Going through my CD racks last night, I was struck by just how many discs were bought as a result of recommendations from members of this forum: no fewer than 50+, in fact. Which got me thinking about how many CDs others have bought because they'd seen discs praised here.
So, over to you. Which of the GMG-recommended discs you've bought have you enjoyed the most? Which members' opinions have you come to trust on the strength of having bought their recommendations? Have you suggested discs yourself which you know others here have bought and enjoyed?
Arguably my favourite CDs come from a Vanguard Classics set recommended on the old forum: Netania Davrath singing the complete Canteloube 'Songs of the Auvergne'. A most wonderful find, and something I'd have known nothing about were it not for this forum. :)
Many, Mark, many.
And I'm very grateful for discovering so much interesting performers and music.
When on your own, with just guide books and on line reviews to go on, one can get "stuck" within a selection of composers, works and performers.
This forum provides many opportunities to overcome that. And the mechanism is quite simple: if particular members share my taste in repertoire and/or performers, I'm inclined to check out their preferences that I'm not familiar with myself. I picked up a lot of Bach and other baroque music. And when I came to the forum I was just moving into post-baroque HIP recordings - the forum provided many leads to pursuit that interest.
Some highlights of items I bought on recommendation here.
Bach: WTC with Glen Wilson (Teldec), Goldbergs with Dantone (Decca) and Frisch (Alpha), cello suites with Paolo Beschi (Winter & Winter), orchestral works with Café Zimmermann. Kletzki's LvB symphonies cycle (Supraphon), Paul Komen's LvB piano sonatas (Globe), HIP chamber music by Schubert and Brahms with La Gaia Scienza (Winter & Winter), Haydn piano trios with the Van Swieten Trio (Brilliant), Haydn keyboard sonatas with Schornsheim (Cappriccio), A Bruckner 4th (CBS/Sony) and 9th (Orfeo) with Kubelik, a Mahler 4th with Walter (Tahra), Mozart violin sonatas with Breitman and Rivest (Analekta), The Sibelius set with Vänskä (BIS)....
And so on and so forth! ;D
Some members whose recommendations I've followed successfully are - amongst many others and in no particular order (!) - Don, Val, Premont, Gurn, Lilas, donwyn, and two recent absentees ( :'() : Bunny and Masolino.
Q
Definitely > 100
I don't know exactly how many. But I remember buying Max Reger string Quartets following the advice of a member of GMG. And it was a very good advice.
I am guessing 40-50. :)
I have been happy with most of them.
I don't know for certain how many. Sometimes I read a recommendation here and it goes on my wish list for future reference, and I know I have bought some of those. However, I tend to lose track of where and when I heard about a recording, so I don't have a precise number.
Heather
Mostly confirmed purchases I was anyway going to make, up to this point; so probably a couple of extra Mahler 2nds, so far... But I have amazon orders coming up! ;D
Well, some - I don´t know how many. And first and foremost to widen my horizon within areas I don´t feel naturally attracted to. As to my "region of interest" I am almost completist already.
I don't know the number either, but quite a few. I don't think I've ever been completely disappointed. Oh, wait...there was that Copland piano set from Sony, but that was probably my fault for not enjoying it. Copland ain't my favorite.
Many. And I have been very satisfied with most of them. This forum is my preferred source for picking recordings. Well, what are the alternatives? The English-biased Gramophone or BBC Music Magazine? Or Classics Today with David Hurwitz? Or the rmcr? Well, I tend to agree more with reviews from Classics Today than the English magazines (which tend not to favour older recordings either).
As I'm mostly into orchestral music I find (amogst others) the advices/recommendations from M, Lilas Pastia, Choo Choo, Seargent Rock, Val to be interesting. For other genres of classical music I often agree with Que, George, Premont, Harry Collier, Todd.
50-60, and that's probably an underestimation.
Probably about 50% of my collection...
I still go through reviews regularly, but GMG has helped me discover other composers... Although, it has also been responsible for me *not* buying certain CDs too. ;)
If you include all the pre-GMG boards that shared some members with this one, probably over 100.
Between 40-50 cds and DVDs and counting 0:) !
marvin
Quote from: beclemund on August 24, 2007, 08:40:11 AM
... Although, it has also been responsible for me *not* buying certain CDs too. ;)
Very good point.
I have no idea about the total number, but I pay attention to recommendations on this board as well as from MusicWeb, Classics Today, Fanfare, American Record Guide, International Record Collector and the BBC Music Magazine.
The one recommendation from this board that sticks out in my mind is the one from Bunny concerning the Bach set played by Rousset - fantastic set.
Quote from: Don on August 24, 2007, 11:13:00 AM
I have no idea about the total number, but I pay attention to recommendations on this board as well as from MusicWeb, Classics Today, Fanfare, American Record Guide, International Record Collector and the BBC Music Magazine.
No love for Gramophone? :(
A lot. I don't read any reviews (except of concerts/recitals) outside of GMG actually, so a good deal of my purchases (I'd say about 70% at least) have been based on what I read here. Close to 100 CDs or downloads I'd say.
Quote from: Renfield on August 24, 2007, 12:25:47 PM
No love for Gramophone? :(
I may be wrong here, but I think there's a feeling (outside of the UK) that Gramophone is too British biased. I'm not sure that's entirely a fair assessment, but I have noticed the magazine does like promoting British classical performers. Whether that's to the exclusion of international talent I wouldn't like to say.
Quote from: Renfield on August 24, 2007, 12:25:47 PM
No love for Gramophone? :(
Sorry, I just forgot to mention it. I realize that the British sources have a bias, but I find that's natural. Doesn't bother me at all. If I had to go with just one source, Fanfare would be it.
Although GMG is not my only source for CD ideas, I must say many people here have great suggestions that I have purchased and been very happy with. So thanks.
> 100 ... far more if we count individual discs in box sets
Many members--especially, Karl, donwyn, Andre, Benji, Dr. Dave (both), Mike (just call me "M"), and Bruce--have proven very reliable guides both to "new" music and to noteworthy recordings.
Thank you all. Your collective experience and judgment is what brought me here in the first place...and what keeps me coming back.
Quote from: longears on August 25, 2007, 07:35:53 AM
..and what keeps me coming back.
Keep coming back! ;)
Went for the +100.
It happens almost daily; not always a direct purchase, but often a preliminary download.
I must thank George for his advices on Beethoven (late) Sonatas, Maciek for some polish music including - recently - the "Haunted Manor", Solitary Wanderer for a lot of electronic music I didn't know, many others for jazzy hints. I often go fishing in the "What are you listening to" topic too.
Quote from: Scriptavolant on August 29, 2007, 09:57:29 AM
Went for the +100.
It happens almost daily; not always a direct purchase, but often a preliminary download.
I must thank George for his advices on Beethoven (late) Sonatas,
You're very welcome. :)
A lot. Once I get an idea of a poster's particular tastes, I find recommendations from them a lot more helpful than most professional reviews.
Quote from: Tancata on August 30, 2007, 05:54:24 AM
A lot. Once I get an idea of a poster's particular tastes, I find recommendations from them a lot more helpful than most professional reviews.
Same here. I have no idea what the professional reviewer's agendas might be. Even if they do not have any other agenda other than writing about music they like/dislike, it is still too little information for me to go on in general.
Whereas, on a board like this, you do not only follow people's musical tastes. You learn more about those people who are giving you recommendations or warnings and I for one take them much more seriously (and sincerely) than I do a professional critic.
My guess would be 40 to 50, but it could be more, and does not include recommendation by GMG members before GMG (M's recommendations came before either of us came here, for instance). I should take this opportunity to thank all members who contributed to this, including but not limited to: Edward, UB, Sidoze, Squarez, Calaf (remember him?), Uffeviking, and many others.
I am postponing any purchases based on Harry's recommendation until AFTER I win the lottery.
Quote from: springrite on August 30, 2007, 06:56:20 AM
... Calaf (remember him?) ...
Still with us, only now as 'Lilas Pastia'. ;)
Quote from: springrite on August 30, 2007, 06:58:37 AM
I am postponing any purchases based on Harry's recommendation until AFTER I win the lottery.
Is it that bad
Paul?I do not post all Purchases anymore, because of the reactions I get from some members.
But what I post is little enough, so you can afford it. ;D
I guess I bought about 100 cd's on recommendation, of Que, Don, Bogey, Karl, Florestan, Springrite, Sonic Man..............
There are so many composers mentioned in the many varieties of thread, so many composers whose works I am not familiar with; however, there were a few I had to check out. Thanks to the forum, I am now involved with the following newly discovered works (for me).
Gliere- Symphony No. 1; The Sirens. How could I have missed this one. "Sirens" is so similar to the musical vocabulary of one of my favorites "Ilya."
Enescu- Piano Sonatas; Suites
Dyson - Symphony in G Major
Boulanger - D'un soir triste
"Ukranian Music of the 20th century" pianisitc works which include, among others, Lyatoshinsky.
