Classical Music for Aficionados

hi guys I don't know if any of you know of this program but I have found it and it is free. I have been using O and O software for a few years and have just found a really good piece of software they have with the catchy title Windows 10 shut up. What it does is it switches off things that run in the background of Windows 10 and makes a big contribution to  cleaning up your apps that play your music. You can use it in a couple of ways you either use it with all options ticked to get full benefit or in stages to see which one works for you and the good thing is it is completely reversible at the click of a mouse. Do try it as I said before you have nothing to lose as it is completely free.

Thanks jim, ANYTHING that can knock out Windows 10 is a gift from above !

I use a program called Fidelizer. It doesn't cost much, but I have to say it does improve sound quality on my PC streamed music.-And, the designer offers frequent upgrades at no charge. It does something much like the O and O software Jim204 just pointed out-getting Windows to run the audio at higher importance.
Bob

Guess I'm ready to make a fool of myself.
Trying to cull my classical CD collection has been a chore. Over the past several decades, my wife and I managed to acquire multiple performances of things we liked - - symphonies, operas, concertos, chorales, etc. 

Just now, I've been selecting what to keep of the various Verdi Requiem recordings, and what to pass on to our community library. 

We had managed to collect performances by Karajan, Solti, Toscanini, Reiner, Shaw, Giulini and Barenboim.  Of these, I narrowed it down to the Shaw (Atlanta),  Reiner,  Giulini (Berlin) and Barenboim (La Scala), each for a different reason as clearly, each had a  different approach  to the Requiem.

Shaw's is an "In Your Face!" rendition, with both the chorus and soloists clearly recorded above the orchestra.  Reiner's opening is inordinately slow, with the chorus barely discernible above the orchestra. Giulini's latest, a 1989 recording in Berlin, shows how his interpretation has changed over almost 60 years since his first in 1960. Finally, Barenboim's current 2012 recording is the only one made with a live audience. 

Both Karajan and Barenboim recorded in La Scala,  with the La Scala Orchestra and Chorus; however, Karajan's was all about Karajan, and the absence of a live audience permitted pauses in recording and patching recorded segments into the final product.   To satisfy my curiosity, I purchased the DVDs for both the Karajan and Barenboim performances. IMO, no contest. For me, Barenboim.s was the better meld of Soloists, Orchestra, Chorus, Conductor and Venue. 

Next CD-winnowing project: Go through the Puccini and Verdi operas. My mother used to tell me: "Verdi wrote for the mind, while Puccini wrote from the heart." I'm going to assess those operas with that as a judgement criterion.

Thanks for reading this far

George

Finally getting into Schubert. Stumbled on Krystian Zimerman CD on Tidal, Piano Sonatas 959 and 960. I can't get enough. Does anyone know any other pianist who is known for Schubert? Preferably high quality recording. 

Also, RVpiano, check out Khatia buniatishvili's new Schubert CD which is partially available on Tidal and Amazon. I'm totally mesmerized by her playing Standchen S. 560.  
Ständchen, S. 560 (Trans. from Schwanengesang No. 4, D. 957)