Favorite Classical CDs by NickVolos

If you made it this far down, you just discovered my favorite chart of all - a list of my favorite classical CDs. Most of these CDs are collections of multiple of the composer's works - in some cases spanning the whole lifetime of the composer - rather than individual works. The chart is sorted based on my favorite collection of a composer's work and not based on the performer(s) and/or conductor that interprets it. All selections are rated 100 as all represent the absolutely top most quality that music has to offer. Reverse this chart from 100 to 1 and the music in it remains beautifully perfect.

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These six quartets (counting the Große Fuge) comprise Beethoven's last major, completed compositions. Although dismissed by the musicians and audiences of Beethoven's time, they are widely considered to be among the greatest musical compositions of all time. The Late String Quartets inspired many composers and musicians. Igor Stravinsky described the Große Fuge as "an absolutely contemporary piece of music that will be contemporary forever". Richard Wagner, when reflecting on Op. 131's first movement, said that it "reveals the most melancholy sentiment expressed in music". The quartets have been performed and recorded by string quartets worldwide. (wikipedia) [First added to this chart: 11/07/2013]
Year of Release:
1993
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Rank in 1993:
None
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None
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The idea of a "perfect recording" is, of course, chimerical. But Trevor Pinnock's "Brandenburg Concertos" and "Orchestral Suites" come pretty close to the mark. There are two factors which put this 3-CD set in the category "very special": One is the sheer musicianship of the young English Concert team. Every soloist seems to want to outdo the others in technical skill, tonal clarity and emotional verve. Listen to Pinnock himself on the harpsichord in the Brandenburg Concert No. 5; listen to Lisa Beznosiuk accompanying him on the traverse flute; listen to Simon Standage, Philip Pickett and Rachel Beckett in Concert No. 4 ... and so the list goes on. This is an unending sequence of instrumental delights, and only someone who dislikes Baroque period instruments on principle will fail to experience heights of enjoyment of this exquisite sound. Which brings me to the second factor: Seldom have I heard such a brilliant recording! Deutsche Grammophon is generally known for superior sound, but this 1982 piece of digital engineering (Brandenburg Concertos) surpasses anything I have ever heard even from this label: Purity, clarity, spaciousness and presence are uniquely combined to provide a listening experience which could hardly be topped. The Orchestral Suite sound (analogue recording from 1979/1980) is only slightly less brilliant and also deserves great praise. I have listened to a number of rival recordings, but nothing captivates me quite like the the English Concert discs. The only slight question mark could perhaps be put behind the Sixth Brandenburg Concerto, which in its Adagio slow movement seems to lack a little fire. Generally, Pinnock has chosen tempi that are moderate, and although musicologists and interpreters since this recording (Goebel; Rampe) have argued cogently for faster rhythms, their efforts sound decidedly contrived in comparison with Pinnock's easy, flowing version which caresses the ear without betraying any of Bach's depth or humour...(Leslie Richford, Amazon Customer Review) [First added to this chart: 11/07/2013]
Year of Release:
1988
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Rank Score:
15
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I absolutely love this collection of Concertos, this recording was performed by one of the finest chamber orchestras - The English Concert, conducted by Trevor Pinnock from the harpsichord and organ. This is a 5 CD set released in 1988 on the Archiv label. This group covers over three decades of Vivaldi's career from the winter of 1708 until one month before his death in 1741. The format is 'alla rustica' - the musical instuments include violin, viola, violoncello, double bass, transverse flute, archlute, chamber organ, harpsichord, bassoon, theorbo, mandolin, chalumeau, recorder, and oboe and are from the period. This set will give you nearly a day of Vivaldi without interruption. When I have a long stretch of intensive study or writing this is a favorite...Baroque music invigorates the mind like nothing else, bringing out your creativity and mental endurance. Sometimes I will simply watch the sun set to it, enjoying a glass of merlot or hot tea depending on the agenda for the evening. (Hobbitears "Carol Cassedy", Amazon Customer Review)

