Embarking on building a classical LP collection...in 2023!
- Thread starter spiritofmusic
- Start date
The beaux arts trio is still available at reasonable prices. The Solti Mahler resurrection is yuck. His 3 and 4 on decca are better.
For resurrection the Klemperer Columbia recently sold for 800. ERC also reissued it but sold out. Given it wasn’t recorded with a limiter it’s dynamic range is supposed to be higher, but I saw that crazy range captured only on the crossover less pnoe. Still, i like it a lot on horns with crossovers. I will try to capture it on Cessaro Zeta next trip
For resurrection the Klemperer Columbia recently sold for 800. ERC also reissued it but sold out. Given it wasn’t recorded with a limiter it’s dynamic range is supposed to be higher, but I saw that crazy range captured only on the crossover less pnoe. Still, i like it a lot on horns with crossovers. I will try to capture it on Cessaro Zeta next trip
These days, more of them have a clue.
Years ago, I went to Sikora in Vancouver and picked out a stack of Telefunken Das Alte Werke lp’s. When I went to checkout, they had no idea what the records were or how to price them. We agreed on 2 dollars Canadian each. What a haul. All records were in as new condition.
I like the Solti Mahler second. Both the original Decca and the reissue have great sound.
‘That said, I think the Bernstein 2nd has more of the gravitas of the piece.
The US importer could not sell their remaining stock of the King Super Analog lp’s at the end of the 1990’s. They kept discounting them. I wound up buying dozens of them for $15 each.
Better Records also had the test pressings of some of the King Super Analog records at great prices. I picked up some of those too.
These days, they list for ridiculous prices.
Sure ... note the lower shelf, left hand side. That's the singles. Then there's the box sets.
Interestingly, new vinyl has started being issued by classical labels like DG who were the first to abandon vinyl 30 odd years ago, a turn of events I would never have predicted. Here’s a lovely recent double album of a live Carnegie Hall concert issued on new vinyl by DG. One can stream the high Rez version on Qobuz. The warmth of the concert venue comes across beautifully. The music, the performances and the artists are all top class.
I had my classical music epiphany in 1962 when I was was in high school and read about Beethoven's Symphony #6 being used as a means of teaching the blind from birth to understand the beauty of the pastoral countryside. I sought out a LP, (Rafael Kubelik, Royal Philharmonic, $5.99- I still have it) sat quietly and listened, and was emotionally moved. That experience opened the door for me to the world of classical music. A college course in Music Appreciation (with the playing in class of recorded samples) gave me the historic perspective. I have been listening and collecting LPs ever since, and now have a collection exceeding 6,000. Many were found in used record stores where I had to get down on my knees to search the 'on the floor' bins where the classics were relegated, but they were priced at $1! Many were in pristine condition as I suspect they were only played once or twice! Several years ago I spotted a classified ad for an estate sale that included a record collection of about 1,000 LPs. The deceased's daughter told me her father was a careful collector who bough selectively, and she wanted his collection to go to someone who would appreciate it. The records were indeed well chosen and in pristine collection. She was happy to settle for $250.
I also stream via Roon/Qobuz/Tidal and have built extensive playlists of many genres of music, with headings such as Piano, Opera, Vocal, Symphonic, Concertos, Vocal, Modern, Guitar, Jazz, Keyboard, Leader, Organ, Choral, Baroque, Sacred, String Quartet, Violin, Early, and individual composers, artists, and more. A feature of Roon is called Roon Radio whereby it selects music based on my listening history. This has led to the discovery of music, artists, composers, etc I had not heard of and greatly expanded my knowledge of the world of music and adds greatly to my musical pleasure and enjoyment. Additionally, Roon provides artists bios, album reviews, and links to similar music and artists.
I enjoy Gospel, Blues, Pop, Rock, Hawaiian (Gabby Pahanui) Country (Gilian Welch) Lucinda Williams, Hank Williams, Ry Cooder), Jazz, Americana, Blue Grass, etc. But Classical and Opera remains the core, about 80% of my listening, and my collection continues to grow.
I
I also stream via Roon/Qobuz/Tidal and have built extensive playlists of many genres of music, with headings such as Piano, Opera, Vocal, Symphonic, Concertos, Vocal, Modern, Guitar, Jazz, Keyboard, Leader, Organ, Choral, Baroque, Sacred, String Quartet, Violin, Early, and individual composers, artists, and more. A feature of Roon is called Roon Radio whereby it selects music based on my listening history. This has led to the discovery of music, artists, composers, etc I had not heard of and greatly expanded my knowledge of the world of music and adds greatly to my musical pleasure and enjoyment. Additionally, Roon provides artists bios, album reviews, and links to similar music and artists.
I enjoy Gospel, Blues, Pop, Rock, Hawaiian (Gabby Pahanui) Country (Gilian Welch) Lucinda Williams, Hank Williams, Ry Cooder), Jazz, Americana, Blue Grass, etc. But Classical and Opera remains the core, about 80% of my listening, and my collection continues to grow.
I
Do you prefer his 1960's cycle or 1980's ?
Columbia M2S695
DG 423 295-2
Bruno Walter
Otto Klemperer
Leonard Bernstein
Bernard Haitink
See the Mahler thread in my sig.
You don't have to have only a dozen or so reference LPs to get good music. A lot of Decca, EMI, DG etc. LPs sound quite good and all have world class performers. And yes, most of them cost 5 CHF or less. I know a couple shops that also have the "good stuff" as well as 10s of thousands of normal classical. I am sure there are plenty of gems in there as well.
I got some very nice Mozart quartets on Telefunken. Great sound.and performance (Alban Berg Quartet).
The low priced ones are available in many places at low prices. Guidance is required to find either the good ones in them, which others haven't spotted, or to find the expensive ones at low prices.
No one is referring to a dozen, but a few hundred at least.
I found that the "lists" have been a double edged sword. They created an interest in only the music and pressings on those lists. That sent the prices way up. Some sellers over generalized and thought it meant any classical LP must be worth a fortune. Some buyers were out for a trophy.
It also left the rest of the classical LPs unnoticed. There are many find performances and recordings of early music, Renaissance, Baroque, other composers from the Classical, Romantic and Modern periods. Often, these are just a couple dollars (or equivalent) each. If you are interested in Josquin Des Prez, Leos Janacek, Schubert lieder or opera, then there is a lot available. If you don't know if you are interested in this genre, then it is relatively inexpensive to find out.
I used to travel a lot for work. When I would land, I would head out to the local record stores before checking into the hotel. Sometimes I found great LPs at reasonable prices, other times it was a waste of time.
These days, I only buy specific reissues. No more room to store even more LPs.
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