Just a few; however, much appreciated, thanks again to the knowledge of the many posters. There's more I have to look into.
Just looked through my iTunes and found albums of music by Moeran (inspired by Dundonnell), Bruckner's 7th with Blomstedt (many GMGers), the Cleveland Quartet playing Debussy and Ravel (Mark), Levine's The Planets (DavidRoss), Boulez' Daphnis (M forever), symphonies by George Lloyd (again, several people), a compilation of Kubelik (Todd), the complete Beethoven piano sonatas (chose a set based on Todd's writeup), and, of course, Braga Santos. :D What's more, I have two box sets of Sviatoslav Richter performances which I would not have if it weren't for George, a Beethoven cycle (Norrington/LCP) that I wouldn't have but for M forever (although I don't like it), and Grieg's complete orchestral music as pointed out to me by Dave (SonicMan).
It's safe to say that without this forum I would have never begun listening to Moeran, Bax, Elgar (beyond the Enigma), Braga Santos, Freitas Branco, Atterberg (maybe the biggest discovery of all), Gliere, Karlowicz, or, of course, Henning. Furthermore I'd guess that, without this forum, my development in (not to mention listening to) Sibelius and Shostakovich would be far behind its present point.
Everything in my collection is due to this forum. I have bought and listened to thousands of recordings all due to rec's from current posters and former posters. This forum is more valuable than any listening guide book or any magazine subscription. :)
I guess I can tell a specific story about a good rec. I had an impulse (like a few other times in the past three years) to buy some classical music, and having heard some Carter on the radio, I searched out some reviews and this forum and ended up based on Joe Barron's review getting a cd of his first and fifth string quartets. That was back in December.
Sounds boring right? Well the other two cds I had bought were quickly forgotten and after awhile I slid back into listening to nothing, but a few months would go bye and I felt the urge to listen to that Carter again, and those string quartets would get heavy replay. And I would listen to other things as well, and then fade away again. But every so often in the past few months those works kept bringing me back, until finally *pop* back into classical music listening!
Those Carter string quartets were the catalyst that got me back into the classical music obsession, and that's thanks to gmg forumites. 8)
Shostakovich (several people)
Wagner (Marvin Brown, Andy)
Strauss, R. orchestral works (M Forever, and some others too.)
Beethoven's Wind Music (Bogey)
Dvorak's Panocha String Quartets (Dave - SonicMan)
Mozart Piano Concertos (Geza Anda - George, and a few others specifically recommended this set)
Saint-Saens Piano Concertos (David Ross and Karl)
Haydn Op. 20 and op. 76 - Kodaly Qt. (Andy)
Mozart String Quintets - Talich Quartet (Andy)
Tchaikovsky - Muti/Philharmonia (Harry)
And I'm sure there are many others I'm forgetting, so I apologize in advance. 0:)
Too many to mention really but, off the top of my head, some of the guilty ones (responsible for feeding my addiction >:D) are:
Lilas Pastia (Schulhoff Symphony No 5, Ross Edwards Symphony Da Pacem Domine, Jaz Coleman etcetcetc)
Harry (Alan Bush Symphony No 2)
Christo (Diepenbrock, Vermeulen, Santoro Symphony No 4, Orthel, Simeon Ten Holt etc)
J (Kleiberg's Bell Reef Symphony, Miaskovsky Symphony No 16, String Quartets, Hurum Symphony etcetc)
Dundonnell: Simonsen Hellas and Zion symphonies etc
+ many more
Quote from: vandermolen on July 21, 2009, 02:18:43 AM
Too many to mention really but, off the top of my head, some of the guilty ones (responsible for feeding my addiction >:D) are:
Lilas Pastia (Schulhoff Symphony No 5, Ross Edwards Symphony Da Pacem Domine, Jaz Coleman etcetcetc)
Harry (Alan Bush Symphony No 2)
Christo (Diepenbrock, Vermeulen, Santoro Symphony No 4, Orthel, Simeon Ten Holt etc)
J (Kleiberg's Bell Reef Symphony, Miaskovsky Symphony No 16, String Quartets, Hurum Symphony etcetc)
Dundonnell: Simonsen Hellas and Zion symphonies etc
+ many more
What is your opinion of Miaskovsky? I have several symphonies. My favorite is the 21st. I'm having a hard time "getting into" many of the others. Must be me. I'll also check other threads. I just wanted your personal opinion. I know he's quite prolific. Yet his works seem to lack that "color" and "visionary" sense developed among his contemporaies.
