Best Ever Albums

Re: Favourite Classical Music

RFNAPLES — Sat, 9 Apr 2011 10:16:54 GMT

Author: RFNAPLES

Posted: 04/09/2011 14:16

Abbado, Claudio -Mendelssohn: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4
Abbado, Claudio -Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky, Leutnant Kijé, Scythische Suite
Abbado, Claudio -Verdi: Falstaff
Almeida, Antonio De-Franck: Symphony In D Minor; Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3
Arrau, Claudio -Liszt: Sonata In B Minor; 2 Études En Concert
Bartoli, Cecilia-Vivaldi Album, The
Beecham, Sir Thomas -Puccini: La Bohème
Beecham, Sir Thomas-Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade Etc.
Benedictine Monks Of Santo Domingo De Silos, The-Chant
Berglund, Paavo-Sibelius: Finlandia Op26/Tone Poems
Bernstein, Leonard, London Symphony Orchestra-Bernstein: Candide
Bernstein, Leonard, New York Philharmonic-Ives: Symphony No 2 (& Three Short Works)
Bogar, Istvan-Brahms: Hungarian Dances Nos. 1-21
Böhm, Karl -Mozart: Symphonien Nr. 35-41
Bonynge, Richard-Donizetti: L'elisir D'amore
Boskovsky, Willi-Strauss, Johann: Waltzes
Boulez, Pierre-Boulez Conducts Varèse
Boulez, Pierre-Boulez: Rituel/Eclat/Multiples
Boulez, Pierre-Stravinsky: Petrushka & Le Sacre Du Printemps
Boulez, Pierre, Cleveland Orchestra-Debussy: La Mer – Nocturnes – Jeux U.A.
Boult, Sir Adrian & Sir John Barbirolli -Elgar: Enigma Variations & Marches
Britten, Benjamin-Britten: The Turn Of The Screw
Carlos, Walter -Switched-On Bach
Carreras, José, Plácido Domingo & Luciano Pavarotti with Zubin Mehta-The 3 Tenors In Concert 1994
Casals, Pablo -Bach: Suites For Unaccompanied Cello (6)
Cliburn, Van-Rachmaninoff: Concerto No. 3, Prokofiev: Concerto No. 3
Cliburn, Van, Pianist; Kiril Kondrashin Cond. -Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 In B-Flat Minor, Op. 23
Copland, Aaron Cond. The Boston Symphony-Copland: Appalachian Spring
Daniel, Paul-Elgar: Symphony No. 3 (Compl. Payne 1997)
Davis, Sir Colin-Haydn: Six “London” Symphonies
De Sabata, Victor Cond. Maria Callas-Puccini: Tosca
Dorati, Antal -Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture/Capriccio Italien
Du Pre, Jacqueline & Dame Janet Baker-Elgar: Cello Concerto/Sea Pictures
Dutoit, Charles -Holst: The Planets
Emerson String Quartet-Bartok: 6 String Quartets
Fischer-Dieskau, Dietrich & Jorg Demus-Schubert: Winterreise
Furtwängler, Wilhelm-Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 ‘Choral’
Furtwängler, Wilhelm -Wagner: Tristan Und Isolde
Gardiner, John Eliot -Bach: St. Matthew Passion
Gilels, Emil-Grieg: Lyrische Stuke
Giulini, Carlo Maria-Mozart: Don Giovanni
Gould, Glenn -Bach: Goldberg Variations
Harnoncourt, Nikolaus-Beethoven: 9 Symphonies
Heifetz, Jascha-Brahms & Tchaikovsky: Violin Concertos
Hilliard Ensemble, The-Pérotin: Pérotin
Hope, Daniel [Violinist]-Berg/Britten: Violin Concertos
Horowitz, Vladimir -Horowitz: The Complete Masterworks Recordings
Horowitz, Vladimir -Rachmaninoff: Concerto No. 3
Horowitz, Vladimir -The Historic Return - Carnegie Hall 1965 – The 1966 Concerts
Jando, Jeno-Haydn: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1: Nos. 59-62
Järvi, Paavo-Sibelius: Cantatas
Karajan, Herbert Von-Beethoven: 9 Symphonien
Karajan, Herbert Von-Puccini: La Bohème
Karajan, Herbert Von-Puccini: Madama Butterfly
Karajan, Herbert Von-Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht & Variations For Orchestra
Kleiber, Carlos-Beethoven: Symphonien Nr. 5 & 7
Kleiber, Carlos -Brahms: Symphony No. 4
Kleiber, Carlos-Schubert: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 8 “Unfinished”
Kleiber, Carlos -Straus: Die Fledermaus
Kleiber, Carlos-Weber: Der Freischütz
Klemperer, Otto-Beethoven: Missa Solemnis
Kodaly Quartet-Haydn: String Quartets Op. 76 Nos. 1–3
Kubelik, Rafael-Mahler: Symphonie No. 1 & Lieder Eines Fahrenden Gesellen
Levi, Yoel-Barber: Music Of Samuel Barber (Knoxville, Adagio For Strings, Etc.)
Mackerras, Sir Charles-Janacek: Jenufa
Manze, Andrew-Handel: Concerti Grossi 9op. 6
Marriner, Neville-Mozart: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
Mattila, Karita-Grieg & Sibelius Songs
Menuhin, Yehudi-Beethoven & Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos
Molinari-Pradelli, Francesco-Puccini: Turandot
Mullova, Viktoria-Beethoven, Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos
Muti, Riccardo-Brahms: Complete Symphonies
Mutter, Anne-Sophie-Berg/Rihm: Violinkonzert
O’Conor, John -Field: 15 Nocturnes
Perahia, Murray-Handel & Scarlatti: Murray Perahia Plays Handel & Scarlatti
Perahia, Murray-Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21, K.467 & No. 27, K.595
Perl, Hille & Lee Santana-Marais,Marin: Pour La Violle Et Le Théorbe
Previn, Andre-Gershwin: Rhapsody In Blue, Concerto In F, An American In Paris
Previn, Andre-Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2
Rattle, Simon -Gershwin: Porgy & Bess
Reich, Steve & Musicians-Reich: Drumming
Reiner, Fritz Cond. Chicago Symphony -Bartók: Concerto For Orchestra
Richter, Sviatoslav-Brahams: Concert No. 2, Beethoven: Sonata No. 23
Richter, Sviatoslav-Liszt: Piano Concertos & Sonata
Rubinstein, Arthur -Chopin: Mazurkas (Complete)
Rubinstein, Arthur -Chopin: The Complete Nocturnes
Rubinstein, Arthur-Chopin: Waltzes, Impromptus
Salonen, Esa-Pekka-Stravinsky: Pulcinella, Ragtime, Renard, Octet
Schwarzkopf, Elisabeth & George Szell-Strauss, Richard: Four Last Songs, Etc.
Thomas, Michael Tilson -Ives: “Holidays” Symphony
Thomas, Michael Tilson -Ives: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 4
Uchida, Mitsuko-Schubert: Piano Sonata D.960
Various -Cinema Classics: Classical Music Made Famous In Films
Various -Harrison, Lou: Drums Along The Pacific
Various-Percussion Music
Various-Prokofiev: Complete Concertos
Various-Shostakovich: Complete Concertos
Various-The A To Z Of Classical Music
Various-The A To Z Of Opera
Wang, Yi-Dong -Copper Idiophones Over The Drums

my favorites

rilex — Sat, 9 Apr 2011 06:33:37 GMT

Author: rilex

Posted: 04/09/2011 10:33

1. JS Bach - The Well-Tempered Clavier BWV 846–893 1722
2. LV Beethoven - String Quartet No. 14 Cm Op. 131 1826
3. O Messiaen - Quartet For The End of Time 1940-41
4. I Stravinsky - Petrushka 1911
5. L Andriessen - De Staat 1972-76
B Bartok - String Quartet No. 5 1934
A Schnittke - Concerto Grosso No. 2 1982
G Schuller - Octet 1979
P Norgard - Trio 1 Op. 15 1955
D Shostakovich - String Quartet No. 8 Op. 110 1960
F Schubert - Die Wintereisse Op. 89 1827
S Reich - Music for 18 Musicians 1974-76
A Schoenberg - Pierrot Lunaire Op. 21 1912
F Rzewski - 4 North American Ballades 1978
R Crawford-Seeger - String Quartet 1931
T Riley - In C 1964
J Adams - Shaker Loops 1978
A Part - Tabula Rasa 1977
E Varese - Ionisation 1929-1931
D Lang - Child 2003
H Gorecki - Symphony No. 3 Op 36
J Cage - Music for Prepared Piano 1940
A Berg - 3 Pieces for Orchestra Op. 6 1913-1915
JS Bach - Brandenberg Concerti Nos. 1-6 BWV 1046-1051 1721
C Debussy - Pour le Piano L.95 1901
I Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring 1913
G Anthiel - Ballet Mecanique 1923-125
M Gordon - Weather 1999
P Glass - Glassworks 1981
S Reich - Drumming 1970
F Chopin - Nocturnes
LV Beethoven - Piano Sonatas Op. 13, 26, 27, 28, 31, 49, 53, 57, 78, 106, 111
B Bartok - String Quartet No. 3 1927
H Partch - Castor and Pollux 1952
C Debussy - String Quartet Op. 10 1893
John Cage - Aria (w/ Fontana Mix) 1958
L Berio - Visage 1961
JS Bach - The Goldberg Variations BWV 988 1741
C Debussy - Prelude to the afternoon of a Faun L.86 1894
L Andreissen - Worker's Union 1975
A Dreyblatt - The Adding Machine 2002
J Cage - 4'33" 1952
S Reich - Come Out 1966
M Feldman - Triadic Memories 1981
JS Bach - The Art of the Fugue BWV 1080 1751
T Takemitsu - Rain Tree Sketches 1982,92
B Johnston - String Quartet No. 4 1973
M Babbitt - Philomel 1964
G Ligeti - Lux Aeterna 1966
JS Bach - Solo Cello Suites BWV 1007-1012 1717-1723

