Mercury Living Presence "best of" compilation, "Being There"
Good Classical discs for "beginners"
While i'm far from being knowledgable about Classical music, i just picked up a disc from Best Buy on RCA Victor / BMG entitled "The Only Classical CD You'll Ever Need!". This has 13 different selections from Mozart, Bach, Pachelbel, Vivaldi, Beethoven (2), Mozart, Debussy, Tchaikovsky, Strauss, Rachmaninoff, Wagner and Rossini. The various "tunes" are performed by Artur Rubinstein, Zubin Mehta / NY Philharmonic, Arthur Fiedler / Boston Pops, Eugene Ormandy / Philadelphia Orchestra, Fritz Reiner / Chicago Symphony and Erich Leinsdorf / Boston Symphony.
Quite honestly, it is truly a well put together disc. There isn't one bad cut : ) To top it off, the sequencing of the selections is quite tasteful and lends an overall "flow" to the disc as you listen. I would think that this would be a great intro if someone wanted to investigate various Classical artists and at the same time, listen to the different Conductors / Orchestra's / Symphony's. For those that are interested, it is catalogue #09026-62665-2. Actual selling price was $9.99 + Uncle Sam's cut : )
How about those of you that are well versed in Classical recordings throwing us a bone and pointing us to some other discs that are worth checking out ? Individual performances are good but it would be great if we could get some "samplers" listed also. Sean
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Quite honestly, it is truly a well put together disc. There isn't one bad cut : ) To top it off, the sequencing of the selections is quite tasteful and lends an overall "flow" to the disc as you listen. I would think that this would be a great intro if someone wanted to investigate various Classical artists and at the same time, listen to the different Conductors / Orchestra's / Symphony's. For those that are interested, it is catalogue #09026-62665-2. Actual selling price was $9.99 + Uncle Sam's cut : )
How about those of you that are well versed in Classical recordings throwing us a bone and pointing us to some other discs that are worth checking out ? Individual performances are good but it would be great if we could get some "samplers" listed also. Sean
>
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- 14 posts total
Here are some good samplers: DGG "An Die Musik" Das 4d-Konzert 445 809-2 unforturnatly, can't find the link B&W Present the EMI Abbey Road Classical Collection BW003 Again, no link available HDCD SAMPLER VOL l http://www.referencerecordings.com/SAMPLE.HTML Proprius 1994 Classical sampler https://www.elusivedisc.com/prodinfo.asp?number=PRCD%209107&variation=&aitem=15&mitem=15 OPUS 3 TEST CD 4.1 http://www.opus3records.com/artists/samp/19400.htm Both the DGG and the B&W sampler are those "mainstream" classical selections like the RCA title, both with good sound quality. The latter 3 are Hi-End quality samplers. The music selections are very enjoyable, not those "technical sound only" CDs. If you don't mind some new music, then the Narada sampler "Discovery Narada" CD-9002E (no link) would be a nice try. (Not classical music) Individual performances: J.S. Bach: Orchestral Transcriptions (by Stokowski) Chandos Chan 6532 [Robert Piker, Sydney Sym Orch] Beethoven: symphony 9 http://216.239.33.100/search?q=cache:Kobzl5shEYYJ:www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000001GPY%3Fvi%3Dglance+447401+beethoven&hl=zh-TW&ie=UTF-8 Bizet: Suite from "Carmen" IMP Classics PCD 905 [Rafael Fruhbeck De Burgos, London Sym Orch] Haydn & Bocherini: Cello Concerto http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000002S1F/qid=1055608100/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/002-9344519-9894414?v=glance&s=classical Mendelssohn: "A Midsummer Night's Dream" http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000002RNC/qid=1055608735/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/002-9344519-9894414 Mozart: Piano Concerto 20 & 21 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00000E4I8/qid=1055608864/sr=1-6/ref=sr_1_6/002-9344519-9894414?v=glance&s=classical Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No.2 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00000JQJE/qid=1055609213/sr=1-15/ref=sr_1_15/002-9344519-9894414?v=glance&s=classical Respighi: Ancient Airs and Dances http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000057LF/qid=1055609368/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-9344519-9894414?v=glance&s=classical Rimsky-Korsakov: "Scheherazade" http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000001GJ4/bridgebooks/104-2911042-3895909 Rodrigo: Concerto de Aranjuez http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000001G6B/qid=1055609891/sr=1-15/ref=sr_1_15/002-9344519-9894414?v=glance&s=classical Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000001GQD/qid=1055610071/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/002-9344519-9894414 Vivaldi: The Four Seasons http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005CD9Z/qid=1055610225/sr=1-6/ref=sr_1_6/002-9344519-9894414?v=glance&s=classical Try to get the exact version and CD because there are major differences between brands and productions (mastering). If you need more, I'll try to post some more. |
Sounds like a really grand compilation albumn, w/ some extrodinary performances. It is very easy to recommend let's say the new Jewel Cd, Wow it's so Un-Jewel so different so Kewl. (Just a reference) Classical Music is very hard to recommend, it may have to be sampled in baby steps w/ the type of cd you just purchased. You will in time find yourself enjoying the trait that one conductor has added to the same rendition sampled from another. Classical music collections are assembled gradually over time, I have never heard of anyone jumping in head first. Once you find your taste it's very easy today not to make a purchase mistakes, w/ the aid of Real Player & Windows Media samplers. It can be a wonderful enjoyable journey! |
An interesting feature of classical music is that you can find many recordings of some of the great pieces, and compare the style of various performers. The variation of interpretations is remarkable, and I am talking of performances which all are good, by highly regarded musicians. For example: I have five or six recordings of the Tchaikovsky violin concerto, and while I don't have time to listen to all of them at one sitting, I do enjoy playing just one movement several times as played by different artists, and reflecting on the different interpretations. As you expand your experience with the music, pay attention to the performers. You will probably find one or more whose style pleases you more than others, and this should guide your purchases when you must choose from several recordings of a work with which you are unfamiliar. PS: You can't go wrong with Mozart. |
- 14 posts total