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Need advices concerning Beethoven

post #1 of 4
1/6/11 at 6:55am
Thread Starter 

Hey guys!

 

Ok so hum.. I'm not very used to buy song/albums on hdtracks and wanted to have your opinion before buying what I'm looking for. I want to get in the classical genre and I'll be starting with Beethoven. Ive found 3 albums of the Symphony No. 9 in D minor ( What I'll be buying first) on Hdtracks and while auditionning the songs Ive encountered some difference on each album..

 

Here are the links for the 3 albums in question :

1. https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?file=catalogdetail&valbum_code=HD00028947149125  ( this one is in 96/24)

2. https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?file=catalogdetail&valbum_code=090368006622

3. https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?file=catalogdetail&valbum_code=0837654767078

 

The thing is that the second album I've link is from 1961, but when you "try" the song on the site, the sound is totally different from the other 2 albums.. It's more agressive and "alive" to my ears but kinda older in the same way.. it's weird.. but I kinda like it.. What do you guys recommend for a neophyte concerning the Symphony No. 9 ?

 

Thanks a lot!

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post #2 of 4
1/6/11 at 9:39am
You're starting out from the wrong premise. Most classical music, even that from the 1950s, is well recorded and sounds great. Bad sound is the exception, not the rule.

The real difference between recordings is the PERFORMANCE. The combination of conductor and orchestra are the most responsible for making the music sound alive and the balances clear. Engineering and bitrate have very little to do with it.

You should be shopping at Amazon or other well stocked music store, not buying high bitrate files with second rate conductors. If you want Beethoven's 9th, it's not hard to find a good version. The way to find which CD to buy involves asking the right questions and doing a little bit of googling of reviews. Read the comments at Amazon.

As you go along, you'll figure out what aspects of a performance are important to you and that will make it easier to decide which conductor is best for you and which ones to avoid. In the meantime, don't worry about getting the "best" version, because there is no best. Each performance reveals something different about the music. Just get a version that a lot of people seem to like and go from there.

Learning about a new type of music requires a little research and asking the right questions. I guarantee you that the world of great music is a million times bigger than you can imagine. It's all there to explore if you make a little effort to go beyond the music that is served up to you.
Edited by bigshot - 1/6/11 at 9:40am
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post #3 of 4
1/6/11 at 11:54am
Thread Starter 

Thanks a lot for your help bigshot!!

 

It's getting clearer in my mind now.. damn that's a whole new world opening to me.. Ive found 2 albums of the Symphony no 9 that I bought on amazon after having read the reviews. 2 Different conductor, 2 different years.. I'll see what it gives :) Thanks again for the tips it will be easier for me from now to purchase classical music :)

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post #4 of 4
1/6/11 at 12:38pm
If there's anything in particular you want to look into. Feel free to ask for a pointer.
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