Karl Miller replies to me:

>I would agree that people do mix their listening experiences, however,
>I wonder, but have not seen, any statistical information which tries to
>determine if classical CD buyers are concert goers or radio listeners.

I admit this is anecdotal, not statistical, but in my experience,
record stores benefit from being located near performance halls, and
they sell more of performers and composers who are performed locally.
This observation is based on talking to salespeople, when I want to know
why something is sold out, generally shortly after a performance, or why
there is a glut, a few weeks later, after the special orders have been
filled and replaced with the same item (a practice that Don has lamented,
wishing they would replace them with *similar* or *related* items).

>>Personally, I am more likely to attend a concert where piece I know
>>(from recordings) will be played.
>
>And I am looking for something I can't hear on records.

For me, the ideal concert or recording contains both familiar and less
familiar works.  That way, I am both enriched and entertained (or, at
least, entertained, in the case that I find the new work or performance
dreadful).

Regardless of whether recordings are good for concerts or vice versa,
I want to mention that this LIST is definitely good for classical music.
(Which, I feel, is a related topic; I suppose that's open to debate.) I
am itching to see Goerne and Brendel's Winterreise coming up at Disney
Hall thanks to the praise it's received here.

Michael Cooper