[Rob Babcock]

Kind of late to the party here, but I wanted to chime in that I owe Phillip Glass an apology!   I always hated his music...too cerebral, not engaging, kind of repetitious, etc.  Just didn't 'get' it.  Well, I guess I just had to grow into his music, because now I do get it!   Maybe I need to give Schoenberg another listen, too.

[Austin08]

Rachmaninoff's 2nd Symphony is amazing.  You'll hear influences that film composers later drew from.  Very melodic and emotional.

I like this one too. Now and then, I listen to it very often.

[Ericus Rex]

And don't forget Rachmaninov's 1st and 3rd symphonies.  Not performed all that often but still better than Tchaikovsky!

[Ericus Rex]

I got my weekly emailer from Presto Classical in England.  They're advertising the Westminster Legacy boxes.  I've got a number of these discs on vinyl but this is the first complete CD reissue I'm aware of.   Lots of standards here but also lots of works that have dropped off the radar in the past few decades.  Quite pricey though....


The first box is 59 discs and spans their chamber music recordings.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/newreleases.php?composer=&work=&performer=&medium=all&label=westminster&cat=&age=1


The second box is 65 CDs and covers their orchestral recordings.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Westminster/DG40030?utm_source=News-2013-10-28&utm_medium=email

[Ericus Rex]

Another great box just released:  Sir Colin Davis' complete RCA recordings.  51 CDs.  A lot of good stuff not found in other box editions, and a lot of war horses not included (I.E. no Beethoven symphonies).  So this may be the perfect compliment to some other boxes out there currently.  It is chock full of Sibelius, and Davis was well regarded for his Sibelius interpretations.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/RCA/88843006072?utm_source=News-2014-02-24&utm_medium=email

[Elizabeth]

I have loved Classical music my whole adult life, And at 64 STILL find it hard to locate and buy Classical music.
(My last forced move i discarded nearly 5,000 Classical LPs.. All bought for pennies..No selling..just dumped to secondhand places like Goodwill.. Worthless.)
Jazz and Rock are easy to find reliable ratings for stuff making it easy to buy those forms of music. Classical I never trust any ratings or suggestions. When I would buy something given a big gushing review and find it sucked.. Well eventually i stopped trusting any Classical reviews.
The other down side of Classical is the abysmal resale value of 99% of it...
Sorry to add this bummer commentary.
I wish it were not true.
Maybe I am just jaded due to nearly 50 years of listening to Classical music?

[TF1216]

Are any of you guys familiar with Ingrid Fliter?  I have a download of hers gifted from Linn Recording's "25 Days of Christmas".  Every time the track plays over my headphones I am left wondering who this woman is.  Come to find out she is playing in MN this week.  Her Chopin performance I have downloaded is remarkable and I am listening to her play Beethoven via YouTube right now.  Is she as wondrous I think?  Can anyone suggest artists that play with the attack and sense of fragility as her? 

[Austin08]

And don't forget Rachmaninov's 1st and 3rd symphonies.  Not performed all that often but still better than Tchaikovsky!

I like these two composers. Tchaikovsky seems more angrier... LoL

[Ericus Rex]

Another new release of some standard orchestral repertoire.  Very attractively priced to boot!

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Sony/88843014642?utm_source=News-2014-04-21&utm_medium=email

[yosh]

If you like classical guitars, Julian Bream! 42CDs=$116.

http://www.amazon.com/Julian-Bream--Complete-Album-Collection/dp/B00BCCEBRI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398395965&sr=8-1&keywords=julian+bream

[Ericus Rex]

New box set!  Kubelik conducting complete symphonies by Beethoven, Dvorak, Mahler and Schumann plus a few overtures.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/DG/4792689?utm_source=News-2014-05-12&utm_medium=email

[loriglenn123]

I recommend you start off buying compilation or sampler CD's.  You can get an idea of what you like.  You may discover you don't care much for a composer but get turned on to a composer you never thought about. 

I would also spring for a good book on recommended classical music recordings. 

This was how I did it anyway. 

Good Luck

[Ericus Rex]

A follow-up release to Sony's Bernstein - Symphony Edition is this brand new release of Bernstein - Concertos and Orchestral Pieces.  Lots of good stuff here.  You'd have most of the standard orchestral repertoire if you got both boxes.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Sony/88843013302?utm_source=News-2014-11-03&utm_medium=email