And unlike, say, classic theatrical works which are also repeated and re-imagined for each generation, so long as the musical performances have been recorded, we can continue to experience them in myriad different interpretations. One of the joys of classical over other musical genres is that the greatest pieces get recorded again and again. That trove of treasures, from Albinoni to Zemlinsky, got me thinking about what it was that makes a truly legendary recording. And so it was with a sense of renewed wonder and awe that I sat down to drop the needle on my new hoard. Nevertheless, like most people in the 21st Century, much of my musical listening is done through headphones on a small handheld device, the quality inevitably impaired. I’ve been a vinyl junkie since my teens and consider myself hugely lucky that my job entails going to live concerts on a regular basis. My greedy glee at such a generous invitation had to be tempered by the exigencies of space – unlike him, alas, I don’t have a giant garage in which to store my music – but I still drove home with no fewer than four enormous suitcases stacked full of records, mourning the gems I’d had to leave behind. If I was interested, I could come over and help myself to anything I wanted. I recently got a phone call from my father, in which he said he’d decided to clear out his classical record collection.
