[mb-users] ClassicalReleaseArtistStyle: "Primary" artist

[Frederic Da Vitoria]

2007/1/7, Andrew Conkling <andrew.conkling at gmail.com>:
> On 1/7/07, Frederic Da Vitoria <davitofrg at gmail.com> wrote:
> > 2007/1/7, Andrew Conkling <andrew.conkling at gmail.com>:
> > > Another release:
> > > http://musicbrainz.org/show/release/?releaseid=579782, where the
> > > Quartet plays on all tracks, but with extra (different) performers on
> > > all but one track.
> >
> > Thus, Richter would apply, and so does the Takács Quartet, "saved" by
> > the 6th track. But here, the criterion seems so flimsy (one small
> > track, which does not even appear on the first cover) that I don't
> > really feel even my "objective" criterion applies.
>
> Well, I could see saying that the Quartet takes the release because
> they're at the "center" of it all. There's a bassist on all but one
> track, true, but you're still mostly listening to a T Quartet release.
>
> This was interestingly just brought up on another edit:
> http://musicbrainz.org/show/edit/?editid=6246146. Seems like at least
> someone else is reading it that way, but again, I don't think that
> release has grounds to leave it under the CSO; you could argue that
> the artistic direction was happening more at the hands of Reiner than
> the orchestra. (I would have argued the same about Kleiber, though a
> concerto is a bit different.)

I understand, but I feel that your "mostly" is about as hazy as
Pianissimo's "features" :-D

About edit 6246146: the conductor and the orchestra are at the same
level on the cover so there is no printed reason to put one before the
other (I slightly disagree with both of you, BTW, the orchestra is
about as important as the conductor). And what is actually printed is
minor IMO. I buy a release because of who actually performs, not
because of what is printed on the front cover! So I feel that deciding
the ReleaseArtist from what is printed is silly. By chance, my
criterion here gives the same result as what is printed and as what
your edit was aiming to: no single common artist, so this should go to
VA.

-- 
Frederic Da Vitoria