# How do you expand your music collection?



## Manok (Aug 29, 2011)

I was wondering what decides you on what music you get at the time?


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## Kevin Pearson (Aug 14, 2009)

For the most part I don't buy as much music as I used to. First of all because I already own a fairly large amount of music and secondly because much of my listening is on Spotify these days. If I add anything it's either because I found a really good deal on something or I heard it on Spotify or local radio and decided I want that in my collection. So today the expansion of my collection is more calculated and less spontaneous than it used to be. This is helpful in that I don't spend near as much money buying music and it's less risky than buying sight unheard.

Kevin


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

I have a constantly changing list of things I must buy next. When I buy something it is usually just what I'm into at the time.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

I go through phases. So far since about joining this forum, I went through a number of them, in all genres. Most of it post 1800 and instrumental, the vast majority of it. Mainly the big names, and some 'second tier' or one hit wonder type composers.

Now I'm going through a phase of getting back to more traditional things (eg. the three B's, and also other symphonists eg. Mahler, Bruckner), but also other things (eg. Australian). I had a long phase of listening to a lot of modern/contemporary stuff I'd never heard before, but that has largely wound down. I'm also going back to jazz and rock now, my time of 'high octane' advancement in classical has basically plateaud.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

M


Sid James said:


> I go through phases. So far since about joining this forum, I went through a number of them, in all genres. Most of it post 1800 and instrumental, the vast majority of it. Mainly the big names, and some 'second tier' or one hit wonder type composers.
> 
> Now I'm going through a phase of getting back to more traditional things (eg. the three B's, and also other symphonists eg. Mahler, Bruckner), but also other things (eg. Australian). I had a long phase of listening to a lot of modern/contemporary stuff I'd never heard before, but that has largely wound down. I'm also going back to jazz and rock now, my time of 'high octane' advancement in classical has basically plateaud.


What baroque music do you like?


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> M
> What baroque music do you like?


Just the usual things, the biggies. Bach's instrumental, others are Monteverdi, Handel, some Vivaldi (his 'Gloria' was a discovery of sorts for me), Corelli has been a constant favourite, the few works I've got from Telemann have been superb. Ditto Purcell (his chacony is amazing!). I also like some of the more derivative guys of the era, eg. Boyce's symphonies. Then there's the French - Couperin's organ masses have been a recent great discovery, also Muffat & I've got some Lully choral things waiting in the wings for a first listen. Stuff like that.


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

Corelli is awesome.


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

First, something awakes my interest. Then, I search through this forum to get more knowledge about the work and its recordings. Then, I google "[composer] [work] best recording", which usually takes me to Amazon, but sometimes also to other sites. I search those for tips about a good recording. Then, I search for those recordings in Spotify, and I give them a listen. Then, if everything clicks, I buy the CD from a friendly local classical music shop.


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## KRoad (Jun 1, 2012)

Representative music/recordings of a given era, starting with the biggies and moving to the lesser known. All is informed by my reading around the subject from historical, technical and biographical perspectives.

Although my own music is available on Itunes and other streaming sites, I personally have never used them prefering to purchase CDs since (as long as I continue to work) money is not really an issue.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

neoshredder said:


> Corelli is awesome.


I like Corelli very much.

But *Ligeti* is better.


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## KRoad (Jun 1, 2012)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I like Corelli very much.
> 
> But *Ligeti* is better.


One can speculate whether Handel could/would have written his delightful Op.6, had Corelli not before him produced his own equally delightful Op.6. Yes? No?


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## Taneyev (Jan 19, 2009)

I don't buy CDs anymore. I download audio from Youtube and made them copied to CD. But only of chamber, string with orchestra and some solo piano works. Only rarities from unknown/forgotten composers, forgotten works of well known composers, or historical versions.


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## EricABQ (Jul 10, 2012)

I went the cheap route and downloaded lots of the inexpensive "99 Most Essential" and "100 Best" type things for various composers. Its a great way to get hours and hours of music for very little money. 

Now, I'm shifting towards buying recordings from performers I like (Kissen, Zimerman and Hameliin for example.)


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## jani (Jun 15, 2012)

Manok said:


> I was wondering what decides you on what music you get at the time?


Youtube video surfing, i listen to music i like and check out the related videos and see if there is anything what catches my attention.