Note: this is actually a 2001 release but contents are the same.
[First added to this chart: 11/07/2013]
Year of Release:
2001
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Rank in 2001:
None
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None
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It could be said that Schnabel was the archetype of the modern German pianist. In our day his school is represented by such pianists as Backhaus, Serkin and predominantly by Wilhelm Kempff. In all groupings of the Beethoven sonatas, Kempff defines the German school of piano playing through his scrupulous musicianship, severity, strength rather than charm, solidity rather than sensuosity, intellect rather than instinct, sobriety rather than brilliance. It is an approach that stresses planning and leaves nothing to chance. Beethoven's piano sonatas are unique in three respects. First, they represent the whole development of a genius, from his beginnings to the threshold of the late quartets. Secondly, there is not an inferior work among them-in contrast to many of the sets of variations, for example, which tend to be uneven. Thirdly, Beethoven does not repeat himself in his sonatas, each work, each movement is a new organism. In Kempff's performances of the sonatas, he defines the drama of Beethoven's sonata form more precisely, we are bound to notice that it is drama in which the character of the principal theme predominates. In the hands of Kempff, we never lose our bearings, we always know where we are. Kempff performs like an architect draws. We learn more about the architecture of Beethoven through his treatment of harmony. In Beethoven a new movement or theme in a chromatic neighbouring key is unthinkable. (Before him, however, that tireless adventurer Haydn had in his great Sonata in E flat major a slow movement in E major.) When Beethoven does make his way to a distant key-which happens only rarely, and then with logical preparation-there are far-reaching consequences for the whole work. It is not Kempff's duty to give or teach the history of Beethoven's music, history and style can be taught from reproductions; masterpieces such as the performances given by Kempff have something quite different to say.... (Raymond Vacchino M.Mus.(MT) A.Mus. L.R.S.M. Licentiate (hon.)) [First added to this chart: 11/18/2013]
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
131
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Mozart Sonatas lack the pathos and gravity of Beethoven's, but reveal a beauty more etheric and elusive. It is not for nothing that most pianists do not dare to touch them, as they represent a world that seems simple and one-dimensional, but is in fact the complete opposite. Mozart' inclination to simplicity reveals, when played by someone with a kindred soul, his Incomparable Genius. Maria Joao Pires does just that.

Her tone is a delicate and lyrical one: warm, soulful, clear and adept to Mozart's subtle and intricate compositions. What I most like about her is her sense of timing and flowing momentum that expresses the essence of a Mozartean Sonata.

You could say this is the most rounded and soulful collection of Mozart's sonatas . But that would not give enough credit to Maria Joao Pires Artistry. Each and every piece is played with an almost unassuming elegance and clarity; no manierisms, ideosyncracies, just a springing forth of the Music.

She creates an atmosphere of delicate intimacy and tranclucent beauty, I have never heared before. She expresses it all: the elegance and lyricism of Mozart love for Opera, his ability to summon a sense of heartbreaking joy and splendour, longing and humour, deep agony and elusive freedom...the whole gamut of the highest of human sentiments and capabilities.

Of course there are other great boxes such as Brendel, Uchida, De La Rocha, Gould. But Pires' unique empathic sensitivity capture something which surpasses just a great performance but touches the heart of Mozart's music. (Orpheus "a wayfarer", Amazon Customer Review)
[First added to this chart: 11/25/2013]
Year of Release:
2006
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Rank in 2006:
None
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Antonio Vivaldi wrote several settings of the choral composition Gloria. RV 589 is the most familiar and popular piece of sacred music by Vivaldi; however, he was known to have written at least three Gloria settings. Only two survive (RV 588 and RV 589) whilst the other (RV 590) is presumably lost and is only mentioned in the Kreuzherren catalogue. The two were written at about the same time (it is disputed which came first) in the early 18th century.

RV 589
This is the better known setting of the Gloria, simply known as the Vivaldi "Gloria" due to its outstanding popularity. This piece, along with its mother composition RV 588, was composed at the same time during Vivaldi's employment at the Pieta. Two introduzioni exist as explained in the aforementioned article.
As in RV 588, there exists evidence of influence by RV Anh. 23: the first movement's chorus shares similar key modulations to that of the first movement of RV 588, only modified to fit a duple meter instead of the triple meter of RV 588. Motivic material present in the orchestral parts of either piece are also shared, including octave jumps in the opening motives of the piece. The second movement is significantly more chromatic in RV 589, but nonetheless is texturally similar to the setting present in RV Anh. 23, with the use of repeating rhythmic figures underneath harmonic motion. The "Qui Tollis" movement of RV 589 is rhythmically similar to the first few measures of RV 588 (and ultimately RV Anh. 23). The last movement, "Cum Sancto Spiritu," is essentially an "updated" version of movement present in both RV Anh. 23 and RV 588, except extensively harmonically modified, becoming more chromatic than its predecessors, reflecting a maturity in Vivaldi's output and the emerging style of the late Italian Baroque. (wikipedia)

I hope... that when I eventually get to Heaven, assuming that Heaven will be my destination, it sounds just like this!! (L. Worthington, Amazon Customer Review)
[First added to this chart: 11/08/2013]
Year of Release:
1997
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Rank in 1997:
None
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None
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I have heard all these pieces and even played some myself over the years and thought that this was an excellent collection of Mozart's wind concerti. You really get to see the development of this prodigy from his teens (bassoon concerto) to his late 30s, the clarinet concerto was one of his last crowning pieces.

The oboe and bassoon concerti were both delightful and the "clicking" of the keys mentioned by another reviewer are the limitations of the instruments. I'm an oboist and all oboes and bassoons make this noise. I don't find it distracting at all. If you hear it, think of it as an percussive accompaniment. :-) I thought the bassoon concerto to be one of the best interpretations yet and the oboe concerto was confident and bright.

The Sinfonia Concertante (one of my original reasons for purchasing the set) was delightfully balanced and playful - a definite pleasure.

The flute concerto and andante were both fun to listen to as well as the concerto for flute and harp. The horn concerti are always joyful and are a nice balance to all the woodwind (technically-speaking) music.

