

Missed one:


----------



## mactaffi

I like the thinking behind this thread. My offering is a Sibelius compilation I picked up in Manchester while staying with my brother for a few days. He had just introduced me to Andante Festivo, and I was desperate to find a recording before returning to Edinburgh. What I found was "The Essential Sibelius", a 2-CD set from, believe it or not , Finlandia Records. Apart from containing Andante Festivo, the set comprised:- Finlandia, Symphony No 1, Tapiola, Valse Triste, Romance (Op 42), Violin Concerto, Scene with Cranes, Impromptu and Karelia Suite, played by a variety of orchestras and soloists under different conductors. 

Granted, the various recordings were, although perfectly acceptable, not the finest, but as a budget priced introduction to the variety of Sibelius' music I doubt whether this could be beaten. (Finlandia 0630-13034-2.)

I have no idea if it is still available (I found it over 12 years ago) but can heartily recommend it:tiphat:


----------



## EddieRUKiddingVarese

My latest desert Island disc collection.................. Its a work in progress! Gotta prune it down to 6.


----------



## Itullian

complete Haydn symphonies, Dorati, Decca
complete Haydn String Quartets, Aeolian Quartet, Decca
complete Haydn Piano Trios, Beaux Arts Trio, Philips


----------



## Ryan

Ok firstly lets get one thing straight ok, I'm not here to make friends ok I'm here to seriously talk some music.

It would be What be:

Wham greatest hits
Whitney houston greatest hits
Mozart greatest hits
&
Castaway soundtrack

It's not for everyone but I'd also like to add that I'd bring along a whistle, If you can play a whistle you would have a way of replicating songs and keeping them alive. Just a thought, maybe you should take that into consideration.

Thank you
Ryan O'brian OBE


----------



## Op.123

Sorry if this is a bit excessive but I was listing my favourite works and recordings the other day so hear are my favourite recordings of my favourite works

1.	R. A. Schumann – piano concerto in A minor, op. 54 – S. Richter / L. v. Matacic
2.	A. Dvorak – piano concerto in G minor op. 33 – S. Richter / C. Kleiber
3.	E. Grieg – piano concerto in A minor, op. 16 – S. Richter / L. v. Matacic
4.	R. A. Schumann – fantaisie in C major, op. 17 – S. Richter
5.	R. A. Schumann – introduction and allegro appassionato for piano and orchestra in G major, op. 92 – S. Richter / S. Wislocki
6.	J. Brahms – piano concerto no. 2, in B-flat major, op. 83 – S. Richter / L. Maazel
7.	R. A. Schumann – piano sonata no. 2, in G minor, op. 22 – S. Richter
8.	W. A. Mozart – piano concerto no. 20, in D minor, K. 466 – Richter / S. Wislocki
9.	R. A. Schumann – symphony no. 3 “The Rhine”, in E-flat major, op. 97 – P. Lilye
10.	N. Rimsky-Korsakov – piano concerto in C-sharp minor, op. 30 – S. Richter / K. Kondrashin
11.	P. I. Tchaikovsky – piano concerto no. 1, in B-flat minor, op. 23 – S. Richter / H. v. Karajan
12.	R. A. Schumann – papillons op. 2 – S. Richter
13.	R. A. Schumann – symphony no. 4, in D minor, op. 120 – B. Guller
14.	L. v. Beethoven – piano concerto no. 3, in C minor, op. 37 – S. Richter / R. Muti
15.	J. Brahms – piano concerto no. 1, in D minor, op. 15 – C. Arrau / C. M. Giulini
16.	C. Saint-Saens – piano concerto no. 5, “Egyptian”, in F major, op. 103 – S. Richter / K. Kondrashin
17.	F. F. Chopin – piano concerto no. 1, in E minor, op. 11 – K. Zimerman
18.	F. P. Schubert – fantaisie “Wanderer”, in C major, D. 760 – S. Richter
19.	R. A. Schumann – grand sonata no. 3, in F minor, op. 14 – E. Picht-Axenfeld
20.	F. Liszt – piano concerto no. 1, in E-flat major, S. 124 – S. Richter / K. Kondrashin
21.	F. F. Chopin – fantaisie in F minor, op. 49 – C. Arrau
22.	R. A. Schumann - faschingsschwank aus wien, Op. 26 – S. Richter
23.	W. A. Mozart – piano concerto no. 22, in E-flat major, K. 482 – S. Richter / R. Muti
24.	A. Scriabin – piano concerto in F-sharp minor, op. 20 – S. Cutner / A. Boult
25.	L. v. Beethoven – piano concerto no. 1, in C major, op. 15 – S. Richter / B. Bakala
26.	R. A. Schumann – humoreske in B-flat major, op. 20 – S. Richter
27.	A. Glazunov – piano concerto no. 1, in F minor, op. 92 – S. Richter / K. Kondrashin
28.	F. B. Mendelssohn – piano concerto no. 2, in D minor, op. 40 – D. Han / S. Gunzenhauser
29.	R. A. Schumann – Manfred overture op. 115 – A. Nanut
30.	F. B. Mendelssohn – symphony no. 3, “Scottish”, in A minor, op. 56 – J. Lubbock
31.	F. F. Chopin – piano concerto no. 2, in F minor, op. 21 – K. Zimerman
32.	S. Prokofiev – piano concerto no. 5, in G major, op. 55 – S. Richter / L. Maazel
33.	S. Rachmaninoff – piano concerto no. 2, in C minor, op. 18 – S. Richter / S. Wislocki
34.	R. A. Schumann – waldszenen op. 82 – S. Richter
35.	J. Brahms – violin concerto in D major, op. 77 – N. Milstein / A. Fistoulari
36.	B. Bartok – piano concerto no. 2, in G major, sz. 95 – S. Richter / L. Maazel
37.	L. v. Beethoven – piano concerto no. 4, in G major, op. 58 – C. Arrau / A. Galliera
38.	F. B. Mendelssohn – piano concerto no. 1, in G minor, op. 25 – D. Han / S. Gunzenhauser
39.	J. S. Bach – piano concerto no. 1, in D minor, BWV. 1052 – S. Richter / V. Talich
40.	L. v. Beethoven – piano concerto no. 5, “Emperor”, in E-flat major, op. 73 – C. Arrau / A. Galliera
41.	S. Prokofiev – piano concerto no. 1, in D-flat major, op. 10 – S. Richter / K. Kondrashin
42.	J. S. Bach – fantaisie & fugue in A minor, BWV. 944 – S. Richter
43.	M. Mussorgsky – pictures at an exhibition – S. Richter
44.	R. A. Schumann – kreislariana op. 16 – R. Lupu
45.	W. A. Mozart – piano concerto no. 24, in C minor, K. 491 – S. Cutner / H. Menges
46.	J. S. Bach – Italian concerto in F major, BWV. 971 – S. Richter
47.	F.F Chopin – ballade no. 3, in A-flat major, op. 47 – S. Richter
48.	R. A. Schumann – carnaval op. 9 – C. Arrau
49.	F. B. Mendelssohn – symphony no. 4, “Italian”, in A major, op. 90 – H. Swarowsky
50.	F. F. Chopin – polonaise-fantaisie in A-flat major, op. 61 – M. Pollini
51.	L. v. Beethoven – rondo in B-flat major, WoO. 6 – S. Richter / K. Sanderling
52.	R. A. Schumann – toccata in C major, op. 7 – S. Richter
53.	L. v. Beethoven – piano sonata no. 32, in C minor, op. 111 – C. Arrau
54.	F. F. Chopin – etudes op. 10 – C. Arrau
55.	F. P. Schubert – piano sonata no. 13, in A major, D. 664 – S. Richter
56.	L. v. Beethoven – piano concerto no. 2, in B-flat major, op. 19 – C. Arrau / A. Galliera
57.	R. A. Schumann – three romances op. 28 – W. Klien
58.	F. F. Chopin – 24 preludes op. 28 – R. Blechacz
59.	R. A. Schumann – kinderszenen op. 15 – R. Lupu
60.	L. v. Beethoven – piano sonata no. 23, “Appassionato”, in F minor, op. 57 – C. Arrau


----------



## jeanmarc

Off the top of my head!


