What Classical Music Are You Listening To Tonight?

[Josquin des Prez]

Originally Posted by tima

Ok, after the daily parade of Jordi Savall discs I feel I owe it to myself to at least hear one. I know he covers a broad swath of musical geography but I don't have a clue beyond the nice covers. If you were going to recommend to a friend one of his productions - putting the best Savall foot forward as it were - which would it be? If there's anything like agreement on this from the many Savallians here, I'll chose that! Thanks in advance!

You can't go wrong with the soundtrack from "Tous Les Matins Du Monde." It has a little bit of everything, and a lot of that great viola da gamba goodness.

[Kaliar]

Originally Posted by tima

Ok, after the daily parade of Jordi Savall discs I feel I owe it to myself to at least hear one. I know he covers a broad swath of musical geography but I don't have a clue beyond the nice covers. If you were going to recommend to a friend one of his productions - putting the best Savall foot forward as it were - which would it be? If there's anything like agreement on this from the many Savallians here, I'll chose that! Thanks in advance!

There are so many outstanding Savall recordings to choose from...
I would recommend to begin with one of those two :



Just two suggestions out of many, I have yet to find a Savall recording I do not like !

Happy listening !

[Kaliar]

Album : Complete works for solo piano, Vol.7
Composer : Ludwig van Beethoven
Artist : Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano
Released : 2007
Label : BIS
Format : FLAC (24-bit/44KHz)

[AudioNut]

This is fast becoming my favorite piece of music.

I've now listened to seven recordings of this great symphony and I'm having a hard time picking which one I like the best.
I think this one on LP and the Ivan Fischer SACD by Channel Classics are probably my two favorites.

Listening to . . . Mahler - Symphony No. 2 in C Minor - The Resurrection Symphony

New York Philharmonic - Leonard Bernstein, Conductor

Jennie Tourel - Mezzo Soprano
Lee Venora - Soprano

A two record Columbia LP Box Set - Recorded in 1963



An interesting thing about these old box sets is that they were designed and produced to be played on record changers - and the records could be stacked on top of each other and dropped on the spinning turntable.

On this two record set, side 4 is on the reverse of side 1 and side 2 is on the second disc. This really got confusing when there were 5 or 6 records - where side 10 or side 12 would be on the reverse of side 1, etc.

When I bought this set in about 1964, I was using a Garrard Type A record changer, although I didn't stack the records myself. I always figured that the records could be damaged by stacking so I didn't stack.

I also remember going into other peoples houses and seeing records strewn around the room in stacks, not in their jackets, and I'm sure that those discs were trashed years ago as unplayable.

Where, on the other hand, having "taken care" of my records, this set, now 48 years old, is still in near-mint shape, and except for a few "tics" it is like new and sounds incredibly good. I think records will last forever!

[AudioNut]

Listening to . . . Mozart Symphonies 38 - 41

Scottish Chamber Orchestra - Sir Charles Mackerras, Conductor

A LINN records two disc SACD recording.



Of the versions in my (limited) experience, this is the best performance of these symphonies I'v heard and the SACDs are sonically excellent as well. There has been some criticism about the sonics of this recording, but, on my equipment it is a "knock your socks off" recording.

[bart]

Originally Posted by RaceTripper

You can't go wrong with the soundtrack from "Tous Les Matins Du Monde." It has a little bit of everything, and a lot of that great viola da gamba goodness.

I agree.
It was the recording that got my wife and me into this Savallmania!

[bart]

Claudio Monteverdi - Vespro della Beata Vergine
La Capella Reial
Coro del Centro Musica Antica di Padova
Jordi Savall
Solisti: Montserrat Figueras, Maria Cristina Kiehr, Livio Picotti, Paolo Costa
Guy de Mey, Gian Paolo Fagotto, Gerd Turk
Pietro Spagnoli, Roberto Abondanza, Daniele Carnovich



At the risk of boring you guys, another great SACD-set from AliaVox.
Recorded in '88, but very well remastered. You get a perfect feel of the church ambience, voices are beautiful, harmonious, and so clear.
Savall understands this, you can sense that.

[bart]

Originally Posted by jprice

Listening to . . . Mozart Symphonies 38 - 41

Scottish Chamber Orchestra - Sir Charles Mackerras, Conductor

A LINN records two disc SACD recording.



Of the versions in my (limited) experience, this is the best performance of these symphonies I'v heard and the SACDs are sonically excellent as well. There has been some criticism about the sonics of this recording, but, on my equipment it is a "knock your socks off" recording.

I bought in on your recommendation Julian, and I concur with what you wrote!

[Josquin des Prez]

Originally Posted by bart

Claudio Monteverdi - Vespro della Beata Vergine
La Capella Reial
Coro del Centro Musica Antica di Padova
Jordi Savall
Solisti: Montserrat Figueras, Maria Cristina Kiehr, Livio Picotti, Paolo Costa
Guy de Mey, Gian Paolo Fagotto, Gerd Turk
Pietro Spagnoli, Roberto Abondanza, Daniele Carnovich


At the risk of boring you guys, another great SACD-set from AliaVox.
Recorded in '88, but very well remastered. You get a perfect feel of the church ambience, voices are beautiful, harmonious, and so clear.
Savall understands this, you can sense that.

You have an agreement with Jordi to fund his retirement, yes?

The Monteverdi is a great piece. I have the old Harnoncourt recording on Telefunken, which is quite good.

[bart]

Starting the box set:





CD 1: First Book (1686).

Long live Jordi Savall!