Embarking on building a classical LP collection...in 2023!
- Thread starter spiritofmusic
- Start date
I have never posted that streaming is not a very good solution to certain specific objectives.
I am simply proposing a mechanical solution to the specific mechanical dilemma you have expressed concern about. Recently I wanted to figure out if I preferred Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 or No. 4. I listened on Qobuz on the big stereo to a couple of different tracks of each of them.
I picked the concerto I liked best, and I listened to a bunch of different performances/recordings of that particular concerto on Qobuz. I picked the one I liked best, and I ordered an LP of it on Discogs.
Others may disagree — you may disagree — but this seems to me to be a relatively efficient way to explore classical music, and to “audition” different performances/recordings, and to figure out in a targeted way which LPs you actually want to buy. I don’t see how one can feel that this process is not at least a rational starting point.
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either way it is great if it gets you to explore different performances of different pieces.
It was totally fun for me to listen at David’s to three different recordings of Mozart Jupiter Symphony 41, and compare and contrast them, and figure out which one I liked best!
When my system is set up I have ahead of me years of those kinds of fun comparisons. And then . . . the vinyl winner versus the tape winner for the championship for that title!
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i'm doing this all the time. i really enjoy the process. don't always end up trying to find the Lp version on-line........since i purchased my 3000 pressing classical collection last year first i look there. almost every time i have at least one version.
this aspect of streaming and where it leads you is simply unbeatable. we are all lucky to be able to do such a thing. imagine 20 years ago even thinking about it. it was not even a thought. the i-pod came along, then Apple music.....one thing led to another.....and here we are.
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careful Mike, you might convert Marc to streaming and he will then start another thread
Well, I gave some streaming related advice to a trusted friend the other day. I nearly lost the friendship, and certainly the trust. Starting a streaming thread isn't gonna happen my end.
Gentlemen, thanks for all your suggestions, advice and encouragement.
I'm gonna try and not go too elitist w this, I simply can't afford the top prices (the main reason I didn't branch out to tape), at the same not necessarily rely on bulk buying of the least expensive LPs out there.
It'll also be good experience, engaging w reading more about all this to get a better overview.
I would certainly like to get a good relationship w online dealers who reliably grade their vinyl, I know this has always been, and today more than ever is, a very sensitive topic.
I'd certainly like to think the next 5-10 years remains a time period where I can curate 2-3k good listenable classical LPs. There's no point me having got to my level of sound at home to not now go on to take full advantage. It's both a little daunting and very exciting.
I'm gonna try and not go too elitist w this, I simply can't afford the top prices (the main reason I didn't branch out to tape), at the same not necessarily rely on bulk buying of the least expensive LPs out there.
It'll also be good experience, engaging w reading more about all this to get a better overview.
I would certainly like to get a good relationship w online dealers who reliably grade their vinyl, I know this has always been, and today more than ever is, a very sensitive topic.
I'd certainly like to think the next 5-10 years remains a time period where I can curate 2-3k good listenable classical LPs. There's no point me having got to my level of sound at home to not now go on to take full advantage. It's both a little daunting and very exciting.
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Harold Moores shop was more like a pilgrimage. One visit to London, I discovered that Harold Moores was having a sale. I had to buy an extra piece of luggage to bring back all the records. They were so incredibly knowledgeable and helpful.
I know one dealer that periodically calls me to let me know which record show he will be at and what collections he has recently acquired.
I took a 14 inch (?) very early Blue Note (not in good condition) to Bop Street records in Seattle one time. Their shop was close to my house. The record was not in good condition. The owner was so excited that he took me to his storage facility and let me look through all the classical LPs that were not in the shop. It was a bonanza!
Even Acoustic Sounds has an incredible collection of classical LPs that will can let you browse if you are ever in Salinas. I did just that one time and found a bunch of Russian recordings of Russian pianists.
You just never know. I always try to chat and be friendly with record dealers, you just never know.
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Ron - please keep spreading this type of myth.
It helps keep the prices down on used Mahler LPs. Especially the box sets.
Personally, I find Mahler to be ecstatic, profound, sublime, ethereal, earthy, anguishing, joyful. I find listening with ears, heart, mind and soul lets me absorb more of the essence of Mahler (eau d'Mahler?). I also find that when Mahler does not move me, then that says more about me than about the music.
But, I understand that Mahler is not everyone's cup of tea.
Zurich record shops have TONS of classical LPs for little money. Many we’re probably not played more than once or twice.
I wish I was in one of those TV shows where I could say "Honey, book me on the first flight to Zurich, and make sure I have enough luggage for, say, 3000 LPs".
so, these shop keepers who have been running these stores for years will be clueless about value of LPs and will have left the valuable ones there for 5 euro each?
Great thread! I began my vinyl classical collection in 1984 as a struggling PhD student. Princeton Record Exchange was my savior. Acquired great box sets like the fabulous Haydn symphonies by Dorati and the Philharmonica Hungarica for a song, as folks were rapidly dumping their vInyl for newfangled CDs. Penguin Guides were indeed helpful, but they had a strong Euro-centric bias, and an even stronger bias towards British performers.
Foolishly sold my large classical vinyl collection when I moved to the west coast — should have kept it in storage till I bought a house (in the San Francisco Bay Area, house hunting is not for the faint of heart or those with not very deep pockets!). Finally ended up in a large 3500 sq ft house with enough space for my large vinyl collection, except I had none! Been patiently rebuilding parts of it. I find eBay a great resource. Of course, Acoustic Sounds has the warhorses — the RCA Living Stereos etc. — but the joy of owning vinyl is discovering the true gems that no one talks about much. I’m 30 years older, definitely richer, but not as willing to get down on my hands and knees to rummage through estate and yard sales. Then, there’s the pandemic!
