Sibelius - Symphony 1 [Ashkenazy-Philharmonia Orchestra] 

After the 2nd Symphony, the 1st is the one i like the next best, in fact it may sound strange admitting this, but i've probably listened to the 2nd as many times as all his other Symphonies put together!, my feelings are that on the whole Sibelius started out excellent, then slowly got poorer as his Symphonic oeuvre progressed, in the end he packed up shop thirty years before his death.

Vladimir Ashkenazy is Russian, now 73 years old, he now seems to be releasing new discs on the Exton Label, this is a box set of the seven Symphonies on 4 discs, recorded in the early to mid eighties for Decca.

On this listen, i found the Third movement Scherzo really thrilling, e

Here's Vladimir Ashkenazy conducting the third movement on YouTube.

Mahler - Symphony 6 [Jansons-Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra] 

Mahler's Sixth is not one of my better known Mahler Symphonies, in fact i only started listening to this Symphony a very few years ago, it's still taking time to seep in, nowhere near as dramatic and compelling as the Fifth, but maybe after a while it will warm on me.

Maris Jansons, 68 last week, is a Latvian Conductor, this disc was recorded live in 2005, and the front booklet picture is intriguing, a shot of six smashed pills / sweets? [what does it mean?], with some very lively colours, the lettering on the front is excellent, and i really like these RCO Live recordings for this.

The movement that really got me going was the first,

Here's Mariss Jansons playing the first movement on YouTube.

Beethoven - Violin Concerto [Znaider/ Mehta-The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra] 

Believe it or not, this is the first time that the Beethoven Concerto appears in my Blog, some people would say that this is the greatest violin concerto ever written, and even though i regard this Concerto highly, i find it far from the greatest, for me it's a bit of a tough listen, it's long and i seem to need to concentrate more, there's great architecture in there, especially the first movement, other Violin Concertos much more easily affect me, the Adagio of Bruch's Violin Concerto 1 melts my heart, the Intermezzo from Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole has exciting rhythms, the Bach Concertos are concise and extremely refreshing, by comparison Beethoven's Concerto is like an ocean liner!.

Nikolaj Znaider is actually Danish, with a Russian sounding name [i think one of his parents comes from a Polish background], he's now 35 years old, and he recorded this disc in 2005, i like the visuals that come with this disc, the front booklet [photo George Lange] is very nice, a well lit portrait, with strong light in the background, and the back inlay photo is good too.

The first movement is a mammoth 24+ minute slab, 

Here's Anne Sophie Mutter playing the first movement on YouTube. 

Schubert - Piano Sonata 21 [Schiff] 

2010 was a good year for this Sonata, it appeared in my Blog 4 times, with the likes of Perahia, Kovacevich, Pollini, and Pires, and now Schiff, he is in illustrious company, this is not just my favourite Schubert Piano Sonata but the very best Piano Sonata of all!, the first movement has that sublime opening, full of the utmost refinement and gravitas, it perfectly introduces his closing statement in the piano medium.

Andras Schiff keeps popping up in my Blog, he's a Hungarian Pianist, born in 1953, this recording was made in 1993, and this is a reissue of 3 individual discs of the last three Piano Sonatas of a Decca Double package, the booklet is very pleasing indeed, looks like a bare beech tree forest, it's artistically well laid out, two pictures in essence, with the right one whitened out, nice use of the lettering, especially the logo box, and the sideways 'Double Decca', and of course the colour scheme of reddish brown is wonderful and fitting.medium.

Like i said above, it's the first movement i truly love, it has an opening which i almost feel Schubert reserved for his 'goodbye' to the world and his beloved piano, it has that utmost refinement i was talking about, for me it's full of tenderness and pathos, i can't speak highly enough of it,

Here's Alfred Brendel playing the first movement on YouTube. 

Brahms - Symphony 1 [Sawallisch-The London Philharmonic] 

My favourite Brahms Symphony, and easily by far, i feel this Symphony is better than the other three put together!, it had a long gestation period, roughly 14 years, and it shows in the final completion, very well thought out ideas and plans, especially the beginning of the Symphony, which was added on fairly late.

Wolfgang Sawallisch is a German Conductor, born in 1923, he's now 86, and i think he has retired from conducting because of his health, this disc was recorded in 1991, Sawallisch recorded a full cycle with The London Philharmonic, they're issued as a boxed set, but originally they appeared as separate discs, with my feeling that Symphonies 2 and 3 are fairly average, i have a tendency to collect version of the First only, i like the way the front booklet has Brahms written sideways, this is a good technique, i wonder why it isn't done more often.

For me the first movement is fantastic, it has all the hallmarks of great Brahms,

Here's Gunter Wand conducting the first movement on YouTube.

Chopin - 4 Ballades [Bolet] 

There's one thing about the 'older' guys of the piano, they certainly have a long lifetime of experience, and their interpretation has matured over many decades, Jorge Bolet recorded this disc at 72, four years before he died, but he certainly isn't some bumbling old Grandfather, there's a fleetness and alertness aplenty, and i prefer his Ballades to Perahia any day.

Jorge Bolet was a Cuban Pianist, born in 1914, and died in 1990, this disc is reissued, but i believe the 4 Ballades are split up on two different discs, this is a rare original disc, i see this is available on Amazon for £30, i got mine in a second-hand shop in London for £9, snap this up if you see one going cheap.

I enjoyed this disc walking on the way home from Church today, there's something about a winters day which was damp but quite mild, and the walking was as therapeutic as the music, i certainly enjoyed all of these Ballades, but if i had to put my finger on it, it would be Ballades 1 & 4 that i was especially thrilled with, the last Ballade has always been my favourite, 

Here's Jorge Bolet playing Ballade 4 on YouTube. 

Tchaikovsky - Marche Slave [Pletnev-Russian National Orchestra] 

When i first got into Classical music, i quickly developed a love for Tchaikovsky and his Symphonies, and on an early cassette that i bought was a filler in the way of Marche Slave, and i must admit i didn't care too much for the 1812 Overture, but this nationalistic piece really blew me away, and i don't hear it all that often, but when i do, i think it's so perfectly organized to stir up feelings of belonging and pride.

Mikhail Pletnev is now 53, he formed this Orchestra on this disc in 1990, and this was their debut disc recorded in 1991, Pletnev of course is Russian himself, and even though the booklet picture isn't any great shakes [by Peter Mountain], the music inside is.

Written in B Flat Minor [the same key as his Piano Concerto 1], a dark and solemn march it starts out as, with sombre cellos and basses, but the whole thing is really a military march, and quickly the whole thing becomes war like, early on there's this lovely section [1:26-2:48], where the the strings become more and more agitated [1:26+], and it builds up and up until the violins are frightened [1:47+], the low strings also become agitated [1:59+], and the whole thing explodes in an angry brass fanfare [2:10+], with shrill piccolos / flutes, frantic violins, and beating timpani, a lovely cacophony!, then the cymbals crash and crash [2:27+], and the timpani beat and beat away, this whole section is repeated again about 3 minutes later to great effect [4:46-6:04], after some brass band music, the trumpets have these little fanfare flourishes [3:44-4:05], but the whole thing is like a constant merry-go-round, and it's a thrilling ride, the ending is very 1812, with a very loud tam-tam for extra effect [7:35+], another great Tchaikovsky composition that has me thrilling at the patriotic feelings it wells up.

Here's Pletnev conducting Marche Slave on YouTube.