Lots of recordings ... but nothing beats the first you heard?

[Mark]

A kind of 'antidote' thread to Any piece that you have lots of recordings of but still not completely happy?

For me:

Lots of Grieg Piano Concerto recordings ... but Ousset/Marriner/LSO still rule the roost.

Lots of Sibelius Violin Concerto recordings ... but no one (save perhaps Mutter in odd moments) plays that fiddle like Haendel with Berglund and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

Lots and lots and lots of Rachmaninov All-night Vigil (aka Vespers) recordings ... yet Sveshnikov/USSR State Choir still hold the nearest five or six rivals at more than an arm's length away from the top spot.


That's just three examples. Care to share?

[Steve]

A kind of 'antidote' thread to Any piece that you have lots of recordings of but still not completely happy?

For me:

Lots of Grieg Piano Concerto recordings ... but Ousset/Marriner/LSO still rule the roost.

Lots of Sibelius Violin Concerto recordings ... but no one (save perhaps Mutter in odd moments) plays that fiddle like Haendel with Berglund and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

Lots and lots and lots of Rachmaninov All-night Vigil (aka Vespers) recordings ... yet Sveshnikov/USSR State Choir still hold the nearest five or six rivals at more than an arm's length away from the top spot.


That's just three examples. Care to share?

I'd add Jansons, the Shostakovich Symphonies, heard many, but somehow I keep coming back to these.

[BachQ]

HvK with Mozart's late symphonies ........ it was magic when I was a teen, and it's still magic

Bohm conducting Brahms 4 Symhonies ........ not the best recordings, but it was love at first sight .......

Gilels/Jochum with Brahms PC's ......... words cannot describe .........

[Drasko]

Heifetz playing Tchaikovsky and Sibelius.

[E d o]

Two come to mind
Bartok, Con. for Orch./Music for Strings - Riener/Chicago
Brahms, Cello Sonatas - Rostropovich/Serkin

[hornteacher]

Mackerras on Mozart's 40/41.  I've heard so many renderings of these two symphonies and I always come back to Sir Charles.

[not edward]

Gilels/Jochum with Brahms PC's ......... words cannot describe .........

I can second this one without reservation.

Kubelik in Mahler's First.

Szeryng and Kubelik in the Berg violin concerto.

[George]

Richter/Wislocki: Rach PC 2

Szell/Cleveland: LvB Symphony 3, Mozart Symphony 40

[MishaK]

Michelangeli/Gracis/Philharmonia Ravel Concerto in G and Rachmaninov Concerto No.4/EMI - sans pareil.

[Holden]

Gilels/Ludwig - LvB PC4

Field Nocturnes - Noel Lee

Scheherazade - Stokie/LSO

Chopin Nocturnes - Rubinstein

[PerfectWagnerite]

Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, Leonard Bernstein, NYPO on SONY.

[George]

Chopin Nocturnes - Rubinstein

Stereo, IIRC? 

[BorisG]

Violin concerti - Lin for Sibelius, Nielsen, Mendelssohn, Bruch 1. Grumiaux for Beethoven. Oistrakh for Mozart, Brahms. Mordkovitch for Shostakovich.

[Justin Ignaz Franz Bieber]

pope marcellus mass -- tallis scholars (1980 recording)

goldberg variations -- gould (1955)

bach b minor mass -- JEG/EBS

bach sonatas/partitas for violin -- jean-jacques kantorow

biber sonatas -- john holloway

biber mystery sonatas -- john holloway

ysaye sonatas -- zehetmair

[Daverz]

Prokofiev: Lt. Kije - Iordeschescu/Leinsdorf/Philharmonia
Kodaly: Hary Janos - Leinsdorf/Philharmonia (the flipside)
Brahms: VC - Szeryng/Monteux
Bartok: PC3 - Katchen/Kertesz

[chrisg]

Beethoven/Mendelssohn/Tchaikovsky violin concertos - Heifetz stereo versions

Beethoven "Archduke" - Suk Trio

Copland in general - Bernstein NYP

Handel Concerti Grossi Op.6 - Marriner ASMF

Haydn Sym 99 - Bernstein NYP. 

Holst - The Planets.  Ormandy, Philly RCA

Mozart Violin Concertos - Grumiaux/Davis

Schubert Sym 6 - Bohm

Schumann Sym 2 - Barenboim CSO

Stravinsky Firebird Suite 1919 - Ormandy Philly (Columbia LP)

[Daverz]

Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, Leonard Bernstein, NYPO on SONY.

1963 or 1968?  (Sony consistently mislabeled these recordings;  AFAIK 1968 was only issued once on CD, in the CBS Great Performances series; all the Sony issues are 1963.)  I think the 1963 Bernstein is still my favorite (I have not heard 1968 Bernstein, but I do have the EMI Bernstein), though I just recently got a lovely Lp with Mitropoulos/NYP.

[PerfectWagnerite]

1963 or 1968?  (Sony consistently mislabeled these recordings;  AFAIK 1968 was only issued once on CD, in the CBS Great Performances series; all the Sony issues are 1963.)  I think the 1963 Bernstein is still my favorite (I have not heard 1968 Bernstein, but I do have the EMI Bernstein), though I just recently got a lovely Lp with Mitropoulos/NYP.

1963, this one:



I had it on tape originally, but has since upgraded to CD.

[techniquest]

Prokofievs Romeo & Juliet, Czech PO / Ancerl on the old, cheap 'Music for Pleasure' label bought when I was about 15 and still the best 35 years later!