----------



## bigshot

Mozart Piano Concerto 17 & 21 Geza Anda
Wagner: Die Walkure Act 1 Walter / Lehmann / Melchior
Offenbach: Gaetie Parisienne Fiedler
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No 5 Bernstein (or Dorati)
Ravel: Daphnis et Chloe Munch


----------



## Vaneyes

*Honegger* Pastorale d'ete (Lopez-Cobos), *Poulenc *Concerto for 2 Pianos (Sage & Braley), *Ravel *Piano Concerto in G (ABM), *Schnittke* Symphony 2 (Segerstam), *Scriabin* Piano Sonatas (Alexeev).


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

.....


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Tomorrow it quite likely would be a whole different group of 5.


----------



## Air

*Six purchases to build a solid Sviatoslav Richter collection*

Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier (RCA)
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2; Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 23 (RCA)
Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 21 (Praga)
Schumann: Papillons; Carnival in Vienna; Fantasie in C (EMI)
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2; Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto (DG)
Prokofiev: Piano Sonatas Nos. 6-8* (Great Pianists, Vol. 82)

*Or Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 5; Piano Sonata No. 8 (DG)


----------



## rarevinyllibrary

Wagner : Tristan und Isolde W.Furtwaengler 
japanese Cd box is probably your best bet.otherwise Lps


----------



## bigshot

The transfer in the Furtwangler Membran box is better than EMI's release.


----------



## Blake

I'm a symphony kind of guy so....

Bruckner - Wand or Chailly
Shostokovich - Barshai
Sibelius - Segerstam or Vanska
Prokofiev - Jarvi
Beethoven - Kletzki
Bax - Handley
Myaskovski - Svetlanov

There are others, but I'm beginning to feel ridiculous. :trp:


----------



## samurai

Vesuvius said:


> I'm a symphony kind of guy so....
> 
> Bruckner - Wand or Chailly
> Shostokovich - Barshai
> Sibelius - Segerstam or Vanska
> Prokofiev - Jarvi
> Beethoven - Kletzki
> Bax - Handley
> Myaskovski - Svetlanov
> 
> There are others, but I'm beginning to feel ridiculous. :trp:


You shouldn't! :cheers:


----------



## realdealblues

This will probably change tomorrow but here's my desert island Mahler Cycle:

Symphony No. 1: Kubelik/Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (Live 1979, Audite)
Symphony No. 2: Klemperer/Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (Live 1965, EMI)
Symphony No. 3: Bernstein/New York Symphony Orchestra
Symphony No. 4: Kletzki/Philharmonia Orchestra
Symphony No. 5: Barshai/German Youth Philharmonic
Symphony No. 6: Sanderling/Saint Petersburg Philharmonic
Symphony No. 7: Bernstein/New York Symphony Orchestra
Symphony No. 8: Gielen/Museumorchester Frankfurt (Live 1981, Sony)
Symphony No. 9: Walter/Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Symphony No. 10: Rattle/Berlin Philharmonic


----------



## Bulldog

Just a few:

Mozart - Magic Flute/Klemperer/EMI
Bach - WTC/Tureck/DG
Bach - Goldberg Variations/Tureck/DG
Mozart - Great Mass in C minor/Leppard/EMI
Beethoven - Late Piano Sonatas/Pollini/DG
Dvorak - String Quartets/Prague/DG
Bach - Art of Fugue/Gilbert/Archiv
Haydn - Piano Sonatas/Brendel/Philips


----------



## Jokke

To the desert Island, i'll take some solo instrumental music.
These are my favourites :


----------



## EDaddy

*This is just a test...*

This is a test of The Emergency Broadcast System. This is just a test. (Never uploaded an album photo here before. Trying for the first time. If this works this is one of the albums I will certainly be bringing to my deserted island!)









Do they have a way to run power to my stereo system there? Just curious.

Sweet!! It worked. 
Stay tuned. More to follow...


----------



## EDaddy

EDaddy's Desert Island Discs (cont'd)



































These are but a few.


----------



## SixFootScowl

Handel's Messiah, Dublin Version, Dunedin Consort

Beethoven:

Fidelio Bernstein
Ninth Ferenc Fricsay
Christ on the Mount of Olives Rilling
Missa Solemnis Ormandy
Choral Fantasy

Johnny Winter, Progressive Blues Experiment and Second Winter

Neil Young: Sleeps With Angels, Decade

Bob Dylan: John Wesley Hardin, Self Portrait, and New Morning

Tom Feldmann: Lone Wolf Blues

There are more but no time to list them all.


----------



## EDaddy

...and a few more:


----------



## MagneticGhost




----------



## MagneticGhost




----------



## MagneticGhost

How many are we allowed again?


----------



## ptr

MagneticGhost said:


> How many are we allowed again?


8 according to the century old Plomley ruling! + one luxury of no consequence and a book (what ever that is?)... 

/ptr


----------



## MagneticGhost

ptr said:


> 8 according to the century old Plomley ruling! + one luxury of no consequence and a book (what ever that is?)...
> 
> /ptr


 OK, I'll stick the last three down my luxury pants.

make that 2 - I can't count


----------



## aszkid

Die Kunst der Fuge, Bach, by Glenn Gould.
Goldberg Variations, Bach, by Glenn Gould.
Wohltemperierte Klavier, Bach, by Glenn Gould.
Musikalisches Opfer, Bach, Savall & Le Concert des Nations.
Hammerklavier, Beethoven, ? (ehh.. i think... has Gould recorded it?).
Piano Trio No. 2, Shostakovich, Argerich Kremer & Maisky.
Everything by Du Pré.
Everything by Nikolaeva.

...

I can't. I'd rather burn with the recordings than live without some of them.


----------



## Cascade

Mussorgsky: Pictures.../Bartók: Music for strings, percussion & celesta - Chicago Symphony/Kubelik (Mercury)
Bartók: Concerto for orchestra etc. - Chicago Symphony/Reiner (RCA)
Bruckner: Symphonies nos. 5, 7, 8 & 9 - RCO/v. Beinum (Philips)
C. Ives: Symphonies nos. 1 & 4 - Dallas Symphony/Litton (Hyperion)
W.A. Mozart: Symphonies 32, 33, 35 & 36 - Berliner/Karajan (DG)
W.A. Mozart: Piano concertos nos. 14, 15 & 16 - Buchbinder (Profil)
Rachmaninov: Vespers - Robert Shaw Festival Singers (Telarc)
R. Strauss: Vier letzte lieder - Lucia Popp/Tennstedt/LPO (EMI)
Bartók: Complete solo piano vol.1 - Zoltan Kocsis (Philips)
Bartók: Piano concertos nos. 1, 2 & 3 - Kocsis/Fischer/Budapest (Philips)
R. Schumann: Complete recordings - Pollini (DG)
Mahler: Symphony no. 2 - SWR/Gielen (Haenssler)


----------



## cournot

If pressed, this would be my list this week:

1.	Gould's 2nd Goldberg Variations 1981
2.	Reiner Bartok Concerto for Orchestra
3.	Karajan Beethoven 9th DG 1977
4.	Hanson doing Hanson’s 3rd Mercury Living Presence
5.	Reiner Brahms 4th Chesky
6.	Walter Mahler 1 (stereo) Columbia
7.	Klemperer Mahler 2 (EMI studio version)
8.	Horenstein Dvorak 9th RPO Chesky
9.	Kleiber Beethoven 5th
10.	Mehta Puccini Turandot


----------



## Masada

To pick 5 based on today's mood...

1. Solti's incomperable _Ring..._, 
especially the new-ish limited edition box set








2. Arvo Pärt's _Te Deum_, 
masterful minimalism yet profound polyphony








3. Bach's _Cello Suites_, Rostropovich at the helm








4. Jascha Heifetz, everything, but for this post I'll pick:








5. I've got to include Jussi Bjorling, so...


----------



## PrimoUomo

1. J. D. Zelenka: Sub Olea Pacis Et Palma Virtutis (The first cd i'd ever bought)







2. H. I. F. Biber: Arminio, Chi La Dura La Vince







3. Campra & Couperin: Petits Motets


----------



## JACE

Here are five indispensable Charles Ives recordings that I'd bring to my desert island:









Three Places in New England, Set for Theatre Orchestra, etc. / James Sinclair, Orchestra New England (Koch)









Symphony No. 4 / Michael Tilson Thomas, Chicago SO (Sony Classical)









Songs / Jan DeGaetani & Gilbert Kalish (Nonesuch)


----------



## JACE

Continued...









Piano Sonata No. 2, "Concord, Mass., 1840-60" / Marc-Andre Hamelin (New World)









String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2 / Juilliard String Quartet (Columbia, reissued on Newton Classics)


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

1. Edo de Waart conducting Peer Gynt








2. Karajan conducting Don Giovanni







3. Levine conducting The Planets








4. Yoel Levi conducting Pictures at an Exhibition








5. Boulez conducting Daphnis Et Chloe








Trust me, my real list is much longer.


----------



## Hudon

Hilary Hahn plays Bach. 
The Planets with Malcolm Sargent and the London Symphony Orchestra
Vaughan Williams 9 symphonies with Bryden Thomson and the London Symphony Orchestra

I'm good.


----------



## Albert7

Desert island discs... oh man... box sets then.

hopefully to add these to my collection:







(which I just got)






(which I will be adding soon hopefully)


----------



## Heliogabo

From my island:


----------



## Morimur

A futile task -- simply too many to list.


----------



## Heliogabo

From my island:

Glenn Gould, Goldberg Variations (1981)
Radu Lupu, Brahms op 117-119
Schoenberg, Transfigurated Night (Berliner, Karajan)
Holst, The planets, (karajan, decca)
Mompou, Música callada, Perianes


----------



## pianississimo

If anyone's interested, you can read the archive from the BBC radio show here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/desert-island-discs/find-a-castaway
You can actually listen to a lot of the more recent ones.

They've had some great people on it and they've made some interesting choices.

I like the idea that some musicians have had about taking the pieces as scores.
Barenboim was one http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0093vnd

My choice would be
Mozart K545
Chopin op 10, no 3
Chopin op 28, no 15
Schubert Op. 90, D. 899: (4) Impromptus
Liszt Consolations, S.172. No 3
Beethoven Piano Sonata No.23, Op.57

And my book would be JS Bach Well Tempered Clavier book 1.

I don't think I'd bother building a signal fire...


----------



## science

It's funny, in the early days when I first joined here I had the confidence to share my opinion about this and now I'm afraid too! I've learned too much in the mean while! 

My big standbys would be the same: 

- Chant Byzantin - Marie Keyrouz
- Chopin: Nocturnes - Rubinstein 
- Crumb: Black Angels; Shostakovich: String Quartet #8 - Kronos Quartet 
- Rzewski: The People United Will Never Be Defeated! - Drury 

One of my old favorites, I've found a better recording for: 

- Takemitsu: From Me Flows What You Call Time - Nexus 

Some of the stuff that probably didn't make my list last time I did this: 

- Purcell: King Arthur - Pinnock 


Then there's the stuff that I love, although I suspect that I love it in part because I know I'm supposed to: 

- Bach: Goldberg Variations (1981) - Gould 
- Beethoven: Symphonies 5 & 7 - Kleiber 
- Brahms: German Requiem - Klemperer
- Elgar: Cello Concertos - Du Pré 
- Handel: Messiah - Hogwood 
- Mozart: Don Giovanni - Giulini 
- Nono: Como una ola de fuerza y luz - Pollini 
- Reich: Music for 18 Musicians 
- Wagner: The Ring - Solti 

And so on. And then there's stuff that I know I'm supposed to like but feel a little guilty about liking, and I feel duly conflicted: 

- Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture - Dorati 
- Vaughan Williams: Fantasias, etc. - Marriner
- Vivaldi: The Four Seasons - Marriner 

I don't know, man. If I were indifferent to opinion I would probably confess: 

- Albeniz "Echoes of Spain" - John Williams
- Albeniz: Iberia; Granados: Goyescas - Larrocha 1970s 
- Mozart: Requiem - Karajan 1962 unremastered
- Rachmaninoff: Elegiac Piano Trios - Beaux Arts Trio 

I think I'm so jumpy these days, I can't just enjoy anything anymore.


----------



## Guest

science said:


> I think I'm so jumpy these days, I can't just enjoy anything anymore.


You should drink decaff. 

I'm still early days here so I'll put up a select few from my tiny collection and then revisit it in the future and snort derisively.


----------



## pbarach

Chopin Nocturnes -- Moravec
Brahms Piano Concerto 2 -- Gilels, Reiner
Mahler 9th -- Szell, Gilbert, Haitink/RCO from Kerstmatinee set, Bernstein/NYP, 5 or 6 others
Nielsen 3rd -- Bernstein or Blomstedt
Beethoven piano concertos 1-3 == Bronfman, Zinman; 4: Goode, Fischer; 5: Perahia, Haitink
About 40 or 50 recordings of Mozart piano concertos
Bach well tempered -- Fischer and Richter, can't decide
...and a lot of batteries for my desert island disc player


----------



## Guest

Music for Viola
- Kurtag and Ligeti
Performed by Kim Kashkashian.


----------



## Saintbert

Can I visit a record store on my way to the desert island? I come across new favorites all the time, but here's a handful of old ones:

The Shostakovich violin and viola sonatas, performed (respectively) by Oleg Kagan and Yuri Bashmet, with Sviatoslav Richter. The disc has been released on a few different labels; my copy is on Regis. It's Shostakovich at his gloomiest, most devastating.

The Janácek string quartets (coupled with a Novák quartet), performed by the Janácek Quartet, on the Supraphon label. The novelist Milan Kundera mentions this recording as a particular favorite in an essay of his. I was nodding in agreement when I came upon that passage.

The Art of Fugue and Musical Offering, as performed by Karl Münchinger and the Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, on Decca. Of all my Bach discs, this is the one I most often come back to.


----------



## vis756

My top choices are 
1 and 2. Beethoven: Eroica and Fourth symphonies, Karajan 1963
3. The Play of Daniel (12th century liturgical drama), New York Pro Musica conducted by Noah Greenberg, recorded 1958
4. Bach: Magnificat, Karl Munchinger 1967
5. Beethoven: String Quartet no 7, Lindsay String Quartet
6. Haydn:Seven Last Words from the Cross, ASMF directed by Neville Marriner
7. Rossini: 6 String Sonatas, Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, Janos Rolla


----------



## EDaddy

Here are a few of mine.


----------



## Tedski

science said:


> It's funny, in the early days when I first joined here I had the confidence to share my opinion about this and now I'm afraid too!


I'm in my early days, here, and I am reticent about posting mine for fear my brow lacks sufficient elevation. But, here are a few of my favorite things:

Orff: Carmina Burana - Cleveland/MTT
Vivaldi: Four Seasons - Orpheus
Julia Fischer's Saint-Saens VC/Grieg PC (yeah, DVD, but the topic is "Discs"  )
Mahler: Symphony #1 - Philly/Muti
Bruckner: Symphony #4 - Staatskapelle Dresden/Blomstedt
Alkan: Esquisses - Steven Osborne
and, because I'm on a desert island, and this next set would bring back memories of having attended quite a few of the performances:
8th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition 1989, "The Winners" - Aleksei Sultanov, Jose Carlos Cocarelli, Benedetto Lupo

Cheers,

Tedski


----------



## Dawood

I'm fairly new back to the Classical Music Appreciation Front, so I'd thought I'd do a list when I was last majorly into this stuff - compare it to now - and then, maybe, come back in future times and see what's changed.

Desert Island Discs circa 2005

Sibelius - Complete Symphonies - Sir Colin Davis & the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Stravinsky - Rite of Spring - Zubin Mehta & the NY Philharmonic
Shostakovich - Cello Concerto #2 - Rostropovich / Ozawa / Boston Symphony Orchestra
Janacek - Jenufa - Mackerras & Wiener Philarmoniker 
Mascagni - Cavalleria Rusticana - Von Karajan & Teatro Alla Scala

Desert Island Discs 2015
Sibelius - Complete Symphonies - Sir Colin Davis & the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Stravinsky - Rite of Spring - Zubin Mehta & the NY Philharmonic
Mascagni - Cavalleria Rusticana - Von Karajan & Teatro Alla Scala
Mozart - Great Mass in C Minor - Peter Dijkstra
Beethoven - Complete Symphonies - Von Karajan (1977 cycle)

I think - personally - Sibelius will never leave this list....


----------



## farris

Tchaikovsky's piano trio op.50, Gilels, Kogan, Rostropovich live.


----------



## JohnD

JACE said:


> String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2 / Juilliard String Quartet (Columbia, reissued on Newton Classics)


I've got this lp, but I didn't know it had been issued on CD. Thanks for the info!


