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The great thing about classical lps is...

Posted by M. Lucky (A) on November 2, 2006 at 14:58:59

In Reply to: Dvorak New World Symphony 9 - Rostropovich posted by Babbling Monkey on November 1, 2006 at 22:35:35:

... that they're so cheap, most of us can afford to try a lot of different versions. I haven't heard Rostropovich's New World, and frankly, I generally don't like him much as a conductor, but assuming the lp's only a buck or two, why not take the plunge and let us know how you liked it?

There are fine countless recordings of the New World, so if you're more concerned about getting some recommendations, I would say try to find the Szell/Cleveland, which is usually pretty easy to find as used lp. If you don't mind mono, Toscanini is easy to find, too. Both these are outstanding readings. With this particular symphony, you'll really want to hear a Czech orchestra play it, so you might also sniff around for recordings by Ancerl, Talich, or Neumann with the Czech Philharmonic. If you don't mind CD, try Kubelik live on Orfeo.

It can be hard for a newbie to wade into the immense pool of classical recordings out there, but here's something that might help. Gramophone magazine recently did a "top 100 classical recordings list," and since they haven't been kind enough to put it up on their web site, I will patch it in below (probably in violation of countless copyright laws!). It's not a "perfect" list--no one could ever come up with a list that would satisfy everyone--and I disagree with many of their choice. But this will give you a sense of what some of the more revered recordings are, and maybe give you an idea of what to look for as you poke around in the used record bins.

Here it is:

Gramophone Classical 100
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1. Bach - Solo Cello Suites. Pablo Casals (cello). EMI References.
2. Bach - Goldberg Variations (1981 recording). Glenn Gould (piano).
CBS Masterworks/Sony Classical.
3. Bach - Cantatas, Nos. 78, 106. Vienna Bach Guild Choir and
Orchestra/Felix Prohaska. Vanguard Classics.
4. Bartok - Concerto for Orchestra; Music for Strings, Percussion, and
Celesta; Hungarian Sketches. CSO/Reiner. RCA Living Stereo.
5. Beethoven - Piano Concertos, Nos. 1-5. Wilhelm Kempff (piano),
BPO/Paul van Kempen. DG Dokumente.
6. Beethoven - Symphony No. 3, Leonore Overtures 2 & 3.
Philharmonia/Klemperer. EMI.
7. Beethoven - Symphonies, Nos. 5 & 7. VPO/C. Kleiber. DG The Originals.
8. Beethoven - Symphonies, Nos. 5 & 7; etc. Philharmonic Symphony
Orchestra of New York/Toscanini. Pearl.
9. Beethoven - Symphony No. 6. Schubert - Symphony No. 5. VPO/Bohm. DG
The Originals.
10. Beethoven - Symphony No. 9. Bayreuth Festival Chorus and
Orchestra/Furtwangler. EMI.
11. Beethoven - String Quartets, Nos. 12-16. Quartetto Italiano. Philips.
12. Beethoven - Piano Sonatas, Nos. 1-32. Artur Schnabel. EMI References.
13. Beethoven - Piano Sonatas, Nos. 27-32. Solomon. EMI References.
14. Beethoven - Fidelio. Philharmonia/Klemperer. EMI.
15. Berlioz - Les Troyens. Covent Garden Chorus and Orchestra/Davis.
Philips.
16. Brahms - Piano Concertos, Nos. 1 & 2. Emil Gilels (piano),
BPO/Jochum. DG The Originals.
17. Brahms - Piano Concerto No. 1; other works. Clifford Curzon
(piano), LSO/Szell. Decca The Classic Sound.
18. Brahms - Symphony No. 4. VPO/C. Kleiber. DG.
19. Brahms - German Requiem. Philharmonia/Klemperer. EMI.
20. Britten - War Requiem. LSO/Hickox. Chandos.
21. Britten - Peter Grimes. Covent Garden Chorus and
Orchestra/Britten. Decca.
22. Bruckner - Symphony No. 8. VPO/Karajan. DG.
23. Bruckner - Masses, Nos. 1-3. Bavarian RSO/Jochum. DG The Originals.
24. Chopin - Piano Concerto No. 1; 4 Nocturnes; Ballade in G Minor;
Polonaise in A-Flat. Maurizio Pollini (piano), Philharmonia/Kletzki.
EMI.
25. Debussy - Orchestral Music. Concertgebouw/Haitink. Philips Duo.
26. Debussy - La mer; Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune. Ravel -
Daphnis and Chloe Suite No. 2; Bolero. BPO/Karajan. DG Galleria.
27. Debussy - Nocturnes: Nuages, Fetes; Prelude...; La mer; etc.
Philharmonia/Cantelli. Testament.
28. Debussy - Preludes, Books 1 & 2. Krystian Zimmerman (piano). DG.
29. Debussy - Pelleas et Melisande. Yvonne Gouverne Choir; Symphony
Orchestra/Desormiere. EMI References.
30. Delius - Songs of Sunset; Over the Hills and Far Away; etc.
RPO/Beecham. EMI.
31. Dvorak - Cello Concerto. Tchaikovsky - Variations on a Rococo
Theme. Mstislav Rostropovich (cello), BPO/Karajan. DG The Originals.
32. Dvorak - Symphonies, Nos. 8 & 9. BPO/Kubelik. DG The Originals.
33. Elgar - Cello Concerto; Sea Pictures. Jacqueline du Pre (cello),
LSO/Barbirolli. EMI.
34. Elgar - Cello Concerto; Violin Concerto. Beatrice Harrison
(cello), Yehudi Menuhin (violin), LSO/Elgar. EMI.
35. Gershwin - Porgy and Bess. LPO/Rattle. EMI.
36. Grieg - Haugtussa; other songs. Anne Sofie von Otter (mez). DG.
37. Haydn - Piano Trios. Beaux Arts Trio. Philips.
38. Haydn - Piano Works. Alfred Brendel (piano). Philips.
39. Hildegard of Bingen. Columba aspexit; Ave, generosa; etc. Gothic
Voices/Christopher Page. Hyperion.
40. Honegger - Symphonies, Nos. 2 & 3, "Liturgique." Stravinsky -
Concerto in D. BPO/Karajan. DG The Originals.
41. Janacek - Kata Kabanova. VPO/Mackerras. Decca.
42. Josquin Desprez. Missa Pange Lingua; Missa La sol fa re mi. The
Tallis Scholars/Phillips. Gimell.
43. Kern - Show Boat. London Sinfonietta/McGlinn. EMI.
44. Liszt - Piano Concertos, Nos. 1 & 2; Piano Sonata in B Minor.
Sviatoslav Richter (piano), LSO/Kondrashin. Philips Solo.
45. Mahler - Symphony No. 5. New Philharmonia/Barbirolli. EMI.
46. Mahler - Symphonies, No. 6 & No. 8. NYPO (No. 6), LSO (No.
8)/Bernstein. Sony Classical Bernstein Royal Edition.
47. Mahler - Symphony No. 9 (live digital recording). BPO/Karajan. DG
Karajan Gold.
48. Mahler - Das Lied von der Erde. VPO/Walter. Decca.
49. Massenet - Werther. Chorus and Orchestra of the Paris
Opera-Comique/Cohen. EMI References.
50. Maw - Odyssey. CBSO/Rattle. EMI.
51. Mendelssohn - Symphony No. 3, "Scottish"; The Hebrides; A Midsummer
Night's Dream, Overture and incidental music. LSO/Maag. Decca The