After 30 years buying classical, I pretty much follow my own whims and accumulated experience. Two recent great discs bought because of this forum is the Hurum Simax (too close to home to think about it without prompting) and the Simonsen on cpo (dismissed by Hurwitz and a disc to disappear in the deluge as long as I haven't seen any other reviews). You guys convinced me otherwise, and I'm glad you did.
Szymanowski! thanks to Maciek and to this (http://nealshistoricalcorner.blogspot.com/search/label/Szymanowski) nice blog.
Hehe, I tried to make a list, but then realised that most of the CDs I own can be attributed to either recommendations or confirmations of worth stemming from this forum.
Quote from: schweitzeralan on July 21, 2009, 05:33:53 AM
What is your opinion of Miaskovsky? I have several symphonies. My favorite is the 21st. I'm having a hard time "getting into" many of the others. Must be me. I'll also check other threads. I just wanted your personal opinion. I know he's quite prolific. Yet his works seem to lack that "color" and "visionary" sense developed among his contemporaies.
Ok - here are my recommendations. Symphony No 27, Miaskovsky's last symphony a beautiful, valedictory and yet life-affirming work. He was gravely ill with cancer (refusing an operation so he could complete his final symphony) he was also under the displeasure of the regime, having his music condemned, along with that of Shostakovich etc, in 1948. Miaskovsky's creative answer to this great injustice was his Symphony No 27 - maybe you know it already. There is a nice Naxos CD with symphonies 24 and 25 - both excellent. I also like Symphony No 16 - it has a wonderful slow movement - the work was inspired by the Maxim Gorky air disaster. Symphony No 6 is long and sprawling but contains perhaps his greatest music (trio section of scherzo and choral finale). The DGG version is very good. I like Symphony No 3, which shows the influence (a bit) of Cesar Frank. Symphony No 11 and 12 are both worth exploring - even though No 12 pays tribute to a collective farm! No 23 is the most tuneful and easily approachable (based on Caucasian folk melodies which Miaskovsky came across during his warime evacuation). His Cello Concerto is his best known work along with Symphony No 21. I strongly recommend his Cello Sonata No 2 (there is a good Regis CD with both the Cello Concerto and Cello Sonatas on.) I think that Symphony No 17 is one of his greatest works too. Hope this helps - I have rambled on a bit! In some ways his work can at times seem rather academic but, beneath the surface, I feel that there is often great depth of feeling - all the more moving for being rather understated. Of his shorter works the Lyric Concertino is especially good and I love the slow movement.
I hope that you discover some more music by Miaskovsky which you like.
Are you familiar with this site:
http://www.clofo.com/ (http://www.clofo.com/)
Great review of the Simonsen in the 13th July issue.
Quote from: vandermolen on July 21, 2009, 01:52:37 PM
Ok - here are my recommendations. Symphony No 27, Miaskovsky's last symphony a beautiful, valedictory and yet life-affirming work. He was gravely ill with cancer (refusing an operation so he could complete his final symphony) he was also under the displeasure of the regime, having his music condemned, along with that of Shostakovich etc, in 1948. Miaskovsky's creative answer to this great injustice was his Symphony No 27 - maybe you know it already. There is a nice Naxos CD with symphonies 24 and 25 - both excellent. I also like Symphony No 16 - it has a wonderful slow movement - the work was inspired by the Maxim Gorks air disaster. Symphony No 6 is long and sprawling but contains perhaps his greatest music (trio section of scherzo and choral finale). The DGG version is very good. I like Symphony No 3, which shows the influence (a bit) of Cesar Frank. Symphony No 11 and 12 are both worth exploring - even though No 12 pays tribute to a collective farm! No 23 is the most tuneful and easily approachable (based on Caucasian folk melodies which Miaskovsky came across during his warime evacuation). His Cello Concerto is his best known work along with Symphony No 21. I strongly recommend his Cello Sonata No 2 (there is a good Regis CD with both the Cello Concerto and Cello Sonatas on.) I think that Symphony No 17 is one of his greatest works too. Hope this helps - I have rambled on a bit! In some ways his work can at times seem rather academic but, beneath the surface, I feel that there is often great depth of feeling - all the more moving for being rather understated. Of his shorter works the Lyric Concertino is especially good and I love the slow movement.
I hope that you discover some more music by Miaskovsky which you like.
Thanks for the info. I'll try the 27th for now. You are quite familiar with many works of this prolific composer.
QuoteThanks for the info. I'll try the 27th for now. You are quite familiar with many works of this prolific composer.
