GMG Classical Music Forum

The Music Room => Great Recordings and Reviews => Topic started by: Ken B on April 19, 2014, 07:07:51 PM

Title: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on April 19, 2014, 07:07:51 PM
We have had some discussions on various threads about various boxes. Rather than clutter those threads with side discussions Baklavaboy suggested a thread. So I am starting one. Random discussions  related to boxes that don't really fit on SDCB or other threads. Box blather.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on April 19, 2014, 07:16:55 PM
There is only one thing I dislike about the world of boxes. Sometimes I find myself thinking uck or some other negative of a box filled with standard stuff or stuff I already have a lot of. Perlman plays sonatas and concertos at $2 a disc and I think, blah. Perlman plays Beethoven and I think blah!
It's not a good reaction. It's not good when you forget your own life. I talked to a friend recently about something or other. He said it might lead to students having less sex and added " a good thing in my opinion." He has forgotten his own life.
Even boxes I do not want are awesome. I am just lucky enough to have a lot of awesome right now.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jay F on April 19, 2014, 08:43:46 PM
I had more fun shopping for individual CDs 30 years ago than these enormoboxes. Of course, I liked actually going to a store and buying something. Now the stores don't exist, and neither do individual CDs for the most part. I'm glad I lived in that period of time.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Dancing Divertimentian on April 19, 2014, 11:11:57 PM
Quote from: Jay F on April 19, 2014, 08:43:46 PM
I had more fun shopping for individual CDs 30 years ago than these enormoboxes. Of course, I liked actually going to a store and buying something. Now the stores don't exist, and neither do individual CDs for the most part. I'm glad I lived in that period of time.

Amen. I miss those days, too. Prices may be lower (way lower) nowadays but that doesn't diminish what I already have.

My main problem with most of these Jumbotron-sized boxes (the ones I'm interested in) is the duplication I'd incur if I were to indulge in them. Not necessarily a doubling of an identical recording but potentially I'd end up with a surplus of certain repertoire which I already own.

25 years ago no one could have guessed things would've turned out this way but if I had waited I might have come out ahead, at least with my bank account. Plus I might've had a more visually striking collection with fancy decorative boxes garnishing every corner of my listening quarters (I'm OCD like that). But I can't say as I feel the least bit disappointed that I can't partake in the Jumbotron box boom. I've already passed the point of needing to fill major holes in my collection so I can kick back and watch the Jumbotron box world turn with no impetus to jump aboard. 

Of course I do take pride in my lone "big" box, though hardly in the Jumbotron league: it's my 24-disc complete Berlioz cube (Philips). Peanuts compared to what else is out there, but it has a Jumbotron-sized heart!


Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: amw on April 20, 2014, 12:19:36 AM
Someone got my parents a 150CD Complete Bach Edition box as a gift a few years back. As far as I know they still haven't opened it. (Which actually doesn't surprise me, because I think their CD player has been in storage for about a decade.)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on April 20, 2014, 06:07:02 AM
Quote from: Jay F on April 19, 2014, 08:43:46 PM
I had more fun shopping for individual CDs 30 years ago than these enormoboxes. Of course, I liked actually going to a store and buying something. Now the stores don't exist, and neither do individual CDs for the most part. I'm glad I lived in that period of time.

As a 24-year-old, I started off in the days of walking into stores and buying something, but those days ended after I graduated college and moved from Houston (which has a great classical shop (http://www.yelp.com/biz/joels-classical-shop-houston)) to London (which, unaccountably, does not). And now my CD-buying process is incredibly painstaking. I do tons of research on each album, get multiple GMGer opinions on most of them, keep many recordings on a wishlist for months or even years, and budget every order carefully. The good news is that this way, it's very rare that I buy a CD I dislike. The bad news is that sometimes I really wonder what it must feel like to purchase something impulsively, or without knowing anything about it.  :-X
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: JCBuckley on April 20, 2014, 06:24:11 AM
Not quite true that London doesn't have a great music shop - http://www.hmrecords.co.uk/. Not a huge place, but the staff really do know their stuff.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mandryka on April 20, 2014, 07:09:59 AM
Quote from: JCBuckley on April 20, 2014, 06:24:11 AM
Not quite true that London doesn't have a great music shop - http://www.hmrecords.co.uk/. Not a huge place, but the staff really do know their stuff.

In all the years that I've known them I've never once bought a record from them. The HMV shop on Oxford Street at Tottenham Court Road was five minutes away, had a bigger stock and their staff were equally knowledgeable -- more so for baroque in fact. Now I rarely buy CDs, never from shops. I did try to sell CDs to Harold Moors recently but delivering the CDs to the store was too hard because parking isn't easy near there. I ended up selling them to Roger at Gramex in The Cut near Waterloo, who tried to rip me off, the bastard.

If you don't know Gramex, it's worth checking out.

As far as the topic goes, I've gave up collecting CDs long ago, I mainly use streaming services, so these big boxes have passed me by.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: DavidW on April 20, 2014, 07:37:56 AM
Quote from: Brian on April 20, 2014, 06:07:02 AM
As a 24-year-old, I started off in the days of walking into stores and buying something,

Those days were already over when you were in college.  Since you lived next to a good cd shop you just didn't notice!  I remember growing up there would be multiple music stores in a city, any city not just a large metropolis.  In the late 90s online shopping grew into power, and music sharing became the rage.  By the early 2000s alot of music stores couldn't make a profit anymore and many of them shut their doors.  Large chains like Tower Records went bankrupt (and yes I know it exists now as an online seller, but that doesn't change the fact that the b&m side is gone).  In classical music in particular the model was simply not sustainable.  Large volumes were being ordered and stocked in small stores, many of which couldn't and wouldn't sale.

I saw the stores start to go away when I was in college in the late 90s, and when I was in grad school in the early 00s before I even graduated it was over.  There are some holdouts.  For instance there is a small cd shop in the small town that I live in.  But since nobody frequents the shop, I can't help but think that it's a front for something! :P

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on April 20, 2014, 08:34:22 AM
Quote from: Jay F on April 19, 2014, 08:43:46 PM
I had more fun shopping for individual CDs 30 years ago than these enormoboxes. Of course, I liked actually going to a store and buying something. Now the stores don't exist, and neither do individual CDs for the most part. I'm glad I lived in that period of time.
I had more fun buying vinyl. Or so my selective memory tells me. Strong visual and tactile appeal. But how much of that was because I was exploring a greater terra incognito. First exploring Mozart or Bach or Schubert. And being younger. I enjoyed apples more then my memory tells me. Pining for the good old days is mostly pining for lost youth, and selective memory. This is the golden age of music buying, and boxes are one manifestation of that, but not the only one.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jay F on April 20, 2014, 10:01:41 AM
Quote from: Ken B on April 20, 2014, 08:34:22 AM
I had more fun buying vinyl. Or so my selective memory tells me. Strong visual and tactile appeal. But how much of that was because I was exploring a greater terra incognito. First exploring Mozart or Bach or Schubert. And being younger. I enjoyed apples more then my memory tells me. Pining for the good old days is mostly pining for lost youth, and selective memory. This is the golden age of music buying, and boxes are one manifestation of that, but not the only one.

Vinyl = rock & pop in my life, with the occasional exception of a movie soundtrack (Barry Lyndon, Kramer v. Kramer, Woody Allen movies). I didn't start to buy classical in its own right until 1987, after I got my first CD player, and realized I didn't have much interest in merely rebuying my pop records on CD. I heard Schubert's Wanderer by Brendel in a CD store and had to have it. Since they were 3 for $25, I also bought Beethoven 9 (HVK 1977) and Mozart PCs 23 and 27 (Brendel/Marriner). I've been a collector, as well as a listener, ever since.

There are some advantages to everything coming in box sets nowadays. I would not have discovered Shostakovich, probably, if I'd had to buy his SQ CDs individually. But there's disadvantage there, too. I bought his symphonies in one big purchase, well over a year ago, and I still don't know which I'm listening to without looking it up. I bought Beethoven and Mozart and Mahler piecemeal 30 years ago, and each piece is more individually memorable to me.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: snyprrr on April 20, 2014, 10:13:17 AM
Hey! Let me in this circle jerk!

Sallinen, Sallinen, Sallinen, woooo!!

Sallinen, Sallinen, Sallinen, woooo!!

Salli... cough,..excuse me, I think I pulled something... limp... limp...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on April 20, 2014, 11:08:27 AM
Quote from: snyprrr on April 20, 2014, 10:13:17 AM
Hey! Let me in this circle jerk!

Sallinen, Sallinen, Sallinen, woooo!!

Sallinen, Sallinen, Sallinen, woooo!!

Salli... cough,..excuse me, I think I pulled something... limp... limp...

One of these days I am going to understand a snyprrr post. This is not that day.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Sergeant Rock on April 20, 2014, 11:19:00 AM
Quote from: Ken B on April 20, 2014, 11:08:27 AM
One of these days I am going to understand a snyprrr post. This is not that day.

He might be talking (gibbering) about the CPO symphony box. Either that or he went off his meds again.

Sarge
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: DavidW on April 20, 2014, 03:25:53 PM
Quote from: Ken B on April 20, 2014, 08:34:22 AM
I had more fun buying vinyl. Or so my selective memory tells me. Strong visual and tactile appeal. But how much of that was because I was exploring a greater terra incognito. First exploring Mozart or Bach or Schubert. And being younger. I enjoyed apples more then my memory tells me. Pining for the good old days is mostly pining for lost youth, and selective memory. This is the golden age of music buying, and boxes are one manifestation of that, but not the only one.

When I was young, I had limited money.  I didn't own many tapes, I couldn't afford cds (I'm young and did not grow up with vinyl).  I played the heck out of what I had.  I like that because now I wonder how many composers I would not get into if I started.  It is so easy to split and go in a million different directions.

But tapes, I do not miss them.  I can see vinyl being different.  What I do miss is the sense of discovery when you find something cool in a store.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 20, 2014, 05:24:35 PM
Quote from: DavidW on April 20, 2014, 03:25:53 PM
But tapes, I do not miss them.  I can see vinyl being different.  What I do miss is the sense of discovery when you find something cool in a store.

  I lived in South Texas when I was 16 in 1982. I used to borrow the folks car and drive into Brownsville on Tuesday nights with my best friend, and we would go to the music store in the mall and literally flip through every album in the store, row by row (they didn't have much stock) and see if anything new or "different" had come in.  A new LP was equal to about 3 hours of work (after taxes) and this stayed true for many years, cuz CDs increased prices by about 80% (in spite of CDs being cheaper to produce and ship than vinyl after the first 20 months or so, which is why Vinyl was yanked so quickly--record companies made a mint by switching to CDs).  Buying an album/CD was always a big deal.  I like having a lot of music, and hearing tons of new things and being surprised by what I hear.  That's why I dislike the radio and looooove these big boxes--the more grab-bag, random the mix the better.   At first I was disappointed by the repetition in the repertoire (not another Beethoven/Brahms/Mahler/Mendelssohn cyle ???) but then came the Mercury, Teldec, Erato, and Early Music and Baroque boxes, all this Harmonia Mundi and Vivarte.  It's a dream come true for me.   
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on April 20, 2014, 05:51:34 PM
Quote from: Ken B on April 20, 2014, 11:08:27 AM
One of these days I am going to understand a snyprrr post. This is not that day.
This could be a good GMG slogan.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 20, 2014, 05:55:09 PM
Moonfish? Where are you?  I'm wondering how much you are actually playing this:

[asin]B00BCCEBRI[/asin]

   I like Bream a lot, but don't play that much guitar music (but then again, I don't have much guitar music.  I passed on this box because I was sure it was one of those where ten is as good as 40 because the sound is relatively homogeneous for a non-specialist.  To test this, I started playing my few Bream discs...but the more I play, it seems the more I like it.  BTW, price at Amazon.de is pretty good.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on April 20, 2014, 06:06:47 PM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on April 20, 2014, 05:24:35 PM
  I lived in South Texas when I was 16 in 1982. I used to borrow the folks car and drive into Brownsville on Tuesday nights with my best friend, and we would go to the music store in the mall and literally flip through every album in the store, row by row (they didn't have much stock) and see if anything new or "different" had come in.  A new LP was equal to about 3 hours of work (after taxes) and this stayed true for many years, cuz CDs increased prices by about 80% (in spite of CDs being cheaper to produce and ship than vinyl after the first 20 months or so, which is why Vinyl was yanked so quickly--record companies made a mint by switching to CDs).  Buying an album/CD was always a big deal.  I like having a lot of music, and hearing tons of new things and being surprised by what I hear.  That's why I dislike the radio and looooove these big boxes--the more grab-bag, random the mix the better.   At first I was disappointed by the repetition in the repertoire (not another Beethoven/Brahms/Mahler/Mendelssohn cyle ???) but then came the Mercury, Teldec, Erato, and Early Music and Baroque boxes, all this Harmonia Mundi and Vivarte.  It's a dream come true for me.

Young pup!

I would never fork out 10 plus a disc for the living stereo, but the box is great. Nostalgic value plus great musicianship. Even if I only go through it two or three times I got good value for my money. And some boxes I eventually sell.
Like Bak I enjoy being frugal and chortling over a bargain.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on April 21, 2014, 02:20:09 AM
Well, I still buy most of my pop music by walking into a store to get it. Those days are definitely fading for my classical music, although two trips to Melbourne this year enabled me to revive the habit.

I think, though, that even with online buying I'm going to continue to shy away from much in the way of big boxes. And the reason is much the same as one of the reasons I dislike the streaming services: I want to own my music.

Now, box sets ARE a little different from streaming, in that once I have a disk it really is mine. But I'm also talking about the psychological process. The process of choosing. The process of saying, out of all the vast expanse of recorded music, this is the music I'm choosing to take into my home.

I worry that a steady diet of vast boxes would dilute that process. I worry that I would end up not really getting to know the music in them, other than a vague recollection that "I've got that on disc somewhere".

I do in fact have quite a few 'sets' because I like completeness, but most of them are of the half-dozen disc variety, not the 40-disc variety. Even with these smaller sets, the process of properly getting to know the music/the recordings can be quite lengthy. Right now I'm listening to Rachmaninov's 3rd symphony, from a mere 3-disc set, and my records tell me it's nearly 5 years since the last time I listened to this particular work. And I'd have to confess that I wouldn't immediately be able to tell you whether a passage came from Rachmaninov's 1st, 2nd or 3rd symphony even though I know I like them all.

I honestly don't see much benefit in throwing vast quantities of music at myself, quantities SO vast that I can't possibly get to know it in real depth, because it's knowing music in depth that creates the most pleasure.

I would much rather spend a little more money per disc if it means getting something I'm genuinely going to treasure as a listening experience, over something that's going to glare at me balefully from the shelf, reminding me that I still haven't got to know 70% of it properly. I want it to be mine, not just happen to live in my house.

In fact, even with some of the boxes where I'm interested in a fair proportion of the contents, I think I'm still more likely to go and get the bits I'm most interested in via smaller collections. More than once I've seen someone point out that something can be found in a jumbo box at not much more than the price at which it can be found in a collection of 3 or 4 discs, but my instinct would be to go for the 3 or 4 discs.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 21, 2014, 06:01:02 AM
Orfeo, well put, and I appreciate your point of view.  It's a calm, moderate, aesthetic approach that reminds me of many people I knew in Japan.  That's certainly the way I bought music for most of my life--but due to necessity rather than choice.  My view of music (and most things in life, I guess) is "Why sip from a tea cup when you can drink from the river" 8)  I plan to eventually get back to a place where I have a moderate sized collection of favorites, but I love the big boxes because I can explore a huge range of things, experience them, and yet still have them.  I love loading five discs in my player, listening to all of them, being wowed, and then taking them out and putting in five more. Of course I only know them casually, but we've been introduced and I know I can come back and get better acquainted anytime I want.  Just thinking about it makes me want to get up in the morning, or drive faster coming home from work... 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 21, 2014, 06:07:30 AM
When I talked to Ken about forming this thread, the goal was to make a thread to talk the pros and cons of various boxes. Instead it seems to have become another "meta-box" thread debating the idea of boxes...
  I actually PM'd Moonfish to join in, but he hasn't shown up yet. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: DavidW on April 21, 2014, 06:14:50 AM
I've come to think that the defining feature of the Rilling Bach Cantata box is Arlene Auger.  She sings in a huge chunk of the set and her singing is heartfelt and beautiful.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Pat B on April 21, 2014, 07:06:49 AM
Quote from: orfeo on April 21, 2014, 02:20:09 AM
I honestly don't see much benefit in throwing vast quantities of music at myself, quantities SO vast that I can't possibly get to know it in real depth, because it's knowing music in depth that creates the most pleasure.

This is wisdom. I struggle with it, not just due to big boxes. My unlistened pile is much smaller than some, but I have a lot of discs that I have only listened to once or twice.

OTOH, for those of us who care about having physical media, now seems to be a good time to buy. Hopefully I will have many years to enjoy it all.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Pat B on April 21, 2014, 07:10:52 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on April 21, 2014, 06:07:30 AM
When I talked to Ken about forming this thread, the goal was to make a thread to talk the pros and cons of various boxes. Instead it seems to have become another "meta-box" thread debating the idea of boxes...
  I actually PM'd Moonfish to join in, but he hasn't shown up yet.

I thought the other thread (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,23076.0.html) was supposed to be for comments on specific boxes. This one, from the beginning, seemed to be more of a meta-box thread.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mandryka on April 21, 2014, 07:28:08 AM
Quote from: Pat B on April 21, 2014, 07:06:49 AM
This is wisdom. I struggle with it, not just due to big boxes. My unlistened pile is much smaller than some, but I have a lot of discs that I have only listened to once or twice.

OTOH, for those of us who care about having physical media, now seems to be a good time to buy. Hopefully I will have many years to enjoy it all.

Maybe it's best to see listening to a recording as like going to a concert, an ephemeral experience which may never be repeated. But nevertheless fun and it builds up your experience of what can be done with the music.

This is something I've learned from streaming services, and it seems to me a good thing.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 21, 2014, 07:37:56 AM
Yeah...blather invites uninhibited discussion, but doesn't really conjure up the idea of appreciation. Well, hopefully it will get on track at some point.

  But if I think "thread duty" where does that get me?

  Anyway, I broke out my neglected Klemperer boxes today and am happy I did so.  I've been all HIP for quite a while, and while loving it, suddenly having huge doses of big band orchestral music has felt really good.  His concertos are awesome, and I really like his un-hip Mozart as well.  It aint Hogwood, but it's mighty good. I'll admit his Brandenberg's are rather leaden, but his St. Mathew works (for me, anyway).  The Beethoven, Brahms, and Bruckner are really house-rocking.  You just want to keep turning up the volume...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Pat B on April 21, 2014, 07:47:08 AM
Quote from: Mandryka on April 21, 2014, 07:28:08 AM
Maybe it's best to see listening to a recording as like going to a concert, an ephemeral experience which may never be repeated. But nevertheless fun and it builds up your experience of what can be done with the music.

This is something I've learned from streaming services, and it seems to me a good thing.

I think that's an interesting and valid mindset, certainly well-suited to the streaming model. I'm not convinced that it's best, at least for me, because I also enjoy getting to know some recordings in depth.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on April 21, 2014, 07:47:52 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on April 21, 2014, 07:37:56 AM
but his St. Mathew works (for me, anyway).

1-800-GET-HELP
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: kishnevi on April 21, 2014, 07:58:01 AM
well, if we are commenting about boxes, and not the overall phenomenon,  I'll repost what I posted last night in the Bach's Bungalow thread:

Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on April 20, 2014, 06:41:29 PM
Almost exactly a month since someone lasted posted here!

Well,  I'm almost at the end of a complete first run through of the Hanssler Bachakademie Complete Bach box*, and I've already gotten the equivalent box from Teldec, so I'd thought I'd make a brief general comparison of the two for anyone interested in them.

I'm pretty much pleased with both of them,  and both of them have different strengths and weaknesses.  Overall,  I though Hanssler did a better job with the vocal works, and Teldec with the instrumental works,  but with shadings.  I preferred the Hanssler recordings of the organ works (by a variety of organists) to that of Teldec (Koopman).  One real musical treasure that is well done in both boxes was the collection of four part chorale settings (ie, the chorales for chorus, as opposed to the chorales for organ).

Hanssler is mostly MI, and Teldec is of course thoroughly HIP/PI.

I found myself preferring the vocal works in the Hanssler box for two reasons:  first, I'm not a fan of boy sopranos, who of course are a staple of the Leonhardt/Harnoncourt cycle found in the Teldec box; second, Rilling's presentation of the vocal works came across better to me, especially in the Passions and other "major" choral works.  But I prefer my other complete cycle of cantatas--Gardiner--to either  of the ones in the boxes.

On the other hand, the presentation of the keyboard and orchestral works was a sort of hodgepodge in the Hanssler box, but more consistent (in part because of the only PI approach) in the Teldec box, and in general I prefer a PI approach (boy sopranos excepted).

Hanssler has issued several segments of its box as smaller sets,  including both the sacred cantatas and the organ works, so a nice compromise might be to get those two smaller sets, and the complete Teldec box.

*listening to the flute sonatas now, which will leave only the suites for solo cello to be heard, and I hope to get that in the CD player sometime tomorrow.

The flute sonatas were rather bleh, but I have yet to run across a flute sonata that didn't make me feel bleh.   I've got the first CD of the cello suites on now, and Boris Pergamenschikow is turning on a first rate performance.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jay F on April 21, 2014, 03:56:28 PM
Quote from: orfeo on April 21, 2014, 02:20:09 AM
I honestly don't see much benefit in throwing vast quantities of music at myself, quantities SO vast that I can't possibly get to know it in real depth, because it's knowing music in depth that creates the most pleasure.

I feel the same way. I know someone who buys an enormous number of CDs, more than he can listen to before he dies. And he keeps buying more. He listens to as much as he can, but he never plays anything a second time. I can't imagine being so unfamiliar with my music. I probably listen to 20% of my music 90% of the time. I love the things I love, and I need to hear things more than once, more than ten times, if I am to love any piece of music. I can't do it with these gargantuan box sets.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on April 21, 2014, 04:02:41 PM
Quote from: Jay F on April 21, 2014, 03:56:28 PM
I feel the same way. I know someone who buys an enormous number of CDs, more than he can listen to before he dies. And he keeps buying more. He listens to as much as he can, but he never plays anything a second time. I can't imagine being so unfamiliar with my music. I probably listen to 20% of my music 90% of the time. I love the things I love, and I need to hear things more than once, more than ten times, if I am to love any piece of music. I can't do it with these gargantuan box sets.
Actually you can, they help do that. I wore out my copies of what I had when I was younger. My one copy of Mozart's PC 21. Some pieces two copies. If you want to learn a piece surely several different readings are better than one over and over. Boxes let you do that, especially conductor boxes.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 21, 2014, 04:21:03 PM
Quote from: Ken B on April 21, 2014, 04:02:41 PM
Actually you can, they help do that. I wore out my copies of what I had when I was younger. My one copy of Mozart's PC 21. Some pieces two copies. If you want to learn a piece surely several different readings are better than one over and over. Boxes let you do that, especially conductor boxes.

   And how do you find the music that is going to be your favorites?  My brother plays music all the time, but he only has about 50 CDs (rock with a couple of exceptions).  He's not interested in anything new (says there's nothing else good out there)--has all he needs now.  He's happy, which is good, but I don't envy him at all.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on April 21, 2014, 04:31:27 PM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on April 21, 2014, 04:21:03 PM
   And how do you find the music that is going to be your favorites?

GMG and streaming (Naxos Music Library). Big assist to David Hurwitz on a select few things (like Pierne's ballet Cydalise).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 21, 2014, 05:01:08 PM
Quote from: Brian on April 21, 2014, 04:31:27 PM
GMG and streaming (Naxos Music Library). Big assist to David Hurwitz on a select few things (like Pierne's ballet Cydalise).

  No doubt a streaming service is sensible and economical.  But I just can't bring myself to start with them. To me it's like the cloud storage--I'm going to trust some people I've never met take care of all my most precious memorabilia god-knows-where?  I feel more comfortable having my own hard drives and backing it up myself.  And my music, if I'm in the middle of a CD and go to the kitchen to eat, I can hit pause, or pop it out and take it with me.  I can sit and read the liner notes, or the included book.  There is a collector quality, too. I like having the disc and the sleeve. I love original jackets, browsing for a while before I decide the discs I'm going to load, and sliding the disc out of the sleeve.  The tactile elements, and the ritual preparation, getting settled in my chair with some coffee or a cocktail, or a book, are part of the musical experience for me...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on April 21, 2014, 05:16:50 PM
So this thread is about the pros and cons in regards to box sets?

Hey Baklavaboy - I cannot believe I am writing this - but I am starting to enjoy having access to Spotify!!!   It is pretty amazing, but I am still in the "pile up the cds on the shelves" camp at this point in time. My wife is not complaining (yet).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on April 21, 2014, 05:23:00 PM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on April 21, 2014, 05:01:08 PM
  No doubt a streaming service is sensible and economical.  But I just can't bring myself to start with them. To me it's like the cloud storage--I'm going to trust some people I've never met take care of all my most precious memorabilia god-knows-where?  I feel more comfortable having my own hard drives and backing it up myself.  And my music, if I'm in the middle of a CD and go to the kitchen to eat, I can hit pause, or pop it out and take it with me.  I can sit and read the liner notes, or the included book.  There is a collector quality, too. I like having the disc and the sleeve. I love original jackets, browsing for a while before I decide the discs I'm going to load, and sliding the disc out of the sleeve.  The tactile elements, and the ritual preparation, getting settled in my chair with some coffee or a cocktail, or a book, are part of the musical experience for me...

+1

Cloud has a lot of advantages but I forget things. Looking over shelves reminds me of stuff.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on April 21, 2014, 05:25:42 PM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on April 20, 2014, 05:55:09 PM
Moonfish? Where are you?  I'm wondering how much you are actually playing this:

[asin]B00BCCEBRI[/asin]

   I like Bream a lot, but don't play that much guitar music (but then again, I don't have much guitar music.  I passed on this box because I was sure it was one of those where ten is as good as 40 because the sound is relatively homogeneous for a non-specialist.  To test this, I started playing my few Bream discs...but the more I play, it seems the more I like it.  BTW, price at Amazon.de is pretty good.

Ahh, the Bream box. I must admit that I store the very large boxes upstairs (I hate the super large boxes that has too much room inside - perhaps I should move to your sleeve storage approach) and as a consequence has not been listened to too much. The recordings I have listened to have been very enjoyable, but I have a weakness for the lute as well as the guitar. If you fall into that category it is a no brainer. Like other genres of music it becomes complex and interesting in its own way as one continues to listen to the performances. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 21, 2014, 05:29:30 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on April 21, 2014, 05:16:50 PM
So this thread is about the pros and cons in regards to box sets?

Hey Baklavaboy - I cannot believe I am writing this - but I am starting to enjoy having access to Spotify!!!   It is pretty amazing, but I am still in the "pile up the cds on the shelves" camp at this point in time. My wife is not complaining (yet).

  I think Ken meant it as a "pros and cons of individual box sets", but the title attracted a surprising amount of "I don't like box-sets and I'll tell you why" traffic. 
  I'd start a new "Box set appreciation thread" or "Box-set lovers thread: recommendations and warnings" (I was also thinking about "Big boxes and the men who love them" but was afraid I'd get sniggers), but I don't want to undercut this thread if it is going to get on track.  That's why I flagged you...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on April 21, 2014, 05:30:11 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on April 21, 2014, 05:25:42 PM
Ahh, the Bream box. I must admit that I store the very large boxes upstairs (I hate the super large boxes that has too much room inside - perhaps I should move to your sleeve storage approach) and as a consequence has not been listened to too much. The recordings I have listened to have been very enjoyable, but I have a weakness for the lute as well as the guitar. If you fall into that category it is a no brainer. Like other genres of music it becomes complex and interesting in its own way as one continues to listen to the performances.
Oddly enough I adore lute but usually mildly dislike guitar. Probably a side effect of growing up when Joni Mitchell, like the angel of musical death, was abroad upon the land.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on April 21, 2014, 05:31:33 PM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on April 21, 2014, 05:29:30 PM
  I think Ken meant it as a "pros and cons of individual box sets, but the title attracted a surprising amount of "I don't like box-sets and I'll tell you why" traffic. 
  I'd start a new "Box set appreciation thread" or "Box-set lovers thread: recommendations and warnings" (I was also thinking about "Big boxes and the men who love them" but was afraid I'd get sniggers), but I don't want to undercut this thread if it is going to get on track.  That's why I flagged you...

What about "Boxes from Mars and Boxes from Venus".... >:D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on April 21, 2014, 05:33:31 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on April 21, 2014, 05:31:33 PM
What about "Boxes from Mars and Boxes from Venus".... >:D
When did the Mars box come out? I love that Venus box!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 21, 2014, 05:36:10 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on April 21, 2014, 05:25:42 PM
Ahh, the Bream box. I must admit that I store the very large boxes upstairs (I hate the super large boxes that has too much room inside - perhaps I should move to your sleeve storage approach) and as a consequence has not been listened to too much. The recordings I have listened to have been very enjoyable, but I have a weakness for the lute as well as the guitar. If you fall into that category it is a no brainer. Like other genres of music it becomes complex and interesting in its own way as one continues to listen to the performances.

  My wife knows a carpenter who owes her mother money. I'm actually planning to have him make me a set of long narrow boxes to keep everything in.  Yeah, the big boxes don't work at all for me.  To my surprpise, I even tend to by-pass the stuff with readable spines I have set up "book style".  I like flipping through "mini-LPs" and seeing the covers jump out at me. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on April 21, 2014, 05:42:50 PM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on April 21, 2014, 05:36:10 PM
  My wife knows a carpenter who owes her mother money. I'm actually planning to have him make me a set of long narrow boxes to keep everything in.  Yeah, the big boxes don't work at all for me.  To my surprpise, I even tend to by-pass the stuff with readable spines I have set up "book style".  I like flipping through "mini-LPs" and seeing the covers jump out at me.

Yeah, I do like the original jackets as well. The anonymous sleeves are a bit annoying (not to mention the regular transparent sleeves that most of the older EMI boxes have and one's only recourse is the booklet in terms of identifying the content  ??? ???).
Hmm, regardless, to touch on the overall thread I agree with your sentiment towards discovery and exploration. There is always room to expand on genres/artists etc as one comes across music that resonates with oneself. After all, music seems like a very personal experience regardless of the rating system that tends to guide us in different directions.
I try to focus on specific boxes, but tend to move around like in an enormous garden sampling the growth of vegetation in numerous corners. 

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: kishnevi on April 21, 2014, 05:51:54 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on April 21, 2014, 05:25:42 PM
Ahh, the Bream box. I must admit that I store the very large boxes upstairs (I hate the super large boxes that has too much room inside - perhaps I should move to your sleeve storage approach) and as a consequence has not been listened to too much. The recordings I have listened to have been very enjoyable, but I have a weakness for the lute as well as the guitar. If you fall into that category it is a no brainer. Like other genres of music it becomes complex and interesting in its own way as one continues to listen to the performances.
Wishlisted for now.  But does it actually have three different recordings of Concierto de Aranjuez?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 21, 2014, 05:52:41 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on April 21, 2014, 05:42:50 PM
Yeah, I do like the original jackets as well. The anonymous sleeves are a bit annoying (not to mention the regular transparent sleeves that most of the older EMI boxes have and one's only recourse is the booklet in terms of identifying the content  ??? ???).
The Cortot box does that. Incredibly frustrating.  I end up just plucking a disc out at random. It's generally always good, but I like the educational aspect when I play something new...

Quote from: Moonfish on April 21, 2014, 05:42:50 PMHmm, regardless, to touch on the overall thread I agree with your sentiment towards discovery and exploration. There is always room to expand on genres/artists etc as one comes across music that resonates with oneself. After all, music seems like a very personal experience regardless of the rating system that tends to guide us in different directions.
I try to focus on specific boxes, but tend to move around like in an enormous garden sampling the growth of vegetation in numerous corners.

   The Ma box includes about 5 black "place holders" that look rather like coasters.  I thought they were silly, initially, but now I love them. I have one in each of several boxes, and I often just pluck out a new disc that is "past" the marker and then replace it "in front" as I work through the box.  When I load my player, I always start with "disc 1" and then lay each empty case face down with the next one on top. Then I flip the stack over and keep it next to my chair so I can follow along as I play through the discs. 


   Playing Ken's much hated "Klemperer Bach" right now >:D >:D  As I've said before, his Brandenburg is flat, but I love the Mathew Passion. It is rather thin and trebly, like music in an old movie, but the feeling is very beautiful--to me at least.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on April 21, 2014, 06:02:04 PM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on April 21, 2014, 05:01:08 PM
  No doubt a streaming service is sensible and economical.  But I just can't bring myself to start with them. ...
I listen to streaming at the office now, on little work headphones that are suited fine to the poor audio quality of the streaming. At home, I don't log in.

Quote from: Ken B on April 21, 2014, 05:30:11 PM
Oddly enough I adore lute but usually mildly dislike guitar. Probably a side effect of growing up when Joni Mitchell, like the angel of musical death, was abroad upon the land.
I agree! I much prefer the lute to the guitar.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on April 21, 2014, 08:59:17 PM
Quote from: Ken B on April 21, 2014, 05:30:11 PM
Oddly enough I adore lute but usually mildly dislike guitar. Probably a side effect of growing up when Joni Mitchell, like the angel of musical death, was abroad upon the land.


Yes, I definitely strongly prefer the lute over the guitar as well. Some quite fascinating and beautiful lute pieces out there....   :)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on April 22, 2014, 06:06:47 AM
Well, in the spirit of being more specific, I'll tell you one box set, or set of box sets, I'll be staying away from: the BIS complete Sibelius edition.

I know I mentioned it before after a preliminary look, but this time - armed with a better mental knowledge of Sibelius' list of works thanks to www.sibelius.fi - I had a thorough look at the contents. It takes comprehensiveness to truly ridiculous extremes. I could cope with something like piano and orchestral versions of songs, or recording first versions when the revision happened years later, but here we have every sketch, preliminary thought and piece of homework they could lay their hands on. It's full of world premiere recordings, but often because the recording is of something so mind-numbingly trivial only the most dedicated scholar would ever want to hear it.

I can cope with a piano transcription of the Valse triste, but does anyone really need both the 'preliminary transcription' and the 'definitive transcription'? Isn't the whole damn point of the 'preliminary transcription' that he was still working on it?!?! I'm quite sure there's stuff in here that Sibelius would never have intended anyone hear, and if he'd known someone was going to do this he would have built a bigger bonfire when he was burning works later in life.

There are 13 multi-disc volumes in the edition, and I'd say that almost all of them drown the interesting material in a sea of distractions.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 22, 2014, 07:11:22 AM
Quote from: orfeo on April 22, 2014, 06:06:47 AM
Well, in the spirit of being more specific, I'll tell you one box set, or set of box sets, I'll be staying away from: the BIS complete Sibelius edition.

  Is this the giant set where each of the sections has a letter of Sibelius name on it, so the whole set spells it out? If so, I've seen it at a shop.  I couldn't figure out how there good be so much from a not-spectacularly prolific guy...

   I'm listening to this right now:
[asin]B00GWE4NQU[/asin]
  Got it for a great price from English Am.   Everything is solid, and it has a wide range. I'm listening to Lohengrin now.  Opera, a lot of Mozart, Sibelius, among other things.  I got it at the same time as his Berlioz box, which is supposed to be terrific, although it hasn't done much for me yet.  I'm confident it'll sink in eventually.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on April 22, 2014, 07:28:39 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on April 22, 2014, 07:11:22 AM
  Is this the giant set where each of the sections has a letter of Sibelius name on it, so the whole set spells it out? If so, I've seen it at a shop.  I couldn't figure out how there good be so much from a not-spectacularly prolific guy...

That's the one.

A bit of browsing around also shows that most of the more genuinely interesting bits were already published on single CDs or shorter sequences.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: kishnevi on April 22, 2014, 07:30:31 AM
The BIS set to get is not the Complete Sibelius, but the Essential Sibelius, which is drawn from the Complete Sibelius, leaves out the alternative versions and (I believe) some of the really minor works,  but still contains what Orfeo refers to as "the genuinely interesting" stuff, including a lot of music you might never otherwise hear (especially songs and choral works).  The symphony cycle in this box is one of the best out there.  Don't remember if it has the piano transcription of Valse Triste.
[asin]B000KC849W[/asin]
There are two Amazon pages; I'm linking to the one that is currently much cheaper.

And it's only 15 CDs.  This was the first box I got which was more than 5 or 6 CDs.  To think that at the time I thought of it as a "big box"!!! ;D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on April 22, 2014, 07:39:07 AM
Interesting! Ironically, though, in some places it looks like it goes too far the other way - giving 'selected highlights' out of some opuses that could quite sensibly be presented whole.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on April 22, 2014, 07:39:23 AM
Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on April 22, 2014, 07:30:31 AM
The BIS set to get is not the Complete Sibelius, but the Essential Sibelius, which is drawn from the Complete Sibelius, leaves out the alternative versions and (I believe) some of the really minor works,  but still contains what Orfeo refers to as "the genuinely interesting" stuff, including a lot of music you might never otherwise hear (especially songs and choral works).  The symphony cycle in this box is one of the best out there.  Don't remember if it has the piano transcription of Valse Triste.
[asin]B000KC849W[/asin]
There are two Amazon pages; I'm linking to the one that is currently much cheaper.

And it's only 15 CDs.  This was the first box I got which was more than 5 or 6 CDs.  To think that at the time I thought of it as a "big box"!!! ;D

+1

I completely agree with you Jeff! Sibelius always tends to come in symphony cycles with a few tone poems thrown in so it was refreshing when BIS released this essential edition a couple of years ago. It definitely opens up new paths into Sibelius's works (beyond a great symphony cycle).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on April 22, 2014, 09:52:48 AM
Quote from: orfeo on April 22, 2014, 06:06:47 AM
Well, in the spirit of being more specific, I'll tell you one box set, or set of box sets, I'll be staying away from: the BIS complete Sibelius edition.

I know I mentioned it before after a preliminary look, but this time - armed with a better mental knowledge of Sibelius' list of works thanks to www.sibelius.fi - I had a thorough look at the contents. It takes comprehensiveness to truly ridiculous extremes.

You're going to want to avoid Howard's Liszt box. It has an awful lot of 20 second bits played off of old Franz's cocktail napkins!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on April 22, 2014, 10:08:30 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on April 21, 2014, 05:01:08 PM
  No doubt a streaming service is sensible and economical.

I read in a magazine about a mysterious radio station that played 24/7 music with no interruptions except for the obligatory automated station ID. It was in the mountains and had a tremendous reach, but the headquarters was an unoccupied broadcast shack running on autopilot. No one knew who owned it or how it stayed in business without advertising, but it had a huge listener base.

A reporter finally tracked down the owner of the station. It turned out to be a millionaire who took all of his favorite music and put it in random rotation on the station. He didn't even live in the area. He maintained it just so he would have something to listen to when he drove through the area on business trips!

I do that with my music server. It's up to about 130 days of classical music on rotation 24/7. I have stereos all over the house controlled through my iPhone so I can switch them on and off. Sometimes I sit down and listen carefully. Sometiimes I have the volume low while I work. But I listen to all of my music, even though it's a huge library. It is possible to listen to all of those big boxes.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on April 23, 2014, 01:43:41 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on April 21, 2014, 06:07:30 AM
When I talked to Ken about forming this thread, the goal was to make a thread to talk the pros and cons of various boxes. Instead it seems to have become another "meta-box" thread debating the idea of boxes...

Now I'm confused. Isn't that what the other box thread, started by DavidW, is doing?

We seem to now have fairly overlapping threads without much rhyme or reason. Both have people trying to push each thread towards talking about specific box sets and discouraging other posters from having meta-discussions. In fact, Baklavaboy, you seem to be pushing in that direction in both threads.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 23, 2014, 06:24:01 AM
This just popped up in my store for $25.  I love Reiner's conducting, but have over half of this in the wonderful Reiner box already, so will pass...

[asin] B00HY38NCS[/asin]
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: mc ukrneal on April 23, 2014, 07:14:43 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on April 23, 2014, 06:24:01 AM
This just popped up in my store for $25.  I love Reiner's conducting, but have over half of this in the wonderful Reiner box already, so will pass...

[asin] B00HY38NCS[/asin]
The review on Amazon is quite interesting for this box...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 23, 2014, 07:22:00 AM
Quote from: mc ukrneal on April 23, 2014, 07:14:43 AM
The review on Amazon is quite interesting for this box...

  Do you mean Fowler's review?  He seems to do a lot of homework when he writes something. Quite informative.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on April 23, 2014, 07:50:04 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on April 23, 2014, 07:22:00 AM
  Do you mean Fowler's review?  He seems to do a lot of homework when he writes something. Quite informative.

Hmm, I always feel a bit confused after reading those. Sure there is lots of information, but I often cannot sense the thread of logic in them. They come across as scattered piles of snow after an avalanche.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on April 23, 2014, 07:52:56 AM
Quote from: bigshot on April 22, 2014, 10:08:30 AM
I read in a magazine about a mysterious radio station that played 24/7 music with no interruptions except for the obligatory automated station ID. It was in the mountains and had a tremendous reach, but the headquarters was an unoccupied broadcast shack running on autopilot. No one knew who owned it or how it stayed in business without advertising, but it had a huge listener base.

A reporter finally tracked down the owner of the station. It turned out to be a millionaire who took all of his favorite music and put it in random rotation on the station. He didn't even live in the area. He maintained it just so he would have something to listen to when he drove through the area on business trips!

I do that with my music server. It's up to about 130 days of classical music on rotation 24/7. I have stereos all over the house controlled through my iPhone so I can switch them on and off. Sometimes I sit down and listen carefully. Sometiimes I have the volume low while I work. But I listen to all of my music, even though it's a huge library. It is possible to listen to all of those big boxes.

That is a great story Bigshot. Sounds like a New Yorker piece. As a matter of fact that was a great idea (although a bit excessive and expensive). I presume this was all before the newer types of portable music gear...?   So you have your own "radio station" in your house, eh?   The topic of having music on versus listening carefully is an interesting one....     Two very different soundscapes.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on April 23, 2014, 07:55:43 AM
Quote from: orfeo on April 23, 2014, 01:43:41 AM
Now I'm confused. Isn't that what the other box thread, started by DavidW, is doing?

We seem to now have fairly overlapping threads without much rhyme or reason. Both have people trying to push each thread towards talking about specific box sets and discouraging other posters from having meta-discussions. In fact, Baklavaboy, you seem to be pushing in that direction in both threads.

I guess one can argue that some of the box discussions should "live in" the composer or artist threads...?   Although the mega compilations (such as "The All Baroque Box") need to live in one of these types of threads. Perhaps both types of discussions (meta and specific) are necessary to navigate the ever-growing forest of box compilations..?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on April 23, 2014, 09:39:53 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on April 23, 2014, 07:52:56 AMSo you have your own "radio station" in your house, eh?   The topic of having music on versus listening carefully is an interesting one....     Two very different soundscapes.

It isn't completely random. When I play background music, I often limit it to just Baroque music with a quick smart playlist, because that backgrounds better than strident things like Stravinsky's Rite of Spring.  I've only run into a few things that "don't play well with others" under any circumstances. Ligeti got booted out and I keep finding tracks that slipped by me, like Stoki conducting where the music stops and there is talking. The collection has preened down nicely lately though.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 24, 2014, 03:22:31 AM
Today I've been listening to the archiv and Das Altewerk boxes.   Both are great, but the Das Altewerk really sparkles, IMO.  The sound is generally better, for one thing, and the selections are just a tad more off the beaten track.  Lots of Harnoncourt.  Playing his Handel now, and Harnoncourt's handling of Handel is exemplary.  I'll be sad to get to the end, which is rather strange, as I'll still have it all...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 25, 2014, 11:55:36 PM
My local shop has all of the Harmonia Mundi/Sony small box sets (10 discs each).  I bought the Staier and the CPE Bach.  Both are wonderful--the Staier is one of the best things I've ever gotten.
     Any recommendations on others in that series?  I'm a huge HM fan, and like pretty much everything I've heard from the label (don't like Paul Lewis's Beethoven Sonatas, particularly, but that is the only exception I can think of).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Octave on April 26, 2014, 12:47:39 AM
Not to be pedantic, but Deutsche Harmonia Mundi (DHM) is different from Harmonia Mundi, but I think you know that.  (Paul Lewis--->HM/France; Sony--->distrib. DHM)

I really liked that Staier box too.  (Do you know his Teldec/Warner 5cd with solo and concerto music from Mozart, Field, Salieri, Steffen, Clementi?  ASIN: B000V07IVI)

I've purchased a number of these little white DHM boxes based on recommendations of GMG veterans and others, not just because they are great quantity buys; none of them has been seriously disappointing.

Maybe just by-the-by:
1. AL AYRE ESPAGNOL EDITION (Comments on indiv/constitutent discs from Bogey and others...if you like it a lot, there is a single disc on Harmonia Mundi [France], A batallar estrellas [ASIN B001KALT90], that might be going OOP, I really dug it as well.)
2. PASSIONEN UND MESSEN (The Leonhardt MATTHEW really moved me...but I have only listened to this set once.  No overlap iirc with any of the several other DHM collections I have.)

If you are a Telemann fan, the inclusion of his 5+ hour Constant Music-master in the TELEMANN EDITION set might be a big draw...I think Gordo praised this, and I was happy with the whole collection (only one spin so far).

FWIW/FYI there seem to be 2 discs of overlap between the SCHUTZ and CANTUS COLLN boxes.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 26, 2014, 01:07:59 AM
Thanks, Octave, this is the kind of information I am looking for. 
  About confusing HM and DHM, North Star called me on that as well.  I know there are two names, but as their repertoire and quality (and general classiness) are so similar, I lump them together in my mind. I basically assumed they were two branches of one group, that chose to reincorporate for tax, distribution, or other reasons. I guess a visit to wikipedia or some such is in order. 

  [PS: after research, still confused. Both labels were started in the same year by two friends, and apparently established separately for distribution reasons, but their later relations are not explained, esp. after "going Sony"...]
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Octave on April 26, 2014, 01:24:22 AM
[oops, we posted similar tidbits at the same time...]
Actually the confusion between HM/DHM is probably worsened by the fact that there was a business relationship between the label bosses (DHM/HM) for a while, maybe just into the 80s before DHM was bought out by a major.  I was under the impression they'd not been connected in a long time.
[I'm trying to remember if I've run across titled 'released' by both labels.  All I remember is a BMG, then an EMI, connection.]

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81ImBE7cPyL._SL1500_.jpg)

Here is an insanely OCD-y question about Hyperion's Schubert complete songs edition.  Does anyone know how much of the original series contents was omitted from the compilation 40cd box?  I.e. how many performances total, and if it's been posted somewhere, exactly which ones?

I thought maybe some devoted discographist might have done this somewhere.  I read that a few tracks had been snipped from a Brigitte Fassbaender disc from the series, and my guts said nooooooo.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: marvinbrown on April 26, 2014, 02:02:06 AM
Quote from: Octave on April 26, 2014, 01:24:22 AM
[oops, we posted similar tidbits at the same time...]
Actually the confusion between HM/DHM is probably worsened by the fact that there was a business relationship between the label bosses (DHM/HM) for a while, maybe just into the 80s before DHM was bought out by a major.  I was under the impression they'd not been connected in a long time.

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81ImBE7cPyL._SL1500_.jpg)

Here is an insanely OCD-y question about Hyperion's Schubert complete songs edition.  Does anyone know how much of the original series contents was omitted from the compilation 40cd box?  I.e. how many performances total, and if it's been posted somewhere, exactly which ones?

I thought maybe some devoted discographist might have done this somewhere.  I read that a few tracks had been snipped from a Brigitte Fassbaender disc from the series, and my guts said nooooooo.


  Well this is a surprise to me. I was under the impression that that set was COMPLETE in every sense of the word.... Meaning that they just got all the recordings in the series together, adjusting the order chronologically according to date of composition. Am I mistaken? Am I missing something here??

  marvin
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: springrite on April 26, 2014, 02:04:46 AM
Quote from: marvinbrown on April 26, 2014, 02:02:06 AM

  Well this is a surprise to me. I was under the impression that that set was COMPLETE in every sense of the word.... Meaning that they just got all the recordings in the series together, adjusting the order chronologically according to composition. Am I mistaken? Am I missing something here??

  marvin
My impression that it is the complete songs, so many of the duplicates (sung by different singers) may be taken out.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: North Star on April 26, 2014, 02:48:37 AM
The box has an average of over 71 minutes per disc, and 37 disc of Schubert. There seem to be 37 individual releases, so I would hazard to guess that nothing was taken out.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on April 26, 2014, 05:10:11 AM
Yes, the only things they would have taken out would have been any instances of 2 singers singing the same song. It's possible that there were one or two of these (I've noticed that happening with some of Graham Johnson's other series, there is for example one song repeated in the four Faure discs), but it would be very minimal indeed.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: marvinbrown on April 26, 2014, 05:28:50 AM
Quote from: springrite on April 26, 2014, 02:04:46 AM
My impression that it is the complete songs, so many of the duplicates (sung by different singers) may be taken out.

  If that is the case then in my view the set is COMPLETE. It is a lot cheaper to buy that set than all the individual recordings separately.

   marvin
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Pat B on April 26, 2014, 01:24:26 PM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on April 25, 2014, 11:55:36 PM
My local shop has all of the Harmonia Mundi/Sony small box sets (10 discs each).  I bought the Staier and the CPE Bach.  Both are wonderful--the Staier is one of the best things I've ever gotten.
     Any recommendations on others in that series?  I'm a huge HM fan, and like pretty much everything I've heard from the label (don't like Paul Lewis's Beethoven Sonatas, particularly, but that is the only exception I can think of).

Among the DHM 10-disc "Edition" sets, I have Staier, Italian Baroque Music, and J.S. Bach.

The Italian Baroque set was recommended by several here. Monteverdi's Vespers (Bernius) was the clear highlight for me.

I bought the Bach set primarily for Leonhardt's B Minor Mass, which at least a couple of gmg'ers called favorite, and it is indeed great. The Anna Magdalene Notebook disc is also excellent. The remainder is very good, but didn't add much to the other recordings in my collection.

I share your enthusiasm for the Staier set. The other two, for me, are a bit more sporadic, but they have enough greatness, and are cheap and physically slender enough, that I'm happy to have purchased them.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: HIPster on April 26, 2014, 02:04:21 PM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on April 25, 2014, 11:55:36 PM
My local shop has all of the Harmonia Mundi/Sony small box sets (10 discs each).  I bought the Staier and the CPE Bach.  Both are wonderful--the Staier is one of the best things I've ever gotten.
     Any recommendations on others in that series?  I'm a huge HM fan, and like pretty much everything I've heard from the label (don't like Paul Lewis's Beethoven Sonatas, particularly, but that is the only exception I can think of).

I have 3 recommendations for you, Baklavaboy:

Freiburger Barockorchester Edition DHM
[asin]B0054MEHZ8[/asin]

Tafelmusik 'Baroque Box' Handel, etc. Vivarte
[asin]B005TLWO68[/asin]

Tafelmusik Haydn Symphonies Vivarte
[asin]B005TLWOH2[/asin]

All 3 sets are excellent!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 26, 2014, 03:49:55 PM
Thanks, Hipster. Actually, I have the Haydn! When I heard a disk from that set in the big Vivarte box, that went to the top of the list.  Almost got the Freiburger last time I was in the shop. Looks like it's next in the queue ;D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on April 26, 2014, 06:44:41 PM
Quote from: HIPster on April 26, 2014, 02:04:21 PM
I have 3 recommendations for you, Baklavaboy:

Freiburger Barockorchester Edition DHM
[asin]B0054MEHZ8[/asin]

Tafelmusik 'Baroque Box' Handel, etc. Vivarte
[asin]B005TLWO68[/asin]

Tafelmusik Haydn Symphonies Vivarte
[asin]B005TLWOH2[/asin]

All 3 sets are excellent!

