Quite a range of choices, all sensible to me and I appreciate the choices.

For me:

Piano - Piano Cto No. 5 in E Flat by Beethoven


Symphony - No. 7 by Beethoven


Organ - Toccata by Widor, Symphony No. 5 (I follow that closely with Handel's Organ Cti)

Solo Voice (male) - Russell Oberlin, Bach's Canatata "Wiederstehe Doch der Sunde"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFgxED6eIWE

Solo Voice (female) - Emma Kirkby, "Laudate Dominum" by Mozart.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUrcLzk5oKE


Polyphony - Tallis, "Spem in Allium." (Huelgas Ensemble)


Solo Violin - Nathan Milstein performing Bach's Allegro Assai, Sonata No. 3 (at age of 80).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mYVT6CeAec

I really like this youtube channel as well -- it's just a guy who records him playing classical music on his piano. And I particularly like his rendition of Philip Glass's Metamorphosis.





My favorite composer is still just plain old Beethoven though. lol.

Speaking of Bohemians, I like this piece from Ma Vlast by Smetana, and particularly this old mono recording by Rafael Kubelik with the CSO.



This recording was produced with a single microphone suspended high above the stage. When I listen to it, I imagine soaring like a bird above the endless green expanses, with waves of music rising warmly towards me, mixed with the moist aroma of the earth.

Not in order of yumminess:

Petrushka, Stravinsky - because it's exquisite as music and as ballet
Matthäus-Passion, Bach - I have a strong personal connection to it
The Four Seasons, Vivaldi - one of my first classical loves
Kontra-Punkte, Stockhausen - best integral serial piece ever written
Erwartung, Schoenberg - horrorshow music, what's not to love?

Solo Voice (male) - Russell Oberlin, Bach's Canatata "Wiederstehe Doch der Sunde"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFgxED6eIWE — gloaming

Great! I discovered this aria a couple years ago, through watching the very same YouTube video, and was blown away by the richness and boldness of the harmonies. Bach is quite the master, but this aria is remarkable even by his own standards. Few composers would dare opening a piece with such a chord for a century to come. And Gould is my favorite pianist...

Russell Oberlin's performance is quite good but I like Andreas Scholl's rendition even better.

Not exactly on topic, but for what it's worth I've recently signed up to the music streaming service Calm Radio. They appear to have an excellent classical music section, organized both by instrument and composer. I'm learning from the experience in ways I hadn't before.

Speaking of Bohemians, I like this piece from Ma Vlast by Smetana, and particularly this old mono recording by Rafael Kubelik with the CSO. — SophistiCat

Ooh, that was great! :up: