vasu
Some enterprising bakery and ice cream shops allow you a small nibble of their goodies, in order to entice you further. This is what the list I have posted amounts to. A tantalising glimpse into a garden of earthly delight
Most of the recordings I have mentioned are by seasoned conductors, musicians and orchestra's. That was my primary consideration. Since most of these recordings are from the 1960-1980 period, recording quality will not be state of the art, but will still be very good. I find a lot of the 60's/70's recordings more 'atmospheric' and enchanting than those made in the recent years. The 60's/70's were really great years, for musicians and for recording engineers too!
I have chosen works which are simple, enchanting and immortal from the best known composers of the Baroque period ( 1600-1750 ), the Classical period (1750-1825 ) and the Romantic period (1825-1900). Merely a quick introduction to some of the major composers of these times.
Later I will post another list of 'introductions' to the Nationalist and Modern composers from the 19th and 20th century. In the past few months, Beethoven, Bach, Mozart and Co. have taken a backseat (temporary) for me. I have been completely bewitched, bothered and bowled over, by the later composers like Gustav Mahler, Dmitri Shostakovich, Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Prokofiev, Bela Bartok, Olivier Messiaen, Arnold Schoenberg, Antonin Dvorak, Bedrich Smetana, Alexander Borodin, Modest Mussorgsky, Rimski Korsakov, Mili Balakirev, Cesar Cui, Alexander Glazunov, Aram Khachaturian, Edward Greig, Max Bruch, Jean Sibelius, Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, Alban Berg, Anton Webern, Gyorgy Ligeti, Bohuslav Martinu, Carl Neilsen, Arthur Honneger, Saint Saens, Edward Elgar, Benjamin Britten, Aaron Copland, George Gershwin.....
Amazon UK'S free delivery is truly a road map leading to audio nirvana. Most of the music which I discovered and acquired from Amazon since February 2011, will probably NEVER make it to the shelves of an Indian vendor. Not for a couple of decades at least! Most of the vendors here seem to be getting compilation sets of the Best of Mozart variety. Or outdated recordings with their glory days far in the past. Or even mono recordings from the 1930-1940 era, where the recording label has failed to mention the year of recording, or buried it in print so small that only the most inquisitive consumer will be able to discover it. Compilations and short excerpts do not make any sense in classical music. One should only buy the full recording of a classical work. And that too, after a bit of research about the recording. It's history of original and remastered releases. The acoustic's of the venue where the recording was made. Whether modern or 'historical' instruments were used. The quality and 'house sound' of the orchestra involved. The conductor and musicians who were part of the recording. All this is a gradual learning curve. No need to hurry. The scenery on the way is pleasant and pretty!
