AudioCircle
Music and Media => The Music Circle => Topic started by: birdwizard on 14 Jan 2005, 07:34 pm
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Hi there,
I've tried and tried but always had a hard time embracing classical, often finding it cold and distant.
But I just discovered a couple of pieces by Rachmaninoff that froze me in my tracks. Piano Concerto's No.2 and 3 engage me in a big way; they are mysterious, lush and intricate. They are also like strange intellectual puzzles that refer back and expand on the theme at unexpected times, somewhat like Coltrane in an odd calculating way.
Am I doomed to just like these 2 peices or is there a whole world waiting for me. The two things that bug me the most in classical are bouncy frivolous music and big explosive crashes.
Where do I go from here?
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You really should check out Rachmaninov's orchestral music, in this case there is a really good bargain set with Ashkenazy conducting that are all first rate perfomances in very good sound:
Ashkenazy Set of Symphonies (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000042HY/qid=1105732517/sr=1-7/ref=sr_1_7/102-8600384-7050533?v=glance&s=classical)
The cool thing about that set is it also includes great rendtions of the Symphonic Dances and also The Isle of the Dead, both of which I think you'll really like based on your post.
Also, Ashkenazy is killer in the Piano Concerto's and solo piano music as well. He has a real affinity for Rachmaninov's music, IMO:
Piano Concerto's and Solo Piano by Ashkenazy (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000041ML/qid=1105732711/sr=1-12/ref=sr_1_12/102-8600384-7050533?v=glance&s=classical)
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Here's one I like a lot: Symphonic Dances/Rhapsody on a Theme of Paginini/Aleko Overture, St. Petersburg Philharmonic/Temirkanov, Dmitri Alexeev (piano in Rhapsody ...). RCA Victor Red Seal 1995. Excellent recording, too.
Rich
p.s. Tyson is absolutely right about Ashkenazy, especially in the Piano Concertos, which I think are available separately if you aren't ready for the big box.
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Ashkenazy's Rachmaninov is some of the best, I agree. Horowitz is also quite popular, though most of his recordings tend to "sound" older mostly because they are.
If you like the Rachmaninov No.2, you may also like Tchaikovsky Piano Cto 1, which tends to be a frequent companion peice to the Rachmaninov 2. Prokofiev Piano Cto's may also be to your liking.
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In the same vein as the piano concerti, there is the rhapsody on a theme of Paganini. I would try the second symphony - more lush and intricate, much darker than the piano concertos with pathos rather than puzzles. Or if it's the melody you are particularly fond of, Tchaikovsky, Mendelsohn, maybe Brahms, violin concerti, but also symphonies and piano concerti.
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I recommend you look into Dvorak as well. A good place to start would be some of the more accessible works, such as Symphony No 9 (New World), The Carnival Overture, and the Slavonic Dances.
Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No 2 is among my favorite peices of music, too. Some of my suggestions aren't going to really sound like that per se, but be in a similar vein.
You might like Katchaturian, too. My preference tends to run towards the Romantics and away from the "classical era". Composers like Mussorgsky, Holst, Chopin, Rachmaninov, Ravel & Dvorak move me more than Mozart, Haydn and the like.
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You might like Katchaturian, too. My preference tends to run towards the Romantics and away from the "classical era".
All roads lead to Bach eventually :wink:
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I do like baroque, but to a lesser degree than Romantic music. Bach is of course the king of baroque, but I don't find the genre as compelling. YMMV, of course.
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Thanks alot guys. You've given me a lot of stuff to investigate!
I listened to mp3's of Isle of the Dead and Rhapsody on a Theme of Paginini and found these to have that "something" I like. I will be buying these for sure.
Ok, I'm going to find bits of the other stuff to check out. I'll post a report.
btw Corwin, The Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 1 is also on the same disc as the Rach No 2, but it just doesnt grab me in nearly the same way
for some reason.
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birdwizard: agreed.. the Rachmaninov No. 2 is a much more compelling peice to my ears as well, however I am not that fond of Rachmaninov's orchestral peices, i prefer his preludes and etudes much more, especially at the hands of Ashkenazy. :)
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"All roads lead to Bach eventually."
