[perhapss]

  I haven't listened to much VW but I do associate his name with positive musical experiences (somewhat strenuously)
 
There was a music library in Dorking, Surrey (countryside beyond the outer suburbs of London)that I think bore his name. The library moved to a new location in Dorking, in the middle of a wine estate (Denbies Wine Estate). it's a lovely location in the English countryside. People come to have tea at the estate after picnic in Box Hill.
 
The library itself is somewhat hidden on the corner of the building. But it's a little piece of paradise for music lovers. There are shelves and shelves of scores. But upstairs there's a corner or CDs and cassettes. Mostly classical but also some jazz and rock/pop and world music. More importantly it had a couch and a CD/cassette player and headphones where you could just sit and listen. You could sample some there and borrow recordings/music theory books/scores. My dad used to just drop me off there and come back at the end of the day.
 
I used to borrow scores that I couldn't read because in my young mind, I believed that if I looked at it enough times they would start to make sense. I still can't really read scores...
 
I never saw anyone else there other than the librarian in the many times I visited.

 
 
Libraries can often be treasure for resources ( recordings and scores in particular) regarding classical music.

 

[jdpark]

   
 
Libraries can often be treasure for resources ( recordings and scores in particular) regarding classical music.

Oh yes. And for having fascinating conversations with the staff, who are sometimes far, far more learned in music that oneself, ahem. 
 
Am right now listening to Schiff blaze through Bach's Six Piano Partitas on the ECM New Series. A nice little review is here, http://ecmreviews.com/2010/12/20/bach-six-partitas/
 
He recorded at the Historic Riding Hall of Neumarkt, which apparently has a lot of albums made there due to its great acoustics, https://www.discogs.com/label/313392-Historischer-Reitstadel-Neumarkt 
 
After a bit of back reading, I discovered that Schiff also did one of his last round of Beethoven Sonatas there, and he used three different pianos: "a Steinway for the more dynamic pieces and two different Bösendorfers for the lyrical."
 
Apparently in the Beethoven album the recording is set up to give the audio effect of having a virtual keyboard in front of you, with the left hand keys in the left channel and the right in the right. Nice.
 
Since the Bach Partitas were done after the Beethoven Sonatas, I assume the recording techniques are not worse. Anyway, I don't have the Beethoven albums yet, but I can attest to the fact that the Bach Sonatas are some of the most sonically pleasing recordings of these pieces I've ever heard. I'm on an expert on these pieces, but Schiff seems to capture the technical beauty of the work without loosing the inner spirituality.  

 

[kostaszag]

British composers...never really liked them (apologies all around). I always started with a good piece, found it fascinating, listened to more...and was invariably disappointed. It happened to me with Elgar (loved the Cello Concerto and the Enigma Variations, was bored to death with the Symphonies, Violin concerto etc.) Vaughan-Williams (fell in love with the Tallis Fantasia, liked the Norfolk Suite and Wasps, was gravely disappointed by the Symphonies) and Britten (all I can bear from him can finds space in an LP, the Four Sea Interludes and the Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra). 
 
Still, the aforementioned pieces are sine qua non. The Tallis Fantasia ideally played by "Glorious John" Barbirolli. A sonically and musically equally stunning reading
 
 
Elgar's noblest achievement IMHO, his Cello concerto. Most people consider the recording by Jacqueline du Pre accompanied by the aforementioned Sir John to be the reference. I personally prefer the one with Pierre Fournier and George Szell, who play with restraint and noblesse, virtues well suited to a composition by an Englishman born when Queen Victoria reigned. 
 

 

[perhapss]

  British composers...never really liked them (apologies all around). I always started with a good piece, found it fascinating, listened to more...and was invariably disappointed. It happened to me with Elgar (loved the Cello Concerto and the Enigma Variations, was bored to death with the Symphonies, Violin concerto etc.) Vaughan-Williams (fell in love with the Tallis Fantasia, liked the Norfolk Suite and Wasps, was gravely disappointed by the Symphonies) and Britten (all I can bear from him can finds space in an LP, the Four Sea Interludes and the Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra). 
 

 
Regarding Brits: How about Thomas Tallis himself? Not to mention William Byrd or John Dowland. All important and distinctive composers in their own ways.
 
 
 
 

 
  Elgar's noblest achievement IMHO, his Cello concerto.

