How to go about collecting Classical Music
To understand the fundamental shift from "classical" to Romantic, I strongly recommend this video. "Eroica". A BBC video. Directed by Simon Cellan Jones You should be able to find it streaming somewhere. |
Interesting post label19. At this point I’m needing simply to understand and sample what’s out there and understand where various works fit in the Classical canon. That’s good advice to seek out variety once I get an idea of what’s what, And research should help’ I’ll check into the various bloggers you mentioned to get some easy access reading in to help this process along. I’ll look into Gramophone Guides too, which I hadn’t heard of previously. Plus I’ll add both Presto and Pristine Classical to my go to list of sources for quality classical music Thank you for the other sources and recommendations too. I almost forgot to ask, Is the Ross material you mentioned books or articles and what’s his first name so I can look him up? Rtorchia, I’ll add the Grove Dictionary to my list of resources to obtain and find what a subscription to Gramophone magazine runs. I’m guessing our small local library doesn’t have back issues, though I’ll check when it reopens. Lots to do. I’ve never heard any pieces from Bruckner, Mahler or many others classical folks seem to love and mention with some frequency, so I need to develop some inclinations first through exploration of what’s out there. I best get my tuner hooked back up and see if NPR is still broadcasting classical here, instead of just political stuff like they bumped their jazz programming for. Mike |
After reading these responses I think you need to prioritize between the desire for good sound and the desire for good music. Some awful sounding historical performances kill modern digital ones. Get the condensed Grove Dictionary and read Gramophone magazine. Classical music people go through phases where they specialize in Bach, chamber music, Bruckner, whatever, so let your inclinations be your guide. Listening to a good classical music station will widen your horizons. |
Thee things: 1. I think it is a mistake to identify great orchestras, great performers, and just buy their stuff. The good people did lots of good stuff, also lots of dogs, and that path overly concentrates you on the mainstream canon. Furthermore, even a single artist can show tremendous variance over the course of a career, e.g. Karajan's Beethoven Symphonies. (And, pace Inna, he would not make my top 10. That's what makes horse races.) There are people who are not household names who have a good take in particular areas. At the moment, my Bernstein, Haitink, Walter vinyl is gathering dust while I'm enjoying Daniel Harding's Mahler. So, how does one find good stuff? This leads to point 2. 2. To listen well, you have to read. You can learn a lot about wine just by tasting, but there are things you won't figure out unless someone points it out to you. Same with classical music. For finding out what's going on, I read a few bloggers, including Alex Ross, the Opera Tattler, Condemned to Music (who hasn't posted in a while),... But for learning how to listen: I got a lot out of Aaron Copeland's "What to Listen for in Music" when I was a kid. It made me hear differently. Charles Rosen is always a good read. He was an interesting performer, a big and wide intellect, and he carried a very sharp pencil. (Recent piece on him in the New York Review of Books). I recommend Ross' "Wagnerism", and some combination of his "The Rest is Noise" and pushing from a friend led me to start paying attention to more contemporary music. One good thing about developing a taste for 20th/21st century music - when you buy a disc at a garage sale or used book or record shop, it is ALWAYS near mint. 3. Good places to find out about recordings: Listening to the radio is only occasionally helpful. You probably know about the Penguin and Gramophone Guides. I've found good recordings by listening in odd places e.g. Hamelin's recording of Schumann and Janacek forest walks on a flight from Frankfurt to NY. (But for "On an Overgrown Path", find the Firkusny vinyl. It's not available on CD, I think.). I subscribe to emails from Presto Classical and from the master or remastering, Andrew Rose at Pristine Classical. You can learn a lot just from reading their notes. I buy from both. |
