[Noumenon]

Hmmmm. The conductor/performer is every bit as important as the work itself. Here are my picks...

 

1. Beethoven Symphony #7, Neville Marriner and the Academy of Saint Martin of the Fields. Lush and romantic, recently reissued on Sony Classics.

    

2. Beethoven Symphony #9, Leonard Bernstein. Bernstein lets it all hang out on this, one the finest recordings of the 9th I've heard.
   
3. Symphony No. 8 in E flat major ("Symphony of a Thousand") , George Solti. This 1971 recording is, IMHO,the most coherent, electrifying and emotionally involving of all the versions of the 8th. I've got both the CD and the old Columbia LP versions. The choir and the individual voices are stunning and elegaic. Done without the bombast to which many conductors fall prey when doing Mahler. The final movment, Blicket Auf, just opens the top of your head and lets the light of the divine shine in.
   
4. Mahler Symphony No 2 in C minor, "Resurrection", Eugin Slatkin and the St. Louis Symphony. Great sonics and a passionate performance of this work. Claudio Abbaddo's rendition is perhaps a little better, but nowhere near as good in terms of recording engineering.
   
5. Dvorak Symphony No. 9 in E minor ("From the New World"), From the Amazon.com review: "This, the first of Leonard Bernstein's two recordings of this symphony, is vastly superior to his remake on DG. It's a vital, impulsive performance, with a daringly fast tempo in the Scherzo, and a very satisfying culmination in the closing pages. It's simply another reminder of what a reliable, and above all musical, conductor Bernstein was. This mid-price series, called "Bernstein Century," is a real collectors' edition. Great stuff. --David Hurwitz." Ditto.
   
6. Mozart - Don Giovanni. Carlo Maria Giulini's remastered release of this recording is the distillation of Mozart's genius. 
   
7. Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 21 and 24. Reference Recordings  #68. Eugin Istomin and the Seattle Symphony.  Istomin might be a little rough on the keys in places, but he has a great rapport with the SSO, and the playful side of Mozart's genius is well served. Crystal clear sonics and and spectacular dynamic range earn this one a place in my own 'reference recordings'
   
8. Mussorgsky - Pictures of an Exibiton (Ravel Orchestrations) · Schumann · Chabrier · Debussy · Ravel / Eiji Oue · Minnesota Orchestra. Reference Recordings - #79 Yeah, I know - Minnesota? Has an ORCHESTRA? But Eiji Oue turnout a stunning performance of this work. I'm cheating here as well. Moussorgsky and Ravel on the same CD is in this case a great two-fer, along with the usual breath-taking clarity of Reference Recordings'  superb engineering. And I'm also playing a little bit loose with the time period - these pieces are just barely turn of the 20th century.
   
9. Vaughan Williams: Fantasies/The Lark Ascending/Five Variants.  Neville Marriner and the Academy of Saint Martin of the Fields. Uni/Argo - #14595. Alright, so I'm fudging the timeline once again. Can't help my affinity for Vaugh Willaims' romanticism and his use of polyphony. Got both of these on CD and LP. Nice mix of short pieces. My 1972 LP is still holding up well.

    

10. Bach - The Complete Brandenburg Concertos / Martin Pearlman, Boston Baroque. Telarc - #80412. Best of the Brandenburgs. Music from a higher plane of existence. What can I say?

 

This list wouldn't be complete without a system capable of doing it justice. My system at present:

Preamp: ARC LS22 - retubed with NOS 70's Russian 6H23s
Power amp: Pass X350 power amp
CD transport: Classe CDP-1 CD player
DAC: Bel Canto DAC-1.1 24/96 upsampling DAC
LP playback: Linn LP12 / Ittok VII / Dynavector DV 10X4 turntable/arm/cartridge combo
Loudspeakers: Magnepan MG20R speakers w/XO20 crossover.

Cables and interconnects
Cardas Golden Cross and  Synergistic Research Reference interconnects
5' Electra Glide Speaker Glide solid silver ribbon main speaker cables (Dave Elrod's latest mods)
4 pair of .5 meter Audio Magic Spellcaster II silver jumpers (to go from the XO20 crossover to the MG20Rpanels themselves)
Electra Glide Fatboy power cables.
Bybee Signature Pro power purification.

 

 

[Pharmboy]

Thanks for adding the performing artists. Definitely adds dimension to the choices; and, you obviously know what the hey you're talking about. I will look for the ones you suggest to replace the old ones that I have on LP.

Best to you, friend,
PB

[johnboy]

i'll bet you turn off the lights when you listen to avoid the electrical interference caused by the light bulbs?

[KC Burke]

Your system description has given me true envy. Have you listened to Slatkin's Carmina Baruna on it?