Personal Discoveries Thanks to The Forum

[hornteacher]

Although GMG is not my only source for CD ideas, I must say many people here have great suggestions that I have purchased and been very happy with.  So thanks.

[longears]

 > 100 ... far more if we count individual discs in box sets

Many members--especially, Karl, donwyn, Andre, Benji, Dr. Dave (both), Mike (just call me "M"), and Bruce--have proven very reliable guides both to "new" music and to noteworthy recordings.

Thank you all.  Your collective experience and judgment is what brought me here in the first place...and what keeps me coming back.

[George]

..and what keeps me coming back.

Keep coming back! 

[Scriptavolant]

Went for the +100.
It happens almost daily; not always a direct purchase, but often a preliminary download.

I must thank George for his advices on Beethoven (late) Sonatas, Maciek for some polish music including - recently - the "Haunted Manor", Solitary Wanderer for a lot of electronic music I didn't know, many others for jazzy hints. I often go fishing in the "What are you listening to" topic too.

[George]

Went for the +100.
It happens almost daily; not always a direct purchase, but often a preliminary download.

I must thank George for his advices on Beethoven (late) Sonatas,

You're very welcome. 

[Tancata]

A lot. Once I get an idea of a poster's particular tastes, I find recommendations from them a lot more helpful than most professional reviews.

[orbital]

A lot. Once I get an idea of a poster's particular tastes, I find recommendations from them a lot more helpful than most professional reviews.

Same here.  I have no idea what the professional reviewer's agendas might be. Even if they do not have any other agenda other than writing about music they like/dislike, it is still too little information for me to go on in general.
Whereas, on a board like this, you do not only follow people's musical tastes. You learn more about those people who are giving you recommendations or warnings and I for one take them much more seriously (and sincerely) than  I do a professional critic.

[springrite]

My guess would be 40 to 50, but it could be more, and does not include recommendation by GMG members before GMG (M's recommendations came before either of us came here, for instance). I should take this opportunity to thank all members who contributed to this, including but not limited to: Edward, UB, Sidoze, Squarez, Calaf (remember him?), Uffeviking, and many others.

[springrite]

I am postponing any purchases based on Harry's recommendation until AFTER I win the lottery.

[Mark]

... Calaf (remember him?) ...

Still with us, only now as 'Lilas Pastia'.

[Harry]

I am postponing any purchases based on Harry's recommendation until AFTER I win the lottery.

Is it that bad Paul?
I do not post all Purchases anymore, because of the reactions I get from some members.
But what I post is little enough, so you can afford it.

I guess I bought about 100 cd's on recommendation, of Que, Don, Bogey, Karl, Florestan, Springrite, Sonic Man..............

[schweitzeralan]

There are so many composers mentioned in the many varieties of thread, so many composers whose works I am not familiar with; however, there were a few I had to check out.  Thanks to the forum, I am now involved with the following newly discovered works (for me).

Gliere- Symphony No. 1; The Sirens.  How could I have missed this one.  "Sirens" is so similar to the musical vocabulary of one of my favorites "Ilya."

Enescu- Piano Sonatas; Suites

Dyson - Symphony in G Major

Boulanger - D'un soir triste

"Ukranian Music of the 20th century" pianisitc works which include, among others, Lyatoshinsky.

Just a few; however, much appreciated, thanks again to the knowledge of the many posters.  There's more I have to look into.

[Brian]

Just looked through my iTunes and found albums of music by Moeran (inspired by Dundonnell), Bruckner's 7th with Blomstedt (many GMGers), the Cleveland Quartet playing Debussy and Ravel (Mark), Levine's The Planets (DavidRoss), Boulez' Daphnis (M forever), symphonies by George Lloyd (again, several people), a compilation of Kubelik (Todd), the complete Beethoven piano sonatas (chose a set based on Todd's writeup), and, of course, Braga Santos.    What's more, I have two box sets of Sviatoslav Richter performances which I would not have if it weren't for George, a Beethoven cycle (Norrington/LCP) that I wouldn't have but for M forever (although I don't like it), and Grieg's complete orchestral music as pointed out to me by Dave (SonicMan).

