How to go about collecting Classical Music


At age 68 I’ve started to like Classical Music. It’s been mostly Jazz, Rock n Roll, and R&B up to now. I’m familiar with those genres, know their history, artists, and how to best and most economically acquire their recordings. Not so the Classical repertoire which covers a much longer time period and encompasses so many styles and forms.

What genres and/or periods of Classical music should I be exploring? I’m not looking for recommendations on particular composers or artists, only genres or periods. In Classical music there is orchestral music, chamber music, opera, church music and who knows what else to try out. Maybe you could advise me, if you wouldn’t mind, of some types to try? Or maybe you could recommend a book on the subject that would help a rookie get a start understanding what’s out there.

In buying classical music, for any one work, there may be innumerable recordings by various artists, orchestras and ensembles. How do you sort out which recordings you want in that respect. For example, I looked up Stravinsky’s Rites of Spring on Ebay last night to get some idea of pricing and what classical music available there. There were so many recordings of that work, I would have no idea how to sort out which would have been a good choice. Are there web sites where there are recommendations on which recordings are most exceptional? Or alternately, are there classical record labels you can rely on routinely to provide superior quality recordings? I’ve heard Deutsche Gramophone may be a reliable label for one, but that’s about it. Could you recommend any other labels to look for?

There seems to be a lot of Classical music in SACD format relative to Jazz or Rock n ’Roll. Is there some reason for that? Should SACD be the format of choice for purchasing Classical music, or is there good classical material in Redbook format to be found? I prefer to stay away from used vinyl due to condition issues, or new vinyl due to cost. I’m guessing the better dynamic range of CD’s lends itself to orchestral music. Is there any market for used classical SACD’s? Are there any sites you prefer to purchase your Classical CD’s, either new or used?

I grew up on Long Island. On one trip to midtown Manhattan I walked into an old church not too far from St. Patrick’s to view its’ magnificent stained glass window. Once inside I heard some equally magnificent classical organ being played. I discovered the church’s incredible organ was being played by some of New York City’s finest classical organists who would book time to practice on it. That large church was always deserted, and I went back many times for what amounted to free private concerts. I’d like to know what kind of music that was to try and replicate that experience to some degree at home, From what I’ve read here and elsewhere there surely is a plethora of other wonderful Classical music to explore and enjoy. Thanks in advance for any advice,

Mike






skyscraper
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
Hit the goodwill, and similar resale shops.

 I flip through hundreds of classical records, and similar stuff just to find 1-3 good rock n roll albums.

 Most are 3 for a dollar, make sure to look at the vinyl, a lot are mostly new looking, still shiny.

happy hunting.
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.
Yes, FM radio is another good source. I have an Accuphase funer in my office system and a very good classical station about 30 miles away. When I hear something I like, I go to their online playlist and get the details of the recording and can usually find it on Qoboz.
Eric  
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.