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Classical fans, I need advice

I need a bit of advice. I've been listening to sample classical recordings (from tower records and amazon) for over 3 months trying to find a place to start. My interest began when I first became entranced by Alison Krauss + Union Station and Nickel Creek. I've gained a new appreciation for classical styles and the violin (fiddle?) in particular.

I listened to: Hilary Hahn - Bach: Violin Concertos on Deutsche Grammophon and enjoyed it. It wasn't too pretty, nor too symphonic. It's intimate and large at the same time. Maybe not quite as romantic as I might prefer but I honestly cannot say without hearing more. Keep in mind I'm not describing the performance here just the music. I'm thinking I will take the plunge with this Hybrid SACD.

Based on this can I be "profiled" and perhaps pointed in a direction? I know these works come from the Baroque period. I also read this in an amazon review "Shortly after Bach's time, the structure of a concerto changed from an ensemble piece for chamber musicians to a piece for soloist and full orchestra. Hence many recordings of these pieces are done by 'name' soloists and 'name' orchestras and lose their intimacy in the process. This recording does not; kudos to DG and Hahn for the choice of the thoroughly musical and consummately professional Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra for this disc." I really don't know if this is significant to my enjoyment of what i've heard but I thought I should mention it.

A few other notes about myself. Sound quality is of extreme importance to me. I simply cannot enjoy music on poor recordings. Something else, I really like the song from the Lord of the Rings soundtrack titled "Concerning Hobbits" composed by Howard Shore and performed by the New Zealand S.O. Again I'm not sure if this points me to a specific classical style or period but I figured I would mention it.

Any comments are appreciated
Vedric
vedric
sevs
301 posts
 
@schubert +1 re. sound quality!!! 100+ CD box of Wilhelm Furtwangler is a Must (and it is soo cheap!) and it is all in glorious Mono
like the tape I got from a fellow from stereo2go forum of a shellac recordings of Yma Sumac: the awesomeness shines thru pops and clicks, you just forget about Sound Quality
schubert
7,386 posts
 
sevs, I have no take on "The Rest is Noise" because I never heard of it.

Re, Mahler ,after 60 years of listening to Classical my take is my time is better spent with Brahms or Bruckner.
That said, his "Das Lied von der Erde" is one of my favorite pieces .
Might not be if I didn’t speak German.
Ditto with Stravinsky, don’t care for him much either yet his "Pulcinella Suite" is another favorite of mine .

No rule that you have to be in love with any great composer, save Bach of course, Music is like women , you like what you like .
schubert
7,386 posts
 
sevs, Bernstein said a lot of things, he liked to hear himself talk .

bomarc, +1 on the Hilary Hahn Bach.
If you haven’t heard Rachel Barton Pine do Bach she’s a nice midway between the Hahn and Bell poles .
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,327 posts
 

Another vote for violinist Rachel Podger in any Baroque repertoire.  Several CDs out there.  For Vivaldi's famous Four Seasons Fabio Biondi and Europa Galante still remain the most thrilling and exhilarating.

For the rest the world is your oyster.  The Chopin and Liszt piano concertos are lovely works, among many...

hifiman5's avatar
hifiman5
1,836 posts
 
@vedric  You are very clear about the importance of sound quality.  A great way to introduce yourself to the musical offerings of a variety of composers is going to Reference Recordings website or searching them on Amazon.  Their redbook CDs and SACDs are legendary for their sound quality.  I was just listening to "Ports of Call" a disc of a variety of well known compositions from the Romantic Period.  Solid performances in natural, open sound.

Suggested Reference Recordings:
*Reveries - Lush, open sound of some of the most relaxing symphonic music available.
*Baroque Favorites - This is a particularly great deal as it includes two discs that originally were released as two separate offerings.  I am not a huge fan of Baroque Period pieces but I own and enjoy this.
*Bolero!  Very eclectic collection of interesting Impressionistic offerings.  Great sound quality as usual with the possible exception of the first cut which was, to my ears, recorded a bit too loudly relative to the rest of the disc.
*Mephisto & Co.  This is classic Reference Recordings.  Well known repertoire from a variety of composers with the usual great sound.  Very dynamic!
*Exotic Dances from the Opera - No vocals, but this is perhaps the best known RR offering among audiophiles.  This is so beloved that it has recently been remastered to hybrid SACD.  I have the CD.  I can only imagine what the SACD sounds like.
*Fiesta!  This contains offerings from Spanish composers with an absolutely killer bass drum!

There are other great discs to be had but the above mentioned offerings would be a good place to start.  You can listen to 30 second samples to see if the individual discs float your boat.  Hope this is helpful!
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