Why do Classical CDs sound less Alive/Real/Present ?

" Classical Music usually isn’t mixed with the “Loudness Wars” mentality. "

Sir, you are mistaken.

first one needs a system that is fully capable of revealing what's on the bits. Most tweeters will have great difficulty as will most amplifiers
Over every xmas for the last 10+ years I play 2 redbook CDs Dianna Kall Xmas album and Sheffield Labs Xmas album. They never sounded as good as this year, and they sound phenomenal

Last night I dusted off Usher Audio 6 Key Elements to Contemporary Art, recorded in Taiwan. No date on the disc cover, but at least 15 years old. Absolutely mind-blowing

Usher made some great recordings. Thanks for the reminder.
I had lost track of this post and now would like to belatedly
thank everyone for their ideas and suggestions. I will try them all. 

What motivated me to ask this question is that when I play plain old red book CD versions of music such as by Hope Sandoval or Patricia Barber for example, the sound takes on a "Magical" quality with a great sound stage. The feeling I get when listening to these well recorded singers is what keeps me chasing great sound. 

So the essence of my original question is why, when I have many different classical CDs by assorted studios, do I get none of that same "Magic"? Debussy's Clare de Lune is the closest so far.

Anyone?

I still think that the difference is in the different miking techniques used for recording small groups and orchestras.