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Help me pick a classical music gift for dad!

post #1 of 21
12/1/09 at 5:43pm
Thread Starter 
So my dad pretty much listens exclusively to classical music. I don't know much about classical (and our tastes are drastically different anyway), but I do know that he doesn't have a very big collection. Maybe 30-40 CDs. I'd like to expand his collection because he mentioned recently how he was always listening to the same stuff again and again on his iPod when he travels.

The problem is that I don't know exactly what he has (they live in another state so all I have to go on is memory of what I put on his iPod over the last couple of years). So I was thinking I could try to find some somewhat lesser-known, but excellent classical music that he would be unlikely to already have in his collection. I was hoping some of the classical music lovers here with some depth to their collections might have some great suggestions.

This is what I remember seeing in his collection: Three copies of Magnificat. The Messiah (which he goes to see almost every year). A lot of Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Vivaldi. I saw a few piano and violin concertos. Glenn Gould's Goldberg Variations. And there was a double-CD of Yo Yo Ma, which was the only thing I saw that was not strictly classical. With my cluelessness I'm not sure if that really gives any idea of his taste or not, but I figured it was worth throwing out there.
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post #2 of 21
12/1/09 at 6:51pm
111 Years of Deutsche Grammophon: 55 CD Anthology
Amazon.com: 111 Years of Deutsche Grammophon: 55 CD Anthology: Various Artists: Music

Pretty much the best gift you can give any Classical music lover. (Unless they have a massive collection and already own most of this, which I dont think is the case here)

EDIT: Oh and if thats out of your price range
111 Years of Deutsche Grammophon: 111 Classic Tracks
http://www.amazon.com/111-Years-Deut...9704260&sr=8-2

This is a sampling of that larger collection and will still make a good gift IMO. This or Beethoven box sets by Vanska or Karajan.
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post #3 of 21
12/1/09 at 6:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jilgiljongiljing View Post
111 Years of Deutsche Grammophon: 55 CD Anthology
Amazon.com: 111 Years of Deutsche Grammophon: 55 CD Anthology: Various Artists: Music

Pretty much the best gift you can give any Classical music lover. (Unless they have a massive collection and already own most of this, which I dont think is the case here)

EDIT: Oh and if thats out of your price range
111 Years of Deutsche Grammophon: 111 Classic Tracks
Amazon.com: 111 Years of Deutsche Grammophon: 111 Classic Tracks: Various Artists: Music

This is a sampling of that larger collection and will still make a good gift IMO. This or Beethoven box sets by Vanska or Karajan.
Great recommendation, nothing anyone can come up with will top this recommendation in terms of value.......so I second this entirely and have nothing really informative to add to this:-) except maybe if you could afford the Solti Wagner Ring Cycle I think that's about as great a gift imaginable. It's not however as cool as getting 55 CDs spanning every genre
I've been talking headphones with you for years. Now I can help you with your purchase:) Sales Specialist & Headphone Guru @ Headphones.com
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post #4 of 21
12/1/09 at 7:35pm
Hyperion Records

Knock yourself out. They have tons of amazing stuff.
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post #5 of 21
12/1/09 at 8:00pm
Thread Starter 
Music aside, I feel like a giant Wagner box set would be kind of a f***ed-up Chanukah present for someone whose parents fled Nazi Germany. (I know you would not have guessed we were Jewish from my original post and his fondness for the Messiah!) He won't buy a Volkswagen so I'm guessing Wagner is not a favorite.

The Deutsche Grammophon box sets look great, though. I have a feeling the 6-CD box set would be less likely to overwhelm. 55 CDs at once would be an awful lot for someone who's bought 40 in the last 20 years (3 of which were the Magnificat ). Maybe if he really loved the smaller set I could get the big one for his next birthday or something.

My only worry would be that the 6-CD box is too "hit" oriented since it's kind of a "best of" release, and would duplicate a lot of his current collection? I am not familiar enough with the music to know for sure...
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post #6 of 21
12/1/09 at 8:11pm
Does he like impressionism or romanticism a lot? You mentioned Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven. That isn't really helpful because those are the 'big 3', so almost everyone likes them.

How about this 16 CD set of Chopin's Complete Works? Hyperion Records | Chopin: The Complete Works
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post #7 of 21
12/1/09 at 8:16pm
The thing with classical music, is how various interpretations are completely different. Anyone who cares to sit and listen to it instead of using it as background music will easily be able to tell a the difference between a Carlos Kleibers Beethoven 5 and Karajan's 5th.

So while there may be compositions in common with his collection, the conductor and the orchestra make such a huge difference to the piece that its worth listening to various interpretations to find the ones you like. For example I love Klieber's interpretation of 5th while some people find it rushed and emotionless, I on the other hand find it epic and thunderous in presentation and execution and want to play it LOUD!

So while your dad might already have compositions from that collection, unless he has the very same recording represented in the collection (same conductor, performer, year) its still totally worth it.
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post #8 of 21
12/1/09 at 8:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jilgiljongiljing View Post
The thing with classical music, is how various interpretations are completely different. Anyone who cares to sit and listen to it instead of using it as background music will easily be able to tell a the difference between a Carlos Kleibers Beethoven 5 and Karajan's 5th.
I forgot about this as well. There are certain conductors who are said to conduct a certain composer's music well, or certain soloists who play it well. For example, I wouldn't get anything with Glenn Gould playing Chopin (some might not share this opinion?). Anything with Pierre Boulez conducting Debussy or another impressionist is liable to be really good. Bernstein conducting Mahler is really popular, etc...
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post #9 of 21
12/1/09 at 8:46pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nisstyre56 View Post
Does he like impressionism or romanticism a lot? You mentioned Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven. That isn't really helpful because those are the 'big 3', so almost everyone likes them.
This is where my cluelessness about classical music becomes a problem! I don't really know which composers/pieces would be considered impressionist or romantic... what I listed is everything I can remember seeing in his collection. It may well be that all he listens to are the very popular "everyone loves it" composers. That's why I'm trying to do some legwork and find something good that goes a little deeper, because he doesn't have the time or inclination to do it himself.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far, this is really helpful to me.
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post #10 of 21
12/1/09 at 9:36pm
I wouldn't go for the 5 CD sampler of 111 tracks, classical music enthusiasts would prefer to hear the entire work over segments, so.....this is what I came up with.........


