Listening/Purchasing Plan

[Bulldog]

My wish list just got longer - the idea of Russell Sherman playing Debussy is most interesting.  That's why I enjoy this forum - all those recordings that could've got away . . .

Sherman's Beethoven cycle is the reason I'm interested in his Debussy.

[The new erato]

My wishlist at mdt contains approx 350 items, several of them sets. I guess it could judiciously be pruned to 250 items. And I have about 15 sets on the europadisc wishlist as well in their current boxset bonanza, symphony sets by Melartein, Frankel, Toch, Ries, Holmboe and Milhaud; just to mention some. Call me indiscriminate, but I find something interesting in most music I listen to.

[mn dave]

Call me indiscriminate, but I find something interesting in most music I listen to.

Yeah, me too. And I'm not just talking about classical. 

[The new erato]

Yeah, me too. And I'm not just talking about classical. 

Neither am I.

But it don't mean I buy without a plan. I tend to go for periods, countries, genres. Lots of baroque records on my wishlist but they have been slightly on the backburner this year, while I've explored 20th century byways (van Delden, Badings, Pierne, Magnard etc, etc), while fillling in holes in my knowledge of established personal favorites like Honegger, Martin, Nielsen etc etc.

[Harry]

. Call me indiscriminate, but I find something interesting in most music I listen to.

Let me agree with that my friend.

[some guy]

My plan is simple, insanely simple:

Buy everything that looks interesting.

But seriously, I could no more make a wish list than I could make monkeys fly out of my [severe coughing here]. I try to keep up with things as much as possible, but I just yesterday found out about Matthew Ostrowksi. The disc I ordered, Vertebra, came out ten years ago. There's just no keeping up.

[marvinbrown]

Do you guys have a method to your madness?

Heh.

Sometimes I feel I need a plan for purchasing recordings, otherwise it seems as though I'm attempting to purchase every CD in the universe--just like Harry. And, for me, that's not a good feeling. I'd like to think there will be a time when I can stop and be happy with what I've accumulated over the years. Do you worry about this at all? Do you restrict yourself in some way from buying everything that catches your eye/ear?

  funny you should post this thread now for I am concentrating on Brahms and nothing but Brahms.  My last 6 purchases have been Brahms and nothing but Brahms.  I picked up the Cello and Piano sonatas (Yo-Yo Ma/Emanual Ax), the Viola Sonatas (Bashmet), the Double Concerto and Clarinet Quintet (Capucon/Meyer), The Piano Quartets (Leopold String Trio/Hamelin) and the Violin Sonatas (Serkin/Frank). Too much Brahms you ask?..... No not really!  I still have to buy the string quintets, string sextets and clarinet and piano sonatas!  Why all this Brahms you ask? Why not.......WHY NOT!

  marvin   

[Bulldog]

  funny you should post this thread now for I am concentrating on Brahms and nothing but Brahms.  My last 6 purchases have been Brahms and nothing but Brahms.  I picked up the Cello and Piano sonatas (Yo-Yo Ma/Emanual Ax), the Viola Sonatas (Bashmet), the Double Concerto and Clarinet Quintet (Capucon/Meyer), The Piano Quartets (Leopold String Trio/Hamelin) and the Violin Sonatas (Serkin/Frank). Too much Brahms you ask?..... No not really!  I still have to buy the string quintets, string sextets and clarinet and piano sonatas!  Why all this Brahms you ask? Why not.......WHY NOT!

  marvin   

And don't forget that the sonatas for clarinet and piano have a viola and piano counterpart.  Keep spending!

[karlhenning]

Draw the line at the basset ocarina and accordion version, though!

[adamdavid80]

Anyone know anything about any of the Arthur Rubinstein interpretations of Brahms? 

[Kullervo]

Right now I'm focusing on my Pre-WWII wishlist, when I have some extra money.

[adamdavid80]

For me, this was all so much easier at the beginning: Stop off at Academy Records and check what had recently arrived in the Used section.  If it was a Perahia Mozart PC, and it was going for 5 bucks, grab it.  I had a feeling this would be akin to discovering and exploring rock by listening to early Beatles, and my palette would develop a taste for things a little more exotic and flavorful.  Then the folks at the shop started recommending things, then I found this damn website ( ) and my wallet has not been the same since.  Also, Virgin Megastore had a ridiculous 35% off sale off the enitre classical section, so that was quite the spree for a few weeks (Geza Anda Mozart box, 22 bucks!  Clara Haskil Philips box, $25, etc) .  Funnily enough, the reason they ahd the sale backfired: they were trying to liquidate their classical stock bc they thought they were going to rent out the basement area where the classical section is to a Halloween/Xmas oriented costume/kids store, but the buyers backed out at the last minute.  Eh...their folly, my gain.

