# How to Pick a Version or Recording (of Anything)



## bharbeke (Mar 4, 2013)

I often wonder how people pick a version or recording of a piece to be either their first or potentially definitive version.

I use a combination of recommendations, accessibility (is it on YouTube?), and recording era (newer than 1950). I will also see if a performer I like from other works shows up in the search results for a piece. I prefer a recording to be in a single clip instead of broken up for ease of listening all at once.

How about you? What is your process for choosing a recording for your initial hearing of a piece of music?


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## Fugue Meister (Jul 5, 2014)

Generally by listening to several versions on youtube along with the score. Sometimes certain recordings aren't on youtube but it's usually newer recordings and you can find pay services that give you excerpts which isn't always ideal but hey sometimes you have to just bite the bullet... Looking around at different libraries works too.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

It often takes me longer to shop for a piece than I would ever spend listening to it, but I find it relaxing.

Sometimes I read reviews in these forums which rarely fail me, and on MusicWeb International which I can sometimes but not always trust. I listen on Spotify if available or just the samples.

I tend to pay more attention to the recording ambiance than to performers. the best performer sounds bad to me if the mic is too close. I want to hear the notes from their violin, not the air whistling through their nose hairs. Sometimes performers do matter. I have come to find Andras Schiff and Mitsuko Uchida are my pianists of choice for most eras while more popular pianists Glenn Gould and Martha Argerich may not work for me.

Over the years I have also learned and accepted there is no definitive performance. Each performance is its own thing and it's okay to have more than one.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

I've also noticed my definitive performance sometimes gets knocked out by another one, so I keep my ears open. The bad thing about having open ears is, I have a ridiculously high CD stack.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

bharbeke said:


> I often wonder how people pick a version or recording of a piece to be either their first or potentially definitive version.
> 
> I use a combination of recommendations, accessibility (is it on YouTube?), and recording era (newer than 1950). I will also see if a performer I like from other works shows up in the search results for a piece. I prefer a recording to be in a single clip instead of broken up for ease of listening all at once.
> 
> How about you? What is your process for choosing a recording for your initial hearing of a piece of music?


Same as it is for any subsequent recordings chosen - spur of the moment with the help of signals I get from outside sources such as people on boards, recording review sites/magazines, youtube, naxos music library etc. Funny thing about signals; they're always coming at me.


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## dsphipps100 (Jan 10, 2016)

bharbeke said:


> I often wonder how people pick a version or recording of a piece to be either their first or potentially definitive version.
> 
> How about you? What is your process for choosing a recording for your initial hearing of a piece of music?


This is actually one of the most problematic aspects of (ahem) "classical" music - the reason(s) being that, over the years, maybe 10 percent of all the music that's been written is actually worth hearing, but what's more, maybe 10 percent of the recordings of that 10-percent-of-music are worth hearing.

For example, there's probably sixty recordings of Beethoven's 5th on the market right now, and MAYBE ten of them are worth something.

So a novice's odds of getting a really good recording of a really good piece are not too good - ignorant critics not withstanding.

No wonder people find "classical" so frustrating.....

You just have to shop around and take some risks. After a while, you'll start getting to where you pretty well know which conductors/orchestras are most likely to play a piece the way you want it done, but even then, you're still not guaranteed they won't have a bad day with that particular piece.

It took me thirteen tries with Respighi's Pines of Rome before I finally found a performance I'm happy with (Daniele Gatti/Santa Cecilia Academy).

On the other hand, I pretty well knew that Solti-Chicago would basically knock Shostakovich's 8th out of the park, and I was right, they absolutely body-slammed it, so that was one where I got it right.

Or additionally, I can always count on Ormandy-Philadelphia to give beautiful performances with interpretations that are as shallow as a kiddie wading pool (perfect for an encores album), or you can count on Karajan-Berlin to give you a tsunami of sound whether they're playing Mozart or R. Strauss (perfect for anything post-romantic), you can count on Haitink-Amsterdam to give gorgeously opulent-sounding recordings that are very gentlemanly without rocking the boat (perfect for Debussy), and so forth and so on. You just have to understand performers' tendencies, and then, based on your concept of how you want the music to sound, you can start making educated guesses about who's the most likely to give you what you want.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

I generally follow the great conductors and well known groups - they are well known for a reason. Period instrument groups are almost universally good when it comes to my favorite 18th century composers. I rarely find a bad recording of such repertoire.


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## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

> It took me thirteen tries with Respighi's Pines of Rome before I finally found a performance I'm happy with (Daniele Gatti/Santa Cecilia Academy).


