[log in to unmask] writes:

>And that Penguin rosette was one of the things that undermined my
>respect for the guide.  Warren-Green's disc is OK, but Barbirolli's
>(which used to have the rosette in earlier editions of the PG) is in an
>entirely different class.  The Tallis Fantasia on that set is the finest
>I've ever heard and the Elgar Introduction &Allegro is IMHO only matched
>by Barbirolli's own 1950s recording.

Granted.  I noticed also that the Warren-Green disc had a rosette in
some editions but in the 1996 edition there was not one.  Bottom line
for me is to make comparisons with various sources and if a disc keeps
coming up as a winner then I think it is worth taking a chance on.  I
still think Penguin Guide choices (the 3 stars rating) have to do with
what they think the average listener is looking for and they try to bring
that to the readers for them to decide how to make their choices.  I do
not get the impression that many of the 3 stars are their own personal
3 stars choices.  And that is OK with me--in fact, I like that better
than someone trying to convince me of the wonders of a disc based solely
on that they love it and now if only the others would get "enlightenment"
we can all agree on the truth.

I still love The Four Seasons disc(Vivaldi) by Wurttemberg Chamber
orchestra--Susanne Lautenbacher, Violin on the Vox archives series.  It
is the only version that makes me think I am listening to some profound
masterpiece and yet I would never recommend it to a beginner. I can think
of many CD's that I would not use my judgment as a guide but use the
judgment of others as a starter. I still think Kleiber (Beethoven) 5th
symphony is too easily recommended.  Sure, it is powerful but I am not
moved by it--I like Wand's last movement (5th symphony of B) better than
Kleiber's.  Not the symphony I am talking about but the conductor here.

I also think people who are not musically inclined and have no idea of
what they are listening for (except to listen for the pleasure of it--like
me) might be better off not to get worked up over extreme opinions--just
look for the middle way(as the Buddha said:) IMHO, of course

Glenn Miller