The one recording you believe everyone should own

[knight66]

Almost no vocal music. I need this and I would give it to others if I had lots of money enabling me to do so. One singer to a part in the chorus work, but full of drama and getting to the essence of the piece.



Good idea for a thread, interesting to see what people choose.

Mike

[marvinbrown]

   The following is one of my all-time favorite cds, this recording is worth its weight gold (including the casing):

   

  marvin

[knight66]

Are these some more one to a part performances?

Mike

[karlhenning]

Almost no vocal music.

I agree in principle with the lament, Mike . . . in my own case, I suspect it is because I was a clarinetist before I was a chorister . . . .

[George]

To explain my choice, I will post a review I wrote last year on amazon:

Easily one of the greatest Beethoven sets available, July 11, 2006

I happen to know for a fact that there are a number of you out there who are finding it hard to decide to pay the asking price for this set. Therefore, I shall try to explain why you should do so, immediately.

First of all, I will say that I own complete cyles by Gulda, Fischer, Schnabel, Kempff (mono), Kovacevich and Backhaus (stereo). Of these, Annie's is my favorite complete set. Easily. I also own single/double discs by Serkin, Richter, Moravec, Horowitz, Gilels, Goode, O'Conor, Pollini, Kempff (stereo), Arrau, Brendel, Jando and Rubinstein. Annie also trumps many of these as well.

Secondly, I must say that Annie's cycle is remarkably consistent, I think she does excellent or superb on 25 of the 32. In the others, she is fair or good. In my experience, this is no small feat, in fact only Gulda equals her in consistency, though not in quality. Gulda tends to rush through these works, something which doesn't always come off well and even when it does, he still lack's Fischer's depth. Schnabel's legendary set, now available on Naxos from European sellers with excellent transfers by Mark Obert-Thorn, is of course very consistent and superbly played. However, many will likely pass on this set due to the historical sound. Kempff plays these works on a smaller scale that doesn't always work for me, though few can match his tone and beauty. Backhaus's more masculine approach is more to my liking, though his fast slow movements, like Gulda, lack depth. Kovacevich's set is more agressive than even Annie's, who is surprisingly agressive when needed and deeply touching and sensitive when appropriate. She handles all three of the main periods of Lvb's works with equal achievement, an incredible feat.

Third, the quality of her playing simply has to be heard to be believed. The opening to her Appassionata sonata dispels all worries that you might have that she isn't up the job. You can listen here at Amazon on the page that hold the single disc from this set. It sounds like thunder from the heavens, as does the finale here and in the Moonlight Sonata. She finds young energy in the early works and confident strength and power in the heroic middle sonatas. Her Op. 31 is easily my favorite, combining a great sense of rhythm, drama and beauty. Her Late Sonatas are incredibly profound and gorgeous. Without resorting to some of the more extreme tempo choices others have made, she finds a style all her own that works magnificently. In fact, her tempo choices are almost always just right, never rushing, nor letting the tempo sag.

Fourth, when compared to her closest rivals, Schnabel, Gulda, and Kempff, her set has superior sound. She plays a gorgeously dark sounding Bosendorfer that was recorded remarkably well. Her recordings were made in the 70's and 80's and the close miking accurately conveys her sweet tone and powerful fortes. Sure, Goode and Kovacevich may have better sound, but IMO they don't play at her level. Goode's interpretations lack excitement at times, while Kovacevich seems to focus a bit too much on excitement.

Fifth, you will notice that the price changes from time to time by some of the marketplace sellers, buying it now saves you from paying more for it later. More importantly, there may not even be a later, for this set is hard to find as it is. This can certainly suggest that it may not stay in print. With talent like this, why gamble? This is mostly a matter of taste of course, I suggest that you listen to the samples here and compare for yourself. I really don't think that you'll be sorry if you choose Annie, though!

Link to amazon review

[BachQ]

Hah!  I knew it! . . . . . .

[orbital]

Secondly, I must say that Annie's cycle is remarkably consistent, I think she does excellent or superb on 25 of the 32.

According to you, does D minor No:17 belong in the 25 or is it in the dreaded 7  ?

[George]

Hah!  I knew it! . . . . . .

Only the price and availability kept me from picking her first. Then I decided that y'all deserve the best, whatever the cost.

[George]

According to you, does D minor No:17 belong in the 25 or is it in the dreaded 7  ?

The Tempest, right? She remains my favorite out of 15+ versions.

[bhodges]

Almost no vocal music.

True!  So this would be my second choice: my favorite recording of Strauss' Four Last Songs, Death and Transfiguration and Metamorphosen, with Karajan, Berlin and Gundula Janowitz.  Even non-classical listeners tend to like it.



--Bruce

[MishaK]

True!  So this would be my second choice: my favorite recording of Strauss' Four Last Songs, Death and Transfiguration and Metamorphosen, with Karajan, Berlin and Gundula Janowitz.  Even non-classical listeners tend to like it.



--Bruce

Oooh, yes! Desert island material.

[canninator]

Amazed this hasn't cropped up yet. If you had never heard a note of classical music in your life this could not fail to move you.

Hurray my image worked. I can use the interweb at last!

[orbital]

The Tempest, right? She remains my favorite out of 15+ versions.

Yes sir The Tempest. I find her 1st movement a little weak, almost tired. She misses a few key note durations in the begining, and it appears to me as if the later two movements were recorded at a later (or earlier) time.

[SimonGodders]

[canninator]

Nice. My wife always knows when springtime has arrived because I put on Brigg Fair. Just in case it hadn't twigged with the family, I always put on Sleigh Ride on Christmas day.

[Sergeant Rock]

Even though Lenny isn't my absolute favorite conductor of Mahler, these middle symphonies and the two song cycles are superbly performed here. This is the heart of Mahler, I think, and everyone should hear them.



Sarge

[SimonGodders]

Nice. My wife always knows when springtime has arrived because I put on Brigg Fair. Just in case it hadn't twigged with the family, I always put on Sleigh Ride on Christmas day.

The crying shame is that EMI in their wisdom ( ) decided not to re-master the 2 CD original:


The whole of the Florida suite is fantastic and would have benefited greatly from the improvement in sound, but instead they cherry picked items for a single CD. Such a missed opportunity...

[knight66]

Ahhh! some really good stuff washing up on the shoreline. Keep them coming!

Mike

[George]

Yes sir The Tempest. I find her 1st movement a little weak, almost tired. She misses a few key note durations in the begining, and it appears to me as if the later two movements were recorded at a later (or earlier) time.

She can be sloppy, but weak is one of the last adjectives that I'd use to describe her playing.   

[marvinbrown]

Are these some more one to a part performances?

Mike

  I am assuming you refer to the Rifkin set I recommended.  The answer is YES they are one to a part performances:   1 Soprano, 1 countertenor, 1 tenor and 1 bass.  The instruments used are authentic.  These recordings are remarkably enjoyable.

  marvin