Classical Music Recommendation.. - Axiom Message Boards

Ok guys, I need your help. Im not really much of a music listener at home but now that I have this Axiom system my interest has been spiked. Now I dont know much about Classical Music but when I hear it on the radio and on TV I generally like it.

I was thinking about buying a few CD's and was wondering if you guys could set me on the right path. I want a few classical cd's that will really let my system show me what its got!

Thanks for any recommendations that you may have.

Where is JohnK when you need him.....

He'll be by...

Well, it's not precisely classical, but I do recommend Bela Fleck-Perpetual Motion. It's a collection of classical pieces played (fairly striaght) on non-traditional instruments, leaning towards bluegrass. Good stuff.

You can't go wrong with Bach; Telarc Digital has some good stuff.

We also have an album called Essential Mozart that is a good introduction there.

And of course, get Beethoven's 9th. I don't have a specific recording to recommend, but any will do as a start. It's probably the best piece of music ever writting. IMHO.

New, I was delayed by the necessity of compiling a list that would be just ideal for you. First, you absolutely must have The Planets ; the gorgeous music for Swan Lake ; Hungarian Dances; Roman Festivals; Scheherazade ; Symphonic Dances; Daphnis et Chloe ; Slavonic Dances. These are all colorful items that should appeal to just about everyone. They should give you a good start in exploring the whole world of beautiful music that's waiting out there for those who'll just give a listen.

Sign on JohnK's office door: Out to lunch. Bach at 12:30. Offenbach sooner.

I'd recommend that a non-classical music listener who wants quality classical sound must get a copy of "John Williams Greatest Hits 1969-1999". Those are great recordings that show the full range of orchestral sound, and are mostly familiar to all of us.

I'd add Dvorak's New World Symphony to JohnK's list of great classical compositions to get, and any recording by a great orchestra (London, New York, Berlin, and many others) is worthwhile.

On that note, if you only want a few CDs, spend an extra few dollars and stick to the best recordings on the best labels. The $1-per-CD box sets at Costco are OK for the car as background music, but they're imperfectly recorded by small and not perfectly rehearsed orchestras, and a good sound system would point out the flaws easily.

--Martin

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir!

Sutter

Hi NEW,
You would enjoy the following ones as well:

The Nutcracker - Complete Ballet

Messiah

The Four Seasons

The Complete Brandenburg Concertos

The 9th Symphony

Carmina Burana

Appalachian Journey

Pachelbel's Canon

The Best Of Vienna

Also, like carlile mentioned, there may be a better version/rendition of the above works that I may not be aware of, but you should be good with any of the versions.

Cheers!

Thanks for all the great suggestions guys. I think im going to start out with, The 9th symphony, and The Planets. I will let you guys know what I think.

Also, what mode do you guys recommend listeing to? Pro Logic 2 Music, DTS Neo 6 Music, 5 channel surround, 2 channel stereo? Which is best? Thanks

I listen to all my CD's on my 2805 in Direct Mode or Pure Direct mode, which sounds much better than Stereo mode. SACD and DVD-A is a different story...

You might want to get Ted Libby's gudie to building a classical music collection. Available here.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/8ATNASFT20PC/102-2850717-4459305?%5Fencoding=UTF8 This used to be available free. Looks like it is no longer. But you might want to search more than i did. I used this list when I first started. He is very helpful about wadeing through all the different versions available. I found it very helpful. My personal recommendation would be to check out Dvorak Symphony # 9 from the new world Sir George Solti leading the Chicago S.O. and Dvorak Cello Concerto with Jaqueline Dupre and Daniel Barenboim on EMI these should hook anybody on the classics
oz
enjoy the discovery

Few personal favorites:

Bach: Organ Spectacular - Ton Koopman (DVD Audio)
Very good showcase for equipment. Very spacious and enveloping.

Late Vivaldi Concertos - Giuliano Carmignola (SACD)
Very personal and informal interpretation. Sounds very true to life in a small room.

Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos / Paganini Rhapsody - Stephen Hough / Andrew Litton (SACD)
This is a very honest recording, at times almost brutal, still I think it sounds as Rachmaninoff would have played it if he played it today.

... and one more:

Bach: Goldberg Variations - Glenn Gould
Tip - try this at a very low - almost wisper volume.

Yeah, we just got the Golberg Variations. Glenn Gould was amazing--I've never heard anyone play piano like that.

