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Classical music for newbie

Like myself, I'm sure some of you here have been wanting to get into classical music but don't know where to start. Over a year ago, my friend and fellow A'goner Jaytea compiled a list of classical LP's for me, some of these have become my very favorite recordings. I must admit that I don't know much about classical music other than I love hearing the power and dynamic of an orchestra in my living room, these are some of the most dynamic recordings I've heard. The following titles is where you want to start.

• The Firebird - Antal Dorati - London Symphony Orchestra - Mercury Living Presence
• Lieutenant Kijie - Fritz Reiner - Chicago Symphony - RCA Living Stereo
• Scheherazade - Rimsky Korsakoff - Fritz Reiner - Chicago Symphony - RCA Living Stereo
• Moussorgsky - Pictures At An Exhibition - Fritz Reiner - Chicago Symphony - RCA Living Stereo
• Khachaturian - Masquerade Suite - Kiril Kondrashin - RCA Living Stereo

Many of these are sold out for good reasons, but they are worth finding. Look here on A'gon or ebay, you'll thank me.
scar972
daverz
477 posts
 
There's so much good stuff out there for a buck or two per Lp. I usually just recommend collecting London Stereo Treasury orange label Lps (not the US domestic yellow labels).
bpoletti
1,004 posts
 
There are some good Reader's Digest collections. Shoot for stereo. Some of my favorite collections include "Festival of Light Classics," "Music of the World's Great Composers," and "Treasury of Great Music." Most of the recordings used very good conductors and pick-up musicians from the London Symphony Orchestra. All of the recordings were made by RCA and sound like it. Some of the pieces have rather uninspired performances, but almost all of the recordings are good.

The Reader's Digest box collection of Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos is rare, but well worth it even of you can only get it in a mono recording set. Some of the best ever performances of Rachi's work.
bondmanp
1,465 posts
 
As an additional note to Bpoletti's post, I have found that when buying used vinyl, sets offer a combo of both great value and good condition. YMMV, of course, but in my experience, most of the sets I've bought are in better shape than the single LPs. Perhaps their owners cared more about preserving their purchase, or they just were too bothersome to pull out of the box, but they are rarely beaten up.

Don't forget to look for local record shows, shops and yard & estate sales where you can visually inspect the records before you buy.
scar972 OP
96 posts
 
Yes, I've found quite a few good classical for a buck or two. But if you want demo quality to show off a system, then the ones I mentioned above should be top of the list. I usually buy the new remastered version from places such as acoustic sounds, music direct, etc.
Expect to pay good money for these titles as there're all sold out and difficult to find, Lieutenant Kijie is still available I believe. An alternative to Moussorgsky Pictures At An Exhibition Fritz Reiner is Power of the Orchestra on 45rpm which I'm sure is still available for 50 bucks.
ltodd
14 posts
 
You want a strategy? Start with Beethoven. You'll hear the evolution of late classical to early romantic through his 9 symphonies, and then you can go to Brahms, Dvorak, Bruckner, Mahler, and on through the 20th Century. You can always go back to Bach. :) And if you don't like something, listen to it again.
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