The New York Times Essential Library Classical Music: A Critic's Guide to the 100 Most Important Recordings

A dazzling appraisal of the definitive classical music performances available today. For classical music lovers there is nothing more beguiling and exciting than the range of technique and emotion that can capture or transform the great works in the hands of a conductor and musicians. But with hundreds of recordings released every year discovering the jewels is a challenge for newcomers as well as for connoisseurs. New York Times classical music critic Allan Kozinn offers the ultimate collectors guide packed with a rich history of the composers and performers who stir our souls. From Bachs eloquent Goldberg Variations performed by master pianist Glenn Gould at the beginning and end of his career in startlingly different interpretations to a lyrical performance of Rimsky-Korsakovs Scheherezade conducted by Kiril Kondrashin shortly after his defection from the Soviet Union Kozinn places each work in the greater context of musical development and stretches the listeners understanding of each pivotal composition. These original essays on the one hundred greatest recorded classical works provide both practical guidance for building a library and deep insight into the transcendent power of music itself.