100 Greatest Classical Music Works

The ECM set was the one I recommended.

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Yep, the ECM was what I tried first, as @struts001 noted.

It’s only just occurred to me that I might like some of the others more! :exploding_head: (or in different ways) So exciting.

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Hi struts001,

I loved your stroll through the classical repertoire. Many pieces that I still need discovering. And a blessing for those who stream. And a curse.
When listening to classical music, one needs to hang in, not flick through. The beauty often reveals itself in all its slplendour on 2nd or 3rd hearing, on quite, relaxed evenings, or even better in concert! This is the reason I do not stream. The temptation to jump from one to the other is just too great. What does this mean? Going through the list will require a couple of years…
I quibble with the ranking. For me, nr1 is the Matthaus Passion (Mache dich mein Herzen rein). And after all that Bach, de Grosse Fugue. Thereafter, a plethora of absolutely astounding music, with piano and piano concertos solid favourites.
Your selection of pieces is based on a solid repertoire, mostly anglophone oriented. And most performers are no longer with us.
We now have to build the list again, promoting, encouraging and rewarding new interpreters who will carry the tradition forward. I would make 3-4 exceptions for extraordinary musicians who revolutionized how classical music can be played : Alessandrini, Bruggen, Gardiner, Hannigan(?) and the primus inter pares, Harnoncourt (Alessandrini, Hannigan and boorish Gardiner are thankfully still alive).

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Hi @JackPot

Thanks for reviving this thread!

I trust you read the first post where I explain the choice of works (not mine) and performances/recordings (100% mine and very personal). I concur with your observations.

I agree! Please take the lead and I will be happy to chime in. Hopefully @Bauer @PAR and others will do the same.

PS I have started working at dCS and now post as @AndrewS. @struts001 is mothballed.

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I’m afraid tat my position is exactly the same as when this thread started a couple of years ago. I do not have the knowledge required to judge what are the 100 greatest works nor which are the best recordings. I haven’t heard all or sufficient of either in order to have even a vaguely reliable opinion.

The level of knowledge required can be judged by listening to “Building a Library” on BBC Radio 3 where each week an expert ( practitioner or academic) reviews recordings of a single work by listening to all currently available, approving or rejecting them one by one by offering supporting reasons and arriving at a final choice. The argument used can be quite forensic in some cases , starting by looking at the score.

If airable ( Mosaic) offers BBC Radio 3 to you then you should also find a podcast option attached and you should find hundreds of these available here.

I recommend this and can only say that hearing one every Saturday ( when originally transmitted) has cost me a fortune as much of my collection results from hearing these :grinning:.

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There is an up to date Excel on the BBC site with all the ‘Building a Library’ results:
BAL_1999-2024_V2.xlsx

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Thanks Rudi. Good to know, However my main point was not ( just) to find the winners but to listen to the podcasts and get an idea of the criteria that musicians use to make the choice.

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I found the list helpful in identifying interesting podcasts to listen to (there are so many)
:grinning:

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I hear you! I’ve been binge listening to BBC’s “This Classical Life”. I wind up adding a couple of recordings to my library after each show of new music and re-listening to old favourites with fresh ears based on insights from the show.

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