Maybe, maybe not. But when I start HEARING it, I leave. (Actually, Bach's is the only baroque-period music I can tolerate. I run away, screaming, from Vivaldi and the others.)
Birdwizard, I recommend Rach.'s Symphony #2 and Tchaikovsky's PCs, all 3. Also Tchaik's symphonies #5 and 6.
That'll get you rolling along.
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This weekend....25% off all Classical recordings....at Tower Records (http://www.towerrecords.com/Classical/Default.aspx). Good deal and free shipping on over $20.00 purchased !!! 8)
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That's a great sale! The Ashkenazy set of Symphonies, the Ilse of the Dead, the Bells, and Symphonic Dances for $16! 3 cd's for the price of one and all killer performances, that's pretty hard to beat. Hell, even the 6 cd set of the Piano Concerto's and Solo Piano music is only $32. That's a bargain indeed.
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That's a great sale! The Ashkenazy set of Symphonies, the Ilse of the Dead, the Bells, and Symphonic Dances for $16! 3 cd's for the price of one and all killer performances, that's pretty hard to beat. Hell, even the 6 cd set of the Piano Concerto's and Solo Piano music is only $32. That's a bargain indeed.
Thats why I posted it....and labels that are rarely on sale....are 25% off....till Monday. This is the sale I look forward to each year..... :D (winter clearance).
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*wonders if he's the only one here that likes Baroque music* :|
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corwin99,
Bach is my favorite composer, so you are not alone! I particularly like his solo instrumental music.
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No, Corwin99- I like it Baroque, too. I simply like Romantic era composers more. I do like Baroque more than Classical Era composers. My collection has it's share of Handel, Bach & Scarlatti, too.
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Has anyone suggested Scriabin?
his sonatas are prime!
he was rachmoninov's school mate at the academy.
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I was actually thinking of rec'ing Satie's solo piano music instead. That's some beautiful, intricate-yet-spare, stuff. Although I do love Scriabin too, particularly the recently re-released set on DG performed by Roberto Szidon, who absolutely RULES in Scriabin (sorry for the gushing, I just go the set and it absolutely blew me away).
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Tyson,
Any other "classical idea's"...stuff thats not usually "on sale". I have a few gift cards to use up..... http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1319495 [/list:u]
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Which type of classical do you prefer, baroque (Bach, Scarlatti, Handel), Classical (Haydn, Mozart), Romantic (Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler), Post-Romantic (Stravinsky, Bartok, Shostakovich), or Modern (Adams, Crumb, Schnittke)? Or are you looking for more of an overview from all periods?
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I do like some Baroque music, but spent about 12 years playing it in orchestras, so I tend not to have tons of it in my collection.
I will check out the R man though, and some of the other stuff listed.
Great post!
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Which type of classical do you prefer, baroque (Bach, Scarlatti, Handel), Classical (Haydn, Mozart), Romantic (Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler), Post-Romantic (Stravinsky, Bartok, Shostakovich), or Modern (Adams, Crumb, Schnittke)? Or are you looking for more of an overview from all periods?
Tyson, A few fav's from each period would be nice. For myself and others. This way we can take advantage of the Tower sale this weekend. Thanks !!! :)
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I'm glad i'm not alone in being a Bach fan :)
The solo Piano works of Romantic era are among my favourites, mostly because that is what i played a lot of when i was younger, and it brings back memories. I still like the pretentious grandeur of the classical era Symphonies, however :)
For solo piano favourites i would recommend the Chopin Polonaises.. well all of Chopin's stuff actually, but the polonaises are a good place to start.. Bach's Goldberg Variations.. Rachmaninov's Preludes...
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Here are some good buys, I focused on inexpensive box sets as they tend to offer great value even without the sale, and they are a great way to get a lot of music for very little money. I also focused more on the mainstream repertoire. Enjoy!!
