New release with the Takacs Quartet. I find myself more drawn to the Elgar over the Beach.
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Iāll have to make a point to listen.
I actually had to purchase the recording from hyperion. Couldnt find it on any streaming service I use. Hyperion doesnt seem to release much to streaming services.
There is a sampler from Hyperion that you can download that has some of the album on it. Its the June 2020 sampler, its a Beach piece not an Elgar piece. Iād link it but the hyperion www aint responding to me.
I am a Takacs fan so this wasnt a big leap for me.
I realize now that maybe I should only post albums that are more easily accessible via streaming.
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Iād love it if you - and others reading this thread - were to mention albums you like even if you have to post to a different performance because your preferred oneās not available to stream.
Has anyone tried the primephonic streaming service? I might have to give it a whirl although the prospect of signing up for multiple services is not in the least bit appealing. One of the issues for classical music on the more well-known streaming services, Iāve heard, is that itās hard to organize or search for music beyond the album/artist labels, which of course get complicated when you factor in composers, conductors, orchestras, and soloists. I wonder if Amazon HD does a better job of this than Tidal or Qobuz?
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Ive got Primephonic.
I find its search engine much much more amenable and intuitive to classical music and its library much larger than anything Ive seen on Tidal or Spotify.
Try the 14 day trial. If you got a mac it wont play well with Safari, use firefox or chrome.
Ive generally found sound quality better than Tidal for albums that are on both.
Im considering a review of the service.
Im not a fan of having multiple streaming services but until the more mainstream services pick up their game re classical Iām resigned to it.
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Thank you for these suggestions, Iām glad to hear the search engine works well, and itās reassuring to hear the library is larger and has better sound quality.
I suppose I should view Primephonic as a nice investment rather than yet another subscription, especially if it means both that I get the chance to compare a good range of performances of the same piece of music and if it provides some desperately-needed income for musicians now that they canāt perform live. (The last thing my wife and I did for a night out before we entered the lockdown here in NYC was to go to the Met Opera; that night feels like an age ago). Primephonic has an interesting idea with the payment-per-second model, according to its Fair Payout Model page.
I should check this service out - thanks @perogie. Regardless, a review would be most welcome!
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Outside of the recording companies, such as Hyperion, that might not have a contract with Primephonic, it had almost everything I searched for, like the actual recordings, not just one sample of the composition. I was surprised at its catalogue.
I actually tested it for pieces I couldnāt find elsewhere and they had it.
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Thatās great news - and it sounds as though the record labels, apart from Hyperion alas, have committed to the service, which is presumably a vote of confidence in it.
Ive generally been happy with it. Its very much a classical music candy store. Its unfortunate Hyperion isnt there but I think they are the only big name standout.
Iāll try and put together a review of it over the next few days. Ive had it for about 6 weeks.
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This was the fist classical album I purchased, back in high school, some odd years ago. Ive listened to it countless times with āJupiterā being my preferred track by a fair margin. Ive tried finding better recordings but havent come across any that I think beats this. Might just be nostalgia for an old friend or might be that this is really the standard bearer for this piece.
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I donāt know that particular version. After searching the forum, I didnāt find any other specific versions mentioned except the Isao Tomita (which is astonishing and all electronic). I have the vinyl, but you can find it streaming also.
I have this version, which I like very much.
https://classicvinyl.com/20th-century/holst-planets-von-karajan
I find that DG from the mid 70s to about 1995 was generally very nice.
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Iāll give it a whirl - thanks! The Herbert von Karajan with the Wiener Philharmoniker has been my go-to version (although this is mainly for the excitement of Mars).
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I believe I have heard the Karajan but will look for it and give it a try in case I havent. Iāll report back on my thoughts if I can find it.
The Isao Tomita sounds intriguing. Will give that a go too.
Ive never really been able to get into Mars, I understand why its a favourite of many as it does have a presence that is rarely matched in music.
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The Tomita is on Primephonic! Got it saved to listen to later. 
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So this is pretty wild! I wanted to laugh at loud, astonishing is a great descriptor.
Ive found the Karajans you guys referenced - they are both excellent from initial survey. Karajan seems to go for a more bolder presentation when he can whereas Dutoit seems to hold things back a bit. Just my first general impressions. I may make a playlist cherry picking pieces from all 3 albums as each has standouts. Still prefer my Jupiter from Dutoit - 20 years of hearing it is hard to break from.