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## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

"I will *not* expand my collection! I will *not* expand my collection! Oh darn.....I expanded my collection"


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

My music collection (CDs) grew slowly but steadily over the years after I got a "real job", but it has literally tripled in scale over the last 5 years after discovering the discounts available through Amazon Marketplace dealers. The "One Click" to purchase option is absolutely insidious.

I began building my collection with the so-called "core repertoire" based upon suggestions in various books, magazines, etc... My collection of Romanticism has been quite extensive for a good period of time now, so my recent focuses have been upon the Baroque, the Renaissance, the Middle Ages, the 20th century (including lots of American composers)... and recently, the Classical Period.

As of just a few days ago I've put a halt for the time being on any new purchases. I have easily a couple hundred discs that I haven't been able to listen to yet... including nearly 100 operas! Having spent the last couple days in reordering, cataloging, and shelving my collection, I found myself surprised at a lot of what I do have... and a lot that I haven't listened to in some time. I did some minimal editing to the collection as well, getting rid of some 20 discs that I know I will never listen to again: Seiji Ozawa's recording of Strauss' _Elektra_ had to go as I already have 3 other far superior recordings, and Karl Jenkins!!! WTF was I thinking?! There were also a slew of duplicates due to my buying something I already had. This won't happen again as I am cataloging the entire collection. Luckily I have a couple of close friends who also love classical music and so I already have their Christmas gifts purchased.:lol:


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## Ravndal (Jun 8, 2012)

I use spotify premium. 

Spotify is imo the best way to discover new and old music, you can use a whole day just clicking on "related artists", and discover phenomenal stuff! And it's so much classical music in there, with so many different interpretations. I can't be bothered to buy music anymore. Unless it's something really important, then I either buy it on cd or vinyl.


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## mitchflorida (Apr 24, 2012)

Xaltotun said:


> First, something awakes my interest. Then, I search through this forum to get more knowledge about the work and its recordings. Then, I google "[composer] [work] best recording", which usually takes me to Amazon, but sometimes also to other sites. I search those for tips about a good recording. Then, I search for those recordings in Spotify, and I give them a listen. Then, if everything clicks, I buy the CD from a friendly local classical music shop.


This is a great collection for $2.99, and samples many works, some familiar and some obscure. All fantastic.


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

As far as I am concerned, the best place to look for interesting repertoire on CD, and also DVD is arkivmusic.com .They specialize in classical music,
have a fantastically wide selection of anything and everything you might want, and you can also get many hard-to-find 
CDs which you would never be able to find elsewhere .
It's very easy to look up anything by composer or performer, and there is a whole section devoted to opera CDs and DVDs .
There are categories for composers, conductors, orchestras,ensembles and solo musicians , and you can hear many of the CDs there . It's a pleasure to browse there .


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

Lately, I've been more interested in collections than individual CDs. I have a big wish list at Amazon and I just wait for a third party bargain. I'm filling in composers I don't have much of and looking for interesting new things by my favorite performers.


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

mitchflorida said:


> This is a great collection for $2.99, and samples many works, some familiar and some obscure. All fantastic.
> View attachment 6853


is that one all complete works, or do they have bits and pieces?


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## mitchflorida (Apr 24, 2012)

Sorry, it is a collection of 99 great pieces, not 99 CDs .


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## BurningDesire (Jul 15, 2012)

I usually tend to buy recordings of whatever has captured my fascination at the moment, or something I really need to hear. I also tend to shop for bargains (one reason I own a fair amount of Naxos recordings). I usually will try to find specific recordings of pieces that I like (ideally a combination of great audio quality and great performance, one reason I'm somewhat hesitant on buying Chopin recordings because I particularly love most of Rubenstein's performances, but the audio quality isn't ideal; I want to listen and not feel like I'm hearing a record, I want to feel like I'm just listening to the composer's ideas, the performance.)


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## Cheyenne (Aug 6, 2012)

With a general list of what I am interested in with quality performances also noted, I just check several stores - some close, some far away. If I run into something I'm unfamiliar with that has a conductor and orchestra I'm reasonably satisfied with (that includes _a lot_,) I often pick it up too. The internet is only a last resort if I really can't find something, which is mostly the case with a specific performance that features a conductor that isn't as widely sold, mostly due to age.. Fritz Reiner, for one, is a conductor I can't remember having _ever_ seen in a store, surprisingly so.

The stores owners are quite familiar with me at this moment, some even inform me when they have 'new stuff coming' and ask me if there is anything special I'm interested in. I don't really like internet shopping, the searching for something in large rows of CD's, finally finding it and then rushing home to hear it gives me real energy, and the searching is less specific so I often run into things I wouldn't have if I just typed the piece and performer into a search bar.