However, we got the triple disc version with both 1955 and 1988 on it.

New, that should be good; the Beethoven 9th is a milestone in the development of the symphony and The Planets is about as sure-fire a piece(along with the others I mentioned)as you'll find. One point is to not pick out a recording of a composition at random; versions of the same piece differ greatly in interpretation and sound. For example, there're over 200 recordings of the Beethoven 9th, but one I'll bring to your attention is this one. If you'd like to order from Tower, I'd suggest that you add the Swan Lake recording to the Beethoven 9th and The Planets to get over the $20 for free shipping.

As far as the mode to use, definitely not 5-channel surround, which is primarily for parties, etc. where more nearly uniform sound is wanted throughout the room, although it's not a realistic effect. When an HT receiver and speakers have been bought, they should be used to direct the ambience contained in 2-channel material to the surrounds where it belongs. No 2-channel mode(e.g. stereo, direct, pure, whatever)should be used. Modes such as DPLII, Neo:6 and Logic 7 should be preferred. My own preference is DPLII, especially with the use of the center width and dimension parameter adjustments.

Just a second recommendation for John Williams Greatest hits 2-CD set. Encompasses most of his movie music and I am always reminded of his ability to deliver very memorable themes.

The Planets is also one of my all time favs.

JohnK, is this not the recording of The Planets to own? Granted, I've only heard about three or four versions, but the Dutoit is far and away the best I know of.

Btw...is the disc I linked to the same as this one?

I have a copy of the disc pictured...but it's twice the cost of the linked one.

Craig, although I have and love the Dutoit Planets(I have five others), my slight preferance is for Mehta, which is a bit more vigorous in spots.

Yes, both the linked and pictured CDs are of the same performance issued at different times under different labels. No remastering was involved. The pictured CD(issued about a year earlier)has status as an "import" and therefore it's only fair to charge twice as much for the same performance because of the immense prestige involved in owning an import. Seriously, of course, some money could have been saved.

In reply to:
... and one more:

Bach: Goldberg Variations - Glenn Gould

varkha,

My favorite Goldberg Variations is: A Monk and His Music

The pianist, Fr. Sean Duggan, was my college roommate so I'm naturally biased.

I bought my copy used on Ebay for about $6, so no money was wasted.

I'll have to pick up the Mehta disc.

Thanks.

This wouldn't be for New, but someone who needs more Tchaikovsky(since you're reading this, this probably includes you, although you may not realize it)might want to take advantage of the terrific bargain created by the new packaging of Muti's Tchaikovsky collection ; available here for even less.

While all of JohnK's advice had been stellar, The Planets included, I keep coming back to Bach, Bach and more Bach. The Maurice Andre 2-disc collection of trumpet concertos has proven to have lots of staying power for me, too.

John, when you have a moment could you please peruse the available titles at bmgmusic.com for some more baroque or classical guitar selections? I have some free discs coming to me.

In reply to:

My favorite Goldberg Variations is: A Monk and His Music

The pianist, Fr. Sean Duggan, was my college roommate so I'm naturally biased.

I bet if you polled all the people in the world who give a d*mn, what their favorite version of the Goldman Variations is, you'd find that a massive cluster of Canadian virtuoso Gould's fans would be found in Canada. Axiom is a Canadian company and a disproportionate number of its customers are Canadian. You're outnumbered on this board, sorry!

Mark, you didn't indicate about how many "some" is, but I ran through Classical Instrumental from A to Z. I didn't pick Parkening, Romero, Segovia or Williams. Go with David Russell's Bach Collection (Selection # 1463710)and Sharon Isbin's Spanish guitar concertos(#1617844). Then I saw a very attractive collection of harp transcriptions by Yolanda Kondonassis(#1516244). If you didn't get the Dvorak Slavonic Dances that I've been recommending, they have a good one(#1447366). The highly-acclaimed Hamelin piano collection featuring the Albeniz Iberia is available(#2613750). Dozens more possible, of course.

In reply to:
what their favorite version of the Goldman Variations is

I'm not familiar with the Gold"man" Variations, but I won't disagree about being outnumbered. It's just neat having friend who is an accomplished performer.

OK NEW!!! I've been reading this thread and decided that some classical music would probably be good for: 1.) My 5.1 system and 2.) my all around personal development, maturity and well, whatever else.... :-) So I went to Tower records and bought 3 CDs-Planets, Beethovan #9 & O Holy Night-Morman Tab Choir.

