Customer Reviews

Classical Cd Library: A Music Lover's Guide to Great Recorded Performances

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

PICK IT UP! Ironically, the dilemma with books of this nature is that even experts disagree widely, and when experts disagree so widely there are no experts. At best, there are guides, and the difficulty is finding a guide to suit your taste. The key is not necessarily picking up the latest book on the subject and following its suggestions, but choosing a favorite recording of your own, say a particular version of Scheherazade or the Unfinished or whatever first got you interested, and checking to see which guide agrees with you - and then adopting that guide for other recordings. I remember buying Martin Bookspan's book, 101 Masterpieces of Music and Their Composers, and chucking it in disgust when I read he prized a recording of the Brahms Double Concerto by Francescatti/Fournier/Walter for its elegance and polish over the Heifetz/Piatigorsky/Wallenstein recording which he found hectic, rushed, and ragged. I'd found the H/P/W gutsy, guttural, and individualistic, and the F/F/W a performance by numbers, a corporate effort - in short, uninspired. Sethna and Stivelman's Classical CD Library practically fell into my lap during the Christmas season as I was in the process of replacing records of favorite works with CDs. Brahms is still my touchstone, the composer I know and like best, but looking through the selections for his Violin Concerto I found no mention of my favorite interpretation - by Perlman/Giulini. Instead, among other recommendations, two recordings by Anne-Sophie Mutter were listed, the earlier with Karajan recorded when Mutter was still a teener, the later with Masur. To the second Stivelman grants a dazzling technique, to the first incandescence, but what roused my curiosity was the particular nature of his enthusiasm: "[Mutter] is truly overwhelming in the guttural tone that she obtains from her instrument ... [and has] a concussive effect upon me equivalent to that of the San Andreas Fault!" I was reminded of my affection for the guttural Double by H/P/W and searched for the teen version - which amply rewarded my search. I listened to it three times back-to-back the first day and was reduced each time to a breathless state. The cliché's true: I was listening to it again for the first time. An added bonus: the teen version is paired with the Mendelssohn Violin, no less enjoyable though hardly as thrilling as the Brahms - but that's Mendelssohn's fault, not Mutter's, not Stivelman's, not Sethna's. The book's become, as you may imagine, an indispensable reference. I would say more, but my time's better spent listening yet again to Mutter's violin - but let me recommend instead that you pick up the volume and check it out for yourself.

Although I have never written a review such as this, I felt compelled to present a differing slant from the person whose words I find dangerous.....the term he uses to describe the book. For all of us who are not professionally involved with classical music, but include it as a part of our everyday nourishment, the sadness we carry because of the state of classical music in the United States is palpable. Radio stations dumbing down, fewer recordings being made and of course, less employment. Classical music is rarely taught in public schools anymore, where the football, not a whole note, is the ovoid shape. We who care deeply for the artform need many easily digestible books, such as this, to START the process by which our new listeners learn.......and eventually get to Groves.Right!! Some people have no interest in going that far--okay; all the more reason to have a well written, newly published accessible volume for them! Let us try to keep all the arts alive through reading, museums, listening, going to theater, symphony, etc. With this book in hand, listening to a selected piece....and explaining it to your child as well as yourself makes up much for the loss of public school music education.

I have been a classical music enthusiast for 30 years. I would be hard-pressed to state how many thousands record/cd magazine reviews and books on recordings I have ingested during those 3 decades. But never have I encountered a travesty to compare with this. The writing and grammar are mind-boggling. Just one of hundreds of examples: "Here lies Bruckner's true romantic poetic abode rather than in the passion and ecstasy of romance into which he was being vainly lured." Does this mean anything? The book is an avalanche of similar linguistic catastrophes. I actually blushed while reading much of this tome.

The authors' picks in basic repertoire and performances are, of course, personal and though I disagree with many of their choices they certainly have a right to their opinions. However, there are quite a few strange statements. In reviewing La Boheme, for example, the author states "this is the only Boheme that you will need. When all is said and done, there is nothing else to do or say." Huh? He recommends the Karajan (London) recording. My guess is he never heard any other recording of the opera. Does Beecham ring a bell? You don't have to like it but to not mention one of the classics of the gramophone... I'm stunned. To state that one performance of any work closes the door on all other interpretations throughout recorded history is, is...again I am flabergasted.

There are many errors of content also. They suggest that the "Emperor" quartet of Haydn is Opus 77. How could two TWO authors not know that a basic repertoire piece the "Emperor" is Opus 76 #3?. Could it be a typo? Nope it occurs in three different places including the table of contents. Where is the editor?

I apologize for the rank negativity of this review. If this was a high school term paper it would get a "D". The authors are a physician and a Medical School Professor. Wow. Wow.

