This may duplicate an already existing thread, but I hope it has a slightly different twist. Consider this theory of mine. A quality recording of an obscure or somewhat obscure composer (or an obscure piece by a well known composer), by a non-front line group bests a lousy recording of a famous composer by a first-rate group. This isn't really all that startling of a theory. First, any composer who gets recorded must be at least reasonably gifted. Any group making quality recordings must be quite competent at making music. After all, who among us is good enough a musician to make it even into a local community orchestra. (I know how hard it is, having sat in with the Grand Rapids (Mich) symphony. Those guys are good, much better than myself, yet they don't even record at all as far as I know!)
Now, this doesn't mean that I eschew famous composers played by top groups, but I have lots of that material on lousy or just passable recordings. I just don't have enough of them on great recordings. My whole point is the label/recording is the primary determinant in music listening enjoyment. A quality recording is far and away the key thing to find. If it happens to be a classic, all the better.
I have had the label first approach since I was a teenager. I worked at Rose Records in the Chicago loop back in the late '60s. Mr. Rose had this crazy idea to stock all (every last one) of his records by label. He had Schwann catalogs all over the place so you could find what you wanted by composer. But the real way to go was to thumb by label.
So, here is what I want to see. I want a list of, say, 5 great recordings. Give the composer-title, group and label. I am primarily talking classical (in the most generic sense, that is, non-pop) material here, since the bigger the ensemble, the more difficult it is to get good reproduction. Although seeing pop entries won't hurt. What I hope to find with this is what labels are the ones' that have it figured out.
Here is a starter list from myself in no particular order:
- Don Gillis - Music Inspired by the American Southwest, Albany Symphony, Albany Records
- Alan Hovhaness - Mount St. Helens Symphony - Seattly Symphony - Delos
- Beachcomber (Assorted encores for band) - Fennel and the Dallas Wind Symphony, Reference Recordings (probably my absolute fav. CD)
- Bach - St. John Passion, Harmonia Mundi
- Dvorak - Slavonic Dances - Ivan Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orch.- Philips (the only SACD in the list and no better than any of the above in recording quality/playback).