----------



## Adair

This is always challenging, but I often think about what ten records/discs I would choose to take with me in an emergency if I absolutely had to. Right now, I'd say:

Nadia Boulanger: Monteverdi on EMI
Nadia Boulanger: Petite Concert (old VOX LP)
Furtwangler: Eroica (the Urania version, but the later studio recording is also great)
Walter: Das Lied von der Erde (hard to choose between the Thorborg or Ferrier versions)
Sena Jurinac: Il Tramonto (Westminster)
Ramor Quartet: Schoenberg String Quartet No. 2, vocals by Maria Theresa Escribano, a vastly underrated singer (VOX)
Paul Jacobs: Debussy Etudes (Nonesuch)
Furtwangler and Schwarzkopf: Wolf Lieder (EMI)
Schwartzkopf: Strauss Four Last Songs (EMI)
LaSalle Quartet: Zemlinsky String Quartet No. 2 (DG)

If I were allowed five more...

Modern Madrigal Singers: Les Chansons de Debussy/Ravel/Poulenc/Milhaud (DESTO)
Furtwangler: Tristan
Quartetto Italiano: Beethoven String Quartets
Paul Jacobs: Busoni's Fantasia Contrapuntistica (Nonesuch)
Kempff: Beethoven Piano Sonatas (mono version)

And if you allow me two more...

Karajan: Brahms Symphonies
Ramor Quartet: Berg's Lyric Suite (VOX) Love the old Galimir version as well, and the more modern Alban Berg Quartet version.

And one more...

Zemlinsky: Lyric Symphony with Maazel (DG)

This leaves out SO much I love. What of Stravinsky's Apollo, Orpheus, and Agon? Jehan Alain? Robert Craft's Gesualdo? Boulez's Debussy and Webern? Ligetti's Lux Aeterna? Beecham's Mozart? The Vegh Bartok? Kna's Bruckner and Wagner? Impossible. And yet, many people in our time and in the past have had to make hard emergency decisions--and of course about vastly more important things than what records to take.


----------



## billeames

An island can hold a lot, so I will limit it. Seems like a trunk case full.

Beethoven Missa Solemnis Bernstein DG and Klemperer warner classics.
Bach Mass B Minore Richter 1962
Bach Cello Suites....Casals or Rosty, or Maisky, Tortelier, all great.
Beethoven Symphonies Szell 
Beethoven Overtures Szell
Beethoven 9 Fricsay Isserstet
Beethoven 3 Furtwangler 1944
Beethoven 5 Furtwangler 5/27/1947 
Brahms Symphonies Kempe Munich, Karajan 1963, Abbado 1970s (an unpopular set), Beinum Philips, Klemperer Warner
Brahms 1 Ozawa BSO, Levine CSO, Furtwangler NDR
Brahms 4 Furtwangler not sure which one, Giulini CSO, Rattle BPO
Bruckner Symphonies Jochum DG, Karajan DG
Bruckner TeDeum Karajan 1976
Bruckner 3 4 Bohm VPO
Bruckner 8 Haitink VPO, Karajan VPO, Bohm VPO, Furtwangler 1944, Haitink 1981
Bruckner 9 Haitink 1981
Berlioz TeDeum Abbado DG
Berlioz Requiem Davis LSO Phiips
Bizet Carmen Solti
Holst Planets Dutoit OSM
Mahler Symphonies Bernstein Sony and DG, Sinopoli, Solti CSO
Mahler 1 Abbado CSO
Mozart Mass in c minore Karajan DG, Fricsay DG
Mozart Symphonies Bohm
Nielsen Symphonies Oramo BIS
Shostakovich 5 Rosty
Shostakovich 8 Previn LSO
Shostakovich 10 Karajan 1960's
Tchaikovsky Symphonies Jansons
Tchaikovsky 1812 Dorati Decca (sorry)
Tchaikovsky Ballets Lanchbery
Verdi Requiem oh yes Fricsay 1962, Karajan 1985, Solti VPO Decca.
Verdi Aida Muti
Wagner Ring Solti newest remaster.


----------



## Pugg

billeames said:


> An island can hold a lot, so I will limit it. Seems like a trunk case full.
> 
> Beethoven Missa Solemnis Bernstein DG and Klemperer warner classics.
> Bach Mass B Minore Richter 1962
> Bach Cello Suites....Casals or Rosty, or Maisky, Tortelier, all great.
> Beethoven Symphonies Szell
> Beethoven Overtures Szell
> Beethoven 9 Fricsay Isserstet
> Beethoven 3 Furtwangler 1944
> Beethoven 5 Furtwangler 5/27/1947
> Brahms Symphonies Kempe Munich, Karajan 1963, Abbado 1970s (an unpopular set), Beinum Philips, Klemperer Warner
> Brahms 1 Ozawa BSO, Levine CSO, Furtwangler NDR
> Brahms 4 Furtwangler not sure which one, Giulini CSO, Rattle BPO
> Bruckner Symphonies Jochum DG, Karajan DG
> Bruckner TeDeum Karajan 1976
> Bruckner 3 4 Bohm VPO
> Bruckner 8 Haitink VPO, Karajan VPO, Bohm VPO, Furtwangler 1944, Haitink 1981
> Bruckner 9 Haitink 1981
> Berlioz TeDeum Abbado DG
> Berlioz Requiem Davis LSO Phiips
> Bizet Carmen Solti
> Holst Planets Dutoit OSM
> Mahler Symphonies Bernstein Sony and DG, Sinopoli, Solti CSO
> Mahler 1 Abbado CSO
> Mozart Mass in c minore Karajan DG, Fricsay DG
> Mozart Symphonies Bohm
> Nielsen Symphonies Oramo BIS
> Shostakovich 5 Rosty
> Shostakovich 8 Previn LSO
> Shostakovich 10 Karajan 1960's
> Tchaikovsky Symphonies Jansons
> Tchaikovsky 1812 Dorati Decca (sorry)
> Tchaikovsky Ballets Lanchbery
> Verdi Requiem oh yes Fricsay 1962, Karajan 1985, Solti VPO Decca.
> Verdi Aida Muti
> Wagner Ring Solti newest remaster.


That is cheating , big time :lol:


----------



## RZW

My desert island recording would definitely have to be this one:









But I like those recordings too - made by someone I've known for a long time. Me.


----------



## dieter

realdealblues said:


> This will probably change tomorrow but here's my desert island Mahler Cycle:
> 
> Symphony No. 1: Kubelik/Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (Live 1979, Audite)
> Symphony No. 2: Klemperer/Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (Live 1965, EMI)
> Symphony No. 3: Bernstein/New York Symphony Orchestra
> Symphony No. 4: Kletzki/Philharmonia Orchestra
> Symphony No. 5: Barshai/German Youth Philharmonic
> Symphony No. 6: Sanderling/Saint Petersburg Philharmonic
> Symphony No. 7: Bernstein/New York Symphony Orchestra
> Symphony No. 8: Gielen/Museumorchester Frankfurt (Live 1981, Sony)
> Symphony No. 9: Walter/Columbia Symphony Orchestra
> Symphony No. 10: Rattle/Berlin Philharmonic


Where can one find the Sanderling 6 with the Leningrad/Saint Petersburgh?


----------



## dieter

dieter said:


> Where can one find the Sanderling 6 with the Leningrad/Saint Petersburgh?


Please ignore this post. I tried to edit it by deleting but I need 15 letters to delete!


----------



## hustlefan

1. Mozart, Marriage of Figaro, Erich Kleiber
2. Bruckner, Symphony #8, Tennstedt
3. Beethoven, String Quartet Op 127, Fine Arts
4. Handel, As steals the morn upon the night from L'Allegro, Gardiner
5. Wagner, Lohengrin, Kempe
6. Strauss, Ariadne auf Naxos, Karajan
7. Rameau, Dardanus suite, Collegium Aureum
8. Soler, Fandango, Puyana
9. Sousa, High School Cadets, Goldman Band
10. Josef Strauss, Die Libelle (The Dragonfly) polka, Carlos Kleiber


----------



## Marinera

billeames said:


> An island can hold a lot, so I will limit it. * Seems like a trunk case full.*
> 
> Beethoven Missa Solemnis Bernstein DG and Klemperer warner classics.
> Bach Mass B Minore Richter 1962
> Bach Cello Suites....Casals or Rosty, or Maisky, Tortelier, all great.
> Beethoven Symphonies Szell
> Beethoven Overtures Szell
> Beethoven 9 Fricsay Isserstet
> Beethoven 3 Furtwangler 1944
> Beethoven 5 Furtwangler 5/27/1947
> Brahms Symphonies Kempe Munich, Karajan 1963, Abbado 1970s (an unpopular set), Beinum Philips, Klemperer Warner
> Brahms 1 Ozawa BSO, Levine CSO, Furtwangler NDR
> Brahms 4 Furtwangler not sure which one, Giulini CSO, Rattle BPO
> Bruckner Symphonies Jochum DG, Karajan DG
> Bruckner TeDeum Karajan 1976
> Bruckner 3 4 Bohm VPO
> Bruckner 8 Haitink VPO, Karajan VPO, Bohm VPO, Furtwangler 1944, Haitink 1981
> Bruckner 9 Haitink 1981
> Berlioz TeDeum Abbado DG
> Berlioz Requiem Davis LSO Phiips
> Bizet Carmen Solti
> Holst Planets Dutoit OSM
> Mahler Symphonies Bernstein Sony and DG, Sinopoli, Solti CSO
> Mahler 1 Abbado CSO
> Mozart Mass in c minore Karajan DG, Fricsay DG
> Mozart Symphonies Bohm
> Nielsen Symphonies Oramo BIS
> Shostakovich 5 Rosty
> Shostakovich 8 Previn LSO
> Shostakovich 10 Karajan 1960's
> Tchaikovsky Symphonies Jansons
> Tchaikovsky 1812 Dorati Decca (sorry)
> Tchaikovsky Ballets Lanchbery
> Verdi Requiem oh yes Fricsay 1962, Karajan 1985, Solti VPO Decca.
> Verdi Aida Muti
> Wagner Ring Solti newest remaster.


^
*for that *seems like a seperate fleet full


----------



## Marinera

I don't think Ishould publish my choices for now, they probably would sink a fleet. 
Half a year for planning


----------



## Marinera

science said:


> I don't know, man. If I were indifferent to opinion I would probably confess:
> 
> - Albeniz "Echoes of Spain" - John Williams
> - Albeniz: Iberia; Granados: Goyescas - Larrocha 1970s
> - Mozart: Requiem - Karajan 1962 unremastered
> - Rachmaninoff: Elegiac Piano Trios - Beaux Arts Trio


What's wrong with Iberia and Goyescas? 
They splendid, i'll ship them to my island retreat in the first cargo box.


----------



## Templeton

Franz Schmidt: Symphony No. 2 (Sinaisky)
Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 (Böhm/VPO)
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 (Kleiber and Fricsay)
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 (Fricsay and Furtwängler/Lucerne)
Strauss: An Alpine Symphony (Kempe/Staatskapelle Dresden)
Sibelius: Violin Concerto (Oistrakh)
Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 (Giulini/VPO)
Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 (Böhm/VPO)
Joseph Marx: Eine Herbstsymphonie
Brahms: Symphonies 1, 3, 4 (Levine/VPO)
Mahler: Symphony No. 5 (Bernstein/VPO)
Elgar: Enigma Variations (Gardiner/VPO)


----------



## Pugg

I wonder if O.P and the rest from the early days still stands with their choices


----------



## Marinera

^
I would like to know that too. My own favourites are not all static.


----------



## maudia

*My desert island Beethoven cycle*

#1: Mackerras - Scottish Chamber Orchestra
#2: Karajan (63) 
#3: Klemperer
#4: Bernstein (NY)
#5: Günter Wand 
#6: Bruno Walter
#7: Colin Davis (RPO)
#8: Günter Wand
#9: Fricsay

but I would like to have Emmanuel Krivine cycle in my island to have some variety.

I listened these cycles:
Ernest Ansermet
Leonard Bernstein NYP
Leonard Bernstein WP
Riccardo Chailly
Colin Davis / Dresden
Wilhelm Furtwängler (EMI)
John Eliot Gardiner
Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Mariss Jansons
Herbert von Karajan 1963
Herbert von Karajan 1977
Otto Klemperer
Emmanuel Krivine
Rafael Kubelik
Charles Mackerras
Roger Norrington
Arturo Toscanini (NBC)
Osmo Vanska
Bruno Walter
Günter Wand
George Szell
David Zinman

and
Colin Davis (RPO) (7)
Karl Böhn (6, 9)
Wilhelm Furtwängler Lucerna (9)
Bernard Haitink (4, 8)
Carlos Kleiber (5, 7)
Kurt Masur (9)
Fricsay (9)


----------



## Pugg

Marinera said:


> ^
> I would like to know that too. My own favourites are not all static.


That's how it should be Marinera.


----------



## Rosie

My favourite symphonies are 40 41 from Mozart 5 6 from Tchaikovsky Beethoven 9 is nice so is Mendelssohn 3 4 but Mozart is best


----------



## maudia

Lists are just for fun. We are never the same...and each audition of a great performance illuminates a different aspect of a work - and great works like Beethoven symphonies have infinite nuances.


----------



## Merl

My choices change every day but I'm currently loving Barshai's take on Mahler 5 & 10 and Chailly's Beethoven 7.


----------



## Pugg

Merl said:


> My choices change every day but I'm currently loving Barshai's take on Mahler 5 & 10 and Chailly's Beethoven 7.


Try Kleiber on Beethoven 7


----------



## jegreenwood

Limiting myself to 10 Titles:

Bach - Well Tempered Clavier (Schiff ECM)
Schubert - Quintet in C (Alban Berg Quartet with Heinrich Schiff)
Mozart Clarinet Quintet/Brahms Clarinet Quintet (Berliner Solisten - the only disc I have that actually pairs the two works)
Marriage of Figaro (Erich Kleiber)
Mahler Symphony No. 2 (debating the performance - I recently picked up Kubelik, but haven't listened to it yet)
The Tallis Scholars Sing Josquin
Feldman - Piano and String Quartet (Kronos Quartet)
Rock of Ages (The Band)
Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers and Hart Songbook (I'd love to find an all mono release in a digital format)
The Essential Miles Davis (I don't actually own this, but I need a compilation that covers all of his incarnations)


----------



## 13hm13

i realize the OP for this query is dated, so the realization of smartphone-based *playlists* may not have come to mind.

More likely, on a desert island today, I'd be alone w/at lease a smartphone, earphones and a solar charger.

Even as far back as 2005, I'd switched almost exclusively to PC or iPod-based *playlists*.

All that said, here's the reply ...

(1) Barber/Zinman/Baltimore SO -- "Adagio, Symph 1, etc." (1992 Argo)









(more list items to be added in line)


----------



## Nycosim

Limiting to 6 titles:

Mendelssohn - Elias (Philippe Herreweghe / La Chapelle Royale / Collegium Vocale / Orchestre des Champs Elysées) 
Bach - French Suites (Murray Perahia) 
Van Nuffel - Psalms (Malines Choir of the Cathedral / Peter Pieters) 
Prokofiev - Piano concerto no. 2 & 3 (Horacio Gutierrez / Neeme Järvi / Royal Orkestgebouw Orchestra) 
Rachmaninov - Piano concerto no. 3 (Lukas Vondracek / Nationaal Orkest van België or Argerich / Chailly / RSO) 
Schumann - Piano concerto (Marth Argerich / Mstislav Rostropovich / National Symphony Orchestra Washington)


----------



## bestellen




----------



## Pugg

These two are also in my suitcase​


----------



## Op.123

_................_


----------



## Bettina

Bach: Goldberg Variations (Gould)
Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier (Tureck)
Beethoven: Symphonies 5 and 7 (Kleiber)
Beethoven: Symphony 9 (Solti)
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas 30, 31, and 32 (Feltsman)
Chopin: Nocturnes (Rubinstein)
Debussy: Preludes, Books 1 and 2 (Michelangeli)
Liszt: Sonata, Ballades and Polonaises (Hough)
Mozart: Don Giovanni (Gardiner)
Ravel: Miroirs and Gaspard de la nuit (Thibaudet)


----------



## hpowders

At this time:

Bach Organ Works, Helmut Walcha

Bach Keyboard Partitas, Trevor Pinnock

Bach Solo Violin Sonatas and Partitas Nathan Milstein

Beethoven 32 Piano Sonatas Annie Fischer

Beethoven Diabelli Variations Vladimir Ashkenazy

Brahms Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel Idil Biret

Brahms Three Piano Trios Shaham Trio

Brahms Three Piano Quartets Menuhin Festival Piano Quartet

Brahms Two String Sextets The Nash Ensemble

Brahms Two String Quintets The Nash Ensemble

Ives Concord Piano Sonata Easley Blackwood

Copland Appalachian Spring Suite Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic


----------



## Pugg

​This one must be in my suitcase .


----------



## SixFootScowl

Definite desert island set for me:


----------



## Vaneyes

Nuff said, I'm takin' a thousand with me.


----------



## SixFootScowl

Vaneyes said:


> Nuff said, I'm takin' a thousand with me.


Hope you have a tsunami shelter. Not much elevation on that island.


----------



## Vaneyes

Florestan said:


> Hope you have a tsunami shelter. Not much elevation on that island.


"Nothin' to fear but fear itself." - Doctor Vinny Boom Bah


----------



## Pugg

Vaneyes said:


> "Nothin' to fear but fear itself." - Doctor Vinny Boom Bah


I do add amen to this. :tiphat:


----------



## AfterHours

For my Desert Island selections, I'll go with what I consider to be the 10 greatest Classical Works, and what I think is the best recorded performance of each:

*1. Symphony No. 9 in D Minor "Choral" - Ludwig van Beethoven (1824)*

Roger Norrington - Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart (2002) 
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/711X36x1PwL._SX355_.jpg

*2. Symphony No. 9 in D Major - Gustav Mahler (1910)*

Herbert von Karajan - Berlin Philharmonic (1982)
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71qsq8mOK+L._SL1298_.jpg

*3. Mass in B Minor - Johann Sebastian Bach (1749)*

Philippe Herreweghe - Collegium Vocale Gent (2011) 
http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Pic-Rec-BIG/MBM-Herreweghe-R3a[Phi-2CD].jpg

*4. Requiem - Guisseppe Verdi (1874)*

Carlo Maria Giulini - Philharmonia Orchestra - Philharmonia Chorus (1964) 
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51+OtLOI3xL.jpg

*5. Symphony No. 9 in C Major "The Great" - Franz Schubert (1826)*

Georg Solti - Vienna Philharmonic (1981)
https://img1.artistxite.co.uk/imgcache/album/000/914/000914021_500.jpg

*6. Tristan und Isolde - Richard Wagner (1859)*

Karl Bohm - Beyreuth Festival (1966)
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51iEAMrJ7mL.jpg

*7. Symphony No. 15 in A Major - Dmitri Shostakovich (1971)*

Bernard Haitink - London Philharmonic Orchestra (1978) 
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/519lIcNcN9L.jpg

*8. String Quartet No. 15 in A Minor - Ludwig van Beethoven (1825)*

Alban Berg Quartet (1984) 
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71xDcsTQcUL._SY355_.jpg

*9. Grande Messe des morts - Hector Berlioz (1837)*

Sir Colin Davis - London Symphony Chorus & Orchestra (2012) 
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81i5q-PMIqL._SL1500_.jpg

*10. String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp Minor - Ludwig van Beethoven (1826)*

Alban Berg Quartet (1984) 
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71xDcsTQcUL._SY355_.jpg


----------



## AfterHours

^^^ I would say that the selected recordings for the above are currently all pretty stable (though I'm always open to recommendations). Least stable are my selections for _Symphony No. 9 in C Major "The Great"_, _Tristan und Isolde_, and _Grande Messe des morts_ -- each of which I change my mind on which is the best recording from time to time.


----------



## quietfire

In this century and Spotify, we can carry the entire musical history in our musical devices. But playing along,

All of Bach's keyboard works.
All of Chopin's keyboard works.

Done.


----------



## Pugg

quietfire said:


> In this century and Spotify, we can carry the entire musical history in our musical devices. But playing along,
> 
> All of Bach's keyboard works.
> All of Chopin's keyboard works.
> 
> Done.


No, no internet on the dessert island.


----------



## quietfire

Pugg said:


> No, no internet on the dessert island.


Well there is also no electricity/battery - how are you going to listen to your discs?

Nowadays, it is more likely to get internet at any given spot on Earth than to get electricity.


----------



## SixFootScowl

quietfire said:


> *Well there is also no electricity/battery - how are you going to listen to your discs?*
> 
> Nowadays, it is more likely to get internet at any given spot on Earth than to get electricity.


----------



## Pugg

Florestan said:


>


----------



## quietfire

Florestan said:


>


Lol, you'd be better off with solar panels.


----------



## AfterHours

Pugg said:


> ​This one must be in my suitcase .


Yes! There's a few other renditions I might choose on any given day (Reiner, Levine, Janowski...), but, generally, I'd have no problem proclaiming that Kleiber's could be the very best recording of the 4th -- possibly Brahms' greatest work! (I go back and forth between his 4th, his Violin Concerto and his German Requiem)


----------



## Pugg

AfterHours said:


> Yes! There's a few other renditions I might choose on any given day (Reiner, Levine, Janowski...), but, generally, I'd have no problem proclaiming that Kleiber's could be the very best recording of the 4th -- possibly Brahms' greatest work! (I go back and forth between his 4th, his Violin Concerto and his German Requiem)


Keep you busy in life, that's the good part.


----------



## Pugg

​
This one has to come with me.


----------



## Judith

Everything I have performed by

Joshua Bell
Steven Isserlis
Stephen Hough
ASMF

I would need a very large trunk lol!


----------



## SixFootScowl

I need a huge suitcase to hold all my desert island disks!


----------



## Art Rock

AfterHours said:


> -- possibly Brahms' greatest work! (I go back and forth between his 4th, his Violin Concerto and his German Requiem)


These three would make my top4 Brahms, but my #1 would be the clarinet quintet.


----------



## Pugg

​
This one would also be a new favourite.


----------



## Überstürzter Neumann

Now this is not entirely true, as No. 00 is missing, but it is a great set nevertheless.


----------



## Merl

This one's definitely coming to my desert island.


----------



## Pugg

​Found room for one more.


----------



## CDs

Smetana - Ma Vlast (Susskind)
Mozart - Requiem (Herreweghe)
Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No.1 (Cliburn)
Beethoven - 9th Symphony (Karajan)


----------



## Pugg

This one is going with me too.


----------



## Ras

I would have to bring two with me to that island:

*- Glenn Gould with Leopold Stokowski doing Beethoven's Emperor Concerto (Sony/Columbia)

- John Holloway on ECM playing Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin *


----------



## Vtran

I will bring two discs. The first is to grate the coconuts for nutrition. The second is for my soul; also the best music for thinking about food but not actually eating.


----------



## Merl

This one's coming too. The opening of the 5th will probably frighten away any unfriendly creatures intent on doing me any harm.


----------



## Pugg

I do hope there's a DVD player on that island :devil:


----------



## SixFootScowl

I have a desert island You Tube, but will I have internet service on the island?


----------



## Josquin13

Seven desert island discs of mine:

1. Motets by Josquin Desprez, performed by the Orlando Quartet (at their best)--among the finest Josquin performances I've ever heard (& if I could only take one CD of Renaissance music with me to my desert island, this would be it):






Here's the full album: 




2. "Musica Symbolica"--Josquin Desprez, Missa Gaudeamus & motets, performed by De Labyrintho, led by Walter Testolin:






The common thinking among scholars is that Josquin's motets are superior to his masses. I can't agree, and use De Labyrintho's recording of Josquin's Missa Gaudeamus as an example of how brilliant Josquin's masses are, if they are performed well (which isn't always the case).