Just goes to show you that you never know what great nugget of life you'll get from these boards!!! :-)

Thanks, John, those will suffice.

Just ordered the Russell and Isbin discs, JohnK. Thanks for the tips.
I also added The Wiggles "Yummy Yummy". I'll let you know how good that one is.

>>Axiom is a Canadian company and a disproportionate number of its customers are Canadian. You're outnumbered on this board, sorry!

Actually we just post more because we live in a constant cold, dark, depressing winter... at least it feels that way right now

Then why are the two highest posters Americans? *ducks*

Well, the reason that this thread has been brought back to life must be for the chance to suggest some other items to brighten up those cold, dark winters and give the setup a good workout. Prokofiev's glorious music for Cinderella is coupled with a fine performance of Glazunov's Seasons. Tower has a 20% off everything sale going with free shipping if over $20, so for something heavyweight and dramatic I'll add the Shostakovich Leningrad Symphony .

kcarlile wrote:

In reply to:
Then why are the two highest posters Americans? *ducks*

If they're spending that much time on this board, maybe they're eligible for honorary Canadian status. Ah, I like circular arguments.

I wonder what the demographics on this board are anyways.

Indian (The Asian type!)

Well, my ears are all messed up from a prolonged lingering illness, but I think that at the moment I prefer the Isbin disc to the Russell/Bach disc. In my limited listenings it seems that Bach works better on organ, trumpet and harpsichord than on guitar.

The Wiggles, of course, totally rock.

Maybe 87% US, 10% CDN, and a few ROW ?

The frappr map probably gives a good summary, although it has been acting funny for me recently -- only showing one person per city/area.

Agreed, Mark; but you wanted to try some baroque guitar, so there you are.

Thanks again for the selections John.
The one bit of Bach a la guitar that I had prior to this is on a kids classical CD. It's very good and thus piqued my interest.

I had a tape years ago(no, cassette, not 8-track this time)that had a guitar arrangement of Bachs' "Gig Fugue" with no BWV to tie it down.

Often wondered what it was, and who recorded it, but it was rousing good fun!!

Hey,...I might just have to "Google" it!

(OT)

.....ever notice how "Google" and "God" both start with the same letters. Interesting!![tongue}

You confess to a Priest and it remains a secret. Let Google know, and "Everyone" knows!!

Hey JohnK!.....gotta question for ya Sir.

Looking for Bachs' "Gig" Fugue.

Found the complete BWV(how cool is that)and could be that what I'm looking for is BWV 845 Gigue in F Minor.

Be that the popular "Gig Fugue"??

What say Ye?

Rich.

I think he's gonna start billing us for his services.

hmmmmm.....ya may be right

My question's an easy one though, he probly has that one in memory

Rich.

Rich, you're probably referring to the corruption of the Bach "Gigue" Fugue in G Major, BMV 577, usually played on the organ, but also arranged for other instruments.

Thanks for the lead, John.

Bwv 577 may be the one!!

The piece I remember from the late 70s was a happy sound more likely in a major key rather than 845, which is in a minor key and is so little liked that I couldn't even find a snippet to listen to!!

I listened to a snippet of 577 and while it was an organ piece rather than guitar, it didn't sound "exactly" like what I "think" I recall, but it's an extensive piece, and since it is a fugue, the part I'm familiar with(sorta

)may have even been an inverted portion!

Anyway; thanks for the lead! Sure could be the one at that!!
Rich.

I listen to a lot of Classical Music.For a beginner I recommend the DELOS cd label.They are well engineered CDs. They have some excellent samplers to whet the appetite such as The Symphonic Sound Stage,Engineer's Choice 1 and 2 and others.Punch in DELOS CLASSICAL under classical music at AMAZON and find over 100 recordings at modest prices [4-10 dollars or so plus shipping].The above examples also talk about how each selection was engineered,mike placement, how many mikes,acoustic problems to overcome etc.Read the reviewers' comments for each cd in Amazon and in the DELOS booklets which come with the cds.NAXOS label has some fine samplers and short pieces. I get my NAXOS cds through Amazon and ARCHIV MUSIC on the web.The DELOS are wonderful listening experiences for you and how well your equipment works.

Bat, welcome, and glad to see that you're aware of the world of great classical music that's waiting for us out there.

