[pennylane]

i'm just trying to expand my general music collections. i consider myself a bit of a beginner with classical music. however, i would like some good recordings i could find available on say... amazon.com

in particular, i would like recommendations for a gershwin CD (i don't have an SACD player) including rhapsody in blue, an american in paris, and piano concerto in F
and a copland CD with appalachian spring, rodeo, and fanfare for the common man.

i would prefer to have these works, but if there is an excellent recording with only some, that would be fine.

for gershwin, i've looked a little and found one by the london symphony orchestra, conducted by richard williams, with gwenneth pryor.

for copland, i found several... including one by kunzel and the cincinatti pops, one by louis lane under telarc, though that is not a full orchestra, and one by bernstein.
i'm not really sure what the difference is between the ballet version and the full orchestra one for appalachian spring, as the only version i've heard was a 112 kbps mp3.

any help would be appreciated.

 

[fredpb]

Don't know about the particular recordings you mention.
But one good CD which has some nice orchestral works on it is by Reference Recordings (label) Eije Oue and The Minnisota Orchestra called "Mephisto and Co".

Beethovens "Tripleconcerto" (For Cello, piano, violin, and orch) is one of my favorites, and you should get either one of two versions by von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic.

Good chamber works are Dvorak's "American Quartet" and Brahms "Piano Quintet".

Then there is Bach's Brandenburg Concertos. And Handels "Watermusic". And Vivaldi's "Four Seasons".

Some other nice orchestral music is Tchaikovsky's "Romeo and Juliet" and Stravinsky's "Petruska".


Good symphonies are Schubert's #2, #6, and #9. Beethoven's 5th and 6th. Schumann's "Rhenish", and Mendelssohn's #3 and #4.

A nice combination CD would have Tchaikovsky's violin concerto and Sibelius' violin concerto. There is also Rachmaninoff's piano concerto #2.

 

[pennylane]

okay. i still would like to hear specific recommendations on recordings of gershwin and copland.

also, i would like a recommendation or 2 on some good liszt or chopin music. thanks...

 

[Old Pa]

Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic, "Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris, and Grofe: Grand Canyon Suite" CBS Masterworks MK 42264 - this is still generally accepted as the premiere performance of the Gershwin

Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony, "Copland the Populist" RCA Victor Red Seal 09029-63511-2 includes Billy the Kid, Appalachian Spring, and Rodeo and is very well thought of by Gramophone

Both are wonderful recordings of excellent music.

 

[KR...]

Quote:

Originally posted by pennylane okay. i still would like to hear specific recommendations on recordings of gershwin and copland. also, i would like a recommendation or 2 on some good liszt or chopin music. thanks...

Reference Recording, one the world's finest audiophile labels have a few Copland CDs, here they are :

RR-93 HDCD - MINNESOTA ORCHESTRA / EIJI OUE: COPLAND 100
Fanfare for the Common man; Appalachian Spring Suite,Third Symphony. (TT 72:22)(Released 2000)

RR-22 - PACIFIC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA / KEITH CLARK / MARNI NIXON:
COPLAND: Appalachian Spring Suite (chamber version); Eight Poems of Emily Dickinson. CD ONLY: An Outdoor Overture. ADD/DDD (CDTT: 57:40) (Released 1987)

RR-49 HDCD - TURTLE CREEK CHORALE: Testament
THOMPSON: The Testament of Freedom; Allelujah; excerpts from Frostiana; COPLAND: The Promise of Living; Simple Gifts; HANSON: Song of Democracy; RON NELSON: Behold Man; BERNSTEIN: Candide: Make Our Garden Grow. (CDTT: 64:55) (Released 1992)

 

[KR...]

About gershwin...

Chesky Records, has a Gershwin CD :

Catalog No. CD056

A GERSHWIN CONCERT
by George Gershwin

George Gershwin
Concerto in F
Raymond Lewenthal, piano
RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra
Oscar Danon, conductor

Georges Enesco
Rumanian Rhapsody No. 1, Op. 11, No. 1
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Oscar Danon, conductor

Serge Prokofiev
Suite from "The Love for Three Oranges" Op. 33-b
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Oscar Danon, conductor

George Gershwin
Rhapsody in Blue
Raymond Lewenthal, piano
Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra
Oscar Danon, conductor

 

[RobertR]

naxos the budget lable noted for excellent sound has a basic repertoire catalog of 100 recordings that a well rounded classical library should have.
this would be agood place to start. Most larger cd stores have them for free.
As far as gershwin theres a good rendition of the concerto & rhapsody by Andre Previn.
Its difficult to find excellent sound and performance together
Of my 800 odd cd's I would say that only about 1/4 meet this criteria. Of course the better your source and headphones the harder it is to find audiophile grade cd's.
its even harder now that I got er4's.

 

[Gergor]

I have not listened to a lot of gershwin, but Andre Previn's did give me a good impression.

I listened to copland even less, sorry I don't think I have any suggestion there.

For Liszt, check out Jorge Bolet. He's my favorite.