Yes yes yes.

And no I am not predicting Mirror Images three favourite composers.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 26, 2014, 07:40:37 PM
Quote from: Ken B on April 26, 2014, 06:44:41 PM
Yes yes yes.

And no I am not predicting Mirror Images three favourite composers.
And performers.

  But Ken, I confess I'm a bit disappointed. I thought you'd have a numbered list.  For example there is a Schutze box, and I know you are a big fan of his music, although I don't know if the DHM Schutze box is particularly worthy (it's 1/2 the price of the Amazon listing, for some reason, so I will almost certainly pick it up at some point...).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on April 26, 2014, 08:28:26 PM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on April 26, 2014, 07:40:37 PM
And performers.

  But Ken, I confess I'm a bit disappointed. I thought you'd have a numbered list.  For example there is a Schutze box, and I know you are a big fan of his music, although I don't know if the DHM Schutze box is particularly worthy (it's 1/2 the price of the Amazon listing, for some reason, so I will almost certainly pick it up at some point...).
But I already said all of those are worth getting! Unless you have dupes. Yes to the Schutz box.  :)
I passed on a few of those due to duplication but have 10 or 12 of them.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: mc ukrneal on April 27, 2014, 06:56:24 AM
Quote from: Octave on April 26, 2014, 01:24:22 AM
[oops, we posted similar tidbits at the same time...]
Actually the confusion between HM/DHM is probably worsened by the fact that there was a business relationship between the label bosses (DHM/HM) for a while, maybe just into the 80s before DHM was bought out by a major.  I was under the impression they'd not been connected in a long time.
[I'm trying to remember if I've run across titled 'released' by both labels.  All I remember is a BMG, then an EMI, connection.]

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81ImBE7cPyL._SL1500_.jpg)

Here is an insanely OCD-y question about Hyperion's Schubert complete songs edition.  Does anyone know how much of the original series contents was omitted from the compilation 40cd box?  I.e. how many performances total, and if it's been posted somewhere, exactly which ones?

I thought maybe some devoted discographist might have done this somewhere.  I read that a few tracks had been snipped from a Brigitte Fassbaender disc from the series, and my guts said nooooooo.
If you go to the digital booklet that accompanies the box (which is free and contains all texts), go to page 420, where you will see all the songs and where they are in the original release vs the box (it goes on quite some pages). You will notice that there were a few that were included more than once and only one was included in the big box. Thus, in terms of completeness of the songs themselves, it is COMPLETE and no songs are missing.

It does look like that there are a few extra songs on the individual discs, but these are all songs that were sung twice (and appears to be by more than one singer, but perhaps not the case in every one).  It only applies to a handful of songs. When you go through the booklet, you can determine which songs it applies to.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: EigenUser on April 27, 2014, 06:33:41 PM
I really want this!
[asin]B00386FG0M[/asin]
Anyone have it?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Drosera on April 29, 2014, 01:49:45 AM
Quote from: EigenUser on April 27, 2014, 06:33:41 PM
I really want this!
[asin]B00386FG0M[/asin]
Anyone have it?

I do. Definitely worth having (at least, it was at the original price). Hardly a weak performance in the entire box and plenty of highlights (Gardiner's symphonies, Pollini's piano music, Hagen Quartett's string quartets). Although it's best if you do not have a Fischer-Dieskau aversion, because he's singing almost all the Lieder in the box.

In fact, I believe DG/Universal is really doing great work with these composer boxes. The Brahms, Schumann, Liszt, Wagner and Strauss cubes are all really well put together. (Which for me means: consisting of interesting performances I always wanted to have but were not yet in my collection  :) ). I have all of them (except the Strauss, which I already owned almost completely as separate recordings).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: North Star on April 29, 2014, 02:39:44 AM
Quote from: EigenUser on April 27, 2014, 06:33:41 PM
I really want this!

Anyone have it?
Looks tad expensive now, perhaps you should get the Gardiner separately, and possibly others like the Pollini, and supplement with other recordings (Hyperion complete songs ought to be good, Herreweghe has great period instrument recordings of the PC & CC, Barto & Eschenbach's disc on Ondine is marvelous, and then there is the VC and the chamber music - Widmann's VS's on ECM are dynamite)

[asin]B00H5DNC32[/asin]
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on April 29, 2014, 01:12:17 PM
Quote from: North Star on April 29, 2014, 02:39:44 AM
Looks tad expensive now, perhaps you should get the Gardiner separately, and possibly others like the Pollini, and supplement with other recordings (Hyperion complete songs ought to be good, Herreweghe has great period instrument recordings of the PC & CC, Barto & Eschenbach's disc on Ondine is marvelous, and then there is the VC and the chamber music - Widmann's VS's on ECM are dynamite)

[asin]B00H5DNC32[/asin]
A strong recommendation for the Gardiner from me. Karajan is great but Gardiner will change your ideas about Schumann.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 02, 2014, 03:07:26 AM
Quote from: EigenUser on April 27, 2014, 06:33:41 PM
I really want this!
[asin]B00386FG0M[/asin]
Anyone have it?

  I bought this one just because I saw that the price had gone up everywhere except at my local store...I've barely even tapped it yet.  For those who have it, how about some recommendations to start me off on the right foot?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Octave on May 02, 2014, 03:19:54 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on May 02, 2014, 03:07:26 AM
  I bought this one just because I saw that the price had gone up everywhere except at my local store...I've barely even tapped it yet.  For those who have it, how about some recommendations to start me off on the right foot?

Solo piano ALL THE POLLINI
Plus maybe that is a good way into his whole soundworld.
Eigenuser, it's a really nice set but absolutely do not pay more than like $100 for it.  As has already been stated, you can get the arguably-choicest parts of it separately at reasonable prices and substitute perhaps more desirable things as well.  But is this not always the case?  I will use this post as my new signature.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 02, 2014, 03:08:37 PM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on May 02, 2014, 03:07:26 AM
  I've barely even tapped it yet. 
I confess, when I look a the picture of Schumann on that box, the last thing I would ever think is I'd tap that.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 02, 2014, 08:34:38 PM
Quote from: Ken B on May 02, 2014, 03:08:37 PM
I confess, when I look a the picture of Schumann on that box, the last thing I would ever think is I'd tap that.
Even with that dimple in his chin? :-*
 
Anyway, once I start into, I expect to become a big fan. I remember when I got the Lizst box (the awesome Sony box, although the DG looks very good, too), I had some doubts, and then it was "wow!". I've encountered a lot of Schumann in passing, but so far nothing has really rattled my tree, but I'm confident once the right piece gets makes an impression and I'll have a breakthrough.  The Pollini and Gardiner should be good places to start...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 02, 2014, 08:38:40 PM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on May 02, 2014, 08:34:38 PM
Even with that dimple in his chin? :-*
 
Anyway, once I start into, I expect to become a big fan. I remember when I got the Lizst box (the awesome Sony box, although the DG looks very good, too), I had some doubts, and then it was "wow!". I've encountered a lot of Schumann in passing, but so far nothing has really rattled my tree, but I'm confident once the right piece gets makes an impression and I'll have a breakthrough.  The Pollini and Gardiner should be good places to start...

The DG Liszt box is terrific.
The piano music is the place to start with Mad Robert. Faschingschwank is fun to say, so I'd start there.  :)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: EigenUser on May 03, 2014, 03:54:33 PM
So, my birthday is coming up next month. My parents will probably want to know what I want soon and I'd like to ask for a nice box set of music that is kind-of new to me. Anyone recommend any of the following? I've been wanting to listen to more Messiaen recently, so maybe this:
[asin]B001D94L1Q[/asin]

I sampled some Boulez (other than my beloved "Derive I" ;) ) and I think I'm warming up to it, so maybe this:
[asin]B00BLDHPZS[/asin]

Any Feldman box sets? I didn't see any, which seems surprising.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 03, 2014, 04:06:32 PM
Quote from: EigenUser on May 03, 2014, 03:54:33 PM
So, my birthday is coming up next month. My parents will probably want to know what I want soon and I'd like to ask for a nice box set of music that is kind-of new to me. Anyone recommend any of the following? I've been wanting to listen to more Messiaen recently, so maybe this:
[asin]B001D94L1Q[/asin]

I sampled some Boulez (other than my beloved "Derive I" ;) ) and I think I'm warming up to it, so maybe this:
[asin]B00BLDHPZS[/asin]

Any Feldman box sets? I didn't see any, which seems surprising.

Boulez? You're dead to me!

EMI Warner have an excellent Messiaen box. And one of the best boxes out there is the Vivarte box. Not that I'm willing to talk to you anymore!  ;)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: EigenUser on May 03, 2014, 04:15:11 PM
Quote from: Ken B on May 03, 2014, 04:06:32 PM
Boulez? You're dead to me!

EMI Warner have an excellent Messiaen box. And one of the best boxes out there is the Vivarte box. Not that I'm willing to talk to you anymore!  ;)
Yes, my attitude toward Boulez (among others) has changed a bit since joining here. I used to think "academic, cerebral music". Now I think "so what? it sounds cool!" It is challenging music, but I want something that I can enjoy while reading a score. It's modern, but much of it isn't grating or difficult to listen to. It still has a "French-ness" elegance to it that I like.

I first figured that I'd appreciate Schoenberg before Boulez, but I still haven't warmed up to him at all. Like you said in an earlier post, Boulez is much lighter sounding.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 03, 2014, 04:55:40 PM
Quote from: EigenUser on May 03, 2014, 04:15:11 PM
Yes, my attitude toward Boulez (among others) has changed a bit since joining here. I used to think "academic, cerebral music". Now I think "so what? it sounds cool!" It is challenging music, but I want something that I can enjoy while reading a score. It's modern, but much of it isn't grating or difficult to listen to. It still has a "French-ness" elegance to it that I like.

I first figured that I'd appreciate Schoenberg before Boulez, but I still haven't warmed up to him at all. Like you said in an earlier post, Boulez is much lighter sounding.
He is. I have the piano sonatas and give them a whirl every now and then. But still it's sad to see the young corrupted.
I do recommend getting to know Mess though. I am less a fan than I thought I'd be based on the first few pieces I heard. The big piano cycles are essential music. I think he has a strong tendency towards triteness but YMMV.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Dancing Divertimentian on May 03, 2014, 05:22:09 PM
Quote from: Ken B on May 02, 2014, 08:38:40 PM
The piano music is the place to start with Mad Robert.

So, so, so true.


Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: amw on May 03, 2014, 05:39:31 PM
Quote from: Ken B on May 02, 2014, 03:08:37 PM
I confess, when I look a the picture of Schumann on that box, the last thing I would ever think is I'd tap that.

He was somewhat more fetching in his younger days:

(http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/71510332/Robert+Schumann+Litography+by+Josef+Kriehuber.png)

The music's better, too ;)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: EigenUser on May 03, 2014, 05:49:14 PM
Quote from: Ken B on May 03, 2014, 04:55:40 PM
He is. I have the piano sonatas and give them a whirl every now and then. But still it's sad to see the young corrupted.
I do recommend getting to know Mess though. I am less a fan than I thought I'd be based on the first few pieces I heard. The big piano cycles are essential music. I think he has a strong tendency towards triteness but YMMV.
Haha. Interestingly, the piano sonatas (along with "Structures") are the first things of Boulez I heard a few years ago and what made me so put off. While I understand that a lot of thought goes into the work, my first impression was a cat walking across a piano.

My friend, who is an amazing pianist (needless to say), introduced me to Messiaen because he won a competition playing the tenth of the "Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant Jesus" ("Contemplation of the Joyous Spirit"). I love the "Turangalila-Symphonie" in small doses (I listen regularly to mvts I, II, V, and X). The fifth movement is remarkably similar to the tenth of the "20 Contemplations", actually. I am in awe every time I listen to "Et Exspectum..." (*hint*), too -- very powerful music.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 03, 2014, 05:51:02 PM
Quote from: amw on May 03, 2014, 05:39:31 PM
He was somewhat more fetching in his younger days:

(http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/71510332/Robert+Schumann+Litography+by+Josef+Kriehuber.png)

The music's better, too ;)
You don't remember schwing! do you?
:laugh:
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 03, 2014, 07:57:53 PM
Quote from: Ken B on May 03, 2014, 05:51:02 PM
You don't remember schwing! do you?
:laugh:
I do ;D  I know what you mean. It's the mole, I think :-*
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: The new erato on May 04, 2014, 01:01:38 AM
Quote from: EigenUser on May 03, 2014, 04:15:11 PM

I first figured that I'd appreciate Schoenberg before Boulez, but I still haven't warmed up to him at all. Like you said in an earlier post, Boulez is much lighter sounding.
Boulez is more concerned about sound, Schoenberg about structure (not that there isn't lots of structure in Bulez, but still.....). All true to their national stereotypes, sensual vs stern.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: EigenUser on May 04, 2014, 05:01:13 AM
You know, I just realized something. John is going to be so confused upon his (inevitable :)) glorious return to classical music. Since he left, Ken claims to like some Ravel, I'm considering getting a Boulez box set and occasionally listening to Stockhausen...  :laugh:

Next, I'll probably be listening to Mozart!!!   ???
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 04, 2014, 06:39:14 AM
Quote from: EigenUser on May 04, 2014, 05:01:13 AM
You know, I just realized something. John is going to be so confused upon his (inevitable :)) glorious return to classical music. Since he left, Ken claims to like some Ravel, I'm considering getting a Boulez box set and occasionally listening to Stockhausen...  :laugh:

Next, I'll probably be listening to Mozart!!!   ???
1 John will never return
2 you SHOULD listen to Mozart!
3  :P

>:D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 04, 2014, 01:13:19 PM
Quote from: EigenUser on May 04, 2014, 05:01:13 AM
You know, I just realized something. John is going to be so confused upon his (inevitable :)) glorious return to classical music. Since he left, Ken claims to like some Ravel, I'm considering getting a Boulez box set and occasionally listening to Stockhausen...  :laugh:

Next, I'll probably be listening to Mozart!!!   ???

You guys are just doing that to lure John back in to the fold of classical music!   >:D   However, the Genesis of Pink Floyd fever is hard to overcome.....
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 04, 2014, 01:34:24 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 04, 2014, 01:13:19 PM
You guys are just doing that to lure John back in to the fold of classical music!   >:D   However, the Genesis of Pink Floyd fever is hard to overcome.....
Nope. John is gone. Long gone John (from Bowling Green).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 04, 2014, 01:37:42 PM
Quote from: Ken B on May 04, 2014, 01:34:24 PM
Nope. John is gone. Long gone John (from Bowling Green).

Lure him to Stockhausen....      >:D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 04, 2014, 01:41:07 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 04, 2014, 01:37:42 PM
Lure him to Stockhausen....      >:D
I said he was gone, not deaf.

;D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: EigenUser on May 06, 2014, 04:39:53 PM
I might just ask for scores instead. You know that the study score for Messiaen's "Turangalila-Symphonie" is $205?!?! That's outrageous, and I've seen (and paid for) some expensive scores. I'm thinking I'll go with "Et Exspecto Resurrectionem Mortuorum", which is only a fraction of that.

On the topic of ridiculous prices, I see that individual sections of his opera "Saint Francois d'Assise" range from $350-$500. So, the complete opera would probably cost someone about $4000 just to have the study scores!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 06, 2014, 04:48:36 PM
Quote from: EigenUser on May 06, 2014, 04:39:53 PM
I might just ask for scores instead. You know that the study score for Messiaen's "Turangalila-Symphonie" is $205?!?! That's outrageous, and I've seen (and paid for) some expensive scores. I'm thinking I'll go with "Et Exspecto Resurrectionem Mortuorum", which is only a fraction of that.

On the topic of ridiculous prices, I see that individual sections of his opera "Saint Francois d'Assise" range from $350-$500. So, the complete opera would probably cost someone about $4000 just to have the study scores!
I thought you were eyeing the Schumann box ...

Doverpublications.com publishes a lot of scores cheap. Probably not Messiaen though.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: EigenUser on May 06, 2014, 06:05:36 PM
Quote from: Ken B on May 06, 2014, 04:48:36 PM
I thought you were eyeing the Schumann box ...

Doverpublications.com publishes a lot of scores cheap. Probably not Messiaen though.
I was eyeing the Schumann box until I eyed the price :-\ . Dover scores are pretty good for the price, though the print quality is usually average at best. I have three Debussy scores and Holst's "The Planets". I do like that they publish full size scores because I hate those little study scores that you have to squint to read. They basically reprint first editions once they enter public domain in all countries. Messiaen died in 1992, so he'll be protected for quite a while.

Do you collect scores, too?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: amw on May 06, 2014, 06:21:38 PM
Quote from: EigenUser on May 06, 2014, 04:39:53 PM
I might just ask for scores instead. You know that the study score for Messiaen's "Turangalila-Symphonie" is $205?!?! That's outrageous, and I've seen (and paid for) some expensive scores.

I can send you a PDF of the score if you want...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: EigenUser on May 06, 2014, 06:27:09 PM
Quote from: amw on May 06, 2014, 06:21:38 PM
I can send you a PDF of the score if you want...
I appreciate the offer! I actually already have it, along with "Et Exspecto..." It might sound strange to some, but I prefer to get hard-copies just to satisfy my OCD for completeness. I guess it's like listening via YouTube versus buying a CD. Much better quality, something you can hold, etc.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: kishnevi on May 06, 2014, 06:46:40 PM
Quote from: EigenUser on May 06, 2014, 06:27:09 PM
I appreciate the offer! I actually already have it, along with "Et Exspecto..." It might sound strange to some, but I prefer to get hard-copies just to satisfy my OCD for completeness. I guess it's like listening via YouTube versus buying a CD. Much better quality, something you can hold, etc.

The old completeness excuse. 
Just remember that here at GMG, people who don't have some sort of OCD regarding music are the weirdos  >:D :P
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on May 06, 2014, 06:56:51 PM
Quote from: EigenUser on May 06, 2014, 06:27:09 PM
I appreciate the offer! I actually already have it, along with "Et Exspecto..." It might sound strange to some, but I prefer to get hard-copies just to satisfy my OCD for completeness. I guess it's like listening via YouTube versus buying a CD. Much better quality, something you can hold, etc.

Might want to find out if you can rig your printer, or your office's/library's printer, with the proper length of paper and print off the PDF.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 06, 2014, 09:34:31 PM
Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on May 06, 2014, 06:46:40 PM
The old completeness excuse. 
Just remember that here at GMG, people who don't have some sort of OCD regarding music are the weirdos  >:D :P

There is truth to that....   :-[
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 14, 2014, 05:37:41 AM
In a different thread (I think) Moonfish asked about the difference between this box:

[asin]B00JJONQKY[/asin] (Much cheaper from European Amz)

  and the new DG box of her stuff.
[asin]B00J86QW9A[/asin]

Are there any opinions out there? Anybody familiar with both "eras" of her career (apparently the Erato period was first, but has been "edited out" of her bio on Amazon >:D.  DG seems to insist on that--or at least I've seen it in other artists who switched late to DG).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: jochanaan on May 14, 2014, 09:30:32 AM
Well, in a few years everything will be online anyway.  It'll be black market time for LPs and even CDs...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Todd on May 14, 2014, 09:38:22 AM
Quote from: jochanaan on May 14, 2014, 09:30:32 AM
Well, in a few years everything will be online anyway.  It'll be black market time for LPs and even CDs...



Psst, buddy, you wanna buy some sealed Mozart symphonies?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: jochanaan on May 14, 2014, 09:39:09 AM
Quote from: Todd on May 14, 2014, 09:38:22 AM


Psst, buddy, you wanna buy some sealed Mozart symphonies?
That's the way of it. :blank:
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on May 15, 2014, 09:44:37 AM
One disadvantage to preordering box sets is that the tags aren't nailed down in Gracenote yet. I've been waiting three weeks for someone to upload tags for the Hyperion CPE Bach complete keyboard works, and I don't know if the bargain 50 CD Russian box will ever get tagged.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: The new erato on May 15, 2014, 12:11:03 PM
Quote from: bigshot on May 15, 2014, 09:44:37 AM
One disadvantage to preordering box sets is that the tags aren't nailed down in Gracenote yet. I've been waiting three weeks for someone to upload tags for the Hyperion CPE Bach complete keyboard works, and I don't know if the bargain 50 CD Russian box will ever get tagged.
Hyperion? 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on May 16, 2014, 12:30:29 PM
Sorry, I misspoke. It's Hannsler. Ann Marija Markovina
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on May 17, 2014, 11:05:29 AM
Bargain Alert! 70 CD Horowitz Complete Jacket Collection 99 euro ($135 shipped to the US)

http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B002P3J3BW/
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 17, 2014, 12:09:05 PM
Quote from: bigshot on May 17, 2014, 11:05:29 AM
Bargain Alert! 70 CD Horowitz Complete Jacket Collection 99 euro ($135 shipped to the US)

http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B002P3J3BW/

Oooooo. Hmmmm.
Anyone know how much of that set is stereo and how much mono?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on May 17, 2014, 12:47:48 PM
Guessing about 2/3 mono

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Horowitz_–_The_Complete_Original_Jacket_Collection
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 17, 2014, 01:12:51 PM
Quote from: bigshot on May 17, 2014, 12:47:48 PM
Guessing about 2/3 mono

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Horowitz_–_The_Complete_Original_Jacket_Collection
Whew. That's a relief.
Still have unheard chunks of the Perahia megabox anyway.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 17, 2014, 05:51:12 PM
Quote from: bigshot on May 17, 2014, 11:05:29 AM
Bargain Alert! 70 CD Horowitz Complete Jacket Collection 99 euro ($135 shipped to the US)

http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B002P3J3BW/

  Damn. That is cheap. It's selling for $800 and more on ebay...and irritating. My L'oiseau box FINALLY just shipped from Germany (ordered 6 weeks ago, and Moonie and Ken already have theirs) and I just ordered the Karajan. The last thing I want is 3 giant boxes arriving simultaneously.  Not only will it be it dangerous to my conjugal happiness, but to my appreciation of the boxes. 2 will undoubtedly be relegated to dust collecting shelf-life.  There are only so many hours in a day...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 17, 2014, 06:56:18 PM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on May 17, 2014, 05:51:12 PM
  Damn. That is cheap. It's selling for $800 and more on ebay...and irritating. My L'oiseau box FINALLY just shipped from Germany (ordered 6 weeks ago, and Moonie and Ken already have theirs) and I just ordered the Karajan. The last thing I want is 3 giant boxes arriving simultaneously.  Not only will it be it dangerous to my conjugal happiness, but to my appreciation of the boxes. 2 will undoubtedly be relegated to dust collecting shelf-life.  There are only so many hours in a day...
An easy pass for me. Mostly mono. It's like the Rubinstein box. I have about 30 discs of him in stereo. I'll take Lortie or Perahia or Demidenko or ... in digital.
Perahia plays better anyway.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on May 17, 2014, 08:38:14 PM
With my 5:1 system and DSP, mono isn't a problem. Horowitz in the 40s and before was  real firecracker.

This preorder price is a momentary drop. I think Baklava. It will most likely go back up, probably to $175 or so.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 17, 2014, 09:18:14 PM
Quote from: bigshot on May 17, 2014, 08:38:14 PM

This preorder price is a momentary drop. I think Baklava. It will most likely go back up, probably to $175 or so.
Yes. Hesitation now can lead to a lifetime of regret. I could have bought google at $1.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on May 18, 2014, 10:33:47 AM
Perahia and Horowitz are just about as far apart stylistically as you can get.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 25, 2014, 04:48:40 PM
The HvK 1960s box was just dropped off by the postman.  It's nice to have.  The box is just like the Korean Giulini, and the cd sleeves are glossy pic and a bit more substantial feeling than most.  I'll take out the cds and put the actual box in storage.  I'm on disk 30 of the Barock box right now, and love it so much I'm not sure when I'll actually get to serious work on the HvK.  I'm expecting the Hogwood baroque box any minute--tracking says it came into the country on Saturday (it's Monday morning here in Taiwan right now). 
  What a glorious era we live in!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 25, 2014, 05:43:13 PM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on May 25, 2014, 04:48:40 PM
The HvK 1960s box was just dropped off by the postman.  It's nice to have.  The box is just like the Korean Giulini, and the cd sleeves are glossy pic and a bit more substantial feeling than most.  I'll take out the cds and put the actual box in storage.  I'm on disk 30 of the Barock box right now, and love it so much I'm not sure when I'll actually get to serious work on the HvK.  I'm expecting the Hogwood baroque box any minute--tracking says it came into the country on Saturday (it's Monday morning here in Taiwan right now). 
  What a glorious era we live in!

Which Baroque box are you traveling through at the moment?   :)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 25, 2014, 09:18:47 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 25, 2014, 05:43:13 PM
Which Baroque box are you traveling through at the moment?   :)

[asin]B001CBX2RO[/asin] This one.  Some are not absolute top drawer, but all are very good (so far).

I just finished this baby about 2 weeks ago. It's really wonderful, IMHO.  Not all baroque, but heavily weighted in that direction.
[asin]B00EDXIIF4[/asin]

  I've yet to play a single disc from this:
[asin]B008BP1LS6[/asin] but I've no doubts about how good it's going to be. 


  By the way, I'm playing the HvK now.  Since I'm so baroque happy these days, I'm playing his earlier stuff. Listening to HvK Handel now. I have to admit...I love it :D
     It really does suffer from giganticism...even the harpsichord sounds huge and powerful.  How can you make a harpsichord sound huge and powerful?! :o :o
   [New track--now everything is dripping with romanticism--sounds like Viennese Rachmaninoff (or did at the beginning).  This may be the perfect antidote to my HIP mania...]
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 25, 2014, 09:27:41 PM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on May 17, 2014, 05:51:12 PM
  Damn. That is cheap. It's selling for $800 and more on ebay...and irritating. My L'oiseau box FINALLY just shipped from Germany (ordered 6 weeks ago, and Moonie and Ken already have theirs) and I just ordered the Karajan. The last thing I want is 3 giant boxes arriving simultaneously.  Not only will it be it dangerous to my conjugal happiness, but to my appreciation of the boxes. 2 will undoubtedly be relegated to dust collecting shelf-life.  There are only so many hours in a day...

Some men hide from their wives women, or gambling, or drugs, or drinking. We hide cost efficient bulk purchases of glorious music
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 25, 2014, 09:43:10 PM
Quote from: Ken B on May 25, 2014, 09:27:41 PM
Some men hide from their wives women, or gambling, or drugs, or drinking. We hide cost efficient bulk purchases of glorious music.

Ha ha ha!  :D :D :D ;) ;D ;D ;D :laugh:
It classifies as a classic CDCDCD proverb, Ken!

I think all the boxes blend into some type of "sameness" to my wife so as long as I keep moving the piles back and forth she does not notice.  Now, the boxes at the door - that is a different matter....    ???
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 25, 2014, 10:24:40 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 25, 2014, 09:43:10 PM

I think all the boxes blend into some type of "sameness" to my wife so as long as I keep moving the piles back and forth she does not notice.  Now, the boxes at the door - that is a different matter....    ???

  Yes, this is a critical point! My Hogwood box finally arrived about 2 minutes ago.  I need another long narrow box for all the CDs.  They become both nondescript and compact when stored that way. And of course I need to get the tell-tale Amazon boxes out of here. That accomplished, I may have no choice but to pounce upon the Horowitz box...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 25, 2014, 10:39:42 PM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on May 25, 2014, 10:24:40 PM
  Yes, this is a critical point! My Hogwood box finally arrived about 2 minutes ago.  I need another long narrow box for all the CDs.  They become both nondescript and compact when stored that way. And of course I need to get the tell-tale Amazon boxes out of here. That accomplished, I may have no choice but to pounce upon the Horowitz box...

Ah, it sounds like you are having loads of fun!!!    ;D
Can you blast music without disturbing the rest of the family or is it an everybody-has-to-listen deal if everybody is home?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 25, 2014, 10:55:39 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 25, 2014, 10:39:42 PM
Ah, it sounds like you are having loads of fun!!!    ;D
Can you blast music without disturbing the rest of the family or is it an everybody-has-to-listen deal if everybody is home?

  I have a study on the second floor, so I can play it quite loudly in the evening.  I do a lot of listening during the day (when no one else is home), however, and can crank it out pretty loudly.  The neighbors complained once (from about 3 doors down).  One night the police came ::)  I have a 7.1 speaker surround system in a mid-sized room, so I don't need to turn it up that loud for it to sound...adequate.
   Listening to HvK's Brahm's 3.  Not playing this loudly would be a sin. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on May 25, 2014, 11:37:45 PM
Before I bought my house I checked out the neighborhood for sensitivity to loud music.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 26, 2014, 07:38:54 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on May 25, 2014, 10:55:39 PM
  I have a study on the second floor, so I can play it quite loudly in the evening.  I do a lot of listening during the day (when no one else is home), however, and can crank it out pretty loudly.  The neighbors complained once (from about 3 doors down).  One night the police came ::)  I have a 7.1 speaker surround system in a mid-sized room, so I don't need to turn it up that loud for it to sound...adequate.
   Listening to HvK's Brahm's 3.  Not playing this loudly would be a sin.

Another good reason not to play Stockhausen. Hard to convince a cop you are doing it for enjoyment, not because you're stoned or to bug the nighbours.  :)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: EigenUser on May 26, 2014, 07:40:25 AM
Quote from: Ken B on May 26, 2014, 07:38:54 AM
Another good reason not to play Stockhausen. Hard to convince a cop you are doing it for enjoyment, not because you're stoned or to bug the nighbours.  :)
Here's a cartoon from none other than the old Stockhausen website:
(http://www.stockhausen.org/punch_2.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 26, 2014, 10:29:59 AM
Quote from: EigenUser on May 26, 2014, 07:40:25 AM
Here's a cartoon from none other than the old Stockhausen website:
(http://www.stockhausen.org/punch_2.jpg)

ROFL

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on July 29, 2014, 02:37:33 AM
the new bernstein 80 CD box looks pretty good, from what I can tell.  this is the Japanese Sony site.  If you have chrome with translate, it does most of the page.

http://www.sonymusicshop.jp/m/item/itemShw.php?site=S&ima=0949&cd=02DE000001330

Some details about the first 52 discs:
[Disc1] JS Bach: "second BWV.1042 E major Violin Concerto"  [performance] Isaac Stern (Vn), the New York Philharmonic (New York February 16, 1966, Philharmonic Hall) JS Bach: "Violin Concerto in C minor BWV.1060 for oboe and "  [performance] Isaac Stern (Vn), Harold Gomberg (Ob), the New York Philharmonic     (New York February 7, 1966, Philharmonic Hall) Vivaldi: "Piccolo Concerto in C major RV.443 "  [performance] William Heim (Piccolo), the New York Philharmonic (New York December 15, 1958, St. George Hotel) JS Bach: "Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor BWV.1052"  [performance] Glenn Gould (April 1957 New York, 30 Columbia Avenue studio) (P), Columbia Symphony Orchestra [Disc2] Barber: "Violin Concerto Op.14"  [performance] Isaac Stern (Vn), New York Phil (New York April 27, 1964, Manhattan Center) Bartok: "Concerto for Orchestra"  [playing] the New York Philharmonic (New York November 30, 1959, St. George Hotel) [Disc3] Bartok: "Piano Concerto No. 2" (New York January 19, 1967, Philharmonic Hall), "Piano Concerto No. 3" (New York January 17, 1967, Philharmonic Hall)  [performance] Philippe Entremont ( P), the New York Philharmonic [Disc4] Bartok: "Concerto for percussion and two pianos"  [performance] Arthur Gold, Robert Fitz Dale (P), Saul Goodman (timpani),      Eldenburg Bailey , Walter Rosenberger, Maurice Lang (percussion), the New York Philharmonic     (New York May 14, 1966, Philharmonic Hall) Bartok: "Violin Concerto No. 2"  [performance] Isaac Stern (Vn), New York Philharmonic (New York January 26, 1958, 30 Columbia Avenue studio) [Disc5] Berg: "Violin Concerto" (New York December 6, 1959, Manhattan Center) Bartok: Rhapsody for Orchestra and "Violin No. 1 "(New York April 16, 1962, Manhattan Center), Rhapsody No. 2 for orchestra and "Violin" (New York April 16, 1962, Manhattan Center)  [performance] Isaac Stern ( Vn), the New York Philharmonic [Disc6] Beethoven: "Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op.25"  [performance] Leonard Bernstein (P & conductor), the New York Philharmonic New York October 24, (1960, Manhattan Center ) "Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op.19": Beethoven  (P), Columbia Symphony Orchestra [performance] Glenn Gould New York, April 09, (1957, 30 Columbia Avenue studio) [DISC 7] Beethoven: "Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op.37 "  [performance] Glenn Gould (New York May 4, 1959, 30 Columbia Avenue studio) (P), Columbia Symphony Orchestra Beethoven: "Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op.58 "  [performance] Glenn Gould (P), the New York Philharmonic (New York March 20, 1961, Manhattan Center) [Disc8] Beethoven: "Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor Op.37" January 20 (1964 day New York, Manhattan Center), "Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op.73" Emperor "" New York May 1, (1962, Manhattan Center)  [performance] Rudolf Serkin (P), the New York Philharmonic [Disc9] Beethoven: "Violin Concerto in D major, Op.61"  (Vn), the New York Philharmonic (New York April 20, 1959, St. George Hotel) [performance] Isaac Stern JS Bach: Violins in "2 Concerto in D minor for BWV.1043 "  [performance] Yehudi Menuhin (Vn), 7 Isaac Stern (Vn), the New York Philharmonic (Carnegie Hall May 18, 1976) [Disc10] Berlioz: the "Italy Harold Op.16 "  [performance] William rinser (Va), the New York Philharmonic (New York October 23, 1961, Manhattan Center) Chausson: "Poem Op.25" New York (January 6, 1964, Manhattan Center) Ravel: "Tsu~iganu" New York (January 6, 1964, Manhattan Center)  [performance] Gino Francescatti (Vn), the New York Philharmonic [Disc11] Bernstein, speech before a performance (Leonard Byrne Stein (talk)) (Carnegie Hall April 6, 1962 (Live)) Brahms: "Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor Op.15" (Carnegie Hall April 6, 1962 (Live))  [performance] Glenn Gould (P), the New York Philharmonic (Glenn Gould (talk)) (February 2, 1963) Glenn Gould Interview [Disc12] Brahms: "No. 2 in B flat major, Op.83 Piano Concerto"  [ Performed by Andre Watts (P), the New York Philharmonic (New York January 23, 1968, Philharmonic Hall) [Disc13] Brahms: "Violin Concerto in D major, Op.77" (April 15, New York, 1961) Sibelius : "Violin Concerto in D minor Op.47" (January 15, New York, 1963)  [performance] Gino Francescatti (Vn), the New York Philharmonic [Disc14] Copland: "Piano Concerto"  [performance] Aaron Corp. Land (P), the New York Philharmonic (New York January 13, 1964, Philharmonic Hall) William Schuman: "Concerto Rondo of old England"  [playing] the New York Philharmonic New York 17 & April 19, (1976, 30 Avenue Studio) Colombia William Schuman: "you just cause"  [performance] Harold Gomberg (Ob), the New York Philharmonic New York November 22, (1968, Philharmonic Hall) [Disc15] list: " Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat major, S.124 "  [performance] Andre Watts (P), the New York Philharmonic (New York February 3, 1963, Philharmonic Hall) Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a Theme of Op.43 "Paganini "  (P), the New York Philharmonic (New York May 2, 1964, Manhattan Center) [performance] Gary Graffmann "Piano Concerto in G major": Ravel  (P & conductor), Columbia Symphony Orchestra [performance] Leonard Bernstein (New York April 7, 1958, 30 Columbia Avenue studio) [Disc16] Mozart: "No. 15 in B flat major, K.450 Piano Concerto" (New York May 7, 1956, 30 Columbia Avenue studio), " No. 17 in G major, K.453 Piano Concerto "(New York May 4, 1956, 30 Columbia Avenue Studio)  [performance] Leonard Bernstein (P & conductor), Columbia Symphony Orchestra [Disc17] Mozart: Piano of "two Concerto in E flat major, K.365 for "  [playing] Arthur Gold (P), Robert Fitz Dale (P), the New York Philharmonic     (New York February 17, 1970, Philharmonic Hall) Mozart: "3 major K.242 to Concerto for Piano die "  (P), Robert Fitz Dale (P), Leonard Bernstein (P & conductor), the New York Philharmonic [performance] Arthur Gold       March 21, (1968 New York, Philharmonic Hall) Mozart: "Eine kleine Nachtmusik K.525"  [playing] the New York Philharmonic New York March 12, (1973, 30 Columbia Avenue studio) [Disc18] Mozart: "Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major, K.503 ")  [performance] Leonard Bernstein (P & conductor), Israel Philharmonic Tel Aviv 1,5 & November 6, (1974, Mann Auditorium Mendelssohn: "Violin Concerto in E minor Op.64 "  [performance] Isaac Stern (Vn), Israel Philharmonic (July 1967 Jerusalem, Tel Aviv (Live)) [Disc19] Mendelssohn: "Violin Concerto in E minor, Op.64"  [performance] Pincus Zukaman (Vn), the New York Philharmonic (New York February 6, 1969, Philharmonic Hall) Schumann: "Cello Concerto in A minor, Op.129"  [performance] Leonard Rose (Vc), the New York Philharmonic (1960 10 New York on the 24th month) [Disc20] Nielsen: "Flute Concerto"  [performance] Julius Baker (Fl), the New York Philharmonic 15th New York) February (1966 Nielsen: "Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra Op.57"  [performance] Stanley Drucker (Cl), the New York Philharmonic (March 21, New York, 1967) Hindemith: "Violin Concerto"  [performance] Isaac Stern (Vn), the New York Philharmonic (April 25, New York, 1964) [Disc21] Rachmaninov: "No. 2 in C minor, Op.18 Piano Concerto"  [performance] Philippe Entremont (P), the New York Philharmonic (February 3, 1960 in Paris) Prokofiev: "No. 2 in G minor, Op.63 Violin Concerto"  [performance] Isaac Stern (Vn), the New York Philharmonic (January 22, New York, 1957) [Disc22] Saint-Saens: "Piano Concerto No. 4 in C minor, Op.44"  [playing] Robert Casadesus (P), New York Phil (October 30, New York, 1961) Saint-Saens: "Rondo in A minor Op.28 Kapurichioso Introduction and"  [play] Gino Francescatti (Vn), the New York Philharmonic (New York 06 January 1964) Debussy: "First Rhapsody for Clarinet and Orchestra"  (Cl), the New York Philharmonic (New York October 16, 1961, Manhattan Center) [performance] Stanley Drucker Debussy: "Rhapsody for Saxophone and Orchestra"  [performance] Shigado-Rusher (Sax), the New York Philharmonic (New York October 16, 1961, Manhattan Center) Faure: "Ballad in F sharp major, Op. Op.19"  [playing] Robert Casadesus (P), the New York Philharmonic (New York October 30, 1962, Manhattan Center) [Disc23] Shostakovich: "Piano Concerto No. 1 Op.35"  [performance] Andre Previn (P), the New York Philharmonic New York April 8, (1962, Manhattan Center) "No. 2 Op.102 Piano Concerto": Shostakovich  (P & conductor), the New York Philharmonic New York 6 days) January (1958 [performance] Leonard Bernstein Poulenc: for piano of "two Concerto in D minor "  [performance] Arthur Gold (P), Robert Fitz Dale (P), the New York Philharmonic      (New York October 23, 1961, Manhattan Center) [Disc24] R. Strauss: "Don Quixote Op .35 "  [performance] loan Munro (Vc), William rinser (Va), Daivu~iddo-Nadine (Vn), the New York Philharmonic      (New York October 24, 1968, Philharmonic Hall) Stravinsky: "Piano Concerto for Wind Instruments with "(1950 edition)  [performance] Seymour Lipkin (P), the New York Philharmonic (New York October 26, 1959, Columbia 30th Street Studio) [Disc25] Tchaikovsky: "Piano Concerto No. 1 B-flat minor, Op.23 "  [performance] Andre Watts (P), the New York Philharmonic (New York March 12, 1973, 30 Columbia Avenue Studio) Rachmaninov: No.2 in C minor Op.18 "Piano Concerto"  [ (New York May 26, 1964, Philharmonic Hall) Performed by Gary Graffmann (P), the New York Philharmonic [Disc26] Tchaikovsky: October "Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op.23" (1961 the 9th New York, Manhattan Center)  [performance] Philippe Entremont (P), the New York Philharmonic Dvorak: New York April 14, "Piano Concerto in G minor Op.33" (1975, Columbia Avenue 30 Studio)  [performance] Justus Franz (P), the New York Philharmonic [Disc27] Vivaldi: "Concerto" The Four Seasons "- Spring" (New York May 13, 1963, Manhattan Center), "Concertos" Four Seasons "- Summer" (1964 1 New York on the 27th month, Manhattan Center), "Concertos" Four Seasons "Autumn" New York, February 11 (1964, Manhattan Center), "Concertos" Four Seasons "-" Winter New York January 27, (1964 , Manhattan Center)  [performance] John Corigliano (Vn), the New York Philharmonic Vivaldi: "Concerto in C major RV.558 for multi-instrument"  [playing] Giovanni Vu~ikari, Carlo de Phillips (mandolin), John -ummah, Robert Morris (flute),      William Vu~akkiano, Nathan play Jar (trumpet), Engelbert Brenner (bus oboe),      Christine Sutavurache, Astrid Vurutsura (harp), John Corigliano (Vn) , Laszlo Varga (Vc),      Leonard Bernstein (harpsichord & conductor), the New York Philharmonic, "Oboe Concerto in D minor RV.454"  [performance] Harold Gomberg (Ob), the New York Philharmonic, "Flute Concerto in C minor RV.441 "  [performance] John ummah (Fl), the New York Philharmonic     (New York December 15, 1958, Brooklyn, St. George Hotel) [Disc28] Tchaikovsky: "Violin Concerto in D major, Op.35"  [performance ] Isaac Stern (Vn), the New York Philharmonic (New York March 5, 1973, 30 Columbia Avenue studio) [Disc29] Barber: "Adagio for Strings" New York March 20, (1961, Manhattan Center ) Bartok: "music for Celesta Strings, Percussion and" New York March 20, (1961, Manhattan Center) Ben Haim: "Psalm writer of Israel" Carnegie Hall May 2, (1959)  [performance ] New York Philharmonic [Disc30] Beethoven: "Leonore Overture No. 3 Op.72a" (New York October 24, 1960, Manhattan Center), "Overture Op.124 dedication" New York October 9, (1962 , Philharmonic Hall), "King Stephan Overture Op.117" New York October 4, (1966, Philharmonic Hall), "Fidelio Overture Op.72b" New York 10, (January 31, 1967, Philharmonic Hall), "Egmont Overture Op.84" New York, February 12 (1970, Philharmonic Hall), "Leonore Overture Op.72a" Carnegie Hall May 18 (1976)  [performance] New York Philharmonic harmonic [Disc31] Berlioz: "Benvenuto Cellini Overture" (October 31, New York, 1960), "Carnival Overture of Rome", "Juliet Op.17 (excerpt) Romeo and" New York October 26, (1959, Columbia 30 Avenue studio), "Rakottsu~i March" New York October 26, (1967, 30 Columbia Avenue Studio)  [performance] New York Philharmonic [Disc32] Bernstein: "age of" anxiety Symphony No. 2 "" (New York July 19, 1965, Manhattan Center), "facsimile" (New York August 18, 1963, Philharmonic Hall)  [performance] Philippe Entremont (P), the New York Philharmonic [Disc33] Bernstein : "age of" anxiety Symphony No. 2 "" (1949 original version)  (P), New York Philharmonic (New York 27 February 1950), [performance] Lucas Foss percussion "violin, string orchestra, harp and Serenade for "  [playing] Isaac Stern (April 19, New York, 1956) (Vn), Columbia Symphony Orchestra [Disc34] Bernstein: "Candide Overture" New York, September 28 (1960, Manhattan Center ,) "" West Side Story "- Symphonic Dance" New York March 6, (1961, Manhattan Center), "Symphonic Suite from the movie" On the Waterfront, "" New York March 16, (1961, Manhattan Center), "Ballet" Fancy Free, "" New York, June 11 (1963, Philharmonic Hall)  [performance] New York Philharmonic [Disc35] Bernstein: "riff Prelude, Fugue and"  [performance] Benny Goodman (Cl), the New York Philharmonic (New York May 6, 1963, Columbia 30th Street Studio), "Dance episode musical one" On The Town "to 3"  [playing] the New York Philharmonic ( New York June 18, 1963, Philharmonic Hall), "Serenade for Violin percussion, string orchestra, harp and"  July 22, (1965 (Vn), the New York Philharmonic [performance] Gino Francescatti New York, Manhattan Center), "Ballet" Fancy Free, ""  [performance] Columbia Symphony Orchestra New York July 13, (1956, 30 Columbia Avenue studio) [Disc36] Bernstein: "ballet music" de-back " "  [Playing] New York City Ballet Orchestra (New York June 7, 1974, 30 Columbia Avenue studio) [Disc37] Bizet: "Carmen Suite No. 1", "Carmen Suite No. 2" (1967 5 New York 15, the 20th month, Philharmonic Hall) Bizet: "Woman Suite No. 1 of Arles", "Woman the second suite of Arles" 2 days 25, January-February (1968, New York March 5, Phil Harmonic Hall)  [performance] New York Philharmonic [Disc38] Offenbach: "Happiness in Paris" New York December 16, (1969, Philharmonic Hall), "Orpheus Overture of hell" New York March 21, (1967 , Philharmonic Hall) Suppe: "Beautiful Galatea Overture" New York January 10, (1967, Philharmonic Hall) Erorudo: "Zampa Overture" New York January 21, (1963, Philharmonic Hall) Thomas: " Ramon Overture "(New York January 21, 1963, Philharmonic Hall)  [performance] New York Philharmonic [Disc39] Brahms: "Academic Festival Overture, Op.80" (New York October 7, 1963, Manhattan Center) , "Tragic Overture Op.81" (New York May 1, 1964, Manhattan Center), "Serenade No. 2 Op.16" (New York 1, the 17th February 1966, Philharmonic Hall), " Variations Op.56a Theme by Haydn "(New York December 16, 1971, Philharmonic Hall)  [performance] New York Philharmonic [Disc40] Britain: An Introduction Orchestra Op.34 for the "youth" (narrated *) New York March 20, (1961, Manhattan Center), "Interlude Op.33a sea of the four" New York March 8, (1973, 30 Columbia Avenue studio), "Passacaglia Op.33b" ( New York March 8, 1973, 30 Columbia Avenue studio), "When gone by" English Folk Song Suite "Op.90" New York April 19, (1976, 30 Columbia Street Studio), Orchestra for the "youth Introduction Op.34 "(without narration) (New York March 20, 1961, Manhattan Center)  (conductor and narration *), the New York Philharmonic [performance] Leonard Bernstein [Disc41] Copland: Spring "Appalachian "(New York October 9, 1961, Manhattan Center), "Rodeo" (New York May 2, 1960, Manhattan Center), "Billy the Kid" October 20, Boston Symphony Hall (1959 ), "Fanfare for the citizen" New York, February 16 (1966, Philharmonic Hall)  [performance] New York Philharmonic [Disc42] Copland: "Fanfare for the citizen" (December 15, 1958 New York, St. George Hotel), "connotation's" New York, September 23 (1962, Philharmonic Hall), "ink Scape" New York October 17, (1967, Philharmonic Hall), "El (Unknown March 22, 1951) Salon Mexico "Columbia Symphony Orchestra  [playing] the New York Philharmonic [Disc43] Debussy: the video for "Orchestra" (New York October 27, 1958, St. George Hotel) , "Pavane for a Dead Princess" (New York February 2, 1968, Philharmonic Hall), "ma-mail Roy" (New York 1, the 16th February 1965, Manhattan Center)  [performance] New York Philharmonic [Disc44] Debussy: "sea" (New York October 16, 1961, Manhattan Center), "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun" (New York September 28, 1960, Manhattan Center), "Yu-Gi-Oh (New York May 2, 1960, Manhattan Center), " "Nocturne, second song: 1 cloud, the first two songs: Festival" (New York September 28, 1960, Manhattan Center)  [performance] New York Philharmonic [Disc45] Dvorak: "Carnival Overture Op.92" (New York February 1, 1965, Manhattan Center), "Slavonic Dances No. 1, Op.46-1" New York October 7, (1965, Manhattan Center), "Slavonic Dances No. 3 Op.46-3" New York October 7, (1965, Manhattan Center) Smetana: "The Bartered Bride Overture" New York January 28, (1963, Philharmonic Hall), "The Bartered Bride Dances to 3" New York February 1, (1965, Manhattan Center), "The Moldau" New York November 23, (1964, Manhattan Center)  [performance] New York Philharmonic [Disc46] Chabrier: "Rhapsody" Spain ""  [playing] the New York Philharmonic (New York January 21, 1963, 30 Avenue Studio Columbia) Falla: "Koihamajutsushi"  [performance] Marilyn Horne (Ms) , New York Philharmonic, "Celebration Fanfare"  [playing] the New York Philharmonic  (New York November 29, 1976, Columbia Avenue 30 Studio) Falla: "Transient and Dances life - Interlude" February 16 (1965 New York, Manhattan Center), New York November 23, "three-cornered hat Suite No. 1" (1964, Manhattan Center), New York 06 "No. 2, three-cornered hat Suite" (November 1961), "fire festival dance of "(New York February 16, 1965, Philharmonic Hall)  [performance] New York Philharmonic [Disc47] Gershwin: "Rhapsody in Blue"  (P & conductor), Columbia Symphony [performance] Leonard Bernstein Dan (New York June 23, 1959, St. George Hotel), "An American in Paris"  [playing] the New York Philharmonic (New York December 21, 1958, St. George Hotel) Gurofe: "Grand Canyon "  [playing] the New York Philharmonic (New York May 20, 1963, Philharmonic Hall) [Disc48] Grieg: "Peer Gynt Suite No. 1", the second suite "Peer Gynt" January 2 (1967, New York 10, the 31st, Philharmonic Hall), "No. 2 Norway Dances", "March of the Trolls Op.54-4" New York October 12, (1965, Manhattan Center) Sibelius: "Sad Waltz" ( New York December 8, 1969, Philharmonic Hall), "Swan of Tuonela" New York March 8, (1973, 30 Columbia Avenue studio), "Finlandia" New York, February 16 (1965, Manhattan Center )  [performance] New York Philharmonic [Disc49] Hindemith: "Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Weber" January 16, New York (1968), "Concerto Music for Brass and Strings," New York March 13, (1961 ) Honegger: "Pacific 231", "rugby", "idyll of summer" New York October 31, (1962, Philharmonic Hall)  [performance] New York Philharmonic [Disc50] Holst: "Planet" (1971 11 New York on the 30th month, Philharmonic Hall) Elgar: New York October 26, "Pomp and Circumstance No. 1" (1967, Philharmonic Hall)  [performance] New York Philharmonic [Disc51] : Ives question no "answer (New York April 17, 1964, Manhattan Center), " "holidays" New England symphony "" 27 May (1963, November 23, 1967, New York January 31, 1967, Manhattan Center )  [performance] New York Philharmonic Ives: "Central Park of Dusk"  [playing] the New York Philharmonic, Seiji Ozawa (Assistant Conductor) New York May 7, (1962, Manhattan Center) Ives: "Gong ladder truck", "Circus Band March"  (New York January 31, 1967, Philharmonic Hall) [performance] New York Philharmonic [Disc52] : Mussorgsky (Ravel Edition) "Pictures at an Exhibition" October 14 (1958 New York, St. George Hotel), "Night on Bald Mountain" New York, February 16 (1965, Manhattan Center) Dukas: "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" New York, February 16 (1965, Manhattan Center)  [performance] New York Philharmonic [Disc53] "Peter and the Wolf" (Suite) (New York February 12, 1960, St. George Hotel): Prokofiev Saint-Saens: "Carnival of the Animals"
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on July 29, 2014, 02:41:22 AM
By the way, I got this today.  We were talking about the Seon box some time ago.  If it's all stuff like this, its going to be an AWESOME box.  This one is Vivarte, and is not new, but was only $18 at my shop, and I love the composers and performers---most of my HIP favorites (Bruggen, Leonhardt, Kuijken, Van Asperen, etc.).

