The Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music 2008 (Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music)
by Ivan March, Edward Greenfield, Robert Layton
List Price:
Our Price: $17.28
You Save: $12.72 (42%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $15.54 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Edward Greenfield, Ivan March, Robert LaytonEditor: Paul Czajkowski
Edition: Paperback
Published: 2007-10-10
ISBN: 0141033363
Number of pages: 1568
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Book Reviews of The Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music 2008 (Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music)
Book Review: Good general guide, but far too many omissions.
Summary: 4 Stars
Last year's (2007) Penguin Guide was just a 'yearbook', covering new releases in the previous 12 months. This 1600 page 2008 edition is a general guide to 'the best' classical recordings from those currently available in the U.K. There are now so many classical CDs of such a high standard that the editors have had to make changes to previous editions. The main difference is that there is now a '4 star' rating for truly exceptional recordings. Also three starred recommendations now have a shaded box around them to make them stand out. There is a 'key' symbol for, er, key recordings. And there's a Rosette symbol awarded by an individual reviewer for CDs that have some special quality. I can't help but think that all these symbols will make things confusing for newcomers.
But on the plus side, the typesetting is much clearer, and the Guide is printed on better quality (though inevitably thin) paper now, making it easier to read than in the past.
As usual the reviewers are generally pretty reliable; musical judgement is of course highly subjective (I would never want Mahler conducted by Karajan; that hideous Mahler 5, more Mantovani than Mahler) but newcomers won't go wrong too often, and we seasoned collectors like to disagree from time to time. But there are some serious omissions for a Guide that was published in September 2007. The legendary recording of the Schubert String Quintet by the Aeolian Quartet with Bruno Schrecker (Regis Records, formally Saga) is missing. As is the Mahler 2nd Symphony in a stunning recording by the Budapest Festival Orchestra under Ivan Fischer (Channel Classics); a disc which has won many awards including a Gramophone 2007 Award! I could go on; I just don't understand how so many really excellent discs get missed. On the other hand, there's the occasional discovery; for me the wonderfully noble account of Tchaikovsky's Pathetique Symphony conducted by Vaclav Talich on Supraphon.
Overall, this is by far the most comprehensive guide around here in the U.K. I personally prefer the Rough Guide to Classical Music, complete with composer introductions and idiosyncratic articles, but that's very out of date now. So yes, if you want general guidance, this is a recommendable book.
And with so many classical recordings available, and still being turned out, it's reassuring to see that the death of classical music has been greatly exaggerated.
More The Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music 2008 (Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music) reviews:
1 2 3
1 2 3
Entertainment Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Audiobooks on Cassette
- Audiobooks on CD
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- e-Books
- Engineering
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Medicine
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in The best guides to classical music, in print and on the Web
Classics TodayWebsite; Cadillac
Guide des CD recompenses (n.e.)by J.-P. /Fardet Biojout
Bleu nuit; Published: 2001-11-02; Paperback; Book
Diapason - FranceMondadori France Pole Loisirs; Mondadori France Pole Loisirs; Magazine; Magazine
Best price: $136.65
The New York Times Essential Library: Classical Music: A Critic's Guide to the 100 Most Important Recordingsby Allan Kozinn
Times Books; Published: 2004-08-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.23
Price in other shops:
The Omnibus Essential Guide To Classical CDsSchirmer Books; Published: 2004-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.82
Price in other shops:
Classic FM Good Music Guideby Jeremy Nicholas
Hodder Headline; Published: 1999-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $19.30
Price in other shops:
The NPR Listener's Encyclopedia of Classical Musicby Ted Libbey
Workman Publishing Company; Published: 2006-04-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.62
Price in other shops:
The NPR Guide to Building a Classical CD Collection : The 350 Essential Worksby Ted Libbey
Workman Publishing Company; Published: 1999-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.99
Price in other shops:
Classical Music: Third Ear: The Essential Listening Companionby Alexander Morin
Backbeat Books; Published: 2001-07-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.92
Price in other shops:
FanfareFanfare; Fanfare; Magazine; Magazine
Best price: $60.00
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
Schoenberg Violin Concerto Op.36/ Sibelius Violin Concerto Op.47Release date: 2008-04-08; Music CD
Best price: $9.69
Price in other shops:
1001 Classical Recordings You Must Hear Before You DieUniverse; Published: 2008-02-12; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $22.03
Price in other shops:
Brahms: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2Release date: 2006-05-09; Music CD
Best price: $12.74
Price in other shops:
Gramophone Classical Good CD, DVD & Download Guide 2007 (Classical Good CD, DVD, & Download Guide) (Classical Good CD, DVD, & Download Guide)by James Jolly
Gramophone Publications; Published: 2006-10-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops:
Classical Music: Third Ear: The Essential Listening Companionby Alexander Morin
Backbeat Books; Published: 2001-07-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.25
Price in other shops:
The NPR Guide to Building a Classical CD Collection : The 350 Essential Worksby Ted Libbey
Workman Publishing Company; Published: 1999-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.94
Price in other shops:
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings: Eighth Edition (Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings)by R. M. Cook, Brian Morton
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2006-11-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.50
Price in other shops:
The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Centuryby Alex Ross
Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Published: 2007-10-16; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $19.77
Price in other shops:
The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs and DVDs Yearbook 2006/ 07 Edition (Penguin Guide to Compact Discs and Dvds Yearbook)by Edward Greenfield, Robert Layton
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2006-12-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.99
Price in other shops:
Gramophone Classical Music Guide 2008 (Classical Good CD, DVD, & Download Guide) (Classical Good CD, DVD, & Download Guide)Gramophone Publications; Published: 2007-10-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $24.92
Price in other shops: