Best single performance

[Ken B]

Best single performance of any piece. Limit:1.

My answer is actually easy. The a cappella part-song Yonder comes a courteous Knight by Thomas Ravenscroft performed by Pro Cantione Antiqua on the album Purcell in the Alehouse. They bring not only astonishing tone and ensemble singing but catch every nuance of irony, and make the melody soar.

[DavidW]

What do you mean?  Best performance when only recorded once?  Or favorite single recording of anything?

[Philo]

Enescu performing Bach's Violin Sonatas

[Ken B]

What do you mean?  Best performance when only recorded once?  Or favorite single recording of anything?

The latter, like Karajan Eroica 1962 or Lang Lang Liszt sonata.

[Mirror Image]

Any time someone uses the word best it's simply subjective, so bearing this in mind, I choose as the best performance Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe conducted by Charles Dutoit with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra on Decca. For me, this is a desert island recording.

[Brian]

The latter

Favorite single recording of anything?!?!?!?

Not playing this time  0:)

[Ken B]

Any time someone uses the word best it's simply subjective, so bearing this in mind, I choose as the best performance Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe conducted by Charles Dutoit with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra on Decca. For me, this is a desert island recording.

Subjective is what's wanted. Not that you don't get bonus points for choosing a Canadian orchestra!
It's a sensational disc.

[Mirror Image]

Subjective is what's wanted. Not that you don't get bonus points for choosing a Canadian orchestra!
It's a sensational disc.

Well, as Chamber Nut (Ray) would say, Canada has several fine orchestras. Besides the MSO, the Toronto SO, Winnipeg SO, Orchestre Metropolitain du Gran Montreal, and Vancouver SO are all first-rate orchestras. It's too bad that the rest of the world doesn't get to hear recordings from them that often.

[EigenUser]

Easy...
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...and awesome cover art. I purchased the record just so I could have it framed!

[Mirror Image]

Easy...
[asin]B000003FEJ[/asin]
...and awesome cover art. I purchased the record just so I could have it framed!

An incredibly fine recording and still my favorite Concerto for Orchestra performance. Interestingly enough, I'm not sure if told you this, but this was the second classical purchase I made. My first being Bernstein's Ives recording on DG (Symphony No. 2, Central Park in the Dark, etc.).

[kishnevi]

Mahler: Symphony No. 9  Zurich Tonhalle Orchester,  D. Zinman conducting

Come back in 30 minutes and I'll undoubtedly have picked a completely different one, of course.

[Mirror Image]

Come back in 30 minutes and I'll undoubtedly have picked a completely different one, of course.

Me, too.

[Ken B]

Easy...
[asin]B000003FEJ[/asin]
...and awesome cover art. I purchased the record just so I could have it framed!

Very Saul Bass.
That is great. I heard it a week or two ago. First time I every really got the CFO, and saw it as more than an show piece.

[Ken B]

Mahler: Symphony No. 9  Zurich Tonhalle Orchester,  D. Zinman conducting

Come back in 30 minutes and I'll undoubtedly have picked a completely different one, of course.

Never heard that. I think highly of Zinman's Beethoven.

[DavidW]

Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Bach Cantata bwv 82

[asin]B0000AOVTI[/asin]

Such haunting, lyrical singing.

[Jay F]

Mahler Symphony No. 6 - Bernstein - CBS

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[North Star]

Here's one for  Harry 

Satie - Socrate - Patricia Rosario, Eileen Hulse & Susan Bickley (sopranos), Richard Bernas & Music Projects/London
[asin]B000FZEQJG[/asin]

[(poco) Sforzando]

Too many possibilities to count. So I'll just go with the first that comes to mind: Janet Baker doing the Mahler song cycles with Barbirolli.

[springrite]

Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Bach Cantata bwv 82

[asin]B0000AOVTI[/asin]

Such haunting, lyrical singing.

I wouldn't mind seconding this one.

[Ken B]

I wouldn't mind seconding this one.

two votes!
In the shopping cart. (Not buying till my birthday.)