Audioguy, you got a good start collecting Classical as teenager. That demonstrates excellent musical taste at quite an early age by a current youngster such as yourself. I’ll check out the Better Records site you suggest. Sounds like a good place, like Discogs, to do some research even if it’s prices may be prohibitive. I made my first Classical purchase last night, getting the 157 CD Bach complete works edition on the Brilliant label. It was well reviewed from what I could find. And at only a dollar per CD, affordable compared to the likely superior 200+ CD Deutsche Grammophon set at three times the cost. I might regret cheaping out, but we’ll see. Anybody else have either Bach set, like, or could compare them? There’s been a couple of aspersions cast on DG recordings in this thread so I was hesitant to put out the larger outlay. I’m not really familiar enough with Bach for that big an outlay either. I still felt like I was jumping into the Classical pool at the deep end with that size purchase, which is kind of exciting. Fruckman, thanks for the KDFC list recommendation. I’ll search it out. Jimmy2615, I didn’t know they made live classical recordings at the Fillmore East. That was my favorite pace for rock concerts as a teenager. Thanks for your suggestions. JPWarren, good point. So many occupation have taken a hit with the virus, musicians surely are suffering. Twoleftears, thanks for the listing of Classical Music periods. That something I need. Cm6td, thank you for the book you recommended and the other resources . I’ll find the book and check out the otjher resources. That’s exactly to kind of infromation I was hoping to turn up with this thread. Surferandy, thanks for the link, Classical never grabbed me before either as like you I always loved R&R, and then jazz early on after a listen to Coltrane’s "A Love Supreme" made me an instant acolyte. I don’t have any idea why I can see the beauty in Classical now in the same way. Not that I ever disliked it. Jfuquay, thank you for all your suggestions, especially the NPR book. Your right that's right up my alley and I'll have to get it now that you've brought it to my attention. |
Brownsfan and Twoleftears gave you some good info. Them and Discogs. With Discogs you’ll probably pay $2-3 a disc. I’m also 69 and was introduced to classical in college by another student who did a good job introducing me. So here’s my plan. Find a copy of Ted Libbey’s “NPR Guide to Building a Classical CD Collection.” How’s that for right up your alley? Since you liked the church music, why not get E. Power Biggs Plays Bach in the Thomaskirche. That’s a Columbia Masterworks release, which are always reliable. Mine is on vinyl, but open a Discogs account and look. Bach is a great place to start, so get the Brandenburg Concertos. I bet Neville Marriner and The Orchestra of St. Martin’s in the Fields has a good recording. That puts you in the Baroque era. Vivaldi, Telemann, Corelli are all representative. Before them are Dowland, Tallis, Byrd. next is Classical era. Find Hayden’s last few symphonies, No. 99-104. Then Mozart (I’m going forward in time here), late symphonies No. 36-41, piano concerto 17, 20, 21, opera overtures (Marriner again) Clarinet Concerto (Anthony Pay), horn concertos. Beethoven symphonies — directors von Karajan, Bernstein, Bohm all good — piano concertos, No. 5 is the biggie, 1-4 good, too. Violin concerto. I need to condense. Getting into Romantics. Chopin, Etudes, Waltzes, piano concerto 2; Tchaikovsky Sym. 4-6, piano concerto 1; Dvorak, Sym. 9, Smetana, The Moldau; Wagner, opera overtures only; Mendelssohn, Midsummer Nights Dream, Violin concerto, Sym. 3; Brahms, Sym. 4, piano concerto 2; Rimsky-Korsakov, Pictures at an Exhibition; Respighi, The Pines of Rome, Ancient Airs and Dances; Mahler, Sym. 1,4, 5. Holst, The Planets flying fast. Prokofiev, Sym. 1, piano concerto 3; Rachmaninov, Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini, piano concertos 2-3; Stravinsky, Rite of Spring, The Firebird, Petroushka; Vaughan Williams, Greensleeves, The Lark Ascending, Variations on a theme by Thomas Tallis; Carl Orff, Carmina Burana; Gorecki, Sym. 3 (Sorrowful Songs); Arvo Part, Tabula Rasa, Sym. 3. Should have just left it at the Libbey book! Cheers. |
jpwarren -- I love going to classical concerts. Of course, when I lived in SoCal it was so much easier to do. No matter what the venue, I knew every parking place that was both nearby and easy to escape from when the concert wrapped up. Had my share of season tix at Pasadena's Ambassador Auditorium. |
Years back I bought someones classical collection of about 1000 LP's. Slowly working through them but I must say it does not grab me like the other albums in my collection - Jazz, R&B, Rock. There is also a great variation in recording, with the
Mercury
Living Presence mono recordings being extremely well recorded considering their age - mid 50's. https://www.speakerscornerrecords.com/news/details/4/mercury-living-presence-the-history |
