Introductions?

[AndrewC]

I am surprised that there exists no introductions thread yet! But, looking around, I cannot see the obvious place to put one.

It occurs to me that in a forum with a relatively small user-base and a very similar set of interests, there could be a few benefits to actually introducing ourselves. We may have specific, ongoing goals we are trying to achieve (e.g. a complete Bortkiewicz collection), which others can help with. We may have specific queries which aren't worth a dedicated thread each, which can be easily answered. And we may have some bigger goals which we will never achieve on our own, but by working together might garner enough interest to go somewhere with them.


I hope nobody minds me introducing myself here:
My name is Andrew, I'm 23, from Cambridgeshire, UK. I've only been interested in classical music for a few years (all rock/metal before that). I've only been interested in "unsung composers" for about 2 years; I came across the Lyapunov disc from the Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto series, which really got me interested. I've been collecting a fair bit since then, and now own about 750 classical CDs (although most is well-known stuff).

I'm keenest on romantic-era orchestral stuff. Brahms is my favourite composer (Perhaps because he was who I first heard live?). Other favourites are Bruch, Medtner, Bortkiewicz, Henselt, and Scharwenka (Xaver). I am very interested in getting an as-complete-as-possible collection of these composers.

I have some big ideas (although, probably just because I think too much...).
I'd like to create a musical works Wiki system, like IMSLP, but without the necessity of having their scores - just an opus list/equivalent with relevant details, and notes of whether/where scores and/or recordings are available. Basically, a record of who wrote what, when, and how to get it. I've done web-application development work before, so it would be a home-grown effort, and I'd trawl biographies and the web for info (and possibly beg publishers for a list of what they've published)
I'd also like to work towards getting the music of many of the lesser-known composers' work recorded. Ok, I'm young and poor, so I can't commission orchestras or anything - but hopefully I will be able to do *something* in the future. Plus, I'm planning to learn the piano, which will hopefully allow me to do some of the easier stuff myself. People like http://www.youtube.com/user/PSearPianist have been very inspiring when one sees what has been achieved with simple equipment, a love of the obscure, and plenty of time.

I have a few queries:
- Which labels/series are good for finding premier or just obscure recordings? I am aware of Hyperion's Romantic x Concerto series (which I own all of), as well as Sterling's main series (which I own about half of). Are there any others I should know about?
- Are you aware of a good source for out-of-copyright audio recordings?
- What's the easiest/quickest method that you have found for ripping audio from youtube clips?
- How do people here back up their collection? Mine is all ripped to FLAC, then put onto an off-site external hard-drive, but is there an easier way?

[JimL]

You are indeed a man after many of our own hearts, Andrew.  A few other labels of interest are cpo, Naxos, Toccata and Dutton.  Naxos is a budget label, and they are highly enterprising and ambitious.  Hyperion, of course, you already know about.  And your aspirations about recording unsungs are precisely what many of us share with you.  I'd like to see more live concert performances of unsungs, particularly Raff and Rufinatscha, but many of those others you mention as well.

Welcome aboard!

[AndrewC]

Ah, brilliant, thank you, I shall have to explore their back-catalogues!