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

mitchflorida said:


> Sorry, it is a collection of 99 great pieces, not 99 CDs .


I wasn't clear... Does this set have complete works? All of Holst's The Planets, not just Mars the Bringer of War? I really like the sets based on the composers by X5 Music Group, but I've stayed away from the themed ones because I was afraid they'd be made up of single movements from larger works.


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## mitchflorida (Apr 24, 2012)

bigshot said:


> I wasn't clear... Does this set have complete works? All of Holst's The Planets, not just Mars the Bringer of War? I really like the sets based on the composers by X5 Music Group, but I've stayed away from the themed ones because I was afraid they'd be made up of single movements from larger works.


I hope this answers your questions.

http://www.amazon.com/99-Must-Have-...pieces/dp/B005X3L7N8/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

BurningDesire said:


> I'm somewhat hesitant on buying Chopin recordings because I particularly love most of Rubenstein's performances, but the audio quality isn't ideal


Rubinstein recorded Chopin three times, I believe. The first was in the 78 era. Next in hifi. The last time through was on the Living Stereo label. That last cycle sounds better than a lot of modern recordings. Living Stereo was known for its exceptional sound. Many were reissued on SACD.

I may be old, but I really can't see why many younger classical music listeners put so much emphasis on the recording date. The best sounding recordings I own were made in the fifties and sixties. I suspect that it has something to do with the equipment being used to play the recordings back. Perhaps a lot of younger listeners are using headphones that have been optimized for rock music with exaggerated bass and treble, and the balanced frequency response of older recordings might sound dull in those cans.

I have a nice set of Sennheiser headphones that sound very similar to my speakers. They make recordings of all vintages sound good.


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

mitchflorida said:


> I hope this answers your questions.
> http://www.amazon.com/99-Must-Have-...pieces/dp/B005X3L7N8/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top


yup. Thanks. Bits and pieces, I'm afraid. The Rise of the Masters and 100 Essential composer series is all complete works. Those are much better.


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## mitchflorida (Apr 24, 2012)

bigshot said:


> yup. Thanks. Bits and pieces, I'm afraid. The Rise of the Masters and 100 Essential composer series is all complete works. Those are much better.


Right, and using good headphones will make audio recordings from the 1930s and 1940s sound like new.


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## BurningDesire (Jul 15, 2012)

bigshot said:


> Rubinstein recorded Chopin three times, I believe. The first was in the 78 era. Next in hifi. The last time through was on the Living Stereo label. That last cycle sounds better than a lot of modern recordings. Living Stereo was known for its exceptional sound. Many were reissued on SACD.
> 
> I may be old, but I really can't see why many younger classical music listeners put so much emphasis on the recording date. The best sounding recordings I own were made in the fifties and sixties. I suspect that it has something to do with the equipment being used to play the recordings back. Perhaps a lot of younger listeners are using headphones that have been optimized for rock music with exaggerated bass and treble, and the balanced frequency response of older recordings might sound dull in those cans.
> 
> I have a nice set of Sennheiser headphones that sound very similar to my speakers. They make recordings of all vintages sound good.


I have a pretty nice set of Logitech headphones which sound pretty close to my best set of speakers. I just don't like hearing cracks and pops, the soft white noise in the background that you can hear in quiet spots when the volume is cranked up, things that I tend to hear in older records. I do have some old recordings that are quite good though like the Living Stereo recording of Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra/Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta


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## Crudblud (Dec 29, 2011)

I walk around town looking in shops and such, and then when I see a policeman patrolling nearby I get my laptop out and begin downloading mass amounts of music illegally through hijacked wi-fi and make sure that he can see it. Then I slowly develop a moronic grin, cross my eyes and say "lovely day, officer."


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

BurningDesire said:


> I have a pretty nice set of Logitech headphones which sound pretty close to my best set of speakers. I just don't like hearing cracks and pops


Oh, OK. I was talking about CDs. I didn't realize you were talking about LPs. All the Rubinstein has been released on CD in various packagings, from a spectacular complete box set to individual disks. None of it, not even the very earliest recordings have pops and clicks. The CDs have much better sound than the old LPs. You can buy those with confidence. No reason to collect the LPs any more.


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

Vivaldi's Concertos will help you expand real quick.  So rich are they.


