HEAD OF THE CLASSICS

In the brief span of its existence, the phenomenal success of the Compact Disc has had a most profound impact on recorded music and the listening habits of millions of people. The serious music lover/audiophile who acquires a CD player usually develops an immediate appreciation of the performance potential of CD, and begins to consider the acquisition of a basic CD library of classical music. In this respect, there are many people who still resist the attractions of CD because they feel the medium is too new. They think there has not been enough time to develop a comprehensive catalog of CD recordings of the basic classical repertoire. Nothing could be farther from the truth! As a matter of fact, considering the short history of the format, an extraordinarily large and very diverse catalog of classical music is now available. If anything, there is an embarrassment of riches, and it is more a question of whether one has the wherewithal to acquire all the recordings that would be desirable for a basic library. Even if an audiophile is well organized, building such a library is a very ambitious and formidable undertaking.

Let us give our music lover a helping hand, and show him the scope and dimensions of his task in the selection of music and choice of recordings.

Needless to say, there are certain basic considerations in choosing a particular recording of a work of music; there is also the matter of individual taste. To the musically erudite, the performance of a work is of paramount importance. To trained listeners with a high degree of aural acuity and sensitivity to sonic anomalies, the sound quality of a recording is the primary consideration. In the best of all possible worlds, every recording would be a splendid sound and glorious performance. But in the real world, alas, this ideal is rarely encountered. Thus, we must often choose a recording that features a great performance but has poor sound quality, or vice versa. Advocates of performance values and those of sonic virtues vehemently defend their viewpoints. It has been going on for ages, and it is really a moot point. In my experience, especially with really high-quality component systems, I have found that bad sound considerably diminishes the musical values of an inspired performance and blunts the emotional response to it.

Therefore, although I can hear the cries of outrage, I would say that in a modern music-storage medium capable of technically superior sound, I would opt for a recording that provides that kind of sound even if the performance is somewhat flawed. I do not mean that I would want to hear a really botched-up, choppy, hopelessly incompetent performance. But not every conductor can give us transcendent performances. Especially for the less musically trained listener, there are many recordings that have good, if not outstanding, performances but which provide much pleasure because of their superb sound.

With the foregoing remarks and observations serving as a sort of guide, we can get down to the essentials of putting together a CD library.

Traditionally, the "three Bs"--Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms--have been the cornerstones of the classical music repertoire, and they will serve equally well as a foundation for a CD library.

J. S. Bach should be represented by CD recordings of his "Goldberg Variations" and the "Brandenburg Concerti." (Just to appreciate some of the problems of assembling a library, note that even this early on in CD history, there are 11 different versions of these concertos!) The Bach section should include "The Art of the Fugue," "Mass in B Minor," "Magnificat," the "St. John Passion," the "St. Matthew Passion," the famous "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" for organ, as well as four or five CDs devoted to other Bach organ music. Nor can we forget at least a half dozen of the better known cantatas, along with another five or six CDs of concertos for various instrumental combinations, and the famous "Suites for Unaccompanied Cello." The musical genius of Beethoven is represented on CD by recordings of all nine of his monumental symphonies (here too, choice is difficult, with 17 recordings of his Fifth Symphony and 14 versions of his Seventh vying for attention). We must acquire CD recordings of his five great piano concertos, the violin concerto, at least four or five of the late string quartets, and an equal number of the most famous piano sonatas and overtures. The collection should be rounded out with the great "Missa Solemnis" and the opera "Fidelio."

No collection would be complete without some of the music of Johannes Brahms. I would recommend his four symphonies and two piano concertos, his tuneful violin concerto, the towering masterpiece that is his "German Requiem," the lilting "Hungarian Dances," and the stirring "Academic Festival Overture." These days, a CD library should expand to some other famous "Bs"-Berlioz, Bruckner, and, for a little modern touch, Bartók. The most famous Berlioz work is his phantasmagoric "Symphonie Fantastique," of which there are 17 CD recordings available. A Berlioz collection would also have to include his vast "Requiem," along with "Romeo and Juliet," "Harold in Italy," "The Damnation of Faust," and a half dozen of his sprightly overtures.

The Fourth Symphony of Bruckner is probably his most popular and accessible work, and there currently are eight CD recordings of it. His Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Symphonies are cast on a grand scale, and fortunately there are a number of splendid recordings of all of them on CD. Béla Bartók is represented on CD by his masterful "Concerto for Orchestra," his two violin concertos, the third piano concerto, the bloodcurdling "Miraculous Mandarin" ballet, the opera "Blue beard's Castle," the lively "Dance Suite," and "Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta." As you can readily see, putting together a reasonably comprehensive CD library of classical music is an arduous and obviously expensive undertaking. Thus far, we have only covered the basic "three Bs" plus three others, and have already accumulated quite a large stack of Compact Discs.

To put a fine point on the magnitude and complexities of this project, let us consider the music of one of the most popular composers, Tchaikovsky. Of his six numbered symphonies, all but the Third (the "Polish Symphony") are available on CD, most of them in multiple versions. Thus far, his great "Manfred Symphony" has not yet appeared on CD, but virtually all of his most popular works are available, including "Capriccio Italien," "1812 Overture," "Marche Slav," "Romeo and Juliet," "The Nutcracker," "Francesca da Rimini," "Swan Lake," "Sleeping Beauty," and of course his beloved "Concerto No. 1 for Piano and Orchestra" and "Concerto for Violin and Orchestra." It should be noted that although some composers wrote a great many symphonies, not all of the music achieved great popularity. For example, Mozart wrote 41 symphonies, but only Nos. 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, and 41 are frequently performed. All of these are available on CD. Similarly, Schubert composed 10 symphonies, but only the famous "Unfinished" Eighth and "Great" Ninth are really popular; these are available in multiple versions on CD. Haydn wrote 104 symphonies, and of these, about a dozen, mostly the late symphonies, are currently available on CD. Among the symphonies that would be essential to a CD library are Mahler's Ninth and his unfinished Tenth; Mendelssohn's Fourth; Schumann's Fourth; Sibelius' Seventh; the Dvórák Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth; the Rachmaninoff First, Second, and Third, and Prokofiev's Nos. 1, 5, 6, and 7. Shostakovich wrote 15 symphonies, and thus far all but Nos. 2, 3, 4, 14, and 15 are on CD. Needless to say, there are many other symphonies that would be included in the basic CD library.

To the symphonies must be added the tone poems and individual instrumental works, such as Richard Strauss' "Don Juan," "Ein Heldenleben," "Till Eulenspiegel," "Death and Transfiguration," and "An Alpine Symphony." Then there are the Stravinsky "Firebird," "Petrouchka," and "Rite of Spring" ballets, the many works of Ravel, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Debussy, to say nothing about the music of Gershwin, Copland, and others. To all this must be added the voluminous literature of the great piano and violin concertos, solo and chamber works, oratorios, and dozens of operas. Listing all of them is obviously beyond the scope of this column.

Suffice it to say that we are talking about more than 450 Compact Discs. At $15 each, the cost of acquiring them all is a rather breathtaking $6,750! Perhaps if enough interest is expressed. I'll compile a basic classical CD discography and provide specific recommendations of my choice of recordings.

(adapted from Audio magazine, Jan. 1987; Bert Whyte)

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