I did reacquire the magnificent Haydn box sets from a seller in Europe on the original Decca pressing. The liner notes by H.C. Robbins Landon is itself worth the price of acquisition. Also, the great Haydn Piano Trios by Beaux Arts Trio on Philips — a desert island box set. The vinyl sounds infinitely better than the poorly remastered digital version on Qobuz. Try to get some of the magnificent recordings on Lyrita. Harry Pearson of TAS used to consider the Malcom Arnold English Dances on Lyrita the best orchestral recording ever made. I agree. No recording has ever captured cymbal crashes or the bass drum more effectively. Again, the vinyl to my ears sounds so much better than Lyrita’ s own CD. TAS once had an interview with Kenneth Wilkinson, the legendary Decca engineer who made many of the great Decca and Lyrita recordings. He said the digital remastering was much inferior to the original analog master tapes he made. The digital remastering eliminated the sound of the hall in many cases.
If you like Mahler, get the famous Decca recording of Mahler‘s Second Symphony with Georg Solti with Heather Harper. The opening few seconds with the double basses growling always sends a shiver through my spine. Mike Fremer years ago savaged the EMI Mahler Two by Simon Rattle in its terrible sound in the opening seconds. What should have been the double basses growling was instead a blob of sound, he complained, again referring to the Solti recording.
For opera, definitely get Zubin Mehta’s incandescent Decca recording of Puccini’s Turandot, with the icy princess sung by Joan Sutherland and the young star struck lover prince sung magnificently by Luciano Pavarotti, who manages to solve her three riddles and avoid getting his head chopped off. Stellar recording. Act One has magnificent climaxes, with a huge orchestra and chorus including a boys choir. No one wrote passionate opera like Puccini.
For string quartets, my desert island vinyl box set has been Shostakovich‘s complete quartets by Fitzwilliam quartet on Decca. His quartets to me are the finest since Beethoven wrote his quartets. Number 8 is especially moving, written to portray the horror of war. His quartets are sardonic, but sad.
For ballet music, I highly recommend the magnificent ballets of Delibes, of which Tchaikovsky himself said he wouldn’t have written his famous ballets had he heard Delibes first. On EMI, Mari has recorded the complete Coppelia. Very tuneful.
I could go on…classical vinyl has kept me sane for almost 40 years! It’s a music lovers format. 25 minutes per LP is the right length. Keeps your attention. Getting up to change the record keeps you from sitting in the chair for hours. Then there’s the great liner notes!
Foolishly sold my large classical vinyl collection when I moved to the west coast — should have kept it in storage till I bought a house (in the San Francisco Bay Area, house hunting is not for the faint of heart or those with not very deep pockets!). Finally ended up in a large 3500 sq ft house with enough space for my large vinyl collection, except I had none! Been patiently rebuilding parts of it. I find eBay a great resource. Of course, Acoustic Sounds has the warhorses — the RCA Living Stereos etc. — but the joy of owning vinyl is discovering the true gems that no one talks about much. I’m 30 years older, definitely richer, but not as willing to get down on my hands and knees to rummage through estate and yard sales. Then, there’s the pandemic!
I did reacquire the magnificent Haydn box sets from a seller in Europe on the original Decca pressing. The liner notes by H.C. Robbins Landon is itself worth the price of acquisition. Also, the great Haydn Piano Trios by Beaux Arts Trio on Philips — a desert island box set. The vinyl sounds infinitely better than the poorly remastered digital version on Qobuz. Try to get some of the magnificent recordings on Lyrita. Harry Pearson of TAS used to consider the Malcom Arnold English Dances on Lyrita the best orchestral recording ever made. I agree. No recording has ever captured cymbal crashes or the bass drum more effectively. Again, the vinyl to my ears sounds so much better than Lyrita’ s own CD. TAS once had an interview with Kenneth Wilkinson, the legendary Decca engineer who made many of the great Decca and Lyrita recordings. He said the digital remastering was much inferior to the original analog master tapes he made. The digital remastering eliminated the sound of the hall in many cases.
If you like Mahler, get the famous Decca recording of Mahler‘s Second Symphony with Georg Solti with Heather Harper. The opening few seconds with the double basses growling always sends a shiver through my spine. Mike Fremer years ago savaged the EMI Mahler Two by Simon Rattle in its terrible sound in the opening seconds. What should have been the double basses growling was instead a blob of sound, he complained, again referring to the Solti recording.
For opera, definitely get Zubin Mehta’s incandescent Decca recording of Puccini’s Turandot, with the icy princess sung by Joan Sutherland and the young star struck lover prince sung magnificently by Luciano Pavarotti, who manages to solve her three riddles and avoid getting his head chopped off. Stellar recording. Act One has magnificent climaxes, with a huge orchestra and chorus including a boys choir. No one wrote passionate opera like Puccini.
For string quartets, my desert island vinyl box set has been Shostakovich‘s complete quartets by Fitzwilliam quartet on Decca. His quartets to me are the finest since Beethoven wrote his quartets. Number 8 is especially moving, written to portray the horror of war. His quartets are sardonic, but sad.
For ballet music, I highly recommend the magnificent ballets of Delibes, of which Tchaikovsky himself said he wouldn’t have written his famous ballets had he heard Delibes first. On EMI, Mari has recorded the complete Coppelia. Very tuneful.
I could go on…classical vinyl has kept me sane for almost 40 years! It’s a music lovers format. 25 minutes per LP is the right length. Keeps your attention. Getting up to change the record keeps you from sitting in the chair for hours. Then there’s the great liner notes!
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