Rating: 
Summary: for Libbey, the 20th Century isn't classical yet
Review: I found this book useful as a preliminary guide to some of the great 18th and 19th century composers. But I was shocked and puzzled to find that there are very few entries for the entire 20th century -- not much beyond Stravinsky, Bartok and Shostakovich. Caveat emptor! I suggest that a more accurate designation might be "...Building A Classical CD Collection, Volume 1, From the Baroque to the Romantic." If Libbey doesn't know or care, someone more knowledgable should put together a Volume 2 on the 20th Century. And if NPR doesn't know or care either (the classical program was just eliminated in Salt Lake City!), then a volume on 20th century music remains vitally needed, as no such thing currently exists! We need better terminology. "Classical" music can refer both to Mozart and Hayden, the short period sandwiched between Baroque (Bach, Vivaldi) and Romantic (19th century), or, of course, it can refer to "the realm of elite composition and performance," and therefore be extended to more recent developments. There is simply no good term for music, using the second definition, of recent times, from Darmstadt and Cage to minimalism, the new complexity, and electronics. "New music"? "Contemporary classical"? Perhaps now that we're into the 21st century, the world can finally catch up with Boulez, Cage, Carter, Ligeti, Lutoslawski, Nono, Reynolds, Stockhausen, Xenakis, and the others under the heading "The 20th Century"!
Rating: 
Summary: Deeply flawed but great
Review: I love this book. It has been the sole guide my wife and I have used to flesh out our collection of art music recordings for close to a year now. However the book has major problems.
While everyone certainly has their favorite composers and genres of music, the amount of space dedicated to Jean Sibelius defies all logic. While he was certainly great and wrote much better stuff than I could ever write, the amount of space devoted toward this relatively obscure composer is indefensible in light of all the composers left out, even in his 2nd list of 350 in the back. No works by Telemann, C.P.E. Bach, Corelli, Poulenc, Satie, or Couperin (what does he have against the French?).
What is even more glaring is the neglect some of the greatest composers of all time recieve. Libby spotlights Handel as a "major maestro" and then lists a paltry three of his works. They are his greatest to be sure, but if one is going to include him alongside Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, J.S. Bach and Haydn one needs to list more than three pieces. Even worse is poor Schubert who, not only unlucky enough to be overshadowed by Beethoven his whole life, now must be grossly under represented here and not even given "major maestro" status. His lieder are inexplicably lumped in with the chamber music vividly illustrating Libby's neglect of vocal and choral music. That none of Vivaldi's highly influencial sacred music is not included is also a crime. He seems lucky to get the Four Seasons in.
That, more than Libby's love for Sibelius, is the greatest flaw of this book. Choral and vocal music are given short shrift time and time again as shown by the tiny chapters on opera and sacred music and the lack of any discussion of secular non-operatic music or solo vocal sacred works (Schubert gets it again).
I don't want to give the impression that I don't like this book. I love it. There is really nothing else out there like it and Libby's writing is easy to understand, informative and even entertaining (especially in the margins)! This book could be greatly impoved however. I would recommend using it in conjunction with the reviews on Amazon (taken with a grain of salt) or with some other source like your local classical radio station (if you have one).
Despite its flaws, buy it!
Rating: 
Summary: My guide for 9 years
Review: In 1994 I sought a guide for building my collection. I bought the first edition, and promised myself to acquire a copy of every work listed, over a leisurely span of seven to nine years. I continued the process with the second edition. Yesterday (8/18/03), I acquired the last CD. This book has been my "goodie list" for the last nine years, as I searched online and in stores/ basements/ shelves for what has been the most protracted and immensely enjoyable musical scavenger hunt of my life. My issues are dog eared, thumbworn, scrawled with across with notes, sprouting Post-It notes, and a personal source of immense pride and happiness. I trusted this book to lead me and my pockebook. Now I look at and listen to my collection as I reread Mr. Libbey's text. One day, I hope my children will do the same. Thanks, Mr. Libbey, for providing me the blueprint that I followed, word for word, as I built my classical musical hierloom.
Rating:
Summary: My guide for 9 years
Review: In 1994 I sought a guide for building my collection. I bought the first edition, and promised myself to acquire a copy of every work listed, over a leisurely span of seven to nine years. I continued the process with the second edition. Yesterday (8/18/03), I acquired the last CD. This book has been my "goodie list" for the last nine years, as I searched online and in stores/ basements/ shelves for what has been the most protracted and immensely enjoyable musical scavenger hunt of my life. My issues are dog eared, thumbworn, scrawled with across with notes, sprouting Post-It notes, and a personal source of immense pride and happiness. I trusted this book to lead me and my pockebook. Now I look at and listen to my collection as I reread Mr. Libbey's text. One day, I hope my children will do the same. Thanks, Mr. Libbey, for providing me the blueprint that I followed, word for word, as I built my classical musical hierloom.
