[icebear]

  Thanks!
 
And lol on the Lady GaGa like

 
+1, I thought going ga ga was pathological

 

[analogsurviver]

   
+1, I thought going ga ga was pathological

Back in the day, the recording of a certain opera with then stellar top cast did cost approx 50 million $. Sales of this (double) CD were either 5000 or (10000 ?) copies sold within the first year after release - worldwide.
Do the math...
 
Lady 
 
You can add any top selling pop/rock/... artist and thank him/her we can still find classical recordings in stores - 
similar analog vinyl audiophiles can thank DJs for generating enough sales to keep the vinyl thing alive trough the Dark Period ( around 1985-2005 ), when  CD has been crushing anything in its wake. 
 
So .... whenever you are listening to a recording of some obscure little known or emerging classical artist, be it composer or performer, remember who really made it possible.

 

[Claritas]

So .... whenever you are listening to a recording of some obscure little known or emerging classical artist, be it composer or performer, remember who really made it possible.

I'm not thanking the cloud for the silver lining.

 

[analogsurviver]

I'm not thanking the cloud for the silver lining.

Fact: it is possible to "order" a CD release of say 500 pcs for approx 1-2K - and you can put anything on it, classics included. But if the whole chain for making CDs was not established and paid for mostly by pop/rock/... long ago , we could never stand a chance of see it happening - it would simply be out of reach. Remember, initially there were 2 plants capable of CD production - one in Japan, another in Germany. Even nowadays there aren't that many around.

 

[RRod]

 
Very good example this one, listening to it, it sounds overly bright and the sound does not 'blend' very well, were as I like this one better:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Haydn-Creation-Joseph/dp/B000024JQ1/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1416253174&sr=1-1&keywords=haydn+creation+bernstein
 
Might just be a matter of taste

I think words like "bright" and "blend" tend to be in taste's bailiwick Sounds great on my home setup, but it's certainly not my best sounding recording. It's one of those HIP recordings where I don't mind that it's HIP, because they hit it with gusto and aren't afraid to sound raunchy when needed.
 

  Fact: it is possible to "order" a CD release of say 500 pcs for approx 1-2K - and you can put anything on it, classics included. But if the whole chain for making CDs was not established and paid for mostly by pop/rock/... long ago , we could never stand a chance of see it happening - it would simply be out of reach. Remember, initially there were 2 plants capable of CD production - one in Japan, another in Germany. Even nowadays there aren't that many around.

Yeah, it's like my friends are paying into this insurance plan and getting yearly checkups, but I'm getting my brain surgery covered ^_^

 

[SunTanScanMan]

Anyone have these in their wishlists?
 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NX4NMGO/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2CY77M6BQ7EOZ&coliid=I2J3FB5QRF3K5C
 
and

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NFLVFFK/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2CY77M6BQ7EOZ&coliid=I195N8VX55ENOB
 
Harmonia mundi is due for release in December whilst the Richter box is January 2015.
 
A lot of you guys probably already have many of these, but for someone like myself who has been mainly streaming music, these look like excellent boxes to add to my collection.
The Harmonia mundi is a more modern box, which would be a contrast to my current CD collection. I'm drawn to the Richter box set more, as I want a proper set of the maestro to study and enjoy.
 
I'm seriously considering getting a CD player so that I don't need my PC running in order to listen to music.
 

 

[RRod]

There is something nice about being able to just grab a disc and play it without needing a monitor in front of you. Thanks for links; Richter was a beast, so I'm sure there's plenty in that set to like.
 
As another rec, you'll often see the RCA BSO+Munch Daphnis et Chloe recording recommended, and it is indeed superb:
http://www.amazon.com/Ravel-Daphnis-Chloe-Complete-Maurice/dp/B0002TKFHW
 
But the same pairing did another recording a few years later, that is worth a listen. Subtle and not-so-subtle differences make for a fresh feeling:
http://www.highdeftapetransfers.com/product.php?pid=256

 

[SunTanScanMan]

Just realised there is another Richter box set to be released in Jan 2015
 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00N9MWVVW/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2CY77M6BQ7EOZ&coliid=I1LZ5R5KNFUN4B
 
More expensive and more comprehensive - 51 CDs (Complete Decca, Philips & DG Recordings) to 18 CDs of the Sony release above (complete Columbia and RCA Victor releases)
 
Interestingly, both box sets are to be released on 05 January 2015 according to amazon uk. Both look enticing.
 