Tchaikovsky 4 through 6 Symphonies - Mravinsky conducting (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1067672)
Bach Solo Cello Suites - Fourneir playing (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1180836)
Vivaldi 4 seasons & other Concerto's (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=2907907)
Bach - Brandenbug Concerto's and Violin Concerto's (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1331858)
Bach - Solo Violin - Milstein playing (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1319504)
Bartok String Quartets - Takacs playing (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1313882)
Beethoven Piano Concertos- performed by Fleisher (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1073913)
Beethoven Symphonies- conducted by Szell (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1079957)
Beethoven Middle Quartets - performed by Emerson Quartet (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1306080)
Brahms Trio's - performed by Florestan Trio (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1330006)
Brahms Piano Conceros - Performed by Gilels (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1110450)
Bruckner Symphonies - Conducted by Jochum (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=2146140)
Chopin solo piano - Performed by Pollini (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1073994)
Debussy & Ravel Orchestral Music - conducted by Martinon (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=2739338)
Debussy Solo Piano Music - performed by Fergus-Thomson (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=3023148)
Dvorak- Symphonies 7 through 9 - Conducted by Kubelik (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1094198)
Dvorak - Cello Concerto - performed by Fournier (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1071894)
Haydn - Middle Symphonies - Conducted by Adam Fischer (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1524918)
Haydn - "Paris" symphonies - conducted by Dorati (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=2813666)
Liszt - Hungarian Rhapsodies - performed by Cziffra (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=2334125)
Mahler - 9 Symphonies - conducted by Bernstein (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=2302396)
Mozart Piano Concerto's - performed by Brendel (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1089430)
Mozart Symphonies - conducted by Menuhin (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=2334119)
Mozart horn, clarenite, flute, etc. Concerto's - performed by Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=2686301)
Prokofiev Piano Concertos - Performed by Ashkenazy (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1192905)
Prokofiev Violin Concertos - performed by Oistrakh (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=3078396)
Richard Straus - various orchestral music - conducted by Solti (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1092877)
Ravel Orchestral music - conducted by Dutoit (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1710924)
Saint Saens - Piano Concertos - Performed by Roge (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1096829)
Schnittke - String Quartets - performed by the Kronos Quartet (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1354165)
Schubert - Piano and String Trios - performed by Beaux Arts Trio (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1087852)
Schubert - Impromptus - performed by Brendel (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1183587)
Schubert - last 4 String Quartets - performed by the Quartetto Italiano (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1096128)
Schumann Symphonies - conducted by Sawallisch (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=2643269)
Scriabin - Piano Sonatas - performed by Roberto Szidon (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=3009452)
Shostakovich String Quartets - performed by Borodin Quartet (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1814673)
Shostakovich Symphonies - conducted by Barshai (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=3021343)
Shostakovich - Cello Concertos - performed by Kleigel (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1116223)
Sibelius - Symphonies 1,2,4,5 - conducted by Davis (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1098025)
Sibelius - Symphonies 3, 6, 7 & Violin Concerto - Conducted by Davis (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1098026)
Stravinsky - Rite of Spring & other Orchestral - conducted by Tilson Thomas (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1516646)
Rachmaninov - Piano Concertos - performed by Ashkenazy (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=2762802)
Vaughan Williams - Symphonies - conducted by Haitink (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=3106946)
Walton - Symphonies and Concertos - conducted by Previn (http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1708185)
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Awesome!
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Thank you Tyson for all the work you did on this classical list.....GREAT !!!
I hit my local Tower store today(before I read your list)...picked up the two Rachmaninov sets, Tchaikovsky 1812, Bax Sym. #6, and a few harp and flute cutouts. Went over to the Jazz section, grabbed two Gene Harris cds and a Larry Coryell cd.....over to the Music DVD's, grabbed four dvd's.[/list:u]I'll head back tomorrow and check for the selections you posted....as well as checking out a few Naxos cds. Can't beat the price....six bucks a cd (Naxos)!!! Spotted this thread at Audiogon....... http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?rmusi&1012420599&openusid&zzSdcampbell&4&5 ..... I've got a few already, but always room for more. :lol: [/list:u]And a reminder, this "25% off all labels" is for Classical and Jazz and Music DVD's. In store or on line. Good till Monday 1/17/05. Pick up the stuff thats never really on sale.... 8) [/list:u]
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I mentioned Naxos in the above post. Found an old post by Tyson concerning Naxos recordings....