I have a fabulous Maiskovsky CD for which he [vandermolen] wrote the covernotes. He really
IS familiar with Maiskovsky. ;D
Oh my, I have so much to thank this forum for, including:
Havergal Brian
Ture Rangstrom
Rautavaara
Petrassi
Pettersson
Langaard
This forum has also brought to me a greater appreciation and understanding of the music of:
Szymanowski
Martinu
Mahler
Sibelius
GMG has been immensely important to me these past two years. My musical horizon has expanded enormously. Composers I wouldn't have explored quite so soon (or even never!): Braga Santos, Myaskovsky, Pettersson, Atterberg, Carter, Dopper, Kallstenius, Kleiberg, Enescu, the list goes on... I thank all the persuasive advocates!
I've found many wonderful things through GMG, from Sinopoli's and Kubelik's Bruckner to Antonini's latest Beethoven releases.
I have discovered I can spend oodles of money and never catch up.
Quote from: vandermolen on July 21, 2009, 02:18:43 AM
Too many to mention really but, off the top of my head, some of the guilty ones (responsible for feeding my addiction >:D) are:
Lilas Pastia (Schulhoff Symphony No 5, Ross Edwards Symphony Da Pacem Domine, Jaz Coleman etcetcetc)
Harry (Alan Bush Symphony No 2)
Christo (Diepenbrock, Vermeulen, Santoro Symphony No 4, Orthel, Simeon Ten Holt etc)
J (Kleiberg's Bell Reef Symphony, Miaskovsky Symphony No 16, String Quartets, Hurum Symphony etcetc)
Dundonnell: Simonsen Hellas and Zion symphonies etc
+ many more
Thanks for the Schulhoff and Coleman attributions, Jeffrey, but who is that Ross Edwards character ? ??? Someone here must be thinking - hey, wasn't it me who brought it to his attention? ;)
Thanks to you I listened to - and branched out into: Vainberg, Fanelli, Egge, Arnell and at least half a dozen more I hadn't heard the names of before :-*
Gurn has also been a great source of inspiration (and audio material :D) for many classical era composers I had only read the name of in music publications.
J has also been a surprisingly inspirational source when it came to musicians I had not even heard the name of in music publications!!
And a few more friends here, without which I 'd so much Bruckner-poorer ;D - you know who you are - or what not - one can't listen to everything. Whch is the great lesson: when you think you've hard it all, a fellow GMGer comes along with some good news !
BTW, isn't the thread name a misnomer? If we owe a discovery to someone else, it ain't personal, no?
Quote from: Lilas Pastia on July 24, 2009, 07:27:37 PM
BTW, isn't the thread name a misnomer? If we owe a discovery to someone else, it ain't personal, no?
I was thinking the same. ;D
Just discovering Myaskovsky -- his cello sonata, actually.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2hdvvyM5SI
Beyond actually bringing to attention the names of composers, this forum in particular has helped me a bit in the exploration-off-the-beaten-track process. I must say that I have not wandered very far from the aforementioned track like some here ;), but I'll likely join them sometime in the future. :)
Quote from: Lilas Pastia on July 24, 2009, 07:24:29 PM
Thanks for the Schulhoff and Coleman attributions, Jeffrey, but who is that Ross Edwards character ? ??? Someone here must be thinking - hey, wasn't it me who brought it to his attention? ;)
Thanks to you I listened to - and branched out into: Vainberg, Fanelli, Egge, Arnell and at least half a dozen more I hadn't heard the names of before :-*
Gurn has also been a great source of inspiration (and audio material :D) for many classical era composers I had only read the name of in music publications.
J has also been a surprisingly inspirational source when it came to musicians I had not even heard the name of in music publications!!
And a few more friends here, without which I 'd so much Bruckner-poorer ;D - you know who you are - or what not - one can't listen to everything. Whch is the great lesson: when you think you've hard it all, a fellow GMGer comes along with some good news !
Oops! Sorry about Ross Edwards mix-up Andre. His Symphony 'Da Pacem Domine' in memory of his friend, the conductor Stuart Challender is a really powerful minimalist type score - sure you'd like. I'd probably never heard of it without this forum - so apologies to whoever recommended it (there are now two CD recordings of it).
Quote from: Lilas Pastia on July 24, 2009, 07:27:37 PM
BTW, isn't the thread name a misnomer? If we owe a discovery to someone else, it ain't personal, no?
