When you buy a recording, is it for the music or the artist performing?

[Lance]

In other words, you love a piece of music. Let's say it's Beethoven's "Appassionata" Sonata. Can you live with JUST one recording of the work? Let's say it's ARRAU or RICHTER. They are both different, the music is the same on the page, but the interpretations might be considerably different in how the music reaches your ears. Why have 160 Emperor Concertos of Beethoven? Won't just one do? For me, no. 160 is ridiculous, of course, I would admit to that. But when you adore various performing artists and want to get into the soul of their music-making, you might have two or three recordings of at least a few works you love. Why do we need every set of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas [unless you are a scholar of all the sonatas]? In a case like that, one would be Schnabel and the other might be Kempff's (first mono version). Individually, we might select different pianists for the major sonatas. In a word, many collectors are "nuts" [in the best sense of the term!] - but we cannot help it. I would love to hear your views on this. All this can apply to any music, opera, oratorio, or any instrumentalist, conductor or singer.
[I give "Belle" credit for inspiring this post!]

[david johnson]

I have done both, and still do. When I want composition X I'll check what performance/performer is available and proceed. I suppose most of us do that. I've bought a box set or two of music I wanted just because of price. I came out ok.

[Belle]

I buy recorded performances because of the artists; these performers revolve around certain works and composers as the planets do in the solar system. Bach is our sun, Beethoven the stars and Brahms the moon. What excites me is how well musicians navigate their orbits illuminating them with their own light, rather than that reflected by the sun - and keeping them alight day or night.

When I find a new work or works that I like I'll go back to my favourite musicians and orchestras, if possible, to see what account they've made. That's not to say I don't enjoy myriad other interpretations but those I buy are carefully selected.

For example, I just loved the Brahms #2 with Levit and the Vienna Philharmonic from Prague last December. Levit appeals to me because he loves the music and the experience and this comes across very obviously; for him it's the 'gesamtkunstwerk' in a performance with an orchestra. My Vienna Phil/Kna/Curzon from 1958 is a great complement to that performance by Levit, though I don't have the latter on CD with Brahms #2.

The intellect of a musician is nearly as important to me as the musicality; that's why I love Stephen Kovacevich. That pianist has had profound observations to make about music. And Levit does too. Many other wonderful soloists of course. Another intense and interesting musician to me is Bruce Liu. He has that indefinable 'something'. (That 'little something extra', as Norman Maine said in "A Star is Born".)

Levit's comment about Beethoven's piano sonatas being "fearless music" was an absolute slam dunk observation for me.

[diegobueno]

I almost always buy a recording for the music, and not the performer. With contemporary music -- which make up the bulk of my new purchases -- there's generally only one performance anyway. I'm good with only one or two recordings of the standard rep. If I enjoy a certain performance, why go out of my way to find another? That's what concerts are for. Or Youtube.

There's so much music out there, and I only have, at the most optimistic, 20 years left to hear it all. I don't have time for umpteen thousand sets of Beethoven symphonies or piano sonatas.

[maestrob]

My take on this topic is slightly different, of course, since I've already amassed a roughly 8,000 CD collection. I used to buy according to artist, but recently, my buying habits have changed, since I preview all recordings mostly on Spotify or rely on recommendations here and from friends. Now, I buy according to my pre-hearing of a particularly fine recording mostly, and rarely due to wanting a particular artist.

Yes, streaming has changed my buying habits, and I feel it's for the better.

[Holden Fourth]

I am also in both camps. As far as artists go, if Trifonov, Grosvenor, Sudbin or others put out a new recording I want to hear it and like Brian I use streaming media to sample it first. If I really want that recording I tend to look initially at digital downloads. Also, if a previous undiscovered recording by a famous artist from the past emerges I'll also sample that. I suppose my biggest purchase that I made with the performer totally in mind is the 142 CD Rubinstein big pink box (having missed out on the earlier box set from RCA). I've never regretted this purchase and because I have now ripped it into FLAC on an external hard drive I can listen to it whenever and however I want.

Conversely, there are works that can have interpretations that vary widely from performer to performer and as stated above the LvB sonatas are a case in point. I suppose that my intention with the sonatas and also works by other composers is to end up with a favourite interpretation (or two). The aforementioned Appassionata is a case in point and I've ended up with a number of versions either as part of a box set or individual recordings. Of the versions that I have I've now reached a point where there are only a few that I will play with any regularity and they are Gilels (Jan 1961, Moscow), Richter (1960 Moscow) plus, for something totally different, Glenn Gould. The rest of the recordings are rarely if ever heard again unless I decide to play a complete box set - Annie Fischer being a recent example.

[Rach3]

Fww, these days almost always for the music alone I'd not heard previously, but was impressed enough on first hearing to want to purchase. For example, I admired Yunchan Lim's Cliburn Competition playing immensely, and would want to hear him again live even in music I know well, but would not purchase his Rach 3 or Liszt TE's as already have a couple recordings of those works and funds are not unlimited. I already have too many recordings that no longer hold my interest as they once did.

[Lance]

Aha - yes, been there, done that. Interesting how our "taste" changes over the years.

{Partial forward} I already have too many recordings that no longer hold my interest as they once did.

[Lance]

All very good comments, only to prove that we all will do what our hearts/minds advise. Too much of the same music isn't really all that bad and it sharpens our skill in the art of listening and learning, and more, appreciating great music and its performers.

[premont]

It varies. For well-known music that I've grown fond of, such as Machaut's Messe or Hindemith's Ludus Tonalis, I often purchase recordings for the performers' sake, given today's high artistic standards and the unique insights most recording artists bring to the music. For less commonly recorded pieces, particularly medieval and Renaissance music, my initial interest is in the music itself. If I come to appreciate the music, I may then seek out recordings by specific artists.

[Modernistfan]

Typically, particularly because one of my major interests is contemporary music, I tend to buy based on the repertoire. There are certain artists, though, that I may buy even if doing so involves some duplication of repertoire; for example, Gil Rose and his Boston Modern Orchestral Project (I am now listening to Anthony Davis's "Wayang V"). Another artist that I have sought out is Yefim Bronfman in Prokofiev, even though I have other recordings of Prokofiev's piano concertos and sonatas.

[Lance]

Even if we double our lifetimes, we will never hear everything we have acquired, but still, at least some part of it will be heard, whatever may have been of interest at the time. Think Beetoven's five piano concertos of which there are countless complete versions (some more than one by the same pianist, such as Rubinstein). If you want to hear a Beethoven piano concerto, no doubt the artist's name will pop into your mind - and that's the one you hear. It might be difficult to listen to the very same performance once a week or month, hence the opportunity to hear it performed by another fine artist. For me, it is still the performing artist who makes the music speak. The composer has already done his/her work.

Looking for repertoire by a composer can sometimes be more difficult. I happen to love the music of Johann Nepomuk Hummel, and certainly over the years, much more of his music is available on disc. Then we discover something we didn't know about and go seeking. It's a never-ending but wonderful life-long project.

[Modernistfan]

An example of what I am talking about--I just ordered two 10-CD box sets (!!!) of the music of Dror Feiler, a composer originally from Israel, now living in Sweden, who could be said to make Iannis Xenakis sound like "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik."

[Lance]

Hey - I could go for THAT!

An example of what I am talking about--I just ordered two 10-CD box sets (!!!) of the music of Dror Feiler, a composer originally from Israel, now living in Sweden, who could be said to make Iannis Xenakis sound like "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik."