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Favorite Music

May 19, 2007

by Michael

I’ve had reason lately to consider the question of my favorite music. My iTunes library has 445 albums, most of which I own on CD, a few of which (I confess) I’ve borrowed from friends or the public library. Nearly all of them I think are good. It’s hard to boil down that much music into a list of favorites if you want to share your musical tastes. I’ve given it a go, however; although the list may be a bit long, everything on it seems essential (at least to me).

Ensemble Organum

Corsican Chant
Compostela
Le Jeu des Pelerins d’Emmaus
Laudes de Sainte Ursule

Anonymous 4

Love’s Illusion
Lammas Ladymass

Chanticleer

Magnificat

William Byrd

Three Masses

Ikos (Choral Music from the 20th Century’s three greatest religious composers, Gorecki, Part, and Taverner, interspersed with Gregorian Chants, performed by an English men and boys choir)

The Chieftains

The Celtic Harp
Chieftains 1-9

Altan

The Red Crow

The Corrs

Home

Glenn Gould plays Bach

Goldberg Variations (Both Versions!)
The Well-Tempered Clavier
Violin and Keyboard Sonatas

Glenn Gould plays Mozart

Piano Sonatas

Handel

Concerti Grossi
Messiah
Alexander Balus

Kathleen Battle

Kathleen Battle at Carnegie Hall
Salzburg Recital
Mozart Arias

Cecilia Bartoli

Se Tu M’ami
Chant D’Amour
Mozart Arias

Bryn Terfel

The Vagabond

Comments

On May 19 at 12'58 PMPermalink, Fafner wrote:

1

Have you heard Chanticleer’s Mexican Baroque? Great stuff.

I think Gould plays the Goldberg variations too fast, though I’ve only got his first version, which they say is more impetuous than the later one. I guess I should hunt it down. I’ve also got Barenboim’s and Newman’s, but my favorite is actually the one by Pi-Hsien, from Naxos. It’s understated, mathematical, and very, very beautiful; it sounds like balls rolling down inclined planes. Also a big fan of Gulda’s Well-Tempered Clavier II, which has the same kind of ineffable momentum.

On May 19 at 1'35 PMPermalink, Michael Sullivan wrote:

2

Mexican Baroque was my first Chanticleer album, but I couldn’t include everything, and Magnificat was a shoe-in because of their transcendant performance of Josquin’s Ave Maria, perhaps my single favorite bit of polyphony ever.

You certainly must get the second Gould Goldberg. The first one is astonshing precisely because he’s so fast and so precise; the second, however, is in a completely different league. I don’t even want to say much about it for fear of spoiling it.

I haven’t heard the other recordings you mention; unfortunately I’m not at a point where I can buy a lot of alternate performances of the best music. The other WTC recording I have is by Roberts, and I don’t care for it at all. I make myself listen to it about once a year, just to a have a contrast to the Gould, which is more brilliant in comparison.

On May 19 at 8'53 PMPermalink, Anonymous wrote:

3

I think the 1981 Goldberg is a bit ponderous. But if the constant rush of the 1955 version’s the trouble, the 1981 is the perfect antidote.

I once had from the local library a copy of Gould playing Bach concertos. The context of an orchestra underscores his excellence.

On May 19 at 10'06 PMPermalink, Mike G. wrote:

4

Ping.

On May 21 at 11'08 AMPermalink, The Niggler wrote:

5

dude, you left out half the title of one of the ensemble organum cd’s

On May 21 at 11'54 AMPermalink, Niggle Jr wrote:

6

dude, learn to capitalize and use apostrophe’s.

On May 21 at 12'01 PMPermalink, Michael Sullivan wrote:

7

By the way, Fafnir, I’m also particularly fond of Chanticleer’s album Evening Prayer—Purcell Anthems and Sacred Songs, if you’re not familiar with it. Highly recommended.

On June 2 at 12'19 PMPermalink, Sean wrote:

8

Michael,

I just found your page via Sacramentum Vitae where you posted comments on Palamas.

I quite appreciate your list here and your preference for Bach over the Romantics, but I find I cant quite shake the habit and wonder if you linger there as well. For example, do you know Shumann’s Humoresque? Not one of his best maybe, but a lovely piece. Also, I wonder if there is any 20th century sacred music that you care for. I find Stravinsky’s Ave Maria rewarding and Durufle’s motets and notre pere lovely as well. Rachmaninov’s Vespers?

Anyway, I’m enjoying perusing your site and will visit often.

Best,

Sean

On June 2 at 12'59 PMPermalink, Michael Sullivan wrote:

9

Sean,

I’m glad to have you at the site and would like to see you return.

My musical tastes remain broad and this list only represents what I like best. I do still listen to Romantic music now and then, just not nearly as frequently.

I prefer Dvorak’s Humoreque to Schumann’s myself. There’s lots of 20th century sacred music I like. Derufle is good; so is Faure. I love Arvo Part and Henryk Gorecki; John Taverner has some really great stuff but I don’t like all of it. I like some stuff by Frank Martin, Samuel Barber, and Pandorecki. Rachmaninov’s Vespers is about the best thing ever. One of the reasons it didn’t make my list is that I don’t have a recording I think is really great; I’ve got the Robert Shaw one and some small-budget eastern European one, but I bet there’s a better rendition out there.

On June 2 at 11'57 PMPermalink, Sean Cain wrote:

10

I have two Vespers recordings. One is by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, dir. Paul Hillier. The other is by the Swedish Radio Choir with Tonu Kaljuste. The latter begins with the Amen whereas the former begins with the prayer that precedes the amen. Also the latter uses upper range male voices where the former uses altos. Six of one half dozen of the other. Both are worth looking into.

I’m a fan of Dvorak’s chamber music (along with Faure’s), but I think I would take Haydn over either of them. He’s kind of a hero of mine. I am a painter (some stuff here: http://pics.livejournal.com/macseamus1/gallery/000065eb), but his example appeals to me.

I also love the 2nd Gould Goldberg, but have you heard Perahia’s? I would say I listen to Gould’s Parititas more often his Goldberg var’s.

Anyway, good to make your e-aquaintance and will check back soon