Cyclomania ** Symphonies **

[Karl Henning]

No worries!  Threads on GMG do tend to spin out centrifugally . . . so I thought I'd have a go at keeping this one on track.

[mc ukrneal]

I think I want to see that smily face rating system alot more often, it's awesome!!

I like it too. But he put some of the smilies next to the wrong name! 

[Karl Henning]

Can I ask that folks indicate their favorite(s)? I think it'd be a useful way to find considered recommendations.

Done, although in the case of Sibelius and Nielsen, I've no clear favorites among the sets I have . . . nor is any a turkey IMO : )

[madaboutmahler]

Interesting Elgar-Overkill. 

Brahms: PERFECT TRIUMVIRATE! Nothing really that you'll ever need to add to that, in my opinion.

Thank you! There are some more Brahms sets I want... but will probably wait a while, maybe until I have all the Mahler cycles available.

Pffft!

The EMI Mahler box ought to suit you.
You don't have any Schumann sets, any reason for this?

My collection really is rather small! Tiny compared to someones like Sarge's.
I probably won't get the EMI Mahler box as I have most of the performances in it. Great for anyone who doesn't though! Hope you are enjoying it.
I do have a Schumann set, actually I have two, the Zinman and the Sawallisch. I left quite a few sets out actually. Back with more later perhaps.

Symphony cycles, eh?

Johann Ernst Hartmann (Mortensen), complete on one disc!
J Haydn (Fischer)
JC Bach (Halstead)
Mozart (Tate)
Beethoven (Mackerras, Immerseel)
Schubert (Marriner)
Mendelssohn (Abbado)
Schumann (Zinman)
Brahms (Karajan)
Dvorak (Valek)
Vaughn Williams (Handley)

Only one repeat. A tidy and respectable lot, I think.

No Mahler?! 

[George]

I think I want to see that smily face rating system alot more often, it's awesome!!

Yes but is the big grin a positive or negative reccomendation?

[chasmaniac]

:No Mahler?! 

No Mauler, sorry about that. I was a fan of Haystack Calhoun though. 

[jlaurson]

Yes but is the big grin a positive or negative reccomendation?

Positive, of course. What else? Grin as in: "You idiot bought into that crummy cycle being awesome?" No.

I wouldn't really want to define the smilies too much, as they'd be robbed of interpretive nuance that way... but roughly:

0:) Divine
Smile inducing
Awesome
Very naaaaihce!
I see where you're going with that
Mhewwee.
Nah, not really successful
Oh gawd. 'spose he didn't know better. Beginner's mistake.
Horribilus
How could you!
It feels a little sour in my mouth
I think I have to hurl.
Makes me cry... why would anyone do that to this music...

Nice thread My collection is growing up, but it's not still very big at the moment:

Beethoven Karajan (63 presumably?), Abbado (Berlin I, presumably?)  , 
Mahler Bernstein DG, Solti  , 
Sibelius Ashkenazy, Maazel (Vienna, presumably?),  ,  0:)
Brahms Karajan (early, later, or mix?) 
Tchaikovsky Karajan 
Bruckner Karajan 
Schumann Karajan 
Nielsen Blomstedt 

I will return later......

[Marc]

Since I'm more of a baroque bloke, I do not really hunt after symphony cycles.

YET, I do have some, or so I discovered.

I've got more than 3 of these composers:

Beethoven
Konwitschny
Karajan 60s DG
Leibowitz
Blomstedt
Masur
Kegel
Sawallisch
Zinman
Norrington 1 (LCP)
Brüggen
Van Immerseel
Haitink 3 (LSO live)

Brahms
Van Beinum
Haitink (CO)
Sawallisch
Van Zweden
Chailly

Tchaikovsky
Muti
Litton
Jansons
Pletnev

Mahler
Bernstein 70s (DG-DVD) & 80s (DG-CD)
Haitink
Kubelik
Solti
Tennstedt
Sinopoli
Inbal
Bertini
Rattle
Brilliant Classics mixed boxset

Concerning Mahler: Bertini's definitely my favourite integral, but I enjoy a lot of goodies in each and every set I'm happy to own.

Concerning the lot: there's only one let-down maybe, which is Litton's Tchaikovsky, I'm sorry to say.

[madaboutmahler]

Mahler
Bernstein 70s (DG-DVD) & 80s (DG-CD)
Haitink
Kubelik
Solti
Tennstedt
Sinopoli
Inbal
Bertini
Rattle
Brilliant Classics mixed boxset

Concerning Mahler: Bertini's definitely my favourite integral, but I enjoy a lot of goodies in each and every set I'm happy to own.

