A Critical Guide To The Best Recordings Of Classical Music On Compact Disc

INDEPENDENT BOOKS OF THE YEAR This completely new edition of the Penguin Guide reviews the 1000 best classical albums issued and reissued over the past five decades, many of which dominate the catalogue because of their sheer excellence, irrespective of recording dates. More comprehensive than ever before, it indicates key recordings on CD, DVD and enhanced SACD, including those in surround sound. If you want the finest available version of any major classical album you will find it listed and assessed in these pages. Ranging from long-established albums to the newest releases, the latest edition represents the cream of the international repertoire and has all the information you need to select the finest classical music available.

Jim Svejda has done it again! In this fully revised and expanded edition of "The Record Shelf Guide to Classical CDs and Audiocassettes, the irreverent and opinionated author guides readers to more of the best in classical music. Host of the long-running American Public Radio show" The Record Shelf, Svejda has assembled this comprehensive guide alphabetically by composer. Meant to be used as a reference manual, Svejdaa concentrates mainly on what he feels is the classical music people actually "listen to most.In his opinion, this consists of music produced from the middle of the eighteenth century to roughly the middle of the twentieth.This book is filled with Svejda's own brand of unusual, acerbic comments and sugary prose. It includes feisty reviews such as ." . . Pachelbel was a third-rate baroque non-entity who occasional rose to the level of second-rate in some of his organ music." And praise of favorites such as Fritz Kreisler, ." . . one of the greatest violins in history whose recordings of Beethoven, Brahms, and Mendelssohn concertos remain unsurpassed in their Romantic daring and philosophical depth . . ."About the Author: Jim Svejda hosts the popular weekly American Public Radio show "The Record Shelf, as well as the CBS Radio program "On Film. In addition to his radio programs, he is the station manager for KUSC in Los Angeles.

The essential companion volume updating Penguin’s most recent CD/DVD guide This yearbook supplements The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs and DVDs, the largest and most comprehensive survey of classical music on digital audio and video discs ever published. Together, the two books cover thousands of recordings and films, offering candid evaluation of their relative artistic and technical merits, highlighting notable performances, and pinpointing best buys. This yearbook not only reviews the many hundreds of CDs that have appeared since the publication of the main guide in 2005, but it also takes a close look at some of the more unusual areas of the classical music repertoire and includes an extensive section on instrumental concerts and recitals. Designed to help select the very best classical music and video discs available to date, The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs and DVDs Yearbookis an invaluable resource for any classical music lover.

An update and revised guide by the host of National Public Radio's Performance Today recommends the best recordings of the three hundred most important classical works, and provides background information on each composer. Original.

A guide for lay music lovers who wish to explore classical music on compact discs (CDs), and begin a home library of the best recorded classical music.