adhoc 0 Report post Posted January 13, 2004 hey all, just wanna inform everyone out there that there is an EXCELLENT classical music store in town. it's called Sing Music, and it's at Lucky Plaza #02-75, and it's the local classical scene's best kept secret. musicians and classical music lovers alike patronise this store, if you are a Friend of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, you might have heard about this store - your membership entitles you to 10% off everything in the store. abt the store.. think a small, intimate sort of store filled with classical recordings. not maksim, josh groban, charlotte church or any of those 'crossover' classical acts. i mean REAL classical music. i kid you not when i say that the selection of this tiny store rivals that of HMV and Tower Records in both terms of quality (esp. quality) and perhaps quantity. most of the recordings in her store are critically acclaimed, and i do not think that is by coincidence. the store, like hmv/tower, also has complete catalogues of all the major labels, the penguin guide to classical cds and the gramophone good cd guide for you to browse. the store's owner is a lovely lady named Doris. she remembers frequent customers by name and will greet you and give you personalised service. certainly not like those bo-chup slackers in hmv (more on that later)! she also takes orders for classical cds and will pursue records for you like a very very very hungry rottweiler. example: i went to hmv and ordered a cd. 4 months later, they call me up and tell me that they cannot find it. 4 months! i had already forgotten abt my order by then! then i walk into her shop, and there it is lying on the shelf. and i've left the best for last - the prices. prices are approx. 10-20% less than hmv/tower on average. example: Beethoven's Symp.9 w Karajan and the BPO (1977) is $18 there. in hmv it's $24.50. so what are you waiting for?! get down there! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ckng 0 Report post Posted January 13, 2004 Wow! Thanks for the heads up. I have long since given up on HMV ever since they decided to move the Jazz and Evergreens into the classical room and cut the selection there dramatically. The last straw is that their average classical CD prices at HMV is now a ridiculous $28. I started buying stuff from Tower @ Suntec, which has a good selection and the man in the classical room is rather friendly and appears to be knowledgeable, and prices are slightly lower @ $24.95. I'll check out Sing. Does it happen to be the old Sing Disc Sounds at Raffles City? Regards CK P.S. The Barenboim/Mozart Piano Concertos are great. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
augustineRS 0 Report post Posted January 13, 2004 (edited) To think that it is tuck in Lucky Plaza amazes me. is this found in S'pore? Edited January 13, 2004 by augustineRS Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fuwen 0 Report post Posted January 13, 2004 Yes, it is the Sing at Raffles City. Their strong point is on the label Deutsche Grammophon, good stock of CDs at very good price. Tower, HMV and Borders have much more selection but price are steeper and I totally agree that the price at HMV is ridiculous! For the audiophile CDs or DVDs I can get them cheaper from Towerrecords.com from US ship to door step (normal shippment)! However, for classical SACDs I think they are cheaper at New Disc Village and Grammophone, or towerrecords.com. Sad to say the classical stores are smaller and smaller nowdays, Tower@Suntec and Borders classical section is shrinking. HMV still OK but not the price!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adhoc 0 Report post Posted January 13, 2004 their primary labels are dgg, decca, philips, naxos, hyperion and naxos historical. less of emi (mostly box sets). less of sony classical (usually one-off impt recordings like glen gould's goldberd var.). fuwen, you can order anything through her - it's just how willing you are to wait. and i'm sure that her prices will beat towerrecords.com's anytime once the cds get in. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fuwen 0 Report post Posted January 13, 2004 Thanks adhoc! I have actually purchase quite often from Sing and did place several orders with Doris. Nice owner and she even SMS me on new arrivals! Agree with you it is a very nice shop that any classical fans should not miss out! Cheers! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ckng 0 Report post Posted January 13, 2004 Hi, Sad thing classical is dying. Eventually the only way to listen to classical performances is to attend a concert. Trouble is, not a lot of good concerts here, you only get the good performers here once in a while. And sadly, SSO is not up to standard. Performing in the Esplanade concert hall doesn't improve that unfortunately. I remember long ago, even Sembawang Music has a decent selection of classical, not anymore. These days, people are only interested in commercial pop. Regards CK Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adhoc 0 Report post Posted January 13, 2004 some sembawang music centres stock classical xrcds. if you dont know what xrcds are, think fully-compatible redbook with better than hdcd resolution. but, oh, how expensive! >30$!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fuwen 0 Report post Posted January 13, 2004 Sembawang music centres are not up the the standard nowadays. To me most of the outlets only stock popular stuff. Their audiophile selections and classcial selections very limited (maybe I have more at home than them) and price not competitive. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
king 0 Report post Posted January 13, 2004 adhoc, can you find some binaural recording there, i 've been looking for this kind of cd for a long time. but i can find nothing in SG. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adhoc 0 Report post Posted January 13, 2004 binaural recordings.. no, i'm sorry, i've never noticed them there. ditto for sacds. adn fuwen i know what you mean. all music stores nowadays are stocking '6 month music'. '6 month music'? yeah. you forget abt it in 6 months. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mackie 0 Report post Posted January 14, 2004 Sing Music has been around even in the era of Beethoven House. If U're impressed by the former, U'll freak out by the latter...........if only they are still around. It was located at Centerpoint and decor was classy! Wholly classical collections (no pop whatsoever) and I remembered they used McKintosh equipment for cd testing. ** sigh......memories abound ** Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fuwen 0 Report post Posted January 14, 2004 Ya Mackie I used to frequent Beethoven many many years back ( I am 39 now) and I even visited them when they are located at a shop house along Orchard road. After that they shifted to Centre point and there was a change in owner once, if I can remember correctly. And you are right: hard to imagine a shop now in Singapore selling only classical CDs and nothing else! Sad to see them go.......... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
