The treasured few
Thu, Dec 1 2011, 10:44AM
Coming home from a 10mile run last night I put on Camerata Salzburg's recording of the Prague and Jupiter symphonies (Vegh) and it got me thinking that I among 1000+ CDs possess a handful of recordings which I wish everybody knew about. Mainly recordings which I think have been overlooked by the establishment; often on smaller recording labels; the type of performances which render all other renditions superflous; works I for the reason of a truly outstanding recording couldn't be bothered attending a concert for; records which if I hadn't known about them would have made my life a poorer one. I am sure that other Forum members have these treasured few in their collection. I'd like to know about them (so that I can get them).
Thu, Dec 1 2011, 4:22PM
#2
RE: The treasured few
The Prazak Quartet are indeed a fantastic Quartet. Their Janacek, Zemlinsky and Schoenberg discs are equally worth finding as are their Dvorak performances. (All on Praga).
Thu, Dec 1 2011, 10:13PM
#3
RE: The treasured few
Parla might have a bigger CD collection than you, HMV, but you did more miles than me - only 8 for me today. Tee hee!
Hmv, since my collection is much larger than yours (I don't dare to mention the number here), it's an impossible task for me to identify some treasured "few".
So, to start with, I will definitely urge you, provided "anything goes" to your collection, to investigate the wide catalogue of the independent label Praga Digitals, the best label on Chamber Music. You can buy, at will, anything you find it interesting. For example, the Debussy/Ravel String Quartets with Parkanyi Quartet is an amazing performance. The Beethoven' String Quartets with Prazak Quartet, the three of the six String Quartets, dedicated to Haydn, of Mozart with Prazak Quartet, etc.
Channel Classics, another excellent label of top quality products, has some exquisite recordings, e.g. Mozart's complete Violin Sonatas with Podger and Cooper, Haydn's late Fortepiano Sonatas with G. Cooper, Mahler's Fourth with Fisher, etc.
Glossa is a fine label of mostly Baroque music, where plenty of the treasures of the past are "reinvented". Some of the most recent precious recordings:
-GRETRY : Andromaque - H. Niquet
-CAMPRA : Le Carnaval de Venise - H. Niquet
Finally, the spectacular Japanese label Exton has a very wide range of excellent recordings. The two SACDs on Haydn Symphonies with van Zweden are my "reference" recordings of these works. (Fortunately, they are available in U.K., but you have to search for them).
In my collection, I treasure some thousands of CD (or SACD), so, if you are interested, from time to time I can always suggest some more.
Praga