YOU
ARE INVITED TO SUBMIT
YOUR 10 CLASSICAL DESERT ISLAND DISCS
Many
years ago I drove a small French car and in it was a valve radio which
gave a lot of listening pleasure. On Saturday mornings I used to listen
to the BBC and their program "Desert Island Discs". Every
time a person, who was more or less a celebrity, made you contemplate
what would be your own selection of ten discs to take with you when
going into seclusion. You may have had a similar experience.
If
you are a celebrity or not, here is the chance to list your desert
island discs. And you may add comments.
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Your
list of 10 classical analog LPs is welcome and I will publish them on
this page. Your choice may inspire others to broaden their scope. If
you want to add your e-mail address for others to correspond, you are
free to do so. It is not an obligation.
Send
your selection of classical LPs by clicking on the button below. You
may add an explanation why this is your personal choice. Jazz will follow
later. 
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| Submitted
by: Stephen R. Waldee - Manager, Roper Piano Studio, San
Jose, California, USA. (retired classical music broadcaster, programmer,
and radio engineer) |
| 1. JERGER:
Salzburg Court & Baroque Music, Wilhelm Jerger cond. the Bamberger
Symphoniker, Mace LP. Charming neoclassical music in much the
same spirit as Respighi's "Ancient Dances and Airs for Lute"
suites, but with a heartier and more florid orchestral transcription |
| 2. VISKI:
Enigma - Symphonic Poem. Hungarian State Orchestra, Gyula Nemeth,
Mace LP. This work has some of the flavor of Kodaly and early
Bartok, with dark orchestration, a lushness of style and mood,
and heady drama that are very compelling. |
3.
PONCHIELLI: Quartet for Piano and Winds. DI Bonaventura, piano/Philadelphia
Woodwind Quintet, Columbia LP or Sony CD. If a piece of classical
music could actually make one laugh, this is it! Yet it has a
charm and lyricism right out of the bel canto opera style that
make it more
memorable, for me, than most of Ponchielli's other serious achievements. |
| 4. MAGNARD:
Symphony No. 3, OSR/Ansermet - London Lp. None of the modern digital
performances of this piece can touch Ansermet and his orchestra
for poetry and insight: a most moving experience, and my first
choice of all my treasures in the Ansermet discography. |
5. SCHOECK:
Violin Concerto. Lehmann, vn./Zürcher Orchestra/de Stoutz.
Mace LP. I prefer this performance to all others currently available,
as it has greater emotional intensity, surpassing even the dedicatee's
own recording, that of Stefi Geyer. The work deserves to be included
in the
first rank of popular concerti for violin but is almost totally
unknown to concertgoers. |
6. SCHMIDT:
Four Symphonies; Radio Bratislava, Rajter. Opus CD. Ludovic Rajter
seems unique among modern conductors who have recorded the pieces,
in his ability to combine probing seriousness with lush relaxation.
Although there are excellent performances by Mehta, Jaervi,
and Welser-Most, I turn to Rajter's cycle most often. |
7. BIZET:
Fair Maid of Perth - Suite. LPO, Beecham. World Record Club LP.
This 1934 recording has amazing vividness, nascent high fidelity;
and Beecham's performance is the epitome of Gallic wit and taste.
No CD transfer has yet equaled the work done by Anthony C. Griffith
and issued
on LP by WRC. This performance, and its recording, summarize the
remarkable and historic qualities of TB and his hand-picked orchestra. |
8. ELGAR:
Wand of Youth Suites; LPO/Van Beinum. Decca Eclipse and earlier
LP issues. In the postwar period, Van Beinum continued to draw
the same freshness and delicacy from the LPO that Beecham had
evoked in the orchestra's first years. These performances surpass
even the composer's own, as well as later ones by Boult and down
into the current digital era. Here is the moving, childlike simplicity
that Elgar sought nostalgically to recreate, done in absolute
perfection. Sadly, a once-available CD reissue was not made directly
from the Decca master and
is inferior to the first vinyl releases, now rarities. |
| 9.
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Old King Cole ballet suite. LPO, Boult:
Decca recording, on Belart CD reissue. The original ffrr recordings
of British music, done by Sir Adrian shortly after his enforced
retirement from the BBC, have remarkable energy and spontaneity,
and often surprisingly satisfying though monaural sound. This
one is my favorite of a large group of excellent contenders. |
10. BLISS:
Things to Come - Suite. LSO, Bliss - Living Stereo or Decca LPs,
Belart CD. The composer's own 1957 stereo recording has much of
the immediacy and sense of excitement of the performance from
the 1935 film's original soundtrack, but immeasurably better sound.
While Bernard Herrmann turns the piece into an almost Wagnerian
apotheosis of bleakness, Bliss's
own treatment is driving and intensely kinetic, and not as portentous. |
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| Submitted
by: Laurence Howell - December 14th, 2005 - Great Britain |
| 1. BACH:
Violin Sonatas and Partitas, Arthur Grumiaux, 3LP on Philips. |
| 2. FRANCK
and GRIEG: Violin Sonatas, Arthur Grumiaux and István
Hajdu, on Philips. |
| 3.
SHOSTAKOVITCH: Symphony No. 11, Moscow Philharmonic conducted
by Kyril Kondrashin, ASD. |
| 4. BACH:
Suite No. 1 and 3 for Unaccompanied Cello, Daniel Shafran,
on Melodia. |
| 5. PROKOFIEV:
Symphony No. 5, Czech Philharmonic conducted by Ladislav Slovak
on Supraphon. |
| 6. PROKOFIEV
and RAVEL: Concerto No. 1 and For the Left Hand, Andrei Gavrilov
on ASD. |
| 7. BARTOK:
String Quartet no 4, Julliard Quartet (1952 recording) on
Philips. |
| 8. MOZART:
Violin Concertos No. 4 and 5, Christian Ferras on Classics for
Pleasure. |
| 9.
BEETHOVEN: Concerto for Violin, Christian Ferras. This
is the early version with Sargent and RPO, Pathé Marconi. |
| 10. SCHUBERT:
Piano Sonatas 13 and 20, André Krust, on French Harmonia
Mundi. |
| Comment:
My last choice is a good example of what is so rewarding in
collecting Vinyl, unearthing great Artists of the last Century
that are sadly long forgotten. |
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| Submitted
by: Rudolf A. Bruil - December 1st 2005 - The Netherlands |
| 1. BACH:
Hohe Messe - Münchinger - Decca SET |
| 2.
MOZART: Piano Concerto KV 271, 'Jeunehomme' - Ingrid Haebler
+ Witold Rowicki - Philips (if you permit me I will take Haebler's
complete recordings with Witold Rowicki, Colin Davis and Alceo
Galiera) |
| 3. BEETHOVEN:
String Quartet Op. 18 No. 2 - Quartetto Italiano - Philips (I
take the liberty to take the whole box with me) |
| 4.
BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 4 - Conrad Hansen/Wilhelm
Furtwängler - Ariston |
| 5.
MAHLER: Symphony No. 3 - Leonard Bernstein/New York Philharmonic
- CBS 72065/66 |
| 6. SIBELIUS:
Violin Concerto - Christian Ferras/Herbert Von Karajan/Berliner
Philharmoniker - DGG SLPM 138 961 |
| 7. BARTOK:
Concerto for Orchestra - Eugene Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia
Orchestra - Columbia ML 4973 |
| 8. RACHMANINOFF:
Symphonies - Walter Weller, L' Orchestre de la Suisse-Romande/London
Philharmonic Orchestra - Decca D9D3 |
| 9. FAVOURITE
VIOLIN PIECES -
Romano Rubato (Nap de Klijn, violin) and Bianca Ritorno (Alice
Heksch, piano) playing Provost, Ponce, Winternitz, Heuberger,
Von Vecsey, Brandl and Espéjo
- Philips S 06024 R |
| 10.
GRANADOS: 12 Spanish Dances - Thomas Rajna, piano - Crd
1021 (not the Pro Arte CD) |
| Comment:
Münchinger's Mass received less praise compared to his St.
Matthew, but it is a very impressive performance of an impressive
work. Bernstein's Mahler is very human. For me Ferras and Karajan
gave the perfect performance of the Sibelius and I have the bonus
of a strong Finlandia. Weller's is a powerful Rachmaninoff. Romano
Rubato (Nap de Klijn) and Bianca Ritorno (Alice Heksch) playing
Provost, Ponce, Winternitz, Heuberger, Von Vecsey, Brandl and
Espéjo are just perfect and human. And so is Thomas Rajna.
If Spanish Dance No. 2, 'Oriental', is my favorite when played
by Alicia de Laroccha, just listen to Spanish Dance No. 11, 'Arabesca',
played by Thomas Rajna. Although I did choose my selection very
carefully in view of being deprived of the rest of my collection,
I may decide to go to a different island and choose a different
lot. |
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| Submitted
by: Menno Baron May 22, 2006 - The Netherlands |
1. ARNOLD
SCHöNBERG: Serenade for Seven Instruments & Bass
Voice, op. 24
The light fantastic players, Daniel Shulman, conductor. Nonesuch.
This is an incredible recording of great modern music. |
2. EDGAR
VARèSE: Offrandes/Intégrales/Octandre/Ecuatorial
The Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, Arthur Weisberg, conductor.
Nonesuch.
Also fantastic recordings of beautiful pieces by this important
composer. |
3.
ANTON WEBERN: Sämtliche Werke für Streichquartett/Complete
Works for String Quartet.
Quartetto Italiano. Philips.
It is as though they play in your room ! And a very good cover
photo of the players. |
4. THE
NEW MUSIC VOL. TWO - Victrola:
Boulez, Haubenstock-Ramati, Maderna, Rome Symphony orchestra,
Bruno Maderna conducting. RCA Victrola.
The concerto for oboe and chamber orchestra by Maderna is a very
nice and
friendly modern work by this composer who died much too young. |
5. OLIVIER
MESSIAEN: Oiseaux exotiques, Reveil des oiseaux, La Bouscarle.
Supraphon, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Vaclav Neumann, conductor,
Yvonne Loriod
piano. Suprahon.
Also a very beautiful modern word by this amazing composer. You
can actually
hear the birds wake up. An ornothologist would probably recognise
the birds.
Very good recordings for Supraphon. |
6. LUTOSLAWSKI:
Concerto for orchestra / HINDEMITH: Symphony 'Matis der
Maler',
l'orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Paul Kletzki. Decca.
The concerto for orchestra is a powerful piece. Great recordings
by Decca. |
7.
HINDEMITH: Violin Concerto / BRUCH: Scottish Fantasia,
London Symphony Orchestra, Paul Hindemith and Jascha Horenstein,
conductors, David
Oistrach, violin. Decca.
I consider the Hindemith concerto as one of the greatest 20th
century violin
concerto's. This is the best possible performance and recording. |
8.
BéLA BARTóK: Divertimento for Strings / IGOR
STRAWINSKY: Concerto for strings
in D, Dumbarton Oaks,
The Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Edmond de Stoutz,
conductor. Vanguard Stereolab. |
9.
ARVO PäRT: Tabula Rasa, Fratres, Cantus,
Gidon Kremer (in Fratres). Staatsorchester Stuttgart. Dennis Russel
Davies, conductor. ECM New Series.
Beautiful pieces and very good recordings. Music for people who
like
spiritual new music. |
10.
BRAHMS: Piano Concerto no. 1,
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Zubin Mehta conductor, Arthur Rubinstein,
piano. Decca.
Incredible what a power this man (Rubinstein) still has at such
an old age !
Perfect recording and performance of my favourite pianoconcerto.
Decca. |
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