The Greatest Recording Ever Made: Nominations for the Poll

[Ken B]

I tend to agree that Casals' Suites are a candidate for GROAT, on account of its trailblazing nature and status and original quality... but that it doesn't probably make the cut because it hasn't held up well enough in quality. (Sound quality as well as improvements in performance since, that have relativized its status.) I think it's a candidate to take off this list. (But it doesn't deserve to be the first recording thrown off this list, either.)

It was my first recording of the Suites, as well, but it was very quickly superceded by Fournier. (Though not by Rostropovich or Ma, for whatever that's worth.)

Fournier was my favourite on vinyl for sure. Still might be, though Bylsma and some other HIP sets are great too.

Is any of the Klemperer Bach on the list? I think I saw an NCO who shall be nameless nominate his SMP, which is without doubt the worst recording ever made by a great musician. His Bburgs are merely very bad.

[aukhawk]

In our blind listening test of the Cello Suites a couple of years ago, Casals was 18th out of 30. 
Fournier did very well I thought, coming 6th.

For the final result of that comparison see here

[Alek Hidell]

I'd rather listen to a tape of Donald Trump rutting.

What's unsettling is that such a thing may very well exist - possibly in multiple venues.

Anyway, I'm going to be boring and offer the Kleiber recording of Beethoven 5 & 7 as my choice. I'm pretty new to classical music compared to many others here but I've seen more consensus on this recording as "great" than on any other - and as we see on this forum every day, it's hard to get a consensus on anything.

Actually, I think the greatest recording ever is Miles Davis' Kind of Blue (with Robert Johnson's King of the Delta Blues Singers possibly in the runner-up spot), but I can't shoehorn either of those into being "classical music" in any reasonable sense.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

I am a little surprised to see the Solti Ring but not the Boulez. The Solti is of course groundbreaking (and the soloists are mostly fantastic which is just a bit more than can be said for the orchestra) but in terms of the overall musicianship including the orchestra, soloists, conductor, but also the quality of production I would surely expect the Boulez to top Solti. Even if we are just counting the audio recording.

[Ken B]

What's unsettling is that such a thing may very well exist - possibly in multiple venues.

Anyway, I'm going to be boring and offer the Kleiber recording of Beethoven 5 & 7 as my choice. I'm pretty new to classical music compared to many others here but I've seen more consensus on this recording as "great" than on any other - and as we see on this forum every day, it's hard to get a consensus on anything.

Actually, I think the greatest recording ever is Miles Davis' Kind of Blue (with Robert Johnson's King of the Delta Blues Singers possibly in the runner-up spot), but I can't shoehorn either of those into being "classical music" in any reasonable sense.

The Kleiber is a great one for sure. Especially for 5. But for 7 I like Cantelli.

[Marc]

Fournier was my favourite on vinyl for sure. Still might be, though Bylsma and some other HIP sets are great too.

Is any of the Klemperer Bach on the list? I think I saw an NCO who shall be nameless nominate his SMP, which is without doubt the worst recording ever made by a great musician. His Bburgs are merely very bad.

Klemperer's Matthäus was already in the first list, posted by Jens SuprisedByBeauty.
A pick which was kinda made ridiculous by yours truly, but another member, whose name is Premont ), had a few positive remarks about Otto's recordings of the Brandenburgs. He recorded them twice (Vox 1946 and EMI 1960).

[SurprisedByBeauty]

jessop: I'll consider that a nomination, but I doubt it will go very far. I think that outside the production / video, the Boulez Ring is not that strong (and I actually like Jones and I love Zednik in the Rheingold). But what is certain is that as an audio recording, it never attained a particular following or cachet. I think that HvK's Ring and Boehm's Ring and even Barenboim's Ring would outshine it in a "GROAT" consideration such as this.

Klemperer Matthew Passion: Was among those recordings I put in the list copied from Hurwitz's. As I said, it's not my kind of Bach (although I'm listening to Minkowski's St. John Passion right now and that's falling off the other side of the cliff) but it certainly occupied a central position in the discography for a long time. It even comes with its own andecdote lore (Dieskau vs. Klemperer, "Bach appeared to me in a dream"). But I'm happy to give it two negative votes.

Kleiber - LvB Putting two votes down for that recording.

[Draško]

Rachmaninov play Rachmaninov (the concerti - that's for me as legendary as it gets)

Kleiber Brahms 4

Mravinsky Tchaikovsky 4, 5, 6 (stereo DG)

Michelangeli Debussy Preludes I

Francois / Cluytens Ravel Concerti

Pollini late Beethoven sonatas

Pogorelich Chopin Scherzi

Fricsay's Bartok on DG - CFO & MFSPC

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Can I clarify that I am interesting in nominating the video recording of the Jahrhundertring?

[aukhawk]

Mravinsky Tchaikovsky 4, 5, 6 (stereo DG)

Presumably these were recorded at separate sessions, and originally issued separately?  Are they all equally meritious (I know the 6th has a very good reputation).