Your choice really surprises me, but it certainly demonstrates the subjectiveness of music: you obviously hear something in that recording that I miss completely.


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## dsphipps100 (Jan 10, 2016)

techniquest said:


> Your choice really surprises me, but it certainly demonstrates the subjectiveness of music: you obviously hear something in that recording that I miss completely.


It's Gatti's involvement in the tableaux. I do not care for the more "objective", "dispassionate" approach taken by too many others (Dutoit & Karajan especially). Several of them do an absolutely gorgeous job of presenting a postcard representation of what Respighi is portraying, but Gatti actually takes us _inside_ of what Respighi is portraying by allowing himself (and the orchestra) to perform as if they are involved with the music, as though they are witnessing if not outright participating in the little stories.

They have an intensity to their performance that too many other "Pines" (and other Roman Trilogy pieces) are lacking, plus Gatti is not afraid to use subtle, little nuances here and there (without disturbing the flow of the music) to "stop and smell the flowers" where it is appropriate.

In The Fountain at Trevi at Midday (obviously in "Fountains" instead of "Pines", but it will still suffice to make the point), as Neptune's procession majestically crosses the fountain's landscape, there is a moment of climactic arrival that is the central climax of the whole piece. Too many recordings perform the climax beautifully enough, but go right on through it as if nothing special has happened.

At the last "quaver" (eighth note) just before the climax's key change explodes out of the music, Gatti hesitates, maybe for only a third of a second, possibly even less. It's very subtle, hardly even noticeable, especially to untrained ears. But the effect it has is to dramatically highlight the impact of the moment's arrival, making it far more powerful. And then he's not afraid to linger slightly in the new key, reveling in the passing-into-the-distance of Neptune's retinue as we watch with him and the orchestra, witnessing the chariot riding off into the sunset, as it were.

I get the sense throughout the Gatti/Santa Cecilia recording that they are watching "the movie" along with us, even as they perform the incidental music for us to listen to.

Unfortunately, most of the other Roman Trilogy recordings sound as if the conductor/orchestra have their heads buried in the score and are completely unaware of what is happening on the proverbial "screen".


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## SalieriIsInnocent (Feb 28, 2008)

Spotify and Youtube is an excellent way for me to search for music. I focus more on the performance more than the name on the cover. I used to look for the names like; Karajan, Solti, Bernstein, Abbado, and Levine. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, in fact they are all amazing conductors, and you're probably going to get a good performance going by their names. I just feel that sometimes you need to look for a performance that taps into your soul. That's why you'll always find disagreements on what is the best performance. Just ask what the best Beethoven's 5th recording is, and you'll be overwhelmed. 

Really the only thing that is an absolute requirement is the sound. I'll pass up a great performance if the sound is bad.


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## bharbeke (Mar 4, 2013)

dsphipps100 said:


> It took me thirteen tries with Respighi's Pines of Rome before I finally found a performance I'm happy with (Daniele Gatti/Santa Cecilia Academy).


I first heard the piece in its Fantasia 2000 version. Did any of your thirteen attempts sound similar to the version from this movie, especially the majestic soaring through the sky into the ocean of space?

Thanks for all the replies so far. Please keep them coming. It is illuminating to hear the various approaches people take to this music.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Interesting to read these several approaches to selecting recordings; they show the infinite variety of experience. However, I present the notion that whatever version of a new work that one first hears and likes (assuming at least decent sound quality) will become the template for constructing a theory for why we like that piece, performed that way. Now this does vary in importance with genre--I am an enthusiast for piano concertos, and go to some length to match the performances I first heard and loved by either looking for the old LP's re-release as a remastered CD, or by finding a more recent recording by the same soloist, and hoping they've retained their earlier approach. Two examples: A) I have never heard a more satisfactory Ravel Left Hand than the version (my first) by Samson François and Cluytens and the Conservatory Orchestra on EMI. I was at a loss when I finally wore it out on vinyl, and then searched for years for a decent version by somebody else--all unsatisfactory; couldn't bear them. My delight in getting the remastered CD, with both concertos and _Gaspard_ was total. B) My first Tchaikovsky was with Gilels and, I think, Reiner and the Chicago. When I wore that LP out, I tried others but everybody else plays the work too slowly for my taste. But along comes Gilels again, this time with Mehta and the New York, new recording on CD, with Gilels pounding it out just like the old version. So there are two forces or factors at work, in my view-- what version you hear first and that "imprints" upon your brain as the "correct" version, and how strongly the imprinting affects your ability to adapt to and to enjoy other versions. dsphipps100, though, you may have set a record with your lucky 13th try. My question would be what real or imagined version of this work did you have in your mind before you began your search? What were you originally unhappy with, right from the get-go?