A book you might want to consider is "The Indispensable Composers" by Anthony Tommasini, who is the chief classical music critic for the New York Times. It’s a brief history of classical music, roughly in chronological order, with lots of suggestions for what to listen to. It focuses on his favorite composers and types of music, so it leaves out a lot and you wouldn’t want to limit yourself just to the things he recommends, but it’s a good starting point. A good website for reviews of recordings is ClassicsToday.com. If you want access to all the reviews you have to pay an annual fee, but a lot of the reviews are available for free. HRAudio.net has reviews of hi-res recordings. Most (but not all) of them are classical. The stores Presto Classical and ArkivMusic aggregate reviews from many sources on their websites. |
@skyscraper My list of suggestions was in historical/chronological order. If anything you listen to stands out, we can give you further lateral suggestions to explore. Different music historians are going to use different terms, but it goes pretty much: Renaissance "Stylus Phantasticus" Baroque Roccoco "Classical" early Romantic mid-Romantic late-Romantic Modernist avant-garde 20C minimalist |
Try JAV recordings Daniel Roth at St. Ouen de Rouen, and Vincent Dubois at St. Sulpice, both SACDs. Excellent examples of the genre and these organs. If you seek out the Fagius Bach set, do NOT get the SACDs, sound quality is not great, get the CDs. If you want to have fun with Bach (baroque genre) look for a Virgil Fox live CD either at the Filmore East or Carnegie Hall for a completely different take on this music. They may not be in print, may have to find used. |
California station KDFC recently published a list of their listeners' top 250 most requested classical pieces. You can download the list and listen to the stream on their website. I listen to the station most mornings via the Tunein Radio app streamed on my Sonos Connect. Likely not the quality of Qobuz, but it's free! |
Lately, I’ve been checking out better records site to get an idea of what classical recordings they think sound spectacular. Instead of buying them there as it can get quite expensive, I look to ebay or discogs. There, I locate the records that are in vg++, excellent, near mint, & sometimes even still sealed. Yes, there is no guarantee i will get my hands on a pressing that is deemed "the best sounding" as determined by better records, but I’ll take my chances to save money. This is not to say I do not buy from better records, as I have bought many. Just to add, 68? That is a late start! Jeez, I was in my late teens when I started buying classical records lol, I'm 53. |
Bluemooddriver, appreciate your input , but I’m maintaining a streaming -free lifestyle for now for the reasons expressed explained up- thread. Jonathanje, I would like to try some SACD’s if I can find some reasonably priced, possibly used, ones. I haven’t begun looking to see what’s available yet. I do have a nice CD/SACD player fairly recently acquired, a Marantz KI Ruby, but only two SACD’s to utilize the SACD function thus far. I’ve got to move on the Marantz SA8005 CD/SACD player it replaced that’s now languishing on a storeroom shelf. But I haven’t gotten around to doing so yet since I’m avoiding even going to the post office to ship things with the pandemic in full swing here. Jdane, I like your attitude, Might as well find out what you like and stick with it at this point in the game. I simply need to explore what’s out there at this point and find what I do like. I honestly don’t know why I developed a taste for classical music now. I listened to Maria Callas singing ’"Ave Maria" on youtube last night and thought it was beautiful. A few months ago I might have done the same and been nonplussed. Now I cant live without it. Might as well be who you are and pursue what appeals to you when it does. Jimmy2615, thank you for your suggestions on organ music, and sharing your experience listening with your A3’s. One of the reasons I did get the A3’s was hopefully not to need to supplement their bass response with subwoofers. What are a few of your organ favorites if you don’t mind my asking here, especially nicely recorded ones. I will look up "Cavaille Coll" as you suggest and search out the Hans Fagius material. I’m really looking forward to finding some great organ recordings to listen to. I’ll need to learn the differences in styles to between periods too. Should be fun. don’t be surprised to get a pm once I get going on this. Thanks. Georgreab. I’ll look up the Living Stereo and Living Presence collections you suggest. Appreciate the recommend. Thanks again all, Mike |
The Living Stereo 60 CD collection first volume is quite good.
