How to go about collecting Classical Music


At age 68 I’ve started to like Classical Music. It’s been mostly Jazz, Rock n Roll, and R&B up to now. I’m familiar with those genres, know their history, artists, and how to best and most economically acquire their recordings. Not so the Classical repertoire which covers a much longer time period and encompasses so many styles and forms.

What genres and/or periods of Classical music should I be exploring? I’m not looking for recommendations on particular composers or artists, only genres or periods. In Classical music there is orchestral music, chamber music, opera, church music and who knows what else to try out. Maybe you could advise me, if you wouldn’t mind, of some types to try? Or maybe you could recommend a book on the subject that would help a rookie get a start understanding what’s out there.

In buying classical music, for any one work, there may be innumerable recordings by various artists, orchestras and ensembles. How do you sort out which recordings you want in that respect. For example, I looked up Stravinsky’s Rites of Spring on Ebay last night to get some idea of pricing and what classical music available there. There were so many recordings of that work, I would have no idea how to sort out which would have been a good choice. Are there web sites where there are recommendations on which recordings are most exceptional? Or alternately, are there classical record labels you can rely on routinely to provide superior quality recordings? I’ve heard Deutsche Gramophone may be a reliable label for one, but that’s about it. Could you recommend any other labels to look for?

There seems to be a lot of Classical music in SACD format relative to Jazz or Rock n ’Roll. Is there some reason for that? Should SACD be the format of choice for purchasing Classical music, or is there good classical material in Redbook format to be found? I prefer to stay away from used vinyl due to condition issues, or new vinyl due to cost. I’m guessing the better dynamic range of CD’s lends itself to orchestral music. Is there any market for used classical SACD’s? Are there any sites you prefer to purchase your Classical CD’s, either new or used?

I grew up on Long Island. On one trip to midtown Manhattan I walked into an old church not too far from St. Patrick’s to view its’ magnificent stained glass window. Once inside I heard some equally magnificent classical organ being played. I discovered the church’s incredible organ was being played by some of New York City’s finest classical organists who would book time to practice on it. That large church was always deserted, and I went back many times for what amounted to free private concerts. I’d like to know what kind of music that was to try and replicate that experience to some degree at home, From what I’ve read here and elsewhere there surely is a plethora of other wonderful Classical music to explore and enjoy. Thanks in advance for any advice,

Mike






skyscraper
Lenny loved teaching. Here's one of the Young People's Concerts from YouTube... 
https://youtu.be/HxccvLzuChg

This has to be seen to be believed...
https://youtu.be/G7_6Z33eCaY



If sound quality is a big concern, there are a number of boxes covering some of the labels with the best recording quality, such as the box of Mercury Living Presence, Decca Sound, RCA Living Stereo, Chandos Milestones, and Harmonia Mundi 50th anniversary.  The boxes I have from these labels have around 50-60 CDs each.  The sound quality is quite good and there is a fair sampling of different musical styles and types.  
+1 @larryi 
I own many single CD's that are included in these sets. Very good to excellent sound quality and what great performances.

Rcprince, thank you. I'll track some you recommended down. I would really liked to have seen that organ too. .I've been reading about it since last posting. Form what you say, I might Have been fortunate to have listened to some amazing practitioners. The ones I recall hearing were certainly that..

Lowrider, Ill take a look. And appreciate you endorsement of larryi's box set recommendations.

Larri, I'll add your suggestions to the list. Thanks,

Mike


I would subscribe to idagio.com  they have the best classical collection and wonderful search interface.