The 10 Most Important Reference Artists & Ensembles

[@bigtom6939]

It absolutely amazes me how much I learn from undoubtedly the recording worlds leading expert on classical music and recordings. I discovered your videos about a year ago and learn something new every day. I only wish I had become more seriously involved in classical music earlier in life. At 75 I imagine I could have a lot of time to learn, and I welcome your videos daily. Thank you so much.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Thank you very much. I'm not the world's leading expert, but I may be the world's leading talker!

[@edelmantos]

Cool list! I would add Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau when it comes to German lieder. Yes, there were many other greats but he was dominating the scene for decades.

[@classicallpvault8251]

Fully agreed but I'd say Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau is a good reference artist for the baritone voice, or even the human voice in general, and he showed incredible skill in opera and oratorios too. He could also sing bass roles and sang at least one of them well enough to have contributed to the best selling recording of the piece involved; there's a magnificient recording of Mendelssohn's 'Paulus' with him, as a bass, in the role of Paulus, with the Düsseldorfer Philharmoniker under Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos on EMI. He excelled also in non-German language works, like Britten's 'War Requiem' and Mozart's 'Le Nozze di Figaro'.

[@Cubehead27]

I was thinking the same thing! For the lieder repertoire at least it's hard to imagine anyone else holding that title (despite the many other phenomenal lieder-singers the 20th century had to offer). And my god yes, the man had range! Was listening to his Debussy/Ravel recording recently and it blew my socks off.

[@brianburtt7053]

For second-generation guitarists, besides John Williams who deserves the credit, let's also remember Julian Bream. Sony really needs to re-release (and, dare I say it, keep in print?) the big boxes that were out for two or three minutes devoted to these two guitarists. And, yeah, somebody needs to get Segovia's recordings together and make them available.

[@mangstadt1]

Jascha Heifetz is credited with being (partly) responsible for Joe Morello's transition to the drums. As a boy, Morello attended a concert featuring Heifetz and realised that he would never be able to play the violin like that, so he decided to play some other instrument, and he chose percussion. Morello was one of the great jazz drummers of the 20th century.

[@heifetz14]

That story appeared in the newspaper when Morello died. I am a jazz violinist,and back in the late 70,s I was playing a gig in a Wimbledon theater. The drummer told us that his drum kit was the one used on the recording of Take Five. So I sort of got to play with Joe. I never jammed with Heifetz though. That would have been scary.

[@Mooseman327]

This reminds me of the old (circa 1970's-80's) New Yorker cartoon. We see a parrot in a cage and the blurb has the parrot saying "And that was the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Neville Marriner conducting." They were everywhere at the time...hence Reference Artist for chamber orchestra. Good call.

[@healthrisingMECFS-FM-longCOVID]

Ahh Toscanini! Such dynamism and clarity. He got the recording era off to a great start. One wonders where classical music would have gone without him? And what he would have sounded like with really good sound. How lucky we were to have him.

[@ColeThomas]

Glad to see Maurice Andre in this list.

[@georgelmoneo]

Vis-a-vis Toscanini, this is from a short essay I wrote on the occasion of Beethoven's 250 celebration: "Beethoven’s music has meant so much to me and has been such a part of my life for over half a century. My earliest (and strangest) Beethoven memory relates to a party my parents had when I was a young man of 14 or 15. The guests brought over all manner of LPs to listen to on our old Grundig console. One of the guests, and I cannot fathom why, brought the old pink RCA Victrola set of the complete Beethoven symphonies conducted by Toscanini, as his musical selection. A very odd choice for a party. That bizarre mental image has never left me and just underscores that the power of Beethoven’s music is such that someone thought it a good idea to bring to a party!"

[@stephenkeen2404]

I thought of Rampal almost as soon as you started talking, so was gratified to hear him mentioned. I also vacillated about Galway, but Rampal had a gold flute and who could top that. This also provides another chance to plug one of my favorites: the Haydn London Trios with Rampal, Rostropovich and Stearn. You get two reference performers, and its still available at Arkiv and streaming. I was going to quibble about the reference orchestra, as the Concertgebouw is my first choice for gauging most pieces. But looking back, I was in the grip of DG's promotion of the Berlin Phil back in the day. My first major purchase was Karajan's 1977 Beethoven cycle and I certainly favored DG/Berlin recordings. The scales didn't fall from my eyes until the CD era, when I bought Karajan's Verdi Requiem (although that was with Vienna) and realized it was a horrible performance.

