Buying Western Classical Music

[captrajesh]

Great start Rajesh!
Have you been buying for long or was it a onetime buy from someone?
Is it by design or by chance that you made a good selection?

Ajay, I had purchased the entire collection of 50 titles of the listed CDs and a few other CDs of Fusion, Pop etc (A total of 63 CDs) in one shot from a gentleman who for reasons best known to him was getting rid of his collection All of them are in mint condition.

He says he cherishes his collection and says some of them cannot be got for whatever money but is apparently relocating and hence the sale.

But no Bach!

Yeah, no Bach.

Statutory Warning
The day Mozart or Beethoven enter your bloodstream and 'infect' you,Pink Floyd,Dire Straits,Eagles and Co.will lose their magic and start seeming very very ordinary.

:lol:Hope so.

 

[ajay124]

Since nobody seems to be interested in starting a dedicated Indian Classical thread,I will try to expand the perview of this one to include the same.
Hifivision will not allow me to change the title of the thread but from this moment forward,lets assume that the new title is
Buying Indian And Western Classical Music
Ultimately it's not about starting new threads at the drop of a hat,but about contributing meaningful posts to make the forum a more interesting place
Can somebody recommend nicely packaged,nicely recorded CD'S of Indian Classical music?Looking to expand my collection.
One reason for not buying more Indian CD's is that the one's I bought,had mediocre sound quality and packaging,although with great music.
Are there any labels which are doing a good job with remastering and packaging this music?
Can somebody offer brief introductions of the various gharanas and musicians?
Or send links to interesting sites dedicated to Hindustani Classical.The best site I know (discovered by my wife ) is
MusicIndiaOnline - Free Indian Music, Listen to Free Bollywood, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Carnatic, Hindustani, Devotional Music

 

[srramanujam]

There are some recommendations on the thread South Indian Carnatic Classical Music, of course it only about Carnatic.


The good labels that i have heard ae

1) Chhanda Dhara - recorded in Germany, but is not widely available in India. Appears to have the best quality recording, medium and jewel case. Largely about hindustani with a sprinkling of Carnatic. There is a dealer in Surat who sent me a reasonably long list of CDs that he has. I will locate and post it.

2) EMI - The Ravishankar recordings are very good.

3) Music Today - Generally good, but be careful about repeat CDs under different label name or compilation. A good start could be the Saaz, Sut, Taal collection which is about 16 CDs from different artistes at a good bargain.

4) Charusr - Carnatic Music, Excellent live recordings - their site is quite good.

The one CD that you must buy is from DD Archives - Bismillah Khan, N Rajam and Kishen Maharaj recorded live in Benares. Unbelivably captivating music with reasonable quality recording.

 

[ajay124]

CHARSUR
http://www.charsur.com/charsur-india/index.php
Interesting website for Carnatic music.
My 'knowledge' :sad: extends to having heard the names,
and a little bit of music by L Subramaniam and MS Subbulaksmi.
Will be browsing,learning and listening to more Carnatic Music.

 

[captrajesh]

My 'knowledge' :sad: extends to having heard the names, and a little bit of music by L Subramaniam and MS Subbulaksmi.
Will be browsing,learning and listening to more Carnatic Music.

Try pinging skr of our forum for auditioning some of the stuff when he comes to India next. He is a great fan of Balamurali Krishna & has good collection of his.

 

[ajay124]

THE HIT PARADE
I googled the full names of major composers and came up with these number of 'hits' :
Johann Sebastian Bach About 3,180,000 results (0.23 seconds)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart About 2,930,000 results (0.23 seconds)
Ludwig Van Beethoven About 3,330,000 results (0.23 seconds)
Franz Schubert About 2,520,000 results (0.20 seconds)
Joseph Haydn About 1,880,000 results (0.23 seconds)
Frederic Chopin About 1,200,000 results (0.20 seconds)
Robert Schumann About 3,560,000 results (0.29 seconds)
Johannes Brahms About 1,930,000 results (0.20 seconds)
George Frederick Handel About 1,930,000 results (0.20 seconds)
Gustav Mahler About 1,580,000 results (0.20 seconds)
Is Robert Schumann numero uno because Robert is the most popular name from those in the list?

