[Amictus]

   
Understood.Also you are not alone in your high praise of Haitink'S Shostakovich.
 
I would again recommend Maxim's recording to you though if you haven't heard it it.
Not because it's Russian but because it's really very good. And the sonics are quite good indeed.
I'm betting you would enjoy it.
 

I am a fan of Barshai's Shostakovich among the complete cycles. It's usually very cheap, unjustly in my opinion. I also find anything by Bernstein very special, especially the Symphony #1 with the NYPO. The Russians, the Russian orchestras... yes something special when it's right. But don't forget Barshai.

 

[Claritas]

I am a fan of Barshai's Shostakovich among the complete cycles. It's usually very cheap, unjustly in my opinion. I also find anything by Bernstein very special, especially the Symphony #1 with the NYPO. The Russians, the Russian orchestras... yes something special when it's right. But don't forget Barshai.

 
Agreed. Especially his fifth after the 1959 Russian "cultural exchange" tour.* Now, I'll have to track down some more.
 
* "They send us their Jews from Odessa, and we send them our Jews from Odessa" -- Isaac Stern

 

[Ripvanlink]

I would like to direct your attention to Samuel Barber. Are you hip to him? He is one of the truly great American composers, along with Walter Piston and Aaron Copland.  I just heard on Telarc some 20 bit recordings of the School For Scandal Overture, plus another Telarc of his Violin Concerto and School For Scandal is so lovely and moving. Brought a tear to my eye and a swelling wave through my heart. Yoel Levy did a masterful job with his interpretations and the sound quality is great. Even the loud passages were clear and unmuddied on my X5 with my UM-modTF10. 
Ah, wait until I hear them with the K10.

 

[Kheadfi]

 

this recording is special

Yes Glenn Gould was special. I like the early stuff from him as well as the later recordings. He kept working on new ways of playing the music.
Here there  is only 6 years in between this two versions.
 
[size=13.3333339691162px]

 Glenn Gould - 16. Beethoven, Piano Sonata No.17, Op.31 "Tempest" [ 1960 ]
 

[/size]
 
1960;
 
 
1966;
 

 

[SunTanScanMan]

 
The films are nothing to shout about it seems, but I can't enough of the music.
For the longest time, I had 'Assault on Beautiful Gorky' right before the Leningrad symphony on my playlist. It's great to hear it as part of the whole soundtrack.
 
However, I prefer Jerzy Maksymiuk's + Alexeev's stirring rendition of Gorky below (albeit on its own). The other tracks are great too. Love me some Russian piano works!
 

 

 

[LugBug1]

Heres another Well Tempered Clavier book I&II that deserves a mention on here. I've spent the last week or so enjoying and studying it and after initially thinking it was a little lightweight in interpretation for my preference, it is really growing on me. Infact I'm going out on a limb to say that it beats a lot of famous Bach players in regards to articulation and soul. It is not on the same level as Richter or Schiff in bringing out the lyrical beauty of some of the pieces but her temperament is perfectly adapted for Bach. She is not unlike Gould in a lot of respects with her light touch and playful rubato, the dry(not much pedal use) rounded sound is also similar. I don't want to label her performance as a Gould emulation because it is not, but he is the only composer that I can think of that is similar. There is also a fragile quality here that is very human and adds to the soul of this often too mechanically played music.
 
Not bad for a Ten year old!!

 

 
 
And 13 for the second volume

 

[icebear]

.... Not bad for a Ten year old!!

....

 
Indeed not bad at all ...

I just briefly listened to stuff online and on her website. She is also a gifted composer. If she doesn't get caught up in the marketing qualms of the business - or personal issues at that age, she is well on her way to become one of the great musicians of the next decades.

 

[LugBug1]

   
Indeed not bad at all ...

I just briefly listened to stuff online and on her website. She is also a gifted composer. If she doesn't get caught up in the marketing qualms of the business - or personal issues at that age, she is well on her way to become one of the great musicians of the next decades.

Indeed! 

 

[batswirl]

I did not remember any recommendation about this one (I read the whole thread, it took me 3 months but I do not regret the well spent time, thank you all guys). Anyway, I really appreciate this one these days, Karajan conducts it very lively and the sound is good.
 

 
I also really enjoy the accessibility of the composing work itself. I often recommend "Pictures at an Exhibition" to people listening movie soundtracks and wanting to extend their listening to more "conventional" Classical works.

 

[SunTanScanMan]

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/sep/21/pop-belongs-last-century-classical-music-relevant-future-paul-morley
 
I found the above article an enjoyable read and listen.

 

[SunTanScanMan]

 
Pretty excellent recording here, with the esteemed Mr Holliger. It's how I was introduced to Bach, so I always associate the composer with his oboe concertos.
 
 

 

[LugBug1]

^^^nice!
 
Brilliant musician and quite a composer himself. 

 

[SunTanScanMan]

  ^^^nice!
 
Brilliant musician and quite a composer himself. 

I have Holliger's "Siebengesang; Der magische Tänzer" CD. But truth be told, I much prefer listening to him playing baroque music. I'm still old fashioned when it comes to classical music.
Just haven't reached that stage yet.

 

[LugBug1]

Two of my favorite Elektra's..
 
This one is always a surprise for anyone who hasn't heard it me thinks. Ozawa probably wouldn't be anyones first choice for Stauss and its arguable that Behrens hasn't got what it takes for the role. Decide for yourself, but I think it works well. Ozawa conducts very cleverly, building tension slowly and bringing out a bit more light and shade in the score rather than going all out bombastic as some conductors approach this fiercest of operas. This is my choice for a modern recording because I haven't heard a better one in recent years. (even though it is now 25 years old) 
 

 
 
This is the one that everyone should own. The first stereo recording from 1960 and Bohm's conducting is elektrafying! Inge Borkh was born for the role (much better than Nilsson's sqwarky warbles imo).  
 

 

[Strangelove424]

This kid is amazing. He's 11 years old. But I can't find any commercially released recordings of him yet. In due time I suppose. This is Akim performing De Beriot.