Naxos, oh yes, there are a few and since Naxos tend to only have a single recording of each work, I can just list the works:
JS Bach:
Piano Concerto's
Well Tempered Clavier books 1 and 2
Violin (and Harpsichord) sonata's
Chopin - most of Biret's performances are good.
Bruckner - Tintner rules! His performances are the best I've heard, period.
The Liszt solo piano series is very good (multiple different pianists, they are all quite good).
Schubert Piano Trio's
Verdi - Requiem
Feeney - Dracula
Shostakovich - String Quartets and Cello Concerto's
I'm sure I'm forgetting some, but that's most of the good ones I have.
Now, there are also some to avoid, IMO.
DO NOT BUY:
Beethoven or Brahms symphonies or any of the Concerto's
Mozart Piano Concerto's
Mahler Symphonies
Tchaikovsky or Rachmaninov Symphonies or Concertos
Schubert - Piano Sonata's
Shostakovich - Symphonies
All of this is just my humble opinon, of course
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Music is nothing more than wiggling air molecules decorating time.
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If you're getting the Well Tempered Klavier, Naxos has Fisher's great recording, but EMI's transfer is said to be better (I haven't heard the Naxos). They have an excellent transfer of the Casals Bach Cello Suites, which I would recommend before the Fournier. Mravinsky's Tchaikovsky, Milstein's Sonatas & Partitas, Brendel's Mozart, and the Borodins' Shostakovich are all seconded.
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Gotta disagree w/the Casals rec. IMO he is quite ponderous, and loses the dance element of the music. Fournier is lighter, but still deeply felt. We all owe Casals a great debt for bringing these pieces in to the standard repertoir, but his are not the best performances. All IMO, of course :)
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*wonders if he's the only one here that likes Baroque music* :|
Nope -- Bach for breakfast a couple of times a week in this house :D
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Guys,
You owe it to yourselves to get two Hyperion CDs that feature the piano music of Nikolai Kapustin. Incredible, fantastic music, and unbelievable performances.
While I'm at it, also on Hyperion, any or all of the Bach CDs of Angela Hewitt. Fabulous.
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While I'm at it, also on Hyperion, any or all of the Bach CDs of Angela Hewitt. Fabulous.
Agreed. Those Hewitt recordings on Hyperion are Amazing. If you have SACD, i would recommend the SACD versions even more so.
I like bach for breakfast, lunch, dinner.. sometimes midnight snack too.. :o i also like Vivaldi.. ever since i started using the 3rd movement of "Summer" on the Carmignola/Marcon recording to test the 'attack' of speakers i was auditioning i have grown so familiar with the peice that i like it even more.. unlike pop music.
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So, I've discovered something so silly and simple:
I dug around in my CD collection and pulled out various classical samplers, an Isaac Stern Beethoven performance, Ravel, Debussy and some other stuff that I bought years ago but never really liked.
I'm now enjoying a lot of it! I've noticed I'm hearing details deeper in the music and getting a sense of the space and grandeur in the orchestra that I could never connect with before. In addition, piano and violin in particular have more richness and harmonic presence than I've heard in the past.
And then I realized- my new (3 months old) speakers are largely responsible for my new enjoyment of classical. The power of detail and realness, now I understand
the value of classical music in evaluating speaker performance.
I just put in Willie Nelson Stardust last night- same thing. His voice is so pure and velvety like never before. Either its my speakers or someone put acid in my coffee :o
Thanks for all of the suggestions everybody. I have a few things on the way from Tower and a few more from the Sony online SACD promotion.
I can't wait.
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And...thank you again Tyson for that Tower and Naxos list.... right on target ...:thumb: !!!
I've now got about 30 of those cds to listen to...helped to be 5 min.'s away from Tower (L.I.)....and a few ordered on their site. So far, of the one's I've listened to....excellent !! And with 15 to 20 inches of snow coming this weekend....plenty of time to listen. Thanks!! :) [/list:u]
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I'm now enjoying a lot of it! I've noticed I'm hearing details deeper in the music and getting a sense of the space and grandeur in the orchestra that I could never connect with before. In addition, piano and violin in particular have more richness and ...[/quote]
Boys, you remind me of the time I got my first so-called high-end speakers. After listening to Sansui speakers (carried on my back to my hootch in Viet Nam from the Freedom Hill PX in 100 degree heat) for 14 years, I obtained a pair of Magnepans from a now-defunct store in Casper. I had grown up listening to classical, rock, etc., and had acquired a taste for jazz in college (Charlie Parker and Coltrane in particular) but after settling in with those speakers I found that listening to any music other than classical was a monumental waste of time. Yes, better sound leads you to better music. Not trying to be a snob, I hope, but I can't fathom hi fi reviewers in the mags who audition and then write reviews on equipment using pop and rock music. Besides being highly processed recordings, most of it is mind numbing, boring, and with no intrinsic value.
