# Do you have an aversion to multiple composer / anthology albums?



## Weston

I've read a few posts in the past indicating some people don't like to purchase albums featuring more than one composer. If so I wonder why? Is there a risk of too many filler pieces, too many side dishes not enough main courses? Too big a risk of a "greatest hits" type of situation?

Today I came across this wonderful anthology type of album and I think the format is interesting. It's a great way to sample unfamiliar composers, with a little more commitment than a streaming service, and reminds a little of the old pulp anthology magazine format or anthology paperbacks wherein you would get works by several authors










I'm really pleased with this set and I wonder if there is a 1 through 4 in the series. I'll be looking for more of them. The Saariaho _Circle Map_ in particular is a fascinating piece, but I'm pleased with all of them.

It seems to me more contemporary music lends itself to this format as there may not be enough -- confidence?-- to invest in an entire album of these composers working largely in obscurity.


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## Kivimees

In general, I avoid multi-composer CDs, perhaps because of the 'greatest hits' effect. It's the same with fiction - I would rather read a collection of short stories by a single author, rather than a collection by a number of authors each with a unique style.


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## CDs

I will buy CDs where there are multiple composers as long as it's full pieces and not just movements.


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## Weston

CDs said:


> I will buy CDs where there are multiple composers as long as it's full pieces and not just movements.


Is that a danger? I didn't think about that.


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## CDs

Weston said:


> Is that a danger? I didn't think about that.


To me like mentioned in other posts above if just movements it'll have a "greatest hits" feel. Plus a lot of the movements can be quite short and for me it'd be tough to get into the music.


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## Art Rock

CDs said:


> I will buy CDs where there are multiple composers as long as it's full pieces and not just movements.


This. Still, for practical reasons I prefer single composer discs as they are easier to retrieve from my physical storage system.


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## Guest

Depends! Obviously if I'm wanting a disc by....Ravel, I only want Ravel, ideally. Sometimes it's not possible so I end up being forcibly exposed to another composer or three. But it can be a great way of hearing a varied selection, perhaps of composers who may not have any (or not many) whole discs dedicated to themselves. 

Does play havoc with my filing system though!


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## SixFootScowl

I prefer single composer sets. An in the realm of opera, I prefer whole operas to highlights and arias sets that have a few arias from each of several operas.


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## seven four

hard to file, but sometimes that may be the only recording of that piece!


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## Kivimees

seven four said:


> hard to file, but sometimes that may be the only recording of that piece!


Yes, true enough.


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## Dan Ante

If it’s a recital I am ok with it but a compilation of composers or artists is avoided, and as far as selected movements is concerned that also is avoided (unless it is a form of educational presentation) as noted on other posts it does make it difficult for filing purposes.


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## Pugg

Give me no problem whatsoever, I file it under the first work of the set or with bigger sets under the name of conductor


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## Dan Ante

Pugg said:


> Give me no problem whatsoever, I file it under the first work of the set or with bigger sets under the name of conductor


But how do you remember all the other tracks on it?


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## arpeggio

No..............................................


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## Pugg

Dan Ante said:


> But how do you remember all the other tracks on it?


It's comes natural, once seen what's on it I know it, 90% off the time


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## dgee

The OP disc is one of a series and to my knowledge they're all on spotify - some good stuff there! I'm not averse to multiple composer CDs at all and haven't noticed any particular issues with them


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## StlukesguildOhio

My only problem, as already mentioned, is how to file or shelve these. I have a lot of discs with something like Tchaikovsky's violin concerto paired with Mendelssohn's. In that instance I file it under the first name listed on the cover. Just recently I was playing a disc of Enesco paired with Liszt. While the Enesco piece was listed first and most prominently, three quarters of more of the time allotted was taken up by the Liszt. If it's a recital disc... Hillary Hahn playing 8 or ten short pieces or movements to longer pieces or a singer doing the same, then I file these under the performers.


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## Antiquarian

My solution to the problem of multiple composer CDs is to have a separate section for them. So whenever I am looking for a particular piece, and can't find it in the regular section, I go there.


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## realdealblues

Yeah, my problem with multi composer discs is the same as others have mentioned which is mainly being how to file the CD and remembering what else is on the CD. My collection literally spans a 10ft tall by 40 ft. wide section of wall in my basement and it's darn near impossible for me to remember what I have most of the time let alone trying to find something that I can't categorize easily.


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## SixFootScowl

Antiquarian said:


> My solution to the problem of multiple composer CDs is to have a separate section for them. So whenever I am looking for a particular piece, and can't find it in the regular section, I go there.


I should recommend this to my local music store, Dearborn Music. If I were looking for Vivaldi's Gloria and it happened to be packaged on a disk with say a Mozart religious choral work, it might be in the Mozart section. Who would know unless you had the specific disk in mind? I have happened to find things like that just because I was browsing a different composer's section and came across it.


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## Dan Ante

Pugg said:


> It's comes natural, once seen what's on it I know it, 90% off the time


You must have a fantastic memory, I was recently looking for Dvorak's "Dumka" trio, it was not part of the Beaux Arts Trio set but another recording and it was not filed under Dvorak and I could not remember the performers so the search began the upside was that I discovered stuff that I had forgotten about.


