# CD recommendations for the following composers?



## Declined (Apr 8, 2014)

Greetings. I am newly interested in expanding my knowledge of classical music. Strange as this may sound, my interest was piqued at a jazz performance by the Florida Orchestra. It was so good that I want to see the Orchestra again, and they mainly perform classical music. 

I'm vaguely familiar with the following composers and would like some recommendations on some "essential" CDs containing their best pieces. 

Here are the composers: Bach, Haydn, Beethoven(I already have a CD of his symphonies), Schubert, Schumann, Chopin,Tchaikovsky(I have a CD of his symphonies en route), Brahms, Mahler, and Debussy. 

Seeing that those are the composers in which I am interested can you also suggest some additional composers I may be interested in(and some CDs)? 

Any and all input is greatly appreciated.


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## Guest (Apr 8, 2014)

You might check out arkivmusic.com, which has a lot of info about specific CDs. Pick a composer and you'll see lists of works. Pick a work and you'll see lists of albums containing that work. The site compiles reviews from various sources to let you see which CDs are recommended.

It's by no means definitive but a good place to start.

You might also try classical.net and explore the info under the "Basic Repertoire" tab.

You might also like openclassical.com.

Plus you can get lots of suggestions right here!


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## Declined (Apr 8, 2014)

Thanks. I'll check them out.


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## Guest (Apr 8, 2014)

I recommend that you buy some CDs of these composers and of some others as well.


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## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

http://www.classical.net/ is a great resource: you'll get a selection of important composers from every era (except, sadly, currently active composers); any name you click on will have recording recommendations. Closer to home, you might look at "composer guestbooks" and popular recordings on "Current Listening" on this site.

A few desert-island recommendations from me:

Sviatoslav Richter (Philips' "The Master" series) and Radu Lupu for Schubert
Bavouzet's recent set of Debussy's piano music
Ivan Moravec's Chopin

I just looked at this site today: http://www.openclassical.com/index.php

It has Youtube links for many popular pieces--lots of great versions of Winterreise, for example: http://www.openclassical.com/composer/Franz_Schubert/work/winterreise_d_911?play_movie=c8UDOmUcxCk

*p.s.* Welcome to the forum -- let us know what you take a fancy to!


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## Declined (Apr 8, 2014)

Thanks for the input blancrocher.


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## Selby (Nov 17, 2012)

Welcome to the forum and the rich world of classical music!!

You will quickly learn that tastes are very subjective, so keep this in mind. Personally I drift towards solo piano work, string ensembles, and various vocal genres. This list will reflect that. I am also biased FOR newer recordings and younger performers, which I am finding relatively rare in the classical community.

*Bach*
Goldberg Variations - Murray Perahia
Mass in B minor - Philip Herreweghe, Collegium Vocale (a desert island disk, highest recommendation)
Unaccompanied Cello Suites - Yo-Yo Ma
Violin Partitas and/or Concerti - Hilary Hahn

*Haydn * - frankly not enthusiastic about Haydn
String Quartets (any collection really) - Quatuor Mosaïques
Piano Sonatas (ditto) - Marc-Andre Hamelin

*Beethoven*
Late Piano Sonatas (28-32) - Igor Levit (brand new recording here, I'm loving it)
String Quartets - Takacs or Emerson (the best collection of LvB SQs and PSs is it's own whole world within classical)
Missa Solemnis - John Eliot Gardiner, The Moteverdi Choir

*Schubert* - these sonatas and SQs are must owns
Piano Sonata Cycle (14-21) - Alfred Brendel
Late Piano Sonatas (19-21) - Murray Perahia
Late String Quartets and String Quintet - Belcea or Emerson with Rostropovich
Winterrisse - Peter Schreier, Andras Schiff
Goethe Lieder - Thomas Quastoff, Charles Spencer

*Schumann* - feeling 'meh' at the moement
Piano Concerto - Zimmerman, Karajan, Berliner Philharmoniker
String Quartets - Quatour Ysaye
Symphony Cycle - Eschenbach, NDR

*Chopin* - ah sweet, sweet Chopin - I also highly recommend these recordings:
Nocturnes - Maria Joao Pires
Sonatas - Marc-Andre Hamelin
Ballades - Krystian Zimmerman
Waltzes - Stephen Hough
Preludes, Etudes, Polanaises - Mauricio Pollini
If you like Chopin look into Liszt or Alkan.

