Customer Reviews

The NPR Guide to Building a Classical CD Collection : The 350 Essential Works

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The NPR Guide to Building a Classical CD Collection is a good start but, it has its limitations. Ted Libbey gave himself a daunting task in putting this guide together. He did an excellent job on the two chapters on orchestral works and concertos, which comprise about half the book. These chapters alone make this book worth the money. His commentary is concise without losing important detail. The reasons that he selected the recommended recordings are clearly laid out. He gives the audiophile a genuine opportunity to understand what is good in a specific recording and what is missing. In many cases he provides more than one choice and explains the differences between the recordings. Based on his commentary, I am obsessively trying to find the Elan recording of Santiago Rodriguez playing Prokofievs Piano Concerto No. 3.

As the guide progresses, however, the author seems to lose interest. His chapter on chamber music is adequate. Then, he zips through solo keyboard works and sacred music. By the time he gets to the last chapter on Opera he has given up. It is ridiculously short. The entire subject is covered in 60 pages! It is not well edited. At one point he states that Leontyne Price is the great Aida of our time; then he does not mention her recording of this Verdi masterpiece. His recommendation of Mirella Frenis Aida is a surprise. It is in this chapter that the author has decided not to give any reasons for his recommendations. And so, we are left puzzled. What is wrong with Leontyne Prices Aida? All of Marilyn Hornes opera recordings are overlooked. He correctly lists the brilliant Victoria de los Angeles and Jussi Bjorling recording of La Boheme, but fails to note that this is a mono recording.

Perhaps Ted Libbey should have co authored this book with someone interested in vocal music, or represented this as the essential guide to orchestral works and concertos. It is certainly worth having. But the true classical CD collector will need other guides for help in finding those special vocal and solo instrument recordings. I recommend this with some reservation.

I love this book. It has been the sole guide my wife and I have used to flesh out our collection of art music recordings for close to a year now. However the book has major problems.

While everyone certainly has their favorite composers and genres of music, the amount of space dedicated to Jean Sibelius defies all logic. While he was certainly great and wrote much better stuff than I could ever write, the amount of space devoted toward this relatively obscure composer is indefensible in light of all the composers left out, even in his 2nd list of 350 in the back. No works by Telemann, C.P.E. Bach, Corelli, Poulenc, Satie, or Couperin (what does he have against the French?).

What is even more glaring is the neglect some of the greatest composers of all time recieve. Libby spotlights Handel as a "major maestro" and then lists a paltry three of his works. They are his greatest to be sure, but if one is going to include him alongside Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, J.S. Bach and Haydn one needs to list more than three pieces. Even worse is poor Schubert who, not only unlucky enough to be overshadowed by Beethoven his whole life, now must be grossly under represented here and not even given "major maestro" status. His lieder are inexplicably lumped in with the chamber music vividly illustrating Libby's neglect of vocal and choral music. That none of Vivaldi's highly influencial sacred music is not included is also a crime. He seems lucky to get the Four Seasons in.

That, more than Libby's love for Sibelius, is the greatest flaw of this book. Choral and vocal music are given short shrift time and time again as shown by the tiny chapters on opera and sacred music and the lack of any discussion of secular non-operatic music or solo vocal sacred works (Schubert gets it again).

I don't want to give the impression that I don't like this book. I love it. There is really nothing else out there like it and Libby's writing is easy to understand, informative and even entertaining (especially in the margins)! This book could be greatly impoved however. I would recommend using it in conjunction with the reviews on Amazon (taken with a grain of salt) or with some other source like your local classical radio station (if you have one).

Despite its flaws, buy it!

An outstanding guide to building a classical CD collection.As a classical music collector and a listener of public radio, I find this guide to be very essential,even for those who already have a CD collection.The book is in six chapters:Chapter one tells about music for orchestra,chapter two about concertos,chapter three on chamber music, chapter four on solo keyboard work on chapters five and six Mr.Libbey tells about vocal works,including, sacred music, secular choral music,and opera by various composers of different times.Mr.Libbey also offers great details about each work that he tells about. The book also has funny illustrations about composers and performers and about circumstances sorrounding certain compositions.My favourite is the illustration of the violinist where Mr.Libbey explains about Beethoven`s Razumosvsky quartet #1 on page 305,the chapter about chamber music. The book also shows pictures of composers, performers,and conductors.This book is of great value and help for classical music lovers everywhere.Mr.Libbey you did a marvelous job. Thanks for this great guide.A five stars indeed!

