[goldtuba]

i could be down with that.  i don't listen to a lot of digital anymore since i got my Rega RP3, but I'm always looking for new recordings of my favorite pieces

 

[mbhaub]

Quote:

I particularly enjoy his recording of Kalinnikov's symphonies from Chandos.  There's another composer that died way before his time.  He's a prime example of Russian composing; strong melodic content with very rich scoring.  
 
His Prokofiev cycle is just ok.  There are much better interpretations out there.  I've only heard a few, but I would probably put Jarvi's towards the bottom.  Does anybody have any other Prokofiev recommendations, particularly his symphonies?

I agree with you about the Kalinnikov recordings - superb. His Balakirev is the same. But in my opinion, his Prokofieff set is really one of the best - it's well played, flows naturally, and has the necessary bite and sarcasm needed. No complaints. As to the other sets:
 
Martinon (Vox) - the orchestra just isn't up to it and the sound is abrasive.
Rostropovich (Warner) - some good things, well played, he obviously understands Prokofieff. Some will find it lacking in brilliance and sounding tired. I don't.
Weller (Decca) - quite good, well played, intelligently conducted. I think it's on Brilliant now for a bargain price.
Ozawa (DG) - dull, uninspired. I sold my set, it was terrible.
Gergiev (LSO) - really well played, brilliantly led, exciting, But - you have to listen to a lot of snorting from the podium. Still, it's likely the best overall out there now.
 
I don't have the Naxos set. Andrew Litton recorded a stunning 6th on BIS and if he does a whole set to the same standard it could be a winner. RCA recently released the Leinsdorf recordings with Boston, but he never completed the cycle. The recording of the un-loved 2nd is exceptional.

 

[goldtuba]

I'll have to give Jarvi's set another listen. It has been a while since I listened. I tend not to listen to litton as I know his conducting very well. When he was director in Dallas, his concerts were very dry and pretty boring. I'm very glad that he is gone. Jaap van Zweden has made him look even worse with his very energetic performances

 

[goldtuba]

I had a lucky visit to one of my local Half Priced books on saturday.  It looked like somebody had just sold their vinyl collection, and I think that I was the first to go through the selection.  Found the '63 BPO/Karajan Beethoven set for $6, the '63 BPO/Karajan Brahms set for $6, Rachmaninov 2 with LSO/Previn for $4, Rachmaninov Piano 3 with LSO/Previn/Ashkenazy for $4, Rachmaninov Piano 2 with CSO/Reiner/Rubinstein for $4, Tchaikovsky 6 with Moscow/Rozhdestvensky for $4, Dvorak 9 with CSO/Reiner for $1, Tchaikovsky 5 with Cleveland/Szell for $1, and Bruckner 6 with CSO/Barenboim for $4.  Everything except for the Dvorak was near mint.  Just thought I'd share my good luck at finding top recordings for a low price.  To add to my good luck, it was 20% weekend for Labor Day.  I found several more that I wanted, but I already had pretty full hands.

 

[bigshot]

Here in LA, classical vinyl is always $2 a disk. Usually if you offer to haul it away for free, they'll give it to you.

 

[goldtuba]

Do you have any outlets that buy and sell like half priced books, or do your stores just operate differently in LA? After the box sets for $6 and a couple for $1, I probably got them for about $2 each

 

[bigshot]

We have a monthly record swap meet and thrift stores are full of old classical records.

 

[goldtuba]

Unfortunately, the closest decent thrift shop is about 45 minutes away.  I've been wanting to go back there for a while, so I might this weekend and see if anything good has appeared. 

 

[bigshot]

Make friends with someone there and ask them to call you if interesting records come in. A plate of cookies will do the trick

 

[goldtuba]

I've got several friends in the area, but most don't know what to look for.  I've got one friend in the area who was a music history major at UNT.  We keep saying that we're going to hang out and swap some vinyl.  I usually ask him for recommendations on recordings when I haven't been able to find one that appeals to me.  He's a walking library on recordings, and our tastes in music line up pretty well.

 

[bigshot]

Sorry. I wasn't clear. I meant to make friends with a person who works at the thrift store. That's what the dealers do. People who work there can put stuff aside for you.

 

[GungaDin]

Here in LA, classical vinyl is always $2 a disk. Usually if you offer to haul it away for free, they'll give it to you.

 
Eh...not really true. Amoeba Music and Atomic Records in Burbank charge anywhere between .50 cents and $10 or even $20 bucks depending on desirability and condition. Thrift stores aren't really in the music business so they're a different story.

 

[bigshot]

Those are brick and mortar record stores with overheads. I'm talking about PCC Swap Meet, Recycler and garage sales. Does Atomic Records even have classical records? I've never seen any there. Most stores don't have classical because it doesn't bring in enough to justify its space.
 
I once saw an ad that said "Free Classical Records to a Good Home". I called the guy and chatted with him a bit. Old time rekkid collector. I made an appointment to come pick up his castoffs. He said, "You better bring a truck." It turned out to be a cube of boxes five feet on each side. Thousands of great records for free. That was a big batch, but things like that come up all the time. I've gotten most of my classical records that way. 78s too.

 

[GungaDin]

Atomic Records' classical vinyl is in the back right corner of the store. Some in the bins up top and more on the lower shelf.

 

[Arcamera]

This thread has been pretty quiet. As a general 'classical music recordings excellence' thread, you think it would be more active. I guess people post on more specific music threads?
 
In any event, anyone excited about any particular classical recordings lately? I've been getting into the complete symphonies of Villa-Lobos, Vaughan-Williams, Miakovsky, Bax, Gliere, Atterberg, Magnard, among others. What about you?
 
 And what 'phones/system is doing it for you? I've recently been appreciating the mighty HD800 (with caveats). Short of the Stax, does it get any better for classical/orchestral music?