[asin]B009EJSV36[/asin]
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: The new erato on July 29, 2014, 03:08:14 AM
Quote from: EigenUser on May 26, 2014, 07:40:25 AM
Here's a cartoon from none other than the old Stockhausen website:
(http://www.stockhausen.org/punch_2.jpg)
They're not playing their Stockhausen recordings, they are performing one of his scores.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on August 01, 2014, 03:38:32 PM
We have speculation about which of us here might be The Hurwitzer. Informed speculation places Brian in the lead but it is time for a new theory:Moonfish and I are perhaps the real Hurwitzer.
http://www.classicstoday.com/review/markovina-aces-cpe-bach-plus-25-greatest-hits-score/ (http://www.classicstoday.com/review/markovina-aces-cpe-bach-plus-25-greatest-hits-score/)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on August 01, 2014, 03:53:31 PM
I snapped this up cheap at Abeille and it came today

[asin]B004DKDO1A[/asin]

It is very handsome, each disc in a sleave with a BW photo from the orchestra's history, but what attracted me was that this was mostly music I have never heard. Which is pretty rare for a big box.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: EigenUser on August 01, 2014, 03:56:14 PM
Quote from: The new erato on July 29, 2014, 03:08:14 AM
They're not playing their Stockhausen recordings, they are performing one of his scores.
No, that is one of his scores.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on August 01, 2014, 04:22:27 PM
Quote from: EigenUser on August 01, 2014, 03:56:14 PM
No, that is one of his scores.
:laugh:
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on August 01, 2014, 10:58:53 PM
Quote from: Ken B on August 01, 2014, 03:38:32 PM
We have speculation about which of us here might be The Hurwitzer. Informed speculation places Brian in the lead but it is time for a new theory:Moonfish and I are perhaps the real Hurwitzer.
http://www.classicstoday.com/review/markovina-aces-cpe-bach-plus-25-greatest-hits-score/ (http://www.classicstoday.com/review/markovina-aces-cpe-bach-plus-25-greatest-hits-score/)

We have been discovered... !!!   ??? ??? ???
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on August 02, 2014, 08:14:23 PM
I can understand most of the errors Google Translate made, but this one is special:

Quote from: Baklavaboy on July 29, 2014, 02:37:33 AM
[Disc44] Debussy: "sea" (New York October 16, 1961, Manhattan Center), "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun" (New York September 28, 1960, Manhattan Center), "Yu-Gi-Oh (New York May 2, 1960, Manhattan Center), " "Nocturne, second song: 1 cloud, the first two songs: Festival" (New York September 28, 1960, Manhattan Center)  [performance] New York Philharmonic
;D ;D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on August 02, 2014, 09:25:35 PM
Quote from: Brian on August 02, 2014, 08:14:23 PM
I can understand most of the errors Google Translate made, but this one is special:
;D ;D

  At long last, the mysterious origins of Japanese Manga are revealed.  Who'd have dreamed Bernstein was behind it all. No wonder he is so revered in Japan!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on August 05, 2014, 06:34:19 AM
As I've mentioned elsewhere, I've been bitten by the Haydn bug.  In a key way, that is when these boxes can really show their usefulness.  So far I keep the box material together, but now I went through and took out all the Haydn.  It turned out to be a lovely cross-sampling.  Bernstein, Abbado,  Karajan, Klemperer and Szell, but also Bruno Weil's wonderful symphonies, and some trios and quartets in semi-hip style, and some fantastic old 50's versions, too.  It's really nice to have a private "library".  It reminds me of Samuel Johnson's advice to Boswell about self-education.  He recommended NOT to force yourself to read books you thought would be good for you, but instead put together a quality collection of books and then just read whatever appealed to you spontaneously from within your own library.   With all these boxes, I've been doing that, but while I'm exposing myself to a lot of great stuff, I don't feel like I've been building a framework of understanding--schemata, as they say in education.  I've been wandering "like a worm in a cheese", to use a favorite quote. 
    Anyway, as in writing a dissertation, sometimes you can get "breadth through depth". I think I'm just going to dig into Haydn and see if that can help me understand everything else.  To return to Johnson "If you grab the trunk firmly enough, you can shake all the branches".
   About boxes, I actually download a lot of stuff from the net, and if I like it (which I tend to do), then I buy it.  In this case, I bought it and then, out of impatience, downloaded it.   Although I've just scratched the surface,  Moonfish's description of the big Haydn box is, as usual, right on the money.  Almost every part (Piano trios, symphonies, Sonatas, etc) are fantastic. I like the Weil and Hogwood more than the Fischer, generally, but I like Fischer.  Harnoncourt is my favorite of all, I think.  All of these are in cheap-ish boxes, by the way.  If you don't have the Vivarte Weil box, and like fast, super vivid (sonically) recordings, it's wonderful--although without much depth (it can't do everything, of course).  The Harnoncourt has more gravitas--it's hip informed, but still reminds me a bit of Beethoven's first, second, and eighth. Playful and with a wide tonal palette.  The musicians and recording are terrific. The brass sounds wonderful.
   Anyway, sorry to blather on---but I shouldn't be, right, as that is what this thread is for 8)  We should use it more.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on August 05, 2014, 08:46:29 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on August 05, 2014, 06:34:19 AM
As I've mentioned elsewhere, I've been bitten by the Haydn bug.  In a key way, that is when these boxes can really show their usefulness.  So far I keep the box material together, but now I went through and took out all the Haydn.  It turned out to be a lovely cross-sampling.  Bernstein, Abbado,  Karajan, Klemperer and Szell, but also Bruno Weil's wonderful symphonies, and some trios and quartets in semi-hip style, and some fantastic old 50's versions, too.  It's really nice to have a private "library".  It reminds me of Samuel Johnson's advice to Boswell about self-education.  He recommended NOT to force yourself to read books you thought would be good for you, but instead put together a quality collection of books and then just read whatever appealed to you spontaneously from within your own library.   With all these boxes, I've been doing that, but while I'm exposing myself to a lot of great stuff, I don't feel like I've been building a framework of understanding--schemata, as they say in education.  I've been wandering "like a worm in a cheese", to use a favorite quote. 
    Anyway, as in writing a dissertation, sometimes you can get "breadth through depth". I think I'm just going to dig into Haydn and see if that can help me understand everything else.  To return to Johnson "If you grab the trunk firmly enough, you can shake all the branches".
   About boxes, I actually download a lot of stuff from the net, and if I like it (which I tend to do), then I buy it.  In this case, I bought it and then, out of impatience, downloaded it.   Although I've just scratched the surface,  Moonfish's description of the big Haydn box is, as usual, right on the money.  Almost every part (Piano trios, symphonies, Sonatas, etc) are fantastic. I like the Weil and Hogwood more than the Fischer, generally, but I like Fischer.  Harnoncourt is my favorite of all, I think.  All of these are in cheap-ish boxes, by the way.  If you don't have the Vivarte Weil box, and like fast, super vivid (sonically) recordings, it's wonderful--although without much depth (it can't do everything, of course).  The Harnoncourt has more gravitas--it's hip informed, but still reminds me a bit of Beethoven's first, second, and eighth. Playful and with a wide tonal palette.  The musicians and recording are terrific. The brass sounds wonderful.
   Anyway, sorry to blather on---but I shouldn't be, right, as that is what this thread is for 8)  We should use it more.
I have the "little" Brilliant Haydn box -- 40 cds. Almost all very good, with a couple exceptions. That is 50 symphonies, trios, piano sonatas, stray bits. Eventually I got all the symphonies and the quartets. The standard in the big Haydn box is pretty high over all.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on August 05, 2014, 10:04:09 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on August 05, 2014, 06:34:19 AM
As I've mentioned elsewhere, I've been bitten by the Haydn bug.  In a key way, that is when these boxes can really show their usefulness.  So far I keep the box material together, but now I went through and took out all the Haydn.  It turned out to be a lovely cross-sampling.  Bernstein, Abbado,  Karajan, Klemperer and Szell, but also Bruno Weil's wonderful symphonies, and some trios and quartets in semi-hip style, and some fantastic old 50's versions, too.  It's really nice to have a private "library".  It reminds me of Samuel Johnson's advice to Boswell about self-education.  He recommended NOT to force yourself to read books you thought would be good for you, but instead put together a quality collection of books and then just read whatever appealed to you spontaneously from within your own library.   With all these boxes, I've been doing that, but while I'm exposing myself to a lot of great stuff, I don't feel like I've been building a framework of understanding--schemata, as they say in education.  I've been wandering "like a worm in a cheese", to use a favorite quote. 
    Anyway, as in writing a dissertation, sometimes you can get "breadth through depth". I think I'm just going to dig into Haydn and see if that can help me understand everything else.  To return to Johnson "If you grab the trunk firmly enough, you can shake all the branches".
   About boxes, I actually download a lot of stuff from the net, and if I like it (which I tend to do), then I buy it.  In this case, I bought it and then, out of impatience, downloaded it.   Although I've just scratched the surface,  Moonfish's description of the big Haydn box is, as usual, right on the money.  Almost every part (Piano trios, symphonies, Sonatas, etc) are fantastic. I like the Weil and Hogwood more than the Fischer, generally, but I like Fischer.  Harnoncourt is my favorite of all, I think.  All of these are in cheap-ish boxes, by the way.  If you don't have the Vivarte Weil box, and like fast, super vivid (sonically) recordings, it's wonderful--although without much depth (it can't do everything, of course).  The Harnoncourt has more gravitas--it's hip informed, but still reminds me a bit of Beethoven's first, second, and eighth. Playful and with a wide tonal palette.  The musicians and recording are terrific. The brass sounds wonderful.
   Anyway, sorry to blather on---but I shouldn't be, right, as that is what this thread is for 8)  We should use it more.

A severe case of Haydnitis?   A fever of 101?

I enjoyed reading your quotes from Johnson as the clearly represent a rich and interesting approach to a huge topic/area of music. Hmm, I need to take a further look at the Haydn Harnoncourt flavor......


Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: EigenUser on August 05, 2014, 10:49:05 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on August 05, 2014, 10:04:09 AM
A severe case of Haydnitis?   A fever of 101?
*ahem* 104. 107 if you count A, B, and the concertante.

And 108 if you count Jeux :D ;).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on August 05, 2014, 11:40:07 AM
Quote from: EigenUser on August 05, 2014, 10:49:05 AM
*ahem* 104. 107 if you count A, B, and the concertante.

And 108 if you count Jeux :D ;).

Yeah, but then he would die...   :'( :'(
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on August 05, 2014, 11:52:10 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on August 05, 2014, 11:40:07 AM
Yeah, but then he would die...   :'( :'(
Jeux as the coup de grace. I like it.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: DavidW on August 06, 2014, 05:15:37 AM
I received the Bach cantata set a couple of days ago.  I immediately played the cd with cantata bwv 106 that Ken rec'd.  Ah that's great music!  And what a bargain.  It had been mentioned before, but if anyone else is interested check amazon Germany.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Old Listener on August 06, 2014, 10:49:16 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on August 05, 2014, 06:34:19 AM
As I've mentioned elsewhere, I've been bitten by the Haydn bug.  In a key way, that is when these boxes can really show their usefulness.  So far I keep the box material together, but now I went through and took out all the Haydn.  It turned out to be a lovely cross-sampling.  Bernstein, Abbado,  Karajan, Klemperer and Szell, but also Bruno Weil's wonderful symphonies, and some trios and quartets in semi-hip style, and some fantastic old 50's versions, too.  It's really nice to have a private "library".  It reminds me of Samuel Johnson's advice to Boswell about self-education.  He recommended NOT to force yourself to read books you thought would be good for you, but instead put together a quality collection of books and then just read whatever appealed to you spontaneously from within your own library.   With all these boxes, I've been doing that, but while I'm exposing myself to a lot of great stuff, I don't feel like I've been building a framework of understanding--schemata, as they say in education.  I've been wandering "like a worm in a cheese", to use a favorite quote. 

    Anyway, as in writing a dissertation, sometimes you can get "breadth through depth". I think I'm just going to dig into Haydn and see if that can help me understand everything else. 


I was struck by your remarks about having a private library.  I've been acquiring Haydn recordings to get access to all the recordings with potential merit before they disappear.  I no longer think in terms of the "best" recording of a work but in terms of "what recording do I want to hear today".

Two Haydn box recommendations: the Beaux Arts box of Piano Trios is a fine way to explore the piano trios.  The 2 Bach Guild mp3 Haydn boxes have the Blum recordings of 39, 59, 73, 75, 81 and other symphonies as well as the Woldike recordings of the London symphonies.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on August 06, 2014, 07:53:54 PM
Quote from: Old Listener on August 06, 2014, 10:49:16 AM
I was struck by your remarks about having a private library.  I've been acquiring Haydn recordings to get access to all the recordings with potential merit before they disappear.  I no longer think in terms of the "best" recording of a work but in terms of "what recording do I want to hear today".

Two Haydn box recommendations: the Beaux Arts box of Piano Trios is a fine way to explore the piano trios.  The 2 Bach Guild mp3 Haydn boxes have the Blum recordings of 39, 59, 73, 75, 81 and other symphonies as well as the Woldike recordings of the London symphonies.

  I have the Beaux arts (now), but what are "Bach Guild" Mp3 Haydn boxes?
EDIT: Never mind, I found it. They won't let me order it in Taiwan, however. I'll look for a workaround...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on August 06, 2014, 10:03:26 PM
If you have dropbox, I'll pass them to you.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on August 06, 2014, 10:54:39 PM
Quote from: bigshot on August 06, 2014, 10:03:26 PM
If you have dropbox, I'll pass them to you.

  That would be great! I just installed dropbox, but don't have any idea how to share stuff through it. What should I do?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on August 20, 2014, 07:17:04 AM
So...no one's blathering about boxes ;D  I will step into the breach.

Been listening to the big Brilliant Haydn box.  Moonfish was absolutely right! I cannot believe how good it is.  The Barytone trios, Piano trios, Sonatas, etc. that were done for the box are terrific.  The playing is great,  and the recording qualify is, in my opinion, stellar.  Brilliant must have a top-notch group of technicians miking and mixing this stuff.  The Buchberger quartet is my favorite.  I suspect they have tattoos and facial piercing. They just attack the quartets, and they set the room on fire.
   Also, the sleeves and disks are surprisingly classy for such a cheap set. The sleeves are glossy and relatively rugged feeling, and color coded (as are the cds) based on the musical genre.  This is very handy, as I use a 5 disc player and have lots of disks floating around.  The box itself is pretty cheap. I suspect I will just ditch mine--it got a big dinged up in transit and doesn't seem like it will hold up very well. 

    As a natural born glutton, and lover of bargains, when I saw that Brilliant is just releasing the 2014 version of their Big Bach box--for 82 Euros--I had no choice but to get it. I had doubts, but I saw Ken B's rave review for the last one, and I always listen to Ken B.   I've spent the whole last week proofreading a terrible PhD dissertation and two MA theses, so I have a lot of extra pocket money--also I was sitting listening to music in front of my laptop while doing all this work--taking tons of breaks to surf GMG and Amazon while my resistance was down due to exhausion, so...it was inevitable. 
   I also just got Gary Giddins wonderful book on Jazz from the library (actually, he has quite a few).  I briefly had the 100 disk Membran 1920s jazz box in my Amazon cart, but quickly booted it out.  Later, perhaps.

    Now I'm listening to the Hogwood Haydn symphonies box.  I had downloaded it previously.  It had great mini-sets inside, with different color coded sleeves and such, so I decided to go ahead and buy a legitimate copy.  The music is the same, of course, but it turns out they cheaped it up and made all generic black and white sleeves.  Nothing wrong with them, but not like the originals :-X
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Karl Henning on August 20, 2014, 08:23:51 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on August 20, 2014, 07:17:04 AM
  Now I'm listening to the Hogwood Haydn symphonies box.  I had downloaded it previously.  It had great mini-sets inside, with different color coded sleeves and such, so I decided to go ahead and buy a legitimate copy.  The music is the same, of course, but it turns out they cheaped it up and made all generic black and white sleeves.  Nothing wrong with them, but not like the originals :-X

I just got the box afterwards, so no disappointment here :)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Old Listener on August 20, 2014, 09:54:13 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on August 20, 2014, 07:17:04 AM
I briefly had the 100 disk Membran 1920s jazz box in my Amazon cart, but quickly booted it out.  Later, perhaps.

Thanks for that lead.  I searched for Membran and Jazz on Amazon and got 246 items.  I've already put several into my most immediate wish list.  The 100 CD boxes are a clear bargain but $ 100 or more is a pretty big plunge.

---
I don't buy many box boxes because I often already own some of the best recordings in the set.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: kishnevi on August 20, 2014, 06:16:11 PM
The DFD Stuttgart box of Haydn symphonies comes in color coded sets.
Just a suggestion, of course. :P
My most likely next big box purchase will be the Mercury Living Presence I box. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on August 20, 2014, 06:53:48 PM
Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on August 20, 2014, 06:16:11 PM
My most likely next big box purchase will be the Mercury Living Presence I box.

  I found one of those in a shop after they had gone out of print and sold it (unopened) on ebay for 3X what I'd paid for it.  A few months later I saw another one and bought it and ran home and discovered that it had been re-released :o >:(
  Even though I really like my box II, I still haven't opened the box I.  I'm not sure why.  I'm either saving it for a rainy day, or waiting for it to go back out of print so I can make a killing on it (sometimes I'm unreasonably stubborn).  I also have an unopened  DG 111 box 2.  :-[
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on August 26, 2014, 06:50:10 AM
Fine new box sets are starting to come out of the woodwork.
   The new Brilliant Schubert and the Decca complete Rachmaninoff should not be resisted, especially at the rock-bottom Crazy-Hans Giveaway Prices that are going on over at Amazon.de   I thought about resisting, but realized resistance would be useless.  Some things just aren't likely to get better.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on August 28, 2014, 06:37:17 AM
Ken B., you have the DG Kubelik box?? What do you think?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: AnthonyAthletic on August 28, 2014, 06:38:02 AM
Bought this and discovered the Stabat Mater.

[asin]B000065SXI[/asin]

Doing these & having a Vivaldian couple of weeks...  :D

[asin]B00JGEKTKW[/asin] Received last week

[asin]B008Y1OKQM[/asin] Received Today

[asin]B00EO7XPZC[/asin] Received Today

[asin]B008Y1OKP8[/asin] Received Today

[asin]B00JGEKTK2[/asin] On Order

Much value to be had, for such a small layout!!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on August 28, 2014, 06:43:28 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on August 28, 2014, 06:37:17 AM
Ken B., you have the DG Kubelik box?? What do you think?
No, I have the big 100 Great Symphonies box. That Kubelik Dvorak disc is top notch though.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on August 28, 2014, 07:02:13 AM
Quote from: Ken B on August 28, 2014, 06:43:28 AM
No, I have the big 100 Great Symphonies box. That Kubelik Dvorak disc is top notch though.

  I like Kubelik a lot. Frankly, I think he sounds better with the Bavarian Radio Orchestra than a lot of folks sound with the 5-Star outfits... but I find I play the "conductor" boxes less than any others. Still, his box is selling very reasonably at my local shop, and I eye it with strong feelings of desire :-[.   
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Karl Henning on August 28, 2014, 07:03:28 AM
Quote from: AnthonyAthletic on August 28, 2014, 06:38:02 AM
Bought this and discovered the Stabat Mater.

Aye, the Vivaldi Stabat Mater is exquisite!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: AnthonyAthletic on August 28, 2014, 07:12:24 AM
Quote from: karlhenning on August 28, 2014, 07:03:28 AM
Aye, the Vivaldi Stabat Mater is exquisite!

I listened to it 3 times the other day and last night.  It certainly is exquisite, a work which I did not know until this week.  A fabulous discovery.  The vocal with the music is divine, a real chill effect.

Mingardo the Magnificent
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: North Star on August 28, 2014, 08:26:22 AM
Quote from: AnthonyAthletic on August 28, 2014, 06:38:02 AM
Bought this and discovered the Stabat Mater.

Doing these & having a Vivaldian couple of weeks...  :D
Received last week
Received Today
Received Today
Received Today
On Order

Much value to be had, for such a small layout!!
I might be more tempted if I didn't own exactly one disc/two-fer out of each of those sets. Not that I want them to be tempting.  8)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on August 28, 2014, 09:49:46 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on August 28, 2014, 07:02:13 AM
  I like Kubelik a lot. Frankly, I think he sounds better with the Bavarian Radio Orchestra than a lot of folks sound with the 5-Star outfits... but I find I play the "conductor" boxes less than any others. Still, his box is selling very reasonably at my local shop, and I eye it with strong feelings of desire :-[.
Who will give me odds on Al buying that before Labor Day?

>:D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Holden on August 28, 2014, 01:13:29 PM
Just discovered this thread and one thing struck me immediately, you either buy box sets based on performer or composer. Occasionally you can combine both.

Thinking about this I find that while I'm happy to pay for the complete (or selected) works of a performer, the idea of getting the complete works of a specific composer doesn't appeal at all. Yes, the complete works of Jean Sibelius is not huge but will I like the performances? If not then I've wasted my money IMO.

Yet I've happily splurged on the complete Arthur Rubinstein and box sets of performers such as Lupu, Gilels, Richter, Haskil, Oistrakh, etc, without once considering whether I'd like what I heard. Are others of you like that or are you happy to just take it as it comes.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Pat B on August 28, 2014, 01:43:49 PM
Quote from: Holden on August 28, 2014, 01:13:29 PM
Just discovered this thread and one thing struck me immediately, you either buy box sets based on performer or composer. Occasionally you can combine both.

Thinking about this I find that while I'm happy to pay for the complete (or selected) works of a performer, the idea of getting the complete works of a specific composer doesn't appeal at all. Yes, the complete works of Jean Sibelius is not huge but will I like the performances? If not then I've wasted my money IMO.

Yet I've happily splurged on the complete Arthur Rubinstein and box sets of performers such as Lupu, Gilels, Richter, Haskil, Oistrakh, etc, without once considering whether I'd like what I heard. Are others of you like that or are you happy to just take it as it comes.

I have 5 big boxes: Toscanini, and 2 each of Mercury Living Presence and RCA Living Stereo. I am contemplating the Seon box. Like you, I'm not drawn to the composer-specific big boxes. Unlike you, I haven't been able to put my finger on the reason for that.

Sometimes I wish I had bought the Rubinstein box when the price was low, but between the LS boxes and individual releases I'll have no shortage of his stuff.

One of these days I'll get one of the Bach Cantata sets, but that seems more comparable to a symphony cycle than to the single-composer big boxes that span multiple forms and performers.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Todd on August 28, 2014, 01:54:34 PM
Quote from: Holden on August 28, 2014, 01:13:29 PMYet I've happily splurged on the complete Arthur Rubinstein and box sets of performers such as Lupu, Gilels, Richter, Haskil, Oistrakh, etc, without once considering whether I'd like what I heard. Are others of you like that or are you happy to just take it as it comes.



I buy only artist-centric big boxes.  I really don't care about hearing all works by any composer.  Okay, I've heard all of Webern and Decaux, but they hardly require big boxes.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: kishnevi on August 28, 2014, 02:15:48 PM
I have label centered boxes (Harmonia Mundi, EMI Eminence, L'Oiseau-Lyre), two of them focused on a chronological period, performer boxes (Rubinstein, Perahia),  composer specific boxes (Beethoven, Sibelius, CPE Bach) that are not complete, and two genre specific boxes (Brilliant Symphonies 100 CD set and Sony Great Choral Works).  But only one composer is represented by a Complete box:  JSBach,  and he gets two of them!

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on August 28, 2014, 03:07:26 PM
Complete Sibelius not huge? 65 discs is bigger than any box I've got.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on August 28, 2014, 03:25:48 PM
Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on August 28, 2014, 02:15:48 PM
I have label centered boxes (Harmonia Mundi, EMI Eminence, L'Oiseau-Lyre), two of them focused on a chronological period, performer boxes (Rubinstein, Perahia),  composer specific boxes (Beethoven, Sibelius, CPE Bach) that are not complete, and two genre specific boxes (Brilliant Symphonies 100 CD set and Sony Great Choral Works).  But only one composer is represented by a Complete box:  JSBach,  and he gets two of them!
Mostly the kind of thing I have too. I have only Tallis, Chopin, Stravinsky, and Beethoven complete (had Bach). I do like label cross section boxes. I have a lot of medium boxes, 10 discs or so. I have a few conductor big boxes and the Perahia. I have very little interest in mono though, so avoid a lot of older artist boxes. I confess I would dearly love a Palestrina complete box ...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: kishnevi on August 28, 2014, 03:37:25 PM
Quote from: orfeo on August 28, 2014, 03:07:26 PM
Complete Sibelius not huge? 65 discs is bigger than any box I've got.

I don't have that.  Only the much smaller BIS Essential Sibelius set.  15 CDs.  Irony is that when I got it, I counted that as my biggest boxset.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61%2BmdNwooUL.jpg)
Biggest sets I have are the Bach boxes, the Teldec and Hanssler, and the Rubinstein,  followed by the 100CD Brilliant Symphonies box.  Next biggest is the Perahia box.  Everything else is either 30 or 50 CDs.
I forgot in my earlier enumeration the EMI Elgar and RVW boxes, 30 CDs each,  and the Haydn symphonies box from DRD/Stuttgart,  but that is large by necessity.
I also forgot Tallis, Debussy, and Ravel,  of whom I have one complete set each, but those are under 20 CDs each.  And both Complete Mahler boxes....how could I forget that!!!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on August 28, 2014, 03:46:58 PM
Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on August 28, 2014, 03:37:25 PM
I don't have that.  Only the much smaller BIS Essential Sibelius set.  15 CDs.  Irony is that when I got it, I counted that as my biggest boxset.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61%2BmdNwooUL.jpg)
Biggest sets I have are the Bach boxes, the Teldec and Hanssler, and the Rubinstein,  followed by the 100CD Brilliant Symphonies box.  Next biggest is the Perahia box.  Everything else is either 30 or 50 CDs.
I forgot in my earlier enumeration the EMI Elgar and RVW boxes, 30 CDs each,  and the Haydn symphonies box from DRD/Stuttgart,  but that is large by necessity.
I also forgot Tallis, Debussy, and Ravel,  of whom I have one complete set each, but those are under 20 CDs each.  And both Complete Mahler boxes....how could I forget that!!!
Amongst our weaponry are ...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on August 28, 2014, 03:53:37 PM
Composers:
- complete Brahms (Brilliant)
- complete Chopin (Hyperion)
- complete Rachmaninov (Brilliant)
- complete Haydn symphonies (Stuttgart/DRD)

Artists:
- Bernstein Symphony Edition
- Bernstein Orchestral-Not-Symphonies Edition (on preorder)
- Wand Great Recordings
- Rubinstein, Perahia, Fleisher, Silvestri

Labels:
- Lumieres (Harmonia Mundi)
- Brilliant Russian Legends

Wishlist:
- complete Ravel (Decca)
- complete Debussy (DG)
- Fricsay, Reiner, Boulez/Sony, Rosen, Monteux
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on August 28, 2014, 04:01:38 PM
Quote from: Brian on August 28, 2014, 03:53:37 PM
Composers:
- complete Brahms (Brilliant)
- complete Chopin (Hyperion)
- complete Rachmaninov (Brilliant)
- complete Haydn symphonies (Stuttgart/DRD)

Artists:
- Bernstein Symphony Edition
- Bernstein Orchestral-Not-Symphonies Edition (on preorder)
- Wand Great Recordings
- Rubinstein, Perahia, Fleisher, Silvestri

Labels:
- Lumieres (Harmonia Mundi)
- Brilliant Russian Legends

Wishlist:
- complete Ravel (Decca)
- complete Debussy (DG)
- Fricsay, Reiner, Boulez/Sony, Rosen, Monteux
Oops. I forgot that complete Brahms! It's an excellent box too.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on August 28, 2014, 11:48:56 PM
I have no huge label-centered box (I have a five or six disc early music box from hmf, but this is not "big") My collection was "too advanced" before the age of big cheap boxes, so I skipped most of them. I gave in to temptation when the Rubinstein Box was only 120 EUR or even less around last Xmas. A year or two earlier I bought the Integrale of Samson Francois from french EMI and a 50? disc Beethoven box (with Heidsieck's piano sonatas etc.), because they were so cheap.
My biggest box with one corpus are Haydn Symphonies with Fischer (Brilliant).

But I have quite a few of "medium sized" boxes with ca. 10-20 discs: DG's complete Chopin, Haydn quartets with the Angeles, several of DG's "original masters" (Markevitch, Fricsay, Fi-Di...)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: amw on August 29, 2014, 12:07:34 AM
The only big boxes I have are Mozart Piano Concertos w/Immerseel (10 CDs each in its own jewel case) and a similarly sized Minnesota Orchestra limited edition someone gave me as a present. As I recall, they're both quite a bit heavier than the Dorati Haydn box, though that wasn't technically mine.

LPs are a different story and of course their big boxes are much bigger. >.>
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on August 29, 2014, 06:40:23 PM
I cancelled my Seon pre order. I am going with Baklavaboy's gut here, and expecting it to end up a lot cheaper in  due course.

If not I know where Al lives.

:laugh:
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on August 29, 2014, 09:04:54 PM
Quote from: Ken B on August 29, 2014, 06:40:23 PM
I cancelled my Seon pre order. I am going with Baklavaboy's gut here, and expecting it to end up a lot cheaper in  due course.

If not I know where Al lives.

:laugh:

  Should be a safe bet.  A few weeks ago I got a 10 disc SEON box (one of the mini Vivarte boxes) for under $1.50 a disc at a bricks and mortar shop.  I think they've tipped there hand...
   I'll bet the Boulez box will get much cheaper in the future as well, but I doubt I'll be able to hold out for long on that one.  He's got a ton of repertoire I'm curious about and don't have.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Karl Henning on August 30, 2014, 08:06:02 AM
Most of what I should find tempting in the Boulez box, i already own.  The only further Boulez I am relatively keen for, is the Berlioz.  But that would never be able to drive a purchase of such a big box with so much duplication.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Wakefield on August 30, 2014, 08:15:23 AM
Quote from: Ken B on August 29, 2014, 06:40:23 PM
I cancelled my Seon pre order. I am going with Baklavaboy's gut here, and expecting it to end up a lot cheaper in  due course.

I really hope you're right, Ken... but, if not, it will be funny.  :P
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on August 30, 2014, 10:02:23 AM
Sseonn....Seoooon.....Seon......Seonnnn....Seeeoooooonnnnn

(http://www.michellehenry.fr/zombie4.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on August 30, 2014, 10:20:04 AM
Are we all bragging about how big ours is now?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on August 30, 2014, 12:46:14 PM
Quote from: bigshot on August 30, 2014, 10:20:04 AM
Are we all bragging about how big ours is now?
Guys always compare their Furtwangler.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: The new erato on August 30, 2014, 01:38:18 PM
You meant Furtwiener?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 12, 2014, 10:43:27 PM
Thanks to ELK1971 for the link with the following detailed contents of the new 69 disk Schubert box from Brilliant Classics. 

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ZJd4fUmAL.jpg)


Contents:
CD 1
- Symphony No.1 in D D82
- Symphony No.2 in B flat D125
Staatskapelle Dresden / Herbert Blomstedt

CD 2
- Symphony No.3 in D D200
- Symphony No.4 in C minor D417 'Tragic'
Staatskapelle Dresden / Herbert Blomstedt

CD 3
- Symphony No.5 in B flat D485
- Symphony No.6 in C D589
Staatskapelle Dresden / Herbert Blomstedt

CD 4
- Symphony No.8 in B minor D759 'Unfinished'
- Symphony No.9 in C D944 'Great'
Staatskapelle Dresden / Herbert Blomstedt

CD 5
- Rondo in A D438 for violin & strings
- Konzertstück in D D345 for violin & chamber orchestra
- Polonaise in B flat D580 for violin & chamber orchestra
- 5 Minuets and 6 Trios D89 for strings  15'49
Susanne Lautenbacher (violin)
Württemberg Chamber Orchestra of Heilbronn / Jörg Faerber

- Trio in B flat D581 for violin, viola & cello
- Trio Movement in B flat D471 for violin, viola & cello
Bell'Arte String Trio: Susanne Lautenbacher (violin), Ulrich Koch (viola), Thomas Blees (cello)

CD 6
- Duo in A D574 for violin & piano
- Fantasy in C D934 for violin & piano
- Sonata (Sonatina) in D for violin and piano D384
György Pauk (violin), Peter Frankl (piano)

CD 7
- Sonata (Sonatina) in A minor for violin and piano D385
- Sonata (Sonatina) in G minor for violin and piano D408
- Rondo brillant in B minor D895 for violin & piano
György Pauk (violin), Peter Frankl (piano)

Sonata in A minor D821 'Arpeggione'
- I. Allegro moderato
- II. Adagio – Allegretto
Paul Olevsky (cello), Walter Hautzig (piano)

CD 8
- Piano Trio No.1 in B flat D898
- Notturno in E flat D897 for piano, violin & cello
Klaviertrio Amsterdam:
Klára Würtz (piano), Joan Berkhemer (violin), Nadia David (cello)

CD 9
- Piano Trio No.2 in E flat D929
Klaviertrio Amsterdam:
Klára Würtz (piano), Joan Berkhemer (violin), Nadia David (cello)

CD 10
- String Quartet No.2 in C D32 (fragment)
- String Quartet No.3 in B flat D36
- String Quartet No.4 in C D46
Endres Quartet

CD 11
- String Quartet No.6 in D D74
- String Quartet No.9 in G minor D173
- String Quartet No.10 in E flat D87
Endres Quartet

CD 12
- String Quartet No.7 in D D94
- Andante in C D3 for string quartet
- String Quartet No.13 in A minor D804 'Rosamunde'
Diogenes Quartet:
Stefan Kirpal, Gundula Kirpal (violins), Julia Barthel (viola), Stephen Ristau (cello)

CD 13
- Overture in B flat D601 (fragment completed by Christian Starke - first recording of completed version)
- String Quartet No.8 in B flat D112
- String Quartet No.11 in E D353
Diogenes Quartet:
Stefan Kirpal, Gundula Kirpal (violins), Julia Barthel (viola), Stephen Ristau (cello)

CD 14
- String Quartet No.1 in G minor/B flat D18
- String Quartet No.5 in B flat D68
Diogenes Quartet:
Stefan Kirpal, Gundula Kirpal (violins), Alba González i Becerra (viola), Stephen Ristau (cello)

- String Quartet No.14 in D minor D810 'Der Tod und das Mädchen'
Brandis Quartet:
Thomas Brandis, Peter Brem (violins), Wilfried Strehle (viola), Wolfgang Boettcher (cello)

CD 15
- String Quartet No.12 in C minor ('Quartettsatz') D703  8'44
- String Quartet No.15 in G D887
Brandis Quartet:
Thomas Brandis, Peter Brem (violins), Wilfried Strehle (viola), Wolfgang Boettcher (cello)

CD 16
- Piano Quintet in A D667 'Trout'
Nepomuk Fortepiano Quintet:
Riko Fukuda (fortepiano), Franc Polman (violin), Elisabeth Smalt (viola), Jan Insinger (cello), Pieter Smithuijsen (double bass)

- Sonata in B flat D28 for piano trio
- Trio Concertante: Adagio and Rondo Concertante in F D487 for piano, violin, viola and cello
Rochester Chamber Players

CD 17
- String Quintet in C D956 for two violins, viola & two cellos
Wen-Sinn Yang (cello), Brandis Quartet: Thomas Brandis, Peter Brem (violins), Wilfried Strehle (viola), Wolfgang Boettchers (cello)

CD 18
- Octet in F D803 for clarinet, horn, bassoon, string quartet & double bass
Berlin Philharmonic Octet: Alois Brandhofer (clarinet), Gerd Seifert (horn), Hans Lemke (bassoon), Saschko Gawriloff, Rainer Mehne (violins), Wilfried Strehle (viola), Peter Steiner (cello), Rainer Zepperitz (double bass)

CD 19
- Piano Sonata in B flat D960
- Piano Sonata in B D575
- Allegro in A minor D947 'Lebensstürme' for piano four hands
Klára Würtz (piano)
with Pieter van Winkel (piano) in the duet

CD 20
- Piano Sonata in A D959
- Piano Sonata in E minor D566
Frank van de Laar (piano)

CD 21
- Piano Sonata in C minor D958
Folke Nauta (piano)

- Piano Sonata in F minor D625
Alwin Bär (piano)

CD 22
- Piano Sonata in D D850 'Gasteiner'
- Piano Sonata in C D840 'Reliquie'
- Piano Sonata in A flat D557
Frank van de Laar (piano)

CD 23
- Piano Sonata in A minor D784
- Piano Sonata in G D894
David Kuyken (piano)

CD 24
- Piano Sonata in A minor D537
- Piano Sonata in A D664
Klára Würtz (piano)

- 3 Klavierstücke D946
Pieter van Winkel (piano)

CD 25
- Piano Sonata in A minor D845
- Piano Sonata in E D459
Bart van Oort (fortepiano)

CD 26
- Piano Sonata in E D157
- Piano Sonata in C D279
- Piano Sonata in E flat D568
- Fantasy in C minor D2e 
- Allegretto in C minor D915 
- Scherzo in B flat D593 
Tamara Rumiantsev (piano)

CD 27
- 4 Impromptus D899
- 6 Moments musicaux D780
- 3 Klavierstücke D946
Alfred Brendel (piano)

CD 28
- Fantasy in C D760 'Wanderer Fantasy' 
- 4 Impromptus D935
- Wanderer Fantasy in C S366 for piano & orchestra, realised by Franz Liszt
Alfred Brendel (piano)
Vienna Volksoper Orchestra / Michael Gielen

CD 29
- 34 Valses sentimentale D779 
- Minuet in C sharp minor D600 
- German Dance in C sharp with Trio in A D139 
- Trio in E D610 
- 12 German Dances D420 
- 12 Ecossaises D299 
- 16 Ländler and 2 Ecossaises 'Wiener Damen-Ländler' D734 
- 6 German Dances D820 
- 12 Waltzes D969 'Valse nobles' 
- 3 Minuets, each with 2 trios D380
- 2 Ländler in E flat D980b (formerly D679) 
- 12 Ländler D681 – Nos. 5–12 
Michael Endres (piano)

CD 30
- 20 Waltzes D146 
- Variation on a waltz by Anton Diabelli D718 
- 12 Grazer Waltzer D924 
- 8 Ecossaises D529 
- 12 German Dances D790 
- Waltz in G D979 
- 2 Minuets, each with 2 trios D91
- 8 Ländler in B flat D378

from 30 Minuets with Trios D41:
- Minuets Nos 1–8 / Minuets Nos 11–12 / Ländler Nos 5–12
Michael Endres (piano)

CD 31
- 17 Ländler D366 
- Galop and 8 Ecossaises D735
- 3 German Dance in G flat D722 
- 3 German Dances D971 
- 2 German Dances D769  1'29
- 2 German Dances D841 
- 3 German Dances D973

12 German Dances from Vienna D128
- Introduction / Dances Nos 1–12

- 36 Original Dances D365

from 30 Minuets with Trios D41
- Nos 13–18 & 20–23
Michael Endres (piano)

CD 32
- 12 Waltzes, 17 Ländler and 9 Ecossaises D145
- German Dance in C sharp minor and Ecossaise in D flat D643

from 12 Ecossaises D781
- Nos 2–12 (Index 1–4)

from 2 Ländler in D flat D980c (formerly D860; fragment)
- Ländler No.2

- 4 komische Ländler in D D354 
- 16 German Dances and 2 Ecossaises D783

from 6 Ecossaises in A flat D697
- Nos 1–4 & 6

- Waltz in A flat D978 
- 6 Ecossaises D421 
- Ecossaise in E flat D511

from 6 Minuets D2d (formerly D995)
- Nos 1 & 2

- Grazer Galopp in C D925 
- Ecossaise in D minor/F D158 
- 6 Ländler D970 
- Ecossaise in D D782 
- 8 Ecossaises D977 
- 3 German Dances D972 
- 3 German Dances D973 
- 2 Waltzes D980 
- 3 Ecossaises D816 
- 2 German Dances in E flat D974 
- 2 German Dances in D D975 
- Cotillon in E flat D976 
- Minuet in E, with trios D335 
Michael Endres (piano)

CD 33
- 3 Klavierstücke D946
- Klavierstück in C D916b: Allegro (fragment) 
- Klavierstück in C minor D916c (fragment) 
- 3 Klavierstücke D459a
- Klavierstück in A D604: Andante 
Alberto Miodini (piano)

CD 34
- 10 Variations in F D156 
- 13 Variations on a theme by Anselm Hüttenbrenner D576 
- Variation on a waltz by Anton Diabelli D718 
- Fantasy in C D605a 'Grazer Fantasie' 
- Fantasia in C D605 (fragment) 
- Fantasie in C minor D2e (formerly D993) 
Alberto Miodini (piano)

CD 35
- Hungarian melody in B minor D817 
- Allegretto in C minor D915 
- Allegretto in C D346 (fragment) 
- Allegro moderato in C D347 (fragment) 
- Andantino in C D348 (fragment) 
- Adagio in C D349 (fragment) 
- Allegretto in C minor D900 (fragment) 
- Rondo in E D506: Allegretto 
- Adagio in E D612 
- Allegro and Scherzo D570
- Adagio in G D178 (first version) 
- Adagio in G D178 (second version; fragment) 
- Andante in C D29 (arr. of String Quartet No.3) 
Alberto Miodini (piano)

CD 36
- 12 Waltzes D145 
- Grazer Galopp in C D925 
- Minuet in C sharp minor D600 
- Minuet in A D334: Allegretto –Trio 
- Minuet in A minor D277a: Allegro –Trio 
- 2 Scherzos D593
- March in B minor Ddeest: Allegro assai – Trio 
- March in E D606: Allegro con brio – Trio 
- Fugue in D minor D13 
- Fugue in C D24a 
- Fugue in G D24b 
- Fugue in D minor D24c 
- Overture to Alfonso und Estrella D759a (transcr. Schubert) 
- Waltz in G D844 'Albumblatt' 
Alberto Miodini (piano)

CD 37
- Fantasie in F minor D940 
- Rondo in D D608 
- Sonata in B flat D617
- Grand Rondo in A D951 
- 34 Valses sentimentales D779 
Bracha Eden (piano) & Alexander Tamir (piano)

CD 38
- Divertissement à l'hongroise D818
- Divertissement sur des motifs originaux français D823
Bracha Eden (piano) & Alexander Tamir (piano)

CD 39
- 6 Grandes marches D819
Bracha Eden (piano) & Alexander Tamir (piano)

CD 40
- 3 Marches militaires D733
- 8 Variations on an original theme D813 
- Allegro in A minor D947 'Lebensstürme' 
- 4 Variations on an original theme D968a 
Bracha Eden (piano) & Alexander Tamir (piano)

CD 41
- Mass No.1 in F D105
- Salve Regina in A D676 
- Magnificat in C D486

Zdena Kloubová (soprano), Marta Benacková (mezzo-soprano), Walter Coppola (tenor), Jurij Kruglov (baritone)
Virtuosi di Praga • Prague Chamber Orchestra / Andreas Weiser

CD 42
- Mass No.2 in G D167
Ludmila Vernerová (soprano), Richard Sporka (tenor), Roman Janal (bass)
Virtuosi di Praga • Prague Chamber Orchestra / Romano Gandolfi

- Mass No.4 in C D452
Marta Filová (soprano), Marta Benacková (alto), Walter Coppola (tenor), Miroslav Podskalský (bass)
Virtuosi di Praga • Prague Chamber Orchestra / Ulrich Backofen

- Mass No.3 in B flat D324
Ludmila Vernerová (soprano), Lenka Šmídová (mezzo-soprano), Rodrigo Orrego (tenor), Jirí Sulzenko (bass)
Virtuosi di Praga • Prague Chamber Orchestra / Jack Martin Händler

CD 43
- Mass No.5 in A flat D678
Kari Lövaas (soprano), Hilke Helling (alto), Richard Graeger (tenor),  Gerhard Faulstich (bass)
Spandauer Kantorei Berlin, Cappella Vocale Hamburg
Bach Collegium Berlin / Martin Behrmann

- Deutsche Messe D872
Elizabeth Thomann (soprano),  Gertrude Jahn (contralto), Stafford Wing (tenor),  Kunizaku Ohashi (bass)
Vienna Kammerchor, Vienna Symphony Orchestra / Hans Gillesberger

CD 44
- Mass No.6 in E flat D950
Soile Isokoski (soprano), Martina Borst (alto), Christoph Prégardien (tenor), Peter Grönlund (tenor), Cornelius Hauptmann (bass)
Kammerchor Stuttgart, Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen / Frieder Bernius

CD 45
- Offertory in B flat D963 'Intende voci orationis meae'
Peter Schreier (tenor)

- Offertory in C D136 'Totus in corde langueo'
- Offertory in F D223 'Salva Regina, Mater misericordiae'
Magdaléna Hajóssyová (soprano), Sigurd Brauns (organ)

- Salva Regina in B flat D106 
Peter Schreier (tenor), Sigurd Brauns (organ)

- Tantum ergo in E flat D962 
Gisela Fetting (soprano), Astrid Pilzecker (contralto), Ekkehard Wagner (tenor), Karl-Heinz Schmieder (bass)

- Salve Regina in B flat D386
- Psalm 23 D706 'Gott ist mein Hirt'
Karin Pohl (soprano), Brigitte Domhardt (soprano), Claudia Graswurm (contralto), Astrid Pilzecker (contralto), Bernd Casper (piano)

- Psalm 92 D953 'Tôw l'hôdôs ladônoj' - Sung in Hebrew
Christina Klopsch (soprano), Astrid Pilzecker (contralto), Ekkehard Wagner (tenor), Georg Christoph Biller (baritone), Heinz Schmieder (bass)

- An die Sonne D439 'O Sonne, Königin der Welt'
Berliner Solisten, Bernd Casper (piano)

- Chor der Engel D440 'Christ ist erstanden'

Rundfunkchor Berlin, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin / Dietrich Knothe

CD 46
- Lazarus orThe Solemn Act of Resurrection
Carola Nossek (Jemina) • Ingeborg Springer (Martha) • Ursula Reinhardt-Kiss (Maria) • Eberhard Büchner (Lazarus) • Horst Gebhardt (Nathanael) • Bernd Riedel (Simon)
Berliner Singakademie, Staatskapelle Berlin / Dietrich Knothe

CD 47/48/49
- Alfonso und Estrella
Hermann Prey (Mauregato, King of Leon) • Edith Mathis (Estrella, his daughter) • Theo Adam (Adolfo, his general) • Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Froila, overthrown king of Leon) • Peter Schreier (Alfonso, his son) • Magdalena Falewicz (A maiden) • Eberhard Büchner (A youth) • Horst Gebhardt (Chief bodyguard)
Rundfunkchor Berlin • Staatskapelle Berlin / Otmar Suitner

CD 50
Incidental music to the play Rosamunde, princess of Cyprus D797 (Text: Helmina von Chézy)
1. No.1 Overture (originally for Alfonso und Estrella D732) 
2. No.2 Entr'acte nach dem 1. Aufzug 
3. No.3 Ballett 
4. No.3a Entr'acte nach dem 2. Aufzug 
5. No.3b Romanze 'Der Vollmond strahlt auf Bergeshöhn' 
6. No.4 Geisterchor 'In der Tiefe wohnt das Licht' 
7. No.5 Entr'acte nach dem 3. Aufzug 
8. No.6 Hirtenmelodien 
9. No.7 Hirtenchor 'Hier auf den Fluren' 
10. No.8 Jägerchor 'Wie lebt sich's so frölich im Grünen' 
11. No.9 Ballett

12. Overture to Die Zauberharfe D644

Ileana Cotrubas (soprano)
Rundfunkchor Leipzig, Staatskapelle Dresden / Willi Boskovsky

CD 51
- Die Freunde von Salamanka D326
Edith Mathis (Olivia) • Christine Weidinger (Eusebia) • Carol Wyatt (Laura) • Thomas Moser (Alonso) • Eberhard Büchner (Diego) • Norbert Orth (Tormes) • Hermann Prey (Fidelio) • Robert Holl (The Alcalde/Second Guerilla) • Kurt Rydl (Manuel/Xilo/First Guerilla)
Chor des Österreichischen Rundfunks, Symphonieorchester des Österreichischen Rundfunks / Theodor Guschlbauer

CD 52
- Der vierjährige Posten D190
Aga Mikolaj (Käthchen) • Andreas Karasiak (Duval, her husband) • Stephan Genz (Walther, a village judge) • Daniel Philipp (WitteVeit, a peasant) • Thomas Jakobs (The captain)

- Die Zwillingsbrüder D647
Aga Mikolaj (Lieschen) • Andreas Karasiak (Anton) • Stephan Genz (Franz Spiess/Friedrich Spiess) • Heiko Michael Schulz (A magistrate) • Oliver Aigner (Der Schulze, Lieschen's father)

CD 53
1. Gesang der Geister über den Wassern D714
2. Trinklied D148 
3. Die Geselligkeit (Lebenslust) D609 
4. Das Dörfchen D598 (formerly D641) 
5. Der Tanz D826 
6. Ständchen D920 (first version) 
7. Gondelfahrer D809 
8. Nachtgesange im Walde D913 
9. Nachthelle D892 
10. Sehnsucht D656 
11. Die Nacht D983c 
12. Die Allmacht D875a (fragment; completed by Reinhard van Hoorick)
13. Gott in der Natur D757
Joachim Vogt (tenor) • Astrid Pilzecker (contralto) • Bernd Casper (piano)
Gerhard Meyer (horn), Wolfgang Stahl (horn), Dieter Fökel (horn), Michael Schöppe (horn)
Berlin Radio Women's Choir, Berlin Radio Men's Choir
Berliner Solisten, Members of the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra / Dietrich Knothe

CD 54
Winterreise D911
Robert Holl (bass-baritone), Naum Grubert (piano)

CD 55
- Die schöne Müllerin D795
Peter Schreier (tenor), Walter Olbertz (piano)

CD 56
Excerpts from Schwanengesang D957 and other lieder
1. Liebesbotschaft D957/1 (Rellstab) 
2. Kriegers Ahnung D957/2 (Rellstab) 
3. Frühlingssehnsucht D957/3 (Rellstab) 
4. Ständchen D957/4 (Rellstab) 
5. Abschied D957/7 (Rellstab) 
6. Herbst D945 (Rellstab) 
7. Aufenthalt D957/5 (Rellstab) 
8. In der Ferne D957/6 (Rellstab) 
9. Am Fenster D878 (Seidl) 
10. Der Wanderer an den Mond D870 (Seidl) 
11. Das Zügenglöcklein D871 (Seidl) 
12. Die Taubenpost D965/A (Seidl) 
13. Das Fischermädchen D957/10 (Heine) 
14. Am Meer D957/12 (Heine) 
15. Die Stadt D957/11 (Heine) 
16. Der Doppelgänger D957/13 (Heine) 
17. Ihr Bild D957/9 (Heine) 
18. Der Atlas D957/8 (Heine) 
Robert Holl (baritone), David Lutz (piano)

CD 57
Lieder after Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
1. Erlkönig D328 'Wer reitet so spät' 
2. Der Schatzgräber D256 'Arm am Beutel' 
3. Wandrers Nachtlied I D224 'Der du von dem Himmel bist' 
4. Grenzen der Menschheit D716 'Wenn der uralte heilige Vater' 
5. An Schwager Kronos D369 'Spute dich, Kronos!' 
6. Prometheus D674 'Bedecke deinen Himmel, Zeus' 
7. Der Sänger D149 'Was hör' ich draußen vor dem Tor' 
8. Der König in Thule D367 'Es war ein König in Thule' 
9. An den Mond I D259 'Füllest wieder Busch und Tal' 
10. Versunken D715 'Voll Locken kraus ein Haupt' 
11. Liebhaber in allen Gestalten D558 'Ich wollt, ich wär' ein Fisch' 
12. Jägers Abendlied II D368 'Im Felde schleich' ich still und wild' 
13. An die Entferne D765 'So hab' ich wirklich dich verloren?' 
14. Willkommen und Abschied D767 'Er schlug mein Herz' 
15. Geheimes D719 'Über meines Liebchens Äugeln' 
16. Heidenröslein D257 'Sah ein Knab' ein Röslein stehn' 
17. Der Musensohn D764 'Durch Feld und Wald zu schweifen' 
Siegfried Lorenz (baritone), Norman Shetler (piano)

CD 58
Lieder after Friedrich Schiller
1. Der Pilgrim D794 'Noch in meines Lebens Lenze' 
2. Der Taucher D111 'Wer wagt es, Rittersmann' 
3. Der Jüngling am Bache D638 'An der Quelle saß der Knabe' 
4. Sehnsucht D636 'Ach, aus dieses Tales Gründen' 
5. Die Hoffnung D637 'Es reden und träumen die Menschen' 
6. Die Bürgschaft D246 'Zu Dionys, dem Tyrannen' 
Siegfried Lorenz (baritone), Norman Shetler (piano)

CD 59
Lieder after Johann Mayrhofer
1. Sehnsucht D516 'Der Lerche wolkennahe Lieder' 
2. Atys D585 'Der Knabe seufzt' 
3. An die Freunde D654 'Im Wald, im Wald' 
4. Die Sternennächte D670 'In monderhellten Nächten' 
5. Beim Winde D669 'Es träumen die Wolken' 
6. Nachtviolen D752 'Nachtviolen, dunkle Augen' 
7. Heliopolis I D753 'Im kalten rauhen Norden' 
8. Der Schiffer D536 'Im Winde, im Sturme' 
9. Wie Ulfru fischt D525 'Die Angel zuckt, die Rute bebt' 
10. Auf der Donau D553 'Auf der Wellen Spiegel' 
11. Gondelfahrer D808 'Es tanzen Mond und Sterne' 
12. Nachtstück D672 'Wenn über Berge sich der Nebel breitet' 
13. Der Sieg D805 'O unbewölktes Leben!' 
14. Zum Punsche D492 'Woget brausend, Harmonien' 
15. Heliopolis II D754 'Fels auf Felsen hingewälzet' 
16. Geheimnis D491 'Sag an, wer lehrt dich Lieder' 
17. Lied eines Schiffers an die Dioskuren D360 'Dioskuren, Zwillingssterne' 
Siegfried Lorenz (baritone), Norman Shetler (piano)

CD 60
1. Die Forelle D550 (Schubart) 
2. Fischerlied D351 (Salis-Seewis) 
3. Pflügerlied D392 (Salis-Seewis) 
4. Der Jüngling an der Quelle D300 (Salis-Seewis)
5. Herbstlied D502 (Salis-Seewis) 
6. Das Grab D569 (Salis-Seewis) 
7. An den Tod D518 (Schubart) 
8. Geisternähe D100 (Matthisson) 
9. Der Geistertanz D116 (Matthisson) 
10. Klage D415 (Matthisson) 
11. Der Tod und das Mädchen D531 (Claudius)
12. Auf dem Wasser zu singen D774 (Stolberg-Stolberg)
13. Stimme der Liebe D412 (Stolberg-Stolberg))
14. Täglich zu singen D533 (Claudius) 
15. Das Lied vom Reifen D532 (Claudius)
16. Adelaide D95 (Matthisson) 
17. Lebenslied D508 (Matthisson) 
18. Zufriedenheit D362 (Claudius) 
19. Skolie D507 (Matthisson) 
20. Naturgenuß D188 (Matthisson) 
21. Wiegenlied D498 (Claudius) 
22. Abendlied D499 (Claudius) 
23. An die Sonne D272 (Tiedge) 
24. Alinde D904 (Rochlitz) 
25. An die Laute D905 (Rochlitz) 
26. Hippolits Lied D890 (Gerstenberg) 
27. Der Leidende D432 (Hölty) 
28. Das Heimweh D456 (Hell) 
29. Am Tage aller Seelen D343 (Jacobi) 
30. Die Perle D466 (Jacobi) 
31. Der Wanderer D493 (Lübeck) 
Siegfried Lorenz (baritone), Norman Shetler (piano)

CD 61
1. Sängers Morgenlied D165 (Körner) 
2. Liebeständelei D206 (Körner) 
3. Das war ich D174 (Körner) 
4. Sehnsucht der Liebe D180 (Körner) 
5. Liebesrausch D179 (Körner) 
6. Frühlingsglaube D686 (Uhland) 
7. Glaube, Hoffnung und Liebe D955 (Kuffner)
8. Grablied für die Mutter D616 (Anonymous)
9. An die Musik D547b (Schober) 
10. Der zürnende Barde D785 (Bruchmann)
11. Des Sängers Habe D832 (Schlechta) 
12. Schatzgräbers Begehr D761b (Schober)
13. Der Jüngling und der Tod D545b (Spaun)
14. Abschied D578 (Schubert) 
15. Selige Welt D743 (Senn) 
16. Schiffers Scheidelied D910 (Schober) 
17. Der Strom D565 (Anonymous) 
18. Fischerweise D881 (Schlechta) 
19. Jägers Liebeslied D909 (Schober) 
20. Widerschein D949 (Schlechta) 
21. Totengräber-Weise D869 (Schlechta) 
22. Schwanengesang D744 (Senn) 
Siegfried Lorenz (baritone), Norman Shetler (piano)

CD 62
1. Im Frühling D882 'Still sitz ich an des Hügels Hang' (Schulze) 
2. Frulingsglaube D686 'Die linden Lüfte sind erwacht' (Uhland) 
3. Erlafsee D586 'Mir ist so wohl, so weh'' (Mayrhofer) 
4. Der Schmetterling D633 'Wie soll ich nicht tanzen' (Schlegel) 
5. Dedication to Maurice Abravanel (spoken) 
6. An den Mond D259 'Füllest wieder Busch und Tal' (Goethe) 
7. An den Mond D193 'Geuß, lieber Mond' (Hölty) 
8. Der Einsame D800 'Wann meine Grillen schwirren' (Lappe) 
9. An die Entfernte D765 'So hab' ich wirklich dich verloren?' (Goethe) 
10. An Sylvia D891 'Was ist Sylvia' (Shakespeare; trans Bauernfeld) 
11. Auf dem Wasser zu singen D774 'Mitten im Schimmer der spiegelnden Wellen' (Stolberg-Stolberg)
12. Heimliches Lieben D922 'O du, wenn deine Lippen mich beruhren' (Klenke) 
13. Suleika I D720 'Was bedeutet die Bewegung?' (?Willemer) 
14. Die junge Nonne D828 'Wie braust durch die Wipfel' (Craigher de Jachelutta) 
15. Iphigenia D573 'Blüht denn hier an Tauris Strande' (Mayrhofer) 
16. Ganymed D544 'Wie im Morgenglanze' (Goethe) 
17. Strophe aus Die Götter Griechenlands D677 'Schöne Welt, wo bist du?' (Schiller)
18. Der Musensohn D764 'Durch Feld und Wald zu schweifen' (Goethe) 
19. Die Blumensprache D519 'Es deuten die Blumen' (?Platner) 
Elly Ameling (soprano), Rudolf Jansen (piano)

CD 63
1. Gretchen am Spinnrade D118 'Mein Ruh' ist hin' 
2. Gretchen im Zwinger (Gretchens Bitte) D564 'Ach neige, du Schmerzensreiche'
3. Die Liebe (Klärchens Lied) D210 'Freudvoll und leidvoll' 
4. Sehnsucht D481 'Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt' 
5. Mignon I D726 'Heiß mich nicht reden' 
6. Mignon II D727 'So laßt mich scheinen' 
7. Mignon D321 'Kennst du das Land' 
8. Heidenröslein D257 'Sah ein Knab' ein Röslein stehn'

Gesänge aus Wilhelm Meister D877
9. No.2 Lied der Mignon 'Heiß mich nicht reden' 
10. No.3 Lied der Mignon 'So laßt mich scheinen' 
11. No.4 Lied der Mignon 'Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt'

12. Die Liebende schreibt D673 'Ein Blick von deinen Augen' 
13. Suleika I D720 'Was bedeutet die Bewegung' 
14. Suleika II D717 'Ach um deine feuchten Schwingen' 
Arleen Augér (soprano), Walter Olbertz (piano)

CD 64
1. Der Winterabend D938 'Es ist so still' (Leitner) 
2. Auf dem See D543 'Und frische Nahrung' (Goethe) 
3. Das Lied im Grünen D917 'Ins Grüne, ins Grüne' (Reil) 
4. An die untergehende Sonne D457 'Sonne, du sinkst' (Kosegarten) 
5. Der liebliche Stern D861 'Ihr Sternlein, still in der Höhe' (Schulze) 
6. An den Mond D296 'Füllest wieder Busch und Tal' (Goethe) 
7. Nachtstück D672 'Wenn über Berge sich der Nebel breitet' (Mayrhofer) 
8. Augenlied D297 'Süße Augen, klare Bronnen! (Mayrhofer) 
9. Der blinde Knabe D833 'O sagt, ihr Lieben, mir einmal' (Cibber; trans. Craigher) 
10. Am Grabe Anselmos D504 'Daß ich dich verloren habe' (Claudius) 
11. from Vier Refrainlieder D866 No.2 Bei dir allein (Seidl) 
12. Die abgeblühte Linde D514 'Wirst du halten, was du schwurst' (Szechényi) 
13. Fischerweise D881 'Den Fischer fechten Sorgen' (Schlechta) 
14. Geheimnis D491 'Sag an, wer lehrt dich Lieder' (Mayrhofer) 
15. An die Musik D547 'Du holde Kunst' (Schober) 
Gundula Janowitz (soprano), Charles Spencer (piano)

CD 65
1. Heliopolis II D754 'Fels auf Felsen hingewälzet' (Mayrhofer) 
2. Abendstern D806 'Was weilst du einsam an dem Himmel' (Mayrhofer) 
3. Nacht und Träume D827 'Heil'ge Nacht, du sinkest nieder' (Collin) 
4. Des Sängers Habe D832 'Schlagt mein ganzes Glück' (Schlechta) 
5. Auf der Bruck D853 'Frisch trabe sonder Ruh' (Schulze) 
6. Der Wanderer an den Mond D870 'Ich auf der Erd' am Himmel du' (Seidl) 
7. Das Zügenglöcklein D871 'Kling die Nacht durch, klinge' (Seidl) 
8. Am Fenster D878 'Ihr lieben Mauern hold und traut' (Seidl) 
9. Im Frühling D882 'Still sitz' ich an des Hügels Hang' (Schulze) 
10. An Silvia D891 'Was ist Silvia' (Shakespeare; trans Bauernfeld) 
11. Alinde D904 'Die Sonne sinkt ins tiefe Meer' (Rochlitz) 
12. An die Laute D905 'Leiser, leiser, kleine Laute' (Rochlitz) 
13. Der Kreuzzug D932 'Ein Münich steht in seiner Zell' (Leitner) 
14. Des Fischers Liebesglück D933 'Dort blinket durch Weiden' (Leitner) 
15. Der Winterabend D938 'Es ist so still' (Leitner) 
16. Die Sterne D939 'Wie blitzen die Sterne' (Leitner) 
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (baritone), Hartmut Höll (piano)

CD 66
Lieder after Johann Mayrhofer
1. Memnon D541 'Den Tag hindurch nur einmal'
2. Trost D671 'Hörnerklänge rufen klagend' 
3. Am Strome D539 'Ist mir's doch, als sei mein Leben'
4. Nach einem Gewitter D561 'Auf den Blumen'
5. Liane D298 ‘Hast du Lianen nicht gesehen?'
6. Am See D124 'Sitz' ich im Gras' 
7. Rückweg D476 'Zum Donaustrom, zur Kaiserstadt'
8. Fahrt zum Hades D526 'Der Nachen dröhnt'
9. Freiwilliges Versinken D700 'Wohin? O Helios!'
10. Fragment aus dem Aeschylus D450 'So wird der Mann, der sonder Zwang'
11. Orest auf Tauris D548 'Ist dies Tauris' 
12. Der entsühnte Orest D699 'Zu meinen Füßen brichst du dich'
Robert Holl (bass-baritone), David Lutz (piano)

Lieder after Friedrich von Schlegel
13. Abendröte D690 'Tiefer sinket schon die Sonne'
14. Die Berge D634 'Sieht uns der Blick gehoben'
15. Die Vögel D691 'Wie lieblich und fröhlich'
16. Der Knabe D692 'Wenn ich nur ein Vöglein wäre'
17. Der Fluß D693 'Wie rein Gesang sich windet'
18. Die Rose D745 'Es lockte schöne Wärme'
19. Der Schmetterling D633 'Wie soll ich nicht tanzen'
20. Der Wanderer D649 'Wie deutlich des Mondes Licht'
21. Das Mädchen D652 'Wie so innig, möcht ich sagen'
22. Die Sterne D684 'Du staunest, o Mensch'
Ellen van Lier (soprano), Robert Holl (baritone), David Lutz (piano)

CD 67
1. Pilgerweise D789 'Ich bin ein Waller auf der Erde' 
2. Todesmusik D758 'In des Todes Feierstunde' 
3. Hymne I D659 'Weinge wissen das Geheimnis' 
4. Nachthymne D687 'Hinüber wall'ich' 
5. Der Tod Oskars D375 'Warum öffnest du wieder' 
Robert Holl (bass-baritone), Konrad Richter (piano)

Gesänge des Harfners (Text: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
6. Wer sich der Einsamkeit ergibt D478 
7. Wer nie sein Brot mit Tränen aß D480 
8. An die Türen will ich schleichen D479 
Ellen van Lier (soprano), Robert Holl (bass-baritone)
David Lutz (piano)

CD 68
1. Im Freien D880 'Draussen in der weiten Nacht' 
2. An mein Herz D860 'O Herz, sei endlich stille' 
3. Der Blumenbrief D622 'Euch Blümlein will ich senden' 
4. An den Mond in einer Herbstnacht D614 'Freundlich ist dein Antlitz' 
5. Die Mutter Erde D788 'Des Lebens Tag ist schwer' 
6. Auflösung D807 'Verbirg dich, Sonne' 
7. Einsamkeit D620 'Gib mir die Fülle der Einsamkeit!' 
8. Der zürnenden Diana D707b 'Ja, spanne nur den Bogen' 
Robert Holl (bass-baritone), Konrad Richter (piano)

9. Licht und Liebe (Nachtgesang) D352 'Liebe ist ein süßes Licht' 
Ellen van Lier (soprano), Robert Holl (bass-baritone), David Lutz (piano)

CD 69
Lieder after Friedrich Schiller
1. Der Alpenjäger D588 'Willst du nicht das Lämmlein hüten' 
2. Der Flüchtling D402 'Frisch atmet des Morgens lebendiger Hauch' 
3. Ritter Toggenburg D397 'Ritter, treue Schwesterliebe' 
4. Die Bürgschaft D246 'Zu Dionys, dem Tyrannen' 
5. Die Erwartung D159 'Hör' ich das Pförtchen' 
6. Dithyrambe D801 'Nimmer, das glaub mir' 
Robert Holl (bass-baritone), David Lutz (piano)

from Gesänge aus Wilhelm Meister D877 (Text: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
7. No.1 Mignon und der Harfner 'Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt' 
Ellen van Lier (soprano), Robert Holl (baritone), David Lutz (piano)

- See more at: http://www.europadisc.co.uk/classical/117640/Schubert_Edition.htm#sthash.ZZUreYdH.dpuf
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on September 13, 2014, 06:30:07 AM
Hey, thanks Al, that's great!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on September 14, 2014, 06:12:31 AM
What, people couldn't just follow the link?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on September 14, 2014, 12:04:06 PM
Quote from: The new erato on August 30, 2014, 01:38:18 PM
You meant Furtwiener?

Furtwangler conducted the Wiener Phil.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jay F on September 14, 2014, 12:27:49 PM
Quote from: orfeo on September 14, 2014, 06:12:31 AM
What, people couldn't just follow the link?
There might not always be something at the other end.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 18, 2014, 06:02:43 AM
Yet another historical box from DG.  Expect the price to come down a lot (it's much cheaper already here in Taiwan).

[asin]B00LNRJMCQ[/asin]
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on September 18, 2014, 07:50:40 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on September 18, 2014, 06:02:43 AM
Yet another historical box from DG.  Expect the price to come down a lot (it's much cheaper already here in Taiwan).

[asin]B00LNRJMCQ[/asin]
I fear hellacious duplication on that one.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: kishnevi on September 18, 2014, 07:54:13 AM
Quote from: Ken B on September 18, 2014, 07:50:40 AM
I fear hellacious duplication on that one.
Of the five shown, I have four. And if I liked Karajan more, I would have that one too.
Edit.  Amazon has contents.  I have at least 3/4 of them, and the ones I do not have are the ones I have no great desire to own (eg, Tchaikovsky Ballet Suites) or don't own because of side issues this will not solve (eg double CDs of Tchaikovsky Symohonies 4-6 always split the Fifth between two discs, which I hate).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 20, 2014, 05:28:48 PM
Turns out I have one, plus another on my hard-drive.  As it seems this is a whole box of "essential" discs, I had no choice but to get it ::)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: NJ Joe on September 20, 2014, 05:44:19 PM
Quote from: Brian on August 28, 2014, 03:53:37 PM

- Bernstein Orchestral-Not-Symphonies Edition (on preorder)


Are the contents of this box listed anywhere?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on September 20, 2014, 06:02:15 PM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on September 20, 2014, 05:28:48 PM
Turns out I have one, plus another on my hard-drive.  As it seems this is a whole box of "essential" discs, I had no choice but to get it ::)

Great choice! These are mostly essential (and/or famous) recordings. I have lots of them (~75%), but it would be nice to have them all in one spot. Uh oh.... tempting, but I think I will hold back for a super duper bargain on that box.  >:D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on September 20, 2014, 06:10:29 PM
Quote from: NJ Joe on September 20, 2014, 05:44:19 PM
Are the contents of this box listed anywhere?
The contents of CDs 1-52 are here (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,23088.msg819412/topicseen.html#msg819412). Complete Columbia/RCA/Sony orchestral recordings that are not symphonies.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 20, 2014, 06:55:04 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on September 20, 2014, 06:02:15 PM
Great choice! These are mostly essential (and/or famous) recordings. I have lots of them (~75%), but it would be nice to have them all in one spot. Uh oh.... tempting, but I think I will hold back for a super duper bargain on that box.  >:D

  I got mine for $115.  That seems like a reasonable price and I'm sure it will get there at major outlets eventually.  DG, however, tends to show some restraint in slashing prices (unlike Sony ;D, god bless them!).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on September 20, 2014, 10:40:52 PM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on September 20, 2014, 06:55:04 PM
  I got mine for $115.  That seems like a reasonable price and I'm sure it will get there at major outlets eventually.  DG, however, tends to show some restraint in slashing prices (unlike Sony ;D, god bless them!).

True! Sony tends to drop quite a bit. The DG Originals box requires some deliberation.....   :'(
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 20, 2014, 11:15:21 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on September 20, 2014, 10:40:52 PM
True! Sony tends to drop quite a bit. The DG Originals box requires some deliberation.....   :'(

  If you have 75% of them, I don't see how you can justify it!  I dislike dupes, myself, and generally give them away (I would sell them if I could do it without the hassle of ebay type stuff).

   By the way, Moonfish, what are your thoughts about the Phase-4 set?  I am very curious to hear it, but except for the Stokowski (and maybe not even that) it really doesn't look like much of it is likely to be top-shelf material.  However, much of it still looks intriguing...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: NJ Joe on September 21, 2014, 05:58:44 AM
Quote from: Brian on September 20, 2014, 06:10:29 PM
The contents of CDs 1-52 are here (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,23088.msg819412/topicseen.html#msg819412). Complete Columbia/RCA/Sony orchestral recordings that are not symphonies.

Thanks, Brian.  Some of the translations are quite amusing.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on September 21, 2014, 10:47:32 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on September 20, 2014, 11:15:21 PM
  If you have 75% of them, I don't see how you can justify it!  I dislike dupes, myself, and generally give them away (I would sell them if I could do it without the hassle of ebay type stuff).

   By the way, Moonfish, what are your thoughts about the Phase-4 set?  I am very curious to hear it, but except for the Stokowski (and maybe not even that) it really doesn't look like much of it is likely to be top-shelf material.  However, much of it still looks intriguing...

Hmm, the Phase-4 set doesn't appeal to me at all. The compilation seems to be geared towards a very specific and unique niche. Bargain bin stuff for sure....   ???  However, I am sure that it has an appeal to some listeners. It is a strange blend of recordings!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on September 21, 2014, 12:01:58 PM
The DG Box is boring; most people already have the stuff they's want from this one in their shelves (at least I do) and do not care for the others; furthermore all of this is easily available separately. So it's only a bargain if you ignored all those standard recordings for years or are really new to the field.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: The new erato on September 21, 2014, 01:47:04 PM
Quote from: bigshot on September 14, 2014, 12:04:06 PM
Furtwangler conducted the Wiener Phil.
He wangled the wiener? ???
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on September 21, 2014, 03:37:07 PM
Quote from: The new erato on September 21, 2014, 01:47:04 PM
He wangled the wiener? ???
Furtively.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: NorthNYMark on September 21, 2014, 05:53:53 PM
Quote from: Jo498 on September 21, 2014, 12:01:58 PM
The DG Box is boring; most people already have the stuff they's want from this one in their shelves (at least I do) and do not care for the others; furthermore all of this is easily available separately. So it's only a bargain if you ignored all those standard recordings for years or are really new to the field.

I have about 1/5 of it (being relatively new to the field).  I am tempted by much of the rest, but somewhat turned off by a relatively superficial issue--if they are going to go the "original jacket" route, why, oh why, use the grotesquely cropped "Originals" cover format?  I can't imagine it would be that difficult for them to give us the actual original artwork for these classic albums!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on September 21, 2014, 11:13:30 PM
I guess they wanted to keep the "originals" design which made some sense (not much) 20 years ago, because all mid-price re-issue series had a changed cover so this was as close to the original as possible.
But meanwhile they have done a few boxes with untilted original covers, e.g. I have a Fischer-Dieskau "Original Masters" Box with such covers (although all my other boxes from this serious have the most flimsy paper covers without any picture).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on September 22, 2014, 09:09:29 AM
Quote from: Jo498 on September 21, 2014, 12:01:58 PM
The DG Box is boring; most people already have the stuff they's want from this one in their shelves (at least I do) and do not care for the others; furthermore all of this is easily available separately. So it's only a bargain if you ignored all those standard recordings for years or are really new to the field.

My family had a few of these when I was a kid. I remember the New World being good. The real interesting thing in this set is the soundtracks though. There's some first class film composers represented in there.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on September 22, 2014, 09:47:19 AM
I referred to the box pictured in message 203. There are no film scores included. You probably mean another box, but I am not sure which one.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on September 22, 2014, 11:40:33 AM
Quote from: Jo498 on September 22, 2014, 09:47:19 AM
I referred to the box pictured in message 203. There are no film scores included. You probably mean another box, but I am not sure which one.

I think Bigshot is referring to the Phase 4 set:

[asin] B00LP298NC[/asin]
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 23, 2014, 06:08:42 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on August 30, 2014, 10:02:23 AM
Sseonn....Seoooon.....Seon......Seonnnn....Seeeoooooonnnnn

(http://www.michellehenry.fr/zombie4.jpg)

  OK. I saw it in my store. I picked it up. I held it. Perhaps caressed it a little.  Surreptitiously used my sleeve to wipe off a little of my own drool that had accidentally found its way onto the cellophane.  It is certainly a handsome box.  I'm still confident the price will fall drastically, but that could take months...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: The new erato on September 23, 2014, 01:10:52 PM
I ordered it for £ 83 (VAT deducted) at amazon.uk when it first appeared (and it will ship for that price in a couple of days), but I see that price has since nearly doubled.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 23, 2014, 03:50:19 PM
Quote from: The new erato on September 23, 2014, 01:10:52 PM
I ordered it for £ 83 (VAT deducted) at amazon.uk when it first appeared (and it will ship for that price in a couple of days), but I see that price has since nearly doubled.

  It's $144 at my bricks-and-mortar shop here in Taiwan, and the stuff here is generally higher than Amazon.  Prices tend to bounce around at first, and then start heading southward.  I have just over 20 SEON discs right now, from 4 boxes I bought: the big Vivarte, a little Vivarte, the Baroque Masterpieces box, and a Leonhardt box.  They were the cheapest I ever bought--per disc prices of an average of about $1.20.  Based on that, I'd say the end price for the SEON will be in the $100 range, but I have no idea how long it will take it to get there. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on September 23, 2014, 04:26:27 PM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on September 23, 2014, 03:50:19 PM
  It's $144 at my bricks-and-mortar shop here in Taiwan, and the stuff here is generally higher than Amazon.  Prices tend to bounce around at first, and then start heading southward.  I have just over 20 SEON discs right now, from 4 boxes I bought: the big Vivarte, a little Vivarte, the Baroque Masterpieces box, and a Leonhardt box.  They were the cheapest I ever bought--per disc prices of an average of about $1.20.  Based on that, I'd say the end price for the SEON will be in the $100 range, but I have no idea how long it will take it to get there.
I have at least 35 of them, so I will be very patient.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 27, 2014, 01:27:08 AM
I recently got paid for a lot of proofreading work (this is "gravy" work, on top of my job and my two part time jobs). I paid off a giant credit card bill and have a surprising amount left over.  Now a couple of boxes are calling my name:

[asin]B00I595C6U[/asin]

[asin]B00DYQLEZM[/asin]

  About 85% of each of these would be new to me.  I've had the second DG box for ages, and finally unwrapped it (I was kind of hoping it would go opp and I'd make a killing on ebay).  It's a real joy.  and I want more joy >:D >:D
   Any thoughts?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: The new erato on September 27, 2014, 01:37:54 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on September 27, 2014, 01:27:08 AM

   Any thoughts?
Why deny oneself some joy?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 27, 2014, 02:16:06 AM
Quote from: The new erato on September 27, 2014, 01:37:54 AM
Why deny oneself some joy?
:D I rarely deny myself joy.  But I'm afraid I wasn't clear--thoughts about the boxes.  As in good, bad, must have, meh...
   You know, box blather.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: The new erato on September 27, 2014, 02:18:20 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on September 27, 2014, 02:16:06 AM
:D I rarely deny myself joy.  But I'm afraid I wasn't clear--thoughts about the boxes.  As in good, bad, must have, meh...
   You know, box blather.
So what you really want is us to push you over the cliff? I don't do that to a fellow sufferer.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 27, 2014, 02:37:46 AM
Quote from: The new erato on September 27, 2014, 02:18:20 AM
So what you really want is us to push you over the cliff? I don't do that to a fellow sufferer.

  No, that's the CDCDCD thread ::)
       No one hangs out over there anymore.  It had a negative vibe built into the name.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on September 27, 2014, 06:08:01 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on September 27, 2014, 01:27:08 AM
I recently got paid for a lot of proofreading work (this is "gravy" work, on top of my job and my two part time jobs). I paid off a giant credit card bill and have a surprising amount left over.  Now a couple of boxes are calling my name:

[asin]B00I595C6U[/asin]

[asin]B00DYQLEZM[/asin]

  About 85% of each of these would be new to me.  I've had the second DG box for ages, and finally unwrapped it (I was kind of hoping it would go opp and I'd make a killing on ebay).  It's a real joy.  and I want more joy >:D >:D
   Any thoughts?

If you have low duplication go for it.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on September 27, 2014, 11:27:49 AM
Quote from: Ken B on September 27, 2014, 06:08:01 AM
If you have low duplication go for it.

Dg seems to have a tendency to duplicate quite a bit....   :'( :'(
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: kishnevi on September 27, 2014, 11:40:23 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on September 27, 2014, 11:27:49 AM
Dg seems to have a tendency to duplicate quite a bit....   :'( :'(
I have five of the CDs shown on the first box, so that is 10% before I even see the contents listing.  And Thielemann's Beethoven does not qualify as a great recording IMO (I have the full set).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Wakefield on September 27, 2014, 12:03:27 PM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on September 27, 2014, 01:27:08 AM

[asin]B00DYQLEZM[/asin]


I don't know if this makes any sense for you, but I have done some extensive research about this box and the "Wiener Philharmoniker Symphony Edition" (quite a similar concept) looks (generally speaking) as a better option, although unfortunately it's also way more expensive.

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/91LXJlCZw3L._SL1500_.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 27, 2014, 06:01:30 PM
Quote from: Gordo on September 27, 2014, 12:03:27 PM
I don't know if this makes any sense for you, but I have done some extensive research about this box and the "Wiener Philharmoniker Symphony Edition" (quite a similar concept) looks (generally speaking) as a better option, although unfortunately it's also way more expensive.

Gordo, thanks for the input.  I dismissed that box immediately when it came out thinking "I hardly need more of this repertoire", but looking at it again now, it is clear these really are brilliant choices, and I only have a couple of the actual performances. 

  BTW, how are you enjoying that SEON box? I have been playing the Hotterere (sp?) disc a lot on my bedroom stereo (from another box).  I don't have anything else like that.  I really like that weird, droning instrument.  Are you finding many things in there that you hadn't really been aware of, but find you are liking?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on September 27, 2014, 07:40:58 PM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on September 27, 2014, 06:01:30 PM
Gordo, thanks for the input.  I dismissed that box immediately when it came out thinking "I hardly need more of this repertoire", but looking at it again now, it is clear these really are brilliant choices, and I only have a couple of the actual performances. 

  BTW, how are you enjoying that SEON box? I have been playing the Hotterere (sp?) disc a lot on my bedroom stereo (from another box).  I don't have anything else like that.  I really like that weird, droning instrument.  Are you finding many things in there that you hadn't really been aware of, but find you are liking?

Ha ha! I happened to listen to Hottetere as well earlier today  and must admit that the instrument in the first piece took me by surprise!   ::)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Wakefield on September 28, 2014, 12:36:51 PM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on September 27, 2014, 06:01:30 PM
BTW, how are you enjoying that SEON box? I have been playing the Hotterere (sp?) disc a lot on my bedroom stereo (from another box).  I don't have anything else like that.  I really like that weird, droning instrument.  Are you finding many things in there that you hadn't really been aware of, but find you are liking?

That Hotteterre is beautiful, especially, as you say, because of the sound of the musette.

Yes, I'm enjoying a lot: but some disclosure is needed. To me all of these recordings are especial, so I listen to them with a sort of previous fervor. It's because more than, for instance, Teldec or Vivarte my true introduction to the HIP world was this label in the second part of the nineties, when I discovered here in Santiago (not the better place in the world to find music played on period instruments) several of these disks released under the Erichson's label. Therefore, even before the box I already had around 30 Seon disks, not to mention those re-released on Sony, DHM and so.

I'm enjoying especially some disks totally OOP as Leonhardt playing Mozart (keyboard sonatas and violin sonatas) and revisiting a lot of old friends.

A must-have, no doubt.  :)   

   
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 29, 2014, 12:15:01 AM
Quote from: Gordo on September 28, 2014, 12:36:51 PM
That Hotteterre is beautiful, especially, as you say, because of the sound of the musette.

Yes, I'm enjoying a lot: but some disclosure is needed. To me all of these recordings are especial, so I listen to them with a sort of previous fervor. It's because more than, for instance, Teldec or Vivarte my true introduction to the HIP world was this label in the second part of the nineties, when I discovered here in Santiago (not the better place in the world to find music played on period instruments) several of these disks released under the Erichson's label. Therefore, even before the box I already had around 30 Seon disks, not to mention those re-released on Sony, DHM and so.

I'm enjoying especially some disks totally OOP as Leonhardt playing Mozart (keyboard sonatas and violin sonatas) and revisiting a lot of old friends.
A must-have, no doubt.  :)   

I'm glad to hear it.  I'll have it one day  8)

  By the way, I had an interesting experience with the Berlin Philharmoniker box you recommended.  My regular shop had sold their's, but I thought I had seen it in another shop.  I went over there, and not only did they have it, but it was quite cheap ($100).  That's when it got strange. When I went to buy it, the owner gave it to me for 50% off.  I think he knows how much I spend at his competition ;D   Anyway, I got it for a song, and am anticipating many hours of enjoyment.  Apparently God wanted me to have that box, and you served as her agent--the good angel pointing me in its direction ;) Many thanks.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on September 29, 2014, 12:29:23 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on September 29, 2014, 12:15:01 AM
I'm glad to hear it.  I'll have it one day  8)

  By the way, I had an interesting experience with the Berlin Philharmoniker box you recommended.  My regular shop had sold their's, but I thought I had seen it in another shop.  I went over there, and not only did they have it, but it was quite cheap ($100).  That's when it got strange. When I went to buy it, the owner gave it to me for 50% off.  I think he knows how much I spend at his competition ;D   Anyway, I got it for a song, and am anticipating many hours of enjoyment.  Apparently God wanted me to have that box, and you served as her agent--the good angel pointing me in its direction ;) Many thanks.

Ah, such a deal! True serendipity!!!!    :)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Wakefield on September 29, 2014, 06:50:13 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on September 29, 2014, 12:15:01 AM
I'm glad to hear it.  I'll have it one day  8)

  By the way, I had an interesting experience with the Berlin Philharmoniker box you recommended.  My regular shop had sold their's, but I thought I had seen it in another shop.  I went over there, and not only did they have it, but it was quite cheap ($100).  That's when it got strange. When I went to buy it, the owner gave it to me for 50% off.  I think he knows how much I spend at his competition ;D   Anyway, I got it for a song, and am anticipating many hours of enjoyment.  Apparently God wanted me to have that box, and you served as her agent--the good angel pointing me in its direction ;) Many thanks.

It's amazing! Congratulations. It's a bit less than a half of the best price I have seen, namely Import CDs, but they don't ship this box internationally. :(
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on September 29, 2014, 08:35:52 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on September 29, 2014, 12:15:01 AM
I'm glad to hear it.  I'll have it one day  8)

  By the way, I had an interesting experience with the Berlin Philharmoniker box you recommended.  My regular shop had sold their's, but I thought I had seen it in another shop.  I went over there, and not only did they have it, but it was quite cheap ($100).  That's when it got strange. When I went to buy it, the owner gave it to me for 50% off.  I think he knows how much I spend at his competition ;D   Anyway, I got it for a song, and am anticipating many hours of enjoyment.  Apparently God wanted me to have that box, and you served as her agent--the good angel pointing me in its direction ;) Many thanks.
Moral: Always listen to Ken B and Moonfish. Always.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 30, 2014, 06:55:12 AM
Quote from: Ken B on September 29, 2014, 08:35:52 AM
Moral: Always listen to Ken B and Moonfish. Always.

   :-\It looks to me the moral was "listen to Gordo". 
         By the way, I had to reorganize my discs so they would all be in one place.  I realized something. I have a lot of CDs.  Like a whole helluva lot.  Buying boxes is economical, and generally sensible, but your collection does grow in an insane way.  I saw so much that I have that I reeeallly want to listen to.  And it will be impossible because there are just so many hours in a day.  Right now I should go spend some time with my wife (she had a bad day), but it's really hard to tear myself away from all this awesome music.  I'm listening to Berg right now. I have no idea what is going on, but it's like watching a really weird movie--you find yourself watching just because you want to know how it's going to come out..
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 05, 2014, 07:39:26 AM
OK. It is my birthday, and I treated myself to this for $78.
[asin] B00I595C6U[/asin]

  It turns out I have only 2 of the discs, and parts of 2 others.  A lot of odd stuff--Chick Corea and Bobbie McFerrin's Mozart album, Kathleen Battle and Wynton Marsalis doing baroque, and then rock-solid classic stuff like Pablo Casals and Rudollf Serkin doing Beethoven Cello/Piano sonatas.  Thee are enough discs by people like Hahn and Volodos (+ 11 DHM discs) that if a lot of the wild cards ( Frank Peter Zimmerman plays Busoni Violin concerto, Italian Concertos by Boldoczki, Sol Gabetta's "Works for Cello") don't pan out I still won't feel gypped.  I've always wanted to hear Fritz Wunderlich, and Kissin's Chopin. I'm reasonably stoked.
   The sleeves are wonderfully solid, with the names clearly printed on the spine.  That's a plus as I can put them in my book shelf.  I've been a bit bummed with how shamefully shoddy the sleeves are in some otherwise reputable boxes. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on October 05, 2014, 07:44:52 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on October 05, 2014, 07:39:26 AM
OK. It is my birthday, and I treated myself to this for $78.
[asin] B00I595C6U[/asin]

  It turns out I have only 2 of the discs, and parts of 2 others.  A lot of odd stuff--Chick Corea and Bobbie McFerrin's Mozart album, Kathleen Battle and Wynton Marsalis doing baroque, and then rock-solid classic stuff like Pablo Casals and Rudollf Serkin doing Beethoven Cello/Piano sonatas.  Thee are enough discs by people like Hahn and Volodos (+ 11 DHM discs) that if a lot of the wild cards ( Frank Peter Zimmerman plays Busoni Violin concerto, Italian Concertos by Boldoczki, Sol Gabetta's "Works for Cello") don't pan out I still won't feel gypped.  I've always wanted to hear Fritz Wunderlich, and Kissin's Chopin. I'm reasonably stoked.
   The sleeves are wonderfully solid, with the names clearly printed on the spine.  That's a plus as I can put them in my book shelf.  I've been a bit bummed with how shamefully shoddy the sleeves are in some otherwise reputable boxes.

Happy Birthday Al!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 05, 2014, 07:53:56 AM
Quote from: Ken B on October 05, 2014, 07:44:52 AM
Happy Birthday Al!

  Thanks, Ken :)
    It started out a bit sketchy (babysitting all day), but ended with a terrific buffet (one with Hagen Dazs!), and a bit of a CD orgy. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on October 05, 2014, 08:34:58 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on October 05, 2014, 07:53:56 AM
a bit of a CD orgy.
I've never tried cross dressing myself. Not that there's anything wrong with it.

>:D :laugh:
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 05, 2014, 03:42:05 PM
Quote from: Ken B on October 05, 2014, 08:34:58 AM
I've never tried cross dressing myself. Not that there's anything wrong with it.

>:D :laugh:

  You should! (Although you might not look as alluring as I do in a french negligee :-*). I forgot to mention, after the bacchanalia (and a hot shower), I went and bought some music.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 11, 2014, 05:47:31 AM
Finally ordered this.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41vA3zxP%2BfL.jpg)

  It's long been my holy grail. I'm not really sure why, although I do love those less-mainstream big-boy conductors like Scherchen, Knappersbusch, Monteaux, etc.  Or maybe I just like the idea of them, and the cool sleeves and wacky artwork. 
   It's available for a bout $200 from Amazon.jp   
     Before I couldn't order from them, but now I can.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: ritter on October 11, 2014, 05:55:11 AM
I can't see the cover of the box you mention, Baklavaboy, but the text of your post has me intrigued.  :)  What have you ordered from Japan???
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 11, 2014, 06:41:16 AM
Quote from: ritter on October 11, 2014, 05:55:11 AM
I can't see the cover of the box you mention, Baklavaboy, but the text of your post has me intrigued.  :)  What have you ordered from Japan???

Fixed ;)  Sorry about that. I had an extra bracket in there. 
  I have the chamber box, and the smaller westminster box, and really like both.  This has surprisingly little overlap.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: ritter on October 11, 2014, 06:54:23 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on October 11, 2014, 06:41:16 AM
Fixed ;)  Sorry about that. I had an extra bracket in there. 
  I have the chamber box, and the smaller westminster box, and really like both.  This has surprisingly little overlap.
Thanks...I saw it a a very attractive price in Brussels about a year ago and, silly of me, didn't buy it (I did buy the Korean Georg Szell, dirt cheap at the same place).

Hope you enjoy it! There certainly is loads of stuff in that box that looks interesting!  :)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 11, 2014, 07:39:00 AM
Quote from: ritter on October 11, 2014, 06:54:23 AM
Thanks...I saw it a a very attractive price in Brussels about a year ago and, silly of me, didn't buy it (I did buy the Korean Georg Szell, dirt cheap at the same place).

Hope you enjoy it! There certainly is loads of stuff in that box that looks interesting!  :)

  I live in Taiwan, so some of the Korean and Japan-only stuff shows up here cheap.  I got the Szell box too, and the big Giulini, although for that one it turns out it would have been a hair cheaper to get the individual super-cheap boxes that came out later (although the Korean set has nice, heavy-gloss sleeves). 
   Anyway, I do intend to enjoy it :D  The Westminster stuff is fun because you get somewhat historical readings (a lot of conductors who swung their first baton in the 19th century, or close to it) in very satisfactory sound.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on October 11, 2014, 07:40:35 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on October 11, 2014, 06:41:16 AM
Fixed ;)  Sorry about that. I had an extra bracket in there. 
  I have the chamber box, and the smaller westminster box, and really like both.  This has surprisingly little overlap.

I have both of those as well and very much enjoy them. I could kick myself for not picking up the orchestral box at the same time as the chamber set, but "C'est la vie".
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on October 11, 2014, 07:43:47 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on October 11, 2014, 05:47:31 AM
Finally ordered this.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41vA3zxP%2BfL.jpg)

  It's long been my holy grail. I'm not really sure why, although I do love those less-mainstream big-boy conductors like Scherchen, Knappersbusch, Monteaux, etc.  Or maybe I just like the idea of them, and the cool sleeves and wacky artwork. 
   It's available for a bout $200 from Amazon.jp   
     Before I couldn't order from them, but now I can.

Hmm, Amazon.jp!  Now you are leading me into the Asian box sets with vengeance... Temptations, temptation....  >:D :'( >:D :'(
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 11, 2014, 07:51:48 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on October 11, 2014, 07:40:35 AM
I have both of those as well and very much enjoy them. I could kick myself for not picking up the orchestral box at the same time as the chamber set, but "C'est la vie".

Me too! Of course, at the time I bought the Chamber set it was just a shot in the dark for me. I had no idea what "Westminster" was, but it was a very handsome box and appealed to me for some reason.  It was months after I bought it before I really even got into chamber music, but now I love it.  I like the not-overly-polished way they hit the music.  There is a spontaneous freshness and energy to a lot of that material, even if it isn't first rate by technical standards. 

BTW, I'm playing the first Organ Concerto disc from the Haydn box right now.  What delightful stuff!!  I'm tired of hearing grandiose organ music that sounds like an industrial accident in an instrument factory.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on October 11, 2014, 07:59:57 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on October 11, 2014, 07:51:48 AM
Me too! Of course, at the time I bought the Chamber set it was just a shot in the dark for me. I had no idea what "Westminster" was, but it was a very handsome box and appealed to me for some reason.  It was months after I bought it before I really even got into chamber music, but now I love it.  I like the not-overly-polished way they hit the music.  There is a spontaneous freshness and energy to a lot of that material, even if it isn't first rate by technical standards. 

BTW, I'm playing the first Organ Concerto disc from the Haydn box right now.  What delightful stuff!!  I'm tired of hearing grandiose organ music that sounds like an industrial accident in an instrument factory.

Interesting pictorial analogy!  LOL!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 11, 2014, 08:14:47 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on October 11, 2014, 07:43:47 AM
Hmm, Amazon.jp!  Now you are leading me into the Asian box sets with vengeance... Temptations, temptation....  >:D :'( >:D :'(

Oh, no, don't tell me you saw the big George Szell box for $200? :o
   I could easily see how a gem like that would be very hard to resist >:D >:D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on October 11, 2014, 01:54:03 PM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on October 11, 2014, 08:14:47 AM
Oh, no, don't tell me you saw the big George Szell box for $200? :o
   I could easily see how a gem like that would be very hard to resist >:D >:D

No, I fell for the Westminster box as well...but let me browse some more!   >:D >:D >:D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 23, 2014, 01:44:32 AM
Italian Amazon....it keeps calling to me.

    Last night I found the Early music "Secret Labyrinths" box used at Amazon JP for $27, plus $5 shipping. Second hand, but that doesn't bother me. I don't keep the outer box, anyway.

    I have the Ensemble Unicorn and "Saints and Sinners" early music boxes in my basket at importCD.  Fantastic prices on both, but I just got the wonderful Rene Jacobs edition and Hilliard Ensemble 8 disc box for about $20 each.  I don't mean to brag when I give the prices, but rather to excuse my seeming profligacy.  There has to be a point where these sets are just too reasonable to pass up.  And they are just so darned GOOD ???. 
  About Italian Amazon, the boxes are dead cheap, but shipping is high. However, it goes down with bulk.  The DG Bernstein and the new Decca Weiner Phil box can be had, shipped, for $235, combined.  Of course that's a lot of cash, but for 125 discs, it's under $2 for each, for very fine music indeed.  :'( :'( 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on October 23, 2014, 01:48:56 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on October 23, 2014, 01:44:32 AM
Italian Amazon....it keeps calling to me.

    Last night I found the Early music "Secret Labyrinths" box used at Amazon JP for $27, plus $5 shipping. Second hand, but that doesn't bother me. I don't keep the outer box, anyway.

    I have the Ensemble Unicorn and "Saints and Sinners" early music boxes in my basket at importCD.  Fantastic prices on both, but I just got the wonderful Rene Jacobs edition and Hilliard Ensemble 8 disc box for about $20 each.  I don't mean to brag when I give the prices, but rather to excuse my seeming profligacy.  There has to be a point where these sets are just too reasonable to pass up.  And they are just so darned GOOD ???. 
  About Italian Amazon, the boxes are dead cheap, but shipping is high. However, it goes down with bulk.  The DG Bernstein and the new Decca Weiner Phil box can be had, shipped, for $235, combined.  Of course that's a lot of cash, but for 125 discs, it's under $2 for each, for very fine music indeed.  :'( :'(

Amazon.it is calling your name Al........

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4062/4686500684_920fa3016e_z.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather - Greatest Ever Year?
Post by: AnthonyAthletic on October 23, 2014, 02:13:27 AM
Just a quick one

Has this been the greatest ever year for box sets, the volume and choices have been immense.

I certainly don't remember a year like this, where I sit here surfing and the list gets bigger and bigger and the amount of music I have to listen to takes me well past next summer.

The year's not done yet, either  :D
Title: Re: Box Blather - Greatest Ever Year?
Post by: The new erato on October 23, 2014, 02:24:27 AM
Quote from: AnthonyAthletic on October 23, 2014, 02:13:27 AM
Just a quick one

Has this been the greatest ever year for box sets, the volume and choices have been immense.

I certainly don't remember a year like this, where I sit here surfing and the list gets bigger and bigger and the amount of music I have to listen to takes me well past next summer.

The year's not done yet, either  :D
The big companies with large back catalogues are dumping their product while there still is somebody willing to pay for music.
Title: Re: Box Blather - Greatest Ever Year?
Post by: AnthonyAthletic on October 23, 2014, 02:37:19 AM
Quote from: The new erato on October 23, 2014, 02:24:27 AM
The big companies with large back catalogues are dumping their product while there still is somebody willing to pay for music.

Never thought of it that way, its all good for us wee collectors.

Just wish they'd dump and stock up zoreno, dodax & nagiry  :laugh:
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Cosi bel do on October 23, 2014, 06:10:38 AM
It is clear that, for about a year or two, I changed my habits, and now almost don't buy any single CD anymore. Except a few oop recordings that have no chance of see included in such boxes, and a few inexpensive CDs from smaller labels (Praga for instance). Big boxes have now become the normal way to buy and listen to music, or so it seems. Why risking buying a CD when you'll end having it included in such a set ?

This year only, if I count only 20CD+ boxes, I bought the Lili Kraus, Fricsay, Kubelik SE, Richter solo rec., Westminster Legacy (the smaller set, I already had both of the big Korean boxes), and Giulini complete DG & Sony rec. (this one, still really at a good price on JPC (http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/hnum/3985606?iampartner=nc8)). And I plan to buy at least the Seon, Bernstein/Sony and Monteux boxes in the next 2-3 months... And then, certainly, Ozawa and Bernstein DG vol.1 are on my list.

Also, I don't think this is the sign that music on CD will soon not exist anymore, and that there won't be any way to buy music except digital files. I think on the contrary these are a big source of profit for labels, I mean, in the end, we are spending more money on recordings that do not cost anything to them (as they are usually decades old), whereas CD production costs have never been lower. And they sell all that with minimal booklets (which is the most expensive element to produce).
And all this is better for us, too, because we can buy more music for the same price, and recordings that had been unavailable, sometimes for decades, before that !

Hurray to the box frenzy ! Let's buy'em and hope for more !
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: listener on October 23, 2014, 06:19:10 AM
and it will be easier to move when they are already in boxes of 50 or 100 rather than in jewel cases.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: The new erato on October 23, 2014, 06:26:47 AM
I mainly buy single discs or small sets, as the big boxes generally carry stuff I'm already soaked with. Early music, baroque opera (the rare stuff), out-of-the way romantics, 20th century by-the-wayside-repertoire, these are my bread and butter.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Cosi bel do on October 23, 2014, 06:54:09 AM
Right, as I said, one might still buy a few CDs, 5 or 10 every months, of things he might not find anytime soon in one of these big boxes. But even for early music or baroque opera, I mean, who could resist the Seon or HM Opera Baroque sets ?
And buying 5 or 10 CDs every months, that was okay 10 years ago. But today, how could that be enough ? With these changes on the market, listening habits have also changed. I do not listen to CDs as many times as I did before. I now listen to CDs again because I really like them and want to hear them again, not out of necessity because there's nothing new around...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on October 23, 2014, 08:51:39 AM
I refuse to buy most of the big boxes. I know that I will not listen to most of it and often I do not like the way they are mixed together (like Living Stereo or other label-focussed stuff).
My biggest composer box is a Beethoven-Box from EMI I bought two years ago or so, mainly because I wanted the piano sonatas with Heidsieck and was also interested in the Ferras violin and Tortelier Cello sonatas and the Hungarian SQ quartets.
My next biggest composer boxes are Wagner/Bayreuth (bought in 07 or so) and Fischer's Haydn symphonies (bought in 02 or so)
Of big artist boxes I bought Samson Francois from EMI France. As I already had most of the Chopin recordings (and had listened to these before) I am not sure how little I have actually listened to. I do not regret getting it, but it was not all that necessary. I almost bought the Fricsay a couple of month ago, but then I decided that I already have most of the stuff I want and rather try for Ebay or other sellers breaking up the boxes and get the 3-4 discs I might be interested in.

Another factor is that I am not that interested in getting the 20th recording of a Beethoven or Mozart symphony.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 24, 2014, 05:11:06 AM
After seeing a detailed listing of what is in this box, I got very excited. Got it today. Terrible packaging and listing, sensational content.

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Mt%2Bwa%2BvIL._SL500_AA280_.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on October 24, 2014, 05:16:10 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on October 24, 2014, 05:11:06 AM
After seeing a detailed listing of what is in this box, I got very excited. Got it today. Terrible packaging and listing, sensational content.

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Mt%2Bwa%2BvIL._SL500_AA280_.jpg)

Yes, that is a nice one! Lots of Schiff's Bach in that box.  If I recall correctly Decca put out a violin masterworks edition as well (which I suspect you may enjoy). I was also quite impressed with the content in the piano edition when it came out. Hmm, this is one of my early boxes (2009?)  when I got addicted to classical music...   :'( :'( :'(

[asin] B001L8K15Y[/asin]
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 24, 2014, 05:23:29 AM
Yeah, and they have it at my shop, too. However, I think the price of both of those leaped upwards by about 50% (they still aren't that much, but the price went up from about $50 to $75). I actually have the violin box in FLAC form on my harddrive. Since the packaging is so poor, I may just burn some of those when I want to put them in rotation...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on October 24, 2014, 05:31:30 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on October 24, 2014, 05:23:29 AM
Yeah, and they have it at my shop, too. However, I think the price of both of those leaped upwards by about 50% (they still aren't that much, but the price went up from about $50 to $75). I actually have the violin box in FLAC form on my harddrive. Since the packaging is so poor, I may just burn some of those when I want to put them in rotation...

