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

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.

I just transitioned from an OPPO to an Esoteric CD Player with external clock, I can say I have a greater appreciation for all of my classical RB collection. That said, my guess is that most players with external clocks will yield similar results - so brand may not be all that important.

In addition I’ve upgraded ALL of my cables - power and interconnects. This change delivered on the crispness of the sound. And, the sonic change from stock power cords in particular was night and day.

No idea what equipment you have - maybe its better than what I’ve described. For me, the quality of the recording is now less important than it use to be. Or, to put it another way, the equipment appears to help all recordings sound better.  Bad recordings are never going to be healed but lets just say the difference between an older recording to a new recording is now easier to accept.

The external clock was also no small change in sound. Just to make certain that I was not justifying a purchase by wishing a better sound, I has some local audiophiles do A/B comparisons with me. We all agreed - the clock made everything more realistic - and again the change was substantial - once we all agreed on what to listen for,  The clock made the instruments appear to have a more exact location in the sound stage.

Best of luck.