It is fairly diverse and is audiophile approved, all tube recording from the late 50's and 60's. Also the Mercury Living Presence Edition 1 a 50 CD set is tremendous. Both of these collections have sold out, but you can find on eBay. Be patient as collectors have driven up the prices. You will also understand why so many of these recording were made into SACD discs. |
rshack -- I listened to K-Mozart, KMZT(?) regularly when I lived in L.A. Thanks for bringing it up! I can't be sure of any of this stuff, but here's what I think I remember -- It was actually on AM! Rich Capparella, KUSC's longtime former morning DJ, was one of the announcers. What a treat! Some oddball dude owned it, a guy with a decidedly conservative political bent. |
@joanathanje $3,000 is more than enough for a SACD player. Here’s a used Krell SACD MkIII on USAudioMart for $1,600: https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649702894-krell-sacd-mkiii/ It’s been upgraded at the factory and the laser mechanism replaced so it should provide you with many years of musical bliss! About 3 years ago I bought a used Esoteric DV-50S that was 14 years old at the time. It’s still going strong. There are some very good deals on the used market if you’re patient. |
Mike/skyscraper, I'm an organ buff and recently had A3s also, they do fine with organ music - excellent low frequencies. I didn't find need for a subwoofer. EASY way to get a great sampling of great CDs: if you do Amazon, search on "Cavaille Coll" who was a French organ builder. These famous organs are often well recorded and you will generally get tons of good examples of what is to me the second best genre of organ music, from the romantic period. The best is the organ works of Bach. There's tons of it out there but not always great recordings or performances. There's a complete set by Hans Fagius that is a great place to start (on BIS label). Feel free to PM me if you ever want more info on organ recordings. |
Again, you'll never get a consensus but I agree completely that listening to FM radio and going to concerts is invaluable ( even though I've done neither in the past year; I also think streaming is a good idea--having never done it myself!). Just don't worry about consistent advice; in fact, I disagree w/ all the particular suggestions here and despise some of the recordings/performers. NO MATTER! That's just the way it is. I also despise the prissy Anglophilia of the Penguin Guide. Hate it. That said, I used that guide a lot maybe 30 years ago. If you listen, you'll quickly find stuff you like. If others don't like it? too bad! If you don't end up with tastes that reflect, say, Music 101, so what? Like me, you're old enough not to care. |
I'm a long-time classical music consumer/collector and I seriously regret divesting all my old vinyl. When I see what they sell for today! Yikes. Anyway, my experience is that SACD recordings tend to be superior even if you just play them on a normal redbook CD player. I'm in the process of shopping for an SACD player myself, don't know what direction to go exactly because $3000 is the absolute top of my budget. I totally agree that streaming would be a great way for you to start and there are two streaming services devoted entirely to classical music: Primephonic and Idagio. Just starting with these myself so limited experience. Anyone know more? |
Frogman and Inna, your correct that understanding the history of any art form should enhance your understanding and appreciation of it. There are other forms of classical music such as (east) Indian or Persian, as Inna mentioned, so that is another aspect of music appreciation to be considered with the use of that term. I'd love to own much more of those and other forms too, but one thing at a time. Today it's European tradition Classical Music under consideration. Lowrider, we are talking about the same set it appears, If you click on the Amazon link towards the bottom of the page you linked to above it will take you to the correct Amazon ad for the item, where it's listed temporarily out of stock via a UK source that may still have some left. DG does say the item is sold out though. 1000+ CD's is an impressive collection. Brownsfan, thanks for the heads up your estimation of DG quality of recordings. I'm not looking to pursue any particular label, only trying to get an idea of where the safe bets or better quality may be in the classical recording realm, since I really have no idea. One other small thing, you might want to change your username so readers don't consider your judgement suspect. Mapman and Kr4, i guess I'll get sedated or exhilarated as the case maybe depending on what's playing. It's fun to learn about the various aspects of any type of music so that doesn't complicate or take the fun out of learning about Classical Music for me, only adds to it. Mapman, that is good news there's a lot of good material out there on the cheap. That's exactly the best way to acquire lots of varied musical content, especially in CD formats. Mike |
