Does no one else like classical music !Certainly! But actually purchasing classical music is a vast mine field and often disappointing. Therefore I am mostly on the mercy of our domestic broadcasting company which runs a 24h classical music radio channel on DVB (and on FM at night), and another commercial channel, which is sponsored by the Chinese and often interrupted with thoroughly annoying propag... feature programs.
I do have a short collection though; I've never been disappointed at anything composed by Arvo Pärt (Estonian, 1935-) or sung by Magdalena Kožená (Czech, blonde). Every summer me and the FS visit alink (Hindemith, John Harvey, Saariaho, stuff like that) and I enjoy it immensely, but for some reason it never works for me when listening a recoding. Concentration problem, I guess.
Excellent points about buying and listening.
Most of my classical purchases have started with interest generated from film. A Clockwork Orange led to buying Beethoven's 9th. I've seen the 9th a few times live (AMAZING) which let to me seeing Eroica (is that the 3rd or 7th - don't remember). And of course I have a copy of the 5th.
Amadeus led to an interest in, among other things, the Magic Flute (seen live) and Don Giovanni (bought a four record set 20 years ago). Also, my surname is Haffner, so I have a couple copies of the 35th, and doesn't everyone have Eine Kleine Nachtmusik?
As for finding something new to own, magazine reviews were always my source.
What is great about some of the streaming services today, and I suppose Apple's "genius," is the idea that you input A and they spit out B for you to try. Is there an analog (no pun intended) for classical? I like Beethoven's 9th and the Magic Flute, but will put a bullet in my head if I ever hear that one tune from the Nutcracker again. So what should I buy next?
