Your Classical LP Collection

I've been posting information about discs from my classical lp collection on
the Classical Music Corner thread.I thought it would be nice to have a thread
devoted to classical lps.Anyone interested?
Here is one I played tonight:Chopin(arr.Jacob)-Les Sylphides/Ponchielli-
The Dance of the Hours/Meyerbeer(arr.Lambert)-Les Patineurs/The Philharmonia Orchestra/Charles Mackerras,Angel S35833.This came out
in 1960,I believe,& the English edition was Columbia SCX3291.As usual,a
good job by Mackerras,pretty well recorded.Judging by the label on my copy
& the Angel Stereo banner at the top of the jacket,mine is a later pressing.
I removed the shrink wrap,which showed a $5.98 price.

 

A favorite of mine is the mercury living presence 1812 Overture, conducted by antal dorati. The sound is just tremendous, the recording is perfect in every sense of the word, if just perhaps a bit hissy from the tape itself during quieter parts. Its amazing how much better earlier cuttings (1958) sound than later ones (1964), I have multiple pressings of this, but both exhibit exceptional realism.

Also a big fan of Rubinstein's performance of Grieg's concerto in A on RCA Victor. I believe the performance to be from the mid-late 1950's.
Does anyone by chance know if this was issued/recorded in stereo?

 

A new standout is Handel's Water Music & Royal Fireworks played by Anthony Newman on the historic Newborne Roosevelt Organ.

Soundstream 'Digital Computer Recording System' [Digitech] LP.

I like the performance and the recording sounds quite nice for early digital.


I'm starting to grab up more good classical LP's. It's the last best deal in town, when it comes to vinyl, and there's so many good ones out there.

I've got a still sealed London FFSS Puccini Tosca box with Renata Tebaldi/Mario Del Monaco/George London awaiting play. I got it for a buck and a half.

 

Copied from my recent post over in the Classical Music Thread:

Picked up the following from Half Price Books last night, how did I do?

Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 6 ("Pathetique")
Philadelphia Orchestra/Ormandy
Columbia Masterworks MS 7169 (formerly released as MS 6160)
$2

Beethoven - Symphony No. 3 (Eroica)
Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Reiner
RCA Victor LM-1899 (shaded dog), 1955
$3

Schubert - Songs for Gretchen, Ellen, & Suleika
Ameling (sop.), Kraak, Baldwin (piano)
Philips 9500 169 (made in Holland)
$3

So far I've only listened to S1 of the Tchaikovsky but I'm extremely pleased so far. Dead quiet and flat. I bought this after reading on Audio Asylum that Columbia LPs with the PO and Ormandy sound good for the most part.

Bought the Beethoven because I don't have any "shaded dogs" and am curious what it sounds like. Again, I've read elsewhere and on here that mono shaded dogs can be a good bargain. Plus, I don't have any recordings of Beethoven 3 so there you go.

Finally, I bought the Schubert because I'm trying to become more familiar with his work in general and again I've read that Philips Dutch pressings should not be passed up. The cover and vinyl in near mint condition as well and it was only $3, so how I could pass it up?

Any thoughts from seasoned used classical vinyl collectors are welcome!

 

there's no Half Price Books here,but i have bought from them when in other cities-Columbus,OH,for instance.for the past 4 or 5 years i've limited myself
to records for $1 or less.i don't usually look at anything priced above that-
i don't want to be tempted/frustrated.i have quite a few mono shaded dogs,
and if they're in good shape they're good listening.here's one i got for a quarter not long agorokofieff-Cinderella(Suites 1&2)/The Royal Ballet
Covent Garden Orchestra/Hugo Rignold,RCA Victor LM-2135.this was reissued
on stereo lp about 10 years ago by Classic Records.

 

Yeah, if I would've done that I would've walked out of the store with nothing. $2 was the lowest price they had in the classical section. I'm beginning to suspect that the phenomenon of finding good- to great-quality classical LPs for $1 or less simply isn't a reality here in the Bay Area, at least in the dense urban parts (SF, East Bay, San Jose). Too many record collectors scouring the used bins so even thrift stores are charging a minimum of $2 for used LPs, even if they're scratched or extremely dirty (I put back several such records last night).

 

I love my Maazel Sibelius set. Like this one:


I get a lot of classical records from charity shops. Unlike rock music this stuff is rarely beat up, sometimes it must hardly be played. Also unlike rock music it doesn't go for inflated collectible prices, you can get brilliant music dirt cheap.

