[KR...]

As always, all my classical CDs are on audiophile labels exclusively .

Artist: Cleveland Quartet
Recording: Beethoven:String Quartets Op. 127 in E-Flat Major, Op. 131 in C-Sharp Minor

Release# CD-80425
Label : Telarc

The Cleveland Quartet, disbanded in 1996, recently won a Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance for their Telarc "Farewell Recording"; (CD-80415) of the Corigliano String Quartet (commissioned by the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts for the farewell tour of the ensemble).

The Quartet members are now pursuing individual careers, as performers, teachers, and coaches of other soloists and ensembles. They recorded the complete Beethoven cycle for Telarc during 1995. With the release of this recording, the series, which has been critically acclaimed since its inception, is complete.

Quartet, Op. 127 (in E-flat major)

1. I. Maestoso-Allegro
2. II. Adagio, Ma Non Troppo e Molto Cantible
3. III. Scherzando Vivace
4. IV. Finale

Quartet, Op. 131 (in C-sharp minor)

5. I. Adagio, Ma Non Troppo e Molto Espressivo
6. II. Allegro Molto Vivace
7. III. Allegro Moderato
8. IV. Andante, Ma Non Troppo e Molto Cantible
9. V. Presto
10. VI. Adagio Quasi un Poco Andante
11. VII. Allegro

MEPHISTO & CO.

Ghosts, goblins, spirits and demons run amok in this program of infernal orchestral favorites: MEPHISTO WALTZ (Liszt), NIGHT ON BALD MOUNTAIN (Mussorgsky), TAM O' SHANTER (Arnold) and many more in an explosive witches' brew!

Release# RR-82HDCD
Label : Reference recordings

1. Mephisto Waltz No 1 for piano, S 514 ("Der Tanz in der Dorfschenke") (from S 110/2) First Ending
Composed by Franz Liszt

2. Mephisto Waltz No 1 for piano, S 514 ("Der Tanz in der Dorfschenke") (from S 110/2) Second Ending
Composed by Franz Liszt

3. Night on Bald Mountain, symphonic poem (arr. Rimsky-Korsakov)
Composed by Modest Mussorgsky

4. Baba-Yaga for orchestra, Op 56
Composed by Anatol Konstantinovich Lyadov

5. Chasseur maudit, Le, symphonic poem, M44 Accursed Huntsman
Composed by Cesar Franck

6. The Sorcerer's Apprentice, for orchestra
Composed by Paul [composer] Dukas

7. Danse macabre, symphonic poem in G minor, Op 40
Composed by Camille Saint-Saens

8. Tam O'Shanter Overture, for orchestra, Op 51
Composed by Sir Malcolm Arnold

9. Lucifer-Polka, for orchestra, Op. 266
Composed by Johann II Strauss

 

[XXhalberstramXX]

Quote:

As always, all my classical CDs are on audiophile labels exclusively .

In which case, you'll continue to miss the best and most revelatory recordings of works. It's my opinion that poor proformances of classical recordings are like bad covers of good rock music- painful to listen to (no matter the sound quality). but that's just my opinion, and furthermore, these might be great performances; i just think you shouldn't limit yourself.

 

[fiddler]

Quote:

In which case, you'll continue to miss the best and most revelatory recordings of works. It's my opinion that poor proformances of classical recordings are like bad covers of good rock music- painful to listen to (no matter the sound quality). but that's just my opinion, and furthermore, these might be great performances; i just think you shouldn't limit yourself.

Exactly. For example, all the greatest violinists who ever lived (IMO) are all dead. I'm talking about the greats like David Oistrakh, Jascha Heifetz, Micha Elman, Nathan Milstein, Leonid Kogan... etc. You'll only hear them, for the most part, on scratchy, hissy mono recordings.

 

[KR...]

But I don't want to listen to scratchy, hissy mono recordings. You can have them!

All my audiophile CDs have not only the best sound you can get on redbook CDs, but great performances as well.

 

[fiddler]

Ok, even if you didn't listen to OLD recordings, there are plenty of more recent great recordings on non-audiophile labels.

What exactly ARE some of the audiophile labels that you're talking about?

Most of the big artists today record on labels like Sony, Deutche Grammaphon, Decca, Philips, EMI... etc.