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lonewolfny42,
So what did ya get? I'm curious to know your thoughs on the stuff you got. Looks like you got the vivaldi box set on Virgin, with Hugget? I remember the first time I heard that set it was quite an ear-opener to hear vivaldi played with panach and vigor, instead of the smoothed-over-and-prettified crappy performances one usually hears.
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lonewolfny42,
So what did ya get? I'm curious .....
I have about 100 Classical cds already...so these are a nice addition:[/list:u]Bach - Brandenburg Concertos & Violin Concertos ...Virgin 7243 5 61403 2 5....2 cds[/list:u]C.P.E. Bach - Keyboard Sonatas ...Naxos 8.553640[/list:u]Tony Banks - Seven, Suite for Orch. ...Naxos 8.557466[/list:u]Baxter - Quintet for Harp and Strings ...Naxos 8.554507[/list:u]Bolling - Suites for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio ...Naxos 8.554848[/list:u]Britten - String Quartets ... Naxos 8.554360[/list:u]Bruckner - Symphony No. 2 ...Naxos 8.554006[/list:u]Brucker - Symphony No. 3 ...Naxos 8.553454[/list:u]Debussy/Ravel - Orchestral Works (8 cd's) ...EMI Classics 7243 5 75526 2 2[/list:u]Finzi - Clarinet Concerto/Five Bagatelles ...Naxos 8.553566[/list:u]Franck - Piano Quintet, Chausson - String Quartet...Naxos 8.553645[/list:u]Offenbach - Gaite Parisienne ...RCA Living Stereo 09026-61847-2[/list:u]Rachmaninov - Complete Piano Concertos (3cds)...Decca 473 251-1[/list:u]Rachmanov - The Symphonies 1-3 (3cds)...Decca 455 798-2[/list:u]Rimsky-Korsakov - Capriccio Espagnol,Op. 34...Amadis 7111[/list:u]Tchaikovsky - 1812 Overture...Mercury Living Presence 434 360-2 (my 2nd. copy :? )[/list:u]Trombone Concerti - Alain Trudel...Naxos 8.553831[/list:u]Vivaldi - The Four Seasons (4cds)...Virgin Classics 7243 5 62260 2 9[/list:u]Vaughan Williams - Symphonies No. 5 & 9...Naxos 8.550738[/list:u]Vaughan Williams - Symphony No. 7 & 8...Naxos 8.550737[/list:u]On special order :[/list:u]Two Reference Recordings....[/list:u]Tutti....RR906[/list:u]Trittico...RR52[/list:u]I've listened to about half of them, the Baxter, Bruckner, and Vaughan Williams cds ....very good....as is the Vivaldi, Rachmaninov, Offenbach. More listening to go, but overall I've not heard one I don't like....that's great !!! 8) [/list:u]I think I did quite well with that Tower sale....got some good classical....and then there's the Jazz cd's I bought......and the Music DVD's.....nothing like a great sale.... :mrgreen: [/list:u]
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You might like the symphonies of George Loyd on Albany. My favoite warhorse is Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings, you'd love it. For some more modern fare, try symphonies of Holmboe and Tubin on BIS, and those of Robert Simpson on Hyperion. Also, the Saga Symphony of Liefs on BIS, and the gorgeous symphonies of Atterberg on cpo. If you get into classical vocal try the late Haydn masses on Chandos, masterworks all, and the songs of Schubert, Schuman, Brahms, Strauss, and Wolf preferably sung by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Not sure if Tyson mentioned Mahler, but there's ten great symphonies to get to know right there, not to mention varioius other vocal works also best sung by Fischer-Dieskau or Christa Ludwig or Janet Baker. For the Mahler symphonies your best bet are the Ricardo Chailly versions if you can find them. And don't fail to pick up the three Elgar symphonies and the cello concerto played by Du Pre. Mozart piano concertos, etc.