Yes, the presentation is kind of awkward, but it's great music!!!   0:)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 24, 2014, 05:38:15 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on October 24, 2014, 05:31:30 AM
Yes, the presentation is kind of awkward, but it's great music!!!   0:)

  No question, and I have surprisingly little violin, except what are dispersed throughout the big boxes.  I have lots more Cello than violin, strangely enough...I was considering getting the Kyung-Wha Chung set, just to have a solid version of most of the core repertoire.  (I don't really want to spring for the Heiffetz, even if the price comes way down).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on October 24, 2014, 05:42:31 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on October 24, 2014, 05:38:15 AM
  No question, and I have surprisingly little violin, except what are dispersed throughout the big boxes.  I have lots more Cello than violin, strangely enough...I was considering getting the Kyung-Wha Chung set, just to have a solid version of most of the core repertoire.  (I don't really want to spring for the Heiffetz, even if the price comes way down).

I wish that there was an enormous Hilary Hahn set!   :)    Frankly, Heifetz does not do much for me (I know - heresy), but it leaves me cold most of the time. There are a number of other violinists that allow me to find a different resonance with the music. Perhaps it has to do with the warmth of the recording. The Heifetz recordings have a somber soundscape (if that makes any sense?). Of course, this is all very subjective.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 24, 2014, 06:04:18 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on October 24, 2014, 05:42:31 AM
I wish that there was an enormous Hilary Hahn set!   :)    Frankly, Heifetz does not do much for me (I know - heresy), but it leaves me cold most of the time. There are a number of other violinists that allow me to find a different resonance with the music. Perhaps it has to do with the warmth of the recording. The Heifetz recordings have a somber soundscape (if that makes any sense?). Of course, this is all very subjective.

   I think I know what  you mean, although I haven't played that much Heifetz.  When he plays the giants, with an awesome orchestra behind him it is good, of course, but I don't generally feel it's him that's making the difference.

   Yes, a giant Hillary Hahn box! However, as controls her own recordings now, she probably won't go that route--not for 20 or 30 years, anyway. 

  By the way, do you have any of the little HM boxes? They are just like the DHM ones (10 discs for about 20 bucks). 
E.G.
[asin]B005BZBXZA[/asin]

  (of course this one is listed as much more here at Amazon).  My shop has a Romantic, a Baroque, and one other.  They have a lot of Herrewegh conducted stuff. I don't have that much of him, but what I have really impresses me a lot. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Cosi bel do on October 24, 2014, 06:11:17 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on October 24, 2014, 05:42:31 AM
I wish that there was an enormous Hilary Hahn set!   :)    Frankly, Heifetz does not do much for me (I know - heresy), but it leaves me cold most of the time. There are a number of other violinists that allow me to find a different resonance with the music. Perhaps it has to do with the warmth of the recording. The Heifetz recordings have a somber soundscape (if that makes any sense?). Of course, this is all very subjective.

I share this mixed feeling about Heifetz. I very much prefer Francescatti, Ferras, Oistrakh, followed by Milstein and Kogan, to speak only of old (ie dead) artists.
By the way, I wish there were a complete Francescatti set on Sony !
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: king ubu on October 24, 2014, 06:23:18 AM
Quote from: Cosi bel do on October 24, 2014, 06:11:17 AM
By the way, I wish there were a complete Francescatti set on Sony !

Yes please! I'd be all over that as well!

Ferras, luckily, was treated quite well, though I'd wish the DG/Decca to be complete ... but it's chock-full of great music. And the Korean EMI didn't do any damage (other than to my bank account) either, though the DG/Decca is decidedly better, I'd say (the Martzy, de Vito and Morini boxes from Korea are lovely as well).

I love Heifetz though, so I was extremely happy to see the big one re-appear!

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Cosi bel do on October 24, 2014, 06:34:30 AM
Quote from: king ubu on October 24, 2014, 06:23:18 AM
Yes please! I'd be all over that as well!

Ferras, luckily, was treated quite well, though I'd wish the DG/Decca to be complete ... but it's chock-full of great music. And the Korean EMI didn't do any damage (other than to my bank account) either, though the DG/Decca is decidedly better, I'd say (the Martzy, de Vito and Morini boxes from Korea are lovely as well).

I love Heifetz though, so I was extremely happy to see the big one re-appear!

Yes I really admire the 3 violinists you named too. I'll get their sets the day I'll have 500€ to spare :D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 24, 2014, 06:34:52 AM
Quote from: king ubu on October 24, 2014, 06:23:18 AM
I love Heifetz though, so I was extremely happy to see the big one re-appear!

Interesting, Ubu. Do you really play a lot from it? Do you find his later stuff as good as his earlier?

   As I mentioned, I only have a couple of his discs with orchestra, and don't play them that much. However, I forgot that I have his chamber box, and like that a lot.  Love even.
     I watched a documentary about him "God's Fiddler", which is very good.  Although it doesn't try to tear him down or anything (far from it), afterwards I found myself a bit prejudiced against him and his music.  He was such an odd bird, in a cold fish sort of way (to shamelessly mix metaphors :D).  In Rubinstein's 2 volumes of autobiography (great reading!) he makes fun of Heifetz some (they were friends).  He says he didn't really love the music enough--but then that is kind of Rubinstein's stock criticism against his "rivals" (he says that several times in regards to Horowitz).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Cosi bel do on October 24, 2014, 06:39:03 AM
Some of Heifetz recordings are great, but usually more from a technically-perfect point of view (I mean, of the violin + the orchestra + the acoustics) than for his personality. I find his playing cold and not enthusiastic or sensitive enough, I don't feel much when hearing Heifetz. Still better than 99% of today's violinists though (among the 1%, I'd count Tetzlaff, Hahn and Ibragimova for sure).

I prefer Heifetz as a violinist to Rubinstein as a pianist, though :D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on October 24, 2014, 06:46:25 AM
Quote from: Cosi bel do on October 24, 2014, 06:11:17 AM


I share this mixed feeling about Heifetz. I very much prefer Francescatti, Ferras, Oistrakh, followed by Milstein and Kogan, to speak only of old (ie dead) artists.
By the way, I wish there were a complete Francescatti set on Sony !

Glad I am not alone (knowing well that Heifetz is a giant in the realm of music). I would definitely be interested in Francescatti. What I have heard so far is wonderful!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: king ubu on October 24, 2014, 06:46:40 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on October 24, 2014, 06:34:52 AM
Interesting, Ubu. Do you really play a lot from it? Do you find his later stuff as good as his earlier?

   As I mentioned, I only have a couple of his discs with orchestra, and don't play them that much. However, I forgot that I have his chamber box, and like that a lot.  Love even.
     I watched a documentary about him "God's Fiddler", which is very good.  Although it doesn't try to tear him down or anything (far from it), afterwards I found myself a bit prejudiced against him and his music.  He was such an odd bird, in a cold fish sort of way (to shamelessly mix metaphors :D).  In Rubinstein's 2 volumes of autobiography (great reading!) he makes fun of Heifetz some (they were friends).  He says he didn't really love the music enough--but then that is kind of Rubinstein's stock criticism against his "rivals" (he says that several times in regards to Horowitz).

Ha, a friend presented me with the two Rubinstein books last year, but I've not read a page in 'em yet ... I tend to prefer early Heifetz - the concertos with Barbirolli ... as the big sucker was gone, I went for the ICON (terrific!) and the Sony sets (Plays Mozart, Plays Great Violin Concertos). The "Sinfonia concertante" with Primrose is otherworldly! As for the duplications of repertoire between the ICON and the Great Concertos, I prefer(red) the earlier ones in general.
But then I also got the Heifetz/Piatigorsky box and I love all that chamber music!
Also think highly of the Bach solo ... and of the early trio with Rubinstein/Feuermann.

So there's indeed lots of Heifetz I love (though for Beethoven sonatas I tend to go elsewhere, Heifetz' piano players aren't that much to my liking usually.

Btw, the same friend who gave me the Rubinstein books received my four smaller Heifetz boxes after I got the big one ...

Furthermore, anyone calling Heifetz "cold" should check if s/he's still alive himself ;) (not picking any fights, but yeah, Rubinstein is another BIG favourite of mine :))
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on October 24, 2014, 06:48:53 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on October 24, 2014, 06:04:18 AM
   I think I know what  you mean, although I haven't played that much Heifetz.  When he plays the giants, with an awesome orchestra behind him it is good, of course, but I don't generally feel it's him that's making the difference.

   Yes, a giant Hillary Hahn box! However, as controls her own recordings now, she probably won't go that route--not for 20 or 30 years, anyway. 

  By the way, do you have any of the little HM boxes? They are just like the DHM ones (10 discs for about 20 bucks). 
E.G.
[asin]B005BZBXZA[/asin]

  (of course this one is listed as much more here at Amazon).  My shop has a Romantic, a Baroque, and one other.  They have a lot of Herrewegh conducted stuff. I don't have that much of him, but what I have really impresses me a lot.

Yes, those three compilations are wonderful although somewhat eclectic musical journeys.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on October 24, 2014, 06:52:36 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on October 24, 2014, 06:34:52 AM
Interesting, Ubu. Do you really play a lot from it? Do you find his later stuff as good as his earlier?

   As I mentioned, I only have a couple of his discs with orchestra, and don't play them that much. However, I forgot that I have his chamber box, and like that a lot.  Love even.
     I watched a documentary about him "God's Fiddler", which is very good.  Although it doesn't try to tear him down or anything (far from it), afterwards I found myself a bit prejudiced against him and his music.  He was such an odd bird, in a cold fish sort of way (to shamelessly mix metaphors :D).  In Rubinstein's 2 volumes of autobiography (great reading!) he makes fun of Heifetz some (they were friends).  He says he didn't really love the music enough--but then that is kind of Rubinstein's stock criticism against his "rivals" (he says that several times in regards to Horowitz).

Ahh, I still have to read those! Thanks for the reminder. I read a few chapters last year (testing the waters) and definitely found them alluring. In my music book pile (I have more book piles that cd piles [believe it or not]) I have a Klemperer biography as well as one on Caruso. On the very top is the new Swafford Beethoven biography.  So much to read......
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: king ubu on October 24, 2014, 06:53:39 AM
Forgot to mention: love most of what I've heard by Hilary Hahn, too! In particular I enjoy her Mendelssohn concerto (which is one of my favourite pieces of music anyway).

The only box I've got is this one, was pretty cheap a couple of years back, filmsy cardboard around five jewel cases w/original booklets - usually with her own comments on the music, which I find a nice touch):

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51bRzYWo3BL.jpg)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51vf8fVpSML.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on October 24, 2014, 06:59:29 AM
Quote from: king ubu on October 24, 2014, 06:53:39 AM
Forgot to mention: love most of what I've heard by Hilary Hahn, too! In particular I enjoy her Mendelssohn concerto (which is one of my favourite pieces of music anyway).

The only box I've got is this one, was pretty cheap a couple of years back, filmsy cardboard around five jewel cases w/original booklets - usually with her own comments on the music, which I find a nice touch):

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51bRzYWo3BL.jpg)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51vf8fVpSML.jpg)

Yes, I love her musicianship. I had the fortune of seeing her perform (in a very small venue) during her early career days (1999). She played Bach's partitas and I will certainly never forget the performance. At the time the experience founded a new respect for both the violin as an instrument and for Bach's intricate music.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 24, 2014, 07:01:33 AM
Quote from: king ubu on October 24, 2014, 06:46:40 AM
Ha, a friend presented me with the two Rubinstein books last year, but I've not read a page in 'em yet ... I tend to prefer early Heifetz - the concertos with Barbirolli ... as the big sucker was gone, I went for the ICON (terrific!) and the Sony sets (Plays Mozart, Plays Great Violin Concertos). The "Sinfonia concertante" with Primrose is otherworldly! As for the duplications of repertoire between the ICON and the Great Concertos, I prefer(red) the earlier ones in general.
But then I also got the Heifetz/Piatigorsky box and I love all that chamber music!
Also think highly of the Bach solo ... and of the early trio with Rubinstein/Feuermann.

So there's indeed lots of Heifetz I love (though for Beethoven sonatas I tend to go elsewhere, Heifetz' piano players aren't that much to my liking usually.

Btw, the same friend who gave me the Rubinstein books received my four smaller Heifetz boxes after I got the big one ...

Furthermore, anyone calling Heifetz "cold" should check if s/he's still alive himself ;) (not picking any fights, but yeah, Rubinstein is another BIG favourite of mine :))

  Start reading the Rubinstein!! The first volume (especially) is fantastic reading. I love bio/autobiography, and it is simply a gem by any standards.  He knew everybody, and the anecdotes about historical musical figures are priceless--he's a brilliant story teller. I highly recommend it to everybody. Delightful reading, and full of insight into the whole music world (and the early 20th century music scene).

  Ubu, I kind of hate to get the Heifetz big box since I have the Chamber box, which will immediately become redundant. Do you think just getting the two Sony boxes you mentioned would be enough to cover the main ground?
  BTW, Rubinstein is fantastic.  I love everything in that big box...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 24, 2014, 07:07:17 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on October 24, 2014, 06:52:36 AM
Ahh, I still have to read those! Thanks for the reminder. I read a few chapters last year (testing the waters) and definitely found them alluring. In my music book pile (I have more book piles that cd piles [believe it or not]) I have a Klemperer biography as well as one on Caruso. On the very top is the new Swafford Beethoven biography.  So much to read......

  Good to hear! Is your Klemp bio the Heyward? I read the first volume, but the second costs about $150!! I couldn't bring myself to spend that much.  If you have it, let me know. Maybe we can work out some sort of swap... 
    I want the Swafford bio, but recently acquired the Grandaddy Beethoven bio--the Thayer.  If I read the Swafford, I know I'll never read it. (I've read two other, smaller ones).
  We should probably start a music book thread.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: king ubu on October 24, 2014, 07:10:10 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on October 24, 2014, 07:01:33 AM
  Start reading the Rubinstein!! The first volume (especially) is fantastic reading. I love bio/autobiography, and it is simply a gem by any standards.  He knew everybody, and the anecdotes about historical musical figures are priceless--he's a brilliant story teller. I highly recommend it to everybody. Delightful reading, and full of insight into the whole music world (and the early 20th century music scene).

  I kind of hate to get the Heifetz big box since I have the Chamber box, which will immediately become redundant. Do you think just getting the two Sony boxes you mentioned would be enough to cover the main ground?
  BTW, Rubinstein is fantastic.  I love everything in that big box...

Tough call on the Heifetz ... as I said, my top favourite was the EMI ICON (not the Great Violin Concertos from Sony/RCA). Really not sure what to say ... I guess you know this, but as I really can't answer your question, it might help to check out the contents in detail:
http://www.goodwinshighend.com/music/classical/Heifetz_Complete/Jascha_Heifetz_Complete_Original_Jacket_Collection.htm

I know Rubinstein is a great story teller - saw a great documentary about him a while ago, that included plenty of interviews (snippets from TV shows etc.) - just had no time to read for leisure in these past months, but now I'm free to do so again - still, the piles are huge (literature, history ... I don't really read all that many books on music, but that might change - got plenty of books on jazz around that I want to read, too).

Edited to add: I knew that friend would love to get the smaller Heifetz sets ... so by buying the big one, I got a few great gifts - not sure if otherwise I'd have jumped for it (ah well yeah, I couldn't have restrained myself, I guess ;))
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Cosi bel do on October 24, 2014, 07:23:36 AM
Quote from: king ubu on October 24, 2014, 06:46:40 AM
oks received my four smaller Heifetz boxes after I got the big one ...

Furthermore, anyone calling Heifetz "cold" should check if s/he's still alive himself ;) (not picking any fights, but yeah, Rubinstein is another BIG favourite of mine :))

Lol. I'm not so much talking about his early recordings (that I quite like) than about all the stereo benchmark remakes.
I understand one can like Rubinstein. I just always find better than him, but he is quite adequate in most of what I know (except later recordings, I was listening to his Schumann concerto with Giulini yesterday, and I definitely find it quite dreadful).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on October 24, 2014, 07:23:53 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on October 24, 2014, 07:07:17 AM
  Good to hear! Is your Klemp bio the Heyward? I read the first volume, but the second costs about $150!! I couldn't bring myself to spend that much.  If you have it, let me know. Maybe we can work out some sort of swap... 
    I want the Swafford bio, but recently acquired the Grandaddy Beethoven bio--the Thayer.  If I read the Swafford, I know I'll never read it. (I've read two other, smaller ones).
  We should probably start a music book thread.

It is the Heyworth Vol 1. I, too, found the price for vol 2 a bit steep.  :'(   One of these days a copy will show up. Serendipity!!   There has to be an existing music book thread in the maze of the previous threads?  ???


Great tactics with the Thayer biography. I see that the Kindle version is just a dollar!!  :laugh:

[asin] B00EVB26CO[/asin]
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 24, 2014, 07:35:22 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on October 24, 2014, 07:23:53 AM
It is the Heyworth Vol 1. I, too, found the price for vol 2 a bit steep.  :'(   One of these days a copy will show up. Serendipity!!   There has to be an existing music book thread in the maze of the previous threads?  ???


Great tactics with the Thayer biography. I see that the Kindle version is just a dollar!!  :laugh:

My acquisition of the Thayer was very "Box Blather" relevant.  I was looking for a used copy of Alfred Einstein's book on Mozart, and hit a collection of about 35(? something like that) music books in a lot on Ebay that included the Einstein, for about $2 a book.  The Thayer was in there along with a lot of other interesting stuff. Instant music library :D

  The big Heifetz box is 185 Euros at Amazon IT :'( This is not a dilemma I want right now. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on October 24, 2014, 07:37:34 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on October 24, 2014, 07:35:22 AM
My acquisition of the Thayer was very "Box Blather" relevant.  I was looking for a used copy of Alfred Einstein's book on Mozart, and hit a collection of about 35(? something like that) music books in a lot on Ebay that included the Einstein, for about $2 a book.  The Thayer was in there along with a lot of other interesting stuff. Instant music library :D

  The big Heifetz box is 185 Euros at Amazon IT :'( This is not a dilemma I want right now.

Why? Have you looked into Ansermet's eyes?     :) :D :laugh:     0:)

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 24, 2014, 07:44:39 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on October 24, 2014, 07:37:34 AM
Why? Have you looked into Ansermet's eyes?     :) :D :laugh:     0:)

I have! You would not believe the number of different combinations of items I've put in (and than taken out) of the shopping basket at Am IT.  Right now I've got: Kyung-Wha Chung's new "original jacket" set, Ansermet's "French" box, and the Decca Weiner.  Actually, it looks good...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Pat B on October 24, 2014, 08:11:02 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on October 24, 2014, 06:46:25 AM
Glad I am not alone (knowing well that Heifetz is a giant in the realm of music).

You are definitely not alone. I think his star has fallen a lot over the past several decades. The concertos he did for RCA overall just aren't that good (some are better than others of course). Cosi said "cold," I'd say "impatient." What I've heard of his earlier recordings are markedly better, but those are not as widely disseminated, at least stateside.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on October 24, 2014, 09:00:34 AM
Quote from: Pat B on October 24, 2014, 08:11:02 AM
You are definitely not alone. I think his star has fallen a lot over the past several decades. The concertos he did for RCA overall just aren't that good (some are better than others of course). Cosi said "cold," I'd say "impatient." What I've heard of his earlier recordings are markedly better, but those are not as widely disseminated, at least stateside.
Not such a fall. Someone polled top violinists a few years ago, and Heifetz still came out on top. I have very mixed feelings myself. Some stuff is top notch. Some is quite bad.  I dislike the Heifetz Piatigorsky box because heifetz is consistently bad I think.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on October 24, 2014, 09:37:22 AM
Well, I'll speak up for Heifetz... A lot of people describe him as "cold" and "technical", but every time I hear that old saw, I roll my eyes. I have the Heifetz big box and it is full of technical virtuosity for sure... but it is also packed with passion. Heifetz could phrase like no one else. His violin sings. I think sometime in the distant past, some critic made up the comment about him being all technique and no soul to apologize for another violinist who had lousy technique, and everyone has been repeating it like parrots ever since.

That big Heifetz box is an ocean of wonderful, unique performances. It totally changed my view of more than one violin concerto. I used to be happy with versions by other violinists, but now I don't want to listen to anything buy Heifetz.

The same thing exists with Rubinstein. Everyone says that he is conservative and focused on perfection over expression, but that box puts the lie to that.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: king ubu on October 24, 2014, 09:54:41 AM
Quote from: bigshot on October 24, 2014, 09:37:22 AM
Well, I'll speak up for Heifetz... A lot of people describe him as "cold" and "technical", but every time I hear that old saw, I roll my eyes. I have the Heifetz big box and it is full of technical virtuosity for sure... but it is also packed with passion. Heifetz could phrase like no one else. His violin sings. I think sometime in the distant past, some critic made up the comment about him being all technique and no soul to apologize for another violinist who had lousy technique, and everyone has been repeating it like parrots ever since.

That big Heifetz box is an ocean of wonderful, unique performances. It totally changed my view of more than one violin concerto. I used to be happy with versions by other violinists, but now I don't want to listen to anything buy Heifetz.

The same thing exists with Rubinstein. Everyone says that he is conservative and focused on perfection over expression, but that box puts the lie to that.

:)

(And don't tell 'em about good ol' Szigeti - now there's a box I'd nearly kill to get!)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: North Star on October 24, 2014, 09:59:08 AM
Quote from: king ubu on October 24, 2014, 09:54:41 AM
:)

(And don't tell 'em about good ol' Szigeti - now there's a box I'd nearly kill to get!)
In other words, there's a box you'd maim to get.  8)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on October 24, 2014, 10:25:53 AM
Quote from: North Star on October 24, 2014, 09:59:08 AM
In other words, there's a box you'd maim to get.  8)
We need a scale!

kill to get
maim to get
pillage to get
riot to get
lightly shove to get
tickle to get
look cross to get
pout and stomp my feet to get
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on October 24, 2014, 10:33:43 AM
Quote from: Ken B on October 24, 2014, 10:25:53 AM
We need a scale!

kill to get
maim to get
pillage to get
riot to get
lightly shove to get
tickle to get
look cross to get
pout and stomp my feet to get

What about....

(http://www.digitalzenway.com/wp-content/uploads/amazon-1-click.png) to get

(and where does it belong in the hierarchy? Top or bottom?)   :P
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: North Star on October 24, 2014, 10:36:56 AM
Quote from: Ken B on October 24, 2014, 10:25:53 AM
We need a scale!

kill to get
maim to get
pillage to get
riot to get
lightly shove to get
tickle to get
look cross to get
pout and stomp my feet to get
Perfect - although I'm not sure tickling should be that high on such a list..

Quote from: Moonfish on October 24, 2014, 10:33:43 AM
What about....

(http://www.digitalzenway.com/wp-content/uploads/amazon-1-click.png) to get

(and where does it belong in the hierarchy? Top or bottom?)   :P
Bottom, of course.  8)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: kishnevi on October 24, 2014, 11:04:24 AM
Quote from: Pat B on October 24, 2014, 08:11:02 AM
You are definitely not alone. I think his star has fallen a lot over the past several decades. The concertos he did for RCA overall just aren't that good (some are better than others of course). Cosi said "cold," I'd say "impatient." What I've heard of his earlier recordings are markedly better, but those are not as widely disseminated, at least stateside.

A truly great recording that people seem to ignore because it is so unHIP
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51F-8o8X4yL.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: The new erato on October 24, 2014, 01:30:10 PM
Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on October 24, 2014, 11:04:24 AM
A truly great recording that people seem to ignore because it is so unHIP
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51F-8o8X4yL.jpg)
I have that LP set. My first recording of the solo Bach sonatas/partitas.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Old Listener on October 24, 2014, 07:18:24 PM
Quote from: king ubu on October 24, 2014, 06:46:40 AM
Ha, a friend presented me with the two Rubinstein books last year, but I've not read a page in 'em yet ... I tend to prefer early Heifetz - the concertos with Barbirolli ... as the big sucker was gone, I went for the ICON (terrific!) and the Sony sets (Plays Mozart, Plays Great Violin Concertos). The "Sinfonia concertante" with Primrose is otherworldly! As for the duplications of repertoire between the ICON and the Great Concertos, I prefer(red) the earlier ones in general.
But then I also got the Heifetz/Piatigorsky box and I love all that chamber music!
Also think highly of the Bach solo ... and of the early trio with Rubinstein/Feuermann.

So there's indeed lots of Heifetz I love (though for Beethoven sonatas I tend to go elsewhere, Heifetz' piano players aren't that much to my liking usually.

Btw, the same friend who gave me the Rubinstein books received my four smaller Heifetz boxes after I got the big one ...

Furthermore, anyone calling Heifetz "cold" should check if s/he's still alive himself ;) (not picking any fights, but yeah, Rubinstein is another BIG favourite of mine :))

Some of my favorite Heifetz recordings:

Beethoven piano trio op. 1 No. 1
Mozart Sinfonia Concertante K. 364 with Primrose and Izler Solomon conducting
Mozart Violin Concerto No. 4 with Sargent conducting
Bruch Scottish Fantasy

I wonder if those calling Heifetz "cold" and making blanket judgements have listened to these recordings.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Pat B on October 25, 2014, 08:00:30 AM
Quote from: bigshot on October 24, 2014, 09:37:22 AM
Well, I'll speak up for Heifetz... A lot of people describe him as "cold" and "technical", but every time I hear that old saw, I roll my eyes. I have the Heifetz big box and it is full of technical virtuosity for sure... but it is also packed with passion. Heifetz could phrase like no one else. His violin sings. I think sometime in the distant past, some critic made up the comment about him being all technique and no soul to apologize for another violinist who had lousy technique, and everyone has been repeating it like parrots ever since.

Well, there is certainly a lot of parroting, and going with the flow, in music criticism. That may have worked in favor of Heifetz more than against him. I just read a review of his Mendelssohn with Munch praising the "hair-trigger precision" in the finale which indicates the reviewer either didn't listen to it, or is unqualified to comment on that issue. It is the most out-of-sync movement of any concerto recording in my collection. In general, that recording sounds as though Heifetz's top priority was to get out of the studio as quickly as possible -- a much worse flaw IMO than any brief lapses of intonation or tone by other violinists. It's a shame because I have no doubt that he was capable of much better than this.

The Beethoven (also with Munch) is similar, maybe not quite as bad, but still: impatient.

Among his late recordings, I think he was at his best when sharing the spotlight (chamber music, K.364, Brahms Double).

His earlier recordings are a different matter altogether. Still not my favorite recordings, but it is easy to hear why he got so popular in the first place.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on October 25, 2014, 10:36:45 AM
Working my way through this, which is $12 plus shipping.

[asin]B0041LXX2G[/asin]

Fantastic so far.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 26, 2014, 08:04:05 PM
Just got my ImportCDs shipment.

    That $12 Wagner box...is awesome! I just assumed it would be the kind with horrible, flimsy paper sleeves and horrible print, etc. It's not! They are good, stout sleeves that have clear printing on the sides so you can put them in a book shelf and see what they are from the spines.  Well, it's still Wagner ::) ( :P) but all in all, one of my best bargains ever.  I got it with a bunch of Naive label small discount boxes (Vivaldi, Bach, and baroque sacred music).  I am a happy camper.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Que on October 27, 2014, 10:39:48 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on October 26, 2014, 08:04:05 PM
I got it with a bunch of Naive label small discount boxes (Vivaldi, Bach, and baroque sacred music).  I am a happy camper.

Naïve - never super cheap, sometimes hard to come by, but generally the highest standards in selecting repertoire & artists, excellent recording quality and presentation.  :)

Q
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: North Star on October 27, 2014, 10:52:45 AM
Quote from: Que on October 27, 2014, 10:39:48 AM
Naïve - never super cheap, sometimes hard to come by, but generally the highest standards in selecting repertoire & artists, excellent recording quality and presentation.  :)

Q
I think those boxed sets can often be super cheap. Otherwise agreed ;)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Que on October 27, 2014, 11:08:23 AM
Quote from: North Star on October 27, 2014, 10:52:45 AM
I think those boxed sets can often be super cheap. Otherwise agreed ;)

We need to push those boxes a bit more..... :D 

From what I've read of late, some members need urgent help with their CDCDCD.... ???

:laugh: :laugh:

Q
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on October 27, 2014, 01:53:42 PM
Quote from: Que on October 27, 2014, 11:08:23 AM
We need to push those boxes a bit more..... :D 

From what I've read of late, some members need urgent help with their CDCDCD.... ???

:laugh: :laugh:

Q

Yes! Baklavaboy! He's threatening to be cured!
We need to save him. Keep him in the fold. It's time to let him know about .... Glossa
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on October 27, 2014, 03:25:49 PM
The 25 CD Liszt box came. Attentive packaging - every CD and sleeve a different color, all the tracks and times listed, etc. And there is a huge wealth of interesting music, with great performers. I wasn't expecting Isserlis & Hough for the cello music, or Bruno Weil for choral works, or all the big Sony names for various works (Bernstein, Abbado, Casadesus, Rubinstein, a couple tracks of Bolet and Rosen).

However, there are two big omissions! No performances of Hungarian Rhapsodies 1-5, which means Liszt's single most famous piece is omitted. And the Hungarian Rhapsodies CDs have a total of 60 extra minutes of unwritten disc. And the second omission: they take mere highlights from the Annees de Pelerinage, while opting to have the complete Venezia e Napoli.

Oh well. I can't complain too much. I already have excellent Rhapsody sets from Jando, Cziffra, and Dichter, and am well-covered on Annees too. Actually those are really the only pieces by Liszt where I DO have a collection going...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on October 27, 2014, 03:40:08 PM
Quote from: Brian on October 27, 2014, 03:25:49 PM
The 25 CD Liszt box came. Attentive packaging - every CD and sleeve a different color, all the tracks and times listed, etc. And there is a huge wealth of interesting music, with great performers. I wasn't expecting Isserlis & Hough for the cello music, or Bruno Weil for choral works, or all the big Sony names for various works (Bernstein, Abbado, Casadesus, Rubinstein, a couple tracks of Bolet and Rosen).

However, there are two big omissions! No performances of Hungarian Rhapsodies 1-5, which means Liszt's single most famous piece is omitted. And the Hungarian Rhapsodies CDs have a total of 60 extra minutes of unwritten disc. And the second omission: they take mere highlights from the Annees de Pelerinage, while opting to have the complete Venezia e Napoli.

Oh well. I can't complain too much. I already have excellent Rhapsody sets from Jando, Cziffra, and Dichter, and am well-covered on Annees too. Actually those are really the only pieces by Liszt where I DO have a collection going...
I don't think of them as omissions, but as making space for less known goodies.
The big DG box is superb too.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 27, 2014, 04:32:28 PM
Quote from: Que on October 27, 2014, 10:39:48 AM
Naïve - never super cheap, sometimes hard to come by, but generally the highest standards in selecting repertoire & artists, excellent recording quality and presentation.  :)

Q
Well, $16 for 6 discs. It's not cheap compared to the Sony Wagner, but otherwise probably qualifies. (Actually, that's only for some boxes, others are $22).  I ended up with duplicates of a couple of the finest discs. I'm going to have some very happy friends :)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on November 06, 2014, 11:40:35 AM
I'm almost done ripping the Bernstein box, and I am running into another obstacle for "early adopters" of these box sets... About 20% of the Gracenote tags are only available in Japanese. Frustrating to have to set those aside to rip later. If any kind souls out there have one of those EZ computer programs for tagging classical music, please share your tags with Gracenote.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jay F on November 06, 2014, 12:15:48 PM
Quote from: bigshot on November 06, 2014, 11:40:35 AM
I'm almost done ripping the Bernstein box, and I am running into another obstacle for "early adopters" of these box sets... About 20% of the Gracenote tags are only available in Japanese. Frustrating to have to set those aside to rip later. If any kind souls out there have one of those EZ computer programs for tagging classical music, please share your tags with Gracenote.

Is this the one you are ripping?

[asin]B00LL4U1TE[/asin]
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Cosi bel do on November 06, 2014, 12:26:07 PM
Why are you ripping boxes :o

(http://fearnoweebles.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/box2.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on November 06, 2014, 01:06:16 PM
Quote from: Cosi bel do on November 06, 2014, 12:26:07 PM
Why are you ripping boxes :o

(http://fearnoweebles.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/box2.jpg)

It's worse. He rips the CDs.
(http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/x/broken-cd-17797.jpg)

Monstrous. Monstrous.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on November 06, 2014, 07:23:39 PM
Quote from: Jay F on November 06, 2014, 12:15:48 PM
Is this the one you are ripping?

Yep. All done, except for the 18 disks whose tags came up in Japanese in Gracenote. Gotta wait for someone out there to tag them.

I'm ripping the super bargain Brilliant Classics Tchaikovsky set now. That one comes up with German tags, but that's OK.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on November 07, 2014, 01:06:57 AM
Quote from: bigshot on November 06, 2014, 07:23:39 PM
Gotta wait for someone out there to tag them.

If everyone waits for someone else, it never happens.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on November 07, 2014, 08:47:53 AM
Well I don't have one of those classical music tagging apps that makes it easy to format. I would have to type everything in by hand. So I will wait.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on November 07, 2014, 01:24:16 PM
Chances are you'll have to change half of it anyway, to suit your preferences. Either that, or you end up with crazy inconsistencies if my experience is any guide. 4 Discs of Telemann Tafelmusik, 3 different ideas from Gracenote/iTunes about how to label the pieces.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on November 07, 2014, 07:54:41 PM
I join tracks to make a single work one long track. It doesn't take long to quickly fix tags and rip that way. I just finished both the Bernstein concertos box and the Brilliant Classics Tchaikovsky box and it took about 4 or 5 hours. That's 130 disks.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 09, 2014, 11:50:39 PM
Wowie-Zowie.

[asin]B00LL4U1TE[/asin]

  This could be the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.  It is true that I enjoy most things that I put on, but so far, everything that I have played from this box has made me excited
  There are a lot of usual suspects, and even duplication (3 versions of Ravel's La Valse?), but there are also a ton of rarer items, unusual combinations, and even bizarre picks (a disc of marches?!).  If what I have heard so far proves to be a fair indicator, however, this box is long on freshness.  You really get the feeling that Bernstein and the band are playing things because that is what they really want to be playing right at that moment. 
   Anyway, that is my initial gush of blather :D  I'm anticipating a lot of joy coming from this box. 
      By the way, it is afternoon here and I have to go to work in a few minutes--so this is not the enthusiasm that comes from an after work martini...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on November 10, 2014, 06:48:47 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on November 09, 2014, 11:50:39 PM
Wowie-Zowie.

[asin]B00LL4U1TE[/asin]

  This could be the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.  It is true that I enjoy most things that I put on, but so far, everything that I have played from this box has made me excited
  There are a lot of usual suspects, and even duplication (3 versions of Ravel's La Valse?), but there are also a ton of rarer items, unusual combinations, and even bizarre picks (a disc of marches?!).  If what I have heard so far proves to be a fair indicator, however, this box is long on freshness.  You really get the feeling that Bernstein and the band are playing things because that is what they really want to be playing right at that moment. 
   Anyway, that is my initial gush of blather :D  I'm anticipating a lot of joy coming from this box. 
      By the way, it is afternoon here and I have to go to work in a few minutes--so this is not the enthusiasm that comes from an after work martini...
(http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lfwta76Sci1qew91zo1_400.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on November 10, 2014, 06:52:28 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on November 09, 2014, 11:50:39 PM
Wowie-Zowie.

[asin]B00LL4U1TE[/asin]

  This could be the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.  It is true that I enjoy most things that I put on, but so far, everything that I have played from this box has made me excited
  There are a lot of usual suspects, and even duplication (3 versions of Ravel's La Valse?), but there are also a ton of rarer items, unusual combinations, and even bizarre picks (a disc of marches?!).  If what I have heard so far proves to be a fair indicator, however, this box is long on freshness.  You really get the feeling that Bernstein and the band are playing things because that is what they really want to be playing right at that moment. 
   Anyway, that is my initial gush of blather :D  I'm anticipating a lot of joy coming from this box. 
      By the way, it is afternoon here and I have to go to work in a few minutes--so this is not the enthusiasm that comes from an after work martini...

I am glad that your box mania is reawakening! The joy of new discoveries - the musical gems just waiting to be found in the dance of boxes...

(http://www.picturesof.net/_images_300/Dancing_3D_Gift_Boxes_Royalty_Free_Clipart_Picture_100203-052297-754042.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on November 10, 2014, 08:14:28 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on November 10, 2014, 06:52:28 AM
I am glad that your box mania is reawakening! The joy of new discoveries - the musical gems just waiting to be found in the dance of boxes...

(http://www.picturesof.net/_images_300/Dancing_3D_Gift_Boxes_Royalty_Free_Clipart_Picture_100203-052297-754042.jpg)

It's remarkable considering how much BB is enjoying his conductor-centric box that he wouldn't want more of them ...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 10, 2014, 02:34:59 PM
Quote from: Ken B on November 10, 2014, 08:14:28 AM
It's remarkable considering how much BB is enjoying his conductor-centric box that he wouldn't want more of them ...

  Yeah, it is strange. 
      I've started a new exercise and diet regime. I eat 5-6 small healthy meals a day. Now I no longer get cravings for sweets or other foods.  Is it a coincidence that I also no longer crave more cds? :-\   
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on November 10, 2014, 02:38:02 PM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on November 10, 2014, 02:34:59 PM
  Yeah, it is strange. 
      I've started a new exercise and diet regime. I eat 5-6 small healthy meals a day. Now I no longer get cravings for sweets or other foods.  Is it a coincidence that I also no longer crave more cds? :-\
Denial. In deep, deep denial. Those Abbado boxes are great...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 10, 2014, 03:45:27 PM
Quote from: Ken B on November 10, 2014, 02:38:02 PM
Denial. In deep, deep denial. Those Abbado boxes are great...
I know, I've had them for months 8)

(Actually, I haven't played a single disc from the newer Abbado box.  And probably only a 1/3 to 1/2 of the big Korean Szell and Giulini boxes, and perhaps a similar number from several others, all of which are very good.  This, of course, is the real reason I've taken the vow 0:) 0:))
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on November 14, 2014, 01:28:27 PM
Several people, and borderline cases like Baklavaboy, have expressed interst in discussing this:

[asin]B00LL4U1TE[/asin]

So let's do it here. It's a big box after all.

So far I am really impressed by the remastering. Columbia was always an also-ran in the sound department, but most of what I hear now has depth and a sound stage. A few places I still hear the Columbia clog, but not many.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 14, 2014, 08:16:42 PM
Quote from: Ken B on November 14, 2014, 01:28:27 PM
Several people, and borderline cases like Baklavaboy, have expressed interst in discussing this:
So far I am really impressed by the remastering. Columbia was always an also-ran in the sound department, but most of what I hear now has depth and a sound stage. A few places I still hear the Columbia clog, but not many.

  Yeah, sound is fine.  I am not exactly finicky about sound myself, as long as it gets into the "good" range (the window of what i consider "good" is pretty damned wide).  There are plenty of old recordings that fall below that for me (for example, I have a hard time listening to the majority of the Furtwangler stuff, and can just barely (but rarely do) play Toscanini due to sound. However, almost everything else from the 50s until now works for me.   Of course it's wonderful when stuff stands out as great, but it is strange how little sound quality seems to correlate with age.  Well, maybe that's a little strong, but a lot of the 50s living stereo stuff sounds fantastic, and stuff recorded by Decca is almost always very good. There are some old sound engineers (Max Wilcox, especially) whose recordings are is always great, even back in the 50s.  The Fritz Reiner box (because of the Chicago acoustics? The recordings staff? is all radiant, and big stars like Rubinstein and Heiffetz were beautifully recorded.   Anyway, the Lenny stuff isn't "stand out" good to me, but there is nothing even a whit distracting or off-putting in anything I've heard so far.

   By the way, I've been drifting back to the symphony box for some reason, and played some Haydn symphonies and the Prokofiev 1 and 5 disc.     
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on November 14, 2014, 08:25:52 PM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on November 14, 2014, 08:16:42 PM
  Yeah, sound is fine.  I am not exactly finicky about sound myself, as long as it gets into the "good" range (the window of what i consider "good" is pretty damned wide).  There are plenty of old recordings that fall below that for me (for example, I have a hard time listening to the majority of the Furtwangler stuff, and can just barely (but rarely do) play Toscanini due to sound. However, almost everything else from the 50s until now works for me.   Of course it's wonderful when stuff stands out as great, but it is strange how little sound quality seems to correlate with age.  Well, maybe that's a little strong, but a lot of the 50s living stereo stuff sounds fantastic, and stuff recorded by Decca is almost always very good. There are some old sound engineers (Max Wilcox, especially) whose recordings are is always great, even back in the 50s.  The Fritz Reiner box (because of the Chicago acoustics? The recordings staff? is all radiant, and big stars like Rubinstein and Heiffetz were beautifully recorded.   Anyway, the Lenny stuff isn't "stand out" good to me, but there is nothing even a whit distracting or off-putting in anything I've heard so far.

   By the way, I've been drifting back to the symphony box for some reason, and played some Haydn symphonies and the Prokofiev 1 and 5 disc.   

I just bought the symphony box today.  ???

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 14, 2014, 08:42:10 PM
Quote from: Ken B on November 14, 2014, 08:25:52 PM
I just bought the symphony box today.  ???

  Because you are a wise and discerning man ;) It really is a good choice since in addition to great renditions of the usual suspects (yes, another Beethoven cycle :-X) there are a lot of things you don't see otherwise (American composers etc.).  When you get tired of Symphonies, come back to Box II for Smetana's Bartered Bride, grieg's March of the Dwarfs, or that delicious Miraculous Mandarin...

  By the way, right now I'm listening to that super cheap little Russian box we bought some time back.  it's easy to forget that one because it seems so cheap and anonymous, but I've yet to hear anything bad out of that box, and most of it I've never even heard of anywhere else... 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Pat B on November 14, 2014, 08:54:07 PM
FYI there's also a long-running thread about Bernstein: http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,1346.0.html (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,1346.0.html).

I am a fan, but those boxes aren't for me because of how many of his Columbia/Sony recordings I already have.

And, I recently got the Fricsay box, which so far is really, really great. I was reluctant to get it, partly because I suspected I already had the highlights. But now, I've listened to 4 discs (in no particular order) and I'm starting to wonder when -- or if -- I'm going to get to one that is not a highlight.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 14, 2014, 08:57:48 PM
Quote from: Pat B on November 14, 2014, 08:54:07 PM
And, I recently got the Fricsay box, which so far is really, really great. I was reluctant to get it, partly because I suspected I already had the highlights. But now, I've listened to 4 discs (in no particular order) and I'm starting to wonder when -- or if -- I'm going to get to one that is not a highlight.

  Pat, how is the sound in that box?  Frankly I need another box set of the main repertoire like I need another vasectomy, but I'm curious about the sound.  Is it Toscanini at NBC good, or Szell in Cleveland good? Or, god forbid, even better? ???
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on November 14, 2014, 10:16:38 PM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on November 14, 2014, 08:57:48 PM
  Pat, how is the sound in that box?  Frankly I need another box set of the main repertoire like I need another vasectomy, but I'm curious about the sound.  Is it Toscanini at NBC good, or Szell in Cleveland good? Or, god forbid, even better? ???

Great sound! Rarities! Get it!  >:D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on November 14, 2014, 11:29:57 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on November 14, 2014, 10:16:38 PM
Great sound! Rarities! Get it!  >:D

There's your answer Al: mono.  >:D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Pat B on November 15, 2014, 04:04:27 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on November 14, 2014, 08:57:48 PM
Pat, how is the sound in that box?  Frankly I need another box set of the main repertoire like I need another vasectomy, but I'm curious about the sound.  Is it Toscanini at NBC good, or Szell in Cleveland good? Or, god forbid, even better? ???

Much of it is mono, but the sound is way, way better than Toscanini. Off the top of my head I'd say it's in the same ballpark as Szell, but that might be optimistic. If I remember, I'll do a quick A-B next week.

I know what you mean about repertoire, and I generally try not to urge people to buy stuff, and in this case I've only heard (including the ones I already had individually) about a quarter of the contents. All that said, I am very enthusiastic about this set so far, more so than I ever was about my other big boxes (except maybe Gardiner's Cantatas which was twice the cost).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 15, 2014, 04:17:36 AM
Quote from: Pat B on November 15, 2014, 04:04:27 AM
Much of it is mono, but the sound is way, way better than Toscanini. Off the top of my head I'd say it's in the same ballpark as Szell, but that might be optimistic. If I remember, I'll do a quick A-B next week.

I know what you mean about repertoire, and I generally try not to urge people to buy stuff, and in this case I've only heard (including the ones I already had individually) about a quarter of the contents. All that said, I am very enthusiastic about this set so far, more so than I ever was about my other big boxes (except maybe Gardiner's Cantatas which was twice the cost).

  Thanks for that. I appreciate it.  Don't worry about the A/B!  That's a plenty good summary :)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on November 15, 2014, 05:31:47 AM
While I do not have the Fricsay Box (because I have a lot of it already) I can also confirm that most of the mono recordings in there sound very good, some may be among the best mono recordings I have heard. A few of the earliest ones or those taken from the Berlin Radio may be more restricted, but these are very few (I think Till and Don Juan belong there, although the interpretations are great in a "lean and mean" way).

There is also some comparably unusual repertoire, like Hartmann, von Einem, Liebermann and other 1950s "Moderate Modernists". Other things like Bartok and Stravinsky are of course covered much better nowadays. Back then they were without a doubt reference recordings (and I think they still hold up quite well).

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on November 15, 2014, 11:45:25 AM
Plus the fact that the discs are filled to the brim with music (and you get original jackets)!   ;D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: amw on November 15, 2014, 12:05:28 PM
Quote from: Pat B on November 14, 2014, 08:54:07 PM
And, I recently got the Fricsay box, which so far is really, really great. I was reluctant to get it, partly because I suspected I already had the highlights. But now, I've listened to 4 discs (in no particular order) and I'm starting to wonder when -- or if -- I'm going to get to one that is not a highlight.
Someone recently gave me this as an early birthday present. I've been quite hesitant because the last thing I need is lots of standard rep in substandard sound, as most of these boxes seem to be. However out of curiosity I've started listening to some of the discs of less common repertoire and find the mono sound pretty good, for mono anyway. Better than my LPs of the Toscanini/NBC Beethoven set, Casals@Prades Schubert 5tet or Taneyev/Rostropovich Schubert 5tet. No complaint with the stereo recordings, apart from the subpar orchestral playing they could have been made last week.

(This is the same someone who gave my dad the Complete Bach Edition for his 50th birthday. He's now almost 53 and still hasn't taken it out of the plastic wrap. So presumably this someone expects a better reaction this time with insightful comments of a musicological nature)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on November 15, 2014, 01:20:09 PM
Quote from: amw on November 15, 2014, 12:05:28 PM
Someone recently gave me this as an early birthday present. I've been quite hesitant because the last thing I need is lots of standard rep in substandard sound, as most of these boxes seem to be. However out of curiosity I've started listening to some of the discs of less common repertoire and find the mono sound pretty good, for mono anyway. Better than my LPs of the Toscanini/NBC Beethoven set, Casals@Prades Schubert 5tet or Taneyev/Rostropovich Schubert 5tet. No complaint with the stereo recordings, apart from the subpar orchestral playing they could have been made last week.

(This is the same someone who gave my dad the Complete Bach Edition for his 50th birthday. He's now almost 53 and still hasn't taken it out of the plastic wrap. So presumably this someone expects a better reaction this time with insightful comments of a musicological nature)

I hate to break it to you, but you were adopted. I am your real father. Please forward my Bach.
C.O.D. is fine.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Cosi bel do on November 15, 2014, 01:25:22 PM
About the Fricsay box :
- It is an excellent bargain for recordings that are, for most of them, really incredibly beautiful and among the best for most pieces recorded in it. Most recordings with RIAS/Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin are astonishing of detail, precision and power, as much with the grand repertoire (Tchaikovsky 6, Dvorak 9) than with lesser-known pieces.
- Not all the box is in mono, maybe 1/4 of it is in stereo. The mono is generally dry and precise, better than most mono recordings (but inferior to Westminster for instance). The stereo is fine, wide and flattering early DG stereo, beautiful except a few very small defects coming from original sources.

A true must-have IMHO.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 20, 2014, 05:18:55 AM
this cropped up in my local shop.

[asin]B00M8PBQT4[/asin]

  It's a surprisingly slender box.  It's going for a kind of classy look, like a musical dutch-chocolate. 

  Moonfish, have you been studying this one much? I'm curious how much overlap it has with other popular boxes (like the two Decca sound boxes, Abbado, etc.).  It is about $120 at the place I saw it, or about 9 weeks of my CD allowance.  Don't think I'll be getting it anytime soon, but hope to get some vicarious enthusiasm from fellow box blatherers :).

By the way, regarding the Fricsay, I do have the Membran 10 CD discount box.  I have just played the two Bartok discs and the first disc of Don Giovani highlights. Sound is pretty good on those. Might be very close to the big DG box...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on November 20, 2014, 06:40:42 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on November 20, 2014, 05:18:55 AM
this cropped up in my local shop.

[asin]B00M8PBQT4[/asin]

  It's a surprisingly slender box.  It's going for a kind of classy look, like a musical dutch-chocolate. 

  Moonfish, have you been studying this one much? I'm curious how much overlap it has with other popular boxes (like the two Decca sound boxes, Abbado, etc.).  It is about $120 at the place I saw it, or about 9 weeks of my CD allowance.  Don't think I'll be getting it anytime soon, but hope to get some vicarious enthusiasm from fellow box blatherers :).

What?! You haven't pre-ordered this box yet? *Checks your temperature*

Haven't been doing a lot of comparative research. It is a fun (but somewhat peripheral) compilation that I think is more pertinent if you are interested in historical recordings (50s-70s). On the positive side the box is filled with a blend of amazing conductors which would be interesting to explore.
BUT...three cycles (Brahms, Bruckner, Beethoven) compiled in a mosaic from different conductors. You really need more Beethoven, Bruckner and Brahms cycles, right? Right?  :D

Sooooo, perhaps something to look into if the price drops immensely, if you suffer from CDCDCD and/or if you are a completist.
On a different note I think this would be a great set for somebody starting out in building a classical music collection. What do you think?

Still - it is like a GIANT BOX OF CHOCOLATES!!!!!!     
Buy it!!!    >:D :'( >:D :'( >:D :'( :P

(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Zxv34_EkEbY/TTItOkexGkI/AAAAAAAACkE/0_czICX3BSM/s1600/See%2527s%2BCandies%2BNuts%2B%2526%2BChews.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: North Star on November 20, 2014, 07:05:16 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on November 20, 2014, 06:40:42 AM
Still - it is like a GIANT BOX OF CHOCOLATES!!!!!!     
Buy it!!!    >:D :'( >:D :'( >:D :'( :P
Ugh, my Forrest Gump allergy is acting up.  :-X
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 21, 2014, 05:08:04 AM
Anyone besides The Moon and I have the big Westminster?

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51W0FPN4ZdL.jpg)

  Playing disc 51: the Scherchen(conducter) Dukas, Falla, chabrier, Ravel disc.  They probably overdid the stereo effects at times, but it's a fun and delightful disc.  The recording is really great. 

  Have you played this one yet, Moonfish? If not, you really should play it. Maybe on the way to work. A great way to start the day :)

  I like Scherchen a lot.  A real maverick.  I was afraid the recording quality would be distractingly "historical"--but not at all.  It may not be "Living Stereo" 50s good, but better than almost anything  else from the same time period (better than comtemporaneous DG, I think).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Cosi bel do on November 21, 2014, 05:15:43 AM
I do of course, I have both (+ the third smaller European box) :)

The sound is indeed one of the reasons why these recordings are so good. It's even more overwhelming in chamber music, but Scherchen's, Rodzinski's and others recordings here are among the best. I slightly prefer the mono recordings. Stereo recordings appear to sound better when they were done in London.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 21, 2014, 05:28:01 AM
Quote from: Discobolus on November 21, 2014, 05:15:43 AM
I do of course, I have both (+ the third smaller European box) :)

The sound is indeed one of the reasons why these recordings are so good. It's even more overwhelming in chamber music, but Scherchen's, Rodzinski's and others recordings here are among the best. I slightly prefer the mono recordings. Stereo recordings appear to sound better when they were done in London.

