[Tyson]

Here is a list I put together of some of the great sets of classical music out there (pretty much all "bargain" priced), I thought I'd gather it in to it's own post so that it might act as a "reference" of sorts.  Please feel free to add more rec's, as the list is hardly comprehensive.

I focused on inexpensive sets as they tend to offer great value, and they are a great way to get a lot of music for very little money.

Bach Solo Cello Suites - Fourneir playing

Bach - Brandenbug Concerto's and Violin Concerto's

Bach - Solo Violin - Milstein playing

Bach - Goldberg Variations - performed by Hewitt

Bach - Well Tempered Clavier - performed by Hewitt

Bartok - 3 Piano Concertos - Performed by Anda and conducted by Fricsay

Bartok - Concerto for Orchestra - Reiner Conducting (SACD Hybrid)

Bartok Violin Concerto 2 and Stravinsky Violin Concerto - Mullova playing, Salonen conducting

Bartok String Quartets - Takacs playing

Beethoven Piano Concertos- performed by Fleisher

Beethoven Symphonies- conducted by Szell

Beethoven Middle Quartets - performed by Emerson Quartet

Beethoven - Violin Sonatas - performed by Ashkenazy and Perlman

Beethoven - Piano Sonatas (selection) - Performed by Pollini

Brahms - Symphonies - Performed by Wand

Brahms Trio's - performed by Florestan Trio

Brahms Piano Conceros - Performed by Gilels

Brahms - Violin Concerto - Performed by Hilary Hahn

Brahms - Piano Quartets - performed by Beaux Arts Trio & Trampler

Bruckner Symphonies - Conducted by Jochum

Chopin solo piano - Performed by Pollini

Debussy & Ravel Orchestral Music - conducted by Martinon

Debussy Solo Piano Music - performed by Fergus-Thomson

Dvorak- Symphonies 7 through 9 - Conducted by Kubelik

Dvorak - Cello Concerto - performed by Fournier

Haydn - Middle Symphonies - Conducted by Adam Fischer

Haydn - "Paris" symphonies - conducted by Dorati

Liszt - Hungarian Rhapsodies - performed by Cziffra

Liszt - Years of Pilgrimage - Performed by Lazar Berman

Mahler - 9 Symphonies - conducted by Bernstein

Mozart Piano Concerto's - performed by Brendel

Mozart Symphonies - conducted by Menuhin

Mozart horn, clarenite, flute, etc. Concerto's - performed by Orpheus Chamber Orchestra

Prokofiev Piano Concertos - Performed by Ashkenazy

Prokofiev Violin Concertos - performed by Oistrakh

Rachmaninov - Symphonies and Orchestral music - conducted by Ashkenazy

Rachmaninov - Piano Concertos - performed by Ashkenazy

Ravel Orchestral music - conducted by Dutoit

Saint Saens - Piano Concertos - Performed by Roge

Schnittke - String Quartets - performed by the Kronos Quartet

Schubert - Symphonies - performed by Marriner

Schubert - Piano and String Trios - performed by Beaux Arts Trio

Schubert - Impromptus - performed by Brendel

Schubert - last 4 String Quartets - performed by the Quartetto Italiano

Schubert - Piano Sonatas - performed by Brendel

Schumann Symphonies - conducted by Sawallisch

Scriabin - Piano Sonatas - performed by Roberto Szidon

Shostakovich String Quartets - performed by Borodin Quartet

Shostakovich Symphonies - conducted by Barshai

Shostakovich - Cello Concertos - performed by Kleigel

Shostakovich - Violin Concerto #1 - performed by Vengerov, conducted by Rostropovich

Shostakovich - Violin Concerto #2 - performed by Vengerov, conducted by Rostropovich

Sibelius - Symphonies 1,2,4,5 - conducted by Davis

Sibelius - Symphonies 3, 6, 7 & Violin Concerto - Conducted by Davis

Sibelius - Violin Concerto - performed by Mutter, conducted by Previn

Richard Straus - various orchestral music - conducted by Solti

Stravinsky - Rite of Spring & other Orchestral - conducted by Tilson Thomas

Tchaikovsky 4 through 6 Symphonies - Mravinsky conducting

Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto - performed by Argerich, conducted by Dutoit

Tchaikovsky - Violin Concerto - performed by Chung, conducted by Previn

Vaughan Williams - Symphonies - conducted by Haitink

Vivaldi 4 seasons & other Concerto's

Wagner - "The Ring" - conducted by Solti

Walton - Symphonies and Concertos - conducted by Previn

[TheChairGuy]

Fabulous Tyson, BIG thanks  

[corwin99]

Great List! I will have to take a look at some of those. I don't have a single one of those CDs that you listed, though i have LP versions of a couple.

Here are a few i have to add:

Sibelius: Karelia Suite, Tapiola, etc / Davis, London SO
http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1513720

Four Seasons - Vivaldi, etc / Carmignola, Marcon, et al
http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=2896541

Songs Without Words - Mendelssohn, Liszt, et al / Perahia
http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1712697

[lonewolfny42]

Thanks Tyson !!! Another excellent list...and a few more I need to purchase I see.  

[Mike-48]

Hi Tyson,

Nice list!  I  notice you have a couple of Haydn symphonies. The six "London" symphonies with the Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Colin Davis are on the Philips 50 series, which I believe is midpriced or 2 discs for one or both. I got my copy (2 discs) on eBay, and I like the performances quite a bit. They are on modern instruments but lively, as Haydn must be.

Also, Haydn's string quartets are remarkable. There is a wonderful complete set on Philips by the Angeles Quartet. That is a bargain if you want all of them, but it's about $125 for 23 disks.  For just a few quartets, the Emerson Quartet has "The Haydn Project," on DGG I believe.  Those are all on modern instruments.

I just got a recording of Shostakovich's 24 Preludes and Fugues by Scherbakov on Naxos. Wonderful music, incredible performance, good recording, and cheap.  (The competing ECM recording by Jarrett sounds beautiful, but his playing of this most personal music is much too cold for me.)

Finally, I have gotten many wonderful recommendations for classical recordings from the Usenet group rec.music.classical.recordings.  The hardcore will read the entire group; but for recommendations on a single work, it's a lot easier to make a Google Groups search on the name of the work and composer. Especially recommended before bidding on eBay disks or buying sale items, as the precise recording of anything you are thinking of almost certainly has been dissed -- er, discussed -- on r.m.c.r.

Here's to the music!

[Tyson]

Yep, I'm a big Haydn fan - I've got the complete sets of Symphonies by Fischer and by Dorati, as well as the smaller sets by Jochum, Davis, and a smattering of Bruggen, Kuijken, & Goodman.  Fischer is easily my favorite for the middle symphonies, and Dorati for the later symphonies, with Davis and Jochum tied for 2nd in the later symphonies, behind Dorati.  I also have the Angeles and the Aeolen quartets complete sets, and you are right the Angeles is pretty amazing.  Don't have the Emersons mini-set yet, but it won't be long

[Mike-48]

Tyson,

I don't know that I'd recommend the Emersons if you already have the Angeles set.  The Es give very good performances in very good sound, but they are not particularly characterful, and I recommended them only as a good introduction.

I do like the recent Lindsays recordings (on ASV), though they are not for everyone. There can be occasional intonation problems and sloppy playing, but the performances are intense and committed without making H. sound like Beethoven.

If you like old-instrument sound, the Apponyi Qt has a nice, lively recoding of the six Op.33 quartets.  That would be different enough from either the Angeles or the Lindsays to deserve a listen, given that you are a big Haydn fan.

Do you have others than the Angeles right now, and can you recommend any of the ones you have?

[Tyson]

OK, added a "few" recordings to the above list  

Mike,
I have the Angeles, the Aeolin, and a few individual CD's by other's that I'm too lazy too look up right now.  The Angeles are clearly the best of anything I have right now.  I'm keeping the Emersons on order as I like hearing different artists' takes on the repertoir I like.  Plus I am a big Emerson fan (although becoming less of one over time, oddly).  I've never been a big fan of the Lindsay's, but they did have a Dvorak Piano Quintet and Piano Quartet on CD a while back that I did like. so I'll have to check out their Haydn.

I find that lately I'm tending to skip the entire romantic era in my listening, focusing mainly on Bartok, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, then skipping back to Scarlatti, Bach, and Haydn.  Odd, but there it is....

[Mike-48]

I've never been a big fan of the Lindsay's, but they did have a Dvorak Piano Quintet and Piano Quartet on CD a while back that I did like. so I'll have to check out their Haydn.

I had their Schubert, and I found it too noisy and uncoordinated. Likewise, their earlier versions of Haydn (now on MHS) were way too scrappy. Their newest Haydn releases (on ASV) are more refined but they still really dig in to it.

I find that lately I'm tending to skip the entire romantic era in my listening, focusing mainly on Bartok, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, then skipping back to Scarlatti, Bach, and Haydn.

It sounds like we have similar tastes -- but I do enjoy Beethoven and Brahms, especially the Beethoven sonatas and quartets & the Brahms clarinet works.