I detest using Amazon for classical music

[Nick Armstrong]

I entered the name of the orchestra in the basic search field which seemed the logical thing to do.

I do think all this barcode stuff is overcomplicating it. And I think the key to this rather mystifying thread is located above: it is not logical to enter just the name of the orchestra and expect a precise search result.

[Curalach]

Maybe it's the BBC's fault

I don't think so!!!

[VodkaDilc]

This all sounds so complicated. Why not do as I always do? - phone The Woods and order from a person. (Or use their website if you must.)

http://www.the-woods.co.uk/

[hafod]

The Amazon search facility does take some familiarization. I find that too many search terms in the advanced search can lead to a zero return. Also, the distinction between 'conductor' and 'performer' is hazy. Thus 'Uchida' in the performer box gives no trace whereas in the conductor box it yields 83 hits. Meanwhile, du Pre as conductor gives 88 hits but as performer no trace. Isn't technology wonderful!

[Don Petter]

As an experiment I just tried a more layman's approach, without even resorting to the Advanced Search.

On the first Amazon screen I changed the first search field to the drop-down of 'Classical Music'. In the second I had only typed the letters 'ra' when a drop-down offered me 'Rachmaninov Symphony No 2', which I accepted. The successive pages which came up were:

1. Eleven versions of the Second Symphony (out of twelve items) including BtS's Pappano.

2. Eight more versions of the symphony (out of twelve items)

3. Five more versions of the symphony.

[Don Petter]

The Amazon search facility does take some familiarization. I find that too many search terms in the advanced search can lead to a zero return. Also, the distinction between 'conductor' and 'performer' is hazy. Thus 'Uchida' in the performer box gives no trace whereas in the conductor box it yields 83 hits. Meanwhile, du Pre as conductor gives 88 hits but as performer no trace. Isn't technology wonderful!

The field entries do sometimes seem to have been left to the tea boy. If in doubt, judicious use of the Keyword field rather than Conductor or Performer can be a better bet!

[Uncle Monty]

This all sounds so complicated. Why not do as I always do? - phone The Woods and order from a person. (Or use their website if you must.)
http://www.the-woods.co.uk/

I know The Woods well, as my wife hailed originally from the Costa del Bognoro, and remember well when they started up. I wish them well, but alas it's the prices. . .

[Don Petter]

I know The Woods well, as my wife hailed originally from the Costa del Bognoro, and remember well when they started up. I wish them well, but alas it's the prices. . .

I'm glad they are still going, in on-line form, for their sake. But since they closed the shop, where you could browse and find bargains among the reductions and second-hand items, I haven't dealt with them.

[VodkaDilc]

The Woods prices tend to be £3 - £4 less than my local HMV or Blackwells. Coupled with regular monthly offers sent by post (email if you insist) and free postage on all orders, I find their service ideal. I have never used Amazon for any purchases and don't intend to support such monster organisations, even if there is a further price reduction.

And with The Woods, you always chat to the same people and have good service and a lovely conversation. I prefer not to live in an Orwellian world!

Don P: they send lists of secondhand bargains regularly.

[BetweenTheStaves]

It's odd, do you have similar problems searching things on google? .....

No I most certainly do not. Nor did I just stick in the orchestra name. I used this Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia rachmaninov in the basic search and got nothing. And why should that be? Because the muppets at Amazon have entered Rome Santa Cecilia Academy Orchestra as the orchestra!

[amateur51]

No I most certainly do not. Nor did I just stick in the orchestra name. I used this Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia rachmaninov in the basic search and got nothing. And why should that be? Because the muppets at Amazon have entered Rome Santa Cecilia Academy Orchestra as the orchestra!

[Don Petter]

In searching, less is often more. Only the minimum to define the target should be entered.

[Il Grande Inquisitor]

When entering info into a search engine, it helps if you enter as few words as possible. I'd usually enter the composer's name plus the surname of a conductor or soloist to generate a search, almost always successfully.

I've always found Amazon to be the easiest online store for searching for releases. Enter 'Rachmaninov' and 'Pappano', or 'Rachmaninov' and 'Cecilia' and the new disc appears as the first result.

MDT's search engine is more wieldy. I tend to use that site for their pre-release lists, which are usually far in advance of anywhere else. HMV's search engine is often hopeless in comparison.

[Bryn]

When entering info into a search engine, it helps if you enter as few words as possible.

Indeed, surely the 'muppet' is the one making things harder for him or herself than is necessary. On amazon.co.uk, "Santa Rachmaninov" does the trick, and it's not even Christmas.

Basically, when using any such search engine, try and use as few, potentially unique, search terms as possible. Omit terms such as "orchestra", common forenames, etc. If at first you get too many hits, that's the time to think up another likely unique term to add to the mix in order to narrow the field. Simples.

[beakon]

Well, for what it's worth, I'm with BTS on this one - it may be because of my incompetence with computers, but more often than not, when I try to find something in Amazon's classical CD section, I'm told the item in question doesn't exist. Although I know it does! In order to avoid shouting at the website and the consequent frustration, I've all but given up using Amazon in favour of Presto Classical (yes, I know they're more expensive but I find their site easy and clear to use) or the local specialist classical CD shop which we're lucky enough to have still where I live.