i have run into a problem that troubles me. i'm taking a classical music class, and i'm beginning to really enjoy classical music. i haven't bought any classical CDs, but i have an ever-growing collection of downloaded pieces.

why do i have 5 different versions of wagner's "ride of the valkyries"? is there no definitive recording, and if so, how can i find out which recording that is?

if i were to start a collection of classical CDs, is there a preferable series, or a preferable orchestra?

what will i usually find on a CD? one symphony? a collection of sonatas? one opus?

what i want to know, basically, is how do i start a classical music collection? i'm just a bit frustrated on the lack of information i can find on how to start collecting the essentials.

Straight off I would recommend you get a hold of "The NPR Guide To Building A Classical CD Collection." It's a good book, less than $5 used on Amazon, and would answer many if not all of your questions. Also, read through some of the other threads here in the classical forum, they address some of your questions too. But in short..

For a given piece of music, there are going to be several recordings available that are very good and worth listening to. As far as what's "definitive," that's highly debatable. There are a few classical music CD guides, that go further in-depth than the NPR book, and round up what they consider the very best recordings. They are: The Penguin Guide to Classical Music, and the Gramophone Classical CD Guide.

As far as what a CD contains, it all comes down to the length of the pieces and their compatability with one another. Depending on length, you might find two related symphonies on one disc. If it's a really long symphony (like one of Mahler's) it may take two discs to cover that single piece, with nothing else on it. Or there might be a piano quintet and a cello sonata on a disc together. It's pretty limitless.

One good series to check out is the Penguin series. The series contains recommended selections from the Penguin Guide I mentioned above, and they're value priced, about $12 each. It's not the end all be all, but it's a fine starting point.

There are a few orchestras, too, that are very venerable and reliable and have few if any sub-par recordings. the Berlin Philharmonic (usually conducted by Herbert von Karajan), and the Chicago Symphony (older recordings are better, conducted by Reiner or Solti) are just a few.

Like I said, check out the other threads here, we discuss some of these things more in-depth.

Those are tough questions Fitz, hopefully I can do well enough to help you in your quest for classical music:

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Originally posted by Fitz: why do i have 5 different versions of wagner's "ride of the valkyries"? is there no definitive recording, and if so, how can i find out which recording that is?

I am not sure whether you are getting five different versions or just five different sections of the piece. “Ride of the Valkyries” is from the opera, Die Walküre (The Valkyrie), WWV 86b. The piece appears in Act Three of the opera. Usually there are two different versions found, one is the one that is played when the opera is theatrically performed. In this version more voices are obviously apparent. And then there is the version that is played when it is performed in a normal concert setting. Either way, the CD should let you know which version it is. Make sure that if you are looking for it at a record store you remember that “WWV 86b.” That is the catalog number that will narrow it down to exactly what you want. Otherwise if you are just searching for “Ride of the Valkyries” then you might come across that great song by some dude named Andrew Bird, entitled “Sovay.”

quote:

Originally posted by Fitz:if i were to start a collection of classical CDs, is there a preferable series, or a preferable orchestra?

For this one I am not entirely sure. I know there are some sets available that would include some “essentials” however, they wouldn’t give you the full experience. They might just include a movement or two from memorable symphonies, a few movements from piano sonatas, etc. If you really want to build a great collection then you should sample many composers that interest you and then invest some quality time into them. There is a discussion where we argued and also came up with some great composers to start with that are simply essential—which is what you are looking for. As for a specifics ensemble to get into, there are plenty but most that have an actual CD out are worthy.

quote:

Originally posted by Fitz:
what will i usually find on a CD? one symphony? a collection of sonatas? one opus?

This truly depends on what CDs you find Fitz. Some of them will not have the memory to hold a lot of symphonies (they normally range anywhere between 20-100 minutes or more.) You might find some CDs that will include multiple forms of music. For example, a “greatest hits” set of Mozart’s might include a section from the first movement to one of his symphonies, excerpts from some of his operas, a couple of movements from some of his piano sonatas and so on. Again, this would rob you of truly knowing Mozart’s music but are nice ways to start on a composer. In other words, if you like the “greatest hits” selections—which tend to be relatively cheap—then this will be a strong hint to search and examine his music more thoroughly.

quote:

Originally posted by Fitz:what i want to know, basically, is how do i start a classical music collection? i'm just a bit frustrated on the lack of information i can find on how to start collecting the essentials.

