OUR CLASSIC CLASSICS
A List of All-Time Great Recordings
David J Barker
Choosing such a list
is both easy and difficult at the same time: easy because some
recordings are imprinted in the subconscious from first playing,
difficult, because it is
the music itself that is providing the greatness and there are
numerous recordings that have equal impact
and merit.
Imprinted in my memory
is the Robert Shaw Firebird suite
and Prince
Igor dances.
This was the first classical LP I bought, back when my only musical
interest was the rock music of my generation.
I did find it very difficult with the truly great and famous works
to pick one or two recordings that stood out above others, so there
is no Beethoven 5 or Mozart 40. I didn't have this problem with
Mozart's crowning glory among the piano concertos, the g minor
K466 (No. 20): Richard Goode's recording is simply out of this
world.
The Bach cantata series
from Japan is a case where I could not decide between the 37 volumes
thus far released. Certainly some stand out more than others, but
in terms of sheer consistency and quality, I felt I couldn't pick
just one.
However, it
isn't always the great music that provides the great recordings.
In fact,
it
could
be
argued
that
the greatest music is almost impossible to ruin, while fair to
middling music requires a truly great performance to make it
stand out. Bearing witness to this are Stephen Hough's Hummel
concertos on Chandos, the Kalliwoda symphonies on CPO, and the
first volume of symphonies by the "Swedish Mozart" Johann Kraus
on Naxos. Three reasons why the music lover must take the road
less travelled!
There are also the instances where the recording brings to
mind a memorable concert experience; my list has
two examples of this. In January 2002, my wife and I were privileged to
hear Fabio Biondi and his band play the Four Seasons in
Christopher Wren's Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford - they turned
this overplayed and clichéd work back into the masterpiece
it is. It may have been cold and foggy outside, but inside,
the hot days of summer were interrupted by a thunderstorm crashing
around us. The other was the world premiere
of the oboe concerto Inflight Entertainment by the
Australian composer
Graeme Koehne by its dedicatee Diana Doherty and the Sydney
Symphony under Edo de Waart in the Opera House. Normally the
term "world premiere" fills me with dread, but not
this time.
I hope my rather diverse selection (mid-17th century German
chamber music to 21st century concerto) provides some food
for thought. I know one of my choices has been criticised in
a review on
this
site, and there are probably others.
If you do
find some of the selections to differ drastically from your
own preferences, then just bear in mind that if we all liked
the same things, the world would be a very boring place!
Arensky Suites
for two pianos • Stephen Coombs, Ian Munro • Hyperion
CDA66755
M Arnold Dances • London
PO/composer • Lyrita
SRCD201
JS
Bach Cantatas • Bach
Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki • BIS
various
JS Bach Goldberg Variations • Angela
Hewitt • Hyperion CDA67305
JS Bach Keyboard Concertos • Murray
Perahia/ASMF • Sony SK89245 & SK89690
Beethoven Piano
Sonatas Volume 3 • Paul
Lewis • Harmonia
Mundi HMC90190608
Beethoven Symphonies
6 & 7 • COE/Nikolaus
Harnoncourt
• Teldec
2292 464522
Biber Missa
Salisburgensis • Musica