This is an excellent guide for "Building a Classical CD Collection".

The choices of selections and specific recordings, and the organization, writing, and extras are all first rate.
The book is divided into six sections based on types of music (not era's or composers). Although the first section is 200
pages, many of the composers are introduced there so the book is reasonably balanced.

A typical four pages consists of a bio on the composer (adding a real sense of history), a description of a selection, then
a few performances with commentary on
each recording as well.

The author's picks include many from the Berlin and Vienna orchestras, and several from London, Montreal, Chicago,
New York, Boston, Cleveland, Amsterdam and Columbia. He chose Karajan recordings, as well as Bernstien, Dutoit,
Colin Davis, Gardiner, Previn, Walter, Szell, and Marriner. Performers mentioned include Rubinstien, Ashkenazy,
Pearlman, Perahia, Mutter, and Schiff.

There are also plenty of interesting short stories and pictures about composers, conductors, orchestras, and performers
added in the generous margins. Another helpful section placed at the end, gives suggestions for: beginning a collection,
teenagers, special occasions, and other favorites of the author. After this, there is a helpful index of composers and
performers.
If you don't like having only a few recommendations for each work, getting a Penguin or Gramophone guide may
help. And of course: **read the reviews at Amazon.com!**

The book covers most of the "essential works" extremely well, but with 350 selections, it seems that a few other works
could have been included:
Vivaldi concertos, Sibelius Finlandia and no.1, Rachmaninov piano no.3, Bruckner no.4, Handel concerto grossi,
Schubert no.5 and string quartet no.14, Ravel La Valse, Mendelssohn no.3, more Schumann, Gershwin piano concerto
in F, Schoenberg Moonstruck Pierrotierrot, and the Mahler eighth.

Note to the author and publisher: I would welcome updates every five? years or so, to keep up with all of the new
recordings.

Ted Libbey, of NPR fame, is a compelling guide to the 350 "essential" works of classical music presented in this book. Not only does he provide a convincing listing of the basic canon and recommended recordings to go with it, but he also supplies a wealth of absorbing anecdotal information to liven up the proceedings. For example, I had always been impressed by the mood of suspense and foreboding conjured up by the first movement of Mozart's C Minor Piano Concerto (K. 491); Mr. Libbey reproduces the "grotesque face" that the composer drew on the mansucript to show that Mozart felt the same way. The musical works in the book are grouped in six sections: orchestral works, concertos, chamber music, solo keyboard works, sacred and choral music and finally opera. I must admit that I have been strongly influenced by this book when beginning my own explorations of chamber music and solo piano pieces, and I am convinced that "The NPR Guide" will prove equally useful to other readers interested in classical music.

I am fairly new to classical music and I have found this book very helpful. It is entertaining, informative and a good source for building a classical CD collection. I consider this book one of the most valuable books I have on the subject of classical music. The information about the composers and about each of the pieces really helped me learn alot more about the music. The works listen are definately the good choices although there are always some that cannot be mentioned which are still very good. Ted Libbey's knowledge of classical music and each piece is truly amazing. Sometimes it was a little hard to understand all that he was saying about different pieces because but as I listened to the songs and following along with what he was saying, it made a great deal more sense. He really maps out what is happening in every movement of each piece of music. There is humor as well and interesting sidenotes. The book is very user friendly and I like how he groups things into Orchestral Works, Concertos, Chamber Music, Keyboard Music, Sacred and Choral Music and Opera. I have even had questions about things and have been able to email the author and receive a quick and thorough response. I have had this book for over half a year and I still have places to explore in it although it is hard to put down. You don't have to read it cover to cover, it's more of a reference book but you can if you want. Anyway, I highly recommend this book and it was definately a worthwhile investment for me.

