[Meloncoly]

Hello! I've been thinking of getting some classical music for a while now and I have money now to actually get albums, so I was wondering if anyone have any suggestions of some really good present day albums I can get via online (amazon? other site?) I really like piano symphonies...and for composers...Rachmaninoff, Schubert, Chopin (I love Etude #4...I love fast paced :3), Liszt...and Debussy. Any suggestions? Thanks!

 

[mr. nice]

If you really like Piano "Concertos" than look into Beethoven #4 and#5. Brahms#2 and Tchaikovsky#1. all essential in your library.

 

[Meloncoly]

Thanks for the tips. I'll be sure to look into it. How about pieces that are like Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto #2?

Edit: Any specific orchestras that are really known for piano concertos?

 

[mr. nice]

London, Berlin, Chicago....Pianists look into Sviatoslav Richter (The greatest ever IMHO) Michelangeli, Rubinstein (especially for Chopin). There is a Richter recording with Brahms' 2nd and Chicago which is stellar.

im not a big Horowitz fan but he is famous. his life was more interesting than the way he played.

 

[GlendaleViper]

I always found the solo piano performances of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition to be a lot of fun, and a great exhibition of its own when it came to showing the range of emotion a piano can display, all in one neat little package.

I've been trying to find a particular Naxos release online for you, which includes both the full orchestral symphony as well as the piano concerto, for about $5 new, but I can't seem to find it... I have it at home, so if I can find a link to the right copy from the actual BIN(?) number off the spine, I'll post it here.

Honestly, a lot of the Naxos releases should be considered a necessary primer - for what they charge in this particular line of their products, you can amass an enormous collection for very little money. The releases are extensive, and the sound quality is consistently quite good. I know my local HMV superstore has a wall dedicated to the Naxos line on their classical/jazz floor and they literally sell them at 4/$20 or less - in a retail brick and mortar!

A budget line to be wary of: The Decca/Philips Eloquence line. I bought Holst's "The Planets", attracted by the price and it clips all over the place! Perhaps someone can chime in as to whether or not this is consistent across the line, because I really found it hard to believe something could sound so bad, especially considering Decca's relatively solid reputation for good sound. Then again, Deutsche Grammophone can be inconsistent at times, so I suppose anything's possible.

 

[Meloncoly]

Thanks, that helps me a lot. I know nothing about classical, but I'm looking forward to delving more into it.

 

[pdennis]

Your local library is your friend. The great thing about it -- whatever your budget, you can afford to be adventurous. And in classical music (as with most genres, but maybe even more so), being adventurous can be extremely rewarding.

Also your friend -- Wikipedia. It's a great resource to learn a little about the lives of the composers you enjoy, see what musical movements they're associated with, and follow links to contemporaries who you might not have discovered yet.

That said, may I recommend a genre for your exploration: how about piano trios or quintets (one piano plus violin family instruments)? Some of the late Brahms are terrific (he was also a Romantic composer like many of those you mentioned), the Schubert Trout Quintet is quite famous, and the Beethoven Archduke and Ghost trios are timeless.

Good luck, and enjoy!

 

[Sarchi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr. nice /img/forum/go_quote.gif London, Berlin, Chicago....Pianists look into Sviatoslav Richter (The greatest ever IMHO) Michelangeli, Rubinstein (especially for Chopin). There is a Richter recording with Brahms' 2nd and Chicago which is stellar. im not a big Horowitz fan but he is famous. his life was more interesting than the way he played.

I'll second all of the above.

Also the library suggestion. Or if possible find a brick'n'mortar record shop that has headphones and demo discs. Towers used to do that, but they're kaput. I think some Borders' might, not sure tho.

 

[Tyson]

Check the link in my sig.

 

[Meloncoly]

I was looking into those. I didn't know what a quartet or a quintet was until I saw the term and researched it. Thanks for the insight, the library actually never came to mind >_<. I was looking at Piano trios as well, but for now, with my budget, I have bought some Rachmaninov's Etudes, Preludes, and Piano Concerto 2. Since it was my first classical piece, I wanted to get these first. I have Brahms Piano Concerto 2 on the way as well. Right now, I'm all over the place in terms of what I like in classical...as long as there are no vocals...don't know why but I don't like vocals in classical...I like the instrument to sing instead

 

[mr. nice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meloncoly /img/forum/go_quote.gif I was looking into those. I didn't know what a quartet or a quintet was until I saw the term and researched it. Thanks for the insight, the library actually never came to mind >_<. I was looking at Piano trios as well, but for now, with my budget, I have bought some Rachmaninov's Etudes, Preludes, and Piano Concerto 2. Since it was my first classical piece, I wanted to get these first. I have Brahms Piano Concerto 2 on the way as well. Right now, I'm all over the place in terms of what I like in classical...as long as there are no vocals...don't know why but I don't like vocals in classical...I like the instrument to sing instead

i am not a big fan of solo vocals also but choruses and choirs are another story so you should give them a try/ Daphne & Chloe Suite 2 by Ravel directed by Celibidache with Munich will leave you speachless (literally) very very difficult to find but there is nothing like it.

 

[Meloncoly]

Wow Tyson, that list is definitely very helpful. Thank you very much!

 

[Meloncoly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr. nice /img/forum/go_quote.gif i am not a big fan of solo vocals also but choruses and choirs are another story so you should give them a try/ Daphne & Chloe Suite 2 by Ravel directed by Celibidache with Munich will leave you speachless (literally) very very difficult to find but there is nothing like it.

I will definitely look into it, thanks!

 

[reprise]

Berezovsky has an album of Rachmaninoff's piano concerti nos. 2 & 3 that is absolutely _divine_! I listen to it damn near everyday. The Rach 3 is the particularly famous one so I'm sure you'd like to get your ears around that too. I could recommend you a number of pieces to check out but that may be a little hit and miss (look into Karajan & Berliner Philharmoniker's Holst's The Planets though, and the adagio from Mahler's symphony no. 10 is excellent -- I like the Barshai version as well as the Karajan, the Bernstein disappoints) so another route to try is some of the compilation discs -- Deutsche Grammaphone's 'The Yellow Guide' is very useful to find new pieces you like or if you're a classical connoisseur type it's nice for some casual listening, I also liked the 'Romantic Adagios' set.

 

[FalconP]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlendaleViper /img/forum/go_quote.gif A budget line to be wary of: The Decca/Philips Eloquence line. I bought Holst's "The Planets", attracted by the price and it clips all over the place! Perhaps someone can chime in as to whether or not this is consistent across the line, because I really found it hard to believe something could sound so bad, especially considering Decca's relatively solid reputation for good sound. Then again, Deutsche Grammophone can be inconsistent at times, so I suppose anything's possible.

In my experience Eloquence titles are very bad in sound quality (washy, poor spatial image), but other people have reported acceptable sound. Still, I cannot recommend Eloquence as a beginner's choice, if only because the CDs come with no notes.

On budget titles, EMI is serving the beginner quite nicely with their Encore (single disc at budget price) and Gemini (double discs for the price of one mid-price title) lines. This year they launched a new 3-for-the price-of-one line. Many acclaimed performances are there, and the write-ups are adequate but could have been better.