Your top ten Decca CDs for your personal Decca box

[Dave2002]

The Decca Sound box has some good stuff, though many of us have already got some of the CDs or LPs already - http://www.deccaclassics.com/cat/sin...UCT_NR=4782826

It has been suggested (see Bargains thread) that we can compile our own box. A complication is to know whether the issues for Decca also include some which are on related labels, such as RCA, DG, Philips, or whether to stick only to original Deccas. What about Oiseau Lyre?

Anyway, here goes:

1. Mahler 8th, Solti
2. Britten, War Requiem
3. Mozart, Clarinet Concerto, De Peyer
4. Beethoven, 9th Symphony, Schmidt-Isserstedt (or Ansermet, SRO)
5. Mozart, Marriage of Figaro, Te Kanawa, Solti etc.
6. Ravel, Daphnis and Chloe, Dutoit
7. Beethoven, String Quartets - various, Takacs Quartet
8. Brahms, Piano Concerto 1, Curzon, Szell
9. Haydn Masses (e.g Nelson), Willcocks, Guest
10. Mozart, Wind music (various) London Wind Soloists, Jack Brymer

If allowed Oiseau Lyre as well I'd have Mozart operas from Drottningholm (Cosi, MoF, Don G, Magic Flute)

If allowed RCA then Monteux Dvorak 7, Levine Brahms 1st, and Levine Mahler 1.

Over to you.

[VodkaDilc]

Solti Ring?

Peter Grimes?

[Chris Newman]

Janacek: Complete Operas; Sinfonietta; Taras Bulba [Box Set]
Wiener Philharmoniker, Sir Charles Mackerras (Conductor).

Er....that makes 9 CDs already.

[makropulos]

The Decca Sound box has some good stuff, though many of us have already got some of the CDs or LPs already - http://www.deccaclassics.com/cat/sin...UCT_NR=4782826

It has been suggested (see Bargains thread) that we can compile our own box. A complication is to know whether the issues for Decca also include some which are on related labels, such as RCA, DG, Philips, or whether to stick only to original Deccas. What about Oiseau Lyre?

Anyway, here goes:

1. Mahler 8th, Solti
2. Britten, War Requiem
3. Mozart, Clarinet Concerto, De Peyer
4. Beethoven, 9th Symphony, Schmidt-Isserstedt (or Ansermet, SRO)
5. Mozart, Marriage of Figaro, Te Kanawa, Solti etc.
6. Ravel, Daphnis and Chloe, Dutoit
7. Beethoven, String Quartets - various, Takacs Quartet
8. Brahms, Piano Concerto 1, Curzon, Szell
9. Haydn Masses (e.g Nelson), Willcocks, Guest
10. Mozart, Wind music (various) London Wind Soloists, Jack Brymer

If allowed Oiseau Lyre as well I'd have Mozart operas from Drottningholm (Cosi, MoF, Don G, Magic Flute)

If allowed RCA then Monteux Dvorak 7, Levine Brahms 1st, and Levine Mahler 1.

Over to you.

That's a very nice list. Here's mine (though I could easily produce another completely different list).
Britten War Requiem (Britten)
Britten Noye's Fludde (Del Mar - originally Argo, but it was a Decca subsidiary by the time this was issued)
Janacek Sinfonietta/Taras Bulba (Mackerras)
Janacek From the House of the Dead (Mackerras)
Mahler Symphony 2 (Solti/LSO)
Brahms Violin Sonatas (Suk/Katchen)
Holst Planets (Karajan/VPO)
Ravel Gaspard/Debussy L'Isle joyeuse/Chopin Scherzo No. 4 (Ashkenazy, rec. 1965)
Verdi Aida (Solti, Rome Opera)
Strauss Elektra (Solti/VPO)

[VodkaDilc]

Nice to see that Noye's Fludde is remembered. I can't over-estimate the influence that participating in that piece had on my future when I played a minor part in my school's performance at the age of 12. Would state schools be able to mount such a piece by a major composer today? And one which had only been written two years previously? And would they want to anyway? (Sounds a bit elitist??)

[makropulos]

Nice to see that Noye's Fludde is remembered. I can't over-estimate the influence that participating in that piece had on my future when I played a minor part in my school's performance at the age of 12. Would state schools be able to mount such a piece by a major composer today? And one which had only been written two years previously? And would they want to anyway? (Sounds a bit elitist??)

Absolutely agree with you Vodka - I had a similar life-changing experience when I was small and it's a piece that moves me greatly every time I see it (when the bugles or handbells come in, if not before).

As to your question, in my experience, the answer is yes, and yes - I'm happy to say. It was done several times by a state school in Peterborough a few years ago and worked wonderfully.

[Petrushka]

I'd say stick with the original Decca. Here's mine in no particular order:

1. Wagner: Ring VPO/Solti (can I count this as one please?)
2. Britten: War Requiem LSO/Britten
3. Mahler: Symphony No 8 CSO/Solti
4. Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra CSO/Solti
5. 1979 New Year's Concert VPO/Boskovsky
6. Strauss: 4 Last Songs Lisa della Casa/VPO/Bohm
7. Shostakovich: Symphony No 5 Concertgebouw/Haitink
8. Verdi: Requiem VPO/Solti
9. Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra VPO/Karajan
10. Janacek: Sinfonietta/Taras Bulba VPO/Mackerras

and I really can't do without Elgar 1 LPO/Solti

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Off the top of my head:
1. Tchaikovsky Symphony no. 4 VPO/Maazel
2. Tchaikovsky Symphony no. 5 VPO/Maazel
3. Verdi Requiem VPO/Solti
4. Mahler Symphony no 2 VPO/Mehta
5. Wagner Tannhauser VPO/Solti
6. Verdi Otello VPO/Karajan
7. Holst Planets VPO/Karajan
8. Beethoven Piano Concerto 4 Ashkenazy/VPO/Mehta
9. Beethoven Fidelio VPO/Maazel
10. Puccini Tosca Price/VPO/Karajan

Was there ever a greater partnership in the history of recording than the VPO/Decca exclusive contract?

[barber olly]

The Decca Sound box has some good stuff, though many of us have already got some of the CDs or LPs already - http://www.deccaclassics.com/cat/sin...UCT_NR=4782826
de by decca
It has been suggested (see Bargains thread) that we can compile our own box. A complication is to know whether the issues for Decca also include some which are on related labels, such as RCA, DG, Philips, or whether to stick only to original Deccas. What about Oiseau Lyre?

Good idea not to mess up the Bargains thread. I would restrict it to labels generated by the Original Decca Co but include RCAs made by Decca, so no DGG or Philips.

My 10

1 PCO Martinon - Saint-saens/Ibert/Bizet (Once SDD144)
2 LSO Monteux - Daphnis and Chloe
3 LSO Kertesz - Dvorak 8/Scherzo Capriccioso
4 LAPO Mehta - Also Sprach/Heldenleben
5 LSO Maag - Mendelssohn S3/Hebrides/MND
6 LSO Solti - Bartok C for O/Dance Suite
7 LSO Abbado - Hindemith Symphonic Metamorphoses/Janacek Sinfonietta
8 PCO Wolff - Glazunov Seasons
9 LSO Solti - Romantic Russia (Borodin/Glinka/Mussourgsky)
10 Panhoffer&Members Vienna Octet Mozart P&W Quintet K452

[VodkaDilc]

Absolutely agree with you Vodka - I had a similar life-changing experience when I was small and it's a piece that moves me greatly every time I see it (when the bugles or handbells come in, if not before).

As to your question, in my experience, the answer is yes, and yes - I'm happy to say. It was done several times by a state school in Peterborough a few years ago and worked wonderfully.

Perhaps we were in the same production. I was a squirrel!

Lots of sections move me: the appearance of Eternal Father against the Storm Passacaglia; the Kyries, as the animals enter the ark (especially where there's a sudden change of key); the scrunchy organ chords just before the last hymn - and many more.

Glad to hear it's still being done; though I particularly had in mind school performances of works by a living composer. Apart from Maxwell Davies, do any other contemporary composers write specifically for schools?

[makropulos]

Perhaps we were in the same production. I was a squirrel!

Lots of sections move me: the appearance of Eternal Father against the Storm Passacaglia; the Kyries, as the animals enter the ark (especially where there's a sudden change of key); the scrunchy organ chords just before the last hymn - and many more.

Glad to hear it's still being done; though I particularly had in mind school performances of works by a living composer. Apart from Maxwell Davies, do any other contemporary composers write specifically for schools?

I played one of the handbells when I was little, and much more recently played the organ part (as you say, those scrunchy chords are a great moment).

And no, I can't think offhand of a major living composer who is writing works on that scale (let alone on that level of inspiration) specifically intended to involve children. But I hope someone will prove me wrong on that.

[VodkaDilc]

I played one of the handbells when I was little, and much more recently played the organ part (as you say, those scrunchy chords are a great moment).

And no, I can't think offhand of a major living composer who is writing works on that scale (let alone on that level of inspiration) specifically intended to involve children. But I hope someone will prove me wrong on that.

The organ part must be fun to play. I've played one half of the Piano Duet, which, like St Nicolas, is a joy to play!

As regards composers writing for children, I always feel that Williamson was greatly under-valued.

[Colonel Danby]

The complete Ring cycle with Solti is an immense achivement, and must head any list of Decca greats.

Apart from that: how about

Mathias: Harp Concerto, Ave Rex, Dance Overture Ellis/Atherton (now on a Lyrita CD)
Satie: Piano Music, Roge
Ute Lemper: Berlin Cabaret Songs
Ravel: Orchestral Works: Dutoit, Montreal
Schönberg: Pierrot Lunaire, Thomas/London Sinfonietta
Baroque Organ Music: Peter Hurford

I could go on and on, but that are some of my favourites...I'm bound to think of more in due course.

[makropulos]

The organ part must be fun to play. I've played one half of the Piano Duet, which, like St Nicolas, is a joy to play!

As regards composers writing for children, I always feel that Williamson was greatly under-valued.

Yes! I certainly think Williamson's badly under-rated and I wish it weren't so. Talking about MW's operas with children gets us neatly back on topic too - you'll remember the excellent Argo/Decca releases of Julius Ceasar Jones and The Happy Prince (I saw a beautiful production of that at City of London Girls' School in about 1980). I don't think either of them has ever made it to CD and it would be great if they did.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Perhaps we were in the same production. I was a squirrel!

Lots of sections move me: the appearance of Eternal Father against the Storm Passacaglia; the Kyries, as the animals enter the ark (especially where there's a sudden change of key); the scrunchy organ chords just before the last hymn - and many more.

Singing the part of Ham in our 1963 school performances remains one of the most precious moments of my life. It took us over a year to prepare for the 4 performances, but it was worth every second.
That Argo recording was a superb achievement with such depth of sound. The more polished Hickox recording lacked atmosphere in comparison.