Now I'm stopping at the Strand Bookstore regularly too, and just yesterday I pciked up an OOP print book of Alfred Brendel interviews (pretty illuminating!), and there goes 22 bucks right there.

Oy.  My masterplan backfired, but only in the sense that I now have a pretty fuckin' shithot advanced beginners classical library.

[Que]

Anyone know anything about any of the Arthur Rubinstein interpretations of Brahms? 

For on your list: the piano concertos (no.1 with Reiner, no. 2 with Krips), and the piano quintet and piano quartets with the Guarneri Qt. (For the trios Suk/Katchen/Starker is preferable).

Q

[marvinbrown]

And don't forget that the sonatas for clarinet and piano have a viola and piano counterpart.  Keep spending!

Don what do you mean by viola and paino counterpart?  In my original post I stated that I  already have the viola and piano sonatas. Please explain??

  marvin

[mn dave]

Right now I'm focusing on my Pre-WWII wishlist, when I have some extra money.

Ha. I thought you meant pre-war recordings.

[mn dave]

Why all this Brahms you ask? Why not.......WHY NOT!

Indeed.  0:)

[Grazioso]

Do you guys have a method to your madness?

Heh.

Sometimes I feel I need a plan for purchasing recordings, otherwise it seems as though I'm attempting to purchase every CD in the universe--just like Harry. And, for me, that's not a good feeling. I'd like to think there will be a time when I can stop and be happy with what I've accumulated over the years. Do you worry about this at all? Do you restrict yourself in some way from buying everything that catches your eye/ear?

If you fall into that collecting/hoarding mentality, you'll likely never find "a time when I can stop and be happy with what I've accumulated over the years." It'll always be "just one more." You need to ask yourself if it's the music you love, or the collecting, or both, and hopefully enjoy each for what it is. If you do get caught up in accumulation for the sake of it, accumulation that will supposedly sate some desire but never really does, that brings you little lasting pleasure and merely depletes your bank account, then you're a "shopaholic" with an addiction problem.

As for plans, I sort of have one in that for the past few years, I've focused on exploring my favorite genre, the symphony, slowly buying and listening to the complete symphonies of dozens of composers. Of course, I do buy and enjoy other music, too; symphony-collecting isn't a restriction, just a fun endeavor that's led me to wonderful music off the beaten path of the classical mainstream--to mix geographical metaphors Then again, I might be closing in on the point of diminishing returns at this stage--I have about 80 different complete symphony cycles--in which case, I'll keep exploring new music but concentrate more on delving deeper into the works of composers I already know and love.

[Harry]

Let me emphasize a little on the hoarding aspect that Grazioso mentioned in his post. Dave said that I buy every cd in the universe, a bit jokingly of course, but this fits not on me in any way imaginable. I had times I bought lots of music, simply because much was released that interested me. I buy to listen, and not to store away and than simply get satisfaction by looking at them. Of all the CD'S that I bought my self, I can say in all honestly, that I listen to them more than once. Now for me, there is a all time low in buying, for two reasons. I have already a lot of music, and less and less comes on the market that interests me. Thirdly, and that is also a important aspect, the pricing. small labels on the market are increasing their prices every year, by at least one euro. And since I want to spend wisely, I look at quality and quantity, whereby quality is always the rule. I am a budget hunter at first, and seldom buy a full priced cd, simply because the price is too full.
So I am a collector, that listens to all he buys. Collecting and hoarding are two different things in my book.

[mn dave]

Some very nice posts here. Thank you for participating.

I think I will tighten my focus even further, for now, and keep my eye out for inexpensive, unexplored chamber music by Romantic composers. And do more listening and less hoarding, if I'm capable. I might have to use my zen powers for that.

[karlhenning]

So I am a collector, that listens to all he buys.

You are most diligent in your listening, Harry.

And you are: The Steamroller!