Concerning the lot: there's only one let-down maybe, which is Litton's Tchaikovsky, I'm sorry to say.

Good to see so much Mahler, Marc!

I actually rather like the Litton Tchaikovsky set - wonderful performances to me!

[Marc]

Good to see so much Mahler, Marc!

I actually rather like the Litton Tchaikovsky set - wonderful performances to me!

I remember missing emotion, commitment and 'bite', especially in nos. 4-6, and also not being all that fond of the sound quality. It's been some time since I last listened to either one of them.

I'd like to add, that I also have two twofers with nos. 4-6 and they're good (Maazel, Wiener Phil) and very good (Mravinsky, Leningrad Phil [stereo DG]).
So: there's still plenty of Pjotr to enjoy in da house, despide the lacklustre (IMHO) Andrew.

[madaboutmahler]

I remember missing emotion, commitment and 'bite', especially in nos. 4-6, and also not being all that fond of the sound quality. It's been some time since I last listened to either one of them.

I'd like to add, that I also have two twofers with nos. 4-6 and they're good (Maazel, Wiener Phil) and very good (Mravinsky, Leningrad Phil [stereo DG]).
So: there's still plenty of Pjotr to enjoy in da house, despide the lacklustre (IMHO) Andrew.

Well, I suppose that's fair, especially considering the other recordings of no.4-6 you have. Mravinsky is beyond amazing...

I also have quite a few 'twofers' of no.4-6 which are Karajan, Mravinsky, Pappano. The Litton is the complete cycle I have. Thinking of getting the complete Muti cycle, and also the Andris Nelsons 4-6.

[jlaurson]

B E E T H O V E N  (20?)

KARAJAN  BERLIN PHIL (1970s) 
BARENBOIM STAATSKAP BERLIN 
BRÜGGEN   18TH CENTURY
BERNSTEIN VIENNA PHIL
Chailly, Leipzig 
Thielemann, Vienna 
Jaervi, Bremen  0:)
Vanska, Minnesota 
Blomstedt, Staatskapelle
Masur, Leipzig 70s
Fedoseyev, Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of the Moscow Radio 
Gardiner, ORR 
J.v.Immerseel, Anima Eterna 
Abbado, Rome (BPh) 
Rattle, Vienna 
Toscanini, NBC 
Haitink, LSO 
Jochum, BPh, BRSO
Kletzki, CzPO
Pletnev, RNSO 
...


B R U C K N E R  7 1/2

MAAZEL SOBR
Haitink CONCERGEBOUW
WAND KÖLNER RSO
KARAJAN BERLIN PHIL
Jochum BRSO/BPh
CELIBIDACHE MUNICH (3-9)
Jochum Bros. (Eugen & Georg)
Furtwangler (incomplete)
...?

M A H L E R  (14)

BERNSTEIN NEW YORK (SONY) 
BERNSTEIN VARIOUS (DG) 
SINOPOLI  PHILHARMONIA 
RATTLE CBSO
SVETLANOV RUSSIAN STATE SO
BOULEZ VARIOUS 
CHAILLY CONCERTGEBOUW
GIELEN SWR SO BADEN BADEN 
Kubelik, BRSO 
Gergiev, LSO
MTT, SFSO 
Haitink, Christmas (incomplete)
Kondrashin (incomplete) 
Kubelik, Audite (incomplete)   


S H O S T A K O V I C H (4)[/b]

BARSHAI WDR SO 
KITAJENKO GÜRZENICH O KÖLN
Kondrashin, Moscow PSO 
Haitink


S I B E L I U S  (15)

http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2009/05/survey-of-sibelius-cycles.html

DAVIS LSO
DAVIS BOSTON
DAVIS LSO LIVE
BERNSTEIN NY PHIL 
VÄNSKÄ LAHTI SO
SANDERLING BERLIN SO 
MAAZEL VIENNA PHIL 
MAAZEL PITTSBURGH
ASHKENAZY PHILHARMONIA 
SEGERSTAM HELSINKI PHIL 
RATTLE CBSO
BLOMSTEDT SAN FRANCISCO 
SAKARI ICELAND SO 
BARBIROLLI HALLÉ 
Gibson
Slatkin   
Berglund III ChOE  0:)


E L G A R

Barenboim 
Andrew Davis II
Elder 
Barbirolli
Boult 
Colin Davis 
Solti 

[Karl Henning]

So no one makes the cut with Elgar, Jens?  And Solti gets a signal thumb's-down.  Interesting!