I listened to a new SACD last night that I would highly recommend. It was Mozart's Piano Concertos #9 and #25 recorded on the Philips label with Alfred Brendel on piano backed by Sir Charles Mackerras and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. It is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I ordered this SACD on Mozart's 250th birthday.

That must sound very good indeed, David; I'm familiar with Brendel's earlier performances of those with Marriner.

Today the mailman brought another Romeo and Juliet DVD which I played immediately. A very lavish production using choreography by Nureyev which differs a bit from the MacMillan version(Eagling-Ferri)I've had, with of course the same glorious Prokofiev music. Great music, terrific dancing.

John et al,

I have 2 new M80s hooked up to Denon 3805 and played 2-channel on one of my favourite piece: Prélude from Suite No. 1 in G Major for Cello, BWV 1 performed by Yo-Yo Ma The Essential Yo-Yo Ma

While listening to the piece, I can't help but notice some very light but swift pops (sounds to me like fingers pressing on the cello strings), and also what seemed to be sound of inhalations.

Am I hearing these correctly as recorded in the CD, or is it something else I should be looking into (maybe the Sony CD/DVD player etc)?

I am very glad to invest in the Axiom speakers. I am hearing many details I have never heard before from my CDs on lower and higher frequencies.

Thanks,
Ken

It could be "worse"!
I've heard some recording of Glenn Gould on piano where he would hum along with the music.

In reply to:
While listening to the piece, I can't help but notice some very light but swift pops (sounds to me like fingers pressing on the cello strings), and also what seemed to be sound of inhalations. Am I hearing these correctly as recorded in the CD, or is it something else I should be looking into (maybe the Sony CD/DVD player etc)?

They're in the recording...I just listened. The pops almost sound like a string being plucked. If it were an acoustic guitar, I would say it sounds like somebody slapping the top for percussion....

That's just another way that Axioms draw you into the music. No glossing over of details. Most well-recorded classical music I've heard has these subtle "environmental" noises. To me, it created an even more convincing reality that the music is actually happening right in front of me.

Oh, and Glen Gould could not keep quiet during any recording. It was his style.

In reply to:
While listening to the piece, I can't help but notice some very light but swift pops (sounds to me like fingers pressing on the cello strings), and also what seemed to be sound of inhalations.

I used to play cello up till end of college; my professor used to tell me that the cello is a very obstinate and stubborn instrument. It’s a very physical instrument, most of the time you can actually ‘hear’ that struggle between the performer and the instrument

Nice description. It looks like a wrestling match sometimes.

without the jello though. I'll have to check that recording out when I get home, strangely I don't think I 've listened to that CD on the 60's. It's one of the wife's favorites so it usually stays in the Sony HTIT (home theater in a tower) speakers in the bed room.

That's right, Ken; your M80s are too good. They reveal what Ma is actually doing. You'd have to "downgrade" to miss out on those details.

Cam, Gould almost always hummed while he played. His mother taught him to play when he was a little boy and as a teaching aid she had him voice the music. He never changed this.

I love hearing the room and musicians in some of my classical cd's. I especially like my set of Beethoven's Symphonies. In the quieter moments you can really hear the musicians. Definately adds the the "you're there" experience of listening.

Right, Craig. Ken has also mentioned in the past how much he enjoys a squeaking chair on the Beethoven 9th that he has.

You sure it was the chair that was squeaking? LOL

This is just an amazing experience, now that you put some perspective on how Ma might have worked his cello, I can close my eyes and imagine him plucking the strings, while at the same time inhale and exhale as any living being would

I didn't know that cello sounded so complex, in this particular piece I seemed to hear more than one tone from Ma's maneuver. It seemed to me cello sounded more complex than say, guitar (I listened to some John William's pieces)...

Thanks guys for broadening my education in this.

-Ken

Don't think I can turn back from here, after listening to what M80 is capable of...

As a matter of fact, I have gotten tired of the "premium sound" in my vehicle. This hobby is addicting !

This thread is great! I just picked up a copy of 'The Planets' today and really enjoy it. Thanks for all the suggestions for classical beginners.

I've got Walter Susskind with the St. Louis Orch version of the Planets in SACD. My son calls it the Star Wars army music.

Ryan, glad that you're enjoying "The Planets"; I usually suggest it as something colorful with both dramatic and gentle passages which are likely to be attractive to most listeners. Which version did you get?

