Purchasing Classical Music Recordings

[edinatlanta]

Looking for a little help. I've always liked classical music (thanks, dad!) and now I want to start purchasing some recordings. Like, non-digitally.

Anyway, my question is, what's the best way to do this? I know the difficulty of packaging classical music and I have a natural aversion to Best Of compilations but wonder if that might not be OK to get best of say, Pepe Romero which is also like five discs. And then you have all the different interpretations of stuff too. I just don't know where to begin. I know what I like etc. Just hoping for some guidance.

 

[Cary Grant]

Happy to help, Ed. I was a classical radio DJ for 20 years.

Compilations can be OK but you can get stuck occasionally with filler or with crappy recording on cheaper labels. If you're not fussy about audio perfection, just want the classics, it's pretty easy.
Oh... And there re many rereleases of ancient recordings which can be hissy.

One nasty thing about classical... Some of the box sets of the best are still priced t full retail even if $20 years old. The mp3s of same are quite a bit cheaper.

Is there an era or artist or style that most appeals?

I can heartily recommend a fire-breathing collection of Beethoven Symphonies:

John Elliot Gardner's box set of all 9 on DG. New for $143, used around $12.

http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Sym...1341332234&sr=1-2&keywords=beethoven+gardiner

Must have IMO.

 

[Thomas]

Well, I have my own favorites and others have their favorites as well. There was a very interesting classical thread a while back with a lot of good recs. FWIW I tend to avoid compilations and complete cycles and anything Mahler.

 

[Cary Grant]

At one time I think I owned 6 complete Mahler cycles.

 

[Thomas]

I just don't get Mahler. I have Bernstein's and Kubelik's cycles, Boulez's first and Mehta's second, and they all do nothing for me. Just don't get them.

 

[Thomas]

Re: favorites, I'm partial to Kleiber's Beethoven 5th and 7th symphonies, Artur Pizarro's last 3 Beethoven Sonatas, and Bernstein's Shostakovich fifth and seventh. Among others, but those spring to mind, instantly.

You might not be able to find this easily, but Noseda did a live Beethoven 7th for the BBC3 that had a wonderful finale - it practically ran out of the building.

 

[Cary Grant]

I was a brass player (low brass)... sit in a performance of Mahler and you'll get it...

but it's not everybody's cuppa... like Strauss he straddled an era. Strauss embraced the 19th century more while Mahler was an early modernist... and not always successful. His later symphonies... the big tone epics... they wander for long periods of time.

Mahler 8 was one of the least enjoyable anythings I've sat through...


But Haitink's Concertgebouw Mahlers are uniformly brilliant, IMO.

Same goes for Shostakovich.

 

[Cary Grant]

Ed- know the Vaughn Williams Tallis Fantasia? Great recording: http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=147014

 

[A Y]

That is an amazing price for JEG's Beethoven cycle. I thought I'd never say this, but if you don't mind spending a little bit more, the LSO Live cycle with Bernard Haitink is very exciting --- I thought I had burned out on the Beethoven symphonies a long time ago until I heard his 5th.

I don't know how many Mahler cycles I have, but it's a lot.

 

[Teacher]

Are you looking for used vinyl? If so, look for the old Musical Heritage Society pressings, the ones with all-white backgrounds and black-and-white pictures. I was a subscriber and have many, many MHS cds, plus some old vinyl pressings I purchased used. Not a bad performance or recording in the lot.

It's come to my attention that the MHS of today is nothing at all like the old subscription service. That's a pity, since it was a beautiful thing many years ago.

 

[edinatlanta]



Is there an era or artist or style that most appeals?

That's the thing I'm kind of all over hte place. One of the college radio stations here has a ridiculously awesome weekend programming of automated stuff and every now and then some concertos of just like a piano and a flute will come on so like, duos like that are pretty hot. I also dig the Masses being a pious Catholic and all (makes me feel like I'm attending a Mass/praying, even if I'm not). Heard some Ernst Krahmer and totally dug that just a recorder and piano. Really love guitar.

Really anything, just kind of looking for best ways to cultivate a collection/knowing what to look for when purchasing stuff.

 

[MyOtherLife]

For the newcomer, I would recommend supporting and attending your local Symphony. I enjoy doing this on a whim, buying rush seats even if I am unfamiliar with what is on the marquee. Choral works can be especially fun. It may be possible to purchase 'rush seats' even behind the orchestra (for a non-choral feature). This is like having front row seats but the sounds are in a reversed setting. I imagine purists will prefer front center seating but for a beginner any seat will be fine. It is a perfect environment to dress up for. One can attend an evening performance straight from work if that is an option. It is also a wonderful place to meet intelligent (and often good looking) people.

 

[Van Veen]

George Szell, Cleveland Orchestra. You can't go wrong.

 

[Thomas]

Szell / Fleischer in the Brahms concerti are solid choices.

Currently enjoying the Sain-Saens piano concerti - the second in particular.