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## geralmar (Feb 15, 2013)

bharbeke said:


> How about you? What is your process for choosing a recording for your initial hearing of a piece of music?


Price. Quality comes later.


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## Haydn man (Jan 25, 2014)

bharbeke said:


> I often wonder how people pick a version or recording of a piece to be either their first or potentially definitive version.
> 
> I use a combination of recommendations, accessibility (is it on YouTube?), and recording era (newer than 1950). I will also see if a performer I like from other works shows up in the search results for a piece. I prefer a recording to be in a single clip instead of broken up for ease of listening all at once.
> 
> How about you? What is your process for choosing a recording for your initial hearing of a piece of music?


With care dear boy, with care!
Or put another way Try before you buy and don't take the reviews too seriously


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

dsphipps100 said:


> This is actually one of the most problematic aspects of (ahem) "classical" music - the reason(s) being that, over the years, maybe 10 percent of all the music that's been written is actually worth hearing, but what's more, maybe 10 percent of the recordings of that 10-percent-of-music are worth hearing.
> 
> For example, there's probably sixty recordings of Beethoven's 5th on the market right now, and MAYBE ten of them are worth something.


That's not my experience. I have about 150 versions of the Goldberg Variations, and the most that I dumped were three versions. All the rest have significant value to me.


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## SalieriIsInnocent (Feb 28, 2008)

dsphipps100 said:


> This is actually one of the most problematic aspects of (ahem) "classical" music - the reason(s) being that, over the years, maybe 10 percent of all the music that's been written is actually worth hearing, but what's more, maybe 10 percent of the recordings of that 10-percent-of-music are worth hearing.
> 
> For example, there's probably sixty recordings of Beethoven's 5th on the market right now, and MAYBE ten of them are worth something.


I find that most people tend to compare every recording to another recording when they judge. Many times your introductory recording can be the one that shapes your opinion. So, while 10 percent of Beethoven's 5th might be worth listening to you, some might find your 10 percent to be bad performances.

I'm not saying your first recording is going to be your definitive one, and it won't always make you love the piece. I didn't love The Rite of Spring, until I heard Bernstein conduct it. I didn't love Dvorak's 9th, until I heard Karajan conduct it. I didn't love Mahler's 3rd, until I heard Solti conduct it. I can keep going with that. I guarantee that if I went to listen to any other performances, I'd be comparing them to those that made me love the piece.

Now, I'm not even getting into what makes a musician love a recording. I just wonder how many conductors listen to recordings before taking on a performance themselves, or if they go right into the score, without the outside aid of recording. There's no way that a recording of Beethoven's 5th hasn't at least made an impression upon them in this day and age. We've all heard it.

I know back before recordings, it all had to be pulled from the mind, or they went to hear a performance. I'm veering off into a complete other discussion. So I won't digress any further.


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## Klassic (Dec 19, 2015)

Listen to as many recordings as you can until you find one you like.


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

When I first began to seriously collect classical music my aim was to purchase one recording of each work of the key repertoire that I hoped would be "definitive". In part, I relied on critical opinion, and in part I relied on my own tastes following conductors/orchestras/soloists I admired. As I spent some time reading up and researching recommended recordings I rarely came across anything I considered to be a real "dog".

With experience I came to recognize the obvious: there is no single "definitive" performance or recording. For most of the key repertoire there are several (sometimes many) performances/recordings of real merit and these offer different (at times very different) interpretations which can be equally valid. 

Others here have suggested that your first beloved recording of a given work can become the standard against all others are measured, and I have experienced this to be true. But with time I've learned to open myself up to alternative interpretations and these have brought be a deeper understanding of favorite works as well as great pleasure.

I am now at the point where I am rarely purchasing a first recording of a wholly new (to me) work of music. For the most part I am picking up a second... third... fourth... etc... alternative recording of a work I already know because I am interested in how a given conductor/singer/soloist has approached this work. I have Spotify which allows me to listen to many recordings that I am considering before actually purchasing the same.


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## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

I'll admit that I allow price to be a factor.