[Mahlerian]

jessop: I'll consider that a nomination, but I doubt it will go very far. I think that outside the production / video, the Boulez Ring is not that strong (and I actually like Jones and I love Zednik in the Rheingold). But what is certain is that as an audio recording, it never attained a particular following or cachet. I think that HvK's Ring and Boehm's Ring and even Barenboim's Ring would outshine it in a "GROAT" consideration such as this.

The Boulez and Solti Ring Cycles were the ones I listened to first, and while I prefer the orchestral sound on the Boulez, I have to say that the Solti does have better singing generally.

But I think the Chereau production is very strong indeed.

[André]

Presumably these were recorded at separate sessions, and originally issued separately?  Are they all equally meritious (I know the 6th has a very good reputation).

Just like the Kleiber LvB 5+7. Recorded and released a few years apart, only recently joined at he hip on a single cd. The 7th has very different engineering, too. I guess we have to consider them as they are offered to us today. The Mrawinsky Tchaikovskys are on a double cd set, with the 5th occupying half of each disc.

[Baron Scarpia]

Presumably these were recorded at separate sessions, and originally issued separately?  Are they all equally meritious (I know the 6th has a very good reputation).

If I recall correctly they were recorded in London when Mravinsky had taken the Lenningrad Philharmonic on tour in Europe. I don't know if they were issued as a set, but I think they were recorded as a distinct project.

[Biffo]

If I recall correctly they were recorded in London when Mravinsky had taken the Lenningrad Philharmonic on tour in Europe. I don't know if they were issued as a set, but I think they were recorded as a distinct project.

I have the DG Originals issue and the inside back page has the original covers - they were issued as three separate albums. The 4th was recorded in September 1960 in London and the 5th & 6th in November 1960 in Vienna.

[SurprisedByBeauty]

The Mrawinsky Tchaikovskys are on a double cd set, with the 5th occupying half of each disc.

Ugh! I went through the dickens of trouble (and expense) of getting these on three separate CDs. Finally succeeded in Japan. That one hurt (SHM-SACDs!) but I have to say that the joy of listening to these was very considerable. Whether in part because of the Japanese-Vodoo techniques or just because the recordings are so darn good, I can't say.

Can I clarify that I am interesting in nominating the video recording of the Jahrhundertring?

I think it's the non-plus-ultra of Wagnerian stage productions -- or was, until the Herheim Parsifal came along. But the nomination is denied on grounds of only recordings being considered here. Sorry. 

[Biffo]

Ugh! I went through the dickens of trouble (and expense) of getting these on three separate CDs. Finally succeeded in Japan. That one hurt (SHM-SACDs!) but I have to say that the joy of listening to these was very considerable. Whether in part because of the Japanese-Vodoo techniques or just because the recordings are so darn good, I can't say. 

I would have been prepared to pay extra for having the 5th on a disc by itself - I have other sets with the same irritating arrangement - but probably not Japanese prices.

[mc ukrneal]

I would have been prepared to pay extra for having the 5th on a disc by itself - I have other sets with the same irritating arrangement - but probably not Japanese prices.

If you rip them, you can do this fairly easily yourself without going through the expense of another order.

[SurprisedByBeauty]

I would have been prepared to pay extra for having the 5th on a disc by itself - I have other sets with the same irritating arrangement - but probably not Japanese prices.

Here's your chance: Tchaik 5, Mravinsky. The only one of the three that exists "only" as an SHM-CD. If that price doesn't seem reasonable, it will after you look at the SHM-SACD version of it. It's the one I ended up with, since I wasn't willing to splurge for the latter on all three, if I didn't have to. Not my favorite composer by a LONG stretch, but I must say that I almost didn't ever regret those purchases. 

If you rip them, you can do this fairly easily yourself without going through the expense of another order.

That's true... and yet it just doesn't feel right. Part of the joy - strangely, irrationally, industry-supportingly - for me is the act of putting the actual CD in the player... and it can't be a copy.

[Biffo]

If you rip them, you can do this fairly easily yourself without going through the expense of another order.

Probably laziness but I can't be bothered to rip CDs any more - I have done it in the past. I have numerous downloads and I don't have the strange obsession with owning something 'physical' but in this case I would prefer an individual CD though, in truth, it doesn't bother me too much.

[Biffo]

Here's your chance: Tchaik 5, Mravinsky. The only one of the three that exists "only" as an SHM-CD. If that price doesn't seem reasonable, it will after you look at the SHM-SACD version of it. It's the one I ended up with, since I wasn't willing to splurge for the latter on all three, if I didn't have to. Not my favorite composer by a LONG stretch, but I must say that I almost didn't ever regret those purchases. 

Thanks for the tip - it is a reasonable price from Amazon UK marketplace but only one left. Will now have to make up my mind quickly. I have already ordered some discs today (Melos Ensemble & Mahler/Bernstein) so dithering about ordering more.