Jonathan Knapp wrote:

>My advice is to buy CD to avoid the DJ routine.

However...if you are just getting to know classical music, LPs are an
incredibly inexpensive way to hear a wide range of music.

As far as the question about adjusting tempi to accomodate the time
restrictions of a specific format...I am aware of instances where works
were cut to fit into either a time slot for a broadcast or a side of a 78.
It is important to keep in mind that most 78 recordings of extended works
were cut a side at a time, with the conductor or producer choosing the
break point for the sides.  What I find most interesting is the notion that
when we can now hear these performances without the side breaks, the does
not appear to be any change in tempo.  I do realize not all companies
worked this way.  I believe that Columbia would record on 16 inch discs and
then transfer.  That extra step did have some negative effect on the
quality of the sound.  Keep in mind that my comments above refer to the
electric era.  In the acoustic period all sorts of things happened,
everything from reorchestration to extensive cuts.

If you have interest in the subject you might enjoy reading Roland Gelatt's
book "The Fabulous Phonograph." For more detailed information try Walter
Welch's "From Tin Foil to Stereo." And for related information..." The
Guinness Book Recorded Sound." There is also a more recent encyclopedia
of recorded sound, but it is more in the nature of a reference book.

Karl