For the individual who has recently discovered classical music, this is likely the best guide to help them get a firm foothold. Once someone becomes interested in classical music, they soon realize it is an enormous entity with hundreds of composers and nearly 100,000 CDs. Ted Libbey's book, now in the 2nd edition, is an excellent introduction to the core repertoire of classical music. It is possibly the best guide to help one navigate their first steps through this daunting mass of material. The book is logically conceived with sections on orchestral music, concertos, chamber music, solo piano, and opera. Each subsection is arranged alphabetically by composer, with about a page devoted to each individual work. This is followed by Libbey's suggestions for the best available recordings. Almost every page has either a relevant photo or wry illustrative cartoon. The prose is very approachable and most of the points are excellent ones, aptly argued in a highly literate style.

So, if I think the book is so great, why only give it four stars? First, I'd give it four and a half if this program would allow it. One reason why I did not go the full five stars is because Libbey includes stories that have not been proven. (Example; Tchaikovsky was forced to drink poison because his colleagues found out he made a sexual advance at the Czar's nephew.) There are enough fascinating true stories about the great composers without having to entertain the bizarre or unsubstantiated ones. Other possible drawbacks are some of Libbey's choices for representative recordings have become outdated, and arguments could be made that some of his other choices are not the best available.

In the long run however the book is a great success and would greatly help someone to get a solid start to become more familiar with the vast and wonderful world of classical music. Possibly a good approach would be for our hypothetical novice to supplement Libbey's book with the Penguin Guide to CDs, or the Grammophone Good CD Guide. After getting a little more familiar with the turf, one learns to read between the lines and then suddenly, the mountain of material begins to yield a visible path.

Bottom line? If you want to get started with classical music this may be the best place to look. If you already know the difference between Schubert and Schumann, or Weber and Webern, pass this up.

In 1994 I sought a guide for building my collection. I bought the first edition, and promised myself to acquire a copy of every work listed, over a leisurely span of seven to nine years. I continued the process with the second edition. Yesterday (8/18/03), I acquired the last CD. This book has been my "goodie list" for the last nine years, as I searched online and in stores/ basements/ shelves for what has been the most protracted and immensely enjoyable musical scavenger hunt of my life. My issues are dog eared, thumbworn, scrawled with across with notes, sprouting Post-It notes, and a personal source of immense pride and happiness. I trusted this book to lead me and my pockebook. Now I look at and listen to my collection as I reread Mr. Libbey's text. One day, I hope my children will do the same. Thanks, Mr. Libbey, for providing me the blueprint that I followed, word for word, as I built my classical musical hierloom.

I am glad Libbey has updated this book. The out-of-date discography in the previous version made it less useful than it could have been.

Easy to read, fun. And it actually discusses the works themselves, not just the performances (unlike the Penguin book.)

But it leaves out some very important works, and some very important recordings. I agree that the devotee will probably use Penguin book more. (I do.)

A good intermediate book might be Jim Svejda's "The Record Shelf Guide to Classical CD's and Audiocassettes." Like Libbey, Svejda has an NPR show also. The book lists works that are important or that he simply likes, along with suggestions for recordings. It is a good way to find good composers or works that are less familiar. A little more opinionated and personal than the Penguin, but a fun read. His "The Insider's Guide to Classical Recordings" might also be good, though I haven't read it.

This is a terrific guide - extraordinarily well-written and beautifully presented - that will appeal equally well to the classical music beginner, the intermediate, and also to those who consider themselves "experts" in the classical music listening field. Ted's insight into the music, and to those who have composed and performed it, is astounding, and delivered to the reader in a narrative style that is, like his radio commentary, as warm and down to earth as it is eloquent and well-informed. Rarely has anyone in the field matched Ted's gift for being able to discuss the "rarified air" of classical music in such a natural and appealing manner without crossing that dreaded line into expert snobbery and snootiness.

This new edition has been expanded to feature 350 Essential Works (up from 300), and also includes several interesting new sections designed to augment the recommended recordings while providing additional advice and insight to those starting to build, and to those continuing to expand, their classical music library. While any "Essential Works" collection in any field of endeavor will, by definition, be exclusionary and therefore leave itself open to debate (try ranking the greatest baseball players of all time, for example, or the finest works of art), Ted has done a truly thoughtful and admirable job in making his selections. No doubt he could have picked 500 Essential Works, or even 1000, to cover all the bases and insure that everyone's personal favorites were included. But then the book wouldn't be nearly as interesting, and it would also weigh a ton when you lay in bed reading it.