Well, now that I think of it, this is a discovery in itself. Obviously what was intended was my interest in finding out if there were other listeners, who, like me, learned a great deal from the many views and comments posted in the forum. I believe most respondents here were cognizant of the significance or of motive assumed in this thread. The comments from those who did respond were indeed much appreciated by me "personally."
You can be cognizant and picky ;).
I owe much of my credit card debtload to enthusiastic recommendations from fellow posters :-\. And I like to think I'm behind a few purchases from other GMGers as well :D
Quote from: Lilas Pastia on July 26, 2009, 02:21:42 PM
You can be cognizant and picky ;).
I owe much of my credit card debtload to enthusiastic recommendations from fellow posters :-\. And I like to think I'm behind a few purchases from other GMGers as well :D
No problem. I'd like to pose a question for you. Are you familiar with the piano music of Leonid Polovinkin? I also placed a query on another thread. I played (dabbled?) some of his pieces on a sheet music anthology called "Early Soviet Piano Works." Title may not be exact, as I don't have it currently in front of me. Many Russian, mostly unknown or unrecorded artists (save perhaps Alexandrov) are included. I very much like the few inclusive pieces by this Polovinkin. A recording of his piano works is coming out in August, and I have ordered it from Amazon. His style is quite relevant to what was considered to be composed as "late tonality;" e.g. (Scriabin, Taneyev, early Roslavets, Krein). No bi tonality nor polytonality in Polovinkin; yet there are such style developments in other composers included in this anthology.
Sorry, I've never heard of him. Maybe Drasko or Sidoze would know ?
Quote from: schweitzeralan on July 27, 2009, 05:40:12 AM
No problem. I'd like to pose a question for you. Are you familiar with the piano music of Leonid Polovinkin? I also placed a query on another thread. I played (dabbled?) some of his pieces on a sheet music anthology called "Early Soviet Piano Works." Title may not be exact, as I don't have it currently in front of me. Many Russian, mostly unknown or unrecorded artists (save perhaps Alexandrov) are included. I very much like the few inclusive pieces by this Polovinkin. A recording of his piano works is coming out in August, and I have ordered it from Amazon. His style is quite relevant to what was considered to be composed as "late tonality;" e.g. (Scriabin, Taneyev, early Roslavets, Krein). No bi tonality nor polytonality in Polovinkin; yet there are such style developments in other composers included in this anthology.
I found an article from the Musical Times, written in 1937 by William Kozlenko, which says:
Leonid Polovinkin (b. I896) has composed four symphonies which, though conceived for an unusually large orchestra, are so transparent in style and so integrated in workmanship
and technique that one can easily define them as amplified chamber works.
Quote from: Jezetha on July 27, 2009, 12:30:22 PM
I found an article from the Musical Times, written in 1937 by William Kozlenko, which says:
Leonid Polovinkin (b. I896) has composed four symphonies which, though conceived for an unusually large orchestra, are so transparent in style and so integrated in workmanship
and technique that one can easily define them as amplified chamber works.
Many thanks for the info. There is very little to be found on the Internet. I'll simply wait for the CD. Hope its worth it.
Quote from: Lilas Pastia on July 24, 2009, 07:27:37 PM
BTW, isn't the thread name a misnomer? If we owe a discovery to someone else, it ain't personal, no?
Who started this thread? I thought I did; but apparently, somehow it was begun in 2007? Curious.
The query, or queries are identical. I never noticed anything related to "Personal Discoveries . . ." in 2007. Just wondering. Also I want to add that Vandermolen's posting of several works of Gliere prompted me to acquire "Sirens;" I made a posting of my reaction after initial listening. Just wanted to emphasize its beauty, a brief work which was conceived apparently the same time as "Ilya Muromets." Quite sensual and rich in harmony and color. Hope to learn more from the forum.
I am currently listening to a symphony that I would probably never have come across without a recommendation herein (Claudio Santoro Symphony No 4 on BIS - recommended by Christo). It's a great, life-affirming work - with a choral finale which seems to work much better than the one at the end of the Portugalsom recording of Braga Santos's 4th Symphony (do listen to the purely orchestral recording on Marco Polo - it's a wonderful score). Also I have been listening to the lovely Symphony No 2 'Nottingham' by Alan Bush (thanks to Harry's recommendation).
Moderators love to tend the garden so everything is in its proper place ;). It also helps rekindle memories of discussions past. We do tend to go in circles sometimes !
A personal 'non personal' discovery: a bounty of norwegian composers' symphonies, which I'm wallowing in these days. Thanks to the extraordinarily generous poster who made me discover them ;) .