 

[kendun]

Since nobody seems to be interested in starting a dedicated Indian Classical thread,I will try to expand the perview of this one to include the same.
Hifivision will not allow me to change the title of the thread but from this moment forward,lets assume that the new title is
Buying Indian And Western Classical Music
Ultimately it's not about starting new threads at the drop of a hat,but about contributing meaningful posts to make the forum a more interesting place
Can somebody recommend nicely packaged,nicely recorded CD'S of Indian Classical music?Looking to expand my collection.
One reason for not buying more Indian CD's is that the one's I bought,had mediocre sound quality and packaging,although with great music.
Are there any labels which are doing a good job with remastering and packaging this music?
Can somebody offer brief introductions of the various gharanas and musicians?
Or send links to interesting sites dedicated to Hindustani Classical.The best site I know (discovered by my wife ) is
MusicIndiaOnline - Free Indian Music, Listen to Free Bollywood, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Carnatic, Hindustani, Devotional Music

Search for CDs produced by Water Lily Records - the sound quality is amazing,the CDs are well produced/recorded/mastered. I have a couple of CDs - A meeting by the river,At the court of the Chera King and a planning to buy some more later.

 

[ajay124]

Western Classical music is based on fixed notations.Conductor's and musicians have to stick to the sheet music penned down by the great composers.
Where as in Indian Classical the Raga's have been passed down through the ages by Guru's to their Shishya's and every musician has more room to interpret the raga in his own way.
Still every conductor and musician imparts his own sound to the music.A symphony,concerto or sonata being peformed by different orchestra's or musician's may sound the same on the surface.Hidden beneath the surface is the personality and interpretation of the conductor or the musicians.Listen to the same symphony being conducted by Bernstein,Abbado,Karajan or Klemperer.By introducing subtle changes in timing,by controlling the mood of the musician with their imperious baton's or hands,they put their individual stamp on the eternal works of Mozart,Beethoven or Mahler.
Watch Freidrich Gulda place his personal stamp on Mozart's magnificient Piano Concerto No.20.
YouTube - Mozart concerto 20 in d, K.466 - 1. Allegro (1of2) Gulda

 

[ajay124]

Listening to indian classical more frequently,generally from 6-8 in the morning.My favorite music at the moment is Zahiruddin and Faiyazuddin Dagar on vocals with Wasifuddin on Tanpura.Intend to acquire more Dhrupad music of Dagar and Gundecha brothers.Would welcome suggestions.

 

[sups]

@ajay: Can you please give me your opinion on this "Vivaldi: Four Seasons & Concertos RV257, 376 & 211" CD:
Vivaldi: Four Seasons & Concertos RV257, 376 & 211: Antonio Vivaldi, Andrea Marcon, Venice Baroque Orchestra, Giuliano Carmignola: Amazon.co.uk: Music

They seem to have very good review about the recording quality.

 

[ajay124]

The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi is probably the first CD one should buy when starting a classical collection.It is fabulous music,which is also easy to appreciate.There would be dozen's of versions available,but the one I would recommend is
Rhythm House Vivaldi-The Four Seasons etc.
Itzhak Perlman,Yehudi Menuhin,Pinchas Zukerman,David Oistrakh are the best 4 violinists.For any classical music where violins play a leading role,look for albums by one of these four and you will never go wrong.
Some more lovely easy listening classical music:
Bolero/Maurice Ravel
Carmina Burana/Carl Orff
Flute and Harp Concertos,A Little Nachtmusik/Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Brandenberg Concertos/Johann Sebastian Bach
Moonlight,Pathetique,Waldstein Piano Sonatas/Ludwig Van Beethoven
Music for the Royal Fireworks,Water Music/George Frideric Handel

 

[sups]

