[brhfl]

  Satie is my all time least favorite composer of all time. When I hear his music, I think of television commercials for feminine hygiene sprays. He has got to be the laziest composer whose work has survived through the years.

Can't say I agree with you on much, mate, but I thoroughly respect and enjoy the conviction with which you hold your opinions!

 

[96rubberduckys]

Chopin is my favorite composer for the piano. No question about that. So much passion! I have the Leslie Howard Liszt box, but too much of it is not very good. Liszt was a busy guy. He wasn't always focused on writing stuff down and working stuff out.

Liszt's orchestral music is a tough nut to crack. I've heard the Dante Symphony performed well, but it isn't easy. The thing sprawls all over the place.

I have the Leslie Howard Liszt box as well, a lot of volume 7 (Harmonies Poétiques & Religieuses) stood out for me. Not what you would expect from Liszt.(In a good way) For orchestral music, how about the Hungarian Fantasy or the Faust Symphony?
 
 
It seems like Schumann's piano music doesn't get too much love here, which is unfortunate. I can't seem to get enough of the Kreisleriana, Fantasy in C, and Symphonic Etudes in particular.
 
Speaking of passion, have you guys tried Grigory Sokolov for Chopin and Schubert? Definitely my personal favorite rendition of the preludes. Very Romantic, which I know can turn off some Chopin-lovers looking for elegance and poise above all else.

 

[brhfl]

 
It seems like Schumann's piano music doesn't get too much love here, which is unfortunate. I can't seem to get enough of the Kreisleriana, Fantasy in C, and Symphonic Etudes in particular.

 
I've not had much occasion to familiarize myself with Schumann's piano music, unfortunately… But I did recently grab Jon Nakamatsu's recent album for Harmonia Mundi, comprised of opp. 2, 9, and 22, and it's… it's good stuff! Gave me the thirst for more…

 

[brhfl]

 
Speaking of passion, have you guys tried Grigory Sokolov for Chopin and Schubert? Definitely my personal favorite rendition of the preludes. Very Romantic, which I know can turn off some Chopin-lovers looking for elegance and poise above all else.

Yikes on my double-post here, but… Will be looking into this, see the complete box is rather affordable on Amazon. Always willing to trust releases from Naïve. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Claritas]

I have the Leslie Howard Liszt box as well, a lot of volume 7 (Harmonies Poétiques & Religieuses) stood out for me. Not what you would expect from Liszt.(In a good way) For orchestral music, how about the Hungarian Fantasy or the Faust Symphony?

It seems like Schumann's piano music doesn't get too much love here, which is unfortunate. I can't seem to get enough of the Kreisleriana, Fantasy in C, and Symphonic Etudes in particular.

Speaking of passion, have you guys tried Grigory Sokolov for Chopin and Schubert? Definitely my personal favorite rendition of the preludes. Very Romantic, which I know can turn off some Chopin-lovers looking for elegance and poise above all else.

The Kreisleriana is the one I really got into. I collected a dozen versions back in 2003-04, of which my favorites are Cortot, Kissin, and Perahia. It made me want to read Hoffmann; I really enjoyed The Life of Tomcat Murr. Which performances do you enjoy (of that or the other pieces)?

 

[marone]

Herbert von Karajan's BPO 1961-62 Beethoven Symphony cycle on Deutsche Grammophon is about as perfect as one can get.

If you are lucky enough to own an excellent or mint condition vinyl, good for you (and don't tell a soul), you won't need to buy the CD remasterings that are uniformly outstanding considering the recordings are nearly 55 years old.\

This cycle is now a budget-price item and is one of the great bargains in recorded music.

If you have ever heard the 7th used on TV or Film, you have heard HvK's interpretation from this set.

Sublime and timeless.

 

[96rubberduckys]

   
The Kreisleriana is the one I really got into. I collected a dozen versions back in 2003-04, of which my favorites are Cortot, Kissin, and Perahia. It made me want to read Hoffmann; I really enjoyed The Life of Tomcat Murr. Which performances do you enjoy (of that or the other pieces)?

For the Kreisleriana, Claudio Arrau. Mind you I haven't heard the Cortot or Kissin, and neither the Perahia, which I turned away from because I did not like his highly regarded Davidsbunderlantze--I assume that I just don't like his style. I'm intrigued by the Cortot; I have a lot of his Chopin, and he can be very imaginative. I was also pleasantly surprised by Helene Grimaud's Kreislerania, especially the second fantasy. Very sensitive and gentle. Argerich can play with a lot of fire, but I still prefer Arrau's vast dynamic and tonal range even within each phrase. Oh and I have Horowitz as well, but I haven't spent too much time with it.

 

[SunTanScanMan]

Herbert von Karajan's BPO 1961-62 Beethoven Symphony cycle on Deutsche Grammophon is about as perfect as one can get.