Quote from: vandermolen on July 21, 2009, 01:52:37 PM
Ok - here are my recommendations. Symphony No 27, Miaskovsky's last symphony a beautiful, valedictory and yet life-affirming work. He was gravely ill with cancer (refusing an operation so he could complete his final symphony) he was also under the displeasure of the regime, having his music condemned, along with that of Shostakovich etc, in 1948. Miaskovsky's creative answer to this great injustice was his Symphony No 27 - maybe you know it already. There is a nice Naxos CD with symphonies 24 and 25 - both excellent. I also like Symphony No 16 - it has a wonderful slow movement - the work was inspired by the Maxim Gorky air disaster. Symphony No 6 is long and sprawling but contains perhaps his greatest music (trio section of scherzo and choral finale). The DGG version is very good. I like Symphony No 3, which shows the influence (a bit) of Cesar Frank. Symphony No 11 and 12 are both worth exploring - even though No 12 pays tribute to a collective farm! No 23 is the most tuneful and easily approachable (based on Caucasian folk melodies which Miaskovsky came across during his warime evacuation). His Cello Concerto is his best known work along with Symphony No 21. I strongly recommend his Cello Sonata No 2 (there is a good Regis CD with both the Cello Concerto and Cello Sonatas on.) I think that Symphony No 17 is one of his greatest works too. Hope this helps - I have rambled on a bit! In some ways his work can at times seem rather academic but, beneath the surface, I feel that there is often great depth of feeling - all the more moving for being rather understated. Of his shorter works the Lyric Concertino is especially good and I love the slow movement.
I hope that you discover some more music by Miaskovsky which you like.
Just a quick input after all these years, I am listening to end to end Maiskovsky - the Svetlanov set.
QuoteIn some ways his work can at times seem rather academic...
Maybe, but he creates fantastically
interesting soundworlds, there is not much trace of what might be expected to be a 'typically Russian' sound in it.
And it is
easy to like this composers works. I still have the disc you sent some years ago too, with the cover notes which you - (vandermolen) Jeffrey - wrote. I have always been chuffed with that! ;D
Every self-respecting Russian composer should have a beard. I attribute Shostakovich's personal insecurities and shifting fortunes with the Soviet musical authorities entirely to his clean-shavenness. And while Stravinsky's achievements might seem impressive, imagine what he might have accomplished had he had a beard! The world will, sadly, never know.
My personal recommendation list might differ somewhat from vandermolen's, I've noted down the following—
Symphonies 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13
Cello Sonatas 1 & 2
Violin Concerto
Cello Concerto
String Quartets 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11 (my Russian Disc set of all 13 just arrived!!! excited!)
Piano Sonatas 1, 2, 3, 4
since I seem to have somewhat of a preference for the works in which Myaskovsky engaged in what an unsympathetic listener might call note-spinning, overwrought chromaticism and meandering development and I might call "like Skryabin, except good". A lot of the more "conservative" works he turned to writing starting approximately with the Symphony No. 14, around the start of the Great Terror, are somehow less... Myaskovskian for me. (There are some of the late symphonies I haven't listened to in a very long time though, 17, 20, 24, 25, 26 among them.) The concertos are essential listening, though, and easier to find as well.
Quote from: amw on October 30, 2013, 08:31:40 PM
String Quartets 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11 (my Russian Disc set of all 13 just arrived!!! excited!)
Just in case I am missing something: you mean all five single discs in this series? If there was a thrifty collection of all of them, boxed or otherwise, I would not want to miss that...
This is another inevitable purchase for me, though I have been balking at the expense.
I owe the forum for mounds and mounds of discoveries. Really too many to mention.
Quote from: Octave on October 30, 2013, 08:39:00 PM
Just in case I am missing something: you mean all five six single discs in this series?
Yes, there's no box set I'm aware of (unless NFlowers has issued one). I think the Northern Flowers discs are the same performances as the Russian Disc ones, just in a different transfer and with the quartets distributed differently across the CDs, but I'm not 100% sure; in the (very small) Myaskovsky fan network people seem to recommend Russian Disc over Northern Flowers almost every time for whatever reason. Don't know if it's sound quality or just obscurity. ;)
This is a thread that for some reason I never saw when it was started in 2007. Having been a Gramophone subscriber and also bought other classical music magazines, used the Penguin Guide, I came to the conclusion that the best advice on a recording came from sites like this one. Once I had found like minded posters (and there are many of you on this site) if I wanted to look at a new work all I had to do was ask by posting. At the same time I read similar posts by other members and discovered new works and new artists. So this is the fount of all knowledge As far as I am concerned.