honourable/questionable mention:

Laurie Anderson - O Superman 1981
Briano Eno - Music for Airports 1978
Meredith Monk - Do You Be 1987

I may amend this in the future. It was hard to do from memory (w/o my record collection on hand), so I inevitably forgot a few of my favorites. I tried to give Opus numbers or the year of composition/publish at least.

Re: Favourite Classical Music

Necharsian — Thu, 7 Apr 2011 11:50:17 GMT

Author: Necharsian

Posted: 04/07/2011 15:50

Since symphonies and orchestras are a large part of the music that I usually listen to, it is just natual that Classical music has a place as well.
My top 3 right now, in no particular order:

1. Prokofiev - Scythian Suite
2. Tchaikovsky - 1812 Overture
3. Vivaldi - Four Seasons

Newer composers to listen to:

Mike Oldfield
Jeremy Soule

Re: Favourite Classical Music

bcaie16 — Wed, 6 Apr 2011 17:26:27 GMT

Author: bcaie16

Posted: 04/06/2011 21:26

My favourite would have to be Glenn Gould's interpretation of The Goldberg Variations.

Re: Favourite Classical Music

mooseboy101 — Tue, 5 Apr 2011 14:01:05 GMT

Author: mooseboy101

Posted: 04/05/2011 18:01

I dont normally listen to classical, when I do it would be the normal stuff everybody knows about like Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, stuff like that.

Re: Favourite Classical Music

CellarDoor — Tue, 5 Apr 2011 13:20:21 GMT

Author: CellarDoor

Posted: 04/05/2011 17:20

I love classical music. BACH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My favs :

1 - JS BACH - Goldberg Variations

2 - WA MOZART - Requiem
3 - A PART - Tabula Rasa
4 - WA MOZART - Symphony n40
5 - S RACHMANINOFF - Piano Concerto n2
6 - JS BACH - Partitas for solo violin
7 - F CHOPIN - Waltzes
8 - S BARBER - Adagio for strings
9 - GF HAENDEL - Messiah
10 - JS BACH - The Well-Tempered Clavier
11 - M MUSSORGSKY - Night on Bald Mountain
12 - ALBINONI - Adagio in G min for violin and organ
13 - PI TCHAIKOVSKY - The Nutcracker
14 - GF HAENDEL - Watermusic
15 - E ELGAR - Enigma Variations
16 - JS BACH - Suites for Cello
17 - A VIVALDI - The Four Seasons
18 - E GRIEG - Peer Gynt
19 - I STRAVINSKY - The Fire Bird
20 - JS BACH - Toccata & Fugue

Re: Favourite Classical Music

Anonymous — Tue, 5 Apr 2011 10:22:47 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 04/05/2011 14:22

Applerill wrote:

Also, I must point out that my version has possibly the worst album art ever.

🤣
okay I completely forgive you for calling it gay now.

Re: Favourite Classical Music

Applerill — Tue, 5 Apr 2011 10:20:21 GMT

Author: Applerill

Posted: 04/05/2011 14:20

Jhereko wrote:

do you have a favourite piece/track? I actually tip my hat to you. many a lesser man would have just cast it off and moved on. Which I guess means I should probably listen to Lavigne, Carlton, Clarkson or Swift 🙄 in time.

Well, the first three tracks were absolutely flawless, and the fourth has this awesome "Paranoid Android" esque violin solo. Five is boring, six and seven are great, and the last two great tracks are ten and twelve.

Also, I must point out that my version has possibly the worst album art ever.