Rating:
Summary: Helpful for newcomers, but by no means definitive
Review: It's true this book is a great tool for orienting oneself to the wonderful world of classical music. However, it is also true that this book omits many works that without doubt deserve to be here (Elgar's Violin Concerto and Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 22 are obvious examples). As for recommended recordings, one would be prudent to use Libbey's guide to identify 'must-have' compositions and then turn to the much more exhaustive (and, frankly, more accurately observant) 'Penguin Guide to Compact Discs' for spotting the right recording. Instead of lumping all categories into such a tight space, perhaps Libbey could have released several volumes... each dealing with one or two categories that are here broken into chapters. And it wouldn't hurt if Libbey were to update this edition... as it is now nearly five years old.
Rating:
Summary: Classical Music Bible: A Great Source Of Reference
Review: National Public Radio has issued other related books, including the Guide to Opera. This Classical Music Guide is one of the best sources for classical music. If you are a novice and wish to take it upon yourself to learn about classical music, this will be a great source. It works like a music appreciation course in its own right. If you are already a fan and wish to build a collection of great recordings, this is also very effective. Here are all the great names in classical music- Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Stravinsky, Rachmaninov, Berlioz, and the opera composers Wagner, Verdi, and Puccini. Terms in music are clearly defined and recommended conductos, orchestras and recordings are listed - Herbert Von Karajan, hailed as the best conductor of the 20th century after Arturo Toscanini was in the turn of the century, and the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic which are world famous, conductors Leonard Bernstein (of Broadway musical fame Westside Story and Candide) Bruno Walter, Paul Paray, Antal Dorati, John Elliot Gardner, George Szell who was the longest running conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa, Eugene Ormandy, Zubin Mehta, George Solti, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Charles Mackerras, Thomas Beecham, Dutoit, Andre Previn, Colin Davis, Neville Marriner and the recent conducting of Simon Rattle and Essa Pekka Salonen. Virtuoso musicians like the pianist Arthur Rubinstein, Murray Perahia, violinists Iztak Pearlman, Isaac Stern and Zuckerman, Midori, Chang, Hilary Hahn and cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Let's nor forget trumpet talents Winston Marsalis and Hakan Herdenberger. Provided here are a history and chronology of classical music periods and the influential composers. In the Baroque Era (1600-1750) Bach, Handel and Vivaldi. Bach's Brandenburg Concerti, Toccata And Fugue in D Minor, Violin Concerti and Chorale Preludes as well as Goldberg Variatons among other works are his most famous. Handel's Water Music, Royal Fireworks Music and Concerto Grosso stand out as much as his operas- Rinaldo, Giulio Cesare, and his majestic oratorio The Messiah. Vivaldi is most famous for The Four Seasons but a lot of his string ensembles are excellent music of the period. For the Classical Era (1750-1820) the biggest name is Mozart, whose Eine Kleine Nachtmusik is his signature, but composed the best piano, violin, flute and clarinet concerti, symphonies and operas- Le Nozze Di Figaro, Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute. Franz Joseph Haydn's many symphonies are considered the first ever written, but he composed music for keyboard, the famous Trumpet Concerto in E and the oratario The Creation, a sublime choral piece. Let's close with the Romantic Era, which was in the 19th century. The music was emotional, expressive and colorful. Mendelsshon has several great symphonies, including The Italian Symphony, as well as the pieces A Midsummer Night's Dream Incidental Music and Hebrides Overture/Fingal's Cave and a virtuosic violin concerto. Brahms' Four Symphonies are his best works, and also famous is his Academic Festival Overture, as well as his concerti. Berlioz has the Symphony Fantastique and other large-scale orchestra works. Dvorak has the famous "New World" symphony and Tchaikovsky has his ballets Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker as well as 1812 Overture, Piano Concerto No. 1, Violin Concerto and six symphonies plus operas Queen Of Spades and Eugene Onegin to his credit. Rachmaninov has his famous piano concerto and the Impressonistic style of Debussy and Satie foreshadow the more modern style of Stravinsky and Shostakovitch as well as Arnold Schoenburg's atonal works. This is the Bible of Classical Music.
