# Expert recommendations about 4 recordings



## james_cole (Aug 14, 2010)

Hello.
It's the first time I write in this forum. I'm no expert at all but I really like classical music and I'd love you to help me with this.
There are four pieces I love so much I would like to have on CD, but I don't want to buy the first release I find, I want really good recordings and interpretations. The four pieces are "Air" by Bach (I love the string interpretation, but is there also a wind one?), "Boléro" by Ravel, "Storm" by Vivaldi and "Ave Maria" by Schubert. I could search the internet and find some recordings, but I want the best ones in your opinion.
There is no problem if they are 4 or five different CDs, or if I have to buy it from the other side of the world. The only thing I want is that they're the best, and of course that they are easily findable, I don't want ultra-rare collector's items which will cost me hundreds of dollars!

Thanks in advance.


----------



## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

O.K.: I'll take the easy one- Ravel's _Boléro_.

I don't know if it was my _very first_ exposure to Classical Music... but it was clearly one of the first. My late mother had _Boléro_ on a set of 78s, recorded by Serge Koussevitzky & the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Five recordings of _Boléro_ have passed through my hands over the years... and my personal choice among them would be Dutoit/Montreál. Martinon/Paris also has its passionate advocates... but it seems the Martinon section of the catalog goes in and out of print betimes- so you'd probably have an easier time getting the former. Besides, even if the two were equally available, I'd say we can use the fact that Dutoit's is a DDD recording as a tie-breaker!

Not to be deflected from my original recommendation, but worth a mention regardless is that I find that André Previn is an undervalued Ravel conductor. There's a fair bit of sardonic world-weariness in a few Ravel compositions... but there's also an undercurrent of subtle vibrancy as well... and I think Previn does a nice job handling this aspect.


----------



## Guest (Aug 14, 2010)

For Bach's "Air" - I have several different recordings of Bach's Orchestral Suites (Air is actually the 2nd movement of his 3rd Orchestral Suite), and there are several very nice choices here. My personal favorites are from Suzuki/Bach Collegium Japan (BIS) and Fasoli/I Barocchisti (Arts). Both have incredible sound, and are just incredible.


----------



## christmashtn (Aug 29, 2009)

For Bolero, you want the second recording which Charles Munch recorded with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, currently available on an RCA Gold Seal CD. This was recorded in 1962, and it is paired with the Mother Goose Suite, Pavane for a Dead Princess, Rapsodie Espagnole, and La Valse. Do not confuse this with their earlier 1957 Bolero performance which is also currently available on a RCA Living Stereo CD and Hybrid SACD (coupled with an earlier performance of La Valse, the same performance of Rapsodie Espagnole, plus the Debussy Images.) The 1957 Bolero performance, though brilliantly played, is taken a bit too quickly. In 1962 they got it just perfecto!! The name of Charles Munch is synonymous with the French repertoire. He lived and breathed it, he knew the scores intimately. His recordings of Ravel, Debussy, Berlioz, Franck et. el. with The Boston Symphony Orchestra are considered unsurpassed to most, as well as legendary.


----------



## christmashtn (Aug 29, 2009)

*If you have to have DDD Bolero:*

If you have to have a DDD Bolero, then the Dutoit/Montreal mentioned above would be an excellent choice. The '62 Munch BSO is obviously anaolg, but an excellently remastered analog it is indeed, as well as being the more inspiring and hypnotic performance.


----------

