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29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The funniest book on music I've ever read, July 18, 2000
This review is from: The Insider's Guide to Classical Recordings, From the Host of The Record Shelf, a Highly Opinionated, Irreverent, and Selective Guide to What's Good and What's Not (Paperback)
Jim Svejda is a comic genius; that he also knows more about classical music than most of the world put together is just a bonus. Where else can you read about the harpsichord sounding like "two skeletons copulating on a tin roof?" That he is not particularly fond of baroque music (outside of Handel) is the only major flaw in his reviewing; I too was somewhat disappointed in his slighting of Bach's cantatas, and his handling of Bach in general. Fortunately, the latest edition redresses that fact somewhat. But I happen to agree with Svjeda that Harnoncourt and Leonhardt have largely butchered the cantatas, as well as practically every other piece of music they've ever recorded. Svjeda does have his musical obsessions: besides Handel and Mozart, he is truly obsessed with Fritz Reiner and other composers who take a Romantic slant on whatever they're recording. But having bought nearly a hundred recordings based on Svejda's recommendations alone, I can honestly say that I've never been disappointed, and I've often been delighted. The book is worth every penny; I've read the last three editions from cover to cover, and I use it to keep track of my recordings. Since I have over a thousand cds, it's become increasingly hard to keep from buying a duplicate copy of something I don't listen to regularly. Long live Jim Svejda!
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25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
His recommendations are often poorly recorded, December 25, 2001
This review is from: The Insider's Guide to Classical Recordings, From the Host of The Record Shelf, a Highly Opinionated, Irreverent, and Selective Guide to What's Good and What's Not (Paperback)
I enjoy listening to Mr. Svejda on KUSC and enjoy his enthusiasm, immense knowledge, and many opinions. Almost without exception, I can refer to this book after hearing even an obscure piece for the first time and find a thoughtful discussion of it and its composer. My complaint with his reviews is his lack of concern for recording quality to which he openly admits. He has a tin ear when it comes to good recording engineering. Even the recordings he describes as well recorded are often duds in terms of sound quality. For me, there is little enjoyment hearing a fine performance that sounds as if it were recorded in a freight elevator through a fluffy blanket. Those like me who, while not minding less than audiophile grade recordings of the musical giants who preceeeded high fidelity, find little excuse for the inexcusably poor recording quality of so much classical work by contemporary artists and ensembles, should take his recommendations with a grain of salt. Several times, I've bought cds recommended in this book only to be dismally disappointed by a poorly executed recording.
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25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Svejda is a witty, erudite, and honest critic, November 25, 2000
This review is from: The Insider's Guide to Classical Recordings, From the Host of The Record Shelf, a Highly Opinionated, Irreverent, and Selective Guide to What's Good and What's Not (Paperback)
I'm a long-term Svejda fan, starting years before he wrote the first of these books. I've bought and loved every edition of this book, and encourage every lover of classical music to do the same. Do I agree with Jim on every point? Of course not! I don't even think he'd want that--he thinks for himself, and I believe he wants everyone else to do the same. He is, at least, honest enough to admit that a book of his opinions is highly opinionated. I have found him to be a remarkably educated and perceptive critic of classical music, and I always turn to him before I turn to any bland, confirm-the-popular-taste, ruffle-no-feathers, milk-toast of a critic. In most cases I find his opinions to be accurate; in other cases I see his point, but beg to differ. But he is always witty, erudite, and honest. You can't buy a book that will infallibly tell you which recordings you are going to like the best; any author who claims that is dishonest or delusional. But if you want an illuminating, thought-provoking guide to recordings that you should, at least, consider for your collection, this is the place to turn!
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