The Validity of Suggestions

[George]

Please speak for yourself. 

I am. 

[Don]

I also think just because you own a lot of recordings of a work, it doesn't necessarily make you an expert.

Especially if you don't crack them open and listen to them.

[MN Dave]

Especially if you don't crack them open and listen to them.

[Mark]

One of the things I'd like to do more of on my return to GMG after a few months' 'sabbatical' is write longer posts based on comparative listening to several recordings of favourite works in my collection. This won't make my opinions any more valid, but it will at least show I've invested some time and focused listening before sharing my thoughts on any given work. Todd does this from time to time, and I greatly admire his approach. It makes for informative and sometimes entertaining reading, and also helps to provide a measure of counterbalance to the many 'short review' type posts which are bound to litter a discussion board of this kind.

[Don]

I am. 

Well, you said it's a problem for all of us.  I'm part of the total, and I don't have a problem.

[Don]

One of the things I'd like to do more of on my return to GMG after a few months' 'sabbatical' is write longer posts based on comparative listening to several recordings of favourite works in my collection.

You're going on a sabbatical?  My dad did that once - never saw him again.

[Mark]

You're going on a sabbatical?

You must have signatures turned off.

[George]

Well, you said it's a problem for all of us.  I'm part of the total, and I don't have a problem.

That doesn't mean a problem doesn't exist. 

[MN Dave]

You must have signatures turned off.

...And haven't seen his whole thread on the subject.

[Mark]

...And haven't seen his whole thread on the subject.

That's news to me. I didn't start one, as far as I can remember. Wonder who did?

[MN Dave]

That's news to me. I didn't start one, as far as I can remember. Wonder who did?

Didn't you start one about leaving and listening to CDs? I must have dreamt it. Too lazy to go look.

[Don]

You must have signatures turned off.

Nah, I just tend to not look at them.

[MN Dave]

Nah, I just tend to not look at them.

It's the Don-filters in action.

[Don]

That doesn't mean a problem doesn't exist. 

For you perhaps; not for me.

[Mark]

Didn't you start one about leaving and listening to CDs? I must have dreamt it. Too lazy to go look.

No, just one on not buying CDs for a year. But, seeing as you've given me cause for yet another thread ...

[MN Dave]

No, just one on not buying CDs for a year. But, seeing as you've given me cause for yet another thread ...

Go for it, my good man.

[bhodges]

When examining recommendations, I consider the poster's expertise, agenda (if there is one, e.g., to ensure that the entire world listens to Wagner), and style of transmitting the information (e.g., "so-and-so owns this work," a comment that makes me roll my eyes).  There are many people on this forum who offer well-considered advice about what they've heard, and I am inclined to listen to most of them carefully and at least give them the benefit of the doubt. 

And the bottom line is that even someone who has given you "faultless" advice in the past, or whose recommendations you have enjoyed 100% of the time, can point you to something that, for whatever reason, just falls flat for you.  And that's OK, too.

--Bruce

[MishaK]

George,

An informed reviewer should give you suggestions that explain what the characteristics, qualities and drawbacks of any given performance are, which should give the reader the information he/she needs to make the choice that best fits their listening preferences. I find it most useful to give people a spectrum that shows either end of the interpretive tradition, but also recommend a good middle-of-the-road reference recording as a basic starting point.

[MN Dave]

I feel pressure when someone asks me what I think of a recording. I still feel like a beginner in the classical world even though I've been listening to it off and on for decades now.

[Harry]

What I am considering today is the validity of giving/receiving suggestions of recordings. It's nice to suggest our favorite recordings to others, but what is the actual chance that they will like it? I'll explain...

I own over a dozen sets of Beethoven sonatas and many more individual performances of certain sonatas. What this means to me is that I have a much better sense of what I like when it comes to performances of these works, not what you like. I could own every recording of these works and still know nothing more than what I like in them. One example of how I know this is the Kempff mono cycle. Many people list this as their favorite and though I can see why, it's just not one of my top favorites. Therefore, if I had suggested that any of these people that they buy 5 or 6 sets ahead of this one, they would have missed out on hearing their own favorite.

When I first started on this forum, I consulted with those who had heard much more than I had heard and benefited from it greatly. However, at this point, I am beginning to see that there is only one way to really find out what I like and what I do not, listen for myself. Once I do this, I can better say what I enjoy and what I do not. However, I could do it for a hundred years and still not become an expert on what you like.

Sure, like many others, I toss around the phrases "the greatest," "legendary," and "must hear" but it should be underlined that these are simply performances that I enjoy, in other words, my opinion. And as a wise member once said, my opinion is no more valid than yours.

So what are your opinions on this matter?

What is the use of this forum as if not giving suggestions based on what you hear George?
That at least must be possible right?
But wether someone agrees with you, well that remains to be seen, or rather heard...