Classical Music Compilation

[sheffmark]

Hi everyone!
I need a bit of advice from you fine people.
I want to buy a Classical music compilation CD but there seems to be millions on offer!
I know that they will range from Excellent to dire in choice of pieces of music and also quality of the recording.
But i'm wanting to sample more composers and snippets of their finest pieces of music.
So the question is, which are the best ones on offer to a newcomer.
Thanking you in anticipation.

I'm sorry if this question has been asked a million times before!

[Opus106]

It's probably not the exact response that you're looking for, but have you tried any online streaming services like Naxos Music Library (which has quite a few GMG members as happy subscribers) or Spotify? It's very likely that you will 'grow out' of the sampler CD(s) and get recordings that suit your tastes in the future, which means many coasters lying around the house; so with a subscription to one of these services, you have the opportunity to listen to some of the best recordings in the market many times before taking the plunge, bypassing the possibly iffy 'Best of...' CDs. What's more, you may even find a hidden gem or two based on the recommendations these places offer.

[sheffmark]

Thanks opus106!
No i never thought about Naxos music library.
Thats certainly an option and i know what you mean about redundant CDs becoming coasters around the house!
Many thanks for your advice!

Mark.

[Opus106]

Thanks opus106!
No i never thought about Naxos music library.
Thats certainly an option and i know what you mean about redundant CDs becoming coasters around the house!
Many thanks for your advice!

Mark.

You're welcome.

[Xenophanes]

Hi everyone!
I need a bit of advice from you fine people.
I want to buy a Classical music compilation CD but there seems to be millions on offer!
I know that they will range from Excellent to dire in choice of pieces of music and also quality of the recording.
But i'm wanting to sample more composers and snippets of their finest pieces of music.
So the question is, which are the best ones on offer to a newcomer.
Thanking you in anticipation.

I'm sorry if this question has been asked a million times before!

I'm considering get this one, even though I have a few of the recordings.  The old Mercury recordings that I have have great sound and great performances. It has a lot of popular classical music with what I expect are generally excellent recordings.  It's quite a wide ranging collection, though it cannot cover everything.  For example, if you want Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, there are a number of fine recordings. There are a few symphony recordings: if you want more, there are lots of great sets available at budget prices. But on the whole, this is a great collection, and the only reason I am waiting is that I don't have time to listen to them right now!

[asin]B005XBA9Y8[/asin]

[sheffmark]

I'm considering get this one, even though I have a few of the recordings.  The old Mercury recordings that I have have great sound and great performances. It has a lot of popular classical music with what I expect are generally excellent recordings.  It's quite a wide ranging collection, though it cannot cover everything.  For example, if you want Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, there are a number of fine recordings. There are a few symphony recordings: if you want more, there are lots of great sets available at budget prices. But on the whole, this is a great collection, and the only reason I am waiting is that I don't have time to listen to them right now!

[asin]B005XBA9Y8[/asin]

That certainly loos a great boxset!
Quite expensive though!!
If you buy it be sure to let me know what you think of it!!

[Mirror Image]

This is quite a difficult question to answer because I have never felt any "compliation" CD began to do this music any justice. They only offer excerpts in most cases and, while I see the value in exposure for newcomers, I don't think I could ever recommend one of these recordings because the way I see it is if someone is interested in classical music then they'll want to hear the whole work eventually and I think money is better spent elsewhere. Not only that but you can sample a composer's music online before you buy it via YouTube so compilation CDs are out-of-date now. My suggestion is to sample a few composer's music via YouTube and figure out what you like best and come back to GMG for recommendations for a specific work. If it's 20th Century repertoire, I can most definitely help you with that!

[sheffmark]

Excellent advice!
I never thought of it like that!
And thanks for the offer of further advice.I'll probably need it!

[Mirror Image]

Excellent advice!
I never thought of it like that!
And thanks for the offer of further advice.I'll probably need it!

Mark.

Thanks, Mark and you're quite welcome. I'm here to help.

[TheGSMoeller]

Hey, Mark...
If you don't mind MP3s, Amazon.com offers some cheap compilations MP3 albums, some containing 99 tracks...

...this one is only $4.99 and has some really great music, may not be the ideal performances but the price is nice...

http://www.amazon.com/The-Darkest-Pieces-Classical-Music/dp/B0048NUUS2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333757953&sr=8-1


...this one is $2.99...

http://www.amazon.com/The-Most-Essential-Masterpieces-Classical/dp/B0058EH934/ref=pd_sim_dmusic_a_5

...and so on, each of these show similar MP3 collections on their page so you can get directed to dozens more.

[Szykneij]

Hey, Mark...
If you don't mind MP3s, Amazon.com offers some cheap compilations MP3 albums, some containing 99 tracks...

...this one is only $4.99 and has some really great music, may not be the ideal performances but the price is nice...

http://www.amazon.com/The-Darkest-Pieces-Classical-Music/dp/B0048NUUS2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333757953&sr=8-1


...this one is $2.99...

http://www.amazon.com/The-Most-Essential-Masterpieces-Classical/dp/B0058EH934/ref=pd_sim_dmusic_a_5

...and so on, each of these show similar MP3 collections on their page so you can get directed to dozens more.

Nice find, Greg! Some of those tracks are well worth the $ .99 individual price, and to get all of them for only 3 to 5 cents each is a super deal.

[sheffmark]

Thanks for the advice TheGSMoeller!
The general consensus is NOT to buy CDs as such but do some homework first by sampling pieces then buy individual tracks!
Neat idea that's bound to save money too!
Great advice from you all!
Thank-you!

[TheGSMoeller]

You're welcome! 

[Xenophanes]

That certainly loos a great boxset!
Quite expensive though!!
If you buy it be sure to let me know what you think of it!!

For 51 CDs, I think it's quite cheap! Sorry I didn't mention the number.

OK, here's another that looks to be a good value by Decca, with 50 CDs.

[asin]B005D51II0[/asin]

And, we can go to RCA, too.  It costs more, but it has 60 CDs.

[asin]B003UCPEJ2[/asin]

Really, once you start collecting classical CDs, it would be very easy to get past $100 without getting nearly as much as the first two, and the third one is 60 CDs for about $180.

Now, if you have some price range in mind that might help, especially if we have some idea of the sort of music you like. But add 'em up and you may find the Mercury or Decca sets to be really good deals. 

You can find a lot of music on the net, I understand, though I don't subscribe to any of the ones that cost money. YouTube is free but not so convenient for larger works. There are a number of radio stations that are on the net, WFMT Chicago being the one that comes immediately to mind. I think there is a thread on this somewhere.