Rating: 
Summary: Love classical music? You'll love this book!
Review: This book helps the classical music fan in two ways. One, when I need to find a good recording of an artist, composer, or composition, this book presents a good starting point. Two, when I want to experiment and listen someone or something I haven't heard before, this book offers good suggestions. Libbey is by no means exhaustive, but that's the whole idea. You may not agree with all his inclusions (or exclusions), but he is straight-forward, insightful, and short. A good reference for novices and professionals alike.
Rating:
Summary: Bravo, Ted!
Review: This is a terrific guide - extraordinarily well-written and beautifully presented - that will appeal equally well to the classical music beginner, the intermediate, and also to those who consider themselves "experts" in the classical music listening field. Ted's insight into the music, and to those who have composed and performed it, is astounding, and delivered to the reader in a narrative style that is, like his radio commentary, as warm and down to earth as it is eloquent and well-informed. Rarely has anyone in the field matched Ted's gift for being able to discuss the "rarified air" of classical music in such a natural and appealing manner without crossing that dreaded line into expert snobbery and snootiness.This new edition has been expanded to feature 350 Essential Works (up from 300), and also includes several interesting new sections designed to augment the recommended recordings while providing additional advice and insight to those starting to build, and to those continuing to expand, their classical music library. While any "Essential Works" collection in any field of endeavor will, by definition, be exclusionary and therefore leave itself open to debate (try ranking the greatest baseball players of all time, for example, or the finest works of art), Ted has done a truly thoughtful and admirable job in making his selections. No doubt he could have picked 500 Essential Works, or even 1000, to cover all the bases and insure that everyone's personal favorites were included. But then the book wouldn't be nearly as interesting, and it would also weigh a ton when you lay in bed reading it.
Rating:
Summary: A must have for any classical music lover.
Review: This is an essential book if you more-than-like classical music. Don't waste your money if you're that kind of Bach-and-Mozart radio listener: this will not help you.
But if you take classical music seriously, and enjoy researching about composers, orchestras, musical periods and not so popular suites, this is the guide for you.
It has well organized texts which make it easy to read and not less important: nice to keep on the night table for an everynight reading.
Rating:
Summary: A very helpful reference with interesting commentary.
Review: This is an excellent guide for "Building a Classical CD Collection". The choices of selections and specific recordings, and the organization, writing, and extras are all first rate.
The book is divided into six sections based on types of music (not era's or composers). Although the first section is 200
pages, many of the composers are introduced there so the book is reasonably balanced. A typical four pages consists of a bio on the composer (adding a real sense of history), a description of a selection, then
a few performances with commentary on
each recording as well. The author's picks include many from the Berlin and Vienna orchestras, and several from London, Montreal, Chicago,
New York, Boston, Cleveland, Amsterdam and Columbia. He chose Karajan recordings, as well as Bernstien, Dutoit,
Colin Davis, Gardiner, Previn, Walter, Szell, and Marriner. Performers mentioned include Rubinstien, Ashkenazy,
Pearlman, Perahia, Mutter, and Schiff. There are also plenty of interesting short stories and pictures about composers, conductors, orchestras, and performers
added in the generous margins. Another helpful section placed at the end, gives suggestions for: beginning a collection,
teenagers, special occasions, and other favorites of the author. After this, there is a helpful index of composers and
performers.
If you don't like having only a few recommendations for each work, getting a Penguin or Gramophone guide may
help. And of course: **read the reviews at Amazon.com!** The book covers most of the "essential works" extremely well, but with 350 selections, it seems that a few other works
could have been included:
Vivaldi concertos, Sibelius Finlandia and no.1, Rachmaninov piano no.3, Bruckner no.4, Handel concerto grossi,
Schubert no.5 and string quartet no.14, Ravel La Valse, Mendelssohn no.3, more Schumann, Gershwin piano concerto
in F, Schoenberg Moonstruck Pierrotierrot, and the Mahler eighth. Note to the author and publisher: I would welcome updates every five? years or so, to keep up with all of the new
recordings.
Rating:
Summary: I can't imagine buying Classical CDs without this book
Review: This is the one guide I turn to when I'm thinking about exploring new classical music. When I find a composer I like, this is the book that tells me what to consider purchasing next. There's so much out there, it's difficult to figure out which recordings are the most enjoyable. This guide will help you find the gems. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to know more about starting a classical CD collection.
Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive, authoritative, "reader friendly".
Review: This second revised edition of a classic documents over three hundred works deemed essential to a serious classical CD collection, along with introductions to different classical styles. From a 'top 10' starter list to music suitable for specific purposes or age ranges, this is packed with important, basic collection-building details on how to select quality recordings.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent guide to building a classical music collection
Review: Very good book for those who want to begin collecting classical music but have minimal knowledge of where to start. The book covers a great deal of the core classical repertoire. It provides a brief summary and 2-3 recommended recordings for each composition. The book is divided into sections for each of the major types of classical music (orchestral, chamber, instrumental, opera, etc.).
Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Should've Been Better!
Review: When a book is touted to be for neophytes I expect to see language that is direct and simple. But the sheer number of musical terminology in this book is liable to exasperate most first-timers to Classical Music, e.g., "...exploding out of the extraordinary pppppp dynamic" and "...a waltz subtly disfigured by its 5/4 meter." Or take words like: "tutti," "tarantella," even "Andante," "Adagio," "Allegro," etc. Does Libbey expect all new-comers to CM to be musically-trained and have a CM dictionary? Why did he not at least provide a glossary or bother to translate some of the more common terms? How many people today even knows what "Allegro" REALLY means? For me - a diehard lover of CM - it was not a major problem, however how can I recommend a book to friends who want to learn about CM when they can't even understand what the book is saying? Another oversight is that Libbey does not bother to translate any Latin or German names for pieces. Would it have killed him to translate stuff like "Tuba mirum" or "Dies Irae" or "Also Sprach Zarathustra"? I understand the need for brevity in a work like this, but too often it comes at the expense of valuable information -- e.g., why did he truncate the plot-outline for Berlioz's Fantastic Symphony? He would've done better to simply reproduce Berlioz's own program notes. He is also wrong about many facts -- e.g., Berlioz was NOT "unable to play a single instrument well" (he was, in fact, a concert-level flutist and an accomplished guitarist). Also, that bit about Tchaikovsky being ordered to kill himself by a tribunal is sheer nonsense and has been widely discredited. I also find him to be frequently wrong when describing the music -e.g., he describes the ending of the Largo to Beethoven's 4th piano concerto as "...the surprising final chord, the only fortissimo in the entire mvt." It is hardly "fortissimo" (very loud). You see? At least I bothered to translate! I made the mistake of buying some pieces recommended by Libbey in an effort to broaden my taste. I've only ended up with CDs I hardly listen to: Ravel, Respeghi, Falla, Gershwin, etc. I really think Libbey would've done better to stick more closely with the "giants" of CM like Beethoven, Mahler, etc. His chapter on Operas is difficult to believe. I mean is a new-comer to CM really expected to purchase and absorb the entire Ring Cycle by Wagner??? He could at least have listed some "highlight" CDs to try and ease people into the larger works. I give it three stars because I suppose (for a beginner) having this book is still better than having nothing, but the truly "helpful" CM guide has yet to be written!
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