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

Much of the genre is particularly difficult to get to record and sound realistic (e.g., choral music, opera, large scale orchestral).  The live setting of such music is particularly difficult to record because the venues are so quiet and the musical dynamic range is extremely wide (takes advantage of the quiet).  We hear live music in a close to ideal surrounding that makes home reproduction nearly impossible.  I don't think most people would really want the full dynamic range of a live performance--the quietest passages would be too soft for a normal home environment and the loudest would be extremely loud and difficult to reproduce; such recordings would be utterly useless for the most common ways people listen to music these days--in the car, or on the go in a noisy environment.

Recordings of classical music have always been meant to be a compromise between fidelity and practicality, and this is the case now even when it is possible to actually deliver a wider range. 

Most popular, non-acoustic music sounds like crap in a live venue and actually sound better in recordings.  Yes, the total live experience is more exciting, but, the actual sound, isolated from everything else is not so good.  That is not the case with classical, so the shortcomings of the recording/reproduction process become much more apparent.

I think many modern labels, such as Chandos, BIS, Harmonia Mundi, do a fair job or recording.  With some labels, the digital re-releases of older recordings actually sound better than the original vinyl versions which were mastered so poorly (e.g., 1970 DG).   Yes, a lot of recordings, including older ones, are brighter sounding than a live performance, but, I think the engineers are basically catering to preferences.  I hear a lot of comments about how certain recordings sound dulled on top, when they are not dull compared to a live performance.

Classical Music usually isn’t mixed with the “Loudness Wars” mentality.  What may sound recessed and laid back to a pop oriented listener may actually be a more faithful reproduction of acoustic instruments in an actual space.  It takes a good system to do justice to most recorded CM, and it helps to be a discerning listener with experience of hearing live concerts 

Don't shoot the messenger. There is a ton of music hidden within the CD format, including red book.I have cds that are easily 15 years old, that were some magazines recording of the month, that I found lacking. As my system improves, so does the music