Anyway I only have a mid-range system but those Decca LPs seem to sound the best to me. That Sibelius 7 is more exciting on vinyl than the CD version I have.

 

Not too far from me is a place that has bins full of super clean classical, ranging from a dollar to two or three. No rare Living Stereos or Living Presences, but lots of (super clean) EMI, London, DG, Harmonia Mundi, CBS...

Fine with me, I'm just limited by how much time I actually have to listen to them. That's the hardest part. I'm always amazed by how well kept they are, it's like the people who originally bought them never played them, or copied them to tape. The latter scenario being likely as 1970's and 80's pressings are the most plentiful, and easy to find in such good shape.

 

yeah i got some classical vynils like the rolling stones beetles bob marlie and the doubie bbrothers. i never heard of that last group

 

Ha! Come on, at least this isn't another boring geezer-rock thread. Get into it!

 

I'll add some more eye candy to the thread. This one was a cool, recent $1 thrift store find. Snazzy label too, and a wonderful piece of music.

 

Interestingly, I've gotten multiple copies (In the same lot) of titles on the Urania label, with different equalizations between the pressings I cant recall which ones they were besides RIAA but these must be super early LP's for sure...

 

That Ormandy Pathetique would have to be one of the most common classical LP's out there. It's a 2 dollar record, at most.

 

I would love to figure out classical music. Ive heard things on NPR that almost made me weep with joy and heard things that made me weep with boredom. Where does one start to educate themselves about classical music. Seem nice records are easy to come by if you know what to look for. Sorry to threadjack

 

A trip to your local library is in order. You can listen to a lot of great music, or some you'll not care for, without having to spend a dime.

 

Do you remember any specific composers or pieces you like? Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Mahler?

Also, you can follow the Classical Music Corner thread that's always going here. http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=244370

 

Just listen! Don't approach it as something you need to be educated about and don't worry if you're listening the "right" way, just find your personal relationship with it like you would any other music. If you've heard things you love, check out other music from that composer/era/genre. The only thing I'd advise is to listen to one piece several times rather than flipping between lots of stuff and not really absorbing it. You can listen to the same piece every night of the week, and each time it'll make more sense and you'll be able to see an overall structure. If you listen to something different each night and you're not used to classical music, by the end of the week you might have no idea what you heard.

 

Unfortunately, I can't remember the song titles on my favorite rock albums. Im pretty sure I don't care as much for the piano concertos as much (if I sound ignorant,forgive me I am). I think large orchestra pieces with a ebb/flow/climax is what I am attracted to. Brahms is a name that pop in my head as I typed this.

 

That makes perfect sense Jonno,but its such a huge catalog of music just having a idea where to start would be immensely helpful. As a fan of improvisational music I have the attention span but my blind purchases have led me nowhere and have been frankly frustrating. Not to mention with a 1 year old daughter my happy daddy nightly listening time is much shorter than used to be.

 

How about getting Georg Solti's set of Brahms Symphonies? He wrote 4. Number 4 is my favourite.

You might also like Mahler, Dvorak, Elgar, and the last 3 Symphonies of Tchaikovsky.

EDIT: Oh! And Sibelius of course.

 

excellent! now were talking! I am making a punch list. thanks Jonno!

 

Rubinstein recorded the Grieg Concerto four times for RCA, two of them in stereo (1956 and '61) and both with Alfred Wallenstein and the RCA Victor Symphony. the 1961 version is best and the most common (LSC-2566 Red Cover).

 

Thanks for the info, i suspect i have the 1956 issue, but in mono. I'd love a stereo pressing of this. Do you know the other two dates he recorded it for RCA? I'll also check out the 1961 version

 

Yep, 1942 with Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra and 1949 with Antal Dorati and the RCA Victor Symphony.
Rubinstein re-recorded the concerto in 1961 because neither he nor RCA was satisfied with the 1956 stereo recording. It was originally issued only in mono, but had been recorded in stereo, as was the practice for most of RCA's orchestral recordings in the mid '50's. Both the sound and performance of the 1961 version are far superior to the 1956 recording.

 

i have Maazel's Sibelius set on cd,but haven't played it in a long time.my experience with used vinyl is like yours.i usually don't bother to look at the
$1 rock,pop or country-they're invariably in terrible shape.