 
 
Regarding Elgar: Any thought on his violin concerto?
Not a huge Elgar fan myself but the violin concerto is also an important piece.
 
 
This is an obviously famous recording of it:
 

 

[gerelmx1986]

 

  British composers...never really liked them (apologies all around). I always started with a good piece, found it fascinating, listened to more...and was invariably disappointed. It happened to me with Elgar (loved the Cello Concerto and the Enigma Variations, was bored to death with the Symphonies, Violin concerto etc.) Vaughan-Williams (fell in love with the Tallis Fantasia, liked the Norfolk Suite and Wasps, was gravely disappointed by the Symphonies) and Britten (all I can bear from him can finds space in an LP, the Four Sea Interludes and the Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra). 
 

 
Regarding Brits: How about Thomas Tallis himself? Not to mention William Byrd or John Dowland. All important and distinctive composers in their own ways.
 
 
 
 

 
  Elgar's noblest achievement IMHO, his Cello concerto.

 
 
Regarding Elgar: Any thought on his violin concerto?
Not a huge Elgar fan myself but the violin concerto is also an important piece.
 
 
This is an obviously famous recording of it:
 
 

Henry Purcell

 

[perhapss]

  Henry Purcell

Quite.

 

[CanadianMaestro]

British composers...never really liked them (apologies all around). I always started with a good piece, found it fascinating, listened to more...and was invariably disappointed. It happened to me with Elgar (loved the Cello Concerto and the Enigma Variations, was bored to death with the Symphonies, Violin concerto etc.) Vaughan-Williams (fell in love with the Tallis Fantasia, liked the Norfolk Suite and Wasps, was gravely disappointed by the Symphonies) and Britten (all I can bear from him can finds space in an LP, the Four Sea Interludes and the Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra). 

The Brits are great for rock.

Classical? zzzzzzzzzzzzz Sorry. But it's true.....:rolleyes:

 

[kostaszag]

 

 

  British composers...never really liked them (apologies all around). I always started with a good piece, found it fascinating, listened to more...and was invariably disappointed. It happened to me with Elgar (loved the Cello Concerto and the Enigma Variations, was bored to death with the Symphonies, Violin concerto etc.) Vaughan-Williams (fell in love with the Tallis Fantasia, liked the Norfolk Suite and Wasps, was gravely disappointed by the Symphonies) and Britten (all I can bear from him can finds space in an LP, the Four Sea Interludes and the Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra). 
 

 
Regarding Brits: How about Thomas Tallis himself? Not to mention William Byrd or John Dowland. All important and distinctive composers in their own ways.
 
 
 
 

 
  Elgar's noblest achievement IMHO, his Cello concerto.

 
 
Regarding Elgar: Any thought on his violin concerto?
Not a huge Elgar fan myself but the violin concerto is also an important piece.
 
 
This is an obviously famous recording of it:
 
 

Henry Purcell

can you suggest some major works by Purcell? I only recall "Dido and Aeneas", but I am not that much into opera. 
 
Regarding Elgar: I really can't warm up to the violin concerto. I have two recordings, the stereo remake with Menuhin and the mono with Heifetz. I believe I only played each record once. 

 

[gerelmx1986]

can you suggest some major works by Purcell? I only recall "Dido and Aeneas", but I am not that much into opera. 
 
Regarding Elgar: I really can't warm up to the violin concerto. I have two recordings, the stereo remake with Menuhin and the mono with Heifetz. I believe I only played each record once. 

Purcell as many instrumetal works His 3 parts upon a ground, I ave his complete chamber music with Musica amphion / Micheal Borgstede and is keyboard suites with Egarr 

 

[Quinto]

The Brits are great for rock.

Classical? zzzzzzzzzzzzz Sorry. But it's true.....

Nobody beats the bloody Germans

 

[CanadianMaestro]

Nobody beats the bloody Germans

Deutschland uber alles!

(Music, not at war )

 

[perhapss]

The Brits are great for rock.

Classical? zzzzzzzzzzzzz Sorry. But it's true.....

 
 
Thank you for that most insightful, thorough and knowledgeable summary.
 

 

[perhapss]

 
Nobody beats the bloody Germans

 
 

 

[perhapss]

Deutschland uber alles!

(Music, not at war

)

 
 

 
 
Of course those Canadian composers are a different story!
 

 

[perhapss]

 
 
 
Just in case there are any guitarists who follow this thread....