A philosophical question.

My decades-long exploration of classical music has always been repertoire based.  By this I mean I always sought out those less-known or outright forgotten composers on obscure labels, rather than sticking to a core of canonical composers and pieces, and perhaps multiplying the number of recordings I have of one piece.  (Exception: Mahler.)  I explore laterally a period I enjoy.  For years I was after Mahler's near contemporaries, from Suk, Reger, to Martinu and a host of others.  More lately I got into the Stylus Phantasticus, and collected twenty recordings from the early Italians through Biber and beyond--mostly composers most people have never heard of.  For quite a while I was buying the installments of Hyperion's seemingly never-ending survey of 19C piano concertos.  Conclusion: you do stumble occasionally over minor gems, but you also listen to a lot of worthy but ultimately unexceptional music.  There is a reason the canon is the canon (or rather two canons: the canonical works by canonical composers).  But I suppose I have the completist gene, and the thrill of the hunt keeps me going.  It's not a question of guilt, but rather of curiosity and ultimately enjoyment. So many things are a chore, music shouldn't be one of them.

 Streaming has solved that dilemma for me. Not as much excitement as finding a new disc of great new music in the old days, but no sheepish “ what was I thinking” when it sits on the shelf forever after playing it once.

millercarbon, you are going to have to come over for dinner. We make osso buco/ lamb shank stew but sous vide the meat and add it and it's juice at the end. The stew is cooked with stew lamb and bones in the oven. Killer dish:)
My problem is I get bored with music I play too much so I am always moving around between genres and artists. If I don't like something I will revisit it weeks to months later because sometimes it is just my mood and I might like it the second time around. Having a large collection is nice. Much harder to get bored with it. 

I listen to some cd 1,200 times in a 7 years period for example ( Heinrich Schutz Geistliche Chormusik 1964 Dresden Mauesberger, Vivaldi opus2 sonatas in trio etc)I wrote at this times and use some cd each day for years like a pill for creation without being bored....I guess I am a different animal....I like variety tough, I listen music in all styles, countries, and periods....


I listen very often to some of my best 100 cd or files, amongst the thousands in my library, these best files are so sublime to communicate a specific emotion that I cannot live without listening to them periodically....


For me, some musical work are so high in their emotional content powerful expression, that most other works are almost boring compared to them....Then looking for some variety that rivals my other best files, I was in the obligation to scan all periods, styles, and countries...My "best of" is distributed in all genres...I dont like for example heavy metal in general, but even there I discover some best powerful expressive stuff....


For me music is medicine for my health, food for thinking or meditate, and drugs activating creation device, and emotions feed back machine from ecstasy to excitation and melancholy, and sometimes and at least, a very simple joy.... :)

A brief history of Buddhism via John Coltrane's Music

My Favorite Things

Monkey Mind
Truth, is it not so whether we agree or not, approve or not, enjoy or not?
But how and by whom is truth defined?

A Love Supreme

When the student is ready the teacher appears.


Om, Part I & Part II

Satori
Nirvana