Me too I don't 'do' vinyl, but one day I will make a big wall display with some colourful classical covers together with classic rock covers (Abbey Road, Sticky Fingers, Who's Next, Dark Side of the Moon, Tapestry, After the Goldrush etc.). Or is this sort of thing deemed too 'trendy hip' nowadays ?
Naxos has reissued some of the MusicMasters recordings, including most notably Robert Craft's excellent recordings of Stravinsky (including one in multichannel). I didn't know they were an offshoot of MHS.
Since I limit my purchases to $1 or less, I will take a chance on just about anything as long as it is in decent shape & looks interesting.
Nonesuch had that whimsical "look" to their early covers ('60s & early '70s) that made them stand out on the rack. Most recordings were sourced from European companies. HIP or not, I think their chamber music releases hold up very well to the best of what came later. Rampal is certainly well-known internationally. Robert Veyron-Lacroix (harpsichord) also appeared on many European recordings back in the day.
Putting some Faust on the turntable for this damp/gray Friday afternoon: Liszt A Faust Symphony (in 3 movements) and Les Préludes (Symphonic Poem No.3). This is an EMI/Angel 2-LP (in gatefold) set that I don't play often--and have not for a long time--so it sounds a almost "new" today. Riccardo Muti conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra, with "The Men of the Westminster Choir" and Gösta Winbergh, tenor. Recorded in the "Old Met," Philadelphia, 1983.
This is a great great piece of music or rather collection of short suites. However it is not easy to perform well if my difficulty in finding enjoyable recordings is an indication. The French are the most reliable performers although on occasion an English group can do it successfully. I have yet to find a German performance I like as they turn it into Bach or Handel. Also many recordings are poor because they have odd balances between the instruments. The harpsichord is the main instrument here but quite a few recordings shove it into the background. FWIW the LP albums I have for Pieces en Concerts are: 1) Laurence Boulay - Erato 2) Trio Sonnerie - UK Virgin 3) Les Dominos - Chants du Monde France I believe the first 2 were also issued on CD. Other performances on CD I like are by Elaine Compareau and the Queens Band - Lyrichord Robert Kohnen / w the Kuijkens - Accent
Not sure, but I believe these are rerecordings of the 6 partitas by Schepkin. Release year, 2016. Beautiful. Rewarding as background music (not an insult to Back) AND close listenings. Schepkin's mellifuous touch is perfect for this extended set.
You have a great collection of recordings of these Baroque French suites. I believe that the only other recording I have is this mono LP issued in 1956 on the Vanguard-Bach Guild label, "Recorded in Europe." It is an ex-radio station copy (discarded by Classical WGH-FM, Norfolk, VA, when they went all-stereo), thus their filing system stickers ("28") appear on the jacket: Unlike the all-French performers on Nonesuch, this is an all-German trio: Gustav Leonhardt (harpsichord), Nikolaus Harnoncourt (viola da gamba), and Lars Frydén (baroque violin). Violin replaces the flute here, but it's acceptable since Rameau offered an alternate score for it (and made accommodations where the violin part goes too low for the flute). Still, I prefer the Nonesuch recording because the flute adds additional color to the trio and Veyron-Lacriox's harpsichord sounds more refined and expressive than Leonhardt's somewhat glassy instrument. Nonesuch's stereo spread also helps balance and better define the instruments. Your comment about the harpsichord being the "main instrument here" is spot on. Rameau left specific instructions that "...above all, the violin and gamba must yield to the harpsichord and must distinguish that which is only accompaniment from that which is part of the subject, by softening their tone still more in the first case."
Erik Satie on the turntable now. Philippe Entremont (piano) performs this wonderfully varied program: Je Te Veux (Valse) Poudre D'Or (Valse) Gymnopédie I Gymnopédie II Gymnopédie III Descriptions Automatiques Les Trois Valses Distinguées Du Précieux Dégoûté Gnossiennes Croquis Et Agaceries D'Un Gros Bonhomme En Bois Avant-Dernières Pensées Premier Nocturne (1919) Recorded in the 1893 l'Église Notre Dame du Liban, Paris, France, November 1979. Issued in the CBS Mastersound series, 1981. My copy is stamped "For Promotion" on the jacket. Recording engineers Georges Kisselhoff and Mark Dearnley.
On Spotify, "The Holy Lady of Chartres" performed by Schola Hungarica conducted by Laszlo Dobszay and Janka Szendrei on Hungarton.
Actually, Chartres is a town in France, southwest of Paris: Chartres - Wikipedia More info about the Lady of Chartres: Our Lady of Chartres Chartres Cathedral - Wikipedia
First listen to CD 10 from "Leon Fleisher - The Complete Album Collection" on Sony. Grieg - Piano Concerto / Schumann - Piano Concerto with the Cleveland Orchestra conducted by George Szell
2001 reissue of recordings made 10/5-8/90, Abbey Road Studio No. 1, London. Producer: Gary Schultz. Engineer: Kevin P. Boutote. I love Rachmaninoff.
