Classical Music Guides & Reviews

[MRC01]

I listen to all kinds of classical and more generally acoustic music: from medieval, renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic. My interest fades around 1900 when this music stopped sounding like music to me (with a few exceptions like Rachmaninoff and to a lesser extent others like Shostakovich). I prefer small ensemble works. I've got a mix of some of the best historical performances from musicians like Heifetz, DuPre, Ashkenazy, and some modern versions like Florestan, Emerson, Belcea. For example I enjoy listening to first Berman (1963), then Gerstein (2015), play the Liszt etudes. Or whatever. I also listen to ancient and traditional music, anything from Hildegard of Bingen to Joel Fredericksen to Brian Kay or even the Chieftans. Also a variety of jazz, from old classics like Coltrane, Brubeck, etc. to modern like Diana Krall, Yuko Mabuchi and Fonnesbaek.

Anyway, I'm looking for guides & reviews to expand my collection. I don't think I'll ever like modern classical music, and I'm not even going to try. So it's more about discovering either (A) new composers or musicians in the genres I like, or (B) new modern performances of these pieces that have something new to say.

I've read Grammophon, Fanfare, BBC. They're OK but not really what I'm looking for. Either too narrowly focused, too snooty, or for whatever reason occasionally useful but overall just not my cup of tea. I also follow Stereophile's "Records to Die For" which has occasional gems. Any other recommendations? What publications do you subscribe to, or otherwise how do you discover new music and performances worth having?

BTW the title says "Classical" but this is open to pretty much any kind of acoustic or mostly acoustic music.

 

[Daverz]

A few links:

http://good-music-guide.com/

This has the classical music forum I hang out at

https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php

The old classical.net site has a useful repertoire listing by musical periods:

http://www.classical.net/music/rep/index.php

You can find daily reviews at:

http://www.musicweb-international.com/

I know people rag on Dave Hurwitz - I'm one of those people - but I think you'll find a lot of excellent recommendations in the "Insider's Archive" at ClassicToday. I think this is currently the best way to get a list of "essential" recordings. I actually think it would be worth a one year subscription just for that.

https://www.classicstoday.com/classics-today-insider-sign-up/

 

[amadeuswus]

Hi MRC01,

Many years ago, I used to enjoy the record reviews in the old High Fidelity magazine. I wish I knew about something comparable today.

But album reviews can be as unreliable as equipment reviews, maybe for some of the same reasons--rampant subjectivity, vanity, faith in brand names, whatever. In his memoir "Putting the Record Straight," the DECCA record producer John Culshaw recalled a recording session in which Herbert von Karajan and the Vienna Philharmonic basically sight-read bits and pieces of Adam's ballet Giselle with the tape rolling. DECCA released the album. To Culshaw's amusement, what should happen but some young reviewer, charged with surveying the available recordings of Giselle, gushes on about Karajan's definitive (if regrettably incomplete) version. I can't find the Culshaw excerpt after a brief search, but here's a summary from an Amazon review of Culshaw's book that gives the story a nicer spin than Culshaw might have intended:

".... Great anecdote about the recording of Adam's Giselle, a recording that to this day is considered, despite being incomplete, the reference recording of that work - peeking behind the scenes shows how much, not so much as a gap as a genuine abyss there can be between the musical results and the recording process, Karajan and the orchestra having apparently sight-read orchestral material that was sent by the French publisher incomplete and in a complete state of disarray, with pages not numbered and not following any kind of sequence."

Do you subscribe to a streaming service? That would make it easier to sample recordings and check your own preferences against the reviews.

Edward

 

[MRC01]

...
Do you subscribe to a streaming service? That would make it easier to sample recordings and check your own preferences against the reviews.

Good idea. The standard streaming sources like Spotify are terrible for classical music. Most classical radio stations just play the same old popular pieces, so nothing new there. I've heard of a few for classical: Naxos, Primephonic, Idagio. Who has used classical music streaming and can recommend (or dis-recommend) any?
Naxos has a big library but their sound quality, with a few rare exceptions, is typically 2nd rate or worse.

 

[rodtor]

MRC01, I recently started subscribing to the Idagio streaming service, which focuses on classical music only, offering CD quality at $10 per month. Its catalogue is not larger that Spotify's for classical, maybe a bit smaller, but it offers a search algorithm that is taylor made for classical music listeners. You go to a composer's name, then a specific work and get a listing, in reverse chronological order of all recordings in their catalogue of that work. Although they do make their own recommendations, I have found it rewarding to just browse in this way. Of course, one doesn't know how long they will be around as they are targeting a small market.

 

[Robin L]

Good idea. The standard streaming sources like Spotify are terrible for classical music. Most classical radio stations just play the same old popular pieces, so nothing new there. I've heard of a few for classical: Naxos, Primephonic, Idagio. Who has used classical music streaming and can recommend (or dis-recommend) any?
Naxos has a big library but their sound quality, with a few rare exceptions, is typically 2nd rate or worse.

Amazon's music has the catalogue of Astree, fabulous recorded sound and performances of "Early Music", particularly music of the French Baroque. Once I get my streaming thing together, I'm subscribing [again]. And now there's a "High Def" [read: mostly Redbook with a smattering of higher rez] option. They don't have everything but they sure have a lot.

I've read Grammophon, Fanfare, BBC. They're OK but not really what I'm looking for.

You want a good review at Fanfare? Give 'em a promo and take out an ad.

If you want something British [or Herbert von Karajan], Grammophon & BBC mag are just the ticket.

It's been a while since I seriously pursued new recordings of old music. I don't even know if the Penguin Guide is still published. And this used to be a major part of my life.

 

[amadeuswus]

On recommended classical streaming services (or not): I started using Tidal about two or three years ago, when it was more or less alone in offering 16/44.1-quality streaming. Not to invite anyone onboard the Titanic at this late stage... but Tidal has a much larger classical selection than I would ever have time to hear. The search function can be frustrating and I sometimes have to search in several ways. But I often can find a recording (or multiple recordings) of the work in question. I have not tried the newer services though.

 

[rodtor]

[QUOTE I don't even know if the Penguin Guide is still published. And this used to be a major part of my life.[/QUOTE]

Unfortunately, The Penguin Guide died around 2010, but compilations of their 'rosette ' recommendations are available if one Googles for them. Also available from the Presto music service in the UK, as are recs from Grammophone, BBC, the Grammys, and so forth. Of course, Penguin is now therefore most valuable for older recordings, but I found all of these valuable in building up a library of playlist on Spotify. A weakness of Idagio is that I don't think that it is practical to catalogue in this way on their site.

 

[Ceburaska]

Already mentioned the BBC magazine, musicweb-international.com and Grammophone. I have almost complete back issues of the latter from 1958 to 1971. Incredibly interesting as much for the Hi-Fi ads and reviews as the music.
I also find the opinionated recommendations at https://cheaptubeaudio.blogspot.com/ useful, although it’s mainly a completely subjective Hi-Fi review site.

 

[The Equalizer]

I still occasionally refer to old editions of the Penguin guide, but that doesn't help for newer recordings. I also listen to the BBC Record Review podcast and follow some threads on the Usenet newsgroup rec.music.classical.recordings.

 

[Mtbf]

Who has used classical music streaming and can recommend (or dis-recommend) any?

I use Qobuz for classical music. It is said to be more focused on classical music than competing streaming services. Most of their classical music can be listened in hi-res (if paid for). I follow their regular classical playlists (e.g. “Classical selection” and monthly “Grammophone Editor’s choice”) and am satisfied with it.

 

[VMAT4]

Good idea. The standard streaming sources like Spotify are terrible for classical music. Most classical radio stations just play the same old popular pieces, so nothing new there. I've heard of a few for classical: Naxos, Primephonic, Idagio. Who has used classical music streaming and can recommend (or dis-recommend) any?
Naxos has a big library but their sound quality, with a few rare exceptions, is typically 2nd rate or worse.

I use Primephonic. But, I believe both Primephonic and Idagio offer a one month free no obligation trial membership. So try risk free!

 

[Tom C]

I’ve only been seriously listening to classical for a year or so, but what really helped me was getting the Mercury Living Presence box sets 1, 2 and 3. Each has about fifty cd’s in it. Sets one and two are out of print and therefore sell for a premium. I think there are still some copies of set three that can be had at the original retail price of about $130.00US, in which case you pay less than $3 for each disc. Not every one’s a gem, but many are, and you get a really broad overview of different composers and conductors. Now I feel it’s rare that I come across a composer who’s work is completely unfamiliar to me. There’s no Heifetz (who’s just about my favorite musician of all time now), but there is some of Starker’s best work. The main drawback for some people is that they may find 50’s and 60’s sound quality is lower versus a contemporary recording, but I feel the quality is excellent.
RCA Living presence box set 1 is outstanding, but hard to find. It DOES contain some Heifetz, and some outstanding Fritz Reiner with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. If you’re interested, Acoustic Sounds may have a set left for sale at the original retail price.
I hope it’s OK to mention a retailer’s name. I have no affiliation with them, other than being a satisfied customer. I’m just trying to maybe help someone out. Please lat me know if this is a breach of etiquette, and I’ll be happy to remove it.

 

[rodrigaj]

Regarding streaming: I have been a subscriber to Tidal, Idagio and Spotify Premium.

I subscribed to Idagio for about 8 months. Loved the search function but I could not get the Airplay to work properly.
I am now with Spotify Premium and love the DLNA Spotify Connect app but hate their search function.
I was a Tidal subscriber for 5 years, before and after the JayZ buyout. I could not recommend their service for many reasons but the primary one is the listing of tracks (1. Adagio, 2. Allegro, etc.). They make no effort at attracting and keeping their classical audience.

I do not buy CD's anymore unless I absolutely have to. For example the Hyperion label does not stream anywhere.

For new album discovery or new music discovery, playlists that are curated by a humans, Idagio is the best there is. Unfortunately, Airplay was the only way to get the music to my main system and I would have one or two brief interruptions per listening session. Another problem with them is the lack of gapless playback. Also, if you are an Italian opera fan, Idagio will dissapoint.

As someone else mentioned, all of the streaming services offer fully functional free trials. I would just jump in and try one at a time.

Regarding reviews: They are unnecessary in the age of streaming. They were only viable because collecting without opinion was a costly and not a very smart alternative. With streaming you decide for yourself, without any expenditures (other than the monthly fee). Then if you want to buy, you are confident that you will not have wasted you $'s.

BTW, to my ears, in my very expensive stereo system, 320bps streaming is indistinguishable from CD playback and all of the hires hoopla, MQA BS, etc. doesn't add to the musical enjoyment. IOW, Spotify Premium is fine for me.

 

[rodtor]

BTW, to my ears, in my very expensive stereo system, 320bps streaming is indistinguishable from CD playback and all of the hires hoopla, MQA BS, etc. doesn't add to the musical enjoyment. IOW, Spotify Premium is fine for me.

I have to concur that, at least for me, distinguishing between Spotify, at 320 kbps, and lossless, would be very challenging.

 

[Hugo9000]

Spotify Premium has the benefit of being cheap and it has gapless playback, which is essential to classical music as far as I'm concerned. I don't want to hear glitches or moments of silence between tracks in an opera or in other works that were recorded to transition seamlessly between movements/tracks as they would on the CD. I can't believe people don't raise hell at all these services that still cannot manage gapless playback in 2019. wtf?! The only issue I had with Spotify was their search wasn't very good with a lot of music. Tons of music, though, if you know how to find it.

Qobuz was wonderful at CD quality or above (below that, they didn't have gapless playback during the time I used their service, but I doubt that's changed). I just hated their search and sorting. I was able to make my own playlists that got around the problems, but I have a very extensive knowledge of classical music and recordings, so I already know twenty ways to search for a given recording. In Qobuz, that was necessary, as sometimes a work would be tagged with a minor artist and not the lead soloist or conductor lmao. I can't imagine finding things for a newcomer to classical.

Idagio would be great, but they don't do gapless at all. That's especially ridiculous IMO since they are exclusively classical, and have a system that is otherwise tailored for classical use. Why didn't they have the sense to copy Spotify Premium and use Ogg Vorbis 320, which allows gapless playback while still being lossy/easy to stream for limited bandwidth users. Sigh. Idagio must be staffed by opera haters, who only listen to strict "Classical Era" orchestral pieces with separate movements that have clear breaks in between. You can't even properly play a Romantic Era "Warhorse" like Rachmaninov's 3rd piano concerto without needing gapless playback between the 2nd and 3rd movements.

People complain about hearing a click or other sound when their DAC is confronted with files of differing formats/bitrates. Imagine a click between every bit of recitativo or aria in an opera lmao. 20 to 40 clicks per hour within a single recording, interrupting the music.

Anywho, thanks to all of those headaches with streaming, I just went back to listening to my CDs. I realize that's not an answer for most people who haven't had 30+ years to acquire 3000+ CDs of the greatest classical recordings. As broken as searching is on most of the services for classical listeners, I mostly suggest Spotify Premium for the low price and large catalogue, with gapless playback using their desktop app. 320 lossy is great as long as it's gapless. If you really love a recording you find, and you can reliably tell CD or above from 320 lossy (or even if you just think you can but hate worrying about it haha), then you can always purchase a lossless download or the CD or SACD for those particular favorite works.

 

[Daverz]

Qobuz was wonderful at CD quality or above (below that, they didn't have gapless playback during the time I used their service, but I doubt that's changed).

I've never had problems with gaps in Qobuz. I've had it since the introduction in the US. I use the LMS Qobuz plugin to stream it.

EDIT: I thought I should test to make sure. I used a recording that I knew provided lots of track access points within the music, not just between movements: the first Gilbert Kaplan recoring of the Mahler 2nd.

https://open.qobuz.com/album/eql2nfivqdbcc

I don't hear gaps.

 

[Hugo9000]

I've never had problems with gaps in Qobuz. I've had it since the introduction in the US. I use the LMS Qobuz plugin to stream it.

EDIT: I thought I should test to make sure. I used a recording that I knew provided lots of track access points within the music, not just between movements: the first Gilbert Kaplan recoring of the Mahler 2nd.

https://open.qobuz.com/album/eql2nfivqdbcc

I don't hear gaps.

I said in my post that at CD rate and above there are no gaps with Qobuz. With their lossy rates, there were gaps when I had the service.

 

[orangejello]

Penguin used to publish a guide to classical music recording that ran to about 1700 pages. Other than making me aware of what is available, I never took their recommendations very seriously. I seem to have more eclectic taste. But I had the great fortune of being a highly aware collector during the late 80’s when people were unloading their LP collections. And I lived in Boston at the time. I would go into used record stores and find thousands of used classical records for sale for as little as 50 cents. And these were not the usual nasty sounding Columbia recordings/pressings. They included some of the most sophisticated European boutique labels - not to mention the Mercury and RCA recordings. I bought a lot of Russian recordings on Melodiya - originals from Russia often. I would walk in with $50 and walk out an hour later with 30-50 carefully chosen records, most of which were in wonderful condition. I remember finding a trove of Japanese pressings one day. I also found first pressings of the complete Westminster 1950’s catalogue of post war chamber music recordings in mint condition. Bought those for $4 each. Sold 30 of these for $4000 after listening to the beautiful performances. I found many many contemporary recordings on CRI and other such label - everything from solo and chamber works to full scale Penderecki. Scads of Baroque on Das Alta Werk and Telefunken with Brueggen and Leonhardt most prized. Fell in love with Suzanne Lautenbacher on Turnabout - a much underrated label - whose pressings were quite good if you know what to look for. Even found European pressings on Turnabout. To many box sets so that I have more interpretations of Beethoven’s quartets and sonatas than I care to count. Etc...

Anyway, I accumulated thousands of records that way. Eventually I quit for lack of storage space and time. I am still going through this library that I acquired. Needless to say, I still haven’t listened to them all yet. Streaming services don’t come close to giving me access to the contents of this library. They contain more content - but that is before filtering to my taste. When it comes to classical music many superlative recordings will never be available via streaming. They hackneyed and the antiseptically modern seem to predominate. I am very glad that I can just search the garage rather than the internet.

 

[DDF]

I find the number of available classical recordings overwhelming. The trick is to find a guide whose taste aligns closely with yours, like wine reviews. Using both Tidal and Spotify, their classical recommendations just don't do it for me. The AI needs more I and less A.

Now tossing that wisdom to the wind, the topic of Youtube music channels probably deserves its own thread. I found these channels reliably entertaining and pointing to some pieces new to me that became favourites. Youtube's AI is also much better, linking to some great recommendations
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiyuYC0D4-AO0AonCfMifPQ
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2UIXt4VQnhQ-VZM4P1bUMQ
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbMISEiX4KfykNV9bn26x0w
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9B6J4qn5M_TLMh7zX0ISBA

Classical Net published the attached pdf ~ 10yrs back, and in web at http://www.classical.net/music/rep/lists/class.php

As a Beethoven fan, this was useful
https://www.gramophone.co.uk/feature/the-50-greatest-beethoven-recordings

Before anyone keels over, this was helpful but only in finding a few overlooked symphonies:
https://www.ranker.com/list/best-sy...ef=collections_btm&l=920072&collectionId=1433