It's safe to say that without this forum I would have never begun listening to Moeran, Bax, Elgar (beyond the Enigma), Braga Santos, Freitas Branco, Atterberg (maybe the biggest discovery of all), Gliere, Karlowicz, or, of course, Henning. Furthermore I'd guess that, without this forum, my development in (not to mention listening to) Sibelius and Shostakovich would be far behind its present point.

[DavidW]

Everything in my collection is due to this forum.  I have bought and listened to thousands of recordings all due to rec's from current posters and former posters.  This forum is more valuable than any listening guide book or any magazine subscription.

[DavidW]

I guess I can tell a specific story about a good rec.  I had an impulse (like a few other times in the past three years) to buy some classical music, and having heard some Carter on the radio, I searched out some reviews and this forum and ended up based on Joe Barron's review getting a cd of his first and fifth string quartets.  That was back in December.

Sounds boring right?  Well the other two cds I had bought were quickly forgotten and after awhile I slid back into listening to nothing, but a few months would go bye and I felt the urge to listen to that Carter again, and those string quartets would get heavy replay.  And I would listen to other things as well, and then fade away again.  But every so often in the past few months those works kept bringing me back, until finally *pop* back into classical music listening! 

Those Carter string quartets were the catalyst that got me back into the classical music obsession, and that's thanks to gmg forumites.

[ChamberNut]

Shostakovich (several people)

Wagner (Marvin Brown, Andy)

Strauss, R. orchestral works (M Forever, and some others too.)

Beethoven's Wind Music (Bogey)

Dvorak's Panocha String Quartets (Dave - SonicMan)

Mozart Piano Concertos (Geza Anda - George, and a few others specifically recommended this set)

Saint-Saens Piano Concertos (David Ross and Karl)

[ChamberNut]

Haydn Op. 20 and op. 76 - Kodaly Qt. (Andy)

Mozart String Quintets - Talich Quartet (Andy)

Tchaikovsky  - Muti/Philharmonia (Harry)

And I'm sure there are many others I'm forgetting, so I apologize in advance.  0:)

[vandermolen]

Too many to mention really but, off the top of my head, some of the guilty ones (responsible for feeding my addiction  ) are:

Lilas Pastia (Schulhoff Symphony No 5, Ross Edwards Symphony Da Pacem Domine, Jaz Coleman etcetcetc)

Harry (Alan Bush Symphony No 2)

Christo (Diepenbrock, Vermeulen, Santoro Symphony No 4, Orthel, Simeon Ten Holt etc)

J (Kleiberg's Bell Reef Symphony, Miaskovsky Symphony No 16, String Quartets, Hurum Symphony etcetc)

Dundonnell: Simonsen Hellas and Zion symphonies etc

+ many more

[schweitzeralan]

Too many to mention really but, off the top of my head, some of the guilty ones (responsible for feeding my addiction  ) are:

Lilas Pastia (Schulhoff Symphony No 5, Ross Edwards Symphony Da Pacem Domine, Jaz Coleman etcetcetc)

Harry (Alan Bush Symphony No 2)

Christo (Diepenbrock, Vermeulen, Santoro Symphony No 4, Orthel, Simeon Ten Holt etc)

J (Kleiberg's Bell Reef Symphony, Miaskovsky Symphony No 16, String Quartets, Hurum Symphony etcetc)

Dundonnell: Simonsen Hellas and Zion symphonies etc

+ many more

What is your opinion of Miaskovsky? I have several symphonies.  My favorite is the 21st.  I'm having a hard time "getting into" many of the others.  Must be me. I'll also check other threads.  I just wanted your personal opinion.  I know he's quite prolific. Yet his works seem to lack that "color" and "visionary" sense developed among his contemporaies.

[The new erato]

After 30 years buying classical, I pretty much follow my own whims and accumulated experience. Two recent great discs bought because of this forum is the Hurum Simax (too close to home to think about it without prompting) and the Simonsen on cpo (dismissed by Hurwitz and a disc to disappear in the deluge as long as I haven't seen any other reviews). You guys convinced me otherwise, and I'm glad you did.