# Classical music fans: favorite video recordings of famous works **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [June 7, 2021, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-music-fans-favorite-video-recordings-of-famous-works/943733 "2021-06-07T01:55:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2021, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-music-fans-favorite-video-recordings-of-famous-works/943733/61 "2021-06-11T07:34:08Z")
Wonderful soloist! I’m glad to see that I’m not the only fan of King’s here. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2021, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-music-fans-favorite-video-recordings-of-famous-works/943733/62 "2021-06-12T02:40:28Z")
**GreenWyvern** , your Bach above reminded me of _Wachet Auf_. I wish Voces8 would do it, but this isn’t bad at all: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/DqZE54i-muE/maxresdefault.jpg "Bach - Cantata Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme BWV 140 - Van Veldhoven | Netherlands Bach Society") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqZE54i-muE) ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2021, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-music-fans-favorite-video-recordings-of-famous-works/943733/63 "2021-06-12T03:47:53Z")
A fun setting and a beautiful performance by Magdalena Kožená [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9ep9wONkU2c/hqdefault.jpg "Johann Sebastian Bach (Eisenach, 1685 -- Lipsia, 1750) \_ Cantata BWV 30 \_ Aria for Alto (5)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ep9wONkU2c) ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2021, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-music-fans-favorite-video-recordings-of-famous-works/943733/64 "2021-06-12T05:07:07Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Georg Friedrich Händel’s _ **Music for the Royal Fireworks** _ (1749), performed on period instruments Strings? We don’t need no stinkin’ strings. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/EXjY6w1KQMo/hqdefault.jpg "Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks 1/2 (Ouverture)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXjY6w1KQMo) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/RDlkAGGieBA/hqdefault.jpg "Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks 2/2") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDlkAGGieBA) (Neither krumhorns nor sackbuts – but I used to have a recording of this that included serpents.) ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2021, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-music-fans-favorite-video-recordings-of-famous-works/943733/65 "2021-06-12T05:19:48Z")
And here’s my favourite Pachelbel: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/JvNQLJ1_HQ0/maxresdefault.jpg "Pachelbel Canon in D Major - the original and best version.") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvNQLJ1_HQ0) ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2021, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-music-fans-favorite-video-recordings-of-famous-works/943733/66 "2021-06-12T06:23:02Z")
> [@Briny\_Deep](#): > > **GreenWyvern** , your Bach above reminded me of _Wachet Auf_ . I wish Voces8 would do it, but this isn’t bad at all: Yes, that’s a pretty good version. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2021, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-music-fans-favorite-video-recordings-of-famous-works/943733/67 "2021-06-12T06:24:14Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > And here’s my favourite Pachelbel: And a great version of Pachenbel’s Canon. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2021, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-music-fans-favorite-video-recordings-of-famous-works/943733/68 "2021-06-12T13:23:41Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Georg Friedrich Händel’s _ **Music for the Royal Fireworks** _ (1749), performed on period instruments You might like this performance of the Water Music for a BBC documentary reconstructing the original performance on a barge, using period instruments (and costumes!) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/DFEOqWYua8s/maxresdefault.jpg "Handel. Water Music performance BBC") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFEOqWYua8s) ---
**Author:** ![JohnnyWest](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnnywest/32/7223_2.png) [@JohnnyWest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnnyWest)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2021, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-music-fans-favorite-video-recordings-of-famous-works/943733/69 "2021-06-12T13:47:06Z")
Possibly the best rendition of “Ständchen” by Schubert, performed by Khatia Buniatishvili [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/SlTTgJau33Q/maxresdefault.jpg "F. Liszt - "Ständchen" Piano Transcriptions After Schubert - Khatia Buniatishvili") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlTTgJau33Q) Close your eyes and relax to this one! 😌 ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2021, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-music-fans-favorite-video-recordings-of-famous-works/943733/70 "2021-06-12T18:22:10Z")
Open-air concert with Shostakovich’s _ **Waltz No. 2** _: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/O4gQEslOKjI/maxresdefault.jpg "Dmitri Shostakovich - Waltz No. 2 - Klassik Open Air 2015 Nuremberg (TV)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4gQEslOKjI) I have to add this “modern classic” that blew me away the first time I heard it. (It’s also a good chance to practice your German skills! 🙂 ) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/1LGVGekPSzo/maxresdefault.jpg "André Rieu - And The Waltz Goes On") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LGVGekPSzo) It still blows me away ten years later! ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2021, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-music-fans-favorite-video-recordings-of-famous-works/943733/71 "2021-06-12T18:30:45Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Gustav Holst’s _ **The Planets** _, at the BBC Proms > > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be7uEyyNIT4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be7uEyyNIT4) Ninja’d. I’m not even a big fan of orchestral music, but I’ve queued this up on YouTube three or four times. Great piece of music, especially considering these were high school kids. I also enjoyed the manner in which Edward Gardner is able to convey the theme of the music with just his expressions - stern and forceful for “Mars”, serene and peaceful for “Venus”, whimsical and slightly silly for “Mercury”, etc. I enjoyed the video for his expressions as much as for the great music. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2021, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-music-fans-favorite-video-recordings-of-famous-works/943733/72 "2021-06-12T19:25:01Z")
