Recordings you ought to have, but probably do not.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Thanks, was not aware of these. I have the Jansons/Oslo recording below (also on Simax, and also in superb sound). I suspect it is also very much under-the-radar, since there are so many other versions of both works, R. Strauss Till Eulenspiegel and the complete Stravinsky Firebird.

[asin]B000026BZX[/asin]

--Bruce

And thanks back at you for mentioning this one, Bruce. Hadn't know of its existence. Very tempting.

[MishaK]

Jansons's under-the-radar Brahms cycle comes to mind (w/ Oslo). Twice the value as both the sound and performances are stellar.



[asin]B000056OZ1[/asin]

Excellent. I heard that combination live at Carnegie in 99. (Minus the Joachim)

[Geo Dude]

Like some earlier posters, I'm fond of the idea of an expansion of the concept behind this thread so we can get more mileage out of it.  Perhaps Bogey would be generous enough to allow us one post per month with a set of three new recordings each month, or something along those lines.  In any case, my choices won't be dealing with obscure composers, but they will deal with recordings that are somewhat obscure.



This recording is known by a few members of this board--that's how I found it--but not by enough.  For those interested, this is a PI recording and a quite beautiful one; if nothing else can be said for it--and there's plenty else that can be said--Matthews makes music out of these at times difficult works without trying to romanticize them.  Her tone is beautiful, too.  Listen to the samples on Amazon and see what you think.



Here we have my favorite recording of Brahms' violin concerto and one that is unfortunately often overlooked.  Isabelle Faust, a wonderful soloist, is accompanied by Daniel Harding and the oddly named Mahler Chamber Orchestra in a brilliant, HIP-influenced account.  I've long felt that Brahms works best when recorded with the size of orchestra he works for and this disc makes a great argument for that; you lose none of the beauty or power of Brahms with a larger orchestra, but you gain clarity that makes large forces sound muddy in comparison.  The tempos are brisk, but not over the top.  The fact that the pairing is the quite substantial String Sextet No. 2 certainly doesn't hurt this disc, either.



I apologize, but in this case I had to break the rule about recommending recordings that are easily available.  This set is OOP and a bit hard to find at a good price (for now at least, there's a rumor that it will be re-released later this year), but it is so ridiculously good that I cannot help but recommend it.  Haydn's Op. 76 quartets are sheer brilliance and these musicians nail them down perfectly.  This is a desert island purchase if there ever was one.

[Bogey]

Like some earlier posters, I'm fond of the idea of an expansion of the concept behind this thread so we can get more mileage out of it.  Perhaps Bogey would be generous enough to allow us one post per month with a set of three new recordings each month, or something along those lines.  In any case, my choices won't be dealing with obscure composers, but they will deal with recordings that are somewhat obscure.

But of course.  I just want well worn discs that are not well known by many of us.   Maybe we move from "musts" to "really shoulds".  However, keeping a limit prevents the participation trophies from coming out.

PS Maybe note that they are your second set of three.  That way we can tell the difference between your crème de la crème and the half and half.

[Bogey]

Got that one thanks to the GMG Calvary. 

[Geo Dude]

But of course.  I just want well worn discs that are not well known by many of us.   Maybe we move from "musts" to "really shoulds".  However, keeping a limit prevents the participation trophies from coming out.

PS Maybe note that they are your second set of three.  That way we can tell the difference between your crème de la crème and the half and half.

Fair enough.  I felt the once a month limit would give people time to think on the subject before posting a new set and thus come up with a new créme de la créme.  Something tells me that at least a few members here have more than three obscure yet essential albums hiding in their collection.