Rating: 
Summary: Too limited.
Review: Okay, this guide is the perfect example of why I have such a problem with guides like this. With the massive amount of classical music works, this guide gives a small listing of "the most popular" pieces. That's fine and dandy for a beginner, but is so limited as you gain experience. The opera section is pitiful. While many of the operas covered are indeed great, the "45 best" operas certainly do not come from the about 10 composers listed. There are so many wonderful operas not listed. Besides, I have learned listing to others "choices" is really a HUGE mistake. It was a lesson hard learned by me. When I first became interested in opera- all I heard was "Puccini" and "Verdi." So that's where I went. Puccini and Verdi are fine- but they are not my passion. After buying many many operas by Puccini and Verdi, I discovered Mozart, Wagner, and the Russian composers. This guide is great as far as Puccini, Wagner, Mozart, and Verdi goes, but it's almost entirely lacking in Russian opera. It's a good jumping off point to get fimilar with different composers style's but the best way to find what you like, is to find what you like- through experimentation.
Rating:
Summary: A Guide to the Greats
Review: Ted Libbey, of NPR fame, is a compelling guide to the 350 "essential" works of classical music presented in this book. Not only does he provide a convincing listing of the basic canon and recommended recordings to go with it, but he also supplies a wealth of absorbing anecdotal information to liven up the proceedings. For example, I had always been impressed by the mood of suspense and foreboding conjured up by the first movement of Mozart's C Minor Piano Concerto (K. 491); Mr. Libbey reproduces the "grotesque face" that the composer drew on the mansucript to show that Mozart felt the same way. The musical works in the book are grouped in six sections: orchestral works, concertos, chamber music, solo keyboard works, sacred and choral music and finally opera. I must admit that I have been strongly influenced by this book when beginning my own explorations of chamber music and solo piano pieces, and I am convinced that "The NPR Guide" will prove equally useful to other readers interested in classical music.
Rating:
Summary: A Guide to the Greats
Review: Ted Libbey, of NPR fame, is a compelling guide to the 350 "essential" works of classical music presented in this book. Not only does he provide a convincing listing of the basic canon and recommended recordings to go with it, but he also supplies a wealth of absorbing anecdotal information to liven up the proceedings. For example, I had always been impressed by the mood of suspense and foreboding conjured up by the first movement of Mozart's C Minor Piano Concerto (K. 491); Mr. Libbey reproduces the "grotesque face" that the composer drew on the mansucript to show that Mozart felt the same way. The musical works in the book are grouped in six sections: orchestral works, concertos, chamber music, solo keyboard works, sacred and choral music and finally opera. I must admit that I have been strongly influenced by this book when beginning my own explorations of chamber music and solo piano pieces, and I am convinced that "The NPR Guide" will prove equally useful to other readers interested in classical music.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant reviews on orchestral works and concertos
Review: The NPR Guide to Building a Classical CD Collection is a good start but, it has its limitations. Ted Libbey gave himself a daunting task in putting this guide together. He did an excellent job on the two chapters on orchestral works and concertos, which comprise about half the book. These chapters alone make this book worth the money. His commentary is concise without losing important detail. The reasons that he selected the recommended recordings are clearly laid out. He gives the audiophile a genuine opportunity to understand what is good in a specific recording and what is missing. In many cases he provides more than one choice and explains the differences between the recordings. Based on his commentary, I am obsessively trying to find the Elan recording of Santiago Rodriguez playing Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3. As the guide progresses, however, the author seems to lose interest. His chapter on chamber music is adequate. Then, he zips through solo keyboard works and sacred music. By the time he gets to the last chapter on Opera he has given up. It is ridiculously short. The entire subject is covered in 60 pages! It is not well edited. At one point he states that Leontyne Price is the “great Aida of our timeâ€Â; then he does not mention her recording of this Verdi masterpiece. His recommendation of Mirella Freni’s Aida is a surprise. It is in this chapter that the author has decided not to give any reasons for his recommendations. And so, we are left puzzled. What is wrong with Leontyne Price’s Aida? All of Marilyn Horne’s opera recordings are overlooked. He correctly lists the brilliant Victoria de los Angeles and Jussi Bjorling recording of La Boheme, but fails to note that this is a mono recording. Perhaps Ted Libbey should have co authored this book with someone interested in vocal music, or represented this as the essential guide to orchestral works and concertos. It is certainly worth having. But the true classical CD collector will need other guides for help in finding those special vocal and solo instrument recordings. I recommend this with some reservation.
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