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Randy, I've got a few of the Mahler Symphonies....and Elgar is covered (one of my fav's...as is Holst). I'll look into your other picks....thanks for the info !!!! :thumb:
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I forgot to mention Haydn's London and Paris symphonies. Davis and the Concertgebouw Orch. You can get the London's cheap on Phillips Duos. For authentic instrument versions there are on Helios, Hyperion's budget label, many sets done by the Hanover Band - life affirming performances.
I see you have Butler amps. I've been intrigued by them, but can find no reviews. What's your opionion? Compared with your Krell for instance.
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A no brainer, especially at the sale price, is the box set of complete Bax symphonies on Chandos as conducted by Vernon Handley. Avoid the Naxos versions and the early Chandos series. These performances on Chandos are considered definitive and were released just last year. Great music.
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Agreed on the BAX, that is a pretty awesome set. Disagree on the Davis set of Haydn - Dorati is a much better choice in the late symphonies - more urgency and drive, less relaxed geniality. That of course is my preference, Haydn as sturm und drang composer.
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Dorati loses a lot of points because of his orchestra (a pick-up band composed of Hungarian refugees, good, but not top flight like Davis's Concertgebouw) and the old 60s era recordings. I had a few volumes of them on Lp. Great in their time but they have been rendered obsolete, though if it's Haydn, you can't do anything but enjoy the music. As Tyson says, all else is opinion.
Here's another recommendation. (I can't stop.) Stanford symphonies and Irish Rhapsodies on Chandos. I think they can all be had in cut-rate box sets now. Then there's Hamilton Harty's Irish Symphony, with a fine version to be had on Naxos. . .
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Which reminds me. DG has recently released Trevor Pinnock's recordings of many of Haydn's midlife symphones in a box set with at steal-level price. (English Concert, dr. by Pinnock.) Just marvelous music. I bought them one at a time at full price ten or twelve years ago.
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Which reminds me. DG has recently released Trevor Pinnock's recordings of many of Haydn's midlife symphones in a box set with at steal-level price. (English Concert, dr. by Pinnock.) Just marvelous music. I bought them one at a time at full price ten or twelve years ago.
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I haven't heard the Pinnock - how does it compare to Kuijken or Goodman (also period sets)? I found Kuijken to thin sounding and Goodman too genial and not dramatic enough. Pinnock seems like he would be a better interpreter, I'd like your take.
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I would consider Harnoncourt for some Haydn symphonies. I don't normally like him, but his style works with Haydn symphonies IMO.
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Haven't heard Harnocourt's Haydn symphonies. I have a few done by Frans Bruggen and a period instrument group on Phillips. Very good. Pinnock recorded six CDs of the symphonies. I think the set is called Haydn's Sturm and Drang symphonies. I can' find it listed at Tower, Amazon, or Arkivmusic, so it's probably not being imported into the states by DG. However you can get it at mdt. a mail order store in Britain. This is a great outfit, btw. Often you can get European titles cheaper there than you can in the states even in these days of the weak dollar. link
http://www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/pages/home/default.asp
They make it easy to order online unlike many Euro outfits and will let you shop in U.S. dollars so you always know exactly what you will be paying.
Tyson, the Pinnock performances of these symphonies are just as you expected - excellent. Maybe a little bit livelier than Goodman, but I like Goodman nearly as well. When I got these recordings when they were first released, they sounded very harsh and forward, but that was alleviated as I upgraded my equipment. They now sound great.
BTW, nearly all of Pinnock's DG recordings are now being rereleased at a reduced price which makes them great bargains. Handel Concerti Grosso, Organ Concertos, Corelli Concerti Grosso, Handel's Water Music, etc. all tops.
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Yes, you can get the box set at Tower afterall. Here's the link.
http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=2726775&dm=t&recfrom=Mozart%3a+The+Symphonies+%2f+Pinnock%2c+English+Concert-2726786