Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo Classical Music Recommendation..

I listen to all my CD's on my 2805 in Direct Mode or Pure Direct mode, which sounds much better than Stereo mode. SACD and DVD-A is a different story...

You might want to get Ted Libby's gudie to building a classical music collection. Available here.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/8ATNASFT20PC/102-2850717-4459305?%5Fencoding=UTF8 This used to be available free. Looks like it is no longer. But you might want to search more than i did. I used this list when I first started. He is very helpful about wadeing through all the different versions available. I found it very helpful. My personal recommendation would be to check out Dvorak Symphony # 9 from the new world Sir George Solti leading the Chicago S.O. and Dvorak Cello Concerto with Jaqueline Dupre and Daniel Barenboim on EMI these should hook anybody on the classics
oz
enjoy the discovery

Few personal favorites:

Bach: Organ Spectacular - Ton Koopman (DVD Audio)
Very good showcase for equipment. Very spacious and enveloping.

Late Vivaldi Concertos - Giuliano Carmignola (SACD)
Very personal and informal interpretation. Sounds very true to life in a small room.

Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos / Paganini Rhapsody - Stephen Hough / Andrew Litton (SACD)
This is a very honest recording, at times almost brutal, still I think it sounds as Rachmaninoff would have played it if he played it today.

... and one more:

Bach: Goldberg Variations - Glenn Gould
Tip - try this at a very low - almost wisper volume.

Yeah, we just got the Golberg Variations. Glenn Gould was amazing--I've never heard anyone play piano like that.

However, we got the triple disc version with both 1955 and 1988 on it.

New, that should be good; the Beethoven 9th is a milestone in the development of the symphony and The Planets is about as sure-fire a piece(along with the others I mentioned)as you'll find. One point is to not pick out a recording of a composition at random; versions of the same piece differ greatly in interpretation and sound. For example, there're over 200 recordings of the Beethoven 9th, but one I'll bring to your attention is this one. If you'd like to order from Tower, I'd suggest that you add the Swan Lake recording to the Beethoven 9th and The Planets to get over the $20 for free shipping.

As far as the mode to use, definitely not 5-channel surround, which is primarily for parties, etc. where more nearly uniform sound is wanted throughout the room, although it's not a realistic effect. When an HT receiver and speakers have been bought, they should be used to direct the ambience contained in 2-channel material to the surrounds where it belongs. No 2-channel mode(e.g. stereo, direct, pure, whatever)should be used. Modes such as DPLII, Neo:6 and Logic 7 should be preferred. My own preference is DPLII, especially with the use of the center width and dimension parameter adjustments.

Just a second recommendation for John Williams Greatest hits 2-CD set. Encompasses most of his movie music and I am always reminded of his ability to deliver very memorable themes.

The Planets is also one of my all time favs.

JohnK, is this not the recording of The Planets to own? Granted, I've only heard about three or four versions, but the Dutoit is far and away the best I know of.

Btw...is the disc I linked to the same as this one?

I have a copy of the disc pictured...but it's twice the cost of the linked one.

Craig, although I have and love the Dutoit Planets(I have five others), my slight preferance is for Mehta, which is a bit more vigorous in spots.

Yes, both the linked and pictured CDs are of the same performance issued at different times under different labels. No remastering was involved. The pictured CD(issued about a year earlier)has status as an "import" and therefore it's only fair to charge twice as much for the same performance because of the immense prestige involved in owning an import. Seriously, of course, some money could have been saved.

In reply to:

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... and one more:

Bach: Goldberg Variations - Glenn Gould

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varkha,

My favorite Goldberg Variations is: A Monk and His Music

The pianist, Fr. Sean Duggan, was my college roommate so I'm naturally biased.