Most standards recorded by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra during the fifties (and early sixties?) are worth picking up,and many are available on budget CDs, expensive gold CDs, heavy vinyl reissues, and the original RCA LPs. I believe this period is the first or second decade of the CSO becomming a powerhouse, and most of the recordings are 3 track, limited mics, and definitely aimed at the new "hi-fidelity" market. I'm not that well versed on classical, so I'm sure someone could tell you more about them. Some of my favorite composers include Prokofiev, Beethoven, Smietana, and Tchaikovsky, but I can't tell you which performances or recordings are best...I haven't made comparisons.
Buidling a Classical Library - MUST HAVES!
I started a r2d4 thread last week and am so impressed with the depth of music knowledge on this site that I'm going to start this one too. My knowledge of great classical recordings is so limited it's embarrassing to call myself a music lover. I've tried following some of the reviews in Stereophile, TAS and Golden Ear, but they all seam to have some agenda other than great sound, great performance and great material in mind. The fact that my system can resolve the subsonic activity of an earthquake during the highschool bands performance of Nutcracker or what ever Stereophile is about does nothing to help me find great music. My request, if you choose to accept it, is to identify the must have recordings to build library from scratch. PLEASE CONSIDER SONIC QUALITY, PERFORMANCE AND MATERIAL EQUALLY. As a lover of music I believe all three should be superior. Also, in the spirit of my last post, PLEASE REFRAIN FROM CRITICIZING OTHERS SELECTIONS. IF YOU WANT TO ARGUE A SELECTION START A THREAD, LEAVE THIS ONE FOR KNOWLEDGE FOR THOSE OF US WHO NEED IT. THANK-YOU. Finally, please list a maximum top ten and even if your favorites already appear, list them anyway. This will help me figure out the first ones to buy. Vinyl and/or digital are acceptable as long as the material is still avalible.