All recordings recommended here, are available on compact disk. The company label is not specified, because much of this is archive material, that may be available from more than one company.
Arturo Benedetti Michaelangeli: Michaelangeli,who died in 1995, was, without question, one of the greatest artists ever to be recorded, and his recordings are all the more precious, since there are so few of them. Look for his versions of:
Schumann: Carnaval
Brahms: Ballades, Paganini Variations
Chopin: Chopin recital (includes the majestic Bb minor Scherzo)
also, he made historic recordings of Beethoven's opus 111 sonata, and Bach's Italian Concerto.
Andras Schiff: Schiff, who is currently a successful concert pianist and recording artist, has made worthy recordings of numerous works in the Davidsbündler tradition, including:
Mendelssohn: Songs Without words
I can also recommend his recordings of Bohemian composers:
Dvorák: Piano Concerto (with Christoph von Dohnányi and the Cleveland Orchestra), Smetana's Polkas, and Janácek's On An Overgrown Path.
Click here for an excerpt of an interview, where Schiff discusses Robert Schumann.
I can also recommend the recordings of Schumann's works by Alicia de Larrocha, particularly her version of the Fantasie, Op. 17.
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An important aspect of the original Davidsbündler tradition was the composition of songs. Here are some fine interpreters of these songs:
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf: Elisabeth Schwarzkopf had powerful insights into the interpretation of Lieder, by all the important composers. Her rendition of Schubert's "Ganymed," or Wolf's "Kennst Du das Land", will make your hair stand on end. Among singers who are still recording and performing, I would suggest the interpretations of Margaret Price, which are also very insightful.
And for those of you who require a second opinion with respect to Wagner, I'd like to recommend "The Ring of the Nibelungs: an Analysis," by the legendary Anna Russell.
Additional recommendations, by composer:
Schumann: Symphony #2 - Sir George Solti,Vienna Philharmonic
Symphony #3 - Carlo Maria Giulini, Los Angeles philharmonic
Symphony #4 - Wilhelm Furtwängler, Berlin philharmonic
For an in-depth discussion of a recent recording of Schumann's Oratorio, Das Paradies und die Peri, click here.
Brahms: Symphony #1 - Sir George Solti, Chicago symphony Orchestra
Symphony #4 - Wilhelm Furtwängler, Berlin philharmonic
Piano Quartet, Opus 25 - Murray Perahia, piano, with members of the Amadeus Quartet
Click here for a review of a recording of Brahms compositions for viola and alto, by William Primrose and Marian Anderson.
Clara Schumann: Piano Concerto - Virginia Jochum, Bamberg Symphony (also chamber works performed by Jochum with Joseph Silverstein and Colin Carr.)
HEINZ HOLLIGER, the Swiss oboe virtuoso and musicologist, has done much to call attention to the importance of J.D. Zelenka. His recordings of Zelenka's trio sonatas, with an all-star group of musicians, are magnificent.
ANDREAS STAIER, fortepiano specialist, has made recordings which highlight the importance of Jan Ladislav Dusík, whose compositions suggest a bridge between Mozart and Beethoven.
ALEXANDER SCHNEIDER, violinist, conductor, and associate of Pablo Casals, has made an excellent recording of Dvorák's string and wind serenades with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.
The GUARNERI QUARTET made a wonderful recording of Smetana's string quartet "From My Life," which conveys both the rollicking humor of the second movement polka, the pathos and consolation of the slow movement, and the tragic and joyous aspects of the outer movements. It is paired typically with the Guarneris' excellent interpretation of Dvorák's "American" quartet.
In addition, readers are encouraged to listen to some of the many recordings made by such outstanding Czech musicians as violinist Josef Suk (great- grandson of Dvorák ), conductor Rafael Kubelik, and the Smetana Quartet. Beethoven once said that the best musicians come from Bohemia.
A recommendation by a particularly distinguished visitor to this site, during the latter part of the '90s, the late Igor Kipnis:
"If you are looking for the recording of the
Brahms Vier Ernste Gesänge, and have no objection to a
historical performance from 1936, you really should obtain the
classic performance, now available on CD on several labels
including EMI and Music & Arts, of my father, Alexander
Kipnis. For many, this has been the performance of choice for
many years.
Igor Kipnis"
For Eusebius7's list of Later Composers who
tried to keep the flame alive, Click
here.
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