Totally agree. The 7th, 8th and 9th by Dohnanyi and the CO used to be available as a set (maybe is still available, or obtainable second-hand) and is absolutely superb. Great performances. Audiophile sound too. Edit. Just found this :
Then you have probably already heard another excellent Stravinsky recording by Herreweghe, with the Symphony of Psalms, the Mass and a few other choral items: https://www.amazon.com/Monumentum-Mass-Symphonie-Psaumes-STRAVINSKY/dp/B002VD5DZG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1537192132&sr=8-1&keywords=Stravinsky:+Monumentum+-+Mass+-+Symphonie+de+Psaumes&dpID=51OLVL4RSyL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch. I'm sorry to say that I just received a mail (like many others I'm sure) cancelling the Menuhin box. I'm tempted to get it from jpc instead for €99. Not as good as £35 but still not bad.
I am very familiar with Arrau's analog cycle of the Beethoven piano sonatas. Is there anything in the later digital cycle worth hearing performance wise?
No, I have not heard that Herreweghe. It goes to the top of the queue! Also disappointed about the Menuhin. I have this bad feeling I shouldn't have mentioned it...I jinxed us all. </grandiose paranoia> By coincidence: Kurt Weill: BERLINER REQUIEM, VIOLIN CONCERTO, etc. (Philippe Herreweghe - HM, 1992) Also Stravinsky's Threni, cond. composer from Sony big box.
Enjoying this lovely disc! energetically played, beautiful sound. Next up, Karajan playing the 5 symphonies.
Now enjoying Mendelssohn's fifth symphony from the above box set. It's great to be listening to these symphonies, as I have only heard them once before. I plan to hear all five in the next few days.
Now enjoying these performances from the aforementioned Karajan set. Karajan's 3rd is both powerful and dramatic.
Prokofiev: WAR AND PEACE (Mariinsky/Gergiev - Decca) Finally putting the wraps on this set of Gergiev's Prok operas. I'd been procrastinating listening to WAP for months: kind of a haul (almost 4 hours), but enjoyable.
Kurt Weill: STRATAS SINGS WEILL (Teresa Stratas, Gerard Schwarz et al - Nonesuch, 1986) Play it to the rafters, girl! I will also be listening to her earlier UNKNOWN WEILL album soon. Also RISE & FALL OF CITY OF MAHAGONNY dir. Latham-Koenig (Capriccio).
Arrau playing Annees de Pelereinage was in my heavy rotation since I received the box. These are exemplary performances particularly on La Chapelle and Valle d'Oberman. This is a set where I would have liked to hear him record all three books, I could easily see them becoming favorites. As it is I don't have a favorite complete recording of all three, the best ones are usually incomplete Also revisited this well received set, which still not completely to my taste, tempi are on the brisk side compared to Bolet, Berman, Arrau, Rubackyte and emphasis at dynamic markings is a bit soft.
Mischa Levitzki and Guiomar Novaes playing the Chopin Preludes. Novaes and the half dozen Preludes is among my favorite on this set and were among the most played. Op. 28/9 was the only one not to my taste. And also this excellent disc: If it seems like my listening is particularly heavy on piano music, it's because I have a decent headphone setup at work and I only like headphone listening for music scored for solo instruments. By the time I get back in the evening there are other things that occupy my time
Krenek: COMPLETE STRING QUARTETS (Sonare-Quartett - MDG, 4cd, rec. late 1980s) Pretty astringent, music of anxiety. I have been in the right mood for it, so what I take as the anxiety and mournfulness of much of it---not that those are my current moods, exactly---has had a quickening effect on the blood. Also more of the Stravinsky/Columbia set: notably Movements for Piano & Orchestra [1958-9] (with Charles Rosen), which I loved. plenty of the serialist plink-plonk, but also a riot of color and maybe humor. Who's to know? Supposedly music expresses nothing! Another piece I will seek out more recordings of. Maybe the Osborne/Volkov on Hyperion.
Weill: DER SILBERSEE (Koln RSO, Jan Latham-Koenig - Capriccio) I learned from an Amazon review that the Leipzig stage premier was directed by Detlef Sierck!
Brahms Piano Quintet (Pollini), Brahms String Quartets N0 1-3 both with Quartetto Italiano. And continued to explore much of the Arrau box for recordings I hadn't heard. Decent performances Brahms piano sonatas including the little recorded second. These two came in from Amazon: Enjoy your weekend all.
Making my way through this CD, Partita 6 (BWV830) was very good, liked the Brahms Piano Sonata 3 as well, always nice to have another lively performance of that. The verdict is out on the Chopin Preludes, maybe just needs some more listens... or not
I will give them some more listens, these are interesting performances that I can't characterize with one broad sweeping description. Some of them like Op.28/3 are so uniquely "old school" yet others aren't, that is one aspect that threw me.
Krenek: COMPLETE WORKS FOR CELLO (David Geringas et al - Koch, 1999) Also another disc from the big Stravinsky/Columbia box: a terrific program of solo piano music from Stravinsky and Schoenberg, played by Rosen. One of those times when I am actually happy about the "original album" scheme not leaving out "irrelevant" content.
This is one of my absolute favorites for a complete recording of all the JS Bach Partitas on piano, listened to BWV830 and 828 Abbado/Lucerne Mahler Symphony 3 And continuing to make my way through the Gardiner JS Bach Cantatas box set with BWV127, 159, 182
Now checking out the Danish String Quartet’s new release: Bach: Fugue in E flat BWV 876 Shostakovich: String quartet no. 15 Beethoven: String quartet no. 12 I am enjoying it a lot. Highly recommended.