This could be done many ways. Start by finding a few composers that you like or even specific eras in music that you like. For example the Wagner one: say you like him and his composition style, then you might check out other works of his and other works by some of his Romantic contemporaries like Schubert, some Beethoven, Schumann, and others that wrote music around the same time but weren’t necessarily romantics like Brahms. You could then check the best composer of all time—in my eyes—Bach and explore the Baroque era, finding music by the aforementioned Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi, to name a few. There are lots of different things you could do.

Definitely check out that link, it is a great spot to see what the classical “nerds’ on this forum suggest as their classical essentials. Also, you could PM a moderator here named LinnTate and a user named Commontone I know they know a lot about classical music and I am sure they would be willing to help.

Best of luck and welcome to the wonderful world of classical music!

Good questions, Fitz, and definitely an issue that faces a lot of classical music listeners.

First, I'll enthusiastically second Commontone's suggestion to buy a copy of The NPR Guide to Building a Classical CD Collection. In addition to being inexpensive, it's concise and I don't believe one can find significant fault with any of their selections.

As for preferable series and orchestras, as you read and research, you will find orchestras and performers who are consensus favorites when it comes to particular composers, periods, and even compositions. Take, for example, the composer Frederick Chopin. You are going to find a wide body of critical consensus that pianist Artur Rubenstein is one of the great performers of the compositions of Frederick Chopin. For now, go with the consensus. Follow the guidance of the NPR book or find the CDs and performances that several different sources recommend. As you get to know classical music, get to know the composers, their compositions, and the periods and movements to which they belong first.

As you become familiar with the composers and their works, the simple fact of listening will train your ear to listen to this music. This is where "why all the different performances?" comes into play. As you become more familiar with the music, you will start to hear differences in the way different performers and ensembles approach the music. Congratulations! Here's where the fun begins. You see, it's not about the notes on the page. The musician(s) brings a lot of themselves to the performance any given piece. Otherwise, there's little point to recording the same compositions over and over again. In the past two years, for example, I've been spending a lot of time with Fabio Biondi's performances of Vivaldi. Vivaldi is early in the classical music canon. He lived and worked before Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, and lots of others. I've never been an enormous fan of Vivaldi, but Biondi has made me listen to his works in a whole new way. Not to go on at length, but he's brought a great deal of fun and humor that's often missing from others' performances of those works.

This is what will happen over time. You'll come to know not only the composers and their works, but what the performer brings to the performances of those works and you'll start to develop your own preferences for particular performers and individual performance styles. By that time, you'll be seeking out particular performers and labels you like and trust, but in the meantime, take the advice of the guides that are out there. That's what they're there for and they're designed for questions just like yours.

Oh, one final bit of personal advice. With around four hundred years of music to explore and most guides laid out chronologically, you might think you need to listen to the music in the order it is presented, which is the order it was composed. You might also think that if everybody says this composer or this composition is great, you need to listen to it and like it, too. Nuh uh. No way. There's an awful lot of music that I think is great and important and worth consideration that I just don't like. Find a piece of classical music you like, and go looking for music from that same composer or some of the composers who were alive and working at the same time. You mention Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries," for example. This is big, bold music. If you like it a lot, I wouldn't go running to explore, say, Debussy next. Beethoven's middle symphonies, especially his famous 5th Symphony would make a great deal more sense.

You might also do some listening online. WCPE in Wake Forest does a really excellent job of streaming classical music and providing a lot information about the music that they play. Give them a listen!

Now Playing: NPR's Morning Edition

The NPR Guide to Building a Classical CD Collection sounds perfect for me, but I wonder if I should wait for a new edition. The first edition came out in 1994, the second (and latest) in 1999. After a quick search, I can't find anything hinting at another revision. What should I do? Keep in mind I'm a poor university student... not that I care about buying the relatively cheap guide twice, but I don't want to start laying down the coin on CD's if newer and better recordings have become available... thoughts?

Fitz, I'd go ahead and go with the current edition. When I think back over the past six or seven years, there have certainly been classical CDs I have added to my collection, but none are performances of the core works that made me completely rethink the music itself.

And as a poor university student, the new recordings are generally going to pricier, too!

Now Playing: "Shiftee" The Broken West I Can't Go On, I'll Go On

I think I'm going to track it down, but seeing something like this sure makes me want to abstain a little longer! I shot some emails off in hopes of finding out if a revised edition is in the works. Hopefully I can find something.

I wouldn't worry about waiting for a new edition of the book personally...it's highly doubtful that anyone will put out a recording that just blows away Carlos Klieber's recording of Beethoven's 5th and 7th symphonies from the 60's, for example. Or Dutoit's recording of "The Planets." Sure, other good, even great recordings will be made, or have been since 1999. But there's plenty of superb stuff from the previous 60 years to choose from!