Classic Sound.
52. Mozart - Horn Concertos; Piano Quintet, K452. Dennis Brain (horn),
Philharmonia/Karajan. EMI.
53. Mozart - Piano Concertos, Nos. 1-27. Murray Perahia (piano), English
Chamber Orchestra. Sony Classical.
54. Mozart - Complete Edition, Vol 11: String Quintets, Nos. 1-6.
Arthur Grumiaux et al. Philips Mozart Edition.
55. Mozart - Le nozze di Figaro. VPO/E. Kleiber. Decca Grand Opera
Series.
56. Mozart - Don Giovanni. Philharmonia/Giulini. EMI.
57. Mozart - Idomeneo. English Baroque Soloists/Gardiner. Archiv.
58. Mozart - The Magic Flute. BPO/Beecham. Pearl.
59. Mussorgsky - The Complete Songs. Boris Christoff (bass). EMI.
60. Prokofiev - Symphonies, Nos. 1 & 5; Romeo and Juliet Suite No. 2; etc.
BSO/Koussevitzky. RCA Gold Seal.
61. Prokofiev - Piano Sonata No. 7. Boulez - Piano Sonata No. 2.
Stravinsky - Petrushka: three movements. Webern - Piano Variations.
Maurizio Pollini (piano). DG The Originals.
62. Puccini - La boheme. RCA Victor Chorus and Orchestra/Beecham. EMI.
63. Puccini - Tosca. Chorus and Orchestra of La Scala/de Sabata. EMI.
64. Rachmaninov - The Complete Recordings. Fritz Kreisler (violin),
Sergey Rachmaninov (piano), Philadelphia Orchestra/Stokowski, Ormandy,
Rachmaninov. RCA Gold Seal.
65. Ravel - Piano Concerto in G Major. Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto No. 4.
Arturo Benedetto Michelangeli (piano), Philharmonia/Gracis. EMI.
66. Ravel - Daphnis et Chloe. LSO/Monteux. Decca.
67. Rossini - Il viaggio a Reims. COE/Abbado. DG.
68. Schubert - Symphonies, Nos. 3, 5, & 6. RPO/Beecham.
69. Schubert - String Quartets, Nos. 14, "Death and the Maiden," & 15.
Busch Quartet. EMI References.
70. Schubert - Lieder, Vols. 1-3. Dietrich Fisher-Dieskau (baritone),
Gerald Moore (piano). DG.
71. Schumann - Kreisleriana; etc. Vladimir Horowitz (piano). Sony
Classical.
72. Shostakovich - String Quartets, Nos. 1-15. Fitzwilliam Quartet. Decca
Enterprise.
73. Sibelius - Symphonies, Nos. 3 & 5. LSO/Kajanus. Koch Historic.
74. Smetena - Ma vlast. Czech PO/Talich. Supraphon.
75. R. Strauss - Orchestral Works, Vol. 3: Metamorphosen; Eine
Alpensinfonie; etc. Dresden SK/Kempe. EMI.
76. R. Strauss - Also sprach Zarathustra; Ein Heldenleben. CSO/Reiner.
RCA Living Stereo.
77. R. Strauss - Four Last Songs; etc. Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (soprano),
Philharmonia/Ackermann. EMI References.
78. R. Strauss - Salome. VPO/Solti. Decca.
79. R. Strauss - Der Rosenkavalier. Philharmonia/Karajan. EMI.
80. Stravinsky - The Complete Edition. Various artists/Stravinsky.
Sony Classical.
81. Tchaikovsky - Francesca da Rimini; Hamlet Fantasy Overture. New York
Stadium Orchestra/Stokowski. dell'Arte.
82. Tchaikovsky - Symphonies, Nos. 4-6. Leningrad PO/Mravinsky. DG.
83. Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 5. Oslo Philharmonic/Jansons. Chandos.
84. Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 6. Russian National Orchestra/Pletnev.
Virgin Classics.
85. Verdi - Aida. New Philharmonia/Muti. EMI.
86. Verdi - Otello. NBC Chorus and Symphony Orchestra/Toscanini. RCA
Gold Seal.
87. Wagner - Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg. Bayreuth Festival Chorus
and Orchestra/Karajan. EMI References.
88. Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen. VPO/Solti. Decca.
89. Walton - Symphony No. 1. Vaughan Williams - The Wasps: Overture.
LSO/Previn. RCA Gold Seal.
90. Webern - Complete Works, Opp. 1-31. Various artists. Sony Classical.
91. Bruckner-Sym #4-Karl Bohm VPO Decca 425 036-2DM
92. Chopin, Grieg-Piano Ctos, Dinu Lipatti, Zurich Tonhalle Orch/Ackerman
Philharmonia Orch/Alceo Galliera EMI References CDH7-63497-2
93. Sibelius Violin Cto Prokofiev-Violin Cto No. 2 Strauss-Violin Sonata in
E flat, Jascha Heifetz,Arpad Sandor Boston Symphony, Koussevitsky, LPO
Beecham Biddulph LAB018
94. Verdi-Falstaff NBC Symphony Orch Toscanini RCA Gold Seal GD60326
95. Wagner-Tristan Und Isolde Philharmonia Orch/Furtwangler EMI CDS7-47322-8
96. The Art of Prima Donna-Joan Sutherland Decca 425 493-2DM2
97. Martha Argerich-Debut Recital/Chopin, Brahms, Prokofiev, Liszt, Ravel,
DG Originalds 447 430-2GOR
98. New Year's Day Concert 1987-J. Strauss-VPO Karajan DG 419 66-2GH
99. David Oistrakh Plays Concertos-Bach,Beethoven,Brahms, Tschaikovsky DG
Originals 447 427-2GOR2
100. Opera Arias-Enricu Caruso Nimbus Mono NI7803

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