3. "Dufay: Voyage en Italie"--motets & chansons by Guillaume Dufay, performed by La Reverdie:

The full album: 




4. J.S. Bach: "Michaelmas" Cantatas, performed by Montreal Baroque, led by Eric Milnes (the fugal opening to Cantata BWV 19 is one of Bach's most amazing creations!--in the words of the late scholar/musician Bruce Haynes--"turn up the volume!"):






https://www.amazon.com/Bach-Cantate...&sr=1-1&keywords=eric+milnes+bach+cantatas+19

5. Handel Messiah, performed by the Gabrieli Consort & Players, led by Paul McCreesh (hybrid SACD version)--It's strange to think that I had a slightly negative reaction to this recording on first impression; however, with further listening, McCreesh & his brilliant ensemble have won me over in a big way:

https://www.amazon.com/Messiah-Geor...04114&sr=1-5&keywords=handel+messiah+mccreesh






Two of my favorite movements from McCreesh's recording:










6. Handel Four Coronation Anthems--performed by the Academy of St. Martin's in the Fields, led by Sir Neville Marriner. That a human could compose "Zadok the Priest" gives me comfort & hope: even if we have wisely done away with monarchies as an form of government (due to their instability). There's still a hierarchy in the cosmos, that is unchangeable. Marriner was at his best in the music of Handel, IMO, especially on this glorious recording:











https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Coron...1&keywords=marriner+handel+coronation+anthems

7. Thomas Tallis: "Spem in Alium", and other works, including the moving Miserere Nostri, here beautifully performed by the Magnificat choir, led by Philip Cave (the finest rendition of the Tallis Miserere I've ever heard, though the Tallis Scholars are good too). I have the original hybrid SACD Linn release, but it's more easily obtained on CD these days: https://www.amazon.com/Tallis-Spem-...205601&sr=1-1&keywords=Tallis+magnificat+cave


----------



## SixFootScowl

This one is definitely going with me to the desert island. 
It is my favorite of all the Sonnambula recordings commercially available.


----------



## Dimace

Fritz Kobus said:


> This one is definitely going with me to the desert island.
> It is my favorite of all the Sonnambula recordings commercially available.


*Great - great Alexandra Papadjiakou!!!* (Tomorrow I will buy your Sonnambula because of her...)

And one more recording from her:

View attachment 109233


----------



## SixFootScowl

Dimace said:


> *Great - great Alexandra Papadjiakou!!!* (Tomorrow I will buy your Sonnambula because of her...)
> 
> And one more recording from her:
> 
> View attachment 109233


There is yet another with her, minor role, but...


----------



## LukeJonesPianist

Naturally being a pianist, my tastes are dominated by Piano Music however there are some recordings of orchestral music that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Michelangeli/Ettore Gracis/Philharmonia Orchestra/EMI/1958 - Rachmaninov Concerto No.4 & Ravel Concerto in G - Absolutely sublime piano playing from start to finish, crystalline and pristine as Michelangeli is but with a sense of warmth and heartfelt intimacy which really shines through. The second movement of the Ravel concerto and the second movement of the Rachmaninov has brought me to tears, both seem to cause time to stand still, music which requires no demand to move forward this way or that, but simply to observe the moment.

Carlos Kleiber/Vienna Philharmonic/Deutsche Grammaphon - Brahms: Symphony No.4 in E minor, Op.98 - Extraordinarily powerful rendition of this magnificent work, every nook and cranny has been thoroughly worked out, you get the sense that each motivic thread throughout the score has been scrutinised carefully and then Kleiber brings each and every phrase to life. Also the sense of occasion and gravity particularly when going from one movement to the next, you hear a sense of one concretely conceived episode after the other but without losing the sense of unity between them. Can't get enough of it.

Sviatoslav Richter/Palexa/1965 - Liszt B minor Sonata S.178 - I listened to this recording for the first time when I was about 12, and I'd tried to listen to the Sonata before hand and generally been unable to get through it usually because I found other performances boring and my pre-teen mind could barely concentrate on anything for more than 15 minutes. This recording however changed everything for me, a truly extraordinary achievement both on the part of Liszt and Richter. How could one work encompass such a vast array of emotions, scenes and have such a sense of dramatic drive without it sounding patchwork? Well it was achieved, this was a live performance and there are a few minor slips here and there, but all the better for it, the raw intensity (which is sometimes an overbearing characteristic of Richter's playing) of the live moment made the music sing, dance, cry, mourn, declaim and a whole host of other imaginary situations. The filmic quality and sheer poignancy to this performance makes it so memorable that I could not make a 'favourites' list without including it.

Emil Gilels/Deutsche Grammaphon - Chopin B Minor Sonata Op.58, 3 Polonaises - Gilels' sound has become something of a legend in its own right, and nowhere is it showcased better than in this recording. Every phrase is calculated but sumptuous, refined yet lustrous. As is often the case with Gilels at the height of his powers (another case in point is also the live recording in 1974 of Prokofiev 8th sonata another masterpiece), no stone feels unturned, every phrase and voicing has been scrupulously attended to without sounding bureaucratic. It is a labour of love that we hear, and you hear the full spectrum of feeling, from introspection and sorrow to fury and joy. The highest degree of joy I find in this performance of the sonata is when you have those twists and turns that in some hands can sound pedestrian and predictable but in Gilels' hands they become small miracles, full of surprise.

Sergiu Celibidache/Orchestre national et Chœurs de l’ORTF/(Archive INA / 16/10/1974 TCE Paris) - Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé Suite No.2 - Sadly this performance is not commercially available but thank heavens it is available on YouTube. This performance was a recent discovery but it redefined this work for me completely. Celibidache is a conductor I admire enormously (even if I disagree with some things) his ability to get a sense of unity in not only sound but intention from an orchestra is IMO unmatched. In this performance the ebb and flow of the work is so perfectly conceived that you can't help but be swept up on the waves of sound. The addition of the Choir makes the overall sound all the more ethereal, and words fail to describe the sheer exultant nature of this performance. Other performances somehow sound artificial and contrived by comparison to this one, every phrase sounds organic like a beautiful outgrowth, sound layering upon sound. Hopefully France Musique will be kind and release it commercially.

I have many more to contribute but I don't wish to bore everyone to death!


----------



## Agamenon

Interesting thread. :lol:

***Bach: Golberg Variations (Gould or Perahia)
** Beethoven:Symphony 3-eroica- (Klemperer)
* Brahms: Piano concert 2 (Gilels -Jochum)
* Schumann: Symphony 4 (Furtwängler -1953)
* Bartok: String quartet # 5 (Tákacs)

And this list is not my last word!


----------



## SixFootScowl




----------



## Rogerx

Only 5, one will be bored stiff after a month.


----------



## SixFootScowl

Rogerx said:


> Only 5, one will be bored stiff after a month.


We should be allowed 5 suitcases full of music!


----------



## Art Rock

Fritz Kobus said:


> We should be allowed 5 suitcases full of music!


----------



## EddieRUKiddingVarese

Added benefit it would scare off rodents and mosquitoes :lol:


----------



## Guest

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> Added benefit it would scare off rodents and mosquitoes :lol:


Hah! And keep away the great-unwashed !!


----------



## Guest

May I quickly say that I'm a big fan of Varèse? No, I'm not kidding!!


----------



## EddieRUKiddingVarese

TalkingHead said:


> May I quickly say that I'm a big fan of Varèse? No, I'm not kidding!!


No filth allowed on my Island, only fans with loud horn accompaniment.

Only way to get rescued too


----------



## flamencosketches

Agamenon said:


> Interesting thread. :lol:
> 
> ***Bach: Golberg Variations (Gould or Perahia)
> ** Beethoven:Symphony 3-eroica- (Klemperer)
> * Brahms: Piano concert 2 (Gilels -Jochum)
> * Schumann: Symphony 4 (Furtwängler -1953)
> * Bartok: String quartet # 5 (Tákacs)
> 
> And this list is not my last word!


Great list! I should compile mine later.

I have the Reiner/Gilels Brahms concerto. You reckon the Jochum is better?


----------



## Gibraltar

The complete edition of Schubert's songs by Hyperion!


----------



## Gibraltar

https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDS44201/40#


----------



## Oldhoosierdude

Fritz Kobus said:


> We should be allowed 5 suitcases full of music!


Since there seems to be electricity on this island perhaps we could get wifi then we can download from five different services.


----------



## SixFootScowl

Oldhoosierdude said:


> Since there seems to be electricity on this island perhaps we could get wifi then we can download from five different services.


Better yet. Let the island have a theatre, an orchestra and an opera company! If we are going to voluntarily go to this desert island, we ought to do it right!


----------



## NLAdriaan

Fritz Kobus said:


> Better yet. Let the island have a theatre, an orchestra and an opera company! If we are going to voluntarily go to this desert island, we ought to do it right!


OK, so who would you like as an architect and which orchestra and which conductor would you take along?

I have my favourite orchestra nearby (RCO), so I don't need no island. But it still depends an awful lot who is conducting.