Try thinking of streaming as being a 20th century feature with a twist. Treat your Node 2! as a radio. Only, a radio where you can make pretty much any request. A radio is a streamer where someone else decides what to play. A Node is a radio where you decide what to play. Easy! And the latest update to Roon is designed to help exploration of classical music, and it looks more like a music magazine than ever. Cant imagine music without Roon now. |
Skyscraper, I believe one answer to your question is in your very own OP. You mention that you “know the history” of your, to date, favorite genres. Good for you. IMO, that is one of things most lacking for many music listeners....knowledge of the history. So, start with the earliest periods of the music and work your way to the present. You may or you may not like early “Classical” or some other period, but exploring those periods will certainly enhance your overall appreciation of the periods that will become favorites by putting things in a better perspective. “Classical” music, like Jazz and any other genre goes through an evolutionary process in which it builds on what came before. For starters, and the reason I just put Classical in quotes, the Classical period is but one of several main periods in the music. Enjoy! |
Mike, it seems the DG boxed set has disappeared from Amazon. It listed the composers; Abbado, Karajan, Furtwängler, to name a few, and the historic performances. I think we're talking about the same set... http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2020/Jan/Beethoven250.htm You may only find it on Ebay or by using Google. Listening to classical radio is a great idea. I have public radio programmed on my car stereo. Plus there's internet radio. One last word about streaming. This week I checked Qobuz for Beethoven symphonies (I have many saved in my library) and I found a cycle I had never seen before. The performances are wonderful with outstanding sonics. It's a modern recording with audiophile-quality sound. These discoveries are what streaming offers on a daily basis. Did I mention I also have 1000+ CD's? |
Lowrider, the DG Beethoven box set I was referring to is the boxed set they put out in 2019 containing 123 CD’s and ostensibly all of his works, The Naxos and Warners sets do have some oddities the DG set doesn’t include from what I read last night. It may be out of print however per DG, although only of stock via Amazon. Getting that set would be starting off a Classical collection with a bang. Is that the set you were referring to in your above message. Twoleftears, listening to classical content on youtube is an excellent idea and exactly what I’ve been doing the past couple nights. I will listen to the ones you suggest hopefully this evening. I’d really in need of a context for what I’m listening to in terms of periods, style, genres, types of presentation etc. as you say. I’ve an old reference book, the Encyclopedia of Music by Norman Lloyd, that’s primarily focused on Classical music that may be of some help in figuring this out. Eric and Rshak, that’s a good idea to listen to some radio broadcast content. I do have a vintage Phase Linear tuner I could reinstall in my system fairly readily, Although I’m on the edge of their broadcast range out here in the countryside oftentimes I can pull in the NPR signal. They often broadcast Classical. Good idea and maybe I can pull up some internet radio stations as well on the computer. Articdeth and Petg60, the local Goodwill and thrift stores are an excellent idea. Same as you, I’ve flipped through lots of old Classical material looking for some few and far between rock gems. Although out here in the western part of Virginia it’s primarily Country and Western filling the bins. A lot of the used Classical vinyl seems to be in way better condition than most older rock and roll records that were probably owned by teenagers. I don’t recall ever being one. My late wife, who loved Classical, and I almost bought a collection of about a thousand classical records in beautiful condition about ten-fifteen years ago. They were consigned to a local antique mall, apparently from someone’s estate, and being sold for about a dollar or two apiece. I raced home that Saturday afternoon after spotting them, and we agreed on an offer to make for the entire lot. That Sunday morning, all excited, I went back to make our offer, I walked to the back of the mall to take a last look, and was shocked to find the booth was empty. All thousand were gone, lock stock and barrel, sold and trucked off by some dealer who beat us to the punch the evening before. Oh well. Roik2id, I’ll check what DISH Network has to offer. They do have numerous musical channels I’ve always had deprogrammed. Good thinking. Larryi, I’ll check out the Arkivmusic site and keep in mind the suggestion on the remastered DG material. Thanks again all, and I'll get back to the rest of you who posted while I was writing this later today. Mike |
