Anybody else buy CDs based on another member's recommendation? I picked up 5 of the classical cds JohnK recommended and I'll grab an Alison Krause, Joss Stone, and possibly Nickel Back (sp?) soon.
The classical recommendations were very good, John. Thank you. I normally buy "whatever" - whatever's cheapest, whatever's newest, whatever's got the prettiest cover - when it comes to classical.
The only one that was probably a mistake was the DeBussy. The lack of an easily recognizable melody makes it more difficult to appreciate. And it has long quiet periods punctuated by some REALLY, REALLY loud crescendos. Makes everybody jump (not good with a 10 mo old). I've only played it once, during dinner - and had it turned up so we could hear it - when it practically blew over the high chair. On the plus side, it is a great recording.
The Rachmaninov Concertos 1&3 is a fantastic disc: well recorded, beautiful romantic music with great melodies. It sometimes has strong Russian flavor, but I get the feeling that I am listening to something timeless and special there. The wife likes it a lot. 2&4 I haven't listened to all the way through yet, but it doesn't seem to have the appeal of #1, in particular.
The Strauss Waltzes CD is probably the worst recording of the 5, but it is still very good. No glaring problems, just a little tape hiss at times. The baby seems to really enjoy the Blue Danube Waltz.
The Holst CD is great. Very dramatic. Excellent recording. "Mars" is very powerful, but the "Jupiter" segment is my favorite at the moment. Reminds me at times of Copeland (whom I don't really like) and at times of Ravel's "Bolero". Like the Racmaninov disc above, it has some inexplicable "perfect" quality about it that makes me think, "It don't get any better than this."
The end of BigWill's Hillbilly Classical Review.
