Robert Golovniov wrote:

> The biggest problem here in Ukraine is that you can hardly
> find good recordings for a "local" price. You can get all
> those larger labels CDs, but for the Western price.  (As
> an example, you can get the sleeping car train ticket from
> Lviv to Kiev, which is over 500 km, for about 80 UAH; at
> the same time a budget-priced DGG disc would cost you here
> some 100 UAH if not more.) ...

When I first started to collect, I was able to find used cds...  there
were many secondhand stores around here.  I wonder, are there such places
in Ukraine?  We also had free libraries that would lend cds.  And some
schools had listening rooms.  I don't know if you have those either, but
it is my hope.  How about radio stations?  Are there classical music
radio stations?  Do you have a tape recorder?  That's an inexpensive way
to acquire music.

> So, at the moment I am just trying to get at least one
> set, but a good one.  In Russian we have a saying: Measure
> seven times, then cut once. And that's what I am trying to
> do.

When I was building my own collection I started by buying the least
expensive records I could find.  That way, I could hear more music for
my money.  I didn't know about which performance was "the" performance
to have.  I was just hungry to hear music!  Little by little I learned
which performances satisfied me.  There is so much to hear in the Beethoven
symphonies that I would guess almost any good orchestra would provide
you with many happy hours of listening!

> Anyway, I would like to thank all of you for your
> comments.  Now I basically have an idea of what I should
> be looking for.

I hope you can find a satisfactory set! Good luck.

Mimi Ezust

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