The Discographies

I am an avid record collector and a discographer – and I am a discographer because I am an avid record collector: compiling a discography, of a composer, a particular work, a performer, or a label, is a way to know what’s available out there (a lot), and among all that, what’s desirable (still a lot). And along the way, checking for the info on the customary commercial websites also shows what’s being sold cheap and can be bought at once and hoarded for later (way too much!). I maintain a lot of discographies for my own use, and most of them are works-(ever)-in-progress. I also use a lot of online discographies in my own research, and am indebted to them and very grateful to those who make them available online. So my turn to share.

You will find here

1. discographies of composers of particular interest to me
2. discographies of particular compositions
3. discographies of some performers of particular interest to me
4. discographies of some labels of particular interest to me

In most cases, those discographies will provide, when relevant, links to the individual CDs that I’ve reviewed here (or, awaiting their transfer, on Amazon.com). Hereafter follows a long list, which I will, if God, nature or fate grants me two more hundred years of life, eventually publish. One of the problems is that publishing a discography requires a lot more work and time than just maintining them for my own needs, where I can use a lot of shorthand. I provide the list now only to give an indication of the discographies I maintain and constantly, if off and on, work on. But if there is one in particular you are particularly anxious to see, don’t hesitate to leave me a request in the comments, and I’ll start working on that one ASAP.

See also the resources and links section, where I give the links to all those I use.

Discographies of composers

Michael Tippett (link will open new tab with discography in .pdf format, that you can download if you wish). About the circumstances which led me to compile this – hopefully – complete discography for Tippett’s publisher Schott of London, back in 2014, see my blogpost of 28 February 2022. I haven’t updated the discography for republication here but – sadly for the composer, but fortunately for the discographer- not much has happened since on the composer’s discographic front.)

 

 

Discographies of Particular Works

Bach: a partial and chronological discography of the Goldberg Variations
Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra, Music for Strings-Percussion-Celesta, Divertimento

Bartok: the Concertos
Beethoven: The Concertos
Beethoven: The Symphonies
Brahms: The Piano Concertos
Brahms: The Symphonies
Schubert: String Quintet in C
Stravinsky: The Concertos

 

Discographies of performers
Michèle Auclair
Concerto Köln
Christian Ferras
Sequentia
The Swingle Singers
Toscanini forever

 

Discographies of labels
Most of my label discographies are CD discographies: those are what I listen to and look for. In some cases I have compiled LP discographies.

Adda
Amarantha Records – the label of pianist Thomas Rajna
Argo
Attacca Babel
Barbirolli Society – see Dutton
Bay Cities
Beulah
BFO (a label of the Dutch Radio)
Biddulph
Clavès (the early CD years)
Continuum
Cp2 (the label of violinist Paul Zukovsky)
Cybelia
Dante
Decca Head
Deutsche Harmonia Mundi the early CD years
Dischi Ricordi contemporary series
Donemus Composer’s Voice
Dutton and Barbirolli Society (see also PRT)
Emergo
EMI FDS (Capitol CD reissues)
EMI Matrix
EMI Reflexe CD discography
EMI Studio
EMI Les Introuvables / Les Rarissimes
Erato the early CD years
Harmonia Mundi the early CD years
Harmonic
HatArt, HatHut
IMP Classics
Laborie Records (a minuscule and short-lived French label specialized in rare works by “minor” and forgotten composers, performed by Christophe Coin and his Quatuor Mosaïques and Ensemble Baroque de Limoges)
Lodia
Louisville
MCA (see also Westminter)
Megadisc Classics
Menuet
Mercury (Living Presence and prior)
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MFSL)
Monitor
Disques Montaigne / Audivis-Montaigne / Naïve-Montaigne
Musica Sveciae
Musicmasters
NM Classics
NMC
Pantheon / Price-Less
Philips Dutch Masters
Philips Early Years
Pianovox
Price-Less – see Pantheon
PRT (see also Dutton)
Ricordi – see Dischi Ricordi
Saga Classics the CD reissues
Tahra
Thesis
Transes Européennes (a minuscule and short-lived French label specialized mostly in contemporary jazz-world music crossover, but with a few releases of interest to the listener of contemporary music)
Turnabout-Carlton
Vanguard Classics CD discography
Varèse Sarabande
Vox a CD discography
Westminster (see also MCA)

Comments are welcome