Desert island discs

By Justin Urcis

The desert island discography must contain quality performances. But the next most important consideration for my selections is variety--of composers, styles, performers, and instrumentation, that is. One thing I can guarantee is that my list will be completely different tomorrow...

* Johann Sebastian Bach, Goldberg Variations; Wanda Landowska, harpsichord: Landowska's harpsichord might not be authentic, but her keen sense of rhythm and musical sensitivity make this recording of Bach's greatest keyboard work the one to have.

* Ludwig van Beethoven, The Piano Sonatas; Artur Schnabel, piano: Only the String Quartets rival the Piano Sonatas in tracing Beethoven's growth as a composer and a man. But the sonatas also show how the piano grew as an expressive medium.

* Frederic Chopin, Preludes; Alfred Cortot, piano: It's simply one of the greatest piano recordings ever.

* Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, String Quintets; Artur Grumiaux, et. al: The question is not, "Shall I bring Mozart?" but rather, "Which Mozart shall I bring?" The G minor string quintet is my favorite Mozart piece this week, and thus it merits a place on the island. This performance is so natural that you forget the performers are even there. It's ideal chamber music.

* Scarlatti, Keyboard Sonatas; Christian Zacharias, piano: As much as I want to take Staier's and Horowitz's recordings to the island, I can only pick one Scarlatti set. Zacharias has a magical sound and brings more vitality to these works than anyone else.

* Schubert, Die Winterreise; Peter Pears, tenor, Benjamin Britten, piano: Die Winterreise is the first song cycle I ever heard and it remains my favorite. I have found no other recording which captures the feelings of bleak isolation and tortured solitude as deeply as this haunting and expressionistic performance.

* Strauss, Waltzes and Polkas; Vienna Philharmonic, Carlos Kleiber, conductor: I can think of no other recordings that convey the sheer joy of making music more than this live recording of Strauss from the 1989 New Year's Day concert in Vienna. How one hundred players can "lilt" together so naturally is a marvel that I will never understand. But this recording will allow me to continue listening in amazement.

* Schoenberg, Piano Works; Glenn Gould, piano: A communion between two of the 20th century's greatest musicians, Gould and Schoenberg. Gould's reading of the Op. 25 Suite should be mandatory listening for anyone who is "scared" of atonal music.

Related Herald articles from the archives.

Past editions of Desert Island Discs: