[GirgleMirt]

Do you guys know which record labels usually have good/bad recordings? I often stop by used cd shops and am somewhat overwhelmed at all the classical cds for sale. Some are cheaper, some are more expensive, but that doesn't necessarily correlate to sound quality, or just good music...

Any basic lines I could follow to add some hopefully good classical cds?

Thanks

 

[GirgleMirt]

Naxos, Sony, etc...?

 

[PSmith08]

I'll be blunt: buying by label is a fairly nonsensical thing to do. All labels have great records, duds, and a range in between. I can really only think of one label that I have been consistently happy with, but that doesn't express the research and selectivity that goes into buying that CD.

If you want to buy great records, regardless of label, you should find some composers in whose music you are interested and then do a search here. Tyson, too, has a recommended recordings thread that is very good.

If you don't see the recommendations you want or need, then ask in those threads or start a new thread. Look before you leap. You can spend quite a long time with records that aren't good or as good as the best if you decide, "One label for everything."

 

[GirgleMirt]

The composers aren't really the issue, problem is as I mentioned in used cd shops you often have a big selection, but you can't really go there with a list of 5-10 even 20 records you want to buy, you could do that, but you might always find that none of those specific recordings are there, and with somewhat good reason, there's quite a bit of classical recordings...

Like I mentioned, the price also seems to vary by a lot, from 3-5$ for what seems to be 'cheap' cds, maybe the kind you get with Columbia house, tv advertisement cds or something, some kind of cheap/budget cds... Sometimes you have boxes (collection) of cds, again, which sometime can be very cheap, other time comes to ~10$ per cd, which is somewhat expensive for used cds. Then you have the 'regular' cds, 6-10$, and sometimes some more expensive cds...

So if I'm in the Bach section, and there's 3-4 different cds of the same symphony or whatnot, from prices varying for 3$ to 15$, is there any kind of quick rule I can use to select which I should buy? Other than writing down the title, going home, looking online for reviews before buying? Like... This label is usually crap.. This one is usually good, etc..

Or if you prefer... How do you shop for used cds? Do you just pick them up at random? Go for a certain label? Go for most recent recording years? Maybe older? Maybe only DDD? AAD? Or do you look for particular "chefs d'orchestre"? Recordings from a certain venue/country?

 

[PSmith08]

Again, you're assuming a per-label consistency that just isn't there. Riccardo Chailly's Mahler 3rd on Decca is miles ahead of some of the multi-miked messes of the 1970s. That's on recording quality alone. Performances were and are all over the board for Decca (and any major label).

Here's what you need to do: spend some time and learn which conductors shine in which repertoire. Karl Böhm's Mozart is pretty uniformly wonderful, but his Wagner might not be to your liking. Moreover, learn about conductors' own styles in general. Otto Klemperer can turn in granitic, monumental performances or things that seem leaden and arthritic - and it depends on your own opinion.

Learn which orchestras do well for which composers; the Wiener Philharmoniker is hard to beat in the central Germanic repertoire, but there are those who say that they're no good for Mahler. You should consider that, and plenty of similar examples. Moreover, see which orchestras you like overall. If the Staatskapelle Dresden or Cleveland Orchestra tickles your fancy, just as two examples, then it's a good bet you'll like their sound in more than just one instance.

Learn the "house sounds" of the various labels - some of which change pretty wildly over time - and decide what you like and don't like. A Deutsche Grammophon bright, close, and spot-miked extravaganza might not be to your taste, and it might be the ticket. See if you prefer live recordings or studio sets.

I doubt that's terribly helpful, given your stated desires, I'll just say this:

The Deutsche Grammophon, Decca, and Philips "Originals" series (it was Decca "Classics" before the big UMG standardization) are usually good performances in decent sound. They're cheap, too, even in their retail incarnations, as they're bargain releases of classic records. DG's "Grand Prix" series is up there, too, but I'm not sure how many of those would be making their way to the used market so soon.

You asked how to eyeball a record and know if that's the one. You need to familiarize yourself with the above, i.e., paragraphs 1-4, otherwise you'll be shooting in the dark.

 

[mbhaub]

It's true: EVERY company has great sounding disks, and some crummy ones. That's why generalizing is so danged difficult. But...ignoring performance issues, there are some labels that probably are safe bets most of the time: Telarc, Hyperion, BIS, and Decca/London seem to have very high quality, but again, there are some duds.
Some of those super budgets from EMI, Sony, etc sound fine, but many of the early digital ones sound edgy and hurt the ears. Naxos is all over the place. They have some demo quality recordings and some so bad (Shostakovich symphonies) they are not worth the low price.

As to peformances: to the average listener, especially beginners, there is no difference between conductor A doing Beethoven symphony 3 and conductor B doing symphony 3. After years of experience you will be able to notice the differences, and it's fun! Read the Mahler thread if you don't believe it. But really, for the most part, record producers won't put out recordings that are truly dreadful, so buy without fear. Of course, there are some really nasty recordings. Beware bootleg and off the air recordings!

 

[FalconP]

If you buy used, a rule of thumb is to flip through the sleeve notes: If the whole package consists of just a track list and the artist's name (with no credentials given), I'd avoid it. CDs that comes with detailed, informative write-ups tend not to have appalling music.

 

[vcoheda]

recordings by DG, EMI, Philips, Decca, Sony, are usually pretty good.

 

[steviebee]

I've been pretty pleased with some of the RCA Living Stereo re-releases.

 

[analogbox]

Some will have recorded years on the back of the CD. That may be the biggest factor in terms of sound quality. Also, on the back of the CD they'll usually have either DDD, ADD or AAD. If you want the best sound quality, go with DDD.

 

[bigshot]

There are incredibly great sounding analogue recordings and lousy sounding digital ones. None of the ways to determine the quality of a classical recording mentioned in this thread work. The best way is to consult the reviews in the Penguin Guide and rec.music.classical-recordings

See ya
Steve

 

[kodreaming]

In general , especially for people who are new to the wonderful world of classical music , you are not buying CDs. You are buying music.

You don't listen to DG or Hyperion or Decca. You listen to Haydn's Piano Trio, Mozart' Magic Flute, or Bach's Organ work.

Your question really should be "what music should I be buying" ?

I would suggest you follow those well-known lists, e.g Gramphone 20 century 100.

 

[Caribou679]

Basic rule is YOU NEED TO STUDY.
I like the comment about stick with one artist/conductor/ and learn about him.

I bought some Pierre Monteux, a conductor , and was impressed. Now I am buying more music in which he is part. It is like a "stable datum", the guy gave me good thrills, let's continue a bit more and see if it will arrive again.
Also get information on the artist, consult this forum, and one thing I really like is the reviews at Amazon. Alot of information is available.

Also Living Stereo, read on it, it's worthwhile...

regards

 

[calaf]

while the majors like Sony, Decca, DG are by their very nature a mixed bag, there are smaller labels that have very high quality standards when it come to their core repertory: for example Naive for baroque, Harmonia Mundi for classical (and for mostly everything they publish really), Hyperion for romantic, Nonesuch for contemporary, Andante and Naxos Historical for ... historical recordings. I am not saying these guys never release a dud, but when I come across a bargain on a HM recording I have never heard of, I pick it up without hesitation.

 

[GirgleMirt]

Thanks for the advice

Gives me quite a few tips for the next time!