As for works/performances I've discovered - far too many to mention though some stand out for me.
Pollini's late Beethoven
Babayans's Scarlatti
Shostakovich Symphonies
Morten Lauridsen
Arrau's live Chopin Preludes
Sergio Fiorentino
BAT Schubert Piano Trios
ABM's Ravel PC in G
Kemal Gekic
Ivan Davis' Gottschalk
HvK's Verdi Requiem at La Scala Milan with Price/Cossotto/Pavarotti/Ghiaurov
Stockhausen.
(Oh, I kid, I kid.)
Nice thread. One of the main reasons for coming to GMG is recommendations, so there have been heaps of discoveries for me.
Langgaard, Schnittke, Penderecki.
Also add chamber works of Faure, Brahms and Dvorak who I recently only spent time with their orchestral and choral works.
Also must add Henning, it's very cool to have someone completely share their compositional process with us.
Kalliwoda the Bohemian composer from the first half of the 1800's!
We had a "Guess the Composer" contest a few years ago which used (I believe) a part of one of his many overtures, and I became intrigued and increasingly delighted.
Unfortunately...not many recordings out there!
Quote from: TheGSMoeller on October 31, 2013, 05:53:09 AM
Langgaard, Schnittke, Penderecki.
Also must add Henning, it's very cool to have someone completely share their compositional process with us.
That has been a plus for me too.
About discovering new composers, I have been very thankful to this forum.
Some of them:
Carl Nielsen
Bohuslav Martinu
Erkki Melartin
Kurt Atterberg
Granville Bantock
Alexander Glazunov
Leos Janacek
Mieczyslaw Karlowicz
Karol Szymanowski
Alfred Schnittke
Alban Berg
Ottorino Respighi
Benjamin Britten
I like this thread! If I make any "discoveries" here, most of them will be re-discoveries, as my obsessive-compulsive CD collecting of unsung music has led to me collect a great deal of 19th and 20th/21st century music, with an emphasis on orchestral music. Some members have (and will) inspire me to revisit works I had previously not had a particularly positive opinion of, which is a great asset of forums like this.
Hopefully I'll see some more of the unsungs I'm passionate about pop up in this thread! I see Ilaria's list has quite a few of them! :)
Quote from: Cato on October 31, 2013, 06:08:13 AM
Kalliwoda the Bohemian composer from the first half of the 1800's!
We had a "Guess the Composer" contest a few years ago which used (I believe) a part of one of his many overtures, and I became intrigued and increasingly delighted.
Unfortunately...not many recordings out there!
That was me! I think the Overture No. 16, or at any rate, whichever overture shares a CPO CD with the Symphonies 5 and 7.
Since I joined GMG as a teenager the list is far too long to ever dream of getting accurate. Just as an example, my first-ever set of the complete Beethoven piano sonatas was Andrea Lucchesini's, bought after reading Todd's post. And now that it's impossible to find anywhere, boy am I grateful. Otherwise may as well defer to a list from four years ago (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,2879.msg334058.html#msg334058).
GMG and Naxos/Naxos Music Library have been the two biggest drivers of my classical exploration, with reporting on new or forgotten music for the pages of MusicWeb coming in third.
On discovering
Kalliwoda:
Quote from: Brian on October 31, 2013, 12:34:33 PM
That was me! I think the Overture No. 16, or at any rate, whichever overture shares a CPO CD with the Symphonies 5 and 7.
Yes, maybe we should start a campaign to swamp CPO with pro-
Kalliwoda agitprop! ;D
Quote from: vandermolen on October 31, 2013, 09:09:40 AM
That has been a plus for me too. ( i.e. Karl Henning's music)
Yes,
Karl's works have helped to remove my previously sniffy attitude toward chamber works as not worth my time! ???
Not to be forgotten, although he now visits rarely, the works of GMG member
Luke Ottevanger.
I have mentioned this composer many moons ago: in the 1960's I heard radio concerts with his works now and then.
Gene Gutche' (born in Germany as (says Wikipedia)
Romeo Gutsche :o )
See:
http://www.amazon.com/American-Masters-Gene-Gutche/dp/B00004RJPV/ref=sr_1_sc_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1383252412&sr=1-2-spell&keywords=genegutche (http://www.amazon.com/American-Masters-Gene-Gutche/dp/B00004RJPV/ref=sr_1_sc_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1383252412&sr=1-2-spell&keywords=genegutche)
And a fairly new CD with piano music:
[asin]B005RYGSSC[/asin]