The "Gramophone" Classical Music Guide 2009

The thing about recordings of Classical music is that the best performances are not always the latest ones. Anyone who listens to radio 3's building a library knows that? So despite it being 8 years old now this is still a useful reference source. Many Classical music web sites now feature recommendations from many different sources and publish reviews of new releases. This means that the printed versions have, if reviewers are right, declined somewhat since the noughties? However many great recordings were made in the late 70's and 80's and many of these are still available on "Classic Performance" labels from the original publisher OR re-released on different labels. Be Aware this is a very thick book so you'll need plenty of bookcase shelf space.

The latest Gramophone guides have been dumbed down but this one from 2009 is in the old format. Much more informative and still really useful, if you can find it second hand.

Thank you, excellent book excellent service

great

ECCELLENTE

I was given a copy of the 2003 version of this book and it's worth having just for it's 'Suggested Basic Library' which is a great starting point for anyone interested in 'classical' music.Although the book has pointed me in the direction of many bargains (and not just recordings from budget labels - many 'premium' CDs can be found dirt cheap on here) I have still spent a lot of money that I might not have. Be warned you'll soon be on here searching and in no time and your wish list will start to grow exponentially!The upside, of course, is the pleasure of discovering all the fantastic music.Apart from the risk to your wallet I have two other reservations about this book:1) The comments about sound quality are not always reliable. The vast majority are fine, but I have purchased a couple of recommendations where I have not been nearly as impressed by the recording quality as the reviewer. Remember that the reviewers' listening skills may be better at assessing the performance rather than the presentation of the music. Amazon, and some of the recording companies, often have samples on their websites which, even though they are at low bit rates, often give you a good idea about the sound (and the performance for that matter).2) This is not the only tool you need to expand your collection - it's certainly not the only one available. Going on the Amazon/the web/iTunes and listening to samples is useful and then there are magazines with free sample CDs. In the end it doesn't matter what the reviews are like for a given recording - for some recordings there may not even be one - it's whether you do or don't like it that matters. (My favourite version of  Vivaldi: The Four Seasons  is one that I had never seen reviewed anywhere at the time of purchase.)My point is, that although this book is a great place to start, it's merely one tool amongst the many available for searching out great recordings.Having said that, the comment from the reviewer above about her other half not being able to put it down is true. I have spent many a happy hour dipping into this and then searching on the internet......classical music is addictive!You have been warned! :)(Oh and do yourself a favour - don't buy MP3/iTunes downloads, get the CD. Although you might initially listen on your iPod, at some point you will want to listen on a decent stereo at home and the extra detail will really shine through.)

Gave this to my husband for Christmas and had trouble prising him loose from it... Everything you need to know about all the extant recordings of anything classical is there - buy it!