In the 1980s I attended a concert by the European Youth Orchestra led by Claudio Abbado at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam. One of the extras was Ligeti's Ramifications. It made a deep impression on me, wonderful.
This is one of my very favorite recordings of the Beethoven Piano Concerto No.3. Richter and the Vienna SO led by Kurt Sanderling. DG 1966. The outer movements are very energetic; I only wish the tempo of the second movement wasn't quite so lethargic. The finale, however, is full of fire and spontaneity. Just brilliant. The Rondo for Piano and Orchestra filler is equally exciting. DG's sonics are a bit dated and thin, but I quickly adjust to it and just enjoy the performance. Richter's piano is well recorded and really punches through.
What do you think of this recording George? I have it as well and after 2 or 3 listens decided I don't really care for it. I find the sound quality poor and the performance nothing great either. My current favorite Mahler 1, which I listened to twice today, is Boult and the London Philharmonic on Everest from 1958.
I wanted to add that I also have Walters Mahler Symphony No.2 with the New York Philharmonic from 1958. It is my favorite version of Mahler's Second Symphony. I find it to have much better sound than the first and an excellent interpretation. My copy is a 2015 Japanese reissue on a single CD of about 80 minutes and it has excellent mastering. I think it is still available on Amazon.
Enjoying some more Rachmaninoff. I love the pianists energy, but I always felt he was lacking in the tone department. Whether it was the fault of the recording or the pianists fault, I cannot say.
I am a fan as well although I only own a few other recordings by him. His Beethoven's Sixth Symphony is a desert island disc for me. I also have a recording of Schubert Symphonies by him that is excellent. The mono Mahler 1 is the only Walter recording that I don't care for of what I've heard.
I went to considerable expense to buy a copy of the Walter/PSONY Mahler 1 as a Japanese import at DC's late, lamented Serenade Records back in the relatively early days of CD, when only the later, stereo CBS SO recording had been released in that format in the United States. I've always been fond of the mono account, much more than of the stereo; I guess a lot depends on one's tolerance for pre-stereo recorded sound. I know I've mentioned this before, but maybe not since some participants in the present discussion joined the CMC, so: the LP issue of this recording, with the same cover art, is well worth owning even if you don't have a turntable, as its liner notes are unusually good. The record is hardly a rarity; accordingly, a copy shouldn't be hard or expensive to get. I can't speak to the notes in the Heritage reissue, which I've not seen, or in my early Nippon CBS reissue, in which they are printed only in Japanese.
On another topic, what’s people’s opinions of the RCA Munch/BSO Symphonie Fantastique? I first fell for this piece live back in high school, and then the first thrift store/estate sale recording I picked up of it was a mono lp of this recording. It’s still my favorite interpretation today, and while the mono lp doesn’t compare to the SACD version I picked up later, it still is a shockingly powerful, great sounding mix (if only the condition of said lp was better haha. You get what you pay for with 50¢ records!)