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## BurningDesire (Jul 15, 2012)

bigshot said:


> Oh, OK. I was talking about CDs. I didn't realize you were talking about LPs. All the Rubinstein has been released on CD in various packagings, from a spectacular complete box set to individual disks. None of it, not even the very earliest recordings have pops and clicks. The CDs have much better sound than the old LPs. You can buy those with confidence. No reason to collect the LPs any more.


Nah, I was talking about CDs (though I do own some LPs). I have heard small imperfections in the recordings on some CDs, not the Rubenstein in particular, as I do not own them yet. I think I'll look into getting them on CD, perhaps the faults in quality were a problem with them being posted on youtube with lower resolution than whats on the genuine discs.


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## HarpsichordConcerto (Jan 1, 2010)

I don't have any LPs. I'm surprised people younger than me have them.


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## Crudblud (Dec 29, 2011)

I have a few classical recordings on LP, but not many. Since the good record shop closed down in 2008 there's no way to get cheap, good condition vinyl without spending a small fortune, so I tend to avoid it.


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## BurningDesire (Jul 15, 2012)

LPs are fun to listen to, because you can't skip tracks, its kinda like watching a movie. It feels more like an event than putting on a CD.


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## Crudblud (Dec 29, 2011)

Oh, I just buy them so people will think I'm cool. I've never listened to any of them, but people always compliment me on my impeccable taste.


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## BurningDesire (Jul 15, 2012)

Crudblud said:


> Oh, I just buy them so people will think I'm cool. I've never listened to any of them, but people always compliment me on my impeccable taste.


Bwahaha XD


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

Way back in the old days before I was very serious about any of this, I would just wander into a CD store, fumble around, pick up a thing or two that caught my fancy, hopefully not too expensive, and buy it. And so it came about that I had a lot of mediocre recordings of famous works, a few oddball things that I personally love though practically no one else has ever heard of them. And of course sometimes I got lucky.

Back then it was often something like, "Well, I like that Shostakovich string quartet. I'll try something else by Shostakovich. And I've heard of Yo-Yo Ma, so I'll try this one."

Then I got online and the first place that I participated, the majority of discussions had to do with comparing recordings. So I started buying the most famous recordings, trying to figure out what they were, and also a large number of recordings of whatever I could afford when it happened that I could afford them. So it came about that I own too many recordings of Brahms, Chopin, Beethoven, Bach. And I got tired of that.

For the past few years (maybe five or so), I've been trying to fill myself in and catch myself up ASAP, generally emphasizing breadth of listening rather than depth (which means few recordings of many works, rather than many recordings of few works). Within that, I try to judge what is something like "the most generally highly respected" recording of a work and get that one only. I ordinarily only buy multiple recordings of works when there promises to be very large differences, such as Klemperer's Bach vs. Gardiner's Bach.

(Also, when I fail to appreciate a work that is widely loved, I sometimes try other recordings.)

I've been feeling this period of my exploration coming to a close. I now have an immense collection of classical music - ok, I'm not one of those guys with ten thousand CDs, excepting the gigantic box sets (complete Mozart and so on) I can still listen to everything I've got in a two year period if I try. My listening has about caught up to my purchasing, but my appreciating hasn't caught up, and I want it to. I am increasingly going back to things that I've only heard a few times.

But over these recent years, trying to catch myself up has mostly involved figuring out which works I need to hear most urgently. By which I mean, which works are most likely to come up in conversation, which works would be most embarrassing not to know.

I go about it roughly every way I can. I've used a large number of books

- Dubal's "Essential Canon of Classical Music"
- 1001 Classical Recordings... something like "You Must Hear Before You Die"
- 1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die - includes all kinds of genres, maybe 1/5 or so classical; a very good source for "world music" 
- Swafford's "Vintage Guide to Classical Music"
- Gramophone 2008
- Penguin Guide 2009 
- Third Ear 
- Classical Music 101 - a very good book for someone new and willing to work 
- the NPR Guide

Plus websites like talkclassical.com. Here I find the most helpful things to be the "current listening" thread, where things just sometimes catch my fancy, and the composer guestbook threads. The "classical music project" has helped me a lot too, and the other lists, perhaps especially the piano sonata list (not that it's necessarily better than the others, but I've just used it more).

A big source for me is amazon.com and arkivmusic.com. With amazon.com, I don't trust many of the reviewers, but something catches my eye if it has lots of reviews. That means something. And with arkivmusic.com, I have begun to use it as a sort of Bible as to how famous a work is. Let's say, which is Bartok's most popular piano concerto?