*Tchaikovsky *
Violin Concerto - Joshua Bell, Tilson Thomas, Berliner Philharmoniker
Piano Concerto No. 1 - Van Cliburn (classic and historic recording)

*Brahms*
Piano Trio No. 1 - Eroica Trio
German Requiem (ein deutsches requiem) - John Eliot Gardiner, Orchestre Revolutionaire et Romantique (2012 recording not the '90s one)
Violin Concerto - Anne Sophie Mutter, Kurt Masur, NY Philharmonic

*Mahler*
Das lied von der Erde - Klemperor with Ludwig and Wunderlich to be safe; Kenneth Slowik for something spectacular and haunting
Symphonies - ohmygodwheretoevenbeginanswerthis... I' like Bernstein's 2nd, I like Rattle's 3rd, I like Slowik's 4th, I like Tilson Thomas' 8th
Lieder - Thomas Hampson, Michael Tilson Thomas

*Debussy*
Works for orchesta - Charles Dutoit may work for you
Works for piano - Pascal Roge, maybe Paul Jacobs for the Preludes
Nocturnes - Salonen with LA
Pelleas et Melisandre - actually, nevermind, don't start here
String Quartet - Quatour Ebene or Belcea

Hope this was helpful.


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## Selby (Nov 17, 2012)

This is a super, super cool resources to get started. I have all of these recordings, all of the pieces are staples.

NPR used to do a weekly feature called the PT50, which you might find useful.

They recommend 50 pieces of music with a preferred recording.

The cool part is they do little features on each one, because, you know, it was a radio program.

http://www.npr.org/programs/pt/pt50.html


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## julianoq (Jan 29, 2013)

Also look at the Compilation of the TalkClassical Top Recommended Lists for the top listed works of your favorite composers and search for the best rated cds at Amazon.


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## Alypius (Jan 23, 2013)

Let me second Mitchell's recommendation of the "NPR Classical 50" series. I have a slightly different URL which allows you access to hearing a 5- to 10-minute or so discussion about the composer and work and links to listen one complete movement. Each program consists first in a discussion of the composer and work and then talks a little about one recommended performance. Ted Libbey is very sensible in his choices. Most of us here might quibble with this or that choice he makes, but he is really middle-of-the-road:
http://www.npr.org/series/99866406/the-npr-classical-50/?ps=sa
If you purchase just those 50 works, you'll have a fine collection -- at least, the start of one. But warning: this can be addictive.

Also I would second almost every one of Mitchell's choices. (But unlike him, I'm very enthusiastic about Haydn -- but we agree exactly about what to get: the Quatuor Mosaiques performances of the string quartets and Marc-Andre Hamelin's performance of the piano sonatas). A few alternatives here and there to those he recommended:

*Bach*: 
--Brandenburg Concertos. Many great performances. Many will recommend: Trevor Pinnock with the European Brandenburg Ensemble (from 2007, not his earlier performance from the 1980s). My preference: Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin (Harmonia mundi).

*Debussy:* 
--works for solo piano. Like Blancrocher, I prefer Jean-Efflam Bavouzet's performance of Debussy solo works (start with volume 3 or 2).

*Schubert*
--Paul Lewis (a student of Alfred Brendel) has been finishing a great cycle of the Piano Sonatas (#14-#21)

*Brahms*
--Symphony #4 - Carlos Kleiber / Vienna Philharmonic

And you said that you have "a CD" of Beethoven's symphonies. At some point, get a good box set. There's lots to recommend. I love the recent one by Osmo Vanska and the Minnesota Symphony (on BIS). But one excellent and reasonably priced one is:
*Beethoven: The Symphonies - John Eliot Gardiner / Orchestre Revolutionaire et Romantique

Enjoy.