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

The term definitive gets thrown a lot, and I am as guilty as any other poster for using it, but there is no such thing. I recommend getting a streaming service with a huge library of recordings, such as Spotify, Tidal, or Apple, and auditioning a few competing versions. When you really enjoy at least one, you may not need to hear another unless you are curious. If you are happy with the sound quality of the streaming service, you not even need to buy anything physical


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

I freely confess to being stupefied by the number of TC members who have multiple recordings, sometimes many, many multiple recordings (see previous poster with 150 versions of Goldberg Variations) of works, often many works. For reasons of space, frugality, and the indulging of other interests, I allow myself only one recording of any given piece, winnowing out those very few duplicates that I have amassed over the decades, in a Darwinian struggle for survival in my library. I am glad for those CM enthusiasts who fully enjoy and utilize their vast multiple holdings, and wish them continued joy. But I do not envy them. I find myself listening rapturously, ecstatically, to, say, my beloved Prokofiev Piano Concerto #3 with Cliburn, or my Brahms PC #2 with Richter, over and over again, without any need or desire to hear, and pay for, another version. That's what YouTube is for. Just my way.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

There are a number of threads with recommendations on various works. You can start your own thread requesting recommendations (I have done that many times). Check the offerings on Amazon and compare the reviews and also listen to clips. You may end up buying several different performances until you find your favorite. I kind of like having multiple performances of my favorite work as that way I get more variety and can listen to it more often than if it were only a single performance.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Strange Magic said:


> I freely confess to being stupefied by the number of TC members who have multiple recordings, sometimes many, many multiple recordings (see previous poster with 150 versions of Goldberg Variations) of works, often many works. For reasons of space, frugality, and the indulging of other interests, I allow myself only one recording of any given piece, winnowing out those very few duplicates that I have amassed over the decades, in a Darwinian struggle for survival in my library. I am glad for those CM enthusiasts who fully enjoy and utilize their vast multiple holdings, and wish them continued joy. But I do not envy them. I find myself listening rapturously, ecstatically, to, say, my beloved Prokofiev Piano Concerto #3 with Cliburn, or my Brahms PC #2 with Richter, over and over again, without any need or desire to hear, and pay for, another version. That's what YouTube is for. Just my way.


Everybody has their own taste :tiphat:


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## Klassic (Dec 19, 2015)

Strange Magic said:


> I allow myself only one recording of any given piece, winnowing out those very few duplicates that I have amassed over the decades, in a Darwinian struggle for survival in my library.


In many instances I'm not sure this would be possible for me. While I agree with "winnowing out" as many as possible, for many pieces this would be like throwing out a facet of the piece that was not emphasized in an alternative recording.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

This discussion brings up the subject of how we choose, that has recently been explored by Barry Schwartz in his widely-discussed book _The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less_. Schwartz' study leads him to divide people into rough categories of "maximizers" and "satisficers". Maximizers seek to examine as many options as possible, so as to enhance to the maximum their ability to make the most absolutely correct final selection. Satisficers invest far less time and energy in pursuit of the ideal, and are perfectly satisfied to settle for what pleases and works here, now. Schwartz claims that, in the long run, satisficers are happier and less-stressed choosers than are maximizers. I am a notorious satisficer--I used to delight in annoying my coworkers with my oft-repeated remark that "Happiness is having low standards!"--saying this long before Schwartz's work was ever published; for example, it would be inconceivable for me to be an oenophile and keep a straight face. My tongue was somewhat in my cheek when I said this, but as a general rule, I count myself to be one of the most cheerful and contented people I know, which irritates my maximizer spouse no end. You will find much on Schwartz's book and thesis on the Internet. Fascinating!


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## bharbeke (Mar 4, 2013)

What I need is a maximizer who agrees with me most of the time and has already done the listening. In the absence of that, though, I tend to go for what looks popular and is not performed by people or instruments that I tend to dislike.

Even though I can be satisfied with the first good version of something I come across, the advent of streaming makes it possible for me to experiment with other versions of a piece, knowing that I can always come back to a version I like. The only cost to me is my time. Eventually, I can have a pool of recordings to choose from when I want to hear a favorite piece, and I can learn about new performers whose style may suit me along the way.


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## Radames (Feb 27, 2013)

When it's in the $2 - $3 bin.


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

Strange Magic- I allow myself only one recording of any given piece, winnowing out those very few duplicates that I have amassed over the decades, in a Darwinian struggle for survival in my library.

Klassic- In many instances I'm not sure this would be possible for me. While I agree with "winnowing out" as many as possible, for many pieces this would be like throwing out a facet of the piece that was not emphasized in an alternative recording.

There are but a few absolute favorite works that I have more than a few alternative recordings of: Bach's _Well Tempered Clavier_ and _Goldberg Variations_, Beethoven's 9th, some Mozart piano concertos, Schubert's _Winterreise_, Wagner's _Ring_, and favorite operas by Mozart, Richard Strauss, etc... immediately come to mind.