  Glad you are along. Moonie and I have the triumvirate as well.  Love those chamber works, especially the Haydn (well, probably because they are the ones I've focused on the most :D).  The microphone choices always seemed so...sensible.  No one was trying to prove anything, just capture good sound. 
   Just finished Ravel and switched to disc 45, with Scherchen's ultra-swift Beethoven 6 and 7.  So weird to hear 60 year old recordings with this pacing.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Cosi bel do on November 21, 2014, 06:21:12 AM
The greatest Beethoven by Scherchen is the second Eroica, the stereo one, in box "3". Astonishing, without any equivalent in the whole discography.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 21, 2014, 06:29:31 AM
Quote from: Discobolus on November 21, 2014, 06:21:12 AM
The greatest Beethoven by Scherchen is the second Eroica, the stereo one, in box "3". Astonishing, without any equivalent in the whole discography.

   Yes, I love that one too. The 6 and 7 I am listening to now are not particularly impressive, however. The 6 in particular is unsatisfying...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on November 21, 2014, 06:56:57 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on November 21, 2014, 05:08:04 AM
Anyone besides The Moon and I have the big Westminster?

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51W0FPN4ZdL.jpg)

  Playing disc 51: the Scherchen(conducter) Dukas, Falla, chabrier, Ravel disc.  They probably overdid the stereo effects at times, but it's a fun and delightful disc.  The recording is really great. 

  Have you played this one yet, Moonfish? If not, you really should play it. Maybe on the way to work. A great way to start the day :)

  I like Scherchen a lot.  A real maverick.  I was afraid the recording quality would be distractingly "historical"--but not at all.  It may not be "Living Stereo" 50s good, but better than almost anything  else from the same time period (better than comtemporaneous DG, I think).

Nope, I haven't listened to 51 (Dukas, Ravel et al), but I will follow your lead!  :)

Quote from: BaklavaboyGlad you are along. Moonie and I have the triumvirate as well.  Love those chamber works, especially the Haydn

Definitely! The chamber box was/is charming and was ultimately responsible for me getting the other sets. I fell for the Schubert recordings quickly followed by the Haydn. Have you listened to Schubert's Octet?

Quote from: discobolusThe greatest Beethoven by Scherchen is the second Eroica, the stereo one, in box "3". Astonishing, without any equivalent in the whole discography.

Yes, a powerful Eroica! Why aren't Scherchen's recordings more widely available...? It seems like his legacy has melted away for some obscure reason.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on November 21, 2014, 07:57:45 AM
The older mono Beethoven symphonies were on CD from Tahra and Archipel, the stereo Eroica and Pastoral on the dozen or so of Universal's Westminster reissues. The 8th (which is my favorite recording of the piece) was also on a great conductors twofer, I think. But overall, it is a pity that many recordings were never internationally available on CD.
The St Matthew is the most dramatic I have heard (unfortunately the choir is not great and some pieces are taken extremely slow (the final chorus, the first chorus "Kommt ihr Toechter" is almost as fast as the newer HIP people). The stereo Art of Fugue is also great, very passionate, as far from "dry counterpoint" as it gets.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Cosi bel do on November 21, 2014, 03:17:45 PM
The part of Scherchen's legacy that remains badly distributed are his Haydn recordings. Despite Tahra and Universal, there are still mostly unavailable, except in a very expensive and out of print set...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 25, 2014, 05:30:30 PM
Question for those who have this box:

[asin]B000VIFM1S[/asin]

  How is the book that comes with it?

  I missed this box when it came up, but am thinking of trying to get a used copy if I can find a reasonable price.  I actually downloaded a version and like it, but kind of want the real thing.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on November 25, 2014, 05:45:27 PM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on November 25, 2014, 05:30:30 PM
Question for those who have this box:

[asin]B000VIFM1S[/asin]

  How is the book that comes with it?

  I missed this box when it came up, but am thinking of trying to get a used copy if I can find a reasonable price.  I actually downloaded a version and like it, but kind of want the real thing.

Big, beautiful. Best box book by bunches. Beats blasé box books brainless.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on November 25, 2014, 06:09:10 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on November 21, 2014, 06:56:57 AM
Nope, I haven't listened to 51 (Dukas, Ravel et al), but I will follow your lead!  :)

Definitely! The chamber box was/is charming and was ultimately responsible for me getting the other sets. I fell for the Schubert recordings quickly followed by the Haydn. Have you listened to Schubert's Octet?

Yes, a powerful Eroica! Why aren't Scherchen's recordings more widely available...? It seems like his legacy has melted away for some obscure reason.

Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?

(http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/3c/44/83/3c44837929ea70a179cecf15aec624d7.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: kishnevi on November 25, 2014, 06:28:03 PM
Quote from: Ken B on November 25, 2014, 06:09:10 PM
Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?

(http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/3c/44/83/3c44837929ea70a179cecf15aec624d7.jpg)

If you see a sailor giving an emotional embrace to a female, yes.  Nice combination of the two symphonic titles.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 26, 2014, 01:00:26 AM
Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on November 25, 2014, 06:28:03 PM
If you see a sailor giving an emotional embrace to a female, yes.

  took me a while to see that, but you're right. First I was seeing something more like what Ken was >:D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on November 26, 2014, 06:58:43 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on November 26, 2014, 01:00:26 AM
  took me a while to see that, but you're right. First I was seeing something more like what Ken was >:D
Yeah. After Jeffrey posted then, after a second or two, I could see he was right. It's a sailor's cap not part of his collar, and the picture re-orients ...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Cosi bel do on November 26, 2014, 07:04:10 AM
A lot of these Westminster midprice covers were really strange. One of the most ugly and weirdly alluring is, I guess, the following :

(http://www.kimbawlion.com/westminstergold/WGS-8126a.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on November 26, 2014, 09:21:01 PM
Quote from: Discobolus on November 26, 2014, 07:04:10 AM
A lot of these Westminster midprice covers were really strange. One of the most ugly and weirdly alluring is, I guess, the following :

(http://www.kimbawlion.com/westminstergold/WGS-8126a.jpg)
Yes. I spent years trying to buy this LP to put on my wall, but when one seller delivered it to me, they had sent a reissue with a different cover. Meanwhile, one of my college friends found it in a thrift shop. You can see his copy in the background of this almost-silent comedy - and hear his copy on the soundtrack!

http://www.youtube.com/v/SVAjLyv79go
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on November 26, 2014, 10:44:13 PM
Quote from: Brian on November 26, 2014, 09:21:01 PM
Yes. I spent years trying to buy this LP to put on my wall, but when one seller delivered it to me, they had sent a reissue with a different cover. Meanwhile, one of my college friends found it in a thrift shop. You can see his copy in the background of this almost-silent comedy - and hear his copy on the soundtrack!

http://www.youtube.com/v/SVAjLyv79go

Creative film!  :D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: North Star on November 26, 2014, 10:48:06 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on November 26, 2014, 10:44:13 PM
Creative film!  :D
Looks more like a documentary to me.  8) (not that I'm personally that bad with deadlines)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on November 26, 2014, 10:53:50 PM
Quote from: North Star on November 26, 2014, 10:48:06 PM
Looks more like a documentary to me.  8) (not that I'm personally that bad with deadlines)

Well, one can get a lot done in four minutes...... :P
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on November 26, 2014, 11:34:30 PM
I missed it the first time. Behind the protagonist's right shoulder at 0:56 f.
Which campus was that filmed on?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on November 27, 2014, 05:37:53 AM
Quote from: Jo498 on November 26, 2014, 11:34:30 PM
I missed it the first time. Behind the protagonist's right shoulder at 0:56 f.
Which campus was that filmed on?

Also at 5:00!  :)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on November 27, 2014, 05:41:22 AM
Quote from: Jo498 on November 26, 2014, 11:34:30 PM
I missed it the first time. Behind the protagonist's right shoulder at 0:56 f.
Which campus was that filmed on?
Rice University in Houston, Texas.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Pat B on November 27, 2014, 05:56:41 AM
Quote from: Brian on November 27, 2014, 05:41:22 AM
Rice University in Houston, Texas.

Doesn't look like it to me. :-[

ETA: Well, it does when I actually play the video.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: PerfectWagnerite on November 27, 2014, 06:19:04 AM
Quote from: Discobolus on November 26, 2014, 07:04:10 AM
A lot of these Westminster midprice covers were really strange. One of the most ugly and weirdly alluring is, I guess, the following :

(http://www.kimbawlion.com/westminstergold/WGS-8126a.jpg)
I have this one from EMI that strikes me as a non sequitur:

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41gcUekLUoL._SL500_AA280_.jpg)

I gather that either

1) Kennedy or Rattle or both are dog lovers
2) Kennedy or Rattle is so-called "Big Dog" in this music.

It is even more strange since Kennedy has another recording of this music with a much more traditional cover:

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51kwITVG3kL._SX425_.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Gurn Blanston on November 27, 2014, 06:34:53 AM
Quote from: PerfectWagnerite on November 27, 2014, 06:19:04 AM
I have this one from EMI that strikes me as a non sequitur:

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41gcUekLUoL._SL500_AA280_.jpg)

I gather that either

1) Kennedy or Rattle or both are dog lovers
2) Kennedy or Rattle is so-called "Big Dog" in this music.

It is even more strange since Kennedy has another recording of this music with a much more traditional cover:

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51kwITVG3kL._SX425_.jpg)

I love that Westminster cover, which I only first saw in our own 'Horrible CD covers' thread!

I should have thought the bulldog (symbol of Britain for the last 100 years, at least outside of Britain) referred to the all-Brit repertoire. The Big Dog analogy seems a bit strained given those two subjects... :D

8)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on November 27, 2014, 06:40:21 AM
Quote from: Gurn Blanston on November 27, 2014, 06:34:53 AM
I love that Westminster cover, which I only first saw in our own 'Horrible CD covers' thread!

I should have thought the bulldog (symbol of Britain for the last 100 years, at least outside of Britain) referred to the all-Brit repertoire. The Big Dog analogy seems a bit strained given those two subjects... :D

8)

A lovely landscape painting indeed!   8)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 27, 2014, 06:54:47 AM
My box-buying cash reserve has slowly grown.  Anticipating soon getting either the Seon big box or the new Decca "black chocolate" box.  Is it is a coincidence that since I stopped buying music I seem to have less energy and enthusiasm (in general)?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on November 27, 2014, 06:58:33 AM
Quote from: Pat B on November 27, 2014, 05:56:41 AM
Doesn't look like it to me. :-[

ETA: Well, it does when I actually play the video.
That freeze-frame image is a new coffee shop pavilion they built around 2009. Campus reaction has been divided, to say the least.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on November 27, 2014, 08:52:52 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on November 27, 2014, 06:54:47 AM
My box-buying cash reserve has slowly grown.  Anticipating soon getting either the Seon big box or the new Decca "black chocolate" box.  Is it is a coincidence that since I stopped buying music I seem to have less energy and enthusiasm (in general)?

Yes, it is life sustaining! You....have...to...get..........both....  *gasp* *puff* *acckk*...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on November 27, 2014, 05:45:48 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on November 27, 2014, 08:52:52 AM
Yes, it is life sustaining! You....have...to...get..........both....  *gasp* *puff* *acckk*...

Dear god Al, your abstemiousness is killing Moonfish! Scrooge-by-proxy Syndrome!

The Seon box looks about half duplicates to me. Check it carefully.  :(
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 27, 2014, 08:33:19 PM
Quote from: Ken B on November 27, 2014, 05:45:48 PM
Dear god Al, your abstemiousness is killing Moonfish! Scrooge-by-proxy Syndrome!
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 27, 2014, 08:42:03 PM
Quote from: Ken B on November 27, 2014, 05:45:48 PM
The Seon box looks about half duplicates to me. Check it carefully.  :(

  I counted and have 22, if I recall correctly. 

   Due to my concern for Moonfishes's health, I upped my CD allowance to about $25 a week.  Still more than I reasonably need, but I can still have the fun of new music without feeling guilty about spending too much.
   
  My weakest area of appreciation is opera. I wondered what you guys thought of this as a way in:
[asin] B000W03ROE[/asin]

  I actually have virtually not touched the discount (but good) Verdi and Wagner boxes I have, so maybe it would also go un(der)appreciated.  ...or, maybe it would be the easiest way to become a fan?  It seems like when I play opera I like it, but I virtually never reach for it. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on November 27, 2014, 09:02:14 PM
If you want to get into Opera, a good DVD or blu-ray would be a MUCH better introduction than bleeding chunk CD box sets. I would be happy to recommend a couple for you if you are interested.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 28, 2014, 05:24:23 AM
Quote from: bigshot on November 27, 2014, 09:02:14 PM
If you want to get into Opera, a good DVD or blu-ray would be a MUCH better introduction than bleeding chunk CD box sets. I would be happy to recommend a couple for you if you are interested.

  thanks, Big Shot.
I would be delighted to have some recommendations! Blu-ray preferably.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on November 28, 2014, 09:25:44 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on November 28, 2014, 05:24:23 AM
  thanks, Big Shot.
I would be delighted to have some recommendations! Blu-ray preferably.


I agree with Bigshot. A highlights compilation is not a good idea. I cringe every time I come across highlight disks (actually any highlight disk except for arias focusing on specific singers). It is like reading Reader's Digest. Can you imagine a highlight disk of Bruckner's 6th?  :'( :'(

I know this is a dvd set, but it is a pretty good one.  Besides, you would become a Verdi maniac as well!    >:D >:D

[asin] B00C7UJCLY[/asin]
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on November 28, 2014, 09:29:01 AM
If you aren't seeing opera on the stage, but are watching it as a movie, it's best to start with versions that are photographed as movies. Once the opera bug bites you, you can move on to televised stage presentations. Sorry about the image sizes. Start with Traviata or Don Giovanni. Those are spectacular films.

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71Dkb9Xj7KL._SL1080_.jpg)
http://www.amazon.com/Verdi-Traviata-Teresa-Stratas/dp/B000T0XEGS/

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Gs1NFZU%2BL.jpg)
http://www.amazon.com/Don-Giovanni-Blu-ray-Ruggero-Raimondi/dp/B00A32GZOK/

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71MguGaG04L._SL1252_.jpg)
http://www.amazon.com/Carmen-Blu-ray-Placido-Domingo/dp/B0054YIQK8/

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51h4A%2BTgSJL.jpg)
http://www.amazon.com/Rosenkavalier-Film-Blu-ray-Elisabeth-Schwarzkopf/dp/B0043988GW/
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 28, 2014, 04:23:01 PM
Thanks for the suggestions, gentlemen.  I will see what I can do.  I actually have a couple of these already, and always plan to watch them...but don't.  It isn't really an opera thing, but a free-time thing (I also can also rarely sit through a movie these days.  This is stranger than it sounds, I have undergraduate and graduate degrees in film studies, and used to frequently watch 3 movies in a row). For some reason, when I try to watch anything over 1/2 an hour long, I feel strangely guilty, like I'm squandering valuable time.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on November 28, 2014, 05:31:05 PM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on November 28, 2014, 04:23:01 PM
Thanks for the suggestions, gentlemen.  I will see what I can do.  I actually have a couple of these already, and always plan to watch them...but don't.  It isn't really an opera thing, but a free-time thing (I also can also rarely sit through a movie these days.  This is stranger than it sounds, I have undergraduate and graduate degrees in film studies, and used to frequently watch 3 movies in a row). For some reason, when I try to watch anything over 1/2 an hour long, I feel strangely guilty, like I'm squandering valuable time.

Interesting! I feel exactly the same way! What happened to the days when one could take in double features? There used to be a very cool cinema in my town that showed artsy movies from the past on the big screen. Quite a bit of fun!
In terms of operas I got really hooked when I watched (listened to) La Traviata with Gheorghiu. Fantastic performance! I fell for her voice and "acting" while entranced by Verdi's music. Loved it!

[asin] B000059QY3[/asin]
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on November 29, 2014, 10:08:28 AM
Quote from: Baklavaboy on November 28, 2014, 04:23:01 PMwhen I try to watch anything over 1/2 an hour long, I feel strangely guilty, like I'm squandering valuable time.

How do you get through Mahler or Bruckner symphonies?

For me, spending time on a good movie is a luxury, like soaking in a hot bath. Every Sunday night is movie night for sure, and I squeeze a few more films in during the rest of the week too. It helps to have a dedicated theater room and friends who come over to join me watching movies too.

Start with Zeffirelli's Traviata. That is one of the most beautiful opera films I've ever seen. The score is trimmed a bit to make it play better as a film, but that will be a good thing for you, because there are no parts that drag at all. No chance to feel guilty about the time you are taking to watch it.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 29, 2014, 06:12:05 PM
Quote from: bigshot on November 29, 2014, 10:08:28 AM
How do you get through Mahler or Bruckner symphonies?

   ;D  For one, I never just sit and listen. Usually I read or "do something" on the internet. That is ironic because the internet truly is wasting time.  However, it feels like I'm doing something.
    It's hard to watch operas, too, because I'm married with children.  I got really excited by the filmed Boulez version of the Ring (didn't like the Levine and HATE the visuals of the Barenboim), but it bored my wife to tears. I watched a nice Magic Flute, which my daughters actually joined me watching and enjoyed (they had learned about it in school).  My wife sat through a really fun "Barber of Seville" with me but it was the exception that proves the rule--I haven't found another opera that moves that quickly and is as fun (and she just barely made it through that). 
  I've rented a couple of other opera Blu-Rays, but I had bad luck, i guess. I found the productions just terrible. One opened with a group of ninjas assassinating someone (it was not a modern opera).  It looked like it had been choreographed by a 14-year-old, and thought up by his little brother.
   I made it half way through a very good Julius Caesar that came with the HMD baroque opera box, but then the family came home and I never made it back to it...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on November 29, 2014, 10:16:21 PM
You can't really multi-task with opera. It's as much drama as it is music.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 30, 2014, 01:55:53 AM
Quote from: bigshot on November 29, 2014, 10:16:21 PM
You can't really multi-task with opera. It's as much drama as it is music.

  I never multi-task with anything I'm watching, ever. Which is probably why I don't watch anything anymore.  If we are watching a movie together and my wife asks me a question, I pause the movie while I answer.

  BTW, I got another of the little DHM 10 disc boxes today.  The Leonhardt bach edition.  DHM boxes are all worth blathering about. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: mc ukrneal on November 30, 2014, 07:31:57 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on November 27, 2014, 08:42:03 PM
  I counted and have 22, if I recall correctly. 

   Due to my concern for Moonfishes's health, I upped my CD allowance to about $25 a week.  Still more than I reasonably need, but I can still have the fun of new music without feeling guilty about spending too much.
   
  My weakest area of appreciation is opera. I wondered what you guys thought of this as a way in:
[asin] B000W03ROE[/asin]

  I actually have virtually not touched the discount (but good) Verdi and Wagner boxes I have, so maybe it would also go un(der)appreciated.  ...or, maybe it would be the easiest way to become a fan?  It seems like when I play opera I like it, but I virtually never reach for it. 
Well, it doesn't look too bad as these things go. It has a lot of operas from Mozart to Strauss, but it is sorely lacking in breadth outside that period (20th centuty is under-represented). But it is difficult to find something with both depth and breadth. Within that period it hits on a number of the great operas. As I see that time is an issue for you, highlights can be a way to enjoy the music/drama without having to commit to long periods of time. Within this category though, you could also consider various aria discs, which would center around a particular voice (for example). ALthough, you may have the same problem as with this survey in that many focus on certain types of roles/sounds/etc. So as way to gain exposure, it is not really bad at all.

Thing is, if you really like something from a highlight, you can always run out and get the whole opera (whether video or disc).

If your wife liked Barber of Seville, she might like Mozart's Marriage of Figaro as well. Music is glorious and it is hilarious at times.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 30, 2014, 07:45:45 AM
Quote from: mc ukrneal on November 30, 2014, 07:31:57 AM
Well, it doesn't look too bad as these things go. It has a lot of operas from Mozart to Strauss, but it is sorely lacking in breadth outside that period (20th centuty is under-represented). But it is difficult to find something with both depth and breadth. Within that period it hits on a number of the great operas. As I see that time is an issue for you, highlights can be a way to enjoy the music/drama without having to commit to long periods of time. Within this category though, you could also consider various aria discs, which would center around a particular voice (for example). ALthough, you may have the same problem as with this survey in that many focus on certain types of roles/sounds/etc. So as way to gain exposure, it is not really bad at all.

Thing is, if you really like something from a highlight, you can always run out and get the whole opera (whether video or disc).

If your wife liked Barber of Seville, she might like Mozart's Marriage of Figaro as well. Music is glorious and it is hilarious at times.

Thanks for the comments, MC.   About Marriage of Figaro, I actually have a filmed version that is more along the Zefirelli filmed lines (in fact, it might even be Zefirelli...) that Bigshot mentioned above.  I actually forgot I had it.  I need to start watching/listening to opera in the daytime, when i have the house to myself...then if I really like it, I can see if the Mrs will watch it with me...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on November 30, 2014, 09:29:09 AM
Not all Zeffirelli is the same. He did design for the stage and he did filmed versions shot as movies. Traviata is the latter. It plays like a film in real locations, so it might be easier for opera newbies to connect with. All of the recommendations I made were shot as films on location.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: mc ukrneal on November 30, 2014, 09:31:13 AM
Quote from: bigshot on November 30, 2014, 09:29:09 AM
Not all Zeffirelli is the same. He did design for the stage and he did filmed versions shot as movies. Traviata is the latter. It plays like a film in real locations, so it might be easier for opera newbies to connect with. All of the recommendations I made were shot as films on location.
His Otello with Domingo is like that.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: marvinbrown on December 03, 2014, 10:42:27 PM

While we are on the subject of opera and Verdi and seeing as how this is the BOX BLATHER thread, it is with great sadness and dismay that I announce that the following mega boxset released in Feb 2013, has gone OOP! DECCA has deleted it from its production line. I looked at my copy and I seem to have number 0047. So the 47th copy. It must not have sold well at all.  >:( This is proof that not only is classical music marginalised within the domain of the music industry (pop, rock, etc.) but opera as a genre is marginalised within the classical music repertoire as a whole. Sad day indeed!

  [asin]B00AFOS8A0[/asin]

  marvin
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: The new erato on December 04, 2014, 01:39:08 AM
Quote from: marvinbrown on December 03, 2014, 10:42:27 PM

but opera as a genre is marginalised within the classical music repertoire as a whole. Sad day indeed!

  [asin]B00AFOS8A0[/asin]

  marvin
And gigaboxes where buffs regularly have upwards of 60% of the works already, are even more marginalized. There was a Verdi box for some years with 95% of the same recordings, this set only supplanted a handful of works with DG recordings (IIRC). I got that "original" set for around £80 IIRC. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: marvinbrown on December 04, 2014, 02:01:49 AM
Quote from: The new erato on December 04, 2014, 01:39:08 AM
And gigaboxes where buffs regularly have upwards of 60% of the works already, are even more marginalized. There was a Verdi box for some years with 95% of the same recordings, this set only supplanted a handful of works with DG recordings (IIRC). I got that "original" set for around £80 IIRC.

  You did well to pick that box up.  Good price too:)

  [asin]B0032CJ37E[/asin]

  I really can not express the immense joy the Verdi  boxset has given me.  The quality of recordings (save for a few ie 2-3) are top notch. Plus recordings of both La Forzas and Don Carlo/s that Verdi composed are included and many rarities.  I know I will treasure this boxset for many years to come.

  marvin
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: The new erato on December 04, 2014, 02:18:37 AM
Of course I went to amazon.it for that price. A couple of years ago.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on December 04, 2014, 06:35:26 AM
Quote from: marvinbrown on December 04, 2014, 02:01:49 AM
  You did well to pick that box up.  Good price too:)


  I really can not express the immense joy the Verdi  boxset has given me.  The quality of recordings (save for a few ie 2-3) are top notch. Plus recordings of both La Forzas and Don Carlo/s that Verdi composed are included and many rarities.  I know I will treasure this boxset for many years to come.

  marvin

+1

:)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on December 04, 2014, 09:32:06 AM
Decca might have shot themselves in the foot on that by releasing a slightly smaller box with just the operas people generally want.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: The new erato on December 04, 2014, 12:09:52 PM
Quote from: bigshot on December 04, 2014, 09:32:06 AM
Decca might have shot themselves in the foot on that by releasing a slightly smaller box with just the operas people generally want.
?? AFAIK that slightly smaller box has all the operas complete.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on December 04, 2014, 02:19:27 PM
Quote from: The new erato on December 04, 2014, 12:09:52 PM
?? AFAIK that slightly smaller box has all the operas complete.
Well, I only wants the ones that were written.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on December 05, 2014, 06:29:31 AM
Quote from: Ken B on December 04, 2014, 02:19:27 PM
Well, I only wants the ones that were written.

you lost me on this one Ken.  BTW, I'm also curious about your antipathy for shirts and cotton, both of which I like very much.

  Down to TD.

My local shop has come out with the Monteux box for a very good price.  As far as boxes go, I am planning to eventually get:
1. Festetics Haydn String Quartets
2. Decca Weiner Phil
3. Fricsay
4. Seon
5. Monteux

I'm thinking of snapping up the Monteaux first, but am wondering if anybody has any opinions regarding it that might dissuade me (probably this is most aimed at Moonfish, who has everything except the Festetics).  What do you who have it think of the Monteux?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on December 05, 2014, 07:03:15 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on December 05, 2014, 06:29:31 AM
you lost me on this one Ken.  BTW, I'm also curious about your antipathy for shirts and cotton, both of which I like very much.

  Down to TD.

My local shop has come out with the Monteux box for a very good price.  As far as boxes go, I am planning to eventually get:
1. Festetics Haydn String Quartets
2. Decca Weiner Phil
3. Fricsay
4. Seon
5. Monteux

I'm thinking of snapping up the Monteaux first, but am wondering if anybody has any opinions regarding it that might dissuade me (probably this is most aimed at Moonfish, who has everything except the Festetics).  What do you who have it think of the Monteux?

On your list (not knowing Festetics' Haydn, but having a feeling of that it is special indeed) the Monteux is my least favorite.  I am just starting to listen to it encountering 1940s sound   ??? (wonderfully remastered, but still 40s). I like historical recordings, but if I had a limited budget I would buy Wiener, Seon and Fricsay before Monteux (again, not knowing Festetics).  Still, this depends on what you have in your collection. Most likely Fricsay would bring you an array of pieces you have not heard before (20th cent).  Personally I have had a great time with Seon (yummy Baroque) and Wiener Phil (lots of warhorses, but they are gooood). 
The sound of Monteux's recordings is likely to improve as the latter half of the compilation is from the 50s.  There is an excellent review on amazon UK by John Fowler that discusses content and Monteux's discography that you probably would like to read:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R3IZ0FOHC45M7A/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00MAPMAFQ&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=229816&store=music (http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R3IZ0FOHC45M7A/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00MAPMAFQ&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=229816&store=music)

Ultimately, you are likely to listen to it all anyways....     >:D

Peter
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on December 05, 2014, 07:12:46 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on December 05, 2014, 07:03:15 AM
On your list (not know Festetics' Haydn, but having a feeling of that it is special indeed) the Monteux is my least favorite.  I am just starting to listen to it encountering 1940s sound   ??? (wonderfully remastered, but still 40s). I like historical recordings, but if I had a limited budget I would buy Wiener, Seon and Fricsay before Monteux (again, not knowing Festetics).  Still, this depends on what you have in your collection. Most likely Fricsay would bring you an array of pieces you have not heard before (20th cent).  Personally I have had a great time with Seon (yummy Baroque) and Wiener Phil (lots of warhorses, but they are gooood). 
The sound of Monteux's recordings is likely to improve as the latter half of the compilation is from the 50s.  There is an excellent review on amazon UK by John Fowler that discusses content and Monteux's discography that you probably would like to read:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R3IZ0FOHC45M7A/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00MAPMAFQ&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=229816&store=music (http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R3IZ0FOHC45M7A/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00MAPMAFQ&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=229816&store=music)

Ultimately, you are likely to listen to it all anyways....     >:D

Peter

Excellent, Moonfish! I knew I could count on you.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: marvinbrown on December 05, 2014, 07:45:40 AM
Quote from: bigshot on December 04, 2014, 09:32:06 AM
Decca might have shot themselves in the foot on that by releasing a slightly smaller box with just the operas people generally want.

Quote from: The new erato on December 04, 2014, 12:09:52 PM
?? AFAIK that slightly smaller box has all the operas complete.


The new erato is right!  The smaller box set includes EVERYTHING Verdi composed (it contains 75 CDs) or just about everything Verdi composed. All of the operas are complete,  Question is why didn't it sell?? Anyway that issue is moot now.  I am sure more Verdi boxsets will be coming out in the distant future.

  marvin
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on December 05, 2014, 08:27:26 AM
I think it depends what you are looking for: Festetics Haydn would be "repertoire-driven", unless you already have a lot of Haydn quartets. If the latter, I'd skip the big box (unless you are completely obsessed with the music) and rather get some of the separate vols.
The Seon is probably the most interesting as far as repertoire is concerned but some of it might be counted as superseded by newer recordings (for some reasons HIP recordings sometimes age faster than others)
Decca Vienna Phil box is warhorses, I would not be interested.
Fricsay is a favorite of mine so I certainly recommend this one. The sound should be o.k. for you if you are fine with the mono Westminsters.
(Can't comment on the Monteux)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on December 05, 2014, 08:48:14 AM
Quote from: marvinbrown on December 05, 2014, 07:45:40 AM
    The new erato is right!  The smaller box set includes EVERYTHING Verdi composed (it contains 75 CDs)

No, I am talking about the smaller EMI Verdi box. It had 35 CDs and had 16 operas... Just the ones most people really want.
http://www.amazon.com/Verdi-Great-Operas-Giuseppe/dp/B00A4AI17A/

I think this set took buyers away from the big one. Why buy everything when they've already done the cherry picking for you?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on December 05, 2014, 08:52:21 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on December 05, 2014, 06:29:31 AM
you lost me on this one Ken.  BTW, I'm also curious about your antipathy for shirts and cotton, both of which I like very much.

  Down to TD.

My local shop has come out with the Monteux box for a very good price.  As far as boxes go, I am planning to eventually get:
1. Festetics Haydn String Quartets
2. Decca Weiner Phil
3. Fricsay
4. Seon
5. Monteux

I'm thinking of snapping up the Monteaux first, but am wondering if anybody has any opinions regarding it that might dissuade me (probably this is most aimed at Moonfish, who has everything except the Festetics).  What do you who have it think of the Monteux?

Shirts was the Twitter outrage over the comet guy. As for cotton ... http://www.theactivetimes.com/cotton-kill-you-case-better-fabric
I just like the phrase  :laugh:
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: The new erato on December 05, 2014, 08:53:28 AM
But EMI isn't (wasn't) Decca....you talked about Decca shooting themselves in the foot IIRC.

Quote from: bigshot on December 04, 2014, 09:32:06 AM
Decca might have shot themselves in the foot on that by releasing a slightly smaller box with just the operas people generally want.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on December 05, 2014, 12:45:36 PM
Ah! There are too many teams in this league. Hard to keep them all straight.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on December 05, 2014, 12:46:34 PM
Quote from: bigshot on December 05, 2014, 12:45:36 PM
Ah! There are too many teams in this league. Hard to keep them all straight.

True! At least we get decent price competition...   8)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: kishnevi on December 05, 2014, 01:58:55 PM
Quote from: bigshot on December 05, 2014, 08:48:14 AM
No, I am talking about the smaller EMI Verdi box. It had 35 CDs and had 16 operas... Just the ones most people really want.
http://www.amazon.com/Verdi-Great-Operas-Giuseppe/dp/B00A4AI17A/

I think this set took buyers away from the big one. Why buy everything when they've already done the cherry picking for you?

Which I may go for eventually.   I have a few of his earlier operas, and that is enough for me.  Too much oom pah pah park and bark singing, and they start to sound alike. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on December 05, 2014, 03:35:37 PM
Quote from: Ken B on December 05, 2014, 08:52:21 AM
Shirts was the Twitter outrage over the comet guy. As for cotton ... http://www.theactivetimes.com/cotton-kill-you-case-better-fabric
I just like the phrase  :laugh:

  Ah, I see. I also see why I was confused. I had mistakenly assumed there was a link between the two (Cotton shirts can hurt--and eventually kill--you).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on December 05, 2014, 04:34:29 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on December 05, 2014, 03:35:37 PM
  Ah, I see. I also see why I was confused. I had mistakenly assumed there was a link between the two (Cotton shirts can hurt--and eventually kill--you).

Drunk, and with a gun, there's no telling what a disgruntled cotton shirt might do.

TD, I continue to be impressed by Sony's Bernstein remastering.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: marvinbrown on December 05, 2014, 11:04:35 PM
Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on December 05, 2014, 01:58:55 PM
Which I may go for eventually.   I have a few of his earlier operas, and that is enough for me.  Too much oom pah pah park and bark singing, and they start to sound alike.

I don't really mind the oom pah pah and there are some wonderfully inspired moments in each of the early operas to make each one of them worth exploring. To each his own I guess.

  marvin

 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on December 06, 2014, 12:42:05 AM
I'd have expected it referred to the environmental problems cotton (needs lots of water etc.) can cause...

The article is not wrong but way over the top. People were hiking and climbing long before modern high tech wear and most of the time they did not freeze to death. I myself did quite a bit of hiking in the 90s often still in Jeans and cotton underwear/shirt, because the magic fibres were still expensive. Of course the natural "magic fibre" for cold and wet is wool, not cotton. It's actually coming back as underwear for outdoor sports.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on December 06, 2014, 02:52:06 PM
Quote from: Jo498 on December 06, 2014, 12:42:05 AM
I'd have expected it referred to the environmental problems cotton (needs lots of water etc.) can cause...

The article is not wrong but way over the top. People were hiking and climbing long before modern high tech wear and most of the time they did not freeze to death. I myself did quite a bit of hiking in the 90s often still in Jeans and cotton underwear/shirt, because the magic fibres were still expensive. Of course the natural "magic fibre" for cold and wet is wool, not cotton. It's actually coming back as underwear for outdoor sports.
Yes. Wool will insulate even if it gets wet.
Your chances of dieing of exposure are actually higher in only moderately cold weather. In brutally cold people are bundled up, but die when they have a breakdown in the middle of nowhere and it's not even freezing.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on December 10, 2014, 01:45:54 PM
The DHM 2 box just landed today, from Japan!

It is insane. It is gorgeous, just beautiful. It is stuffed with great stuff. A few duplicates, and a couple too many opera aria collections but more than enough to justify twice what I paid.

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on December 10, 2014, 02:36:32 PM
Quote from: Ken B on December 10, 2014, 01:45:54 PM
The DHM 2 box just landed today, from Japan!

It is insane. It is gorgeous, just beautiful. It is stuffed with great stuff. A few duplicates, and a couple too many opera aria collections but more than enough to justify twice what I paid.

Like a turkey?

Yep, mine arrived as well. I love how Amazon.jp ships via DHL and it arrives only two days later!  Impressive! 8)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: spooky on December 10, 2014, 02:49:17 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on December 10, 2014, 02:36:32 PM
Like a turkey?

Yep, mine arrived as well. I love how Amazon.jp ships via DHL and it arrives only two days later!  Impressive! 8)

Yes mine just arrived via Amazon.ca today - anyone discovered if there is supposed to be a booklet - or an online version of a booklet ?
Mine was just a box with 50 discs.

----
UPDATE:
Some conjecture here; http://www.amazon.co.uk/Deutsche-Harmonia-Mundi-50-Collection/dp/B00NX4NMGO
as to the lack of liner notes/booklet
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on December 10, 2014, 04:03:41 PM
Mine cleared customs yesterday morning, but hasn't arrived yet :'(
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on December 23, 2014, 05:16:45 AM
How quiet it has gotten over here :'(
   I've finally dug into my Karajan 60s box in a serious way.  I confess to being seduced. I remember objecting to Karajan on a number of grounds, but now all I can do is soak into the rich, fat, luxuriiant sound of his orchestra and quiver like a contented jelly.

  My reason for coming here, however, is to ask Moonfish to wax a bit more emphatically regarding his feelings for Soltissimos 2 and 3.  Someone has actually put the 3 box into my hands, but I am not sure what to do.  As it is often hard not to look a gift horse in the mouth, my first thought is to wonder how it compares to 2.  I've often heard that Solti was better in the 70s than the 80s, but I am really wondering about the sound.  80s early digital recording tends to be behind mature 70s analogue.  I don't really want another box of the core repertoire...but then again, the Chicago Symphony orchestra with SOTA 70s recording sounds pretty tempting.  I have the Magnificent Reiner box, and the sound in that is really good, but still, really good 50s recording should still pale next to really good 70s recordings, right?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on December 23, 2014, 09:47:02 AM
I ordered the three Ansermet boxes yesterday. They have been tempting me for some time. I love the sound quality and a whole box of Russian makes me very eager to dive in.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on December 23, 2014, 03:50:02 PM
Quote from: bigshot on December 23, 2014, 09:47:02 AM
I ordered the three Ansermet boxes yesterday. They have been tempting me for some time. I love the sound quality and a whole box of Russian makes me very eager to dive in.

Merry Christmas to you, Big Shot! 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on December 23, 2014, 05:05:46 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on December 23, 2014, 05:16:45 AM
How quiet it has gotten over here :'(
   I've finally dug into my Karajan 60s box in a serious way.  I confess to being seduced. I remember objecting to Karajan on a number of grounds, but now all I can do is soak into the rich, fat, luxuriiant sound of his orchestra and quiver like a contented jelly.

  My reason for coming here, however, is to ask Moonfish to wax a bit more emphatically regarding his feelings for Soltissimos 2 and 3.  Someone has actually put the 3 box into my hands, but I am not sure what to do.  As it is often hard not to look a gift horse in the mouth, my first thought is to wonder how it compares to 2.  I've often heard that Solti was better in the 70s than the 80s, but I am really wondering about the sound.  80s early digital recording tends to be behind mature 70s analogue.  I don't really want another box of the core repertoire...but then again, the Chicago Symphony orchestra with SOTA 70s recording sounds pretty tempting.  I have the Magnificent Reiner box, and the sound in that is really good, but still, really good 50s recording should still pale next to really good 70s recordings, right?

:D :D :D

Al,
I can actually envision you in the state of a Karajan induced Jelly shivering in unison with the deep and warm bass!  I do like the 60s recordings as well. In terms of Soltissimo I am working my way through #3 as I view #2 as a Christmas present (New Years?) to myself. I suspect GMGers are their own secret Santa?  I am also a bit (very) distracted by the Huelges Ensemble at the moment!  :P   

I really do like the Solti recordings. The main drawback (as you already have realized) is the duplication of warhorses in the repertoire. In addition, the cds are not "filled" with music as they follow the "original" formula in their presentation. They could have done the set with less than 40 cds rather than the 57. I actually purchased #3 first since it seemed like they were low in supply - at least it seemed that way. Amazon JP's inventory for S3 is generally low or non-existent. It is almost like they receive one at a time and the price fluctuates accordingly. Regardless, the sound is great and the performances are enjoyable. I was pleasantly surprised by Solti's performances in S3.   Chances are that you will be transformed into a Solti jelly!!  Soon!!!    ;)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: kishnevi on December 23, 2014, 05:39:22 PM
I have started working my way through this
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51-rimN7MTL.jpg)
Right now I have CD 13 on,  Dorati conducting Petrouchka  and the Rite of Spring.
Sound is very good, and justifies the Living Presence moniker.
It is full of warhorses, but many of them warhorses I have not listened to in years, and other music new to me, such as Howard Hanson conducting his own music.
Dorati bulks large in the contents, as does Frederick Fennell , Byron Janis, and Janos Starker (his Bach Suites, among other things).  And I now have a recording of Wellington's Victory complete with HIP firearms.
Complete listing of the contents can be found in Discophage's review on Amazon.  I like it enough I may get MLP 2 before long.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on December 23, 2014, 08:00:08 PM
I am oddly untempted by Soltissimo. I like him as a conductor. Too much stuff I have n times. It would have to be a great price. Maybe my new role in life is to be strong so Al doesn't have to.

Untempted by Ansermet too for different reasons. I bought his Stravinsky box. It was crummy. Not one disc, all 8. Stravinsky is supposed to be what he was good at.

I would be tempted if the Reiner box were cheap. Still waiting for the Boulez and Seon boxes (Al!) to drop.

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Que on December 23, 2014, 10:13:48 PM
Im generally not easily tempted by the BIG boxes :D.

However, on my wish list are:

- the SEON box. Although I'll have to look into whether the Early Music recordings in there are still enjoyable or are now dated... An alternative would be to buy at least the Brüggen recordings in some of these small Vivarte boxes

- the Baroque Opera box on Harmonia Mundi

- the Monteux box (possibly)

- the French Music Ansermet box (probably)

Q
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on December 24, 2014, 12:40:56 AM
Quote from: Ken B on December 23, 2014, 08:00:08 PM
Maybe my new role in life is to be strong so Al doesn't have to.
My hero :-*

Quote from: Ken B on December 23, 2014, 08:00:08 PM
I would be tempted if the Reiner box were cheap.
I have seen it for some pretty low prices ($108?).  It has over 60 discs, and sound and performances are all really good.  For some reason it has disappeared from my playlist ???...I guess it's just because of where I have the discs placed.  Or is it because of the stories I've read about what a big jerk he was?  I should just put the Reiner and Szell boxes next to my CD player and forget everything else (well, Karajan and Bernstein).  Why am I even thinking (however vaguely) about Solti and Ansermet.  Just Christmas, I guess ;)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on December 24, 2014, 12:53:04 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on December 23, 2014, 05:05:46 PM
I am also a bit (very) distracted by the Huelges Ensemble at the moment!  :P 
I don't blame you! I got a second hand copy of the Labyrinths box through Amazon JP for a very good price.  That stuff is magic.

Quote from: Moonfish on December 23, 2014, 05:05:46 PM
I really do like the Solti recordings. The main drawback (as you already have realized) is the duplication of warhorses in the repertoire. In addition, the cds are not "filled" with music as they follow the "original" formula in their presentation. They could have done the set with less than 40 cds rather than the 57. I actually purchased #3 first since it seemed like they were low in supply - at least it seemed that way. Amazon JP's inventory for S3 is generally low or non-existent. It is almost like they receive one at a time and the price fluctuates accordingly. Regardless, the sound is great and the performances are enjoyable. I was pleasantly surprised by Solti's performances in S3.   Chances are that you will be transformed into a Solti jelly!!  Soon!!!    ;)
OK, good to hear. 2 looks like a fun box, and the 5DVDs should be a nice bonus, but for the reasons both you and Ken mention, it is resistible.  After I've gotten to know 3, I'll give 2 some more thought.  My CDCDCD has been in full remission for the last 2 months, but with the purse-strings fully loosened for Christmas, it's acting up a bit.   The one I'm most tempted by is the damned Decca Vienna box ???
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on December 24, 2014, 12:59:17 AM
Quote from: Que on December 23, 2014, 10:13:48 PM
Im generally not easily tempted by the BIG boxes :D.

However, on my wish list are:

- the Baroque Opera box on Harmonia Mundi
Q

  That is not a big box, that is a present God shaped with his own hands specifically for you.  It has 4 books inside, and a triple DVD of one of the operas.  Sound and performances are wonderful.  It's only weakness (if weakness it be) is that the discs are not in the little slipcases, but fancy cardboard and plastic jewelboxes. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: JCBuckley on December 24, 2014, 01:42:46 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on December 24, 2014, 12:59:17 AM
  That is not a big box, that is a present God shaped with his own hands specifically for you.  It has 4 books inside, and a triple DVD of one of the operas.  Sound and performances are wonderful.   

Totally agree - it's a fantastic package. The only downside for me is that it's created an expensive addiction to baroque opera that shows no sign of easing off.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on December 24, 2014, 06:04:14 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on December 24, 2014, 12:59:17 AM
  That is not a big box, that is a present God shaped with his own hands specifically for you.  It has 4 books inside, and a triple DVD of one of the operas.  Sound and performances are wonderful.  It's only weakness (if weakness it be) is that the discs are not in the little slipcases, but fancy cardboard and plastic jewelboxes.
Yes, the box is just a wrapper around conventional sets, with books added. A Q natural I would have thought.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Que on December 24, 2014, 07:07:26 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on December 24, 2014, 12:59:17 AM
  That is not a big box, that is a present God shaped with his own hands specifically for you.  It has 4 books inside, and a triple DVD of one of the operas.  Sound and performances are wonderful.  It's only weakness (if weakness it be) is that the discs are not in the little slipcases, but fancy cardboard and plastic jewelboxes. 

Quote from: JCBuckley on December 24, 2014, 01:42:46 AM
Totally agree - it's a fantastic package. The only downside for me is that it's created an expensive addiction to baroque opera that shows no sign of easing off.

Quote from: Ken B on December 24, 2014, 06:04:14 AM
Yes, the box is just a wrapper around conventional sets, with books added. A Q natural I would have thought.

It sounds better and better... :D

Not that I needed much convincing on that one... 8) All I need is a good bargain opportunity - I'm counting on you guys! :)

Q
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on December 24, 2014, 08:52:38 AM
Quote from: Que on December 24, 2014, 07:07:26 AM
It sounds better and better... :D

Not that I needed much convincing on that one... 8) All I need is a good bargain opportunity - I'm counting on you guys! :)

Q

  52 pounds, from Amazon UK.  It'll be late for Christmas though :'(
   Although maybe on time for New Years ;D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on December 24, 2014, 10:23:46 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on December 24, 2014, 12:53:04 AM

I don't blame you! I got a second hand copy of the Labyrinths box through Amazon JP for a very good price.  That stuff is magic.
  OK, good to hear. 2 looks like a fun box, and the 5DVDs should be a nice bonus, but for the reasons both you and Ken mention, it is resistible.  After I've gotten to know 3, I'll give 2 some more thought.  My CDCDCD has been in full remission for the last 2 months, but with the purse-strings fully loosened for Christmas, it's acting up a bit.   The one I'm most tempted by is the damned Decca Vienna box ???

That is a winner!  >:D 0:) 0:) 0:)
Have you been naughty or nice this past year?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on December 25, 2014, 10:19:57 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on December 23, 2014, 03:50:02 PM
Merry Christmas to you, Big Shot!

And Merry Christmas to all, and to all a big box!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on December 31, 2014, 06:40:26 AM
Quote from: Discobolus on December 31, 2014, 05:53:31 AM
Well, when I say 2-3 new CDs a day that leaves some time to listen again to those you love. At least that works fine with me. According to what I read, I think we have approximately the same boxes :)

I'm jealous of your time! Usually after coming home from work, eating dinner, and doing chores, I do have time to listen to two CDs (or two hours, anyway). But I still have a great big stack of free CDs to be reviewed, which are a blessing and a curse. They're free, and they're often very good, but all of a sudden listening to them is required. ;D

Aside from four "super duper cheap bargains" (Lumieres, Liszt/Sony, Fiorentino, Bernstein/Sony II), I have not ordered any CDs since January. At first, it was strange to stop myself from buying everything I wanted. When you own something, it is less appealing than when you do not own it yet! But time and patience cured this: I spent a series of weekends going through the Perahia box disc by disc, put on Rubinstein while cooking, and went through Bernstein/Sony II like a tornado. (It's close to being my favorite big box ever.) I've been enjoying myself very much! I even got halfway through the DRD/Sony Haydn box before, alas, stalling out. Records indicate there are still 22 Haydn symphonies I've never heard. Hmmm, a new project...

Anyway, in the new year I will be ordering more CDs, but after that, I'll stop again. Consider it a refueling. :) In terms of Big Box Blather, these are the ones I'm thinking about buying for 2015:
- the Debussy Edition (DG)
- the Ravel Edition (Decca)
- Abbado Brahms (DG)
- Biber Sacred and Profane (Archiv)
- Sviatoslav Richter (Universal and Sony both)
- Milhaud: Une Vie Heureuse (Erato)
- Berlioz: Complete Orchestral and Sacred Works (Decca, Colin Davis)
- Schumann: Symphonies (John Eliot Gardiner, Archiv)
- Janacek: The Operas (Decca)
- Martinon in Chicago (Sony, pre-order)
- Beethoven Sonatas (Heidsieck [EMI] and Gulda [Eloquence])

Most of my shopping cart is single, un-boxed discs I really want. After buying some or most of that list, however, I would definitely not need to buy anything else until 2016! In fact, because of the prices I'm already forgoing Boulez/Sony and the big Monteux and Reiner boxes.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Karl Henning on December 31, 2014, 06:43:27 AM
Quote from: Brian on December 31, 2014, 06:40:26 AM
Aside from four "super duper cheap bargains" (Lumieres, Liszt/Sony, Fiorentino, Bernstein/Sony II)

Both the Lumières and Liszt/Sony boxes are wonderful . . . and I've only scratched the surface (not the metaphor one wishes to use with CDs, of course) . . . .
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on December 31, 2014, 06:55:11 AM
Quote from: bigshot on December 25, 2014, 10:19:57 PM
And Merry Christmas to all, and to all a big box!

  And a Happy New Year! (It's 24 minutes to midnight here in Taiwan). 

   Bigshot, we had a mild disagreement in another box thread ["what do you think of those big boxes" or some such] about the Brilliant Classics box sets.   As I recall, I suggested they were solid "B grade" sets, and you felt that my designating them as such was both pejorative and inaccurate. After getting the Haydn, Bach, and Schubert sets, I have completely come around to your view.  I am consistently amazed and delighted with the quality, both in playing and SOTA recording, every time I put them on.  (For some reason all of the sleeves on my Bach set open from the wrong side, but other than that minor quibble, I've nothing but the highest praise.)  The Bach Cantatas aren't the very best, IMO, but the keyboard works (harpsichord and organ--forte-piano in the case of Haydn) can go toe-to-toe with anything else in the market. 

   I don't have a Brahms set.  The DG Brahms looks excellent, and is cheap, but I have heard nothing but raves about the Brilliant set.  If anyone has both and can compare, I'd be very interested in hearing your thoughts.   
{whoa! While typing this two new posts have come up, even though it has been a couple of weeks since the last...}
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on December 31, 2014, 07:02:17 AM
Quote from: Brian on December 31, 2014, 06:40:26 AM
I'm jealous of your time! Usually after coming home from work, eating dinner, and doing chores, I do have time to listen to two CDs (or two hours, anyway). But I still have a great big stack of free CDs to be reviewed, which are a blessing and a curse. They're free, and they're often very good, but all of a sudden listening to them is required. ;D

  Yeah, but I suspect you really sit and listen, the way I watch a movie (if someone asks a casual question while we are watching a movie, I pause it).  I actually play 8-10 CDs a day, but I'm always doing other stuff while I listen (like right now).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on December 31, 2014, 07:05:15 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on December 31, 2014, 06:55:11 AM
  And a Happy New Year! (It's 24 minutes to midnight here in Taiwan). 

   Bigshot, we had a mild disagreement in another box thread ["what do you think of those big boxes" or some such] about the Brilliant Classics box sets.   As I recall, I suggested they were solid "B grade" sets, and you felt that my designating them as such was both pejorative and inaccurate. After getting the Haydn, Bach, and Schubert sets, I have completely come around to your view.  I am consistently amazed and delighted with the quality, both in playing and SOTA recording, every time I put them on.  (For some reason all of the sleeves on my Bach set open from the wrong side, but other than that minor quibble, I've nothing but the highest praise.)  The Bach Cantatas aren't the very best, IMO, but the keyboard works (harpsichord and organ--forte-piano in the case of Haydn) can go toe-to-toe with anything else in the market. 