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Drilldown?name_id1=725&name_role1=1&bcorder=1&genre=154

I note that there are 55 recordings of #3, 34 recordings of #2, and 32 recordings of #1. This kind of data has to be used with caution, but it is better than nothing - and in fact, IMO it is often better than the info I get when I ask about things like that. Of course the cultural elite will point out that at best this is a measure of popularity rather than true greatness, but I'll have to leave true greatness to them because I just have my own plebeian enjoyment.

Someday I will be able to distill all of this work into a simpler form for people whose goals are like mine. We are in the minority and that's probably a good thing. But still, I wish someone like me had already done it for me, because it has been a lot of work!


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

I started out in the late eighties with building up a collection of core repertoire CD's in a haphazard way. In the nineties, I branched out in special areas, guided by monthly reviews in Gramaphone. Nowadays, further additions to my collection are determined mainly by a few dozen classical music blogs that offer downloads on a regular basis (downloading is legal here).


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

How I expand my LP collection:

1. Go busking for an hour
2. Buy every classical record I can lay my hands on in the nearby second hand shops (usually 20-40)
3. Repeat the following week 

I haven't done this since early last year, but it worked amazingly well. I still haven't listened to everything I've bought. I even found an LP of the Jacques Louisser Trio playing Bach among other things.


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## KRoad (Jun 1, 2012)

neoshredder said:


> Vivaldi's Concertos will help you expand real quick.  So rich are they.


Come on now let's be honest here... "rich" in number they may be, but any one sounds pretty much like the other (x 500).


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

KRoad said:


> Come on now let's be honest here... "rich" in number they may be, but any one sounds pretty much like the other (x 500).


I've heard this a lot of times, but I don't find it to be true for me. There are at least 20 or 30 completely different sounds in Vivaldi's concertos, even if they are used over again.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

KRoad said:


> Come on now let's be honest here... "rich" in number they may be, but any one sounds pretty much like the other (x 500).


Your very in-depth analytical essay on every single concerto Vivaldi has ever written.


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

A lot of Composers have the tendency to repeat themselves. Why Vivaldi gets such a bad wrap for it while others are never mentioned is beyond me. And I agree that he has quite a few sounds.


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## Ramako (Apr 28, 2012)

This accusation can be thrown at Haydn symphonies as well. Compared to a lot of other composers, there is a lot in common between them. However I like this, as it presents a fuller picture. I suppose this is true with Vivaldi and others as well, though I know them less well.

If you have a map, you want some overlap between the pages, so that you know you have the complete picture. If there was no overlap, then you may miss out half the country for all you know. I guess I don't mind having more of a good thing


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## KRoad (Jun 1, 2012)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Your very in-depth analytical essay on every single concerto Vivaldi has ever written.


No. A generalisation offered as provocation.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Currently I get my music mostly from LP and to some extent CD bargain bins, including local sales here by the "Dutch Principle", where prices go down every day. Occasionally also some downloads, amazon.com deliveries from abroad, or buyings when travelling.

I´ve got a large repertoire in my collection and many alternative recordings already, so it´s more about discovering music or recordings I didn´t know existed, than planning ahead.

Moreover, I´ve begun an interest in LP covers and their designers / artists, which adds another dimension to LP buying - names like Alex Steinweiss (who was the great pioneer in that field),








Bob Pepper 








and Herbert (Norton) Rogoff, for instance.


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

BurningDesire said:


> Nah, I was talking about CDs (though I do own some LPs). I have heard small imperfections in the recordings on some CDs, not the Rubenstein in particular, as I do not own them yet.


Oh OK. I saw you say several times that the Rubinstein recordings have inferior sound. I thought that was based on having heard the CDs.

You're not going to hear any pops or clicks on any recording made after 1952, since thet started recording to tape about then. And even the earliest stereo recordings, like Fiedler's Offenbach recorded in 1952, have spectacular sonics. Since the introduction of stereo, the problem of sound quality has been largely conquered. The age of a recording has less to do with sound quality than the quality of the engineering.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

Ramako said:


> *This accusation can be thrown at Haydn symphonies as well*. Compared to a lot of other composers, there is a lot in common between them. However I like this, as it presents a fuller picture. I suppose this is true with Vivaldi and others as well, though I know them less well.
> 
> If you have a map, you want some overlap between the pages, so that you know you have the complete picture. If there was no overlap, then you may miss out half the country for all you know. I guess I don't mind having more of a good thing


It's _much_ more apparent in Mozart's symphonies than Haydn's. Every symphony other than no. 25 and the last few are really pretty much the same and of a lesser quality than Haydn's early symphonies. I think Haydn was much more adventurous in his symphonies and the amount if diversity in the Paris, London and Sturm und Drang symphonies is actually very large. It's only about a fifth of all the symphonies he wrote where he repeats himself, whereas a much higher percentage of Mozart's symphonies do this.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

KRoad said:


> No. A generalisation offered as provocation.


