Rosette-worthy recordings of unsung music

[Alan Howe]

The Penguin Guide - before it confused matters by giving outstanding recordings four stars - used to reserve a rosette for certain highly-regarded recordings. So I was wondering which recordings of unsung music might be awarded a rosette by contributors to this forum?
NB I am not interested in personal favourite recordings of favourite music, but rather recordings of star quality - and members' reasons for their nominations (no more than three per person, please!)

I'll kick off:

Nomination: Sgambati Piano Concerto - Jorge Bolet/Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra/Ainslee Cox. Label: Genesis (1972)
Reason: Bolet plays this hitherto unrecorded concerto as if he has known it all his life - his pianism is transcendent in its brilliance and understanding. The orchestral contribution is fiery and committed and the production still sounds pretty good after nearly 40 years! Finally, the recording was made at a time when such an undertaking was a substantial risk commercially speaking.

[mbhaub]

The problem with Penguin is that they ignore so much good music, so many good composers, and so many good recordings. I know that in a book, even a huge one, that they're limited in what they can do. But they give short shrift to many 2nd tier composers. Where are all the recordings of Glazunov, Gliere, Schmidt, Raff, Rubinstein and countless others? I used to get Penguin every year, and the updates when they came out. I have a shelf full of them, but haven't picked one up for a couple of years.

There are a couple of cds that deserve rosettes. Both on Bis. The Bloch Symphony in C# minor and the Atterberg 6th. Both are sensationally recorded, marvellously played, and thrillingly conducted.

[eschiss1]

I picked up and bought one Penguin Guide, sometime in the 1990s. Had lots of Glazunov and others in it, at least a little Schmidt, etc. (some of which I picked up on my limited college? grad student? oy, when was that... allowance, and very happily so too- the Schoenberg/Schmidt with Mehta on Decca comes to mind, some others...), and even a work by Holmboe (his concerto for brass instruments) in the collections section (this was before I read many reviews of Holmboe recordings in Fanfare magazine, mostly by Paul Rapoport, dived in with the 8th quartet, and became a fan of that composer.)  Oddly like the Oxford Compact Dictionary I bought much more recently, it had some very strange omissions, too, but if the present flightless birdie ... erm, Penguin Guide skims over the lesser-known of the Romantic Era, it's a recent and regrettable phenomenon, they've done much better in the past...

Eric

[Alan Howe]

Let's keep off the subject of the Penguin Guide - please!!!

[thalbergmad]

One of my first CD purchases was The Art of the Transcription by Earl Wild. Years later, barely a week goes by when I do not listen to some if it.

This was my first experience of Thalberg and to hear the wonderful Rossini melody with Thalberg's clever 3 hands effect was like a ray of sunshine coming through a stained glass window.

The rarely played Wagner/Moskowski transcription was masterful and the Bach/ Tausig as powerful as the original organ version. The almost impossible Mendelssohn/Rachmaninov was completely clear and the addition of the cheeky trill in the Gluck/Sgambati was tastful and reminded one of days gone past when the score was a suggestion and not an order.

Amazing that this was live. I could not imagine many of our modern virtuosi being able to do this.

Thal

PS. Please don't tell me this did win an award.

[Alan Howe]

How about Bernard Herrmann's pioneering recording of Raff 5? A lifetime's commitment to and understanding of Raff make for a classic recording which has never been equalled, let alone surpassed.

[DennisS]

I would like to nominate Kalinnikov's 2nd symphony - Russian State Symphony Orchestra, conductor Evgeny Svetlanov. A tremendous performance, full of  passion, with a truly stirring Russian finale. Svetlanov also manages to do full justice to the work's lyricism and makes the many glorious melodies really memorable. Not a recent recording obviously but still a great sound.

cheers
Dennis

[eschiss1]

My nominations, I think...
*Barenboim's Furtwängler 2nd. Makes what could be, and is under some other interpreters, a sprawling mess, on the contrary a very enjoyable and repeatable experience, thrilling even (to these ears.)
*Draeseke's cello sonata on AK Coburg (no idea what will happen to this label now.) (Runner up- the string quintets, but let down a little by the sound on close listening- maybe too resonant? I thought for awhile that they'd sneaked in a whole string orchestra and not told me, but this was only noticeable with headphones. Odd. And then didn't recur. Sorry, no idea what happened there if anything- still a wonderful disc...)
*Medtner Forgotten melodies opp.38/39 (Hamelin on Hyperion). (Especially salutary for anyone like me who enjoys the lovely Sonata reminiscenza but had little idea that it just seems to make so much more sense when played as part of the whole opus 38 cycle of 9 pieces, almost all of which quote the opening sonata, have an emotional trajectory of sorts, and which rounds off with a clouded A major Alla reminiscenza that mostly resolves the journey... I realize the composer always (?) played them separately, but this still seems to work better. This is a single CD extracted from the set of complete sonatas released on the same label.) I've heard no other versions of most of the opp. 38 and 39 pieces but think very well of Hamelin's. (If you can find Gilels in op.38/1- with a fantastic sonata by Weinberg and works by Scriabin and Prokofiev- on MK, that's a disc to treasure too.)
Hrm, maybe that's enough
Eric

[Alan Howe]

Eric: any particular reason(s) for nominating the Draeseke Cello Sonata?

[eschiss1]

Eric: any particular reason(s) for nominating the Draeseke Cello Sonata?

I'll have to think about that. Actually maybe despite the minor (possibly wraithlike, once perceived, most likely non-existent) sound problems, I may replace it (just in my list with the string quintets recording. The discs I have from the AK Coburg series all give me such joy anyway, but that one is special. Sort-of-Schubertian-songful A major quintet, strong and ambitious (then mournful, then triumphant) F major quintet... (clear Beethoven influence but not submerged by it.)

The mention of Beethoven and Draeseke makes me think of Draeseke's 3rd quartet (which unfortunately I've mostly only still heard in MIDIs format) and my favorite Beethoven string quartet...
Eric

[Alan Howe]

The 3rd Quartet by Draeseke is his most profound - and also his most challenging. A real tough nut to crack!

[edurban]

I seem to remember that Stephen Hough's Hummel concertos on Chandos actually did have a rosette, but that could just be wishful thinking.  It's certainly the first-rate advocacy these marvelous works deserve...

David

[sdtom]

I would cast a vote for The Red Pony Suite from Copland, music he created for the film and adapted. I especially like the Falletta/Buffalo recording. They capture the essence of "father of American film music."
Thomas

[chill319]

I would award a rosette for the collection of Bax piano sonatas recorded by Michael Endres. Enormously accomplished and played very much in the spirit of Handley, with a keen sense of balance between structural discipline and sensuous surface.

[Pengelli]

The Hyperion recording of Bantock's 'Sappho'.