Antiqua Koln, Gabrieli Consort/Reinhard Goebel, Paul McCreesh • Archiv
4576112
Blake Violin
concerto • Christiane
Edinger, English Nthn Phil/Paul Daniel • ASV CDDCA905
Braga
Santos Symphony 4 • Ntl SO Ireland/Alvaro Cassuto • Marco Polo
8.225233
Brahms Piano concertos • Emil
Gilels, Berlin PO/Eugen Jochum • DG
4355882 & 4399792
Brahms Piano trios 1 & 2 • Julius
Katchen, Josef Suk, Janos Starker • Decca 4211522
Brahms/Schumann Piano quintets • Leif
Ove Andsnes, Artemis Qt • Virgin Classics 3951432
Elgar Cello concerto, Sea
Pictures • Jacqueline
du Pre, Janet Baker, London SO/John Barbirolli • EMI 5562192 (currently available on EMI 5628862)
Elgar/Vaughan
Williams English string music • Sinfonia
of London/Sir John Barbirolli • EMI
7475372 (currently available on EMI 5672402)
Fauré Piano
quartets • Domus • Hyperion CDA66166
P
Glass Violin
concerto • Adele
Anthony, Ulster O/Takuo Yuasa • Naxos
8.554568
P
Glass 'The
Hours' soundtrack • Michael
Riesman, Lyric Qt • Nonesuch
7559 796932
Gorecki Symphony
of Sorrowful Songs • Dawn
Upshaw, London Sinf/David Zinman • Nonesuch 7559
792822
Handel/D
Scarlatti Keyboard works • Murray
Perahia • Sony SK62785
Handel Water
music, Royal Fireworks music • Tafelmusik/Jeanne
Lamon • Sony SMK89986
Howells Orchestral
works Volume 2 • Yvonne Kenny,
Lydia Mordkovitch, London SO/Richard Hickox • Chandos
CHAN9557
Hummel Piano Concertos • Stephen Hough, English CO/Bryden Thomson • Chandos
CHAN8507
Kalliwoda Symphonies
5 & 7 • Das Neue O/Christoph Spering • CPO 7771392
Koehne Inflight
Entertainment • Diana Doherty, Sydney SO/Takuo
Yuasa • Naxos 8.555847
Kraus Symphonies
Volume 1 • Swedish CO/Petter Sundkvist
• Naxos 8.553734
Mozart Le
nozze di Figaro • Giuseppe
Taddei, Anna Moffo, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Phil O & Ch/Carlo
Maria Giulini • EMI
7632662
Mozart Piano
concertos 18 & 20 • Richard
Goode, Orpheus Ch Ens
• Nonesuch
7559 794392
Mozart Violin concertos • Arthur Grumiaux, London SO/Colin Davis • Philips
4383232
Preisner Requiem
for my friend • Sinfonia Varsovia/Jacek Kaspszyk • Erato
3984 241462
Prokofiev Symphonies
1 & 5 • Berlin PO/Herbert von Karajan • DG 4372532
Puccini La
Bohème • Luciano Pavarotti, Mirella Freni, Berlin PO/Herbert
von Karajan
• EMI 4210492
Respighi The
Birds, Ancient Airs and Dances Suites 1-3 • Australian
CO/Christopher Lyndon-Gee • Vanguard/Omega
OCD1007 (currently available on Vanguard ATM1227)
Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherezade,
Capriccio Espagnol • London SO/Charles Mackerras • Telarc
CD80208
Roman Drottningholm
music • Uppsala
CO/Anthony Halstead • Naxos
8.55373
Rubbra Symphonies 2 & 6 • BBC
Wales Ntl O/Richard Hickox • Chandos
CHAN9481
Scharwenka/Sauer Piano concertos • Stephen Hough, City of Birmingham SO/Lawrence
Foster • Hyperion CDA66790
Schumann/Grieg Piano
concertos • Murray
Perahia, Bavarian RSO/Colin Davis • Sony MK44899
Shostakovich Symphony
11 • Verdi Milan SO/Oleg Caetani • Arts 476768
Stravinsky/Borodin Firebird
suite, Prince Igor • Atlanta SO/Robert Shaw • Telarc CD80039
Tchaikovsky Ballet Suites • Berlin
PO/Mstislav Rostropovich • DG 4290972
Telemann Concertos • Capella Istropolitana/Richard Edlinger • Naxos 8.550156
Vaughan
Williams Symphonies 3 & 5 • New
PO, London PO/Sir Adrian Boult • EMI 7640182
Vivaldi Four Seasons • Europa Galante/Fabio Biondi
• Opus111 OPS569120
Das Partiturbuch • Ensemble
Echo du Danube • Naxos 8.557679
Live
at Wigmore Hall • Marc-Andre Hamelin • Hyperion
CDA66765