So you admit you were trolling?


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## Jared (Jul 9, 2012)

When I expand my music collection, I try to create a balance between variety and thematic consistency, which is not always easy to do. As a consequence, I tend to buy in batches of 6-8 thematically linked CDs which I will concentrate on for a period of time, so that I can get a handle on the music before moving on. Each theme will be quite different from the last, so my programme might look something like this:

1) Renaissance Music
2) Haydn: Late String Quartets
3) Berlioz Choral Works
4) Bach: Music for Solo Instruments
5) Tchaikovsky Symphonies
6) Nielsen: Chamber Music & Songs

and so on... I tend to have the next 3 or 4 batches already purchased from Amazon and ready to go.

anyway, I find this system works for me, but I jknow that such a regimented style wouldn't suit everyone.


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## Bas (Jul 24, 2012)

I keep track of what I want to buy on lists, because the amount of works I know is far greater then the amount of works I actually have on cd. I discover new things through a good friend of me, we both recommend each other about music (he is about 30 years older then I am, however: when speaking the language of music, it does not matter how old one is). I often discover music through youtube too, or by reading books about classical music in which pieces are mentioned I don't know yet.

There is nothing more fun then broadening my musical horizon, therefore I'm always actively searching to new music, new performances, new performers (soloists) and so on.

Sometimes you accidentally discover something too: when I's searching for Haydns Seven last Words of our Saviour on the Cross I got a hit on a cd selling website in the Netherlands (an equivalent of your Amazon) of MacMillans last words, and then I decided to try that.


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> It's _much_ more apparent in Mozart's symphonies than Haydn's. Every symphony other than no. 25 and the last few are really pretty much the same and of a lesser quality than Haydn's early symphonies.


Maybe you would appreciate his concertos or operas better. Mozart composed great symphonies, but that was only a part of it. I'm working my way through the Brilliant Classics box, so I've had the opportunity to hear a lot of lesser known Mozart. The amount of invention and development of musical ideas is staggering. Your opinion may be based on a limited sample. I'd suggest in moving beyond the "usual suspects" before you form an opinion of Mozart's genius relative to other composers. There's an awful lot of Mozart to absorb.

I used to feel much the same as you... that Mozart was a lot of frilly lace hankies and musical affectations. But hearing more of his work completely changed my mind. His reputation is richly deserved.


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## Carpenoctem (May 15, 2012)

bigshot said:


> I used to feel much the same as you... that Mozart was a lot of frilly lace hankies and musical affectations. But hearing more of his work completely changed my mind. His reputation is richly deserved.


This.

Getting to know certain composers better changed my approach to their music by 180°.


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## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

My collecting style is quite haphazard. I will get on a thematic "kick". This may be a certain composer, certain period, or style. For example I was obsessed with requiems for a little while, piano concertos during another phase, etc. So when I'm in that phase, I'll often impulse buy . I'm not very good at being patient! I'm working on it though......as I mentioned previously when I get on a theme, my goal is to get to really know the pieces I already have in my collection before buying more. I may not ALWAYS be successful, but I have slowed my buying. I'm starting a six month spending freeze, so that will help.

Other ways of expanding my collection: Recommendations here. I throw anything that sounds remotely interesting into my amazon wishlist. If I find a good price from third party vendors, or at presto classical, then I might get something a little more obscure. Specifically *Jared* has had excellent recommendations. I find *St. Luke's Guild* has good suggestions pertaining to vocal music.

I wish I could say that extensive sampling comes into play to prevent duds....but it doesn't. I have tried to force myself to do this but I just don't. I've accepted this because although I spend too much on music, "too much" is a relative term. Music is my main vice, and I've kept it within reason.


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## Jared (Jul 9, 2012)

Sonata said:


> Specifically *Jared* has had excellent recommendations.


why, thank you, my lovely... :tiphat:

I'm quite good at spending other people's money, so if you need any further advice..


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