[North Star]

Beethoven: Immerseel
Schumann: Zinman
Brahms: Rattle
Tchaikovsky: Pletnev
Rachmaninov: Jansons
Sibelius: Neeme Järvi
Nielsen: Blomstedt EMI

[jlaurson]

So no one makes the cut with Elgar, Jens?  And Solti gets a signal thumb's-down.  Interesting!

Huh? Three positive responses to Elgar sets, just not an ecstatic one... (the rest is Elgar's fault.)
And yes, if Solti were the only conductor I had heard in the Symphonies, I'd never have bothered with Elgar again.
Curiously, I kind of really dig his late Elgar recording with the perfectly unidiomatic Vienna Philharmonic.

[Lisztianwagner]

I wouldn't really want to define the smilies too much, as they'd be robbed of interpretive nuance that way... but roughly:

0:) Divine
Smile inducing
Awesome
Very naaaaihce!
I see where you're going with that
Mhewwee.
Nah, not really successful
Oh gawd. 'spose he didn't know better. Beginner's mistake.
Horribilus
How could you!
It feels a little sour in my mouth
I think I have to hurl.
Makes me cry... why would anyone do that to this music...

Beethoven Karajan (63 presumably?), Abbado (Berlin I, presumably?)  , 
Mahler Bernstein DG, Solti  , 
Sibelius Ashkenazy, Maazel (Vienna, presumably?),  ,  0:)
Brahms Karajan (early, later, or mix?) 
Tchaikovsky Karajan 
Bruckner Karajan 
Schumann Karajan 
Nielsen Blomstedt 

Beethoven Actually, I've got two Karajan's sets, '63 and 70s; the Abbado is with BPO.
Sibelius Yes, Maazel & VPO.
Brahms Later

You don't seem to love Solti's Mahler and Karajan's Schumann very much, don't you?

[Karl Henning]

Huh? Three positive responses to Elgar sets, just not an ecstatic one... (the rest is Elgar's fault.)

Oh, I mistook you.  I saw the lack of boldface as the signifier.  I tend to filter out most emoticons . . . .

[North Star]

My collection really is rather small! Tiny compared to someones like Sarge's.
I probably won't get the EMI Mahler box as I have most of the performances in it. Great for anyone who doesn't though! Hope you are enjoying it.
I do have a Schumann set, actually I have two, the Zinman and the Sawallisch. I left quite a few sets out actually. Back with more later perhaps.

Well yes small compared to someone like Sarge, but that doesn't mean that the collection is small. And you have a lot of time to catch up. 
Besides, if you have most of the EMI Mahler sets performances, your Mahler collection most likely isn't too small.
I will be enjoying the Mahler in one or two weeks since only today I finally managed to edit the credit card info on Amazon.

[madaboutmahler]

Well yes small compared to someone like Sarge, but that doesn't mean that the collection is small. And you have a lot of time to catch up. 
Besides, if you have most of the EMI Mahler sets performances, your Mahler collection most likely isn't too small.
I will be enjoying the Mahler in one or two weeks since only today I finally managed to edit the credit card info on Amazon."e author=madaboutmahler link=topic=19814.msg595421#msg595421 date=1327433732]
My collection really is rather small! Tiny compared to someones like Sarge

haha Well, the Mahler section in my collection is the largest part, closely followed by the Elgar section.

[jlaurson]

Beethoven Actually, I've got two Karajan's sets, '63 and 70s; the Abbado is with BPO.
Sibelius Yes, Maazel & VPO.
Brahms Later

You don't seem to love Solti's Mahler and Karajan's Schumann very much, don't you?

Solti, Mahler, and I have a very complicated relationship. Not a good one. Although Sarge and an open mind have brought me around to crediting his Sixth with respect and keenly perked ears. It is to me what Sarge told me Szell's M6 should be. I hate, hate, hate his Sixth Eighth and don't care for much of the rest.

Karajan's Schumann is one of the few Karajan-sets where the 'Karajan' sound actually does annoy me on occasion. It's not bad... but I find it exhausting over time. Much rather listen to Barenboim when I like it bold and varnished, or Zinman when I like it zippy, or Gardiner when I want HIP, or the classic Sawallisch when I want it superbly traditional. And for "OTT" I can go to Bernstein/Sony.