----------



## Agamenon

Hi Flamenco, Both! Reiner and Jochum. I love Gilels.


----------



## soni

http://anothertimbre.com/cagetwo2.html

Even if you couldn't care less about John Cage's music, I implore you to give this CD a try. It is by far the most beautiful recording I have ever heard in my life, and even if you don't end up liking the music, the cover and actual discs themselves are also exquisite. For a sample of what's on the disc, listen to this incredible YouTube extract.


----------



## Elsa52

A decade ago, a dear friend asked me to blog about my 7 favorite "desert island" discs on his poetry site. It was terrific fun for me to have to search for meaningful _words_ to express my feelings about these works of music, all seven of which are very precious to me:

1. BACH: St. Matthew Passion.

I first heard the '59 Richter DGG in 1970 on a fantastic (for then!) stereo system. The choir(s) seemed to surround me.

II. BEETHOVEN: String Quartet, Op. 131 in C-Sharp Minor.

I actually first score-read this on microfiche at my senior year at Interlochen. First recording I heard was Amadeus, which I have yet to surpass, imho.

III. MAHLER: Symphony No. 2 ("Resurrection")

Played 4th trombone at IAA with Nicholas Harsanyi conducting, and his amazing wife as soprano soloist. Bernstein/London on the DVD set is pretty great.

IV. STRAVINSKY: Le Sacre du Printemps

Boulez/Cleveland 1969 | Columbia | ... you can feel those offbeats in the gong & bass drum in the soles of your feet. French Horns blasting in unison, swirling around your ears. Yet you can hear a pin drop in all the quiet sections.

V. BARTOK: String Quartet #4

Studied this at Interlochen w/Homer Keller. What an eye-opener. I remember at the time thinking that there was know way strings could do things like that! My early compositions copy this work shamelessly. The arch form is genius, and -- as one learns when one studies this thing -- none of the tricks & effects are superficial; everything fits!

VI. BERG: Violin Concerto

First heard Grumiaux w/Concertgebouw/Markevitch. So many things to adore here: those lonely stacked fifths which haunt the ear for so long; that Bach chorale near the end. I also love Mutter, Perlman. [Krasner was my daughter's teacher's teacher!]

VII. BERIO: Sinfonia

Splurged on the score recently so I could really see what's going here! The river stream using the above Mahler is pretty darn neat. What control the man had over massed forces -- like Boulez.

POST 2


----------



## billeames

Yes on Walton. I have the Solti Version.


----------



## HenryPenfold

1) DSCH String Quartets - Pacfica Quartet

2) Berg Wozzeck - Theo Adams, Wendy Fine, Carlos Kleiber et al

3) The Ring - Reginald Goodall, Sadler's Wells Orchestra, Remedios, Hunter, Tuckwell et al

4) Britten Death In Venice - Langridge, Opie, Chance, BBC Singers, City of London Sinfonia, Hickox

5) Bruckner Symphony no. 8 - VPO, Karajan

6) Schoenberg - Die Glückliche Hand, BBC SO Boulez et al

7) Messiaen Des Canyons Aux Étoiles - Roger Muraro, Jean-Jacques Justafré, et al Myung-Whun Chung: Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra

8) Varese Orchestral Works - Chailly et al Decca

9) Schoenberg, Berg & Webern Orchestral works- BPO, Levine DG

10) Birtwistle The Mask Of Orpheus - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Davis, BBC Singers, IRCAM, John Garrison, Peter Bronder(ten), Jean Rigby, Anne-Marie Owens(mezzo-sop) et al


----------



## flamencosketches

HenryPenfold said:


> 1) DSCH String Quartets - Pacfica Quartet
> 
> 2) Berg Wozzeck - Theo Adams, Wendy Fine, Carlos Kleiber et al
> 
> 3) The Ring - Reginald Goodall, Sadler's Wells Orchestra, Remedios, Hunter, Tuckwell et al
> 
> 4) Britten Death In Venice - Langridge, Opie, Chance, BBC Singers, City of London Sinfonia, Hickox
> 
> 5) Bruckner Symphony no. 8 - VPO, Karajan
> 
> 6) Schoenberg - Die Glückliche Hand, BBC SO Boulez et al
> 
> 7) Messiaen Des Canyons Aux Étoiles - Roger Muraro, Jean-Jacques Justafré, et al Myung-Whun Chung: Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra
> 
> 8) Varese Orchestral Works - Chailly et al Decca
> 
> 9) Schoenberg, Berg & Webern Orchestral works- BPO, Levine DG
> 
> 10) Birtwistle The Mask Of Orpheus - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Davis, BBC Singers, IRCAM, John Garrison, Peter Bronder(ten), Jean Rigby, Anne-Marie Owens(mezzo-sop) et al


I did not know Maestro Carlos conducted _Wozzeck_. Didn't his father conduct the première? Big shoes to fill...


----------



## HenryPenfold

flamencosketches said:


> I did not know Maestro Carlos conducted _Wozzeck_. Didn't his father conduct the première? Big shoes to fill...


Yes, Erich Kleiber conducted the premier in December 1925. I've quite a few Wozzecks on my shelf, and any one of them I'd be happy with as a DID, but there's something special about the CK disc.


----------



## Agamenon

Once upon time, I played this game.:lol:

Now, 2021, my 3 desert island discs are:

1. Bach, Golberg variations. Perahia. Sony.
2. Debussy, Orchestral music. Haitink. PH.
3. Chopin, Nocturnes. Rubinstein. Sony.

Music to relax my solitude, masterpieces that will endure the weight of the centuries. 

(I will miss Wagner, after all....)


----------



## Bernamej

After years and years of not reading this site, what a pure blessing to see it’s still here and well. I could read these threads for hours on.


----------



## advokat

Nowadays people tend to purchase entire cycles in boxes rather than discs.
My desert island boxes are thus:
1. Herbert von Karajan - DG Symphonies box set
2. Ricardo Mutti - The Complete Warner Symphonic Recordings
3. Gilels - Beethoven sonatas
4. Richter - complete HMV and Teldec recordings
5. Lugansky's Rachmaninov box set 
6. Dohnanyi: orchestral works box set on CHANDOS
7. Haydn's complete symphonies by Adam Fisher
I would add to that some sundry discs as follows:
1. Bach - Goldberg variations performed by Derzhavina
2. I would extract disc N 10 from the white box of Wilhelm Kempf concerto recordings, with Beethoven's 4 and Brahms' 1 (both mono)
3. Albinoni: Sinfonie a Cinque, Op 2 by Chiara Banchini
4. Bach, WTC by Ugorskaja
5. Biber: Rosary sonatas by Manze/Egarr
6. Hummel: Piano concertos, by Hough
7. Chopin: complete nocturnes, by Pires

Then I will be all set. No much space for anything else to take to the desert island, I am afraid, but I shall hunt and fish.


----------



## Diabolo

Beethoven - Symphonies. Karajan, DGG, 1962-1963
Beethoven - Piano sonatas. DGG
Bruckner - Symphony #8. Karajan, Wiener Phlharmoniker, 1988, DGG
Elgar - Enigma Variations. Elgar, 1932, HMV
Mendelssohn - Symphony #3. Fay, Hänssler
Sibelius - Symphonies. Storgards, Chandos
Beethoven / Sibelius. Violin concertos. Tetzlaff/Ticciati, Ondine
Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen. Krauss, 1953, Orfeo/Pristine


----------



## lele23

This and all the Handel's Oratorios that I can bring, in particular:

Messiah (Christophers-Sampson and Butt-*Hamilton* version)
Theodora (McCreesh-Gritton and McGegan-Hunt)
Judas Maccabaeus (Beck-Rial and Mackerras-Palmer-Baker)
Solomon (Reuss-Gritton and McCreesh-Gritton)
Israel in Egypt (Parrott)
Samson (Butt and Christophers)
Jeptha (Creed and Gardiner)
Saul (Christophers-Connolly)
Belshazzar (Pinnock-Auger)
Esther (Butt and Christophers)
Athalia (Hogwood-Sutherland-Kirkby)
Susanna (McGegan-Hunt)


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## Otis B. Driftwood

*J.S.Bach: Six Concertos For The Margrave Of Brandenburg*
European Brandenburg Ensemble, Trevor Pinnock

*J.S.Bach: Orchestral Suites For A Young Prince*
Ensemble Sonnerie, Monica Huggett


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