The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi is probably the first CD one should buy when starting a classical collection.It is fabulous music,which is also easy to appreciate.There would be dozen's of versions available,but the one I would recommend is
Rhythm House Vivaldi-The Four Seasons etc.
Itzhak Perlman,Yehudi Menuhin,Pinchas Zukerman,David Oistrakh are the best 4 violinists.For any classical music where violins play a leading role,look for albums by one of these four and you will never go wrong.
Some more lovely easy listening classical music:
Bolero/Maurice Ravel
Carmina Burana/Carl Orff
Flute and Harp Concertos,A Little Nachtmusik/Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Brandenberg Concertos/Johann Sebastian Bach
Moonlight,Pathetique,Waldstein Piano Sonatas/Ludwig Van Beethoven
Music for the Royal Fireworks,Water Music/George Frideric Handel

Thanks a lot ajay. Yes, I was confused because there are so many versions available. Unfortunately its not available in rhythm house now, I have put a stock alert.

Will try to get the other collections also you mentioned.

One more question, do you have any experience with the sound quality of CDs you buy from rhythm house and that from imported ones. Just curious to know. Because once we buy one of these CDs, it will be like an asset.

 

[srramanujam]

Most (if not all) of the wester classical CDs in Rhythm House are imported. So you need not worry much.

I have the Yehudi Menuhin Four Seasons CD (part of a 10CD Violin Concerto set of his by EMI). Amazing and my kids really love it.

 

[ajay124]

Thanks a lot ajay. Yes, I was confused because there are so many versions available. Unfortunately its not available in rhythm house now, I have put a stock alert.

Will try to get the other collections also you mentioned.

One more question, do you have any experience with the sound quality of CDs you buy from rhythm house and that from imported ones. Just curious to know. Because once we buy one of these CDs, it will be like an asset.

All the cds I buy from Rhythm House are imported cds.
Most cds of Rock/Jazz/Classical being sold in India are imported CDS.
Big labels for imported cds of classical music are:
Duetsche Grammophone
Decca
EMI
Sony
Naxos
Brilliant

 

[sivasarjun]

Listening to indian classical more frequently,generally from 6-8 in the morning.My favorite music at the moment is Zahiruddin and Faiyazuddin Dagar on vocals with Wasifuddin on Tanpura.Intend to acquire more Dhrupad music of Dagar and Gundecha brothers.Would welcome suggestions.

Yes,great start.Dhrupad is the oldest and purest form.
In khayal you should try Ustad Fayyaz khan, Ustad Bade Ghulam Alikhan, Pandit D V Paluskar,Ustad Amir Khan,Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur and Vidushi Gangubhai Hangal.
Other than Fayyazkhan saheb others are more widely recorded and you should get fairly good recordings.

 

[sivasarjun]

CHARSUR
http://www.charsur.com/charsur-india/index.php
Interesting website for Carnatic music.
My 'knowledge' :sad: extends to having heard the names,
and a little bit of music by L Subramaniam and MS Subbulaksmi.
Will be browsing,learning and listening to more Carnatic Music.

Alltime greats,also my favourites listed below.
Semmangudi Sreenivasa Iyer,M D Ramanathan,Madurai Mani Iyer,D K Pattammal,Musiri Subrahmanya Iyer,Alathur brothers.
you can also buy ,listen to Palghat K V Narayanaswamy,Nedunuri Krishnamurthy,Voletti Venkateswarlu.
Note they are all vocalists.
In instrumental, Flute Mali ie T R Mahalingam ,Violinists T N Krishnan and Lalgudi Jayaraman are truly great artists.
I will try to answer any questions.Disclaimer--Am only an enthusiast not an expert.

 

[ajay124]

Mozart's last major work,completed in 1791,shortly before he died,perhaps the most beautiful music EVER written.Clarinet Concerto in A Major.Listening to it now in the silence of the night.Feeling completely happy.No anxiety.No frustration.No lingering desire.Complete.Don't need anything from the entire planet except that this music keeps on playing....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOxX0xGTOyE&feature=related

 

[himadri]

Listening to indian classical more frequently,generally from 6-8 in the morning.My favorite music at the moment is Zahiruddin and Faiyazuddin Dagar on vocals with Wasifuddin on Tanpura.Intend to acquire more Dhrupad music of Dagar and Gundecha brothers.Would welcome suggestions.

