Introduction to classical music #2: Versions, Opus 1.

Yep, you guessed it, I will devote the next entries of my blog to the phenomenon of the versions, phenomenon which is rather unique to classical music (and to jazz, but that it is another history).

And for whoever wants to explore classical music, I believe that it is essential to determine the most significant aspects and impacts of the phenomenon of the versions.

As I said, a single composition can be recorded several dozens of times (and even several hundreds of times), as it is the case for Mozart's Little Night Music, Strauss' waltzes, Pachelbel's Canon, Ravel's Bolero; in short, the compositions which belong to the basic repertory (I will talk about this another time) exist under an incalculable number of versions. For the rest, I would say that more than half of classical music compositions are recorded at least four or five times. In fact, it's especially the more obscure or more recent compositions that are recorded only one or twice.

But the fact of having as many choices isn't always a good thing. When I worked in music stores, I believe that there was nothing worse for the majority of the customers than wanting to buy Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Why? First of all, because any music store worthy of that name must have in stock at least ten or fifteen recordings of the Four Seasons; secondly, because all these versions have something in particular: this one is recorded on period instruments, that one has improvised parts, and so on...

This small collage presents about 20 versions of the famous Four Seasons; this is what I call a huge selection...























You know, I noticed that the fact of gaining access to so many versions almost always led the customers (the beginners like the experts) to raise this same question: how does one know which is the best version, the ultimate version for each composition of classical music?

I'll give you my answer next time!

So take care, and don't be afraid to have a curious ear!...

PS: By the way, the term Opus is simply a way of numbering the compositions; for example, a Symphony #5 Opus 17 means that this symphony is a 17th composition.