| 61. |
Roberto Gerhard (1896-1970, Spain)
Soirées de Barcelone (1941) [19'01"]
Andrew Ball & Julian Jacobson - pianos
Roberto Gerard: Soirées de Barcelone {Largo 5119} |
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Powerful duo piano music based on Spanish dance rhythms.
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| 62. |
Béla Bartók (1881-1945, Hungary)
Contrasts for Clarinet, Violin and Piano (1938) [16'55"]
Benny Goodman - clarinet, Joseph Szigeti - violin, Béla Bartók - piano (recorded in 1940)
Béla Bartók: Contrasts, Selections from Mikrokosmos {Sony Masterworks "Portrait" Series MPK 47676} |
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After making history by breaking down the race barrier at his landmark Carnegie Hall concert, swing king Benny Goodman made history a second time in 1940 by breaking down another barrier - playing with two of the most important classical musicians of his time. This historic recording is prophetic of every crossover album under the sun but is of a much higher musical quality than most of them.
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| 63. |
Boris Blacher (1903-1972, Germany)
Piano Concerto No. 2 in Variable Metres (1952) [18'31"]
Gerty Herzog-piano, Dresden Philharmonic / Herbert Kegel - conductor
Blacher: Concertante Musik - Paganini-Variationen - Klavierkonzert Nr. 2 {Berlin Classics 90152} |
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A real discovery that appeared in tote-bags at a previous MPC.
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| 64. |
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963, Germany)
Organ Sonata No. 1 (1937) [15'06"]
E. Power Biggs - organ
Paul Hindemith: Three Sonatas for Organ {Columbia Special Products CMS 6234} |
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There are several new CD recordings of this gem to choose from but I still love this rousing performance by this century's most popular organist which still awaits a CD re-issue.
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| 65. |
Ernest Bloch (1880-1959, Switzerland)
Concerto Grosso No. 1 (1925) [20'20"]
The Academy of St. Martin In The Fields / Sir Neville Marriner - conductor
Ernest Bloch/Frank Martin - Academy of St. Martin In The Fields {EMI Angel 37571} |
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An exciting modern alternative to Vivaldi and Handel. There are many recordings of this work. Mine doesn't appear in the latest Schwann. Perhaps one of the other recordings is 20 seconds shorter!
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| 15 Under 15 (66-80) |
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| 66. |
Nikolai Miaskovsky (1881-1950, Russia)
Symphony No. 21 in F# minor (1940) [14'59"]
Philadelphia Orchestra / Eugene Ormandy - conductor
Bartók/Miaskovsky - Philadelphia Orchestra {Columbia Masterworks LP ML 4239} |
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One of the saddest pieces of music ever written; I've cried listening to it. There are several newer recordings of it on CD, I still swear by my old scratchy Ormandy LP. Hopefully it will be re-issued.
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| 67. |
Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992, France)
Les Offrandes oubliées (1930) [12'38"]
Orchestre de l'Opéra Bastille / Myung-Whun Chung - conductor
Track 5, Messiaen: Concert à Quatre, etc. {Deutsche Grammophon 445 947} |
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A sublimely beautiful early orchestral work that begins where Debussy ends.
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| 68. |
Germaine Tailleferre (1992-1983, France)
Piano Trio (1978) [14'19]
Clementi-Trio Köln
Tailleferre/Milhaud/Shostakovich/Roslavets: Piano Trios {Largo 5112} |
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A gorgeous late chamber work by the only female composer in the French collective 'Les Six.'
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| 69. |
Claude Vivier (1948-1983, Canada)
Bouchara (1981) [12'09"]
Susan Narocki-soprano, Schönberg Ensemble, Asko Ensemble / Reinbert de Leeuw - conductor
Track 2, Claude Vivier: Lonely Child {Philips Classics 454 231} |
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A unique totally-mystifying soundworld which will redefine your notion of beauty.
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| 70. |
Jón Leifs (1899-1968, Iceland)
Icelandic Overture (1926) [12'34"]
Iceland Symphony Orchestra / Petri Sakari -conductor
Track 1, Jon Leifs: Icelandic Cantata, etc. {Chandos 9433} |
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A brief orchestral work describing 1000 years of Icelandic history based on Icelandic folksong. Leifs, something of an Icelandic Charles Ives, would later write Hekla [9'18"], a musical depiction of a volcano erupting scored for a 140-piece orchestra including a cannon, anvils, and heavy metal chains. Perhaps the single loudest piece of "unplugged" music ever written, it is the final track of EARQUAKE {Ondine ODE 894}.
10 more reasons
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