Re: Favourite Classical Music

Anonymous — Tue, 5 Apr 2011 09:57:20 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 04/05/2011 13:57

do you have a favourite piece/track? I actually tip my hat to you. many a lesser man would have just cast it off and moved on. Which I guess means I should probably listen to Lavigne, Carlton, Clarkson or Swift 🙄 in time.

Re: Favourite Classical Music

Applerill — Tue, 5 Apr 2011 09:49:51 GMT

Author: Applerill

Posted: 04/05/2011 13:49

Okay, guys, I just gave The Four Seasons (along with Beethoven's ninth symphony and Bach's first Brandenburg Concerto) another listen. It's actually has some pretty sweet riffs! It also has a good bit of filler (like, half the tracks), but when the good songs hit, there's nothing like it!

I'm giving it an 8.0 out of 10 for now.

Re: Favourite Classical Music

cartoken — Tue, 5 Apr 2011 08:39:40 GMT

Author: cartoken

Posted: 04/05/2011 12:39

Jhereko wrote:

Applerill wrote:

The Four Seasons is gay.

says the guy who proudly listens to Lavigne, Carlton, Clarkson and Swift.

🤣

Re: Favourite Classical Music

Anonymous — Tue, 5 Apr 2011 08:15:53 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 04/05/2011 12:15

Applerill wrote:

The Four Seasons is gay.

says the guy who proudly listens to Lavigne, Carlton, Clarkson and Swift.

Re: Favourite Classical Music

Applerill — Tue, 5 Apr 2011 08:07:57 GMT

Author: Applerill

Posted: 04/05/2011 12:07

Jhereko wrote:

I'm gonna start off by talking about the greatest music ever composed. Vivaldi's The Four Seasons . Essentially this should be no 1 in my all time chart (but I can't be bothered choosing my favourite cd version of it as they do of course differ greatly and there are so many). It seems like a really obvious choice and yes it is, everyone will know at least one piece from it (likely the opener La primavera - Allegro opus OR possibly L'estate - Presto) but that doesn't make it any less grand.
I think of it almost like the first album, 12 tracks with a total of 41 minutes that flow perfectly together. It's a concept album - obviously - and Vivaldi captures the emotions and vibes of each 3 month sector perfectly. I'm going on a bit here but I'll just say do not discard the four seasons as a hallmarky throwaway hokey thing (as i know some do) I mean you can hear all 12 tracks (what sounds like an active modern recording of them) for free on the wikipedia page and also in regards to the discussion and the person who was discussing the value of technology in music these pieces were published over 250 years before the pet shop boys came out.

Classical music has always been important to me and it's a large percentage of what I listened to before I started to hardcore listen to albums (around the age of 16) and honestly think the world could be a better place if people would every now and then take half an hour out to sit in an armchair and chill out to some classical music (with the exception of Hitler/Wagner obviously). I'll also give a special mention to "Rhapsody In Blue" by Mr. George Gershwin another well known but vastly amazing piece.

You covered all areas very well Rilex and you obviously know your stuff, I wish I knew more about classical music and If I had more time I'd devote a decent amount into researching it, I'll just add a few more favourites that I don't think you mentioned (in no order):

VIVALDI (of course)
Sibelius
Saint-Saens
Rossini
Handel
Elgar
Grieg
Liszt
Wagner

The Four Seasons is gay.

No, really.

Last time I listened to it (about two years ago for a performing arts class), the bright (read: EFFEMINATE) textures drove me insane. That's probably where that dirtbag Frankie Valley got his band's name from.

Personally, though, I like Bach (for his all-around genius) and Beethoven (for his Iomi-calibur riffs). Overall, however, I find classical music annoying for the same reasons as prog.

Does that make me immature? Or does that just make me Robert Christgau?

Re: Favourite Classical Music

Anonymous — Tue, 5 Apr 2011 06:10:17 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 04/05/2011 10:10

rilex wrote:

Jhereko wrote:

I wish this site had a way around this very problem. One vote for "Stravinsky conducts The Rite of Spring" is just a vote against Boulez's version.

Would OK Computer be #1 if the music was never recorded by them, but by 42 different interpretors 100 years after they wrote it?

to be fair I think besteveralbums should keep to albums, otherwise it starts getting messy and silly, and since the first thing that was called an 'album' (in music at least) was released in 1909 I think that's a pretty good cutoff (so I guess anything that was intended for recording as opposed to writing).

Ok Computer's already been covered as a whole at least 3 times:

Radiodread
OKX
Strung Out On OK Computer

so who knows 90 years from now, but your point is valid.