Hi
Also try Uday Bhavalkar
cheers
Himadri

 

[ajay124]

"Our's is a century of death and Mahler is it's spiritual prophet"
-Leonard Bernstein

Gustav Mahler is the bridge which connects the 'Viennese School' tradition of the great classical composers Haydn,Mozart,Beethoven,Schubert with the Modern 20th century music of Stravinsky,Bartok,Messiaen and Schoneberg.The 'classical' period from 1750-1825 was followed by the romantic period 1825-1900 which had composers like Schubert,Schumann,Chopin,Mendelssohn,Brahms,Tcaikovsky and Dvorak.
Gustav Mahler's symphonies written in the period 1880-1911 combine the 'sublime' with the 'common'.The classical with the folksy and even nursery rhymes.His symphonies are monumental in scope,requiring a far bigger orchestra than was prevalent in the earlier periods.

The classical orchestra had four sections

(Wikipedia)

Woodwinds

2 Flutes
2 Oboes
2 Clarinets (in C, B-flat, or A)
2 Bassoons

Brass

2 or 4 Horns (in any key)
2 Trumpets (in any key)

Percussion

2 Timpani

Strings

6 Violins I
6 Violins II
4 Violas
3 Violoncellos
2 Contrabasses

The Modern Orchestra required to play the works of Mahler would be far bigger

(Wikipedia)

Woodwinds

Piccolo
3 Flutes
3 Oboes
English Horn
Clarinet in E-flat
3 Clarinets in B-flat, A
Bass Clarinet
3 Bassoons
Contrabassoon

Brass

4-8 Horns in F
3-4 Trumpets in F, C, B-flat
3-4 Trombones (2-3 Tenor, 1 Bass)
(Wagner Tubas (2 Tenor, 2 Bass))
1-2 Tubas

Percussion

4 or more Timpani
Snare drum
Bass drum
Cymbals
Tam-tam
Triangle
Tambourine
Glockenspiel
Xylophone
Chimes

Keyboards

Celesta
Organ

Strings

2 Harps
16 Violins I
16 Violins II
12 Violas
10 Violoncellos
8 Double basses

Mahler was a conductor before he became a composer.And his knowledge gained as a conductor takes his symphonic works to a level which can only be matched by Beethoven.Mahlers symphonies herald and predict all the terror,beauty,strife and confusion of the 20th century.The bloodshed,wars,freedom struggles,the birth of the 'common' and the 'popular',the death of the 'aristocratic' and the 'monarchic'....
The music of Gustav Mahler,the paintings of Pablo Picasso,the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche and the fiction of Fyodor Dostoevsky and Franz Kafka are the mirrors which predict and reveal the 'future' from the 20th century to the present day and beyond....far better than the 'pundits' in the media or academia.
Must have symphonies of Mahler...ALL 10...or at least 1,2,4,5,9

Currently I am in love....with Mahler's Symphony No 1
YouTube - Mahler: Symphony No. 1 (4/6)

 

[ajay124]

I first read about free shipping from Amazon UK on Nandac's thread.My first attempt to buy flopped as a shipping amount of app 25 percent was being billed to the final amount.Therefore I did not complete the order.The mistake I made was selecting the default option of 'standard shipping'.One has to select 'free super saver' in order to avail of free shipping.My second attempt yesterday sailed through smoothly.My first Amazon purchase of Classical cds!But certainly not the last.Prices for 2 of those CDS were considerably cheaper than their Rhythm House pricing.If any custom duty is charged then the difference would become smaller.But the advantage is that the catalogue is far bigger and one can specifically hunt for and buy,rather than the usual Indian experience of choosing from what is on offer.I am going to wait for the first delivery to be completed around 10 March before I place further orders.If anybody desires recommendations for the best cds of any specific composer,I would be glad to oblige