If you exclude all those record companies, then you'll most likely be left with second-rate performances... You will NOT enjoy the music as much as you should! The performance should ALWAYS be first priority.

 

[fiddler]

Quote:

All my audiophile CDs have not only the best sound you can get on redbook CDs, but great performances as well.

Ok, well name some of the violinists on your audiophile recordings.

 

[KR...]

Which CD?

for Mephisto & Co.
http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/music/re_mephisto.cfm

 

[fiddler]

You do have violin recordings on your "audiophile labels" right? Like violin concertos, volin sonatas...?

What are some of the soloists that are on these CDs?

(I'm asking about violinists in particluar because I know more of them than any other instrumentalists.)

 

[KR...]

None of my CDs, expect for Rachel Barton - Instrument Of The Devil. That's why I started that other thread

You should get it if you haven't already.

Read this :

http://www.rachelbarton.com/

http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/...t.asp?oid=4424

http://www.cedillerecords.org/barton.html

 

[fiddler]

Yeah, I'm semi-familiar with her... I have one CD of her playing Sarasate pieces.

I wasn't impressed... Very dull, struck me as lacking personality and "guts"... You gotta be able to feel the "heat" of Spanish dance music, you know? Her performance was technically sound and all, but was cold and lifeless to my ears.

Seriously, you HAVE to get yourself a recording of a GREAT violinist.

I suggest Nathan Milstein playing the Mendelssohn concerto, David Oistrakh playing the Brahms Concerto, and Isaac Stern playing Beethoven Sonatas.

 

[XXhalberstramXX]

far as i know neither Toscanini nor Furwangler recorded on audiophile labels.

same with von Karajan, Horenstein, Klemperer, Giulini, Kubelik, Kempe, Böhm, Gardiner, Haitink, Bernstein, Celibidache, Barbirolli, Mehta, Beecham, etc etc etc

so i don't see how you could find anywhere near the best performances on audiophile labels.

(sorry about all this ganging up on you, we're just trying to make you see the light)

 

[XXhalberstramXX]

on the other hand, Micheal Tilson Thomas is planning on recording a Mahler cycle with the San fransisco symphony orchestray on (drumroll please).... SACD!

so the future looks good, even if Toscanini is long gone.

 

[KR...]

No, please keep it coming! I love learning about anything and everything! However, please give me a list of the best sounding recordings of these artists.

For instance, Birgit Nilsson is one of the greatest Opera singers of all time, yet trying to find great quailty recording of hers, was very hard as you know. But, I found one :

Birgit Nilsson – Sings Wagner : Opera Arias

Oh and Hans Hotter is singing duet with her, also one of the greatest ever with Leopold Ludwig heading the Philharmonia Orchestra.

Pretty hard to beat that, and it's audiophile quality.

 

[XXhalberstramXX]

well, pretty hard to beat unless you want the whole opera. Aria compilation CDs for me are like compilation CDs of rock or pop: some like 'em, i don't. I think (especially for Wagner) it doesn't make sense to break up the work into peices. Wagner's music seems to be best described as a constant stream of ideas, building and changing and crashing together. Isolated, each part loses it's relevance and meaning.

Truthfully speaking, there are some great sounding recordings by more modern conductors like Haitink, Gardiner and Boulez. for example, Haitink's recording of Shostakovich's 8th symphony, Gardiner's recordings of Marriage of Figaro or Gluck's Iphigenie en Tauride, or Boulez's recording of Mahler's 1st. Not sure about the quality of the performances, sans the marriage of figaro (which is my favorite) and mahler's first (which is quite good, not quite at the level of Horenstein).

If you like, limit yourself to stereo, clear sounding recordings of music, just don't rule out the tons of great sounding releases by DG, Philips, Decca/London, EMI, etc. I reccomend you buy a Grammophone magazine and look at the reccomended recordings in the back. they rarely reccomend anything other than modern (post 60s) recordings, and they are all great performances (or at least should be).

 

[BlindSeer]

Quote:

Originally posted by fiddler Isaac Stern playing Beethoven Sonatas

Have you ever heard the Perlman/Ashkenazy recording of them? Wonderful stuff.. the interaction between the two players is, to me, amazing.