If you are lucky enough to own an excellent or mint condition vinyl, good for you (and don't tell a soul), you won't need to buy the CD remasterings that are uniformly outstanding considering the recordings are nearly 55 years old.\

This cycle is now a budget-price item and is one of the great bargains in recorded music.

If you have ever heard the 7th used on TV or Film, you have heard HvK's interpretation from this set.

Sublime and timeless.

 

I recently got the above CD collection as they were a good deal on Amazon - it's the 60's cycle according to the sleeve notes but I found the sound a bit disappointing (I haven't heard LP version). To me the orchestra just seemed too distant, as if the recording equipment was placed very far away - in particular the 6th symphony, which I had to turn the volume up a lot to actually feel inside the music - perhaps bad conversion to CD? Beethoven symphonies have already been discussed in the thread but it left me slightly disappointed because I had read good things about it. 
 
I listen to the 6th symphony a lot (at least a couple of times every day) so for me it's a good reference point when comparing audio equipment or different musical interpretations.
Karl Bohm + Vienna Phil is probably my favourite at the moment, along with Bernstein + NY Phil and Carlo Maria Giulini + LA Phil

 

[bigshot]

Bohm, Bernstein and Giulini are all great. I'd also suggest Kletzki / Czech Philharmonic on Supraphon. It has excellent sound and is just about the best cycle overall I've ever heard.

 

[sh4dowd4ncer]

In my humble opinion, Karajan's 6th is the low point of his Beethoven Cycle. Not due to recording. He just didn't get it.
His Pastoral sucks.
Karl Bohm with VPO helps me to sustain the argument.

 

[LugBug1]

  I have the Leslie Howard Liszt box as well, a lot of volume 7 (Harmonies Poétiques & Religieuses) stood out for me. Not what you would expect from Liszt.(In a good way) For orchestral music, how about the Hungarian Fantasy or the Faust Symphony?
 
 
It seems like Schumann's piano music doesn't get too much love here, which is unfortunate. I can't seem to get enough of the Kreisleriana, Fantasy in C, and Symphonic Etudes in particular.
 
Speaking of passion, have you guys tried Grigory Sokolov for Chopin and Schubert? Definitely my personal favorite rendition of the preludes. Very Romantic, which I know can turn off some Chopin-lovers looking for elegance and poise above all else.

It took me a while to fully appreciate Schumann, but I absolutely adore his piano works now. Anyways, Aurrau's interpretations spring to mind immediately.
 
Yeah I'm struggling with the whole Liszt box too. I've bypassed all the transcriptions but there are some lovely works otherwise  -Tanzmomente, Arabesques and the Annee' de pelerinage trilogy are favorites of mine. These are less 'show off' and more complex - thoughtful works.
 
But my beloved Schubert will always be my favorite piano composer. I know he is not as gifted a composer as say - Beethoven or Chopin, but as far as pure, raw and honest emotion goes, he was a genius. He seems to be able to touch nerves that other composers can't reach ha!
 
I would place Bach as my favorite composer. I've spent more time with Bach than any other composer through my life and I never tire of him. I seriously own everything he wrote (or is recorded) many times over.   

 

[bigshot]

I actually like Liszt's transcriptions best. They have a conciseness and organization that his own compositions sometimes lack.

 

[SunTanScanMan]

  It took me a while to fully appreciate Schumann, but I absolutely adore his piano works now. Anyways, Aurrau's interpretations spring to mind immediately.
 
Yeah I'm struggling with the whole Liszt box too. I've bypassed all the transcriptions but there are some lovely works otherwise  -Tanzmomente, Arabesques and the Annee' de pelerinage trilogy are favorites of mine. These are less 'show off' and more complex - thoughtful works.
 
But my beloved Schubert will always be my favorite piano composer. I know he is not as gifted a composer as say - Beethoven or Chopin, but as far as pure, raw and honest emotion goes, he was a genius. He seems to be able to touch nerves that other composers can't reach ha!
 
I would place Bach as my favorite composer. I've spent more time with Bach than any other composer through my life and I never tire of him. I seriously own everything he wrote (or is recorded) many times over.   

 
Bach's oboe concertos are wonderful 

 

 

[LugBug1]

   
Bach's oboe concertos are wonderful 

 

Indeed they are!
 

Chopin is my favorite composer for the piano. No question about that. 

The Largo from Sonata No3 has to be one of the most sublime pieces written by any composer. It is hauntingly beautiful.
 
Nocturne No13 is another. You can clearly hear the Bach influence in both of these pieces.    

 

[sh4dowd4ncer]

   
Nocturne No13 is another. You can clearly hear the Bach influence in both of these pieces.    

Number 13 = Opus 48 ?
 
If so, I really enjoy Rubinstein in this one: