COLLECTING CLASSICAL RECORDS - Where to begin? Part 1

Advice for someone wanting to begin their exploration of classical music, with some specific recommendations on repertoire and individual records in excellent sound.
Recommended Radio stations for streaming classical music:
KUSC-FM (Los Angeles)
www.kusc.org
Evening Show with Jim Svejda is weeknights 7pm - 12midnight PST
WFMT-FM (Chicago)
www.wfmt.com
BBC Radio 3 (London, UK)
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/liv...
You can listen live, or to shows that are archived/podcasts etc. (some have a time limit of 30 days).
The original, and still the best, record review show: BBC Radio 3 Record Review (available for 30 days after broadcast)
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06w...
RECOMMENDED KZbin CHANNEL:
poetryonplastic
/ @poetryonplastic
Michael has many excellent videos on classical records, but I will particularly recommend this guide to classical labels like Decca, EMI, RCA Living Stereo, Deutsche Grammophon etc.:
• A Guide to Collecting ...
ALSO HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for classical music fans and collectors:
David Hurwitz
/ @davesclassicalguide
Sites that sell audiophile vinyl reissues:
Acoustic Sounds
store.acousticsounds.com
Elusive Disc
elusivedisc.com
Music Direct
www.musicdirect.com

[@glennsolva1567]

I recently found one of your videos, by accident really when i was looking for something else. Started to follow yesterday. Watched 4 videos already. You do this in an absolutely fabulous way. Not too complicated. Been collecting of & on for 3 decades & recently found a BIG Vinyl collection older classical music, mostly originals, in a shop that doesn't deal with that kind of music, almost 300 records in near mint condition. Your channel here is going to help immensely. I will start to know in detail what i actually have. A BIG Thank You from Glenn in Sweden. Keep up the great work, Sir! 🎼🎶🎻🎻🎻🎻🎻

[@Pamela-rq8cy]

I'm so glad that I came across your channel! My interest in classical music has been growing and I've been wanting to learn more about the various recordings. Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge on the topic.

[@musiconrecord6724]

Thanks for watching!

[@ivansbacon]

Radio, I am lucky that my home town of Anchorage Ak has a great classical station. Local independently owned. Our symphony orchestra (ASO) is also a wonderful local gem. I love the Planets, it is on next years ASO program and i am stoked as i have never heard it live.

[@LyleFrancisDelp]

You've done very well in describing the brass sound of the VPO. They use a unique type of horn called a Vienna Horn, and also "sidewinder" trumpets...that is....rotary valved trumpets. The sound is unique to the orchestra and this American trombone player absolute loves it.

[@djjoeykmusic]

Great video Thank you so much. I just started buying classical records and didn’t know where to start. This video is very helpful. Thank you so much. Have a wonderful one. Thank you

[@TheAboriginal1]

Love your videos thanks for sharing.

[@jjquinn2004]

Thank-you for a very enjoyable, informative video. I've only just discovered your channel and have subscribed. I envy those like yourself who discovered classical music at an early age. While I started buying records in the mid to late 60s, I didn't get into classical music until 1985 when I moved to Dubai and a work colleague who was very knowledgeable on the subject, helped guide me. So, while I have been buying classical music CDs since then, as well as reading about it and attending various performances, I do wish that I had started earlier. Unfortunately, when I reflect on it, I have to say that I knew no one who listened to it at the time - not friends nor family. Therefore, I really hope that your series of KZbin videos will provide other people down the path of enjoying some of the most beautiful music ever created.

[@musiconrecord6724]

Thanks so much for your kind words of support. It is indeed hard to get into classical music if your are not introduced to it at school or by family and friends.

[@Derfunkmeister]

Very nice channel and I first came across you when you and another reviewed the new series from Deutsche Grammophon The Original Source and I have also started to collect and listen to Classical music and living in Berlin Germany I am in the eye of the hurricane. Keep up the good work and thank you.

[@joseluisherreralepron9987]

I've been a classical fan since the mid-80's. I had the mono Boult LP of "The Planets" you display...what memories. I have the second recording you show as well, but on CD. It's the only version I have--some 10 or so--where the organ glissando in "Uranus" is obvious. I really appreciate the way you begin this video; I was a high school teacher for 27 years and managed to give my love of classical music to a few students and your method is wonderful. Cheers, and thanks for what you are doing!

[@musiconrecord6724]

Thanks so much for the positive feedback - and for watching. Can't believe you have that old Boult record....

[@dat1phoenix173]

This was extremely helpful! I have been getting into classical music lately and before watching this video. I have only known about Brahms, Beethoven, and Mozart

[@musiconrecord6724]

There is so much more to discover! Thanks so much for watching and commenting.

[@Atheistic007]

Quality mono recordings sound amazing.

[@Dexter649]

I love The Nutcracker Antal Dorati from 1962

[@musiconrecord6724]

Yup. It's fantastic. Probably my desert island choice.

[@ignicioperez4647]

I just came across your channel and am truly amazed and impressed! A huge thanks for sharing these videos and your very extensive knowledge. I have been listening to classical music since I was 14 or 15 (I’m 62 now) and also collecting CDs and lately vinyls and I am learning so much with your videos. I especially liked the ones devoted to Deutsche Grammophon and Philips vinyls. Do you listen to music in streaming? I was hesitant at first but find that services like Qobuz and more recently Presto Classical really provide a great complement to physical support and are also a great way to discover or rediscover recordings. Best regards from Brussels, Ignacio

[@musiconrecord6724]

Thanks so much for watching the channel! Yes, I use Tidal for streaming and I find it a very useful adjunct to buying physical product. Presto is excellent, and the best place to buy new CDs.

[@ninamar-bt7rs]

Thanks for video. I really enjoyed planets record. Maybe I'll give a try other albums.

[@sirsamfay99]

Another nice video ,well presented that should get the enthusiast hooked. My only quibble is you didn't mention the great Karajan VPO Holst Planets on Decca SXL 2305 ,arguably the best of them all ,even by Imogen Holst herself.

[@musiconrecord6724]

Many thanks for the positive feedback. The only reason I didn't include the Karajan/VPO is because I wanted to concentrate on so-called "audiophile" editions or those more easily available at less extravagant prices. But yes, I should've mentioned this one - it is absolutely one of the best (I happen to like the DG remake too, despite rough edges in performance and sonics). But I suspect finding a clean original or early reissue might be a trifle expensive. Those Karajan Deccas are magical - I have all of them - and the good news for collectors is that the recent Karajan/VPO box is beautifully remastered for those content to stick with CDs.. Interestingly, the Karajan/VPO recording was the top choice for David Hurwitz (whose channel I highly recommend if you haven't discovered it already). He has deep knowledge of the classical catalogue and is thoroughly entertaining.

[@sirsamfay99]

@@musiconrecord6724 Hi ,looking through your video again I notice you have Tchaikovsky / Fistoulari ACL 40. The Ace of Clubs is a great series ,I have the entire run from ACL 1 - 324 ,some turn up a lot but others are as rare as hen's teeth such as ACL 216 French Overtures cond Albert Wolff I have only ever seen 1 copy in a charity shop so I bought it ,I have never seen it online. Glad you recommended the Beethoven 6 with Bohm. I agree it's probably the best version out there. Somewhere in my lock up I have an audio tape from the mid 1970s of Alan Blyth reviewing all currently available and past recordings of this symphony as part of a BBC Radio 3 series long finished called "Interpretations on Record", he recommended the Bohm too. My own personal favourite is Steinberg's later stereo with the Pittsburgh Symphony on MFP now reissued on cd in a DG box. The very 1st lp I bought was when I was 8. It's an Eclipse ECS 518 Beethoven Sym 5 / Mozart Sym 40 with Erich Kleiber. I don't have the original but I do have the mono ECM 518 which has not been reprocessed badly.

[@musiconrecord6724]

@@sirsamfay99 Don't know the Steinberg Pastoral - a very underrated conductor. Will investigate.....

[@DavidUKesb]

I have that on CD and it's OUTSTANDING.

[@byronchandler5000]

Wisconsin Public Radio has a really good selection of great quality recordings from Leonard Bernstein to Seiji Ozawa to Sarah Chang, it's the best radio station in America to help you sleep and relax with.

[@jessicamathis1224]

I have that one n others in emi and Decca.

[@LyleFrancisDelp]

I absolutely agree with you about the ripe, rich sound of the LPO. I’ve long considered it the finest orchestra for Vaughan Williams and Holst, and yes, Boult’s last recording is easily his finest. My other favorite is Steinberg’s with Boston on DGG.

[@musiconrecord6724]

That Steinberg is terrific!

[@LyleFrancisDelp]

@@musiconrecord6724 I always associate it with that amazing Kubelik Bartok disc...made about the same time and both with amazing sonics...resplendent in the lovely resonance of Symphony Hall. DGG/Polydor caught the perfect "sweet spot" in that room. Can also be heard on "Fiedler's Favorite Overtures"....one of the best collections of its type.

[@zogzog1063]

Steinberg's Planets is my favourite version.

[@LyleFrancisDelp]

I have that Nixa Planets LP. I'll admit, I bought it solely for the cover art. LOL.

[@jessicamathis1224]

. And about 500 classical composers, opera, plays. I found a letter in one of them from Carnegie Hall. They had to do song selections for an event anyways the letter has something to the effect of they chose Johann Sebastian book and a certain concert that they wanted to play at their event and why they chose that it was inside the actual album that they chose to play at Carnegie Hall signed by the Carnegie Hall board members there's records from Germany, London, and European The records are in vgm(very good ment some don't look to have ever touched a niddle) most album cover are in good ment....anyways I got them from a family friend use to conduct music he was a conductor so he study conductors. I need to get rid of them. There some really good ones in the mix if u have the right buyer big bucks. ....if you might be interested I can take pictures of them to give u idea what all they are. 1940s and up . 95% of the ones I seen t originals first print.I was going to go threw them all but no time left. Randy is kicking me out so I have 2 days to get rid of my stuff .

[@axelviarhilmarsson6317]

Thanks for this - need some platform to go into the enless forest of classical music. I own only few CDs and LPs (less than 100 of each type). I know what I like, but don't have a clue, when I hear a piece, what the name of the piece is and I very quickly forget the name if I hear it, all sounding the same (symphony, g-mol, c-mol etc.). I listen to all music types (except heavy metal and hiphop), but don't like everything within each category. Funny that just the other day my local library was "throwing out" classical LPs - and I took some of those I thought was possibly "something" - not able to listen to anything at the library, so I just had to guess. One of those LPs was this Beethoven's 9th - exactly the set that you showed. Opening the box, it is obvious that it has never been played (or possibly opened). All documentation is in mint condition, everyting in the box even blank sheets between the printed materials for protection is still there. And it was not much of a risk buying those records, paying only 200 ISK for each box set (which is less than 1,5 USD). I took all sets that I saw, paying the same amount for each. Regarding the streaming then I have not yet started that part. I'm of the old school that likes to hold the media and the experience I have had with Spotify has not been that "good". One has often difficulty finding the same "issue" as of the LP as I remember it. Everything has been reissued and sometimes (often) one is not able to find the original - and the sound is not the same. Now, after listening to your input on the streaming, then I have decited to go that route. Most likely I will purchase a streamer (possibly the EverSolo DMP-A6, which fits my pocket). Then is the question of the service provider you mentioned Tidle - and then there is something called Roon to store all files. Most likely this is all very simple, but to me it is "confusing" in a way - most likely the age :) . Thanks again from Iceland, Axel I'm

[@musiconrecord6724]

Sorry it's taken so long to respond. Sounds like you got a great selection of records! I recommend Tidal and now also Presto for streaming. Hope it's all going well!

[@ianstewart2563]

Great video. For a while I fell for the view vinyl sounds better than cd, and have a collection of about 600 classical lps and 1000+ classical CDs. My rega planar 10 produced consistently better sound than the recording on cd through my Accuphase dp450. Then I did further research into why cd often sounds ordinary. I discovered that if the cd is well mastered, it will sound as good as, and sometimes better than lp. The reason: the dp450 like 99% of cd players use delta sigma dacs. I looked these up. It turns out that the unfiltered output of these is mostly noise and it takes huge amounts of filtering to get something vaguely resembling the sound wave. My conclusion is that the filtering removes a huge amount of the good sound as well as the noise. By contrast r2r dacs produce output very close to the analog sound wave. Do your research and check. I decided to trade in the Accuphase for an Aqua La Diva transport and La Scala r2r dac (which uses two valves in the output stage). The result was astonishing. I have about 50 recordings on lp that I also have on cd. I compared these, and in every single case, cd was equal or better than lp. Better with Adrian Boult Holst The Planets where the large dynamic range causes lp to distort (60db lp but 96db cd). Many other cases. I also bought about fifteen esoteric sacds. I compared their cd layer with sacd layer (oppo205 to Geerfab dbob to La Scala dac. There was zero audible difference between cd and sacd (the Geerfab gets around copyright restrictions on non hdmi output of universal disc players. Doing research into the formats reveals why: cd frequency response is 22.05khz which is well beyond human hearing ability. 16bit gives 96db dynamic range; 24 bit gives around 144db dynamic range. But: 1) if you can find any music with that range you will quickly go deaf. Most orchestra recordings are 80db or less dynamic range. Second the masking effect of background noise means human dynamic range is practically about 85db. In other words, yes sacd is theoretically superior, but as cd already exceeds human hearing capacity, you can’t hear any increase of resolution. In conclusion get a good cd transport and a separate r2r dac. You will be amazed how good cd sounds. Plus it’s a lot more convenient than lp. Both formats are great, but before concluding lp is better than cd, you must have a high quality transport and r2r dac.

[@musiconrecord6724]

Thank for this detailed and illuminating comment. I am not as technically well-versed as yourself, but I wholeheartedly agree with you that CD done right can sound excellent. Yes, much depends on your player. I have used Cary Audio players for years and they are superb. As we are discovering with the DG releases on remixed SACD and upcoming vinyl (The Original Source), what's on the DG master tapes is far superior to previous vinyl and CD issues. This is re-writing the book as far as the sound of DG is concerned

[@youtuber5305]

Concerning "The Planets", if you haven't heard Sargent's stereo recording with the BBC from the 1950's, it may be of interest.

[@musiconrecord6724]

Yes!

[@sionorgon885]

Would you be able to do a video on avant- garde classical Lp’s…. Please

[@musiconrecord6724]

At some point. I will be writing about a new reissue box set DG is putting out. It'll be on Tracking Angle

[@tomgosselin106]

Thanks for the great videos.They are very helpful to me. I've been collecting records for many years but I am fairly new to collecting classical records. I have discovered a label called Esoteric selling classical titles for $100 each. Are you familiar with this label? If so, are they worth the price? Thanks again.

[@musiconrecord6724]

Are they vinyl or SACDs? I wasn't aware that Esoteric did vinyl. The SACDs are excellent, but expensive, even when in print.

[@tomgosselin106]

They have 2 vinyl records out now and 2 available for pre order. Check Acoustic Sounds.

[@jessicamathis1224]

Please help. Ok never been on here before but I've come across a classical collection about 5 to 700 records I have from the 40s all the way up there is Bach, Mozart, tons of tchaikovsky. I have a letter from Carnegie Hall inside of one of the bach albums, stating an event they're having and why they chose to have box album playing all signed by the Carnegie Hall board members I have original Opera programs from where they got the record at the Opera or maybe they got it separate and then they bought the album and put it in the album I have some from Germany London Europe I have inherited these and I can't find a buyer I have about 700 of them someone please help me get these out of my living room what do I do? They are all in very good ment condition. Most album covers are great condition

[@hopefaith4670]

I find your videos highly informational, Ty for sharing your knowledge. I am looking to sell a very large collection of classical music, 98% of the vinyls r in nm condition. I am wondering if u know of anyone looking for classical music to buy in bulk, I have around 3000 albums.