Like food, cigars and wine, musical preferences are VERY personal. I love Bach and hate Mahler -- others feel the opposite. How does a classical music neophyte wade through a mass of titles from plainchant to 12 tone? You buy a variety of books and start reading -- this one is a reasonable starting point. The authors have divided their recommended works into 10 chronological sections, each with numerous examples of the genre. The strength of this work lies not in an infinite list of all available CD's (like some books), or a short list of common works (like others). The strength of this book lies in a selection of important compositions with thorough explanations of that composition's place in history. This is a book to be studied, not skimmed, and it would be an important addition to a music-lover's bookshelf.

I offer another point of view. Stivelman and Sethna have written a book from their hearts. This is not an academic text--nor should it be. It is admittedly subjective and that's GOOD, because the intelligent discussions are what make appreciation of classical music so delicious! I found it informative as well as humorous.

Sethna and Stivelman have composed a text for the novice, one which neither intends to be exhaustive nor comprehensive. The content is limitied principally to symphonic literature, and the histories of each work depicted are sufficiently brief and yet broad-spectrum enough to allow the new introductee to classical music to glean a feel of the work. Stivelman's contribution, the recommended performances, indeed are hardly dangerous, but are, rather, well educated recommendations based on my 65 years of listening. His choices are apt, desert-island issues, and his recommendations are rather mainstream. He does identify willful performances which are worthy but by and large his choices are well engineered, acutely performed, educated interpretations by major artists and orchestras, so they will be readily available to the public in North America. Indeed this is a home-spun effort, but it is one, contrary to our Idaho-friend below, which is an excellent point of departure for the new listener. I could not recommend it more highly.

A labor of love such as this ordinarily should be cause of rejoicing. However, those wishing to explore the fine world of classical music can find many other titles better-written, with deeper perspective and wisdom. The writing is often clumsy, and contradictory. The performance choices--the book's heart--are poorly thought out, and reflect personal considerations which will not serve the purchaser of either the book or the recommended music. The lifetime listening program appended to the end of the book contains puzzling omissions, even given the limitations of space. Also, more surprising since the book has two authors, are the occasional garbled syntax and vague, pointless phrases. There are too many competitive titles in print to justify time spent with this volume

Ironically, the dilemma with books of this nature is that even experts disagree widely, and when experts disagree so widely there are no experts. At best, there are guides, and the difficulty is finding a guide to suit your taste. The key is not necessarily picking up the latest book on the subject and following its suggestions, but choosing a favorite recording of your own, say a particular version of Scheherazade or the Unfinished or whatever first got you interested, and checking to see which guide agrees with you - and then adopting that guide for other recordings. Further reading and listening will help you develop your own built-in sh*t-detector. I remember buying Martin Bookspan's book, 101 Masterpieces of Music and Their Composers, and chucking it in disgust when I read he prized a recording of the Brahms Double Concerto by Francescatti/Fournier/Walter for its elegance and polish over the Heifetz/Piatigorsky/Wallenstein recording which he found hectic, rushed, and ragged. I'd found the H/P/W gutsy, guttural, and individualistic, and the F/F/W a performance by numbers, a corporate effort - in short, uninspired. Sethna and Stivelman's Classical CD Library practically fell into my lap during the Christmas season as I was in the process of replacing records of favorite works with CDs. Brahms is still my touchstone, the composer I know and like best, but looking through the selections for his Violin Concerto I found no mention of my favorite interpretation - by Perlman/Giulini. Instead, among other recommendations, two recordings by Anne-Sophie Mutter were listed, the earlier with Karajan recorded when Mutter was still a teener, the later with Masur. To the second Stivelman grants a dazzling technique, to the first incandescence, but what roused my curiosity was the particular nature of his enthusiasm: "[Mutter] is truly overwhelming in the guttural tone that she obtains from her instrument ... [and has] a concussive effect upon me equivalent to that of the San Andreas Fault!" I was reminded of my affection for the guttural Double by H/P/W and searched for the teen version - which amply rewarded my search. I listened to it three times back-to-back the first day and was reduced each time to a breathless state. The cliché's true: I was listening to it again for the first time. An added bonus: the teen version is paired with the Mendelssohn Violin, no less enjoyable though hardly as thrilling as the Brahms - but that's Mendelssohn's fault, not Mutter's, not Stivelman's, not Sethna's. The book's become, as you may imagine, an indispensable reference. I would say more, but my time's better spent listening yet again to Mutter's violin - but let me recommend instead that you pick up the volume and check it out for yourself.

As a long time classical music lover and record collector, and not being a professional critic or musician, I found the book interesting because "one of us amateurs" did it! As the other reviews point out, there are other better written (the writing is painfully awkward at times) and more comprehensive books on the subject, as well as magazines such as Gramophone and American Record Guide.

What I found interesting were the personal insights and anecdotes, and the reasons why that individual prefers a particular recording. Because we amateurs are not so influenced by the fashions of the professional congoscenti, I believe there is a place for this type of book. Hey, I would like to write one myself, had I the time and talent!

This book's choices for excellent recordings are great!