The Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music 2009

The Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music 2009
by Ivan March, Edward Greenfield, Robert Layton

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Book Summary Information

Author: Edward Greenfield, Ivan March, Robert Layton
Editor: Paul Czajkowski
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2008-11-25
ISBN: 0141033355
Number of pages: 1602
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)

Book Reviews of The Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music 2009

Book Review: Newbie & Trying to choose which cd to buy ? Buy that !
Summary: 4 Stars

You are a newbie in the classical music world, have discovered how beautiful is a live performance from a symphony in your town and want to buy a cd of this particular piece: a symphony, a concerto or for that matter any piece of music.

Look no further...

Coming back to home after attending my first live performance, I browsed Amazon and just got overwhelmed by the number of cd for the same piece of music. Who would think there are so many different versions recorded of a same piece ??!
You could think that you can buy any cd, the cheapest being the best.. but I guess if you are reading this review you have ruled that out. Indeed, not knowing anything to classical music does not mean not being willing to make some efforts to get the best interpretation of the last symphony you heard.

The problem is "the best interpretation" does not mean anything in the classical music world, which is very frustrating for a newbie like me (like you ?) just looking to get his ears accustomed to some reference.

Well guess what, this book provides you with the best approximate to that "best interpretation".. which is some kind of consensus. And just for that it would earns 5 stars.

However, be aware of its limits (hence only 4 stars):
- As a newbie, you are not the main audience of this book so you might not understand all the meaning of a commentary but nothing wrong on that.
- Remember that there are 3 levels of grades: the stars, the key (for key interpretations like Bernstein's Mahler) and the Rosette (which can marks a very particular performance)... if you see "4 stars, a key and a rosette" it's easier, but if you have to decide between a "key + 4 stars" against a rosette, you might still want to follow the key sign for that the rosette would only bring a fresh view to the piece (unfortunately you never heard the unfresh view as a newbie...)
- You just want the "best", well it might be very obvious like Mariss Jansons for the Complete Symphonies of Tchaikovsky... but it can be very less obvious and Penguin might not be very helpful with 4 cds getting same grade and elogious description... in that case, remember whatever you choose, it is still a 1st class performance.
- In the latter case, I would recommend looking on commentaries made here in Amazon, very helpful and sometimes very detailed... I had to decide for Brahms' concertos and ended up with the Gilels version with all those reviewers here.

All in all, Penguin + Amazon might be your best help to start a classical cds collection..

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Summary of The Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music 2009

This has remained the best and most successful guide to classical music for more than forty years. Fully revised by its team of eminent authors and written with wit and passion, The Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music offers reviews of all the latest releases as well as the finest established recordings. It also includes an overview of the greatest historic performances, major period instrument recordings, an in-depth survey of the best of the budget-priced CDs, and the core collection of 100 handpicked, must-have CDs. Now published annually for the first time, this book is essential reading for every serious classical music fan.

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