[@stephenkeen2404]

BTW, I'm betting you'll be shelving this London Trio Recording in the Overflow Room around the end of 2026 or early 2027. Given how the "Ss" have been progressing, I expecting the "Ms" (Mahler, Martinu, Massenet, Mendelssohn, Monteverdi, Mozart, Mussorgsky, etc.) to take all of 2025.

[@dariocaporuscio8701]

What do you mean, Galway also had a golden flute lol

[@markdecker2112]

Can't argue at all with any of your selections. Thanks for the video.

[@Joan_Davies]

Nice List! I am wondering would you consider Emmanuel Pahud to be considered one of your choices for reference recording flute players?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

No. It would be Rampal.

[@richbulena8847]

I always thought of Barry Tuckwell as being the reference French Horn player, especially after earning a profile in the New Yorker back in 1977 (I had to look up the year, boy I’m getting old).

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Sorry, no, splendid though he was. We don't need to have a "reference" for everything.

[@classicallpvault8251]

@@DavesClassicalGuide Or perhaps we need more horn repertoire in order to justify having a reference hornist.

[@geertdecoster5301]

Marvelous list to start from. Say, this Reference guy sure knows his artists. It reminds me very much of what I heard Stephen Fry recently say about Kenneth Clark's recount of Western art. It's for sure something to start from

[@waynesmith3767]

Any reference list that includes that radiant old man Arthur Rubinstein, is fine with me.

[@DenisPuscaOfficial]

Dear Mr. Hurwitz, I have been watching your lovely videos for a long time. Thank you a lot for your wonderful work. You have played a substantial role in my awareness and knowledge of classical music. You already did a video about the reference recording of Liszt's b-minor sonata. I wonder if you could do a video about the reference recording of Liszt's Dante sonata. I am soon to play this piece and I would be very thankful if you could do such a video.

[@johngreen1176]

I believe the reference for the Années de Pèlerinage was made by Lazar Berman. As for the Dante Sonata specifically, I think the one by Claudio Arrau is a strong contender.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I honestly don't think there is a reference for the Dante Sonata, merely a slew of excellent versions. Go for Claudio Arrau.

[@estel5335]

I'm going to throw my hat into the ring for Bertrand Chamayou!

[@davidgoodman6538]

Thanks for that, Dave!

[@erickorte]

Dave- I'm a big fan of your discussions, lectures and rants and I'm also a guitarist and guitar enthusiast, so I've been wondering when you might talk a bit about the 'world's favorite instrument'. Everything you said was great and made total sense (amazing that you know about Brouwer!) and, yes, of course Segovia is the obvious choice, although I wouldn't call all his recordings references by any means. But I think a very close second should be the great Julian Bream. It was always amazing to me how completely different and instantly recognizable the two artists were. Bream's style was so unique and he put so much personality into all his performances. He was a tireless advocate for the instrument (and the lute) and several pieces that are now mainstays of the repertoire were written for him, including the Britten Nocturnal. Many of today's guitarists, although technically superb, sound bland by comparison and I struggle to tell any of them apart. Just my two cents.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Thank you for chiming in.

[@wolfgangechelmeyer7597]

Lovely Dave, how does the record and critic industry handle the Most Important Reference Artist when it comes to: Voices?? are there "Reference Lieder Tenors", or "Reference Verdi or Mozart Sopranos"?

[@celloburnslongerthanviola3156]

How do you feel about the Digital Concert Hall of the Berliner? Has any other orchestra caught up to that yet?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I don't care about it at all.

[@robertbubeck9194]

No other orchestra has yet to match Digital Concert Hall for the Berliner Philharmoniker overall in steaming audio-video classical music live combined with the archiving of the concerts for streamed replay. The archive effectively provides audio-video recordings streamable on demand which is consistent with the nonphysical media approach favored by many these days. Whether or not DCH is establishing the BP as THE modern reference is another matter for debate. Interestingly, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra streams live roughly 18 concerts throughout their season on Saturday nights in excellent fashion supported by the Knight and Ford foundations. These are streamable for free although donations are most welcome. These two services do provide something approximating concert hall experiences for those who cannot physically attend due to geography, physical limitations, etc. IF one has the kit to take full advantage of listening to/viewing the concerts.