The clarinet concerto was indeed lovely and played on a basset clarinet so there were some richer tones than when it's played on a typical 'A' clarinet. Superb.

I thought all the concerti had wonderful cadenzas and the orchestra was excellently balanced against the soloists. This is a CD collection that you will never regret and will feed your soul. (Music Freak, Amazon Customer Review)
[First added to this chart: 11/08/2013]
Year of Release:
2002
Appears in:
Rank in 2002:
None
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None
Average Rating:
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Judging from the somewhat sonically compromised recordings available, hearing Arturo Toscanini live really must have been a tremendous musical experience. With the current set of complete Beethoven symphonies remastered to best mono-channeled sonics to date from the archived masters, we can finally hear into the boxy, cramped acoustics of the recording studio and by hearing into the orchestra departments, we can more accurately hear the extremely high level of technical discipline which the great conductor encouraged, if not demanded from his players. Significant unanimity of instrumental attack is filled out with significant single-mindedness when it comes to releasing the note(s), and finally we can hear something like an almost uncanny one-ness of phrasing and tempo, both within instrumental groups and across them.

The spillover is music, music, music. Once he got all his players sufficiently together, Toscanini had a clear (and typically, compelling) vision of where the composer who wrote the music wanted the music to go. Surely like any gifted music-maker, Toscanini no doubt had his worse days and his better days. After listening through all nine Beethoven symphonies in remastered sonics on headphones, a modern listener can pretty much finally get enough of what Toscanini was doing with his players, and when it comes to Beethoven, it's fairly difficult in the final analysis to gainsay Toscanini as at least one way that Beethoven does sound, can sound, ... and perhaps ought to sound?

Each one of the nine stands tall as utterly indispensable in these famous Toscanini readings which, as people duly note, have hardly been out of print since their first release on vinyl. The familiar dynamism of the odd-numbered symphonies comes across without hesitation; but the even-numbered works have genuine Beethoven force and energy, too. (Dan Fee, Amazon Customer Review)
[First added to this chart: 11/09/2013]
Year of Release:
1958
Appears in:
Rank in 1958:
None
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None
Average Rating:
Comments:
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The six string quartets opus 20 by Joseph Haydn are among the works that earned Haydn the sobriquet "the father of the string quartet." The quartets are considered a milestone in the history of composition; in them, Haydn develops compositional techniques that were to define the medium for the next 200 years.
The quartets, written in 1772, were composed at a time of tensions in Haydn's life, and also at a time when Haydn was influenced by new philosophical and political ideas that were sweeping Europe. Some analysts see the impact of these emotions and ideas in the quartets. (wikipedia)
[First added to this chart: 11/07/2013]
Year of Release:
1992
Appears in:
Rank in 1992:
None
Rank in 1990s:
None
Average Rating:
Comments:
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This 4-CD set contains Mozart's most monumental (and last) quartets, including the six quartets dedicated to his dear friend and colleage Joseph Haydn, the lone "Hoffmeister quartet" and the last "Prussian" quartets. All are masterpieces of the genre, especially the "Haydn's" which Mozart (uncharacteristically) toiled long and carefully to compose out of respect and admiration for his elder friend. Upon hearing these performed, Haydn pronounced to Mozart's father the now-famous quote about young Mozart being the greatest composer he knew in person or by reputation. As the pioneer of the modern quartet, Haydn knew great quartet writing when he heard it and he was right - these turned out to be among Mozart's greatest chamber works. (the quintets perhaps being the only greater works).

The Austrian Alban Berg Quartet executes these quartets with their characteristic and supreme suppleness, precision and elegance. "Polished" is a common description I see concerning their style. The music here sounds really, really great - for the perfectly honed compositions of Mozart to the impeccable performances of the Berg to the clear, vibrant sound quality. I normally favor the Quatuor Mosaiques for quartets, but here for Mozart's quartets, I think The Alban Berg Quartet is hard to beat. Indeed, this is what Penguin Guide concluded who awarded this set with a "Recommended Recording" and described it as "one of the most distinguised sets of the late quartets that has not been surpassed." What also makes this set so valuable is that it contains the last three quartets in addition to the Haydn Quartets - an obvious but not so common coupling. So, all the above factors make this set highly desirable and a fabulous value. (Alan Lekan, Amazon Customer Review)
[First added to this chart: 11/12/2013]
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank in 1991:
None
Rank in 1990s:
None
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 27. Page 1 of 3

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Favorite Classical CDs composition

Decade Albums %


1930s 0 0%
1940s 0 0%
1950s 1 4%
1960s 0 0%
1970s 3 11%
1980s 3 11%
1990s 8 30%
2000s 12 44%
2010s 0 0%
2020s 0 0%
Country Albums %


United Kingdom 9 33%
United States 3 11%
Italy 3 11%
Netherlands 2 7%
Mixed Nationality 2 7%
Austria 2 7%
Portugal 1 4%
Show all
Compilation? Albums %
No 3 11%
Yes 24 89%

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