Re: Favourite Classical Music

rilex — Tue, 5 Apr 2011 05:55:46 GMT

Author: rilex

Posted: 04/05/2011 09:55

Jhereko wrote:

Re: Favourite Classical Music

rilex — Tue, 5 Apr 2011 05:45:40 GMT

Author: rilex

Posted: 04/05/2011 09:45

SquishypuffDave wrote:

I wonder, how would one distinguish between classical music and certain forms of post-rock? Or even certain forms of symphonic prog. What's the overriding factor that makes something classical or not? I can never quite work it out. I guess you just know when you hear it.

It's all in the score.

Did the author/composer/musician take the time to write it down first?

Nowadays, musicians have little need to write the music down for posterity because a recording makes the pencil moot.

Even though Chopin, for example, was primarily a performer, he needed to write down the music to transcend the fleeting nature of sound apparent in all music before Edison coils ca. 1880.

But recording probably did not become a composer's tool until Das Germans gave us magnetic tape ca. 1940. This coincides with the advent of so-called Musique Concrete ("real" or "concrete" music) as a form of musical expression that was mostly limited to "University Composers."

As most of you know, 4-track machines became available 10 years later ca. 1950 which ushered in a new pass-time for budding musical pioneers. Why bother writing in front of a piano when you can all-but-literally get inside the music, to touch it, see it, smell it, and don't forget, to hear it and immediately?

Re: Favourite Classical Music

Anonymous — Tue, 5 Apr 2011 05:09:18 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 04/05/2011 09:09

I'm gonna start off by talking about the greatest music ever composed. Vivaldi's The Four Seasons . Essentially this should be no 1 in my all time chart (but I can't be bothered choosing my favourite cd version of it as they do of course differ greatly and there are so many). It seems like a really obvious choice and yes it is, everyone will know at least one piece from it (likely the opener La primavera - Allegro opus OR possibly L'estate - Presto) but that doesn't make it any less grand.
I think of it almost like the first album, 12 tracks with a total of 41 minutes that flow perfectly together. It's a concept album - obviously - and Vivaldi captures the emotions and vibes of each 3 month sector perfectly. I'm going on a bit here but I'll just say do not discard the four seasons as a hallmarky throwaway hokey thing (as i know some do) I mean you can hear all 12 tracks (what sounds like an active modern recording of them) for free on the wikipedia page and also in regards to the discussion and the person who was discussing the value of technology in music these pieces were published over 250 years before the pet shop boys came out.

Classical music has always been important to me and it's a large percentage of what I listened to before I started to hardcore listen to albums (around the age of 16) and honestly think the world could be a better place if people would every now and then take half an hour out to sit in an armchair and chill out to some classical music (with the exception of Hitler/Wagner obviously). I'll also give a special mention to "Rhapsody In Blue" by Mr. George Gershwin another well known but vastly amazing piece.

You covered all areas very well Rilex and you obviously know your stuff, I wish I knew more about classical music and If I had more time I'd devote a decent amount into researching it, I'll just add a few more favourites that I don't think you mentioned (in no order):

VIVALDI (of course)
Sibelius
Saint-Saens
Rossini
Handel
Elgar
Grieg
Liszt
Wagner

Re: Favourite Classical Music

SquishypuffDave — Tue, 5 Apr 2011 04:09:57 GMT

Author: SquishypuffDave

Posted: 04/05/2011 08:09

cartoken wrote:

SquishypuffDave wrote:

Nothing really clicks for me when I listen to the "greats" like Beethoven or Mozart. Couldn't say why.

not even Piano Sonata No. 14 Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven, the greatest piece of music ever written in the history of music to date ?

Actually you're right, that song didn't come to mind for some reason. I do love that one.

Re: Favourite Classical Music

cartoken — Tue, 5 Apr 2011 04:07:42 GMT

Author: cartoken

Posted: 04/05/2011 08:07

SquishypuffDave wrote:

Nothing really clicks for me when I listen to the "greats" like Beethoven or Mozart. Couldn't say why.

not even Piano Sonata No. 14 Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven, the greatest piece of music ever written in the history of music to date ?

Re: Favourite Classical Music

SquishypuffDave — Tue, 5 Apr 2011 04:00:54 GMT

Author: SquishypuffDave

Posted: 04/05/2011 08:00

I wonder, how would one distinguish between classical music and certain forms of post-rock? Or even certain forms of symphonic prog. What's the overriding factor that makes something classical or not? I can never quite work it out. I guess you just know when you hear it.

Anyways, my favourite piece of classical music is probably Arvo Part's Spiegel im Spiegel. And I love anything by Erik Satie.

I'll have to check some of these guys out, especially the innovators and minimalists, since that's where my taste seems to lie. Nothing really clicks for me when I listen to the "greats" like Beethoven or Mozart. Couldn't say why.