Orpheus Performing Arts

This is a wonderful little shop that every lover of classical music in Boston should know about. The collection is vast and full of unexpected recordings. Many of the standard warhorses of the repertoire go for as little as $ 3 … and then there are all sorts of fascinating things you just stumble on. Highly recommended!

This place makes me SOOOOO happy!!! I come in to browse when I have a spare 2 – 3 hours and I’ve never been disappointed tho’ I don’t always buy something. As I watch more and more of these shops go down the tubes it’s always a joyous relief to find their bins and shelves bulging with great stuff! I’m not real into chatty, so I appreciate that the staff is helpful when needed but that I can go about my searching without distraction. CDs, dvds, vinyl, scores, and great vintage photos and sheet music; I love the hunt for possible treasures. Some stuff is pricey, but they know their stuff.

This is probably one of the strangest stores I’ve ever been in. The place is so small that if you are the least bit claustrophobic you might want to stay away. Also, and this is where things get really strange… they keep some of the CDs in a BATHROOM! Seriously, watch carefully as the staff go to retrieve a CD and you will see that what at first glance appears to be a closet is really a BATHROOM with CDs stocked all over the place even on the TOILET. They do have a good selection of classical CDs and they also have a nice assortment of popular DVDs and especially music related DVDs, but I often never end up buying anything because they have a credit card minimum, which, btw, is a total violation of the merchant’s agreement with the credit card companies. This always bothers me. A number of times I would have bought something (usually a used DVD) but then look at the cc minimum and am like, eh, forget it.

Such a cute little (literally) shop. They have a lot of merchandise and in my experience often have hard to find recordings. The staff is incredibly knowledgeable and helpful; I called ahead of time to look for a particular opera recording and the man who helped me searched for what I was looking for and held it for me. I was looking for a pretty obscure recording and he knew all about it. Orpheus is such a breath of fresh air– when I look for classical recordings at larger stores, I usually know more about classical music than whoever is helping me (which is fine, but I do get tired of telling people how to spell Rossini). Not so at Orpheus! Hurray!
They would get 5 stars, but their hours are very erratic. It’s good to call ahead and make sure that they’re open.

Vinyl Isn’t Cool Anymore, But It Is
Like all, I was awed by my friend Yumiko work the tables last night at Via Matta. I neglected to ask her DJ name sadly. But she was so rocking it, I wasn’t about to disturb her. It’s evident, exacting Dedication to craft yields smooth delivery and seamless, effortless listening pleasure that does not fatigue in the least, 4 hours later. Yumiko invites comparison to Ben Watt from EBTG. Listening as I type. Send some compliment love to Yumiko.

It also reminds me that I spin vinyl too. But I’ll never be as cool, because all my vinyl is… classical and my turntable is… wood.
Orpheus is exactly the kind of store you would expect to find in Boston, a classic music destination. Small with an exclusive collection, you’ll find some rare stuff. How about Paderewski playing his own stuff, whooo. Rachmaninoff playing his own stuff, ouch. Ravel playing his own stuff, pretty! I’ve found them here. That’s a tiny odd slightly incestuous cross-​section, but you get the idea. Good stuff.
Is Classical better than Electronic? Not anymore. Electronic’s innovation, output and breadth easily surpassed the catalog of Classical music a while ago. Still, if you haven’t seriously listened, Classical music offers Rhapsodic moments that will never be lost in time. Guts? Do you want some guts to go with it? Try my this 1:14 sample of Sviatoslav Richter, playing Scubert’s Wanderer Fantasy. But you have to listen to the whole thing, OK?
I’ll be honest though. 80% of my collection is from Salvation Army. And it’s all gold, baby.