Listening to the differences between (shall we say) Mozart's Cosi fan tutte as realized in the early recording by Herbert von Karajan with Schwarzkopf and Simoneau; the classic Karl Böhm recording with Christa Ludwig, Alfredo Kraus, and Schwarzkopf... or the more recent HIP recording by René Jacobs, I can't even fathom being limited to a single recording. This is perhaps even more true if I consider recordings of Schubert's Winterreise by Hans Hotter, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Jonas Kaufmann, Ian Bostridge, Matthias Goerne, Thomas Quasthoff, Peter Pears, Peter Anders, Werner Güra, Kurt Moll, etc...

There are huge differences between many of the finest recordings of key works of the classical repertoire (and I suspect this is most obvious in the work of solo instrumental work, concertos, and vocal music) and each brings something different, yet equally valid, to the interpretation of these musical masterpieces.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

If you have the money you just buy all the recordings of a particular work. For many works I have half dozen to two dozen different performances. I have enjoyed most of them and in so doing have come across gems I never would have realized had I stopped with just one performance. (Also I enjoy the chase on Amazon, Ebay, Half, and my local music store, and the kill--clicking the buy button). My son, on the other hand (TC member Rocco), is perfectly happy with a single performance of a work and would be very unlikely to buy a second performance of anything.


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

Florestan said:


> If you have the money you just buy all the recordings of a particular work. For many works I have half dozen to two dozen different performances. I have enjoyed most of them and in so doing have come across gems I never would have realized had I stopped with just one performance. (Also I enjoy the chase on Amazon, Ebay, Half, and my local music store, and the kill--clicking the buy button). My son, on the other hand (TC member Rocco), is perfectly happy with a single performance of a work and would be very unlikely to buy a second performance of anything.


:Greetings, Florestan. I love your style! All good things in great excess!!!


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## SalieriIsInnocent (Feb 28, 2008)

Let me also add to the multiple versions argument and say that I will often have a modern orchestra recording, and a period performance. Of course, I am extremely picky about period performances, and will pass up most of the ones I hear.


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

I do not have a system.

I have mentioned this in other threads.

There are only a few works that I have multiple recordings in my library.

One of them is Percy Granger's _Lincolnshire Posey_. I have twelve recordings. I have problems finding one that I dislike. All of the performances are great and I would have not problem recommending any of the to anybody.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

SalieriIsInnocent said:


> Let me also add to the multiple versions argument and say that I will often have a modern orchestra recording, and a period performance. Of course, I am extremely picky about period performances, and will pass up most of the ones I hear.


Very wise move :lol:


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

I do this by listening to samples  - 30-60 seconds is usually enough to tell which sound/interpretations one prefers for the work, imo.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> I do this by listening to samples  - 30-60 seconds is usually enough to tell which sound/interpretations one prefers for the work, imo.


That doesn't work for me. I prefer listening to a whole work at least 5-10 times before I reach any conclusions.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

This is the first time I've seen any attitude for or against HIPPIsm on talkclassical! 

I choose my recordings quite carefully. Thus: 

A. Baroque era and later: 

First recording: I prefer to have at least one "great" recording from the Titans of Early Stereo, recorded around 1968 or so on a major label. Dig the hype, baby. 

More recordings: If it is not a particularly famous work of music, one recording is probably enough. If it's particularly famous, I probably come into several recordings via box sets anyway. But if I deliberately seek out alternative recordings, it's usually because I want some contrast to what I've heard, and my second choice is likely to be HIPPI or somehow idiosyncratic. Unlike many (maybe most) fans of common practice period music, I don't find myself looking for a "best" recording or judging different ones as "better" or "worse," which I am far from qualified to do anyway, just enjoying the differences in how one set of performers do it compared to another set. If I happen to like one recording more than others, it's just my own preference, not any insight into anything.

A. Medeival and Renaissance music: 

First recording: Recordings prior to the late '70s are usually not pleasing to me, so in this case I usually start with a HIPPI recording, the "most famous" one if there is one; if not, I find that the more recent a recording is, the more likely I am to like it. 

Later recordings: With the exception of really famous works, you usually don't have a lot of options anyway. But with most of these works, the possibility of listening to different interpretations is pretty wonderful; the differences can be really surprising and wonderful. (Again, not being an expert, I do not judge different recordings against each other, just enjoy the differences.) Unlike most fans of the common practice period music, I don't find myself looking for a "best" recording or judging different ones as "better" or "worse," just enjoying the differences in how one set of performers do it compared to another set. The problem is that the big box set deals aren't as common in this music yet, so you actually have to shell out $20+ on a regular basis to hear multiple performances. So I have a lot fewer multiple recordings here.


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