Do you organize Classical records alphabetically by performer (James Galway), composer (Chopin), or conductor (Leonard Bernstein)?
Composer. To me the composer is by far the most important factor in whether I like a piece of music and which piece I feel like hearing. I make a few exceptions for collections, where I will keep a boxed set or such like together even though it includes cd’s of various composers’ works. I also make an exception by keeping operas separate from other works. That wasn’t one of your choices, but maybe other people sort by type of composition. I only keep the operas separate, partly because they are in multi-CD boxes and partly because if I feel like listening to an opera that’s a bit different than other classical music, even opera overtures.