[@celloburnslongerthanviola3156]

@@DavesClassicalGuide ...then you just don't understand the future. :(

[@DavidJohnson-of3vh]

Great list! Thank you for mentioning Dennis Brain. Perhaps you can sometime address other instruments - Clarinet, Oboe, etc.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

There are no references for most other instruments. That was the point in mentioning Dennis Brain.

[@2leftfield]

As the saying goes, "Death is a great career move." This certainly applies to Dennis Brain. Yes he was a great horn player. But his death while in his prime, via a car accident, cemented his legend as nothing else could. Following his demise, we eventually saw the rise of Barry Tuckwell, who started as the principal horn of the London Symphony Orchestra, but eventually managed a career as horn soloist, touring the world. But he did not die tragically in his prime, so he could not overshadow Dennis Brain's legend, no matter how well he played.

[@josephromance3908]

I completely understand your criterion for selecting these choices. But, I just want to say I much prefer the Cleveland Orchestra -- Szell and the later conductors (Dohnányi in particular) were fantastic. Again, not questioning your point about Berlin being the reference.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I prefer Cleveland too, but so what?

[@josephromance3908]

@@DavesClassicalGuide I just wanted to say that. I was backing up your point when YOU mentioned it, among others, as better. I made abundantly clear I get the point of reference recordings and players, etc.. I get your project and have found it enlightening and enjoyable. But what is the harm, in the comments section, for people discussing their preferences and possibly offering a contrast to what is the reference recording? That itself is possibly interesting. Why not see your videos as launching pad for more discussions and contrasting reference recordings and our own preferences and discuss the implications. Not asking you to respond to each point, just thought the comments section might generate interesting perspectives on what people think is good and enjoyable. Indeed, I thought you made the point that it was valuable to know the reference recording to then have a fruitful discussion about what we like in music or don't like. I thought this list you are admirable creating was to serve some purpose beyond being a list to look at and say nothing.

[@MarauderOSU]

Do you think Itzhak Perlman would be the new reference artist for the violin?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

No.

[@erickimn4711]

no viola reference artist? Who would be your viola reference artist, Dave? Also, i think oboe, horn, clarinet could have their own reference artists.... (holliger, tuckewell, stoltzman)

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

No they don't. There are famous performers known to a tiny minority. It's a different thing entirely.

[@CluelessClutz]

As a reference conductor of the standard repertoire after Toscanini, can one say that Szell lives up to this designation?

[@2leftfield]

Szell is beloved by critics and musicians, but he never had the name recognition with the public that Toscanini had. An illustrative story: Benny Goodman, when planning his 1938 Carnegie Hall concert with his band, was asked how long an intermission he wanted. He replied, "I dunno, what does Toscanini get?" George Szell got to be the music director of the orchestra of a mid-western American city that is normally associated with heavy industry. He raised that orchestra to a level that was admired around the world, but the American public did not rush to his door. The classical music public did follow him, but that is not the majority here. But EVERYBODY knew who Toscanini was, thanks to his promotion by NBC--the biggest and most prestigious radio network, headquartered in New York City, the media capital of the U.S.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Exactly. Szell wasn't even an important artist for Sony, relatively speaking. They were pushing Bernstein and, above all, Ormandy.

[@DavidAgdern]

All highly interesting! One instrument not covered is the harpsichord. I can understand why. That subject is likely to start a war. The hoards of HIPers versus the few (myself included who favor modern harpsichords.

[@Lohensteinio]

I, too, can understand why the harpsichord need not be included in any reference category. It’s clearly too “niche,” and its appeal as a solo instrument is too limited. Probably harpsichord enthusiasts (of which I am one) simply must find their own way to the instrument and its discography. Concerning potential warfare between lovers of old (and old-style) harpsichords and champions of “revival” instruments, surely we can all get along - for example, over at the excellent KZbin channel “Harpsichord Vinyl Gallery,” where HIPsters and revivalists alike gather to luxuriate in the instrument’s glories. 😊

[@DavidAgdern]

Yes. The Harpsichord Vinyl Gallery is a superb channel and I have expressed my gratitude to its creator many times. I was thinking that if Landowska were chosen as the reference artist the HIP enforcers would have a fit.