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I probably shouldnāt admit this, but I suspect my favorite versions are the first ones I heard, much like folktales are ābetterā when theyāre the same as the version you grew up with. I was lucky to be raised in a home full of classical music.
Iām also keen on radical departures from the interpretations Iām familiar with, if only to appreciate a piece anew, which reminds me of that fascinating, controversial case of Leonard Bernstein taking the unusual step, before Glenn Gouldās performance of Brahmsās First Piano Concerto (in 1962), to make an announcement to the audience offering a disclaimer for what they were about to hear:
"Donāt be frightened. Mr. Gould is here. He will appear in a moment. Iām not, um, as you know, in the habit of speaking on any concert except the Thursday night previews, but a curious situation has arisen, which merits, I think, a word or two. You are about to hear a rather, shall we say, unorthodox performance of the Brahms D Minor Concerto, a performance distinctly different from any Iāve ever heard, or even dreamt of for that matter, in its remarkably broad tempi and its frequent departures from Brahmsā dynamic indications. I cannot say I am in total agreement with Mr. Gouldās conception and this raises the interesting question: āWhat am I doing conducting it?ā Iām conducting it because Mr. Gould is so valid and serious an artist that I must take seriously anything he conceives in good faith and his conception is interesting enough so that I feel you should hear it, too.
But the age old question still remains: āIn a concerto, who is the boss; the soloist or the conductor?ā The answer is, of course, sometimes one, sometimes the other, depending on the people involved. But almost always, the two manage to get together by persuasion or charm or even threats to achieve a unified performance. I have only once before in my life had to submit to a soloistās wholly new and incompatible concept and that was the last time I accompanied Mr. Gould. ( The audience roared with laughter at this. ) But, but this time the discrepancies between our views are so great that I feel I must make this small disclaimer. Then why, to repeat the question, am I conducting it? Why do I not make a minor scandal ā get a substitute soloist, or let an assistant conduct? Because I am fascinated, glad to have the chance for a new look at this much-played work; Because, whatās more, there are moments in Mr. Gouldās performance that emerge with astonishing freshness and conviction. Thirdly, because we can all learn something from this extraordinary artist, who is a thinking performer, and finally because there is in music what Dimitri Mitropoulos used to call āthe sportive elementā, that factor of curiosity, adventure, experiment, and I can assure you that it has been an adventure this week collaborating with Mr. Gould on this Brahms concerto and itās in this spirit of adventure that we now present it to you."*
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Thats an excellent post.
Itās hard not to let your conceptions of what something should sound like from limiting your enjoyment of other interpretations. I try to be as open to different recordings as I can, acknowledge the differences and then consider if this is something good, but in the end Im the one who is listening. I try to be cognizant of the fact that music is a personal interpretation and not to dump on anyone who likes something different musically. This is why I have always felt awards shows like the grammys are complete garbage - the only categories I look at are the technical awards for production as sometimes you can find a really well recorded gem, otherwise bugger off.
And it was Glenn Gouldā¦ is there a recording of that anywhere I wonder, I should look into it to see what the departures were.
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I agree entirely. One of the pleasures of classical, and for that matter, any other music, is the diversity in interpretations. Itās a shame there arenāt more covers of rock and pop songs (although I understand the desire for artists to observe copyright restrictions). Thatās a great idea for the Grammyās and other awards - Iāll have to take a look, now, for some of those gems!
I try to keep an open mind as well. I have the CD of the William Steinberg and Boston Symphony Orchestraās version of The Planets (on DG) and I canāt bear it, notwithstanding having tried it several times over the years. I keep it in my music library, though, because my taste may change at some point in the future.
One of the occasional joys of listening to classical radio stations is when you accidentally catch a piece after it has begun - when itās something you already know, itās fun to try to figure out whose performance it is. I never get it right.
I believe this is it on Primephonic. Itās also on Spotify here, I believe (if others want to listen). Spotify also has a playlist for the music featured in the book Absolutely on Music by Haruki Murakami, the famous novelist, in conversation with Seiji Ozawa, the former Boston SO conductor. (Iāve yet to read the book but it looks excellent). You can also get to the music through this website for the book.
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Cool. I donāt know the piece so I can go into it fresh and then compare to a more traditional rendering.