Customer Reviews
Losing it's way, but is there a real alternative? - By: Michael Wolff, 29 Aug 2008 
no JBJ, we music lovers can't do without the guide as there's nothing remotely comparable doing the same job. And that's what's worrying about the downhill process the Penguin Guide's been following over, I'd say, the last 15 years. At the heart of it's problems are the practicality of size, the ability of the editors to keep up with it all & the commerciality of the product.
Of what's been said before I agree that: a) the scoring system is ludicrously complicated & space-wasting, the new listings typeface heavy & ugly b) It is impossible to determine quite what criteria the editors are using to allow a reference in, although there's a reasonably good chance that new product from the two great majors - Universal & EMI - will get a look in. Also labels which have established themselves by volume of publication, quality or public interest do tend to get established after a while.
Interestingly though, as soon as an issue gets complicated or requiring too much space it doesn't get off the starting blocks. Just think about the hundred of boxed sets available at ludicrously low prices but often containing first class performances. Despite their evident quality, importance & economy these are generally ignored now, presumably because to list the contents & report on them would take too much space.
Some earlier reviewers have assumed that the editors are only showing what they consider to be 3 star rated recordings. But we have no knowledge whatever of the quality of anything that's excluded - did they listen & discard it (on our behalf), did they not have time to review it, or haven't they come across it? i'd also observe that hundreds of extant recordings previously awarded three stars, have disappeared.
But my overwhelming (and continuous) complaint - & I'm really surprised no-one above has raised it - is that starting over ten years ago, Penguin realised the spine of the book would bust if they went beyond composers. This means thatin common with its predecessors the 2008 edition excludes completely any recording based upon artists, events & the like thereby denying rights to some of the greatest musical documents one will find, & probably some of the most popular, actual & potential.
yes, it's true they allocate space for thisin the biannual 'yearbook', but the treatment there is pathetic evenin comparison to the axe which has befallen composer based entries. Andin any event why should these recordings with as much authority as anything else be shoved into the wilderness like that?
having moaned about all this i don't know what the answer is. At 1500 pages the book can't realistically be increasedin size. As someone with a passion for the subject I'd personally be happy to buy an annual three volume edition eg A-M, M-Z, Artists, but would this be commercially viable? I'd like to see other suggestions on this.
Declining quality - By: JBJ, 29 Aug 2008 
This edition of the Guide is riddled with typos, errors & omissions. Some CDs are noted but not rated. Some CD labels are poorly served (particulary budget labels like Brilliant & Regis). Some of the text is plain contradictory. A big disappointment that might well signal the end of this publication.
Excellent work! - By: Dr. J. M. Alter, 19 May 2008 
This work has been & remains an invaluable tool to consult when choosing which 'version' to purchase. It is written by a reliable & very able team. Obviously not everything is to be agreedwith when it comesto interpretation- but I have found this resource to be most helpful- it sifts out poor recordings & weak performances. The new starring system is a little confusing as is the box around recommended performances- a DVD section is also helpful but there are some weaknesses.
Because of size & scope there are a number of recordings missing- as other reviewers of the Guide point out-
Alsoin previous Guides if a version is reommended then it is alluded toin the review even if it is outside of the period of the Guide-
There is also a penchant for older reissued recordingsin mono- maybe there should be a section for Historic recordings!
It is a pity that some reviewers of the guide have decided to single out recordings by Karajan- he was a conductor who had faults & yet also great ability- the performances that are recommended by the Guide are, I have found to be all that the Guide claims- when the Guide states the merits of a piece of music it is generally assessed according to its merits- it is a shame that those that criticise one conductor do so not on his merits but on personal views! If you don't like a conductor don't buy him- & if we started sifting through recordings & removing conductors we didnt like due to personal likings about what they did or didnt stand for, who would remain. Come to that many composers wouldnt be played at all- Chopin because of his suicide, Wagner for his adultery, Mahler for changing religions to gain employment, to name but a few!
The Guide is an excellent source of information & help- & the rosette awards are truly worth it!
Awful disappointment - By: lawrenharris, 06 May 2008 
I agree completely with reviewer "JSH". I too have been buying this guide regularly for decades, & look forward to each new issue avidly, despite the ever-lengthening trail of nonsensical statements that have survived cut-and-paste editing as recordings are added or (especially) deleted from the list. I can kind of forgive this particular widespread mess, as the business of editing such a huge volume with less than an army of editorial staff is a truly daunting task. But the latest issue fails on every count. For the first time there are fewer entries rather than more since the last full edition, & the ax has been wielded completely to several composers. Adios, Alberto Gerhard! The Guide has always been good about covering new recordings very promptly, but this time there are many, many important new issues that have not been included. The bulk is just as great as before, but that is because the space is used up with larger typeface & the introduction of superfluous boxes around chosen recordings. Indeed the plethora of distinguishing marks given to different recordings is almost impossible to parse & borders on the comical. Three stars for a fully recommended recording, three stars with a key for "key recordings", now FOUR stars for fully fully fully fully recommended recordings, & four stars with a rosette for, well, gosh, if everything else is so fully extra-special wonderful, these must be guaranteed to change your life. The evaluation process has degenerated into a form of hype. Since almost all recordings that previously received a less-than-three-star rating have been dropped, this leaves this as pretty much a Guide to Recommended Recordings. You might think it is not much of a loss to drop listings of less-recommended recordings, but it was always possible to account for the well-marked biases & limitations of the three editors by seeing which kinds of interpretations they tended to give lower ratings, & therefore to compensate for the basic dullness & correctness of their very British critical bias. This strategy is no longer available for readers.
So, after many, many years of buying this Guide with great excitement, I will probably not be buying the Penguin Guides to Classical Music any more. (The sad demise of one of the two editors of the Penguin Guide to Jazz probably puts an end to that wonderful publication as well.)
Surprising errors and omissions - By: P. H. Smith, 07 Apr 2008 
I agree with other reviewers that this is a book well worth having but, evenin my limited experience, there are some surprising errors & omissions. For example, I have the Naxos disc of Brahms String Quartets by the Ludwig Quartet. Unusually for this label, the sound quality is truly awful, but the Penguin Guide describes the recording as having "good presence & is well balanced". An extraordinary conclusion! Secondly the Guide completely ignores the superb 2005 Capriccio compilation of Haydn's keyboard sonatas on original instruments by Christine Schornsheim; perhaps the best CD set I have ever purchased!
Neverless, the book is useful & good value for money.