---
 
@RRod - Thanks for the rec! Will keep the 1961 version in mind. I actually have the Daphnis et Chloe as part of the living stereo box set. Lots of gems in that set. Still need to get vol.2 though.
Choir vocal is not something I actively go for. But I end up enjoying it immensely when it comes back on the playlist.

 

[RRod]

  Just realised there is another Richter box set to be released in Jan 2015
 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00N9MWVVW/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2CY77M6BQ7EOZ&coliid=I1LZ5R5KNFUN4B
 
More expensive and more comprehensive - 51 CDs (Complete Decca, Philips & DG Recordings) to 18 CDs of the Sony release above (complete Columbia and RCA Victor releases)
 
Interestingly, both box sets are to be released on 05 January 2015 according to amazon uk. Both look enticing.
 
---
 
@RRod - Thanks for the rec! Will keep the 1961 version in mind. I actually have the Daphnis et Chloe as part of the living stereo box set. Lots of gems in that set. Still need to get vol.2 though.
Choir vocal is not something I actively go for. But I end up enjoying it immensely when it comes back on the playlist.

 
It's a choir-as-instrument work, so it's good for people who don't like more core choral literature. I'm fine with most stuff, but the really chorusturbational stuff (Lauridsen, Whitacre, etc.) I can only take in measured doses.

 

[bigshot]

There are three Richter box sets. There's overlap and recordings unique to each one, so you gotta get em all!

 

[SunTanScanMan]

   
It's a choir-as-instrument work, so it's good for people who don't like more core choral literature. I'm fine with most stuff, but the really chorusturbational stuff (Lauridsen, Whitacre, etc.) I can only take in measured doses.

I learned a new word today. I was enjoying Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, owing to the earlier convo, but had to skip it due to a sudden and overwhelming sense of shame and guilt.

 

[96rubberduckys]

  There is something nice about being able to just grab a disc and play it without needing a monitor in front of you. Thanks for links; Richter was a beast, so I'm sure there's plenty in that set to like.
 
As another rec, you'll often see the RCA BSO+Munch Daphnis et Chloe recording recommended, and it is indeed superb:
http://www.amazon.com/Ravel-Daphnis-Chloe-Complete-Maurice/dp/B0002TKFHW
 
But the same pairing did another recording a few years later, that is worth a listen. Subtle and not-so-subtle differences make for a fresh feeling:
http://www.highdeftapetransfers.com/product.php?pid=256

+1 on the Munch Daphnis. But I just got my hands on the Dutoit/Montreal recording, and it's fantastic as well--can't decide which interpretation I prefer. Sound quality is definitely a step up though.
 

 

[RRod]

  I learned a new word today. I was enjoying Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, owing to the earlier convo, but had to skip it due to a sudden and overwhelming sense of shame and guilt.

 
Listen with a friend if that helps ^_^
 

  +1 on the Munch Daphnis. But I just got my hands on the Dutoit/Montreal recording, and it's fantastic as well--can't decide which interpretation I prefer. Sound quality is definitely a step up though.
 

 
I'll have to give it a shot. I need to rip my Abbado and give it a listen again; it was on the radio a few months ago and I recall an enjoyable car ride.

 

[SunTanScanMan]

Yep I tend to avoid overly choral music. I can just about handle a few Mozart operas when the mood takes me. I recently listened to Wagner's Flying Dutchman on the diapason d'or label, and it was pretty hard going. I'm hoping one day I will start to really get into opera, and then who knows, choral.
 
These days I listen to chamber music - specifically falling for that from Eastern Europe. Something about the melodies just get me hooked.
 
Dvorak's string quartets perked my interests a while ago. His string quintet Op. 97 and sextet Op.48 by the European String Quartet in the Westminster Legacy box set are just gorgeous. [On a side note, the Janacek and Smetana Quartets do an immense rendition of Mendelssohn's Octet Op. 20 in that set.]
 
For the last couple of days this has been playing - very intense and the SQ is great too.
 

 

[bigshot]

Opera without visuals is half the experience. Without reading along in the libretto, you are getting half of half. Opera is drama as much as it is music.