Post by sgb March 27, 2005 (1 of 27)
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Hello all.
I would like to have your contributions to this question:
In your opinion, what is the single best sounding recording of classical music in your collection?
Please note that I am NOT requesting that you limit your contribution to the best sounding SA-CD in your collection, although, if, in your estimation, it is an SA-CD, that's perfectly OK. There may be some of you who regard a regular CD as such. Therefore, my only stipulation is that the recording be playable on either a conventional CD player, or, in the case of single layered SA-CDs, an SA-CD player.
Please be sure to include as complete information as you can about your recording: Composer, Title, Artist, Label & Catalog number. If you know this recording to be out of print, please include this information too.
You might want to choose to elaborate on why you think this recording is the best sounding - I'm sure other readers would like to know - but you are not being admonished to do so.
If you are torn between two or three recordings, then, by all means, please list the others. Please do not list more than five CDs or SA-CDs. If the response is as great as I hope it will be, I don't believe my pocketbook could sustain such a monumental drain.
Thank you in advance for your consideration.
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Post by akiralx March 27, 2005 (2 of 27)
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sgb said:
Hello all.
I would like to have your contributions to this question:
In your opinion, what is the single best sounding recording of classical music in your collection?
Please note that I am NOT requesting that you limit your contribution to the best sounding SA-CD in your collection, although, if, in your estimation, it is an SA-CD, that's perfectly OK. There may be some of you who regard a regular CD as such. Therefore, my only stipulation is that the recording be playable on either a conventional CD player, or, in the case of single layered SA-CDs, an SA-CD player.
Please be sure to include as complete information as you can about your recording: Composer, Title, Artist, Label & Catalog number. If you know this recording to be out of print, please include this information too.
You might want to choose to elaborate on why you think this recording is the best sounding - I'm sure other readers would like to know - but you are not being admonished to do so.
If you are torn between two or three recordings, then, by all means, please list the others. Please do not list more than five CDs or SA-CDs. If the response is as great as I hope it will be, I don't believe my pocketbook could sustain such a monumental drain.
Thank you in advance for your consideration.
I would say that the best sounding recordings I have are all SACDs (in multi-channel) - about 50 classical SACDs compared to 1200+ CDs.
I would rate these 5 as the best sounding classical recordings I have (in no real order):
Dvorak Symphonies Nos 8 & 9, Budapest Festival O/Ivan Fischer - Decca
Mahler Symphony No 4, San Francisco SO/Tilson Thomas - Naive
Chopin: Scherzi etc, Yundi Li - DG
Bartok Concerto for Orchestra, Hungarian Nat PO/Kocsis - Hungaraton
Tchaikovsky Symphony No 4, Budapest Festival O/Ivan Fischer - Channel Classics
I've put in a solo piano SACD as I suspect this thread may be dominated by orchestral recordings.
Of the 5, I would say # 1, 4 and 5 seem to be most recommendable as they are generally accepted as being excellent performances (the Dvorak 8 is better than the 9) as well as technically fine recordings. All are in print as far as I know, and are hybrids.
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Post by sgb March 27, 2005 (3 of 27)
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Thanks, Akiralz. I've had my eye on several of those - the Tchaikovsky 4th is definitely on my want list. Fortunately I have several of the others in your list of 5 too.
Let's hope we get lots of contributors.
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I asked myself this question whilst selling my redbook collection. The most astonishing redbooks recordings (and performances) I've kept, based upon warm strings, explosive dynamics, and huge soundstage: Ginastera's "Panambi" on Conifer with Gisele Ben-Dor and the LSO, and Vaughan Williams' "Job" on Collins Classics with Barry Wordsworth and the Philharmonia. Where are these conductors now????
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Post by Daland March 27, 2005 (5 of 27)
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My list is as follows:
Mozart, Piano Concertos Nos. 9 and 25, Alfred Brendel, Scottish Chamber Orchestra under Sir Charles Mackerras, Philips (multi-channel SACD)
Bach, Concerto in A major and other works for oboe, Alexei Utkin, Hermitage Chamber Orchestra, Caro Mitis (multi-channel SACD)
Rhapsodies, Works by Liszt, Enesco, Smetana, Wagner, RCA Victor Orchestra and Symphony of the Air under Leopold Stokowski, Living Stereo Hong Kong (two-channel SACD)
Works by Rimsky-Korsakov and Borodin, London Symphony Orchestra under Antal Dorati, Mercury Living Presence (three-channel SACD)
Beethoven, Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 4, Stephen Kovacevich, BBC Symphony Orchestra under Sir Colin Davis, Pentatone (four-channel SACD).
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Post by Dinko March 27, 2005 (6 of 27)
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jdaniel@jps.net said:
... "Job" on Collins Classics with Barry Wordsworth ... Where are these conductors now????
Conducting crossover albums for Bryn Terfel and Deutsche Grammophon or "British light classics" for Warner. :rolleyes:
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Post by seth March 28, 2005 (7 of 27)
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While orchestral recordings may give your sound system the most aggressive workout, I find that the best sounding recordings, in the sense that they are the most lifelike, are chamber recordings. The level of detail you get is just no there in orchestral recordings. Unlike orchestral recordings, it sounds like the musicians are sitting in my room, which makes the recording even more thrilling.
I cannot single out a best, but some personal favorites are:
ABQ's Beethoven String Quartets on EMI
Juilliard's Dvorak String Quartet No.12 on Sony
Gilbert's Bach Goldberg Variations on Harmonia Mundi
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Post by LC March 28, 2005 (8 of 27)
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Post by sgb March 29, 2005 (9 of 27)
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What? Only six posts? Surely this group can do better than that. :-)
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Post by zeus March 29, 2005 (10 of 27)
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sgb said:
What? Only six posts? Surely this group can do better than that. :-)
Steve,
You asked: In your opinion, what is the single best sounding recording of classical music in your collection?
I'm not sure I have "one". Many of my SA-CDs would qualify for this, but with different music, performers, venues, recording transparency, etc what's best at any point in time depends solely on my mood. I also have a very few CDs that I think couldn't be bettered by a SA-CD transfer, generally those with limited range like lieder. Or do you mean most "impressive"? What I'd use to show off my system to a less attentive listener? To me, the best sounding discs are the ones that get out of the way so I'm not conscious of listening to a recording. This is rare with CD.
Frankly, I think you'd be better off just choosing music you like that's available on SA-CD. There's a fair number of original DSD recordings to choose from now. Also, I've had great success with the Universal Classics transfers from Japan I've sampled thus far.
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