Stan Rozenfeld

Having upgraded recently to denon 3910 and having just ordered the multi channel audio cables, I am ready to revisit my music collection, which has lain dormant far too long.

I am a classical music fan, but I don't always know what's the best recording of great classical works. By sheer accident, many of the CDs that I have are by such masters as Fritz Reiner and Eugene Ormandy, but there are a bunch that I am unfamiliar with.

Below is a list of CDs that I am not sure about. I love the music, but I would like some input as to the performances, and what would be a better alternative. Also, if there are good SACD or DVD-Audio recordings out there, I'd love to know.

Rossini Overtures - EMI records/London Classical Players/Roger Norrington

Prokofiev - Alexander Nevsky BMG/St. Petersburg Philarmonic Orchestra/Yuri Temirkanov

Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances/Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini - BMG/St. Petersburg Philarmonic Orchestra/Yuri Temirkanov

Tchaikovsky suites from Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty - EMI/Philadelphia Orchestra/Riccardo Muti

Tchaikovsky 1812/Marche Slave/Polonaise - EMI/Berliner Philarmoniker/Seiji Ozawa

Tchaikovsky Pathetique - RCA-BMG/Philadelphia orchestra/Toscanini (I know he is great, but this is a mono recording with all the hiss and pop)

Borodin Symphony no. 2/Polovtsian Dances / Mussorgsky Night on Bald Mountain - Serphim/Vienna Philarmonic under Rafael Kubelik/Pittsburg Symphony Orchestra under William Steinberg/ also Herbert Von Karajan.

Grieg Peer Gynt and Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet overture - Great Gala recording... don't remember the names of conductor, but I don't like these versions at all.

Any advice or input will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Stan

imported_Allen Hirsch

The Living Stereo series (which has several Fritz Reiner discs) in SACD is outstanding, and they're relatively cheap - $10-12/disc at most retail places. (About a third of them can be had from yourmusic.com for $5.99/disc). These are outstanding recordings and great masterings - even the audiophiles rave about them.

Best Tchaikovsky SACD I have is also from the Living Stereo series: Van Cliburn (with Fritz Reiner conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra): Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1, and Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2.

Best places to check for classical music on SACD:

elusivedisc.com
musicdirect.com
they have a great advanced search function - I just searched for Tchaikovsky on SACD and got 29 discs, for example - here's a single sample:
"TCHAIKOVSKY - SYM 5 - ROMEO & JULIET - GATTI-ROY PHILHARMONIC *Hybrid SACD5.1* - Harmonia Mundi
In his first recording for harmonia mundi, Maestro Gatti leads the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in a visionary, romantic reading of two Tchaikovsky favorites: the Fifth Symphony and the Fantasy Overture Romeo and Juliet. Demonstrating his flair for..."

imported_Allen Hirsch

Another good resource for classical high-rez reviews is Audiophile Audition:

http://www.audaud.com/audaud/MAY05/hires/hires1.php

Rich Malloy

I'd also recommend you start here (Reiner, Munch!). The Mercury Living Presence SACDs are great, as well, but more expensive.

DanFe

The overall best place to go for sacd is www.sa-cd.net

Stan Rozenfeld

Thanks, guys!

Very helpful info.

Another question that I have:

Is there any reliable place on the net to buy used sacds and CDs? (for instance, I buy used dvds from digitaleyes.net and have never been disappointed)

Is there any place to sell or trade one's CDs (except for ebay)?

Rich Malloy

the steve hoffman forum has a good trade/sale section, and generally speaking you can trust the members there.

Shawn McCann

Allen:
Thanks for the tip about yourmusic.com! I saw your post here the end of last week and signed up right away. It's a great deal. Too bad they don't list the entire living stereo SACD series in their catalog. You'd think they would, since both RCA and yourmusic are owned by BMG (which is owned by Sony...).