I like the Salonen and the Swedish Radio Symphony combo and have all their Nielsen Symphonies CD singles. Below is one of them ...
The good news is I only have Symphonie Fantastique as a duplicate for this box, not much of a bitter pill ...
Yipping and yapping that run throughout Marcia villanesca catch me offguard and scare the schlipft out of me EVERY time...
Then get the Davis earlier sacred music box. The first Berlioz I heard was Romeo and Juliet some 60 years ago I was 14, not the symphony or the requiem. This guy talked to me me like no other. He has never let me down, he is seen by some as this odd stoned French guy, but not a single note is out of place. To me, and that's what it is all about he is one of the greats.
I prefer a more incisive/propulsive approach, but it's well played and recorded (the piano is well forward in the mix). Qobuz 24/88.2
For those interested, it looks like Classicselect.com has shut down. I placed an order ages ago and they filled part of it, cancelled part of it (and refunded my card) and said they'd fill the remaining part soon - which they never did. I'm only out about $20, but some might be out more...
One of my favorite early music LPs. Ciconia's real name was likely Ciwagne with Ciconia being an Italianizing of the Belgian? name. Ciconia mostly lived in Avignon or Northern Italy. He was apparently a part time composer like Dunstable although trying to reconstruct Renaissance/Medieval composer's lives is very difficult. If you weren't part of the aristocracy no one cared. The life dates though are almost certainly wrong as he was likely born between 1365 and 1370. The LP has excellent sonics particularly with the original gold label EMI.
My first recording of this work, 1962, superb, David Ward some Scottish guy as the bass Frier Laurencc has become my goto, when he comes in is one of the great musical moments.
I first thought that he was talking about Gounod’s “Ode to St. Cecilia” and then, while researching the Mackerras recording he mentioned, realised he was talking about Purcell’s piece. Supposedly. But now both you and @Jazzicalit post Handel’s piece. I’m confused.
There are too many Ode to St. Cecilia's out there but the versions by Handel and Purcell have to be the more well-known ones ...
It's nice to have a new recording of the Violin Concerto. Very well played and recorded, as are all of the pieces. I'm not a fan of vocal music, so I only listened to the instrumental parts of the Vocal Symphony.
Ciconia is incredible! His music was light years ahead of his time. I have only this CD by Ensemble Project Ars Nova and I remember I was impressed when I heard it for the first time.