   I don't have a Brahms set.  The DG Brahms looks excellent, and is cheap, but I have heard nothing but raves about the Brilliant set.  If anyone has both and can compare, I'd be very interested in hearing your thoughts.   
{whoa! While typing this two new posts have come up, even though it has been a couple of weeks since the last...}

Get the DG. It's better.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Karl Henning on December 31, 2014, 07:05:28 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on December 31, 2014, 06:55:11 AM
  And a Happy New Year! (It's 24 minutes to midnight here in Taiwan). 

   Bigshot, we had a mild disagreement in another box thread ["what do you think of those big boxes" or some such] about the Brilliant Classics box sets.   As I recall, I suggested they were solid "B grade" sets, and you felt that my designating them as such was both pejorative and inaccurate. After getting the Haydn, Bach, and Schubert sets, I have completely come around to your view.  I am consistently amazed and delighted with the quality, both in playing and SOTA recording, every time I put them on.  (For some reason all of the sleeves on my Bach set open from the wrong side, but other than that minor quibble, I've nothing but the highest praise.)  The Bach Cantatas aren't the very best, IMO, but the keyboard works (harpsichord and organ--forte-piano in the case of Haydn) can go toe-to-toe with anything else in the market. 

   I don't have a Brahms set.  The DG Brahms looks excellent, and is cheap, but I have heard nothing but raves about the Brilliant set.  If anyone has both and can compare, I'd be very interested in hearing your thoughts.   
{whoa! While typing this two new posts have come up, even though it has been a couple of weeks since the last...}

The only negative I can suggest about the Brilliant Brahms Box is, that chances are high you will want other, finer accounts of the Symphonies (and, arguably, the Requiem).  But then, the chances are good you already have recordings of those which you like very well in your library.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on December 31, 2014, 07:16:02 AM
Ken and Karl, thanks.

  And yeah, regarding the symphonies (and requiem), I have maybe half a dozen famed versions of each ??? I know DG used quite a few famous discs for the chamber stuff, but I already have a number of them, which is why I am kind of leaning towards the Brilliant. Probably should have both, but am trying not to be such a glutton ;)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on December 31, 2014, 07:25:23 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on December 31, 2014, 07:16:02 AM
Ken and Karl, thanks.

  And yeah, regarding the symphonies (and requiem), I have maybe half a dozen famed versions of each ??? I know DG used quite a few famous discs for the chamber stuff, but I already have a number of them, which is why I am kind of leaning towards the Brilliant. Probably should have both, but am trying not to be such a glutton ;)
The Brilliant chamber stuff is very good. DG is better but not a blow out. It's in the lieder, piano music, orchestral that the DG has a clear edge. I have not heard the Brilliant choral stuff, but the DG is top notch.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on December 31, 2014, 07:34:10 AM
Quote from: Ken B on December 31, 2014, 07:25:23 AM
The Brilliant chamber stuff is very good. DG is better but not a blow out. It's in the lieder, piano music, orchestral that the DG has a clear edge. I have not heard the Brilliant choral stuff, but the DG is top notch.

Yeah, I should go with the DG.  One thing that irks me is they didn't do original jackets >:( I know it's the music that counts, but such famous discs, and they make them seem unnecessarily cheap and generic...).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Todd on December 31, 2014, 07:38:39 AM
Quote from: Brian on December 31, 2014, 06:40:26 AM
Anyway, in the new year I will be ordering more CDs, but after that, I'll stop again. Consider it a refueling. :) In terms of Big Box Blather, these are the ones I'm thinking about buying for 2015:

- Abbado Brahms (DG)
- Biber Sacred and Profane (Archiv)
- Sviatoslav Richter (Universal and Sony both)
- Berlioz: Complete Orchestral and Sacred Works (Decca, Colin Davis)
- Janacek: The Operas (Decca)
- Beethoven Sonatas (Heidsieck [EMI] and Gulda [Eloquence])


These are all sure bets.  My only caveat with the Janacek box is that it has no libretti, so hope you have those otherwise. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on December 31, 2014, 07:44:14 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on December 31, 2014, 07:02:17 AM
  Yeah, but I suspect you really sit and listen, the way I watch a movie (if someone asks a casual question while we are watching a movie, I pause it).  I actually play 8-10 CDs a day, but I'm always doing other stuff while I listen (like right now).
Usually I listen to music while either reading or writing. At work, I always have music playing, but (unlike you? I think?) I have to actually go to a shared office, so my work listening is streamed online through cheap headphones.

Karl and Todd, thanks. (And Karl, you're right about those boxes.)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on December 31, 2014, 10:37:16 AM
Quote from: Brian on December 31, 2014, 06:40:26 AM

- Biber Sacred and Profane (Archiv)
- Schumann: Symphonies (John Eliot Gardiner, Archiv)
- Beethoven Sonatas (Heidsieck [EMI] and Gulda [Eloquence])
I find the Gulda all around still a very strong set. Especially in the earlier sonatas, but also op.106 and 111, although some find him "shallow". I got the Heidsieck in EMIs big Beethoven box, but only listened to some bits, it's a more controversial set I think.
I highly recommend the Biber as you probably do not know most of the music (only the Rosary sonatas are frequently recorded). The Schumann has been reissued cheaply with Paradies und Peri (this is probably the issue you have in mind). I only know the symphonies, but they are also very good and even more commendable because they recorded both versions of the 4th and the fragment of an early ("Zwickau") symphony.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on December 31, 2014, 01:04:33 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on December 31, 2014, 07:34:10 AM
Yeah, I should go with the DG.  One thing that irks me is they didn't do original jackets >:( I know it's the music that counts, but such famous discs, and they make them seem unnecessarily cheap and generic...).

But you still favor the "Das Alte Werk", "Erato" and "Teldec" boxes...   :o :o   ;)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on December 31, 2014, 05:02:09 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on December 31, 2014, 01:04:33 PM
But you still favor the "Das Alte Werk", "Erato" and "Teldec" boxes...   :o :o   ;)

  Doesn't seem consistent, I know. But those sleeves are quite classy, IMO, designed with love.  The DG Brahms and Schumann really scream "Generic".  I expect them to have "Romantic Classical Music Inside" stamped on the back.

  And an emphatic agreement on the Biber set mentioned above.  What a wonderful surprise.  Like Rebel, he was a "gloves off" composer.  Real blood and testosterone in his stuff.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: North Star on January 06, 2015, 07:04:34 AM
Quote from: Brian on December 31, 2014, 06:40:26 AM
Anyway, in the new year I will be ordering more CDs, but after that, I'll stop again. Consider it a refueling. :) In terms of Big Box Blather, these are the ones I'm thinking about buying for 2015:
- the Debussy Edition (DG)
- the Ravel Edition (Decca)
- Schumann: Symphonies (John Eliot Gardiner, Archiv)
I have the Sony Debussy, but wouldn't mind owning both. The Decca Ravel & Gardiner's Schumann are essential.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on January 23, 2015, 08:29:13 PM
Just saw that the big Horowitz original jackets box is $102 at ImportCD.  I won't be getting it myself, but that's a super-bargain price for folks who are interested (I was going to put this in the bargain thread, but saw this thread first...).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on January 24, 2015, 10:42:11 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on January 23, 2015, 08:29:13 PM
Just saw that the big Horowitz original jackets box is $102 at ImportCD.  I won't be getting it myself, but that's a super-bargain price for folks who are interested (I was going to put this in the bargain thread, but saw this thread first...).

That should tempt me. But Horowitz never tempts me.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on February 13, 2015, 02:56:30 AM
I'm making a project of the Chandos box.

[asin]B001KZNUYC[/asin]

   A classy box from a classy label.  I love the way the discs are not related to one another at all.  Each one is a wonderful and unexpected surprise when it follows on the heels of the last.   I expect to make a lot of new discoveries.  (Already have, in fact, and am only on disc 3).  I bog down in some boxes by getting bored by the consistency.  Maybe the best way is to line up several boxes and work through them all simultaneously (unless they are grab bag, like this Chandos, or the Erato). 

   Played Mozart Concertos (22&26), Larocha on piano, from the big Colin Davis box last night and this morning (bedroom stereo). 
[asin]B00GWE4NQU[/asin]
Of course there are a million high-quality Mozart PCs, but I was in heaven.  When my wife wanted to sleep, I played it again wearing the headphones. 

By the way, this has been at my local shop for a while.  It's about $115.
[asin]B00P08LJ1Q[/asin]

  Just looking at the back, it seems to have a higher percentage of "standard repertoire" stuff than the Sony--lots of Debussy, Ravel, Stravinsky.  Although, like Ken, I think the young Boulez was a big prick, I really like his Debussy, Ravel, and Stravinsky.   Are people interested in this?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: North Star on February 13, 2015, 03:05:14 AM
I have Boulez's DG Stravinsky, Bartók, Berg (at least what's in the DGG Berg box), and Varèse, and have heard the Ravel. Top-notch stuff mostly, very highly recommended.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on February 13, 2015, 03:07:56 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on February 13, 2015, 02:56:30 AM

  Just looking at the back, it seems to have a higher percentage of "standard repertoire" stuff than the Sony--lots of Debussy, Ravel, Stravinsky.  Although, like Ken, I think the young Boulez was a big prick, I really like his Debussy, Ravel, and Stravinsky.   Are people interested in this?

I am going to get it so I can use the cd covers for my 20th century music dartboard! Hmm, Ligeti or Boulez in the center?
That is the question....    ::)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: North Star on February 13, 2015, 03:16:23 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on February 13, 2015, 03:07:56 AMI am going to get it so I can use the cd covers for my 20th century music dartboard! Hmm, Ligeti or Boulez in the center?
That is the question....    ::)
Ligeti of course! I like his music much more than Boulez's.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on February 13, 2015, 03:21:06 AM
Quote from: North Star on February 13, 2015, 03:16:23 AM
Ligeti of course! I like his music much more than Boulez's.

What music...?   :laugh:
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on February 13, 2015, 03:23:30 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on February 13, 2015, 02:56:30 AM
I'm making a project of the Chandos box.

[asin]B001KZNUYC[/asin]

   A classy box from a classy label.  I love the way the discs are not related to one another at all.  Each one is a wonderful and unexpected surprise when it follows on the heels of the last.   I expect to make a lot of new discoveries.  (Already have, in fact, and am only on disc 3).  I bog down in some boxes by getting bored by the consistency.  Maybe the best way is to line up several boxes and work through them all simultaneously (unless they are grab bag, like this Chandos, or the Erato). 


Nice choice! I had no idea you were interested in the Chandos box (  ;) ;) ;)). I actually do what you suggested (box line up), but sometimes I think I line up too many...  :D   and I forget where I started!    :'(
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on February 13, 2015, 03:35:28 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on February 13, 2015, 03:23:30 AM
Nice choice! I had no idea you were interested in the Chandos box (  ;) ;) ;)). I actually do what you suggested (box line up), but sometimes I think I line up too many...  :D   and I forget where I started!    :'(

   I know what you mean! The Yo Yo Ma box actually comes with several black things that look like coasters to mark where you've taken CDs out. I started just using empty plastic CD sleeves to mark my place in boxes.  I'm not consistent, though, and sometimes lose my place. 
   When not playing from my hard-drive, I listen to CDs with a 5 CD carousel player.  Usually once it's loaded I'm happy to play it through. Sometimes, however, hearing something will make me want to play something else and then I keep opening it and switching discs.  It can be hard to predict what you will want to hear in 5 hours.  If I want to hear a war-horse I'll put it on and enjoy it. However, if I load it into a future slot in the player, I will almost always have changed my mind by the time it comes up and be like "No, not this old dog."   If I'm not familiar with the music (i.e. the Delius I'm playing now), I will generally always be happy to play it all the way through even if I don't like it much.     
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: North Star on February 13, 2015, 04:03:47 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on February 13, 2015, 03:21:06 AM
What music...?   :laugh:
Oh, you haven't heard any? That explains. Just in time, too - I was just about to be irritated.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on February 13, 2015, 04:23:08 AM
Quote from: North Star on February 13, 2015, 04:03:47 AM
Oh, you haven't heard any? That explains. Just in time, too - I was just about to be irritated.

I have one Ligeti disc--from the Teldec box, I think.  I liked it, but doubt that I will need much more. I haven't heard any Boulez yet.
    Actually, I got the Boulez Sony box and lined the discs up in my book shelf (the names are printed on the spine).  After the first week I don't think I've played anything from it.  I found everything I played from it very engaging--even the stuff I didn't like (if that makes sense), but it just fell out of circulation for some reason. I just realized I don't play anything that is lined up on the top level of my book shelf. Apparently the neglect is purely logistical....
  I need to develop some kind of system so my music library becomes a kind of giant jukebox.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on February 13, 2015, 04:35:39 AM
Boulez on DG is my #1 choice for Ravel. Especially if it includes the piano concertos.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: North Star on February 13, 2015, 04:44:29 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on February 13, 2015, 04:23:08 AM
I have one Ligeti disc--from the Teldec box, I think.  I liked it, but doubt that I will need much more.
The piano etudes / Musica ricercata disc by Aimard on Sony.

QuoteI haven't heard any Boulez yet.
Le marteau sans maître
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on February 13, 2015, 05:23:19 AM
Quote from: Brian on February 13, 2015, 04:35:39 AM
Boulez on DG is my #1 choice for Ravel. Especially if it includes the piano concertos.

  With Zimmerman? I actually have that on my hard drive, but haven't heard it yet...Will cue it.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on February 13, 2015, 05:24:46 AM
Quote from: North Star on February 13, 2015, 04:44:29 AM
The piano etudes / Musica ricercata disc by Aimard on Sony.
Le marteau sans maître

  Thanks to modern technology I just acquired this. Will play it as soon as Nigel Kennedy finishes with some watery Elgar...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: EigenUser on February 13, 2015, 05:28:30 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on February 13, 2015, 05:24:46 AM
  Thanks to modern technology I just acquired this. Will play it as soon as Nigel Kennedy finishes with some watery Elgar...
For what it's worth, my favorite Boulez is the Notations for orchestra (he orchestrated 5 of his original piano 'Notations'). Not long, and definitely worth hearing if you get the chance. People claim Boulez to be intellectual as opposed to visceral, but the last one (less than 2 minutes) would make it seem otherwise. One of the wildest, noisiest things ever.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on February 13, 2015, 05:33:07 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on February 13, 2015, 03:21:06 AM
What music...?   :laugh:

My hero!

>:D :laugh:
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: The new erato on February 13, 2015, 06:22:30 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on February 13, 2015, 03:21:06 AM
What music...?   :laugh:
You guys sound like my dad when I listened to The Beatles in the 60ies.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on February 13, 2015, 11:06:28 AM
Quote from: The new erato on February 13, 2015, 06:22:30 AM
You guys sound like my dad when I listened to The Beatles in the 6ies.

(http://scni.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2013/05/25/all-in-the-family_t300.jpg?8aff03de2423e912a2467e97388a07f5331c05b6)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: HIPster on February 13, 2015, 03:32:32 PM
This 4-disc set, Europe: Baroque, by the group Amarillis, is essential for lovers of this period:
[asin]B000VZN7KE[/asin]
Gordo hipped me to this one a while back. . .

Under $8 US on the amazon mp as I write this.  Worth it at full price as well.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on February 26, 2015, 01:56:58 AM
Quote from: HIPster on February 13, 2015, 03:32:32 PM
This 4-disc set, Europe: Baroque, by the group Amarillis, is essential for lovers of this period:
[asin]B000VZN7KE[/asin]
Gordo hipped me to this one a while back. . .

Under $8 US on the amazon mp as I write this.  Worth it at full price as well.

Hipster, I have this in my basket, but am hoping not to pull the trigger, as I have so much fantastic baroque that I have either not heard, or not heard enough (how many CDs I have not heard enough!!).
    I finished playing through the DG 111 box one, and am now playing the Vivarte box.
[asin]B00AOTZ156[/asin]
   The DG is terrific, but the Vivarte, is fantastic, and so underappreciated!! That box used to go for $60. Apparently it is going OOP, as it is now often listed as 3X that price, even used.  Sony has a horrible gift for making their music sets look second rate, even when they are not.  That box is simply jam-packed with fantastic stuff--and the accompanying book is easily the best I have ever seen.  Long, rich, detailed articles for almost all the discs. 
   I have found a number of websites where you can download box sets.  I am really happy, as I just don't have the time to rip the 1000s of cds of box sets I have to my hard-drive.  I have set the Vivarte box as one gigantic playlist and can now just listen to it from start to finish with one click. It even displays the artwork 8)
Playing this now:
[asin]B00000270D[/asin]
Soooo good.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: aap1960 on February 26, 2015, 06:53:47 PM
Just delivered:
[asin]B00NX4NMGO[/asin].
Didn't find any booklet. Does one come with the box? I'm just wondering, as the box came from the U.K. somewhat beat up and ripped open, though the box still had the original wrapping on it.

Tony
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on February 26, 2015, 06:56:24 PM
Quote from: aap1960 on February 26, 2015, 06:53:47 PM
Just delivered:
[asin]B00NX4NMGO[/asin].
Didn't find any booklet. Does one come with the box? I'm just wondering, as the box came from the U.K. somewhat beat up and ripped open, though the box still had the original wrapping on it.

Tony
No, no booklet at all. Great music though.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: HIPster on February 26, 2015, 07:54:16 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on February 26, 2015, 01:56:58 AM
Hipster, I have this in my basket, but am hoping not to pull the trigger, as I have so much fantastic baroque that I have either not heard, or not heard enough (how many CDs I have not heard enough!!).
    I finished playing through the DG 111 box one, and am now playing the Vivarte box.
[asin]B00AOTZ156[/asin]
   The DG is terrific, but the Vivarte, is fantastic, and so underappreciated!!
Hi Mookalafalas.  The Amarillis set is really fine.  Superb in both performance and sound.

However, if you are feeling swamped with Baroque at the moment, I could understand passing on it.

That said, it is a great bargain and well-worth the price.

FWIW, I passed on the Vivarte and now have my sight set on the Seon box.  I'll let you know when it arrives.  ;)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on February 26, 2015, 10:02:36 PM
Quote from: HIPster on February 26, 2015, 07:54:16 PM
Hi Mookalafalas.  The Amarillis set is really fine.  Superb in both performance and sound.

However, if you are feeling swamped with Baroque at the moment, I could understand passing on it.

That said, it is a great bargain and well-worth the price.

FWIW, I passed on the Vivarte and now have my sight set on the Seon box.  I'll let you know when it arrives.  ;)

Yeah, the SEON looks great, too, and those that purchased it seem happy. I have close to 30 discs of it already, from other sets (like the big Sony Barock box), or that I bought in smaller sets.  I intend to get it eventually, but am expecting (hoping? Gambling) that the price will get even more reasonable in the future. 

   I just read some stuff about the new Decca Mono box.  I'm quite curious about that one.
    Moonfish! Do you have it yet? Any thoughts? Lots of bonus material on the discs?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on February 26, 2015, 10:26:27 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on February 26, 2015, 10:02:36 PM
Yeah, the SEON looks great, too, and those that purchased it seem happy. I have close to 30 discs of it already, from other sets (like the big Sony Barock box), or that I bought in smaller sets.  I intend to get it eventually, but am expecting (hoping? Gambling) that the price will get even more reasonable in the future. 

   I just read some stuff about the new Decca Mono box.  I'm quite curious about that one.
    Moonfish! Do you have it yet? Any thoughts? Lots of bonus material on the discs?

Ha ha! Not yet (but it is on its way from Germany...) so I will report at a future date.
I am a sucker for historical recordings so it was hard to resist.   :'( :P
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Abuelo Igor on February 27, 2015, 03:34:36 PM
Why are they so few, if any, chamber music mega-boxes? I really cannot think now of a single 40- or 50- disc set that encompasses, say, the most important string quartet cycles by a single top-flight ensemble, or an extensive historic panorama of the violin sonata, or chamber wind music, or whatever.

Nobody has apparently thought either of repackaging tons of the contemporary stuff in massive boxes, as in "100 years of the Donaueschingen festival" or "70 years of Darmstadt".

Maybe only big labels are able to put out such products and they are positive that chamber or contemporary wouldn't sell, as opposed to mainstream orchestral, piano or opera?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on February 27, 2015, 04:08:48 PM
Quote from: Abuelo Igor on February 27, 2015, 03:34:36 PM
Why are they so few, if any, chamber music mega-boxes? I really cannot think now of a single 40- or 50- disc set that encompasses, say, the most important string quartet cycles by a single top-flight ensemble, or an extensive historic panorama of the violin sonata, or chamber wind music, or whatever.

Nobody has apparently thought either of repackaging tons of the contemporary stuff in massive boxes, as in "100 years of the Donaueschingen festival" or "70 yars of Darmstadt".

Maybe only big labels are able to put out such products and they are positive that chamber or contemporary wouldn't sell, as opposed to mainstream orchestral, piano or opera?

  Have you seen this?
[asin]B0095PAGGY[/asin]
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on February 28, 2015, 11:31:33 AM
I'm ripping the DGG Bernstein set right now. Very odd contents. Tons of Beethoven, Tons of Bernstein compositions, Tons of Brahms and just bits and scraps filling out the rest. This box doesn't seem to be programmed. It looks like they had 180 CDs worth of stuff and just divided it up by alphabetical order of the composer's name
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on February 28, 2015, 11:58:43 AM
By the way, Amazon.de has a good price on both the Decca Sound Mono box (85 euro) and the Mercury Living Presence 3 (92 euro). Exchange rate is good too (1.16 USD/euro).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on February 28, 2015, 12:14:59 PM
Quote from: bigshot on February 28, 2015, 11:31:33 AMIt looks like they had 180 CDs worth of stuff and just divided it up by alphabetical order of the composer's name
This is exactly what they did.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on February 28, 2015, 12:16:23 PM
Quote from: bigshot on February 28, 2015, 11:31:33 AM
I'm ripping the DGG Bernstein set right now. Very odd contents. Tons of Beethoven, Tons of Bernstein compositions, Tons of Brahms and just bits and scraps filling out the rest. This box doesn't seem to be programmed. It looks like they had 180 CDs worth of stuff and just divided it up by alphabetical order of the composer's name

It is a DG Bernstein archive!  ::)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Abuelo Igor on February 28, 2015, 02:40:11 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on February 27, 2015, 04:08:48 PM
  Have you seen this?
[asin]B0095PAGGY[/asin]

As a matter of fact, that's just about the only set I know of that approaches what I mean. The problem is, you're never going to get it at an affordable price in Europe. From where I'm writing, it's going to cost you in the vicinity of 300, 400 euros, which I'm not willing (or able) to pay.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on February 28, 2015, 03:07:51 PM
Quote from: Abuelo Igor on February 28, 2015, 02:40:11 PM
As a matter of fact, that's just about the only set I know of that approaches what I mean. The problema is, you're never going to get it at an affordable price in Europe. From where I'm writing, it's going to cost you in the vicinity of 300, 400 euros, which I'm not willing (or able) to pay.

Abuelo,
It is less than 200 euros from Amazon.japan (http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%82%A6%E3%82%A7%E3%82%B9%E3%83%88%E3%83%9F%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B9%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC%E3%83%BB%E3%83%AC%E3%82%AC%E3%82%B7%E3%83%BC%E7%AC%AC%EF%BC%91%E9%9B%86-%E3%82%AA%E3%83%A0%E3%83%8B%E3%83%90%E3%82%B9-%E5%AE%A4%E5%86%85%E6%A5%BD/dp/B0095PAGGY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1425168286&sr=8-4&keywords=westminster) in case you are interested...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: aap1960 on February 28, 2015, 03:23:42 PM
From the electronic version of the March edition of Gramophone, Page 23

"One may think of Decca primarily as a recorder of large-scale works - symphonies and opera (the latter to be the subject of its own box later on) - but the repertoire of the 'Mono Years'......"

Would be very interested in this.

Tony

Couldn't see my attachment of the copy from the article, so I retyped it in the comments any way.  :-[
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on February 28, 2015, 03:33:57 PM
Quote from: aap1960 on February 28, 2015, 03:23:42 PM
From the electronic version of the March edition of Gramophone, Page 23

"One may think of Decca primarily as a recorder of large-scale works - symphonies and opera (the latter to be the subject of its own box later on) - but the repertoire of the 'Mono Years'......"

Would be very interested in this.

Tony

Couldn't see my attachment of the copy from the article, so I retyped it in the comments any way.  :-[

tracks at
http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/de/cat/4787946 (http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/de/cat/4787946)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on February 28, 2015, 06:24:31 PM
Quote from: Abuelo Igor on February 28, 2015, 02:40:11 PM
As a matter of fact, that's just about the only set I know of that approaches what I mean. The problem is, you're never going to get it at an affordable price in Europe. From where I'm writing, it's going to cost you in the vicinity of 300, 400 euros, which I'm not willing (or able) to pay.

The Vivarte box has a lot of chamber in it. Sony has a couple of 10 cd boxlets, as does Membran. Brilliant had a chamber box years ago. Specific composers of course like Brahms. Otherwise, as you say, thin on the ground.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: kishnevi on February 28, 2015, 06:31:29 PM
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61NesD-u1tL._SX522_.jpg)
I actually have no ABQ beyond their Beethoven cycle, so I can't rate the performances.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on February 28, 2015, 06:32:54 PM
Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on February 28, 2015, 06:31:29 PM
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61NesD-u1tL._SX522_.jpg)
I actually have no ABQ beyond their Beethoven cycle, so I can't rate the performances.
Ooooo. Tasty looking. I had some of their EMI recordings on vinyl, which were great.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on February 28, 2015, 07:08:09 PM
Quote from: Ken B on February 28, 2015, 06:32:54 PM
Ooooo. Tasty looking. I had some of their EMI recordings on vinyl, which were great.
It's fantastic, but only one disc by each composer, so has a kind of "Sampler" feel.

   The Yo Yo Ma box has a lot of Chamber, but a lot of everything else, too.  Other sets by Cellists and Violinists have a lot of Chamber works.  The big Rubinstein box has a ton of chamber music.  The Heiffetz/Patiogorsky box is all chamber.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on February 28, 2015, 07:29:38 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on February 28, 2015, 07:08:09 PM
  It's fantastic, but only one disc by each composer, so has a kind of "Sampler" feel.

   The Yo Yo Ma box has a lot of Chamber, but a lot of everything else, too.  Other sets by Cellists and Violinists have a lot of Chamber works.  The big Rubinstein box has a ton of chamber music.  The Heiffetz/Patiogorsky box is all chamber.

Oh, I forgot the H/P box.
I suppose it's one of those repressed memories, to spare  me pain -- I dislike most of the box and plan to sell it. Huge disappointment.

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on February 28, 2015, 10:50:07 PM
Quote from: Ken B on February 28, 2015, 06:24:31 PM
The Vivarte box has a lot of chamber in it. Sony has a couple of 10 cd boxlets, as does Membran. Brilliant had a chamber box years ago. Specific composers of course like Brahms. Otherwise, as you say, thin on the ground.

Yes, Brilliant's box was pretty good...

[asin] B000LP4OVU[/asin]
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on February 28, 2015, 11:20:13 PM
Sony also has 2 boxes, 10 cds each "Treasures of Chamber Music". Under $2 per disc.

[asin]B00896P6F6[/asin]

  The Martha Argerich chamber boxes are terrific, of course, but not very big.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: king ubu on March 01, 2015, 12:16:45 PM
I want a huge Juilliard box, pu-leeeeeze!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: The new erato on March 01, 2015, 01:41:34 PM
Quote from: king ubu on March 01, 2015, 12:16:45 PM
I want a huge Juilliard box, pu-leeeeeze!
+1
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on March 01, 2015, 04:01:48 PM
The Westminster Chamber box is $200 at importcds.com
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mirror Image on March 01, 2015, 05:56:47 PM
Quote from: king ubu on March 01, 2015, 12:16:45 PM
I want a huge Juilliard box, pu-leeeeeze!

I want great recordings of Delius' rarer operas: Irmelin, The Magic Fountain, and Margot la rouge. :)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: listener on March 01, 2015, 05:59:16 PM
There hasn't yet been a "complete" Fischer-Dieskau set of boxes yet.   Probably 800 cds or more plus some for the texts.  Comment occasioned by my setting up next listening to include songs by REGER, Wilhelm KEMPFF and Bruno WALTER among others.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on March 01, 2015, 06:42:03 PM
Quote from: listener on March 01, 2015, 05:59:16 PM
There hasn't yet been a "complete" Fischer-Dieskau set of boxes yet.   Probably 800 cds or more plus some for the texts.  Comment occasioned by my setting up next listening to include songs by REGER, Wilhelm KEMPFF and Bruno WALTER among others.

A scary thought. DFD was the greatest lieder singer ever I think, but I have so much by him, so very much: all Schubert, all Brahms, all Brahms again, all Wolf, all Strauss, plus various operas, cantatas, and so on that I have decided to not buy any more DFD.
Unless the price is right of course!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: king ubu on March 01, 2015, 11:03:50 PM
Quote from: Mirror Image on March 01, 2015, 05:56:47 PM
I want great recordings of Delius' rarer operas: Irmelin, The Magic Fountain, and Margot la rouge. :)
Speaking of opera, were's the complete Milhaud opera box? But please well-rehearsed and with singers like Régine Crespin, Suzanne Danco and Mady Mesplé, right?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: EigenUser on March 02, 2015, 01:56:26 AM
Quote from: king ubu on March 01, 2015, 11:03:50 PM
Speaking of opera, were's the complete Milhaud opera box? But please well-rehearsed and with singers like Régine Crespin, Suzanne Danco and Mady Mesplé, right?
I'm still waiting for the Milhaud Suite en Sol. I have the score (which looks very interersting), but there is no recording! It kills me!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on March 02, 2015, 05:20:41 AM
My big Decca Wiener Philharmoniker box came in today.  Anticipating 64 hours of extreme musical pleasure.

  Listening to stuff from the old Mercury Living Presence box.  "Szeryng Plays Kreisler".  Man did they know how to mic stuff!! Fantastic sound. 
   Anybody thinking about the new Mercury box?  I do like Paray and Dorati--who are the conductors for an awful lot of it--but at the same time, it does have kind of a "just the left-over stuff" feel to it.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on March 02, 2015, 06:28:06 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on March 02, 2015, 05:20:41 AM
My big Decca Wiener Philharmoniker box came in today.  Anticipating 64 hours of extreme musical pleasure.

  Listening to stuff from the old Mercury Living Presence box.  "Szeryng Plays Kreisler".  Man did they know how to mic stuff!! Fantastic sound. 
   Anybody thinking about the new Mercury box?  I do like Paray and Dorati--who are the conductors for an awful lot of it--but at the same time, it does have kind of a "just the left-over stuff" feel to it.

Have fun with the Wiener Philharmoniker box, Al!  It is indeed a very nice set! I share your feelings for the Mercury 3 box as it has absolutely no appeal to me. I think I am moving into a new phase....   0:)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on March 02, 2015, 08:30:01 AM
I wouldn't say that the Mercury box has leftovers in it. There's some great Dorati Tchaikovsky that costs a fortune if you try to get it anywhere else (I've been trying)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Abuelo Igor on March 02, 2015, 09:22:14 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on March 02, 2015, 05:20:41 AM
My big Decca Wiener Philharmoniker box came in today.  Anticipating 64 hours of extreme musical pleasure.

It just might be the finest box set I own. I play something from it every day. I don't think it has collected any dust from the moment it arrived.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on March 05, 2015, 01:09:35 AM
Quote from: Abuelo Igor on March 02, 2015, 09:22:14 AM
It just might be the finest box set I own. I play something from it every day. I don't think it has collected any dust from the moment it arrived.

   Yes! I'am only about 12 discs in, but am very happy.  It reminds me of an old Sam Goldwyn quote (the Goldwyn of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, but he was forced out of the that triumvirate almost as soon as it was formed) about how to make good movies.  To Paraphrase freely "It's very easy. Just take a great story, hire the best screenwriters, Directors, and actors, and you will end up with a great movie".  Seems to be the formula of this box. Top music, conductors, orchestra, recording quality, and venue--of course it's all very good.
    The sleeves are flimsy, and lack "original covers", but the design is very classy.  That lends the whole box a feeling of quality, unlike the weirdly generic DG Philharmoniker box.  That does contain nice music, but historical DG recording quality is well behind Decca's, and it really does itself no favors by looking and feeling so cheap.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: aap1960 on March 07, 2015, 09:36:47 AM
Please forgive me if this has been asked before.

I am interested in getting the Mercury Living Presence, Vol. 3. It is listing much cheaper from Europe than the US. I am worried that the contents, specifically the booklet, will not be identical (maybe leaning more to the country of purchase, ie Italian vs English language). Some years ago I purchased the Sony Vivarte 60CD Collection boxset from Sony Korea, before it was available elsewhere. Since then, I've read all about the excellent notes about each individual CD in that Vivarte box, almost like the liner notes of each, from the English release. My Korean release is, obviously, all in Korean, and I miss the English translations. I do enjoy these little bit of "extras" that come with such releases. In fact I don't mind paying extra for it. So the question comes back to; Are these releases the same?

Thanks,

Tony
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on March 07, 2015, 10:04:24 AM
Quote from: aap1960 on March 07, 2015, 09:36:47 AM
Please forgive me if this has been asked before.

I am interested in getting the Mercury Living Presence, Vol. 3. It is listing much cheaper from Europe than the US. I am worried that the contents, specifically the booklet, will not be identical (maybe leaning more to the country of purchase, ie Italian vs English language). Some years ago I purchased the Sony Vivarte 60CD Collection boxset from Sony Korea, before it was available elsewhere. Since then, I've read all about the excellent notes about each individual CD in that Vivarte box, almost like the liner notes of each, from the English release. My Korean release is, obviously, all in Korean, and I miss the English translations. I do enjoy these little bit of "extras" that come with such releases. In fact I don't mind paying extra for it. So the question comes back to; Are these releases the same?

Thanks,

Tony

In my experience the European releases have always been the same as the ones in the US.  :)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: aap1960 on March 07, 2015, 04:53:25 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on March 07, 2015, 10:04:24 AM
In my experience the European releases have always been the same as the ones in the US.  :)


Thank you Moonfish

Tony
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 06, 2015, 11:21:48 PM
So, do most of you keep your discs in the boxes, or take them out to form a "library"?  I have been doing the latter.
    However, I've been downloading most of the boxes I already own from the internet so I will have digital copies, and can play them directly from my computer through my stereo.
    Last night I got most of my CD boxes out of storage and repacked the CDs up in them.  My room doesn't look that much different, in spite of packaging up 2300 discs.  Still, I feel good about the change.  I find I rarely seek out a particular CD; either I play a box all the way through, or a make a play "list" like "some big symphonies interspersed with solo piano and some baroque small ensemble playing" or some such.  I don't need all my discs on hand to do something like that.  In fact, I think it will be much easier to choose with less stuff about...

  By the way, I lately I really want the SEON box.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on April 07, 2015, 10:37:22 AM
The SEON box is jam packed with great stuff.

I usually rip these big boxes and put them in the garage. All I want is the digital file.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: The new erato on April 07, 2015, 11:07:52 AM
Quote from: bigshot on April 07, 2015, 10:37:22 AM
The SEON box is jam packed with great stuff.

I usually rip these big boxes and put them in the garage. All I want is the digital file.
Where is your garage? Please!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Abuelo Igor on April 12, 2015, 02:24:18 AM
When I consider the purchase of a box set, one of my main criteria is: "How much of this do I already own?" It is difficult not to duplicate a number of the CDs if you are a more or less serious collector, and of course I'm not talking about the repertoire, but about the exact same recordings in the exact same mastering.

That is why I'm so interested now in the Baroque and early music boxes, because I wasn't a big fan of those periods, didn't buy any albums, and therefore I can be sure, now that I'm starting to come around to that music, of owning next to nothing of 50- or 60-CD sets.

On the other hand, I will probably never buy sets like "Boulez: 20th Century", because 27 out of its 44 discs are already in my shelves, and I can't imagine its price going down so much as to compensate for so much duplication.

But, since you can't avoid this tendency towards including the same recordings in box sets from the same company (example: the fair number of repeats in the "Decca Analogue Years" and "Vienna Philharmonic Orchestral Edition", not to mention "All-Baroque" and "Bach Masterworks"), I'm starting to consider a 20% of "old content" acceptable when deciding whether to buy a set or not.

Where do you draw the line?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 12, 2015, 03:04:18 AM
Quote from: Abuelo Igor on April 12, 2015, 02:24:18 AM
Where do you draw the line?

  In a crude way, it boils down to math.  If it's a box of 50 CDs for $100, you can say "$2 a disc for stuff that all looks good to me! What a bargain!" But if  you have 25 of the discs, it's now $4 each for the new ones.  If you saw them in a bargain shelf at your local store for $4 each, would you start grabbing them like mad? Or if there are 10 of them that you would consider bargains for $10 each? 

  I remember in about 1991 seeing Blue Note Jazz discs on sale for $5 each.  I didn't have much money at the time, but bought as many as I could.  I still remember the ones I bought. I regretted later that I hadn't found a way to buy more.  Those were 1991 dollars, and in 1991 I didn't have any money.  I didn't go to see Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers in Seattle because I didn't want to spend the $7 cover. 
   Now I have a fair amount of disposable income.  I can get music that is spiritually lifting art of the highest caliber for something like one 1991 dollar per hour.  (I don't mean to sound crass by monetizing it so vulgarly, but it makes thing crystal clear in a way.)  My life is enriched to no end.  I spend every hour of the day I can spare swimming in classical music.  For me now the place where I draw the line is "Will I have time in my life to listen to it"!!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: kishnevi on April 12, 2015, 06:37:59 AM
Quote from: Abuelo Igor on April 12, 2015, 02:24:18 AM
When I consider the purchase of a box set, one of my main criteria is: "How much of this do I already own?" It is difficult not to duplicate a number of the CDs if you are a more or less serious collector, and of course I'm not talking about the repertoire, but about the exact same recordings in the exact same mastering.

That is why I'm so interested now in the Baroque and early music boxes, because I wasn't a big fan of those periods, didn't buy any albums, and therefore I can be sure, now that I'm starting to come around to that music, of owning next to nothing of 50- or 60-CD sets.

On the other hand, I will probably never buy sets like "Boulez: 20th Century", because 27 out of its 44 discs are already in my shelves, and I can't imagine its price going down so much as to compensate for so much duplication.

But, since you can't avoid this tendency towards including the same recordings in box sets from the same company (example: the fair number of repeats in the "Decca Analogue Years" and "Vienna Philharmonic Orchestral Edition", not to mention "All-Baroque" and "Bach Masterworks"), I'm starting to consider a 20% of "old content" acceptable when deciding whether to buy a set or not.

Where do you draw the line?

For me the calculation is how much of the rest do I actually want, and how much would I need to spend to get it.

In the example you gave, I would say, ah, 17 recordings I do not have!  How many of them would I like to have? And how much would it cost to get them individually?   Then compare that to the price of the box.

It does help that I am not into "historical" recordings because of sonics, and I look for individual performers, composers, and eras. So boxes like the VPO box do not really appeal to me.  I already have close to 40 Beethoven symphony cycles, and loads of other warhorses...I do not need grab bags of core repetoire.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on April 13, 2015, 12:08:41 PM
Brilliant Classics' new Complete Chopin Edition is actually pretty good.

Concertos: Ewa Kupiec backed up by Stan Skrowaczewski
Orchestral works that are not concertos: Abbey Simon
Half the polonaises: Alessandra Ammara (not famous, but very excellent - go buy her superb Ravel CD!)
Ballades, impromptus, preludes: Wolfram Schmitt-Leonardy (ditto)
Scherzos: Ivan Moravec
Nocturnes: Earl Wild

Having said that, I've never heard of the people doing the mazurkas, etudes, or waltzes.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 15, 2015, 04:33:58 PM
Quote from: Abuelo Igor on February 27, 2015, 03:34:36 PM
Why are they so few, if any, chamber music mega-boxes? I really cannot think now of a single 40- or 50- disc set that encompasses, say, the most important string quartet cycles by a single top-flight ensemble, or an extensive historic panorama of the violin sonata, or chamber wind music, or whatever.

Nobody has apparently thought either of repackaging tons of the contemporary stuff in massive boxes, as in "100 years of the Donaueschingen festival" or "70 years of Darmstadt".

Maybe only big labels are able to put out such products and they are positive that chamber or contemporary wouldn't sell, as opposed to mainstream orchestral, piano or opera?

  Pappy Oil just announced in the "new releases" thread that there is going to be a 60 disc "Beaux Arts trio" box coming out.
ASIN: B00VL4Q0A8   
  According to Amazon UK, it's coming out in July.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Gurn Blanston on April 15, 2015, 04:40:36 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on April 15, 2015, 04:33:58 PM
  Pappy Oil just announced in the "new releases" thread that there is going to be a 60 disc "Beaux Arts trio" box coming out.
ASIN: B00VL4Q0A8   
  According to Amazon UK, it's coming out in July.

Still, this is the exception which proves the rule. With only few exceptions, I am not an orchestral music fan, and solo keyboard is peripheral for me, so I don't get a lot of benefit from Big Boxes, probab;y a reason why I don't have but one, the Haydn. I hadn't really thought about it until now. But the BAT box could well be an exception, they are one of my very favorite MI ensembles.  :)

8)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on April 15, 2015, 04:50:19 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on April 15, 2015, 04:33:58 PM
  Pappy Oil just announced in the "new releases" thread that there is going to be a 60 disc "Beaux Arts trio" box coming out.
ASIN: B00VL4Q0A8   
  According to Amazon UK, it's coming out in July.

I expect a lot of interest in that here.

I certainly am. I worry about the cost though ...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on April 15, 2015, 05:09:32 PM
Quote from: Ken B on April 15, 2015, 04:50:19 PM
I expect a lot of interest in that here.

I certainly am. I worry about the cost though ...

   < 100 euros at Amazon.de...   >:D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 15, 2015, 05:24:48 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on April 15, 2015, 05:09:32 PM
   < 100 euros at Amazon.de...   >:D

Whoa Nelly! That's a nice price--especially with the Euro as cheap as it is now.

  Why the " >:D" Moonfish?!  Seems like a  :) or  :D or a  ;D would be more appropriate for news like that.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on April 15, 2015, 05:25:12 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on April 15, 2015, 05:24:48 PM
Whoa Nelly! That's a nice price--especially with the Euro as cheap as it is now.

  Why the " >:D" Moonfish?!  Seems like a  :) or  :D or a  ;D would be more appropriate for news like that.
0:)

Except for that the shipping is high. For some odd reason it typically goes down (the S&H) closer to the actual release date.  :-\
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on April 15, 2015, 06:52:55 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on April 15, 2015, 05:24:48 PM
Whoa Nelly! That's a nice price--especially with the Euro as cheap as it is now.

  Why the " >:D" Moonfish?!  Seems like a  :) or  :D or a  ;D would be more appropriate for news like that.

You need to remember that Moonfish and Ken B wants to tempt you!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: kishnevi on April 15, 2015, 07:05:48 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on April 15, 2015, 05:25:12 PM
0:)

Except for that the shipping is high. For some odd reason it typically goes down (the S&H) closer to the actual release date.  :-\

And if you order too early you use the benefit of Amazon Currency Converter, if  that comes into play (on Amazon UK but not all the others).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 02, 2015, 09:18:24 PM
This may be the mother of all boxes.  I am in love with everything I play.  I knew it would be good, but not like this...
   If you have 20, 30, 35 of the discs already, it really doesn't mean much. It would still only be the price you would pay for a box of 40 or 50 discs, and as there are 85 total, you would still have 50-65 new ones.  I've only played 20 so far (well, plus the 20 I already had), but the overall quality has been stupendous.

[asin]B00KXJD58M[/asin]

  It's also an unusually rugged box, with well built sleeves with the names clearly visible on the spines.  The book is unusually solid and handsome, although its main purpose is just to give all the details for each disc which didn't fit on the back of the sleeves (all the technicians and such who worked on the recording, and other related details).  Frankly, I don't expect to examine it too frequently.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 03, 2015, 05:42:50 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 02, 2015, 09:18:24 PM
This may be the mother of all boxes.  I am in love with everything I play.  I knew it would be good, but not like this...
   If you have 20, 30, 35 of the discs already, it really doesn't mean much. It would still only be the price you would pay for a box of 40 or 50 discs, and as there are 85 total, you would still have 50-65 new ones.  I've only played 20 so far (well, plus the 20 I already had), but the overall quality has been stupendous.

[asin]B00KXJD58M[/asin]

  It's also an unusually rugged box, with well built sleeves with the names clearly visible on the spines.  The book is unusually solid and handsome, although its main purpose is just to give all the details for each disc which didn't fit on the back of the sleeves (all the technicians and such who worked on the recording, and other related details).  Frankly, I don't expect to examine it too frequently.

>:( :'(
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mirror Image on May 05, 2015, 11:58:39 AM
The Sibelius Edition orchestral sets seem to have me completely hypnotized. I have been listening to very little else for the past few days. The sets I bought: Symphonies, Orchestral Music, Theatre Music, Voice & Orchestra, and Tone Poems could very well be my favorite purchases of the year.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 05, 2015, 01:40:48 PM
Quote from: Mirror Image on May 05, 2015, 11:58:39 AM
The Sibelius Edition orchestral sets seem to have me completely hypnotized. I have been listening to very little else for the past few days. The sets I bought: Symphonies, Orchestral Music, Theatre Music, Voice & Orchestra, and Tone Poems could very well be my favorite purchases of the year.

Koechlin shaven?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mirror Image on May 05, 2015, 01:46:23 PM
Quote from: Ken B on May 05, 2015, 01:40:48 PM
Koechlin shaven?

Not completely. I still have that Seven Stars' Symphony recording on RCA on the way. :)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 05, 2015, 02:00:43 PM
Quote from: Mirror Image on May 05, 2015, 01:46:23 PM
Not completely. I still have that Seven Stars' Symphony recording on RCA on the way. :)

I meant the avatar  8)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mirror Image on May 05, 2015, 03:46:15 PM
Quote from: Ken B on May 05, 2015, 02:00:43 PM
I meant the avatar  8)

I know. ;)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on May 05, 2015, 04:23:31 PM
Quote from: Mirror Image on May 05, 2015, 11:58:39 AM
The Sibelius Edition orchestral sets seem to have me completely hypnotized. I have been listening to very little else for the past few days. The sets I bought: Symphonies, Orchestral Music, Theatre Music, Voice & Orchestra, and Tone Poems could very well be my favorite purchases of the year.

Are you listening all the bits and pieces - first drafts and the like?

That's what put me off. I've no doubt there's a lot of fine music in there, but in a lot of the sets it felt like having every single possible version and arrangement of a piece translated into an excess of padding.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mirror Image on May 05, 2015, 04:34:33 PM
Quote from: orfeo on May 05, 2015, 04:23:31 PM
Are you listening all the bits and pieces - first drafts and the like?

That's what put me off. I've no doubt there's a lot of fine music in there, but in a lot of the sets it felt like having every single possible version and arrangement of a piece translated into an excess of padding.

Oh yeah, I'm listening to all earlier and later versions of works. Hearing the 'Yale Version' of The Oceanides for example was ear-opening as it sounds completely different in the final version. The same can be applied to a work like Origin Of Fire, which I heard for the first time today. I actually liked the 'Original Version' compared to the later, revised one. I don't generally go for hearing every bar a composer has written, but Sibelius is an exception. I haven't heard anything I haven't liked. I even enjoyed his sole opera The Maiden in the Tower which NEVER gets mentioned or talked about. Anyway, what you see as a negative, I see as a plus, but we're obviously two different listeners who thirst for different things.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on May 05, 2015, 04:43:07 PM
Quote from: Mirror Image on May 05, 2015, 04:34:33 PM
Oh yeah, I'm listening to all earlier and later versions of works. Hearing the 'Yale Version' of The Oceanides for example was ear-opening as it sounds completely different in the final version. The same can be applied to a work like Origin Of Fire, which I heard for the first time today. I actually liked the 'Original Version' compared to the later, revised one. I don't generally go for hearing every bar a composer has written, but Sibelius is an exception. I haven't heard anything I haven't liked. I even enjoyed his sole opera The Maiden in the Tower which NEVER gets mentioned or talked about. Anyway, what you see as a negative, I see as a plus, but we're obviously two different listeners who thirst for different things.

Well, I'm not sure we are: you just said yourself that Sibelius was an exception when it came to wanting to hear every bar.

Truth be told, a couple of the sets that you've mentioned are among the ones that seemed to be less problematic, eg I think the Theatre Music set would be among the most interesting. The more off-putting sets were the ones that really seemed to be getting down into minutiae, eg I think one set (perhaps piano music) has a whole bunch of exercises and sketches that are about 10 seconds long.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mirror Image on May 05, 2015, 05:15:25 PM
Quote from: orfeo on May 05, 2015, 04:43:07 PM
Well, I'm not sure we are: you just said yourself that Sibelius was an exception when it came to wanting to hear every bar.

Truth be told, a couple of the sets that you've mentioned are among the ones that seemed to be less problematic, eg I think the Theatre Music set would be among the most interesting. The more off-putting sets were the ones that really seemed to be getting down into minutiae, eg I think one set (perhaps piano music) has a whole bunch of exercises and sketches that are about 10 seconds long.

Being an orchestral fan, I suppose I'm just thinking of this part of his oeuvre. I wouldn't mind getting those chamber music sets at some point, but the solo piano, a cappella choral works, and voice/piano sets don't interest me at all. So maybe, in hindsight, I don't actually want to hear every note he wrote. :) The completist inside of me wants to own the whole series, but, at the same time, I want to be practical and honest about this: I just don't want it all. There are several genres of which I have absolutely no affinity for whatsoever, but, again those chamber sets look interesting as, next to orchestral music, chamber is one of my favorites.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on May 08, 2015, 09:58:11 AM
I broke down and bought the BBC Legends live box. I've been eyeing it for a long time and thought I could resist, but I am weak...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Pat B on May 08, 2015, 10:24:07 AM
Quote from: bigshot on May 08, 2015, 09:58:11 AM
I broke down and bought the BBC Legends live box. I've been eyeing it for a long time and thought I could resist, but I am weak...

I don't think you will be disappointed.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 08, 2015, 02:49:18 PM
Quote from: bigshot on May 08, 2015, 09:58:11 AM
I broke down and bought the BBC Legends live box. I've been eyeing it for a long time and thought I could resist, but I am weak...

Great set!   0:)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 08, 2015, 04:15:13 PM
BOLO ALERT

Be on the lookout for for a dangerous enabler, described as nocturnal and piscine. 11 inches high, 19 inches long with black fur. Answers to "Peter".
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 08, 2015, 07:25:37 PM
Quote from: Ken B on May 08, 2015, 04:15:13 PM
BOLO ALERT

Be on the lookout for for a dangerous enabler, described as nocturnal and piscine. 11 inches high, 19 inches long with black fur. Answers to "Peter".

(http://www.barrylou.com/art/eatCat.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on May 10, 2015, 05:34:12 AM
David Hurwitz just reviewed the new Charles Groves box at ClassicsToday. It's behind a paywall, but the free preview includes his remark that Groves "outclassed" Boult and Handley among British music advocates!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mirror Image on May 10, 2015, 06:30:04 AM
Quote from: Brian on May 10, 2015, 05:34:12 AM
David Hurwitz just reviewed the new Charles Groves box at ClassicsToday. It's behind a paywall, but the free preview includes his remark that Groves "outclassed" Boult and Handley among British music advocates!

Pffftttt! Another ignorant statement from Hurwitz.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 10, 2015, 05:03:58 PM
The Tafelmusik box just rolled in.  I was really surprised, as I assumed it was the Vaughan-Williams finally getting here.  Anyway, it's a nice little cube.  The included book just gives disc information--nothing like the serious essays for each disc in the original Vivarte box. Total price, with shipping, was $56.  Insane.  I would have paid twice as much without a complaint. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 10, 2015, 05:40:29 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 10, 2015, 05:03:58 PM
The Tafelmusik box just rolled in.  I was really surprised, as I assumed it was the Vaughan-Williams finally getting here.  Anyway, it's a nice little cube.  The included book just gives disc information--nothing like the serious essays for each disc in the original Vivarte box. Total price, with shipping, was $56.  Insane.  I would have paid twice as much without a complaint.

