Classical Guidance

I'd recommend the Naxos historical stuff very strongly.

What's the status of your classical collection now? Weber is an unusual place to start, IMO. Do you already have the B's covered? Dvorak? Tchaikovsky? Mahler? Stravinsky? Sibelius? Bartok? Gershwin? MOZART!?

If you can be clearer about what counsel you want, you'll get better counsel.

Personally, I like orchestral stuff; if you like chamber, solo instrument, or opera, others need to provide lists. I don't know if this will be useful to you, but I feel like listing my favorite stuff. I wouldn't want to be without any of the following:

Bethoven Symphonies 3-7 (I couild skip 1-2 and 8-9; skip the 4th at the peril of foregoing great musical pleasure!) - Naxos has Toscanini, who is matched, but not beaten performance-wise. (I love Furtwangler, too.) You may have to buy 1-2, 8-9, which is not a loss - it's just that I listen to 3-7 most.

Beet Piano Concerti 4 & 5 - I think Naxos has Schnabel, and you could do a lot worse. Hard to do better, performance-wise. 1-3 are really good, too, except when compared with 4 or 5 or Brahms.

Beet Violin Concerto, for sure.

Brahms - all symphonies, pno cti, vln cto.

Mozart - late symphonies and pno cti, Magic Flute, Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni (even if you hate opera!)

Bach - Brandenburgs

Bartok - Cto for Orchestra

Strauss - Death and Transfiguration, Also Sprach Zarathustra

Mendelssohn - violin cto

Tchaikovsky - violin cto, syms 4-6 (esp 4 & 5)

Mahler Sym 1 & 4

Gershwin - Pno Cto, Rhapsody in Blue

Puccini - Turandot

Dvorak, Syms 7-9

Sibelius - Vln Cto

and some Gilbert and Sullivan, of course....

This is just a start. Don't ask about the best performances unless you want to see fur fly.

Have fun.

Phil

If you know very little about classical music my suggestion would be that you go along to a bookshop and have a look at two books that might help you.

For someone who knows little, the Classic FM Guide to Classical Music is excellent (IMO). It starts with an intro to classical music itself; tells you a little about, probably, 100 or so composers and then, most importantly, guides you to a starting point for each and goes on to list the most relevant of their work. Thus rather than thinking you will try a bit of Bruckner, for example and taking pot luck on which bit, it tells you that his symphony No 4 is "the best to start with and regarded as the most accessible." A view I share and I suspect one that most would agree with. I bought this book as a gift for my wife years ago and I still keep dipping into it!

I would also recommend the Penguin Guide to Compact Discs - new 2002 edition is just off the press. I know it is slagged off by those in the know on rec.classical music recordings but I have used it for many years now and have only rarely been disappointed with its recommendations. So, having established what interests you from the Classic FM book you could refer to Penguin to see what it has to say about different recordings. They often rate Naxos highly as do I. But sometimes they do not.

And that brings me to something I regard as important with classical music. It is better not to have a piece at all than to have a poor recording of it. Hmm.....not very well expressed. What I am saying is that a poor recording of, say, a Beethoven Symphony - missing some of the emotion and power of his music etc could put you off that piece for ever. So sometimes Naxos is not the one to go for just for the sake of having the piece of music whatever the price!

You could also dip into the rec.cmr newsgroup but they seem to relish finding obscure recordings half the world can't buy!

Have a look at the two books I have suggested. For the cost of only a few cds they could help you go the way that would suit you best and, in the long run, more than repay their cost.

Hope this helps

Cheers

Max

Oh yes also there used to be a Penguin Guide to Bargain Compact Discs but I am not sure how often they bring out a revised edition.

I started listening to Classical about 14 years ago on radio. Take your time getting to know and tune your ear to it, your tastes will change. When something comes on that really just drops your jaw, write it down and find it. In LA we have Jim Svejeda who has written a book of composers and his witty and sometimes wild comments of performers is wonderful. Entertaining stuff and he has great taste. I like more aggressive stuff like Stravinsky and Bartok, but recently heard Andreas Scholl and Barbara Bonnie sing Pergolesi's Stabat Mater and bought it three days later. Check out John Adams' Chairman Dances on Elektra/Nonesuch for some entertaining contemporary work that is really engaging.

Take your time and open up your mind, it will entertain you for many years to come.

There is also the Grammophone Guide to Classical Cd's which has lots of info and recommended versions. You will probably find last years edition for £5 in the remainder bookshops.