Five CDs your father is sure to love:

Mahler - Symphony No. 2 in C Minor "Resurrection" (Look For Zubin Mehta's recording with Wiener Philharmoniker) The most celebratory symphony ever written and also very seminal to the history of Israel, Bernstein conducted it there in 48 when the Country was declared.

Elgar - Cello Concerto / Sea Pictures (Jacqueline DuPre on Cello / John Barbirolli Conducting)........This is one of the seminal recordings of the 20th Century, but the work is not in the library of many who own just 40 classical recordings or so.

Martha Argerich - Debut Recital (but specifically for The Liszt Sonata) This recording of the Sonata in B Minor is the most exciting piano playing you will ever hear!!!

Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor / Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 in Bb Minor..........There's lots of pairings of these works, but my focus is more toward the Rachmaninov and there is no better recording of this work that Sviatoslav Richter's on Deutsch Grammophon however for a better pairing consider Van Cliburn's recording, something I'm sure your father is familiar with.

Lastly, it sounds like you father highly enjoys voice...........one piece he may or may not be familiar with is the Brahms German Requiem. Consider Klemperer's amazing recording on EMI or for better sound consider Herreweghe's more recent take.......


These 5 pieces / CDs would truly be a wonderful gift to your dad. My apologies for the Wagner referral. I too am Jewish and my parents are not fans, so I know what that's like, for mere amazement, the Solti Ring is hard to beat, but I certainly understand not being able to take that. My recommendations are ones of composers and artists who were not associated with nazi Germany (i.e. Strauss / Karajan)......my recommendation is a safe bet:-)
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post #11 of 21
12/1/09 at 10:51pm
How about a theme? Say 20th century classical music. Copland's ballet music, Bartok string quartets, Shostakovich symphonies, the list is endless. His collection sounds like it's predominantly Baroque and Classical (with some Romantic thrown in). Have you thought about getting a high quality DVD set instead of music CDs? One set I especially treasure is Bernstein's Beethoven cycle on DVD. Ditto his Mahler cycle on DVD with the Wiener Philharmoniker. They provide a nice change of pace from conventional music CDs.
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post #12 of 21
12/2/09 at 12:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sarah View Post
Music aside, I feel like a giant Wagner box set would be kind of a f***ed-up Chanukah present for someone whose parents fled Nazi Germany. (I know you would not have guessed we were Jewish from my original post and his fondness for the Messiah!) He won't buy a Volkswagen so I'm guessing Wagner is not a favorite.
Probably, although one of the most ardent defenders of Wagner I have ever met was a Jewish lady, and Daniel Barenboim is one of the most prominent conductors of Wagner's music.

Quote:
The Deutsche Grammophon box sets look great, though. I have a feeling the 6-CD box set would be less likely to overwhelm. 55 CDs at once would be an awful lot for someone who's bought 40 in the last 20 years (3 of which were the Magnificat ).
The Messiah and the Magnificat? It seems like your dad has a soft spot for sacred music.

Quote:
My only worry would be that the 6-CD box is too "hit" oriented since it's kind of a "best of" release, and would duplicate a lot of his current collection?
Yes, classical music fans prefer complete works, not samples.
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post #13 of 21
12/2/09 at 12:15am
Thread Starter 
He might be OK with Wagner or he might not, but it's not really a mistake I'd like to make, especially on Chanukah. Better safe than sorry kinda thing. He does like sacred music, I think. He's commented a couple of times that the Christians get all the best music. If there's a great piece of sacred music you think he might like, I'm all ears.

The Beethoven DVDs look like something he would really enjoy, but at the moment they are just using the built-in TV speakers for DVDs and I think that might not be the best way to listen to a symphony. I will start bugging them about upgrading their sound and maybe I can get those for next year!

I had an Amazon order going through tonight and I put in some of the discs that DavidMahler suggested - thanks! Those look like some things my dad would really like.

I really appreciate all the advice and am filing away all of these suggestions for future gifts.
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post #14 of 21
12/2/09 at 1:25am
how about:



Amazon.com: Sacred Music/Various (Ltd) (Box): Christie, Creed, Ensemble Clement Janequin, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Herreweghe, Hillier, Jacobs, Junghanel, Nagano, Stile Antico, Van Nevel, Deller Consort, Bach, Beethoven, Bernstein, Brahms

or



Amazon.com: J.S. Bach: Sacred Cantatas: Johann Sebastian Bach, Hans-Joachim Rotzsch, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Neues Bachische Collegium Musicum, Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum Leipzig, New Bach Collegium Musicum Leipzig, Hermann-Christian Pol
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post #15 of 21
12/2/09 at 1:45am
If he loves Bach, perhaps head over to Berkshire Record Outlet and pick up the 18 disc box set of all of Bach's organ works, by Knut Vad. It's about $50 there and I've been enjoying it immensely. They're all hybrid SACD, as well, so if your father ever picks up a SACD player, he can enjoy them that much more.

I strongly recommend Berkshire, as well. They have wonderful deals on a huge amount of classical music. Even if you don't buy the Bach box set, you'll surely find much else he'll like.
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