Skyscaper, I'm 67 and made the switch to classical at the tender young age of 19. In effect, we are mirror images, because I am trying to reimmerse myself into popular music. I also share a preference for owning physical media, although I am not opposed to streaming in principle. You've gotten a lot of advice here. For beginners, there is no substitute for a good radio station. I'm not just talking about traditional over the airwaves broadcasts, but also radio stations that can be accessed by computer. I frequently listen to Radio Swiss Classic while I am working at my computer. Even with a music collection of about 1000 classical CDs and nearly 50 years of listening experience, I on occasion am treated to something I haven't previously heard or a performance of a familiar piece that offers something of interest while listening to RSC. Don't spend much money fishing for something because it is on a particular label or by a particular orchestra or conductor. It is really not a cost effective approach. BTW, DG is one of the consistently worst sounding labels. The early 80's stuff may be the worst of the worst, but I've heard some recent stuff that is shamefully bad. Until you get your feet on the ground, don't waste time and money buying something you haven't heard. |
Now is a great time to be interested in classical music because interest overall is dwindling so you can easily buy records and CD on the cheap an try things....not a big investment. Just go with your instincts and don’t even think twice about it. Not to mention the calming influence on the soul classical music can deliver especially older souls capable of appreciating it.......... Then there is all the music one can stream for a reasonable monthly fee on Spotify, Tidal, you name it. Just do it! Read up on things and just follow your instincts and enjoy the journey. Don’t make it complicated! Free availble Internet Radio stations and even classical FM radio (gasp) stations if one in your area are also very good ways to get exposure with little or no risk. |
The timeline is a good idea to get you started, but the one posted above is too basic to be useful. You need to discover what styles/periods and what genres of music you enjoy. As you say, everything from solo instruments, piano, etc., through to full orchestra + chorus. For initial toe-dipping, youtube will do. There's a lot of classical music on there to be sampled. Have a listen to: Dowland, consort of viols Biber, Rosary Sonatas some Bach, or Telemann, or Handel some Mozart some Haydn some Beethoven some Chopin nocturnes some Dvorak some Mahler (symphony 4) some Debussy some Stravinsky some Gorecki (symphony 3) some Arvo Part You'll get an idea of different periods/styles, and then you can start digging deeper. |
edcyn - larry1 mentioned internet radio in this thread, and that is an excellent resource you may also want to look into. I've got a couple of freestanding internet radio table models (one in the kitchen and another in the bedroom, plus a small Grace digital tuner hooked up to my stereo system). Other than purchasing the radio/tuner units, there is no additional cost as the devices stream from your router. Sound quality varies, but I find it generally acceptable for casual listening, and after a lifetime of listening to classical music and amassing many 1000's of lps and cds, I'm still discovering new (to me) artists and compositions. Just to give you a taste, there is a station in Los Angeles that offers eclectic classical programming and fairly knowledgeable announcers: kmozart.com - for starters you can go to the website and listen on your computer. A couple of other classical stations I listen to are WFMT (Chicago) and KUAT (U of Arizona @ Tucson), but there are literally many dozens, if not 100's, more. |
To hear classical music and get a little history of the different periods and composers, try your cable TV music channels. They play 24/7 and give you all sorts of personal details of the composers. My cable system has "Classical Masterpieces" and "Light Classical" channels. Very interesting and informative. Also cheap. Cheers |
Another resource is the on-line classical CD seller Arkivmusic. They have an enormous listing of available CDs searchable by artist, composer, label, etc. They also offer recommendations on particular recordings that can be helpful. I agree that much of the DG catalogue from the 1970s and 1980s were not particularly good as far as sound quality, but, many of their remastered CD offerings of those recordings are better. Some of the performances in their catalogue are quite important, so, I would not rule out purchasing DG recordings (e.g. Carlos Kleiber recordings of Beethoven's 5th and 7th Symphonies). |
Lowrider, that really is unfortunate. After reading about the poorer quality 1980s Deutsche Grammophon material, I was wondering if any of that lesser material is in the massive DG Beethoven "complete works" boxed set they sell. I happened to stumble across a mention of that set on the classical music aficionados thread on site and looked it up on Amazon. I was thinking that might be a nice set to have, but not if it contains some of those inferior quality CD’s.I want to clarify my point about DG digital. The rough sounding CDs are recordings from the early to late 1980’s when the music biz had transitioned from analogue to digital. DG as I’m sure you know has a long history of recording classical music. It’s only the stated period where they had issues with sound quality, ranging from harshness due to overmic’ing, clipping (distortion), a wall of sound presentation with no air between instruments. And not all recordings are bad, Abbado’s symphonies are very good whilst Karajan and Giulini’s are harsh and fatiguing to listen to. It’s really hit or miss with the sound quality on early digital. Beethoven: The Complete Works https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X7D9W6N/ref=cm_sw_r_u_apa_fabc_W9VZ09XMVWAWAP2Y3CM2 I assume this is the boxed set. DG has all the great conductors and historic performances, I’m sure they’re all remastered. It contains what I consider THE Beethoven cycle that anyone starting out should own; Karajan/Berliner Philharmonic, 1963. It’s a great introduction to Beethoven. The 1962,63 recordings: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000056OBA/ref=cm_sw_r_u_apa_fabc_BQRXAM86X2RNQRWQB341 Warner Classics includes top-tier conductors and orchestras. Warner bought many of the great classical record labels which have excellent sound quality. Naxos is a classical label that specialises in all digital recordings with very good sonics. They include lesser known artists, but still a good representation of Beethoven’s work. I read the listing of recordings from the DG box and it looks to have the "greatest hits" from the DG catalogue. These are not audiophile quality but they are very enjoyable and are some of the greatest performances ever. |
Everybody here has good suggestions. And yes, Herbert Von Karajan and the Berlin or Vienna Philharmonic is a good bet for a first stab to find a performance of a particular work. Leonard Bernstein might even be a better bet. Or any conductor/performer with a Russian name. If you have a soft spot for good tunes and lush textures, try one of Tchaikovsky's ballet scores. I gotta say, too, that I love Primephonic to distraction. Sound quality of the classical only streaming service is, at worst, a half-a-hair behind Qobuz. In other words, excellent. They have experts and guides on hand to lead you into the magic forest. |
Lowrider, that really is unfortunate. After reading about the poorer quality 1980s Deutsche Grammophon material, I was wondering if any of that lesser material is in the massive DG Beethoven "complete works" boxed set they sell. I happened to stumble across a mention of that set on the classical music aficionados thread on site and looked it up on Amazon. I was thinking that might be a nice set to have, but not if it contains some of those inferior quality CD’s. Rshak, I found and purchased on Amazon a "Like New" condition 2009 version of the Penguin Guide you suggested. Apparently that was the last year they published the full guide, not just an annual update. Thanks again for the suggestion. It should be useful. Mike |
Lowrider, thank you for the info on 1980’s DG CD’s. I’ll look for the later remastered copies only from then. Good to here Redbooks from other sources are good. That’ll make shopping on the used market lots easier. Thanks for the Wikipedia link to a the brief outlines of periods too. Ericsch, you are twisting my arm. I will look up what a Node 2i is anyway and what they cost, as well as a yearly Quboz subscription. I would prefer to remain ensconced in the 20th rather than 21st century. I did throw away my cellphone when I retired. KennyC, thanks for that link and the places to do some research. I’ll check both out. Nordicnorn, thanks for the heads up on the Telarc, Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Harmonia Mundi, RCA Living Stereo, and Tacet labels. That is good information to have in hand. Once the pandemic ends it would be a good idea to take in some live classical music too. LarryC, I went ahead and purchased off Ebay a hardcover copy of the "1001 Classical Recordings You Must Hear Before You Die." book you suggested. I really need to find a guide to the various periods and types of classical music out there, to know what to sample to find what I like best. I should have kept the textbook from that college class on classical music. I’ve got to track down the Penguin book now. Mike |
The field is so vast and diverse that you should sample as much as you can to get a handle on what kind of music, period and styles you like the most. I would suggest listening to the radio, particularly internet stations, or even the classical music offered on cable tv channels. The guides mention above, such as the Penguin guide, are good resources for finding specific recordings of compositions you are interested in, but, you would have to know the piece of music you are looking for; it is not a guide to the music itself. I like a book called "1001 Classical Recordings You Must Hear Before You Die." It is arranged in chronological order and it is good for finding specific composers and pieces of music as well as the particular recordings of that music that the editors favor. I think the selections are quite good. |