While I'm at it I'll suggest checking out the site where the Minnesota Orchestra has archived some of their programs. As I type now I'm listening to an especially attractive program that includes Ravel's gorgeous Mother Goose and the Mussourgsky Pictures at an Exhibition.

I picked up the Decca/Eloquence version performed by the Los Angelese Philharmonic Orchestra (link here). Is this series well regarded by experts? The store had quite a few all in the $7-$10 range so I might pick up a few more to expand my horizons. The insert also mentions that is has 'AMSI AMbient Surround Imaging' which is supposed to help in surround systems. Is this true or is it mainly a marketing gimmick?

Ryan, yes the Mehta performance is the one that I usually suggest and is probably my favorite of the six versions that I have. As to the "AMSI" processing, the Berliner lab which does it says that it's proprietary and doesn't describe precisely what they do, but it in someway involves having more than the usual amount of ambience in the mix. All CDs have ambience in some degree mixed into the two channels, which processing such as DPLII and Logic 7 can extract and steer to the surrounds where it belongs. Whatever the exact process, it certainly sounds good on the Planets CD, especially with DPLII.

Some of the Eloquence CDs are very good, and of course I don't know which ones that the store has, but looking at the link you gave to their catalog, some that I have or at least am familiar with are(catalog numbers you can insert into the search bar): 4674102(Gershwin); 4696282(Ravel);4674192(Rachmaninoff); 4674532(Rachmaninoff); 4674292(Mahler); 4674612(Strauss); 4697602(Dvorak); 4674632(Dvorak).

Get Ancient! ;-)
This is an excellent Beethoven cycle. I used to borrow it from the library often - it has been OOP for some time - was pleasantly surprised to see it being re-released - and the big heads up here is that the Amazon price for the re-release is about half of what it used to sell for.
If you are not already a fan of Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music (and Steven Lubin) - this set will win you over.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E0LB8G/104-0379999-7305558?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=5174

Wow, thanks for taking the time to note all the catalogue numbers. You really should charge us for this service! I'll make a list and try one or two at a time if the store has them in stock. Now if only I had a pair of M80's to enjoy them on... My Grado SR60's will have to do for now.

J, I'm not familiar with Lubin's performances of the concertos(my favorites are probably Schiff/Haitink ), but listening to samples of the older release, it's interesting to hear the varying tonalities on the different period instruments which he used. Have to see if I can find it in the libraries to listen to all of it.

If you're into piano music at all, you've got to listen to some of the fantastic stuff Chopin and Lizt put out in their concertos and shorter, solo pieces. Lizt especially has some unbelieveable fingerwork going on.

In reply to:
Mehta performance is the one that I usually suggest

I bought the Eloquence version and a DeBussy cd as well. There is definite boost in the surrounds. Changing the Denon back and forth from PlII Music to Stereo shows the difference. I also find these CDs to be "hotter" than my other classical cds. Kind of like the difference between dolby and dts.

But, very nice for the price. $7.99.

Discovered an excellent set of CDs from a somewhat unexpected source: a British pianist playing and conducting a provincial Danish orchestra in Gershwin's very American jazz-influenced works. On sale now along with other EMI items at Tower Records .

Thank you, John. Being the Gershwin aficionado that I am, I had to get this one.

WOW, I havent checked out this thread in along time. It got huge!

I guess I have a bunch of music to buy now. Damn all of you!

We're good at helping people spend money!

Jay, yes I have several hundred more CDs to suggest that you can't do without, but we're still waiting to hear your impressions of what you've got so far if you made that order.

John - I tried to send you a PM, but I get a message that indicates your PM repository is full.

Okay Ray, I checked for the first time since the board changes and found a notice that I had to delete some of the saved messages. I deleted a bunch but now for some reason the envelope is continuously flashing for a message when there's none there(don't see how your attempt would cause that).

Be that as it may, hopefully I've deleted enough and I'd be pleased to receive your PM.

Quote:

Jay, yes I have several hundred more CDs to suggest that you can't do without, but we're still waiting to hear your impressions of what you've got so far if you made that order.

John I will admit that I have not ordered any of the CD's yet. I can however recommend a CD that I picked up about 2 months ago. Ray Charles Genius Loves Company is a great CD. Great CD and the M60's sure shine bright!

Quote:

Careful when you use the term "bright", we don't want people to start rumors again about the Axioms being bright sounding?

ya, didnt mean bright sounding.