[@Lohensteinio]

@@DavidAgdern True, HIP-fits might well be had. 😅

[@dariocaporuscio8701]

Ah Rampal, my youth idol! He has such a clarity in articulation, vibrancy and vitality in the sound! His vibrato is a bit quicker than today's standards but this gives to his sound personality and liveliness. The only thing I can't help but mention is that he recorded way too much, and therefore many recordings are of lower quality, he is out of tune or it sounds like he is sight reading

[@ananthkumar7308]

Dave, who would your favorite violinist be then?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I don't have one.

[@juancarlosdosgarcia]

Regarding piano, even if he's not my favorite pianist, I would have chosen Claudio Arrau rather than Arthur Rubinstein. Arrau has a more extensive repertoire (from Bach to Debussy), and he’s not the Belle Epoque pianist Rubinstein is. Anyway, for me any reference artist should have played or conducted some pieces by the composers of the Second Viennese School and by contemporary composers as well, so I should think that Pollini must be the reference pianist, so good in Chopin as in Webern o Boulez. Then, ¿Arturo Toscanini? ¿The Automaton?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

You don't understand. We don't choose. I don't choose. I merely report the historical reality. Our preferences are irrelevant. And your comment about Toscanini merely makes you look foolish.

[@juancarlosdosgarcia]

@@DavesClassicalGuide Also sprach Zarathustra.

[@PolymathCrowsbane]

Not disagreeing with your choice of Rubinstein at all. But I’d like to put forward as another “reference” pianist the great Naxos performer Jeno Jando. As the house pianist for them, he performed pretty much every bit of piano repertory. While he may not be in the same tier as Rubinstein (or many others), for those of us who grew up on budget labels, he was the go to when you needed to get a recording of a particular piece of music but didn’t have the funds for the full price labels. And he always seemed to make the comparison list on classical reviews of the 70s and 80s.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

That is a very valid observation, although I don't think Jando was as widely referenced as you suggest (and I think it would have been a bit later--80s and 90s).

[@clarkebustard8672]

Now it would be interesting to identify your personal reference artists and ensembles, from classical recording's glory days and/or these days. About the consensus reference orchestra: I wonder how the Philharmonia would stack up against the Berlin Phil in the number of reference recordings? Close call, I'd guess.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Not even close.

[@hamidrezahabibi8111]

These are the finest musicians the human race has ever produced. 🫡

[@duncanmckeown1292]

From what I know your choices appear to be spot on! I suppose for orchestras the arguments could heat up a wee bit?

[@richfarmer3478]

Would Gregor Piatigorsky be considered a contender for reference recording cellist?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Nope.

[@kenmcguire5837]

Piatigorsky was a fine cellist, but in the early stereo Era so were Fournier, Rose, and Starker, and before that Feuermann and Casals. But Rostropovich was almost certainly the superstar.

[@edwinbaumgartner5045]

Interesting choices. Shouldn`t one add Nicanor Zabaleta for the harp, Wanda Landowska for the cembalo and Heinz Holliger for the oboe?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

No, I don't think so.

[@bbailey7818]

Isn't Rubinstein the reference recording for the Chopin Mazurkas ?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Yup.

[@TichmanClassCologne]

Rubenstein might qualify as the reference for the Mazurkas, but IMHO it would only be on the basis of her general reputation as a Chopin ist. It happens to be one of his least compelling recordings. There are some amazing recordings of the Mazurkas (yes, I know, not "reference"!). Check out Ignaz Friedman, Horowitz.

[@TichmanClassCologne]

his

[@bbailey7818]

​@TichmanClassCologne Rubinstein, though, recorded them complete no less than three times whereas Friedman and Horowitz did only selections. When Rubinstein's set initially appeared, one critic praised his "rhythmic flair, his finely cultivated sense of phrasing and contrast make of this music not merely inspired dance pieces, but evocative vignettes of drama and poetry." The same critic found Friedman's authentic but " his straining for charm occasionally an irritation." Moreover, the transfer of Friedman's set I have shows antique early electric technology even for the 78 era. Listenable but not a reference.

[@KHMeyer-zm5pi]

Isn‘t Liberace the reference pianist for the vast majority of the US public?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Not for classical music, which is what we're talking about.