What are the top Da Capo recordings?

[John H White]

Europadisc have the entire Da Capo catalogue on special offer at £9.95 per CD until 28th of this month. As I have only a limited budget, could someone please suggest one or more recordings of really outstanding orchestral or chamber music of the Romantic period from Da Capo.

[khorovod]

My favorites are the symphonies of J P E Hartmann, chamber music by Kuhlau and(though possibly too early as really late classical) choral music by Kunzen (& his opera Holger Danske). Some very good listening there! But maybe you already know these CDs?

[febnyc]

John:

Gosh! There are so many interesting da Capo releases.  Where to start?

Recommendation: The Symphonies of Asger Hamerik.

Second:  Symphonies of Ludolf Nielsen.

Third:  Chamber Music - Louis Glass, String Quartets 2&4

[Mark Thomas]

I'd invest in their Hamerik symphonic cycle. Impressively full-blooded romantic symphonies given very persuasive performances.

[chill319]

Apologies to febnyc, but regarding Ludolf Nielsen's symphonies, IMO the Da Capo recording of number 2 is not the best way to get to know this wonderful piece whilst the CPO recording is available. Number 3, however, gets my hearty recommendation, as does the remarkable Tower of Babel, written around the same time. Fabulous sonics, as is the norm with Da Capo.

[khorovod]

With reference to the original post though I'm sure it doesn't need to be said, oftentimes Amazon marketplace sellers offer cds such as these a lot cheaper (even with postal charges added), both new and used also. Ebay though I have found can be overpriced. It pays to shop around.

[TerraEpon]

I second the JPE Hartmann symphonies. There's also a great disc of his piano music, though I believe it's pretty long OOP.
As for Khulau, there's The Elf's Hill which is about as good as it gets for early Romantic period incidental music (which the recording was better though, but alas...). This one is also on Marco Polo (OOP of course)...

There's also a great chamber SACD of Nielsen (vol. 1, mostly wind instruments), who of course isn't unsung but these works don't get recorded much.

Also another disc of a composer who I can't quite remember at the moment, with a catchy little march. Heh.

[Peter1953]

The CD featuring JPE Hartmann Symphonies 1&2 is for me the best Dacapo disc I have. On the forum enough has been said about the qualities of these works, especially the 2nd, op. 48. A truly unjustified neglected gem of the highest quality. Very warmly recommended!
If you want some attractive, well-crafted piano music, I like to recommend JPE Hartmann once more. I suggest his 3 Piano Sonatas played by Nina Gade and / or the CD 'Piano Music', also with Nina Gade at the piano.
I've always been amazed by the relatively great number of excellent Danish composers. Someone like Ludvig Schytte (1848-1909) wrote a beautiful, elegant Piano Concerto, full of memorable themes (Danish Piano Concertos Vol 3). Also strongly recommended.

Is europadisc indeed that cheap? I should compare all prices with mdt.

______

Oops... The Series Danish Piano Concertos is not from Dacapo, but Danacord.

[John H White]

Many thanks, gentlemen, for all your kind replies. It would seem that the symphonies of Hamerik and Hartmann have the most votes so far. I trust that the music of J P Hartmann is a bit more accessible than that of K A Hartmann, which I find much too avant garde for my taste! I see they also have a very special offer on all 16 symphonies of Rued Langgard. Would they be a bit too "advanced" for my rather conservative taste? As for Ludolf Neilsen; I find his symphonies much too long winded and uninteresting for me-----not a patch on those of his better known namesake!
     One advantage Europadisc has over various other discount CD outlets is they don't charge postage for orders over £30 and at present , for a limited period, they are offering no postage on all orders. By the way, I must apologise for leaving out the "d" in "recordings" in my original heading.

[khorovod]

Many thanks, gentlemen, for all your kind replies. It would seem that the symphonies of Hamerik and Hartmann have the most votes so far. I trust that the music of J P Hartmann is a bit more accessible than that of K A Hartmann, which I find much too avant garde for my taste!

J P E Hartmann's symphonies fall in the early romantic period in essence. Also there is (IIRC) a companion cd of his overtures which are similar even if some are later in date. Very interesting symphony writer, more original than Gade (to whom he was related - father-in-law[?]).

[John H White]

Many thanks, Khorovod, for that interesting new bit of information on J P E Hartmann. As I personally have a preference  for the early Romantic period, it would seem that his music would suit me down to the ground.

[TerraEpon]

JPE also wrote a fantastic ballet called The Valkyrie (it's on CPO, sadly OOP). I would put him more toward mid-romantic myself -- he was born in 1805 and lived to 1900 (as true a romantic as it gets, perhaps ).
And the piano CD I mentioned above is the 'Piano Music' one, not the sonatas one.

[Syrelius]

I see they also have a very special offer on all 16 symphonies of Rued Langgard. Would they be a bit too "advanced" for my rather conservative taste?

Hello John,
Langgaard's development as a symphonist is rather odd. He starts out with a late romantic style (listen to the 1st symphony, for instance), then he is more and more drawn to expressionism (symphonies nos 4-6), but after that he returns to a more traditional romantic style where there are even echoes of Gade in some works. However, what is most typhical for Langgaard's music is a sort of over-the-top attitude that you either love or is annoyed by. I belong to the first group. If you are planning to buy the box with all the symphonies I would recommend that you try to find some sound samples first, in order to find out whether it is your cup of tea or not...

[Ilja]

If you're into romantic symphonies, Hamerik is a safe bet: they're all very worthwhile, inspired and well-constructed works. Ludolf Nielsen I would consider a bit more risky; the Second Symphony ('Symphony of Joy') is great, but it's a bit downhill from there I think. For somewhat more idiosyncratic material, try the excellent cycle of Langgaard symphonies by Thomas Dausgaard (Langgaard has been discussed at length in this forum, you might want to try that first). For properly late romantic stuff there's also Paul von Klenau's or Peder Gram's music. Particularly the first is among my favorites.

[Alan Howe]

Knowing your tastes, John, I'd stick with J P E Hartmann, whose symphonies (especially No.2) are as worthwhile as, say, Berwald, and Hamerik who is a mid-Romantic and also quite an original composer.

Try these excerpts from the Hartmann CD here...
http://www.dacapo-records.dk/en/recording-symphonies-1-2_1.aspx
...and these from the Hamerik symphonies here...
http://www.dacapo-records.dk/en/recording-the-symphonies_2.aspx