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I'm very (painfully) slowly ripping my massive CD collection into mp3 files.  Yes, I know mp3 is not the best way, but I'm not actually getting rid of any of the discs themselves, and I don't have enough digital storage to keep them all in lossless format yet.  And I don't have enough physical storage space to keep them in my living area, so it's into boxes they go!  Anyways, that's not what this is about.  I was actually interested in what other people do with regards to keeping some kind of list of their ripped CDs.

I've been doing it in a pretty cumbersome way, using two spreadsheets that I'm keeping in GoogleApps.  By the way, these are shareable, if anybody with a Google account wanted to see them.  I'm using two, because one is a list by CD... showing me that I've only ripped 114 of my probably around-3000 collection.  Ouch.  The other spreadsheet is by composer+work.  Needless to say, this one has quite a bit more than 114 lines already.  In both spreadsheets, the label, their proprietary catalog#, the orchestra/ensemble, conductor, soloist(s) are to be found, so there is a lot of duplication between the two.

I'm not sure that I really want to simplify it beyond what I have, even though it takes forever.  I really do like having all this information.  But, I'm still interested in how other people are dealing with this, or even other tips or pointers or experiences on ripping a CD or LP collection in general.  For instance, does anybody know a pretty good large-ish box I can buy multiple of, so that I can store these in something better than collapsing cardboard?

I found a live performance from Bulgaria of a work that I've never even heard of before. It's on YouTube, from 12 November of 2010.  It's spread out over two videos. I'm a massive fan of Lindpaintner's Op.44 Bassoon Concerto, so I was just typing his name on YouTube and came across it. Surely, there aren't too many Romantic composers less sung than Lindpaintner! As far as I know, only a handful of his works have ever been recorded; I just discovered that the work from this YouTube video has appeared on CD once upon a time... I might have to buy this disc used!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCfGUpnzmX4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3ampCCH6QU

Here's the CD I just learned about today:
http://www.amazon.com/Sinfonie-Concertante-Winds-Orch-36-44/dp/B000001SQP/

Several years ago, someone from Nederland used to send me a few recordings he'd make of Classical and early Romantic works performed live and broadcast on some radio station, works that - to both our knowledge - had never been commercially recorded before.  Among these was the Piano Concerto #2 in C, Op.50 by Conradin Kreutzer.  Unfortunately, my Dutch acquaintance didn't start recording until partway into the first movement, but still, what he captured is riddled with operatic, singable tunes, and sounds really nice.  It has a few surprises, like an instant tempo change here and there, introduction of a fresh lyrical theme virtually out of the blue, just enough to keep the listener on his toes, but there's nothing really innovative or amazing about it.  It's just a very solid, very nice, early Romantic piano concerto.

My problem is, I can't find any information whatsoever about orchestral works of C.Kreutzer, other than a work for Bassoon and Orchestra (which I find to be terrific).  Other than this, I've never seen more than that he wrote "piano concertos".  Not how many, when, or anything, just that he wrote "some".  Digging a bit, I found a single reference to a non-opera concert overture and an orchestral "dance", both dating from 1834; something I just discovered for the first time today!  There just seems to be a strange lack of information about the works of Kreutzer, other than a couple of his operas and chamber works (and that Fantasie for Bassoon and Orchestra).

Has anyone else had occasion to hear anything else of Conradin Kreutzer going out over the radio, or in a concert?  Obviously, at least his 2nd Piano Concerto is around, and printed, and has been performed in modern times.

[Symphony #2 in A minor (1893)]

Here's one completely new to me!  Unfortunately, I can't really comment very much, but it was so out of the ordinary that I wanted to share it here.  I normally try to avoid basically empty posts (which is why I haven't said anything here at all recently), but this just seems pretty rare.  No, this symphony doesn't blow me away, but I don't think it completely sucks.

Symphony #2 in A minor  (1893)
I. Moderato (PART1; split into two videos)
I. Moderato (PART2)
II. Andante
III. Presto
IV. Allegro risoluto