This thread wouldn’t be complete with a mention of **Bach’s St Matthew Passion.** Over the years I would occasionally hear it described as the greatest work of classical music ever written, but I never got round to listening to it. When I eventually listened to the whole thing, it totally blew me away. It deserves to called the greatest work. It’s certainly Bach’s greatest work. But it’s a _massive_ work in every sense: nearly 3 hours long, in German, for double choir, double orchestra, and six soloists. The effect of listening to it is cumulative. Emotionally, it becomes more moving and involving as you listen, especially if you follow the words in translation. The story of Jesus’ trial and crucifixion is so well known that it’s become corny, but somehow Bach manages to put life and immediacy back into it again. It’s a Christian story, but to me that’s irrelevant. I’m not a Christian, and you don’t have to be in order to enjoy it. If it were any other religious story, or myth, it wouldn’t matter. It’s a powerful story, brilliantly retold by Bach. It’s scored for: - Double choir (8 choral parts) - Double orchestra - Two organs - Extra ‘ripieno’ choir for the opening movement. - 6 solo singers (plus a few extra short solo parts) So there’s a tremendous richness and depth in the sound, with complex harmonies and polyphony. Below I’ve posted a great musical introduction to the work. It’s the Choir of King’s College again, but my excuse is that it _is_ one the top choirs in the world, and exactly the type of choir that Bach wrote the work for. Period instruments are used in this performance as well. The conductor, Sir Stephen Cleobury, was seriously ill at the time (2019), and died only a few months later. He had cancer of the face, and had undergone at least two operations, and one side of his face was paralysed – but he still elicited a magnificent performance. He was greatly loved and respected throughout his 37 years as Director of Music at King’s, and everyone was giving of their best for him, for what they knew would be his last St Matthew Passion. Here’s a wonderful introduction to the work (with plenty of musical excerpts) by James Gilchrist, who sang the part of the Evangelist: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/591fCQvRjmo/maxresdefault.jpg "A Guide to Bach's St Matthew Passion") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=591fCQvRjmo) ---
**Author:** ![Gymnopithys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@Gymnopithys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gymnopithys)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2021, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-music-fans-favorite-video-recordings-of-famous-works/943733/73 "2021-06-12T21:01:14Z")
Handel’s Messiah by Robert Wilson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSMHHO78Zfk ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2021, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-music-fans-favorite-video-recordings-of-famous-works/943733/74 "2021-06-12T22:20:51Z")
Thanks for this. Händel ties with Beethoven as my favorite composer. 🥰 ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2021, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-music-fans-favorite-video-recordings-of-famous-works/943733/75 "2021-06-13T04:23:29Z")
Here’s the astoundingly amazing Pretty Yende, a rising star in opera. Actually, not a rising star, she’s already a superstar. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ir8I-1IZLH8/maxresdefault.jpg "La Traviata by G. Verdi - "Addio del passato" (Pretty Yende)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir8I-1IZLH8) ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2021, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-music-fans-favorite-video-recordings-of-famous-works/943733/76 "2021-06-13T04:58:59Z")
And here is Pretty Yende in [L’elisir d’amore](https://my.mail.ru/video/embed/1180832194961114844), in one of her starring roles at the Met. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2021, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-music-fans-favorite-video-recordings-of-famous-works/943733/77 "2021-08-27T01:30:49Z")
I saw this Joshua Bell video a few days ago and remembered this thread: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/IHJKd8V_E_I/hqdefault.jpg "Joshua Bell - Dvořák: Song to the Moon from Rusalka - Gianandrea Noseda/National Symphony Orchestra") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHJKd8V_E_I) ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2021, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-music-fans-favorite-video-recordings-of-famous-works/943733/78 "2021-09-04T18:23:36Z")
Vladimir Horowitz’s 1953 rendition of Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody #2, with his kick-ass cadenza is a favorite of mine: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/v95I6kGghmk/hqdefault.jpg "Liszt-Horowitz Hungarian Rhapsody No 2 Horowitz Rec 1953") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v95I6kGghmk) One of the most talented contemporary classical pianists is Yuga Wang. Her repertoire is deep, impressive, and ever-expanding. She excels with Russian Romanticism (e.g. Rachmaninoff), but she plays every piece with unrivaled virtuosity, including: Prokofiev - Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor Op. 16 [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bf-Vxl-eew) Yuja’s father was a percussionist, so she has an affinity for that as well. Here she is with Martin Grubinger: https://www.youtube.com/embed/DguR3YCGUC8?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&list=RDDguR3YCGUC8&start=1 She was a recognized child prodigy at age 6. Here she is at 9: Debussy Arabesque No 1 in E major [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/uuDuIenxY1I/hqdefault.jpg "Yuja Wang: Debussy Arabesque No 1 in E major") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuDuIenxY1I) ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2021, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-music-fans-favorite-video-recordings-of-famous-works/943733/79 "2021-09-05T07:26:00Z")
Thanks so much for those. I’ve been a big fan of Yuja Wang for several years, and have some of her recordings. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2021, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-music-fans-favorite-video-recordings-of-famous-works/943733/80 "2021-09-05T12:15:23Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > This thread wouldn’t be complete with a mention of **Bach’s St Matthew Passion.** It is due to be performed at the BBC Proms this Thursday night, 9 September, starting at 19:30 BST. It should be possible to listen live over the internet, or catch up on the BBC Sounds app: > **[Bach’s St Matthew Passion](https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/ewpv9r)** > > Period-instrument ensemble Arcangelo and Director Jonathan Cohen return to the Proms, joined by the Arcangelo Chorus and a glittering line-up of soloists, for Bach’s crowning masterpiece, the St Matthew Passion. > **[Radio 3 - Listen Live - BBC Sounds](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_radio_three)** > > Listen live to BBC Radio 3 on BBC Sounds [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-music-fans-favorite-video-recordings-of-famous-works/943733.md?page=3)