There are some very good labels to be on the lookout for: Telarc, Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Harmonia Mundi, RCA Living Stereo, Tacet are a few that consistently put out very high quality recordings. Now, whether or not you like the music is another matter... I tend to buy classical music in either SACD or DSD digital file formats, although if a particular recording is only available in CD, I’ll buy that too! One way to go about collecting classical music that I highly recommend is to go to live performances. That way, when you listen to a recording of the same piece, you’ll be able to tell what it should sound like. |
+1 @mikelavigne Qobuz has 50 million songs while Tidal has 60 million songs which I believe is the most economic way to hear various songs. Many songs come with significantly higher resolutions files compared to redbook (CD) files which sound significantly better on highly resolving audio systems. If you want to do in-depth research such as which albums does a particular artist contributes to, try searching on Metadata and Roon. @skyscraper Perhaps starting with the top 100 classical songs may help: http://kickassclassical.com//classical-music-popular-famous-best-top-100-list.html |
"Jdane, trouble is I don't know or haven't been exposed to enough classical music to know what I like or don't" Skyscraper, streaming will open up a easy way for you to find new (to you) classical music. You can buy a used Node 2i and subscribe to Qobuz for a year. Qobuz offers a discount if you prepay for a year. After that, sell the Node and cancel the subscription. I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but streaming has opened up a whole new way for me to find classical music that would have taken many years to otherwise discover. With that knowledge, I am able to buy LP's and CD's that I actually like. |
Thank you all for your replies. I enjoy the physical media and will be likely sticking with CD's for the forseeable future. I've, for me, a fairly expensive stereo system and don't wish to invest in any more expensive equipment, cables, or monthly charges for streaming. I really enjoy the collecting aspect too. It's a lot of fun, I appreciate your suggestions in that regard and may be foolish in avoiding streaming, but what the hey. Getting and listening to records, and now CD's, has been one of the joys of my life since I was a kid so I don't want to give that fun up now that I can afford to indulge myself in purchasing them. Inna, thank you for the suggestions on the Berlin, Vienna, London Philharmonic orchestras. I'll keep them in mind as well as the conductors and pieces you recommend. Are there any Classical record label you or anyone could name that are consistently good, say as Blue Note might be for jazz. Jdane, trouble is I don't know or haven't been exposed to enough classical music to know what I like or don't yet. I've mostly had random exposure by picking up a few recordings at library sales or by listening to NPR on the radio while driving. If the local library wasn't closed due to the pandemic I'd go check out a book or two on the subject. I did take an elective course on Classical music in college. but that was close to fifty years ago. The only thing I can recall from that course was that the professor had an enormous "pumpkin" head . He's probably long gone now so hopefully that isn't too mean-spirited a memory to bring up. Rshak, thank you much for the advice on the Penguin guide, I will get one ordered ASAP, I've found similar guides on rock an roll indispensable. Excellent idea. I'll do a little research and find out which is their most recent edition is and track that down. Kr4, you're undoubtedly. right,, but I'd like to see what my Magico A3's can do. I recently purchased an Erykan Badu recording that had some very deep bass notes on it the Magico's did a nice job reproducing, so I'm wondering how they'd do on some sonorous classical organ pieces. I don't know what pieces to order though, as I have no idea who wrote them, played them, or when they were written. My lack of knowledge on classical music is fairly comprehensive. My mom on the other hand could actually play classical music on the piano, but preferred to try and dope out boogie-woogie type jazz piano pieces instead, which she could sadly never master. She could play Rachmaninoff however without blinking an eye, Go figure. Mikelavigne, if I stick to physical media do you find the SACD;s preferable to the degree Redbook CD's should be overlooked for orchestral pieces or is there good Redbook material out there for that type of music? Thanks again all, Mike |