All in the Seon box my friend, all in the Seon box.

>:D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 10, 2015, 07:13:47 PM
Quote from: Ken B on May 10, 2015, 05:40:29 PM
All in the Seon box my friend, all in the Seon box.

>:D

:-[ I'm afraid I don't follow you, Ken. There is little or no overlap between the boxes...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Que on May 10, 2015, 09:54:29 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 10, 2015, 07:13:47 PM
:-[ I'm afraid I don't follow you, Ken. There is little or no overlap between the boxes...

There should be none. SEON was Philips' "early music" sub label, until they squandered it to Sony.
Tafelmusik was enlisted by Sony long after SEON was active as a label.

Q
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 11, 2015, 12:27:51 AM
Quote from: Que on May 10, 2015, 09:54:29 PM
There should be none. SEON was Philips' "early music" sub label, until they squandered it to Sony.
Tafelmusik was enlisted by Sony long after SEON was active as a label.

Q

Certainly no performance overlap, but they do have some works overlap (Brandenburg Concertos, for example). But that is not what Ken means, I think. It probably has to do with something I said about the SEON box earlier, but I'm quite certain I never said "Everything you'll ever need is in this box" or some such...

  Ironically, I went back to the old Vivarte box to compare some things with the new one and ended up becoming re-enraptured that set.  When I got that box I liked a lot of things but considered a lot of it kind of weird, random stuff. Now I know that I was just (more) ignorant at that time.  What a fantastic box.  It probably is the closest rival to the big SEON... Could the old and new Vivarte's combined be even better?  Perhaps I will spend the next few years deciding ;D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: king ubu on May 11, 2015, 12:32:36 AM
Which one's the "old" Vivarte? I have the cube from 2012 or 2013, was there one before that?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 11, 2015, 12:53:05 AM
Quote from: king ubu on May 11, 2015, 12:32:36 AM
Which one's the "old" Vivarte? I have the cube from 2012 or 2013, was there one before that?

No, that's the one.  I call that one the old Vivarte because this Tafelmusik box is also (to my surprise) prominently labeled as "Vivarte", making it, apparently, the second one. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: king ubu on May 11, 2015, 12:59:29 AM
Okay, thanks - I guess I'll skip the Tafelmusik, having the Vivarte and having Tafelmusik's Haydn box ... and I've stood strong on the SEON so far as well (not having anything there though, but I think by now I have my share of "historic HIP" recordings - that, btw, is not the bag I put Tafelmusik in, I like them a lot, so I am still somewhat on the fence there, but the SEON is definitely too rich for me).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on May 11, 2015, 01:33:24 AM
Vivarte simply was Sony's "HIP" sublabel. They also employed Wolf Erikson and later on Sony acquired SEON and re-issued it on CD.
Quite a bit of the SEON box could qualify as "HIP pioneers" (mostly 1970s) whereas the Tafelmusik is "modern" 1990s HIP.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: king ubu on May 11, 2015, 04:21:26 AM
I'm aware, yes. I prefer more recent HIP mostly, but then the Oiseau Lyre box is awaiting for discovery ... and with the Archiv Produktion and Vivarte cubes, as well as plenty of "Das alte Werk" discs (which is why I didn't even consider that cube), I feel I've got my bases covered there.

While I love these big boxes, with more recent recordings I seem to prefer single releases - and I currently don't feel like I need more biggish early HIP reissues. But that may change again as time goes by, of course! (I'm only three years in, I still don't know plenty of standard repertoire and stuff, I kinda need to pace myself a bit  :))
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on May 11, 2015, 04:54:16 AM
I am not buying any of these boxes. I don't deny that they are great value for money but for me it is just too much stuff I either have already, do not much care about and in any case will probably hardly listen to at all. I think for a relative newbie they are often overwhelming. But the Vivarte, Seon etc. at least have the benefit of quite a bit non-standard repertoire.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 11, 2015, 05:52:09 AM
Yeah, King Ubu, pace yourself!  The boxes you mentioned are fantastic, but should certainly be enough for a long time. It's strange to remember that until recently that would have been enough quantity and quality to reflect decades of collecting and be enough to satisfy a lifetime of listening...
   I generally feel really grateful to have gotten into classical music at this time (all these fantastic bargain sets), but at the same time I feel nostalgic for the time when I would play a favorite album (Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Frank Zappa, The Who, Brian Eno) hundreds of times.  If I bought an LP and didn't like it I would still play it 10 times or more.  Now if a new disc gets 3 plays it qualifies as a top-tier favorite...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: king ubu on May 11, 2015, 06:15:58 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 11, 2015, 05:52:09 AM
Yeah, King Ubu, pace yourself!  The boxes you mentioned are fantastic, but should certainly be enough for a long time. It's strange to remember that until recently that would have been enough quantity and quality to reflect decades of collecting and be enough to satisfy a lifetime of listening...
   I generally feel really grateful to have gotten into classical music at this time (all these fantastic bargain sets), but at the same time I feel nostalgic for the time when I would play a favorite album (Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Frank Zappa, The Who, Brian Eno) hundreds of times.  If I bought an LP and didn't like it I would still play it 10 times or more.  Now if a new disc gets 3 plays it qualifies as a top-tier favorite...

Well, somehow, as jazz is supposed to be the sound of surprise to me, I never felt like listening to particular records dozens or hundreds of times within shorter periods of time. I might only have four or five dozen that I actually know by heart, more or less. I rather do binge listening, like spend a whole day (or a week, or even a month) going through some of Coltrane's music - but mostly listening to all of it just once and then moving on.

With classical (as well as with rock/pop/soul/world/whatever) that is different, but with jazz I never even felt like I wanted to really know it all. Not that I don't want to listen in seriousness, but it's (mostly, muchly) spontaneous music and I don't want it to lose that aspect to me.

Anyway, it still happens that stuff gets played a dozen of times a week within arrival - jazz (I'm still also buying and exploring jazz) or classical - sometimes you just can't help it  ;)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 11, 2015, 06:27:24 AM
Quote from: king ubu on May 11, 2015, 06:15:58 AM
sometimes you just can't help it  ;)
;D ;D

  That's great to hear. 
I'm like a bratty kid on Christmas, ripping the wrapping on one present after another.  No matter how much I like a disc--perhaps even more if I especially like it--I can hardly wait to get to the next treasure and see how good it is...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: king ubu on May 11, 2015, 06:29:51 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 11, 2015, 06:27:24 AM
I'm like a bratty kid on Christmas, ripping the wrapping on one present after another.  No matter how much I like a disc--perhaps even more if I especially like it--I can hardly wait to get to the next treasure and see how good it is...

I'll drink to that tonight (though probably my three evil A and five presto boxes won't start arriving until tomorrow, rarely do parcels get delivered on Mondays)  ;D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: ritter on May 11, 2015, 10:03:10 AM
Perhaps this has been discussed before, but I ask anyway  :-[ : has anyone heard anything about a big Charles Munch / RCA box appearing anytime soon ? ? ? ?

Thanks in advance...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 11, 2015, 10:07:35 AM
Quote from: ritter on May 11, 2015, 10:03:10 AM
Perhaps this has been discussed before, but I ask anyway  :-[ : has anyone heard anything about a big Charles Munch / RCA box appearing anytime soon ? ? ? ?

Thanks in advance...

I haven't seen any traces yet, but that set has to be released over the next few years! Right? Right.......?    :P
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 11, 2015, 10:18:10 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 10, 2015, 07:13:47 PM
:-[ I'm afraid I don't follow you, Ken. There is little or no overlap between the boxes...

You're killing me Al.
Surely there's a lot. Haydn symphonies, Bach, Handel?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: king ubu on May 11, 2015, 11:05:47 AM
Quote from: Ken B on May 11, 2015, 10:18:10 AM
You're killing me Al.
Surely there's a lot. Haydn symphonies, Bach, Handel?

overlap in repertoire, but not in peformance - makes a difference to some, ya know  ;D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: ritter on May 11, 2015, 11:46:52 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 11, 2015, 10:07:35 AM
I haven't seen any traces yet, but that set has to be released over the next few years! Right? Right.......?    :P
If you wish for something hard enough, it will come true  :)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on May 11, 2015, 12:01:07 PM
Quote from: ritter on May 11, 2015, 10:03:10 AM
Perhaps this has been discussed before, but I ask anyway  :-[ : has anyone heard anything about a big Charles Munch / RCA box appearing anytime soon ? ? ? ?

Aren't there three or so medium-sized Munch boxes available dirt cheap?
I have one with Mendelssohn, Brahms etc., but there is at least another one and probably also one for Berlioz.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: ritter on May 11, 2015, 12:12:32 PM
Quote from: Jo498 on May 11, 2015, 12:01:07 PM
Aren't there three or so medium-sized Munch boxes available dirt cheap?
I have one with Mendelssohn, Brahms etc., but there is at least another one and probably also one for Berlioz.
Indeed there is (two at least), in Sony's cheap white series:

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/7124EwcfRrL._SL1030_.jpg)  (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71H-KYB5-LL._SL1051_.jpg)

Unfortunately, though, these don't include what I'm really after (Debussy, Ravel, Beethoven).. :(
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on May 11, 2015, 01:22:06 PM
I have the German romantics box, Beethoven's 9th on the EMI great conductors, Beethoven's 3rd on a japanese disc, as well as some Berlioz and Chausson. You guys are right, there should be at least a "French" box with Munch.

I guess they want to sell at least some of his stuff more expensively on Living Stereo SACDs; there's quite a bit available in that series.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 11, 2015, 04:49:48 PM
Quote from: Ken B on May 11, 2015, 10:18:10 AM
You're killing me Al.
Surely there's a lot. Haydn symphonies, Bach, Handel?

  Actually, I have a TON of the Tafelmusik stuff already.  But for overlap, even in repertoire, there is very little.  The two boxes actually complement each other almost perfectly.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 11, 2015, 05:50:11 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 11, 2015, 04:49:48 PM
  Actually, I have a TON of the Tafelmusik stuff already.  But for overlap, even in repertoire, there is very little.  The two boxes actually complement each other almost perfectly.
But what about the Vivarte box?

Added. Well I ordered it. To lock in the Azon price; I might still cancel. I need to make a careful count. But I have separate Haydn boxes I can sell to recoup a few bucks.

Al&Moonfish 1, Kens willpower 0.  Again.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 11, 2015, 07:40:06 PM
Quote from: Ken B on May 11, 2015, 05:50:11 PM
But what about the Vivarte box?

Added. Well I ordered it. To lock in the Azon price; I might still cancel. I need to make a careful count. But I have separate Haydn boxes I can sell to recoup a few bucks.

Al&Moonfish 1, Kens willpower 0.  Again.

I am actually resisting! :)    Have all the Haydn and the Vivarte box fills in most of the other disks.  Seems redundant to me.  >:D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 11, 2015, 09:12:22 PM
Quote from: Ken B on May 11, 2015, 05:50:11 PM
But what about the Vivarte box?

  Probably a lot of overlap with the Vivarte box. I did something of a count before I ordered, but I forget what my numbers were.  I think everything conducted by Lamon or Weil (except the Schubert) that is in the earlier Vivarte box is also in the Vivarte Tafelmusik box.  I bought all the Weil Haydn stuff, including the massses and oratorios, so I have considerable duplication. 
   Another thing that may chase you away from this box is that Tafelmusik is a Canadian outfit. >:D >:D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: king ubu on May 11, 2015, 11:51:14 PM
there's some Munch on WHRA as well, most notably this one:

[asin]B002QJ51G6[/asin]
review w/contents:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2011/Mar11/munch_french_WHRA6027.htm

and there are these two (first one's all German again, second has some French):
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2009/Feb09/Munch_whra6017.htm
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2009/June09/Munch_whra6015.htm
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: ritter on May 12, 2015, 12:53:59 AM
Quote from: king ubu on May 11, 2015, 11:51:14 PM
there's some Munch on WHRA as well, most notably this one:

Thanks for that, king ubu! I didn't know about the existence of  these boxes  :)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: king ubu on May 12, 2015, 01:01:01 AM
I collected them all by now (same for the Monteux ones) ... but this is mostly repertoire I've not really started exploring.

And obviously, these kinds of boxes aren't the same as a box pulling together the studio recordings. I've not really explored Munch (or Monteux) in depth now, but the time will come  :)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 12, 2015, 06:28:08 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 11, 2015, 09:12:22 PM

   Another thing that may chase you away from this box is that Tafelmusik is a Canadian outfit. >:D >:D

Worse. Ontario, which abuts Michigan. BC might be OK, but this close to Detroit ...
:P :laugh:
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 12, 2015, 06:59:08 AM
Quote from: Ken B on May 12, 2015, 06:28:08 AM
Worse. Ontario, which abuts Michigan. BC might be OK, but this close to Detroit ...
:P :laugh:

  Yeah, you wouldn't want to go supporting those guys...word might get out and they'd show up outside your door, looking for handouts :D
   
     Seriously, just dig up all your tafelmusik stuff and start playing it. If you get excited and wish you had more, get the box. If you find your enthusiasm flags before you get through them, give it a miss (and direct the money towards the SEON set :P).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Abuelo Igor on June 01, 2015, 09:35:23 AM
Shouldn't there be a box set of the "Entartete Musik" series from Decca, since most of those albums seem to be out of print for ages? Most of it was opera and we would probably be left without the libretti, but at least it would be available again. I mean, it was about 40 CDs all together.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: jlaurson on June 01, 2015, 10:50:22 AM
this bis seems to fit here very well... two more installments w/general discussion on box sets to follow.



This guy... one of maybe only a dozen I can think of.


Fresh from Forbes:

(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GS9pLMtbk04/VIB7VKbHqeI/AAAAAAAAHvs/QnxWx_SUGxc/s1600/Forbes_SOUND_ADVICE_laurson_2_600.jpg)

MAY 29, 2015 @ 3:01 PM
Boxing Classical Music: Ferenc Fricsay on Deutsche Grammophon

There's something wonderful about classical music—certainly in its form as recorded music—having
become a commodity: It is more easily available than ever before, in greater variety than ever before,
and at a lower cost than ever before. Notable part of this trend is the packaging and re-packaging and
re-releasing of trusty records as part of box sets. Everything by everyone seems available affordably—
and we are talking about the physical product, not downloads, which you might think would spearhead
this development... perhaps even at the expense of the trusty CD.

Box sets used to be expensive, much cherished trophies of the collector. I remember my first set of
complete Beethoven Sonatas (incidentally not a particularly satisfying set, as it would eventually turn
out) and my first Ring Cycle (still a worthy member of the collection) and the hushed reverence that
went along with their purchase. With the tumbling of prices, that's changed entirely (furthered by the
budgetary constraints that are not those of one's student days). There are still some box sets that are
expensive, made with great care, and easy to covet. But more-so it has become a trend for labels to
use sets to manufacture bargain-basement collections that can be had for a few bucks per disc and
entice listeners to fill gaps in their collections they might not otherwise have had bothered or bee able
to fill....
(http://blogs-images.forbes.com/jenslaurson/files/2015/03/Fricsay_Orchestral_Works_DG-Collection_Forbes_Box-Sets_jens-f-laurson.jpg) (http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2015/05/29/boxing-classical-music-ferenc-fricsay-on-deutsche-grammophon/)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on June 01, 2015, 11:46:23 AM
Quote from: jlaurson on June 01, 2015, 10:50:22 AM
this bis seems to fit here very well... two more installments w/general discussion on box sets to follow.



Excellent article! I wish that DG could follow some of your suggestions to improve their future box sets. I'm also glad that you mentioned the upcoming vol 2 at the end of the piece! Thanks!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on June 09, 2015, 06:24:35 PM
Import.CDs has basically tripled their postage fees to foreign countries :'(   Actually, their old fees were stupid-low--it cost the same to ship a single disc or a giant box. I didn't see how they could make money (on the giant boxes, that is). Maybe they couldn't and that is why they adjusted upwards.  Good for them, bad for me.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: jlaurson on June 12, 2015, 04:10:50 AM

Fresh from Forbes:

(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GS9pLMtbk04/VIB7VKbHqeI/AAAAAAAAHvs/QnxWx_SUGxc/s1600/Forbes_SOUND_ADVICE_laurson_2_600.jpg)

JUN 12, 2015
Boxing Classical Music: Claudio Abbado On Sony/RCA

The preamble to this review—a cursory glance at the state of the state of box sets in classical music—
precedes the first of what will be three (the orchestral works conducted by Ferenc Fricsay's on Deutsche
Grammophon) This second installment takes Claudio Abbado's recordings for Sony/RCA as its example.

Having covered Ferenc Fricsay box set, let's turn to the Abbado Box that Sony put forth. It covers his
output for that label spanning 22 years (1976-1997) and his most important orchestral stations (including
La Scala, 1971-1986, the LSO, 1975-1987, Vienna State Opera, 1986-1991, and Chicago, where he was
the principal guest conductor for three years in the 80s) up to and including (some of) his taking steward-
ship of the Berlin Philharmonic (1989-2002)...

(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wlnTqaxAGaM/VXlq-effJlI/AAAAAAAAIPA/3ZCMbST_49A/s1600/Abbado_SONY-RCA_Box_Forbes_jens-f-laurson_BOX.jpg) (http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2015/06/11/boxing-classical-music-claudio-abbado-on-sonyrca/)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on June 12, 2015, 01:20:33 PM
Quote from: jlaurson on June 12, 2015, 04:10:50 AM
Fresh from Forbes:


JUN 12, 2015
Boxing Classical Music: Claudio Abbado On Sony/RCA


Thanks JL! An interesting review of the Abbado Sony set. You certainly had mixed feelings about this specific compilation. Are you an Abbado fan overall? Personally I never have connected to his recordings (yet), but I still have plenty to cover. I keep listening as his reputation seems formidable and his followers countless.   0:)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on June 12, 2015, 01:33:02 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on June 12, 2015, 01:20:33 PM
Thanks JL! An interesting review of the Abbado Sony set. You certainly had mixed feelings about this specific compilation. Are you an Abbado fan overall? Personally I never have connected to his recordings (yet), but I still have plenty to cover. I keep listening as his reputation seems formidable and his followers countless.   0:)

The big DG box made me a believer. One thing I like is he has a distinctive approach -- lower tension, let the detail tell -- without being eccentric about it. So its not just another generic Symphony A by composer B. Stan Skrow is another box I really like. He's more the reverential seriousness type, higher tension than Abbado. Also a superb, and very different, box.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: jlaurson on June 13, 2015, 07:28:19 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on June 12, 2015, 01:20:33 PM
Thanks JL! An interesting review of the Abbado Sony set. You certainly had mixed feelings about this specific compilation. Are you an Abbado fan overall? Personally I never have connected to his recordings (yet), but I still have plenty to cover. I keep listening as his reputation seems formidable and his followers countless.   0:)

I can't be said to be a fan of Abbado, over-all, because I think he is all over the place. Between insanely boring and brilliant. He's sure to have been some genius and I bought into the hype to some degree and there's much I love... but it's hardly a composer where I think: Whatever he touched he turned to gold. Those are Kubelik and Fricsay and Ancerl maybe. Wand, but not, perhaps QUITE as consistently. But perhaps those are only biases, also... Abbado's Mendelsson bores me to tears, for one... one of the few obvious flubs for DG he did. But well enough regarded by so many, as you point out.

I certainly do love me some "Stan Skrow", as does Ken B. Him, unlike Abbado, I've heard in concert, too... and that was always quite something.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: jlaurson on June 13, 2015, 07:45:08 AM

SAY... would you terribly mind if we took this conversation to Forbes? (Just cutting and pasting it in there?
They measure "success", so to say, by hits and by activity / interaction... so this would fly very nicely and make it seem as if the stuff I write was actually being read.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on June 13, 2015, 01:11:47 PM
Quote from: jlaurson on June 13, 2015, 07:45:08 AM
SAY... would you terribly mind if we took this conversation to Forbes? (Just cutting and pasting it in there?
They measure "success", so to say, by hits and by activity / interaction... so this would fly very nicely and make it seem as if the stuff I write was actually being read.

Ok, JL! I copied my comments over to your Forbes post.   :)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: jlaurson on June 14, 2015, 05:07:52 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on June 13, 2015, 01:11:47 PM
Ok, JL! I copied my comments over to your Forbes post.   :)

Thanks kindly for playing along.  ;)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on June 14, 2015, 03:28:36 PM
I got the DGG Abbado symphonies box, and as soon as I dropped it into circulation on my media server, I kept running across symphonies with slack conducting and no passion. I'd pull out my iPhone and look at the name on the file, and every time it was from that box. If the Sony box is anything like that, I'll pass on it.

It's odd because I have some Verdi operas conducted by Abbado and I like them.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: king ubu on June 14, 2015, 10:31:59 PM
Thanks Jens - interesting read! I've got both Abbado boxes around, but I'm not completely sold on either of them so far. The Mozart - in both boxes - didn't convince me at all, but I quite enjoyed the Mendelssohn, I'm afraid. Where else should I look for better Mendelssohn then? Guess that's off topic here, though, sorry.

Anyway, I've still only heard small parts of both sets and am looking forward to crawling through them as time goes by.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: jlaurson on June 14, 2015, 10:49:10 PM
Quote from: bigshot on June 14, 2015, 03:28:36 PM
I got the DGG Abbado symphonies box, and as soon as I dropped it into circulation on my media server, I kept running across symphonies with slack conducting and no passion. I'd pull out my iPhone and look at the name on the file, and every time it was from that box. If the Sony box is anything like that, I'll pass on it.

It's odd because I have some Verdi operas conducted by Abbado and I like them.

...because his Verdi is uniformly excellent.

Funny, now that I think back, I remember having an early suspicion of the Abbado-cult; an early in-built hesitancy... well before I had the actual knowledge and experience and at a time when I should have bought into the Abbado cult whole-heartedly, because in principle it was right up my alley. Still, I hesitated for years, to pick up his Mahler 5 (ditto No.1), because I suspected it to be dull. Don't know why I had that suspicion, since I readily lapped up most everything Abbado at the time... and that may have been (just) before I realized his slack Mendelssohn and before he issued the Mahler Sixth that made such a splash and which I found so utterly lacking. (See also: Mahler Survey (http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2009/12/mahler-survey.html)) It turns out that I was quite wrong, at least about the First, which is a much better recording than I had intuited. The Fifth is fine, too, if not a great recording and in most every way outdone by Boulez.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: jlaurson on June 14, 2015, 10:55:25 PM
Quote from: king ubu on June 14, 2015, 10:31:59 PMWhere else should I look for better Mendelssohn then? Guess that's off topic here, though, sorry.


Not to worry. Though it would be (selfishly) excellent to have this exchange on Forbes.com instead, so as to show them that somebody actually cares and gets involved, I'll be happy to answer here, too: DEFINITELY Dohnanyi (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B003Y3MYWC/goodmusicguide-20)!

from an earlier go at the subject:
Quote from: jlaurson on March 25, 2013, 02:32:38 PM
Quote from: Octave on March 25, 2013, 01:44:12 PM
Jens, you link to an OOP Mendelssohn/Dohnanyi set; I'm assuming this one contains the same recordings.  Odd, I never remember seeing it, even though it was released Stateside in 2010.

(http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B003Y3MYWC.01.L.jpg)
F. Mendelssohn-B.
Dohnanyi / WPh
Decca
(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003Y3MYWC?ie=UTF8&tag=goodmusicguide-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003Y3MYWC)

Correct. 'Tis the one.

Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on March 25, 2013, 01:36:44 PM(As said before, I've got Karajan and Abbado.  Comparing them, I can understand why you mentioned Herbert and not Claudio.)

Oh, gawd yes. How can such a wonderful conductor (Claudio) be so dreadfully boring in all these symphonies. Yikes. But if you have Karajan, at least you are in good hands. His entire Mendelssohn Symphony cycle, really, is quite outstanding. And (Karajan-detraction coming natural to many of us, myself included) quite/intuitively underrated.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: king ubu on June 14, 2015, 11:20:44 PM
Thanks again, Jens!

Last (I think) question: where to go for a Tchaiko cycle?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on June 15, 2015, 12:04:05 AM
Quote from: king ubu on June 14, 2015, 11:20:44 PM
Thanks again, Jens!

Last (I think) question: where to go for a Tchaiko cycle?

Not quite a cycle, but still a "must"...    ;)

[asin] B000001G8B[/asin]
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: king ubu on June 15, 2015, 12:17:56 AM
Just had a look at my list ... got those, they're in the DG cube (which I've still to explore - there's one disc of HvK doing Mendelssohn there, too). Anyway, I guess I better first listen to what I already have (note to self  ;))
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: jlaurson on June 15, 2015, 12:48:23 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on June 15, 2015, 12:04:05 AM
Not quite a cycle, but still a "must"...    ;)

(http://images.amazon.com/images/P/%20B000001G8B.01.L.jpg)
P.I. Tchaikovsky, Symphonies 4-6
Y.Mravinsky / Leningrad PO
DG (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000001G8B/goodmusicguide-20)

BTW: Apart from getting them individually, is there any way of getting these in a way that DOESN'T split No.5 down the middle??

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on June 15, 2015, 01:19:41 AM
Quote from: jlaurson on June 15, 2015, 12:48:23 AM
BTW: Apart from getting them individually, is there any way of getting these in a way that DOESN'T split No.5 down the middle??

You mean a 3 disc set? The individual SACDs are a bit on the expensive side!  :o
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on June 15, 2015, 01:20:19 AM
Quote from: king ubu on June 15, 2015, 12:17:56 AM
Just had a look at my list ... got those, they're in the DG cube (which I've still to explore - there's one disc of HvK doing Mendelssohn there, too). Anyway, I guess I better first listen to what I already have (note to self  ;))

I think I will make a note of that as well....     :P
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: jlaurson on June 15, 2015, 01:38:15 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on June 15, 2015, 01:19:41 AM
You mean a 3 disc set? The individual SACDs are a bit on the expensive side!  :o

So I have noticed. :-( I guess if they are part of some "Original" box, they'd be in sleeves, on a single disc each? But unfortunately they won't be sold that way, I suppose.
Am kindof looking into those SACDs from Japan, though.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on June 15, 2015, 06:44:46 AM
Quote from: king ubu on June 14, 2015, 10:31:59 PM
Thanks Jens - interesting read! I've got both Abbado boxes around, but I'm not completely sold on either of them so far. The Mozart - in both boxes - didn't convince me at all, but I quite enjoyed the Mendelssohn, I'm afraid. Where else should I look for better Mendelssohn then? Guess that's off topic here, though, sorry.

Anyway, I've still only heard small parts of both sets and am looking forward to crawling through them as time goes by.

In the DG box I live it all but I think the real standouts are
Brahms
Mahler
Mendelssohn
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on June 15, 2015, 08:58:28 PM
Quote from: king ubu on June 14, 2015, 10:31:59 PMWhere else should I look for better Mendelssohn then?

Munch, Stokowski, even Norrington.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on June 17, 2015, 04:59:59 PM
Hey!

Where is the big Warner Previn box?
Zubin Mehta is getting a box.
Where is the Previn box? Are the guys running Warner crazy?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: PerfectWagnerite on June 17, 2015, 06:18:40 PM
Quote from: Ken B on June 17, 2015, 04:59:59 PM
Hey!

Where is the big Warner Previn box?
Zubin Mehta is getting a box.
Where is the Previn box? Are the guys running Warner crazy?
Previn? Can't think of any good recordings by him, so maybe whoever is putting out these boxes know what they are doing afterall.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: jlaurson on June 17, 2015, 11:52:17 PM
Quote from: PerfectWagnerite on June 17, 2015, 06:18:40 PM
Previn? Can't think of any good recordings by him, so maybe whoever is putting out these boxes know what they are doing afterall.

That's probably a bit unfair; there are some excellent Previn recordings... but they're spread out across his career and across labels ... and any such box would a.) be slim... and b.) would have to be extremely well curated... to the point of where it's more an insult to the conductor than an act of honoring him. :-)

Here's some of his best:

Strauss, Alpine, WPh, T (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000003CVX/goodmusicguide-20)
RVW, Sy.5, RPO, T (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000003CUM/goodmusicguide-20)
Walton, Cello Concerto, YoYo, LSO, R (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000260Z/goodmusicguide-20)
Walton Sy.1 & Viola Cto., Bashmet, LSO, R (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000630UV/goodmusicguide-20)
Ned Rorem PC, Milanov Curtis, N (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000030I1/goodmusicguide-20)
DSCH VC1, Mullova, RPO, P (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000E3V6/goodmusicguide-20)
Messiaen, Turangalila, LSO, E/W (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000002SFI/goodmusicguide-20)
Barber / Korngold VC, Shaham, LSO, D (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000001GLX/goodmusicguide-20)
Korngold Seahawk, LSO, D (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005UW3Z/goodmusicguide-20)
Korngold, Symphony, LSO, D (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000001GYP/goodmusicguide-20)
Ravel L'enfant Et Les Sortileges LSO, D (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JLFX/goodmusicguide-20)
Sibelius VC, Mutter, Dresden, D (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000001GRK/goodmusicguide-20)
Nielsen Sy.1, LSO, R (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000026GJ7/goodmusicguide-20)


Sarge might add a Kyung Wha Chung recording, or two to this list...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: king ubu on June 18, 2015, 12:44:47 AM
Quote from: bigshot on June 15, 2015, 08:58:28 PM
Munch, Stokowski, even Norrington.

Some of the former two here (but mostly I think just the "Italian").

Anyway: listen to what I have first  ;) (and I also have Sawallisch, which will be the cycle to re-listen next, before looking for more - but the Dohnányi has already been ordered, it's too late  >:().
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on June 18, 2015, 05:01:01 AM
Quote from: jlaurson on June 17, 2015, 11:52:17 PM
That's probably a bit unfair; there are some excellent Previn recordings... but they're spread out across his career and across labels ... and any such box would a.) be slim... and b.) would have to be extremely well curated... to the point of where it's more an insult to the conductor than an act of honoring him. :-)

Here's some of his best:

Strauss, Alpine, WPh, T (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000003CVX/goodmusicguide-20)
RVW, Sy.5, RPO, T (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000003CUM/goodmusicguide-20)
Walton, Cello Concerto, YoYo, LSO, R (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000260Z/goodmusicguide-20)
Walton Sy.1 & Viola Cto., Bashmet, LSO, R (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000630UV/goodmusicguide-20)
Ned Rorem PC, Milanov Curtis, N (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000030I1/goodmusicguide-20)
DSCH VC1, Mullova, RPO, P (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000E3V6/goodmusicguide-20)
Messiaen, Turangalila, LSO, E/W (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000002SFI/goodmusicguide-20)
Barber / Korngold VC, Shaham, LSO, D (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000001GLX/goodmusicguide-20)
Korngold Seahawk, LSO, D (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005UW3Z/goodmusicguide-20)
Korngold, Symphony, LSO, D (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000001GYP/goodmusicguide-20)
Ravel L'enfant Et Les Sortileges LSO, D (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JLFX/goodmusicguide-20)
Sibelius VC, Mutter, Dresden, D (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000001GRK/goodmusicguide-20)
Nielsen Sy.1, LSO, R (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000026GJ7/goodmusicguide-20)


Sarge might add a Kyung Wha Chung recording, or two to this list...

Great list indeed. To which I would add a few EMI/Warner recordings: the legendary Rachmaninov Symphony 2, and his various Shostakovich efforts - the quality of his Tenth really surprised me.

EDIT: One might also want an album of Previn's own compositions, for the buyer to make up their minds about.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on June 19, 2015, 09:49:22 AM
Quote from: PerfectWagnerite on June 17, 2015, 06:18:40 PM
Previn? Can't think of any good recordings by him

Then you should get the box and realize the error of your ways. Previn was a very fine conductor.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: PerfectWagnerite on June 19, 2015, 12:05:27 PM
Quote from: bigshot on June 19, 2015, 09:49:22 AM
Then you should get the box and realize the error of your ways. Previn was a very fine conductor.
Box? What box???
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: jlaurson on July 02, 2015, 06:32:51 AM
We've got boxes. We've got boxes. We've got lots and lots of boxes! Of incomplete stuff!

The 11th (!) installment of the Beethoven Survey!


(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VYQWtbpDv9Q/UPQjw3NPXEI/AAAAAAAAFro/1OCHnnTJ3H8/s1600/Beethoven_basic_laurson_600.jpg)

Beethoven Sonatas - A Survey of Complete Cycles
The Great Incomplete Cycles



http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2015/07/beethoven-sonatas-survey-of-complete.html (http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2015/07/beethoven-sonatas-survey-of-complete.html)

Which ones have I missed? What data did I get wrong?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Todd on July 02, 2015, 06:44:07 AM
Quote from: jlaurson on July 02, 2015, 06:32:51 AM
Which ones have I missed? What data did I get wrong?


Off the top of my head.

(http://img.hmv.co.jp/image/jacket/400/53/7/4/337.jpg)


18 sonatas.  19 if you include the dual 110 recordings.  Other stuff is included - some Bagatelles, Op 35, the C Minor concerto and the Choral Fantasy.  106 is not.  It shares some of the same sources as the non-Philips sets you mention.

You still also need to add Kikuchi and Costa to the complete sets.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: jlaurson on July 02, 2015, 08:59:07 AM
Quote from: Todd on July 02, 2015, 06:44:07 AM

Off the top of my head.

(http://img.hmv.co.jp/image/jacket/400/53/7/4/337.jpg)


18 sonatas.  19 if you include the dual 110 recordings.  Other stuff is included - some Bagatelles, Op 35, the C Minor concerto and the Choral Fantasy.  106 is not.  It shares some of the same sources as the non-Philips sets you mention.

You still also need to add Kikuchi and Costa to the complete sets.

Very good! Do you know where either this or the Praga Digitals were taken from? Are they just all over the place, time and location-wise? I feel kindof weird to have included Richter at all... but I suppose one ought to, even if there is nothing cyclical (to my eye) about these collections, at all...


Right, thanks! Costa (http://sequeira%20cost) is for real, right? It's Claudio Colombo who is the fraud.
Yusuke Kikuchi    recorded from 2010 to 2011 on Triton, I reckon. I have yet to find the first two volumes on Amazon... must search better.

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: jlaurson on July 02, 2015, 09:28:28 AM
Quote from: jlaurson on July 02, 2015, 08:59:07 AM

Yusuke Kikuchi    recorded from 2010 to 2011 on Triton, I reckon. I have yet to find the first two volumes on Amazon... must search better.

Done!


Beethoven Sonatas - A Survey of Complete Cycles
Part 8, 2010 - 2013


http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2013/07/beethoven-sonatas-survey-of-complete.html (http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2013/07/beethoven-sonatas-survey-of-complete.html)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Todd on July 02, 2015, 09:37:00 AM
Quote from: jlaurson on July 02, 2015, 08:59:07 AMDo you know where either this or the Praga Digitals were taken from?


It includes dates, but not much else.  There is some overlap with other reissues.  This appears to be the most convenient way to get a big slug of sonatas, excluding 106.



Quote from: jlaurson on July 02, 2015, 08:59:07 AMCosta (http://sequeira%20cost) is for real, right?


Costa is real.  I have two volumes that I bought from the Vianna da Motta foundation before it stopped selling.  Costa's set is available as single volumes in the UK, with at least some available in the states. 

Also, Houstoun's second set was recorded in 2014, not 2013.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Pat B on July 02, 2015, 10:32:20 AM
Quote from: jlaurson on July 02, 2015, 08:59:07 AM
I feel kindof weird to have included Richter at all... but I suppose one ought to, even if there is nothing cyclical (to my eye) about these collections, at all...

I hear you, but step back and look at Richter's overall Beethoven discography. I think much the same could be said for Gould and Serkin. All three "incomplete cycles" spanned decades, and none of the three performed or intended to record all of the sonatas. The only difference is that Gould and Serkin happened to stick with one record company, which was presumably a business decision.

I take it you are a fan of the Arrau/EMI recordings. He also did #7 for EMI in 1951. I have it (along with 14 and 18) in the EMI/Warner "Rarities" set (ASIN B00FJZQS9I), but haven't heard any of the others.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Sergeant Rock on July 02, 2015, 01:52:36 PM
Quote from: jlaurson on June 17, 2015, 11:52:17 PM
Here's some of his best:

Strauss, Alpine, WPh, T (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000003CVX/goodmusicguide-20)
RVW, Sy.5, RPO, T (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000003CUM/goodmusicguide-20)
Walton, Cello Concerto, YoYo, LSO, R (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000260Z/goodmusicguide-20)
Walton Sy.1 & Viola Cto., Bashmet, LSO, R (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000630UV/goodmusicguide-20)
Ned Rorem PC, Milanov Curtis, N (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000030I1/goodmusicguide-20)
DSCH VC1, Mullova, RPO, P (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000E3V6/goodmusicguide-20)
Messiaen, Turangalila, LSO, E/W (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000002SFI/goodmusicguide-20)
Barber / Korngold VC, Shaham, LSO, D (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000001GLX/goodmusicguide-20)
Korngold Seahawk, LSO, D (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005UW3Z/goodmusicguide-20)
Korngold, Symphony, LSO, D (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000001GYP/goodmusicguide-20)
Ravel L'enfant Et Les Sortileges LSO, D (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JLFX/goodmusicguide-20)
Sibelius VC, Mutter, Dresden, D (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000001GRK/goodmusicguide-20)
Nielsen Sy.1, LSO, R (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000026GJ7/goodmusicguide-20)

Sarge might add a Kyung Wha Chung recording, or two to this list...

I would. The Walton Concerto with Chung, superb. I like the two Prok VCs also. Other worthy Previn additions:

Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto 3 with Ashkenazy
Saint-Saens Piano Concertos with Collard
Elgar Symphony No.1


Sarge
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: jlaurson on July 02, 2015, 02:14:32 PM
Quote from: Todd on July 02, 2015, 09:37:00 AM

Also, Houstoun's second set was recorded in 2014, not 2013.

Really? So they weren't recorded at the 2013 recitals but later? I reckon you have the set and the numbers, but somehow I had gotten the impression that 2013 was the right year.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Todd on July 02, 2015, 05:21:44 PM
Quote from: jlaurson on July 02, 2015, 02:14:32 PM
Really? So they weren't recorded at the 2013 recitals but later? I reckon you have the set and the numbers, but somehow I had gotten the impression that 2013 was the right year.



I checked the liner notes, and now I can say I do not know.  All copyright dates are 2014, and no recording dates are given.  The cycle may have been/probably was recorded in 2013, but it does not sound like they were recorded at the reCYCLE recitals, unless NZ concert audiences make no noise at all or the noise was perfectly removed in post-production.  (The sound is very much studio-like.)  The recording venue is given as the NZ School of Music in Wellington, but the recitals appear to have been in multiple locations, so my guess would be that he recorded a program before or after performing it live.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: aap1960 on September 07, 2015, 08:10:28 PM
Haven't seen any movement on this thread for a while. Was wondering if anyone has heard any information about any future Georg Solti box(es) to be released. I've seen the Korean boxes, which seem impressive, but I've been burned before with buying the Vivarte 60 CD Collection from Korea and paying quite a lot, and then a few months later the box was released in the US for a lot less and with an English booklet.
It seems to me that Solti is probably the last "great" conductor/artist with a long list of releases on a major label that hasn't been given a nice retrospective yet. I know that he has a spotty reputation, but his "albums" continue to be inserted in the various Decca box sets individually, and Decca have released the Ring twice in the last 3 years.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 07, 2015, 10:36:54 PM
Quote from: aap1960 on September 07, 2015, 08:10:28 PM
Haven't seen any movement on this thread for a while. Was wondering if anyone has heard any information about any future Georg Solti box(es) to be released. I've seen the Korean boxes, which seem impressive, but I've been burned before with buying the Vivarte 60 CD Collection from Korea and paying quite a lot, and then a few months later the box was released in the US for a lot less and with an English booklet.
It seems to me that Solti is probably the last "great" conductor/artist with a long list of releases on a major label that hasn't been given a nice retrospective yet. I know that he has a spotty reputation, but his "albums" continue to be inserted in the various Decca box sets individually, and Decca have released the Ring twice in the last 3 years.

  Yeah, it is weird, isn't it... I think there are 3 Solti boxes now (2, 3, and 4) but no Western release.   With the Karajan boxes, they were released in very similar format in the west following the initial Korean sets.   However, with the Giulini and Westminster boxes, it seems that demand was not gauged to be strong enough, so the big boxes were abandoned and smaller sets were released.
   With Solti, however, everything seems to be on hold...  Soltissimo2 came out over 2 years ago :-\
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: The new erato on September 07, 2015, 11:25:59 PM
Theres' been a 60 CD (?) Szell Box in Korea as well (a far more interesting conductor than Solti); never available in the West. I think the list is pretty long.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Wanderer on September 08, 2015, 02:02:38 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on September 07, 2015, 10:36:54 PMSoltissimo2

Also, they couldn't have chosen a more cheesy title if they tried.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 08, 2015, 05:02:21 AM
Quote from: The new erato on September 07, 2015, 11:25:59 PM
Theres' been a 60 CD (?) Szell Box in Korea as well (a far more interesting conductor than Solti); never available in the West. I think the list is pretty long.

Yeah, the Szell box is sweet ;D ;D  It was only about $150, too. 

   The Solti comes with quite a few DVDs, which might make it more attractive for some. It is all original jacket, but CD lengths are generally pretty short. 

    There was also a big box of live Wand performances---multiples of a bunch of Bruckner and Beethoven.  That's another that just kind of disappeared. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: aap1960 on September 09, 2015, 10:11:02 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on September 07, 2015, 10:36:54 PM
  Yeah, it is weird, isn't it... I think there are 3 Solti boxes now (2, 3, and 4) but no Western release.   With the Karajan boxes, they were released in very similar format in the west following the initial Korean sets.   However, with the Giulini and Westminster boxes, it seems that demand was not gauged to be strong enough, so the big boxes were abandoned and smaller sets were released.
   With Solti, however, everything seems to be on hold...  Soltissimo2 came out over 2 years ago :-\

Al,
I actually purchased the Korean Guilini gigantic box that combined ALL of the Sony, DG and the 1 RCA and 1 Decca album. It has all the individual releases as original album art. Once again, the main booklet is heavily Korean tilted, but I liked the presentation. I then purchased the Warner Bros. "small" boxes of his EMI releases. WB generally does a very poor job for those of us who like the original album concept. I wasn't around or not into classical music when most of these titles came out, so I very much like all the original album releases.
Makes me mad that Sony didn't do that for Bernstein, especially after what they did for Rubinstein, Reiner, Cliburn and the small ones for Byron Janis and Richter. I don't mind the earlier replicas with the smaller timings. I just enjoy the miniaturization of those album covers and, of course, the remastering.

Tony
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 09, 2015, 11:19:43 PM
Quote from: aap1960 on September 09, 2015, 10:11:02 PM
I don't mind the earlier replicas with the smaller timings. I just enjoy the miniaturization of those album covers and, of course, the remastering.

Tony

I agree :)
  I got the Giulini box, too, and like the sleeves OK, but hated the way they were put in the box (in four "bundles"). I put all the discs on a shelf and put the box in storage.

    The Szell box doesn't have original artwork.  Very slim, flimsy sleeves, although the design is fairly classy.


   BTW, saw the new Argerich and Kovacevich boxes today "in the wild."  I bought most of the Argerich little boxes, so will have to give that one a pass.
    I was very disappointed that the Kovacevich didn't have his Schubert >:(  I'll be thinking about that one, but will try to hold off. I have a staggering backlog of solo piano music to get to know. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 18, 2015, 12:20:29 AM
There is an onslaught of new boxes these days! 
The new L'Oiseau-Lyre - Klassik & Romantik looks pretty sweet, as does the big live box of Vienna Phil New Year's Concerts.  New Biggies from Brendel, Gould, and Horowitz, among other piano sets (Radu Lupu, Kovacevich/Bishop, Argerich).  The Itzhak Perlman looks strangely attractive to me (the new Warner one).  I need to keep things under control and breathe deeply...   If Moonfish really is avoiding us to keep his habit down, he picked a good time and had better keep it up!

Two new Stravinsky boxes, Tchaikovsky, Anna Moffo, Italian Quartetto is pulling a BAT... What about Simon Rattle's CBso years??
  By the way, The Markovina CPE Bach box is 75 Euros from Amazon.de.

  I'm dusting off my old Yo Yo Ma box I got a couple of years ago.  I hardly played anything from it...until now  :) I'll try to stave off the craving for new boxes with old boxes  :P
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Camphy on September 18, 2015, 09:29:59 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on September 18, 2015, 12:20:29 AM
By the way, The Markovina CPE Bach box is 75 Euros from Amazon.de.

I'm considering this box set. Amazon.fr offers it for 63 Euros.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on September 18, 2015, 09:35:10 AM
Quote from: Camphy on September 18, 2015, 09:29:59 AM
I'm considering this box set. Amazon.fr offers it for 63 Euros.

It's a superb set. Moonfish and I both think it was one of the best purchases we made that year.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Camphy on September 18, 2015, 09:40:17 AM
Quote from: Ken B on September 18, 2015, 09:35:10 AM
It's a superb set. Moonfish and I both think it was one of the best purchases we made that year.

Thanks, I read your enthusiastic comments about this particular purchase. One of the reasons I remembered this box and now the price is lower than I've ever seen it.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 03, 2015, 01:31:57 AM
Just saw the new Gould and Perlman boxes at the music store.

  imgine Emojis salivating prodigiously here.

  I have the Gould I want already, and don't know much about Perlman (Que says "Run away!"--although I haven't disliked anything I've heard by him so far)--but the boxes themselves are truly gorgeous.  Probably unnecessarily large--but very substantial and what...? Elegant? Classy? Handsome? They're definitely done right. The Gould is about $150 and the Perlman closer to $300.  I suspect the price will plummet for the Perlman (a la the Rubinstein, Ma, and Perahia boxes). 

   I actually went to the music store to buy myself a birthday treat.  I held, weighed, and caressed the Kovacevich and the L'oiseau-Lyre Hogwood Bach boxes--both reasonably priced, but left empty handed. I just have too much unlistened to music on hand :'( :'(. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on October 03, 2015, 08:34:24 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on October 03, 2015, 01:31:57 AM
Just saw the new Gould and Perlman boxes at the music store.

  imgine Emojis salivating prodigiously here.

  I have the Gould I want already, and don't know much about Perlman (Que says "Run away!"--although I haven't disliked anything I've heard by him so far)--but the boxes themselves are truly gorgeous.  Probably unnecessarily large--but very substantial and what...? Elegant? Classy? Handsome? They're definitely done right. The Gould is about $150 and the Perlman closer to $300.  I suspect the price will plummet for the Perlman (a la the Rubinstein, Ma, and Perahia boxes). 

   I actually went to the music store to buy myself a birthday treat.  I held, weighed, and caressed the Kovacevich and the L'oiseau-Lyre Hogwood Bach boxes--both reasonably priced, but left empty handed. I just have too much unlistened to music on hand :'( :'(.

Perlman is a wonderful fiddler. But I would not want his baroque stuff.  I also think he did a lot of filler crossover stuff. There are a couple small boxes that look good,  if I might risk insulting you with small boxes😀

As ever Al I run a service that listens to your unopened cds for you. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 03, 2015, 09:27:18 AM
Quote from: Ken B on October 03, 2015, 08:34:24 AM
Perlman is a wonderful fiddler. But I would not want his baroque stuff.  I also think he did a lot of filler crossover stuff. There are a couple small boxes that look good,  if I might risk insulting you with small boxes😀

As ever Al I run a service that listens to your unopened cds for you.

  Really it's just a CDCDCD thing...it's not that I want more of his music---I just want that box full of CDs!  I have access to his smaller original jackets box, and his Sony concertos box.  They are good, but certainly not "spend $270 to have more" good. 
   Speaking of big boxes with crossover stuff, I'm so glad I didn't get that James Galway box! I don't have an automatic dislike of crossover stuff--but I listened to some of his, and it is really low-grade schmalz.  The Erato Rampal boxes are definitely the way to go for flute repertoire. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jay F on October 03, 2015, 09:57:27 AM
Quote from: aap1960 on September 09, 2015, 10:11:02 PMI wasn't around or not into classical music when most of these titles came out, so I very much like all the original album releases.

Makes me mad that Sony didn't do that for Bernstein, especially after what they did for Rubinstein, Reiner, Cliburn and the small ones for Byron Janis and Richter. I don't mind the earlier replicas with the smaller timings. I just enjoy the miniaturization of those album covers and, of course, the remastering.

Tony

I don't know about the other composers whose work Bernstein conducted for CBS/Sony, but his Mahler cycle is available with the original LP covers. These feature the DSD remastering that was done for the Japanese SACD series, but they are not SACD.

[asin]B005SJIP1E[/asin]
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: aap1960 on October 04, 2015, 02:31:26 PM
Quote from: Jay F on October 03, 2015, 09:57:27 AM
I don't know about the other composers whose work Bernstein conducted for CBS/Sony, but his Mahler cycle is available with the original LP covers. These feature the DSD remastering that was done for the Japanese SACD series, but they are not SACD.

[asin]B005SJIP1E[/asin]

Yes!! I purchased that a few years back. At that time I had also just purchased his Beethoven
[asin]B00006OA68[/asin]

and his Tchaikovsky
[asin]B00008PW4A[/asin]

It was shortly after this that I wanted to have a "more complete" collection of Bernsteins' CBS/Columbia output. After seeing what Sony did with Rubinstein, Riener, Perahia and Cliburn, I had hoped for something along the same lines, but was greatly disappointed.

I hope Sony does a better job on Szell and Walter than the boxes that came out of Korea a few years back.

Tony
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on October 04, 2015, 03:30:18 PM
The cheap Spirales box is outstanding.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on October 04, 2015, 03:41:04 PM
Quote from: aap1960 on October 04, 2015, 02:31:26 PM
It was shortly after this that I wanted to have a "more complete" collection of Bernsteins' CBS/Columbia output. After seeing what Sony did with Rubinstein, Riener, Perahia and Cliburn, I had hoped for something along the same lines, but was greatly disappointed.
Why were you so disappointed? The Bernstein Symphony Edition and the Bernstein Orchestral Works & Concertos Edition are totally outstanding box sets - two of my very favorites. I'm eager for the upcoming Bernstein Opera & Choral Edition (ETA next year, I think).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on October 04, 2015, 03:45:11 PM
Quote from: Brian on October 04, 2015, 03:41:04 PM
Why were you so disappointed? The Bernstein Symphony Edition and the Bernstein Orchestral Works & Concertos Edition are totally outstanding box sets - two of my very favorites. I'm eager for the upcoming Bernstein Opera & Choral Edition (ETA next year, I think).

Ditto. And what they did with that old crappy Columbia sound is incredible. Most of these sound fantastic.

That third box is on my must buy list.

Although the awkward packaging is annoying it looks great.

Sony did a great job on these outstanding boxes, and specially in giving them away for a pittance.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 04, 2015, 05:14:46 PM
Quote from: Ken B on October 04, 2015, 03:45:11 PM
Ditto. And what they did with that old crappy Columbia sound is incredible. Most of these sound fantastic.

That third box is on my must buy list.

Although the awkward packaging is annoying it looks great.

Sony did a great job on these outstanding boxes, and specially in giving them away for a pittance.

  +2.   Original jackets are fun, but nice full discs are nothing to sneer at either. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jay F on October 05, 2015, 11:05:55 AM
Quote from: aap1960 on October 04, 2015, 02:31:26 PM

I wanted to have a "more complete" collection of Bernsteins' CBS/Columbia output. After seeing what Sony did with Rubinstein, Riener, Perahia and Cliburn, I had hoped for something along the same lines, but was greatly disappointed.


Have you seen the Bernstein Album Collection?

http://smile.amazon.com/Leonard-Bernstein-Album-Collection-Set/dp/B00LL4U1TE/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1444071835&sr=1-1&keywords=leonard+bernstein
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jay F on October 05, 2015, 11:11:04 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on October 04, 2015, 05:14:46 PM
  +2.   Original jackets are fun, but nice full discs are nothing to sneer at either.

I hate full discs. The last track (or two or three) often don't rip to my computer. I like CDs to be 60 minutes or under.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on October 05, 