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## Pugg

Dan Ante said:


> You must have a fantastic memory, I was recently looking for Dvorak's "Dumka" trio, it was not part of the Beaux Arts Trio set but another recording and it was not filed under Dvorak and I could not remember the performers so the search began the upside was that I discovered stuff that I had forgotten about.


Fantastic is a great word, but the Dumky is filed under Dvorak


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## Dan Ante

Pugg said:


> Fantastic is a great word, but the Dumky is filed under Dvorak


Not in my world, it was filed under Frank being a CD featuring the Trio Ex Aequo playing the Frank and Dvorak trios.


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## Pugg

Dan Ante said:


> Not in my world, it was filed under Frank being a CD featuring the Trio Ex Aequo playing the Frank and Dvorak trios.


Okay, we can argue till we are blue in the face, one thing's for sure, you never forget that one any more


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## Dan Ante

Pugg said:


> Okay, we can argue till we are blue in the face, one thing's for sure, you never forget that one any more


Yep I will remember!
I wasn't arguing .. honest


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## Marinera

If complete works ok, they're like concert recitals. Very enjoyable.


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## Dan Ante

But how about different works by diff composers performed by diff artists i.e. a true compilation


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## Pugg

Dan Ante said:


> But how about different works by diff composers performed by diff artists i.e. a true compilation


That, dear Dan Ante I put under "various" on a separate shelf at the end.:tiphat:


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## Nereffid

Only about half of what I buy these days is single-composer albums. Getting recitals and anthologies is an invaluable way of hearing plenty of new music, whether it's lesser-known older stuff or contemporary works.


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## SixFootScowl

Nereffid said:


> Only about half of what I buy these days is single-composer albums. Getting recitals and anthologies is an invaluable way of hearing plenty of new music, whether it's lesser-known older stuff or contemporary works.


But another way of hearing a lot of new music is to listen to the local classical station or an online classical station. The annoying thing is that sometimes you miss the title of the piece, but a decent online station ought to have a track list to accompany their broadcast.


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## Nereffid

Florestan said:


> But another way of hearing a lot of new music is to listen to the local classical station or an online classical station.


Yes, but buying albums gives me total control over what I'm going to hear.


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## CDs

Nereffid said:


> Yes, but buying albums gives me total control over what I'm going to hear.


Couldn't agree more! Plus no commercials.


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## Bulldog

Dan Ante said:


> But how about different works by diff composers performed by diff artists i.e. a true compilation


I totally avoid discs of that type - zero interest.


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## Vaneyes

Not my first choice, but sometimes they're unavoidable. Perhaps more importantly, it doesn't keep me awake at night. :lol:


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## Dan Ante

Florestan said:


> But another way of hearing a lot of new music is to listen to the local classical station or an online classical station. The annoying thing is that sometimes you miss the title of the piece, but a decent online station ought to have a track list to accompany their broadcast.


Yeh you are bang on, I have two Internet radios and you are spoiled for choice with about 500 classical stations (at a rough guess) to choose from plus your local stations.


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## Dan Ante

Bulldog said:


> I totally avoid discs of that type - zero interest.


So do I..........................


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## Pugg

Bulldog said:


> I totally avoid discs of that type - zero interest.


You can not be serious, don't tell me you never bought one.


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## Bulldog

Pugg said:


> You can not be serious, don't tell me you never bought one.


Nothing comes to mind as far as a disc of different composers and performers; compilations don't capture my attention.


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## Weston

Wow! Lost track of my own thread.

As far as as filing goes, I rip the CDs to mp3s anyway, or more frequently these days just purchase the mp3s to begin with, and catalog the individual works under the composer's names. No filing problem whatsoever. My CDs are in the top of a closest, rarely accessed.


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## Marinera

I rip CDs too , only to FLAC files, but somehow I'm inclined to listen to the whole cd even if it's in files and I do listen to them on hifi occasionaly. So, then it's often preferable to hear more interesting combination than lets say the programme like Schubert's symphonies in consequent order 1, 2, 3, 4 etc., and especially on hifi. 
For the filing - lazy way out- it goes under the name of the composer of the first major work on cd.


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## SixFootScowl

The few compilation CDs I have purchased (probably for a quarter at a garage sale) were pretty worthless, one movement of this, one movement of that. I have a couple of the Beethoven "best of" type disks and they suck too. Who wants the first movement of the Fifth symphony, the Turkish March, one movement from the Moonlight Sonata, Fur Elise, two parts of the Ninth, a movement from the 3rd symphony, and the conclusion of the Choral Fantasy? Not sure these are even good to give someone for an introduction to Beethoven. However, there is one compilation CD of Beethoven that is halfway decent, the one that is a sampler for the DG Complete Beethoven set--for one, it does NOT include Fur Elise, and that is a major positive in my book.

EDIT: I should add that the DG sampler has a very nice thick booklet discussing each of the sample tracks, so one does not just have a jumble of bits and pieces so out of context, but it is meant to entice a person into exploring each piece more.


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## elgar's ghost

In answer to the OP, yes, I do avoid them as a rule. However, there have been times when they have been useful as gap-pluggers for a particular composer and have no real objection as long as the rest of the disc doesn't duplicate anything I might already have by anyone else.


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## Xaltotun

I can grit my teeth and tolerate albums that have two composers. More than that - NO. I really have an aversion for that.


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