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

Here's my recommendation... Desert island stuff and it covers several of the composers on your list. $21 for 6 disks too!
http://www.amazon.com/Jascha-Heifetz-plays-Violin-Concertos/dp/B0042GNDO8/


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## shadowdancer (Mar 31, 2014)

Edit] Wrong thread. Sorry


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Debussy ~ Complete orchestral works (2 CDs)

http://www.amazon.com/Debussy-Orche...sr=1-1&keywords=debussy+complete+works+boulez

This is the second recording Boulez conducted, with the Cleveland Symphony.

The earlier recording, if available, while different of course, is just as good -- there, Boulez conducts The New Philharmonia Orchestra. If you can find that, it should be priced at budget level.

Either one are excellent.


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## Op.123 (Mar 25, 2013)

*Bach*
Goldberg Variations - Murray Perahia
Concerto for 2 Violins - Jascha Heifetz

*Haydn* -
*
Beethoven*
Symphonies - Herbert von Karajan
Piano Concertos - Murray Perahia / Bernard Haitink
Violin Concerto - Jascha Heifetz / Charles Munch
*
Schubert *
Late Sonatas - Murray Perahia
*
Schumann*
Pieces for Piano and Orchestra - Murray Perahia / Claudio Abbado
Sonatas 2 & 3 - Murray Perahia
Symphonies - Herbert von Karajan

*Chopin*
Piano Concerto 1 - Murray Perahia / Zubin Mehta
Etudes - Maurizio Pollini
*
Tchaikovsky*
Piano Concerto No. 1 - Harvey van Cliburn / Kiril Kondrashin

*Brahms*
Piano Concerto 2 - Sviatoslav Richter / Erich Leisendorf
Symphony 4 - Josef Krips

*Mahler* -
*
Debussy* -


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## Bimperl (Apr 8, 2014)

An endorsement for Furtwängler here 
Furtwängler, Live in Berlin

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0029LJ9IM/ref=oh_details_o09_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
(A reviewer called _discophage_ has posted a nice rundown)

Among others: Bach's Orchestral Suite #3; Beethoven's 3, 5 & 6; Schubert's Symphonies 8,9 & _Rosamunde Overture_; Schumann's _Manfred Overture_; and Braham's _Haydn Variations_, Symphonies 3 & 4. You will also get a taste of some others' work, such as (Richard) Strauss (Don Juan) and Mendelssohn (Midsummer Night's Dream); G F Handel … If you find you are fond of Beethoven's Eroica, Pastoral, & 5th, you're in business as there are two separate recordings of each. 

The first Beethoven Symphony set I bought:
Beethoven the 9 Symphonies: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000002S1Z/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Also can't go wrong with Bruno Walter for Beethoven


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## Jonathan Wrachford (Feb 8, 2014)

for Chopin:







for Bach: http://www.amazon.com/Plays-Bach-We...-1&keywords=glenn+gould+well+tempered+clavier







for more romantic music for piano:







http://www.amazon.com/My-Favorite-E...&sr=8-1&keywords=van+cliburn+favorite+encores


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## Declined (Apr 8, 2014)

Great! Thanks for the replies.


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## Guest (Apr 9, 2014)

I would also suggest that you ignore advice about particular recordings as well. If you don't know a piece, it really won't matter which recording you start with. Get to know the piece from whichever recording you find. All you're getting from others is what they think are the best recordings, anyway, not what you might choose for yourself after you've thoroughly assimilated the work and have listened to several different recordings.

If you're that kind of listener, that is. 

I know that science hates to hear me say this, but truly, you're better off just exploring for yourself. Besides, there are a gazillion other threads on a dozen other music discussion boards that cover basically the same ground. Really. You can easily find as much or as little information about the same old same old as your heart desires. 

At TC, there's a wee window underneath the Quick reply box that I'm using right now called "Similar Threads." Each of those is full of recommendations. There's one for opera, too. And there's even one for "offbeat composers." There's plenty and more to get you well started, even if you don't put out any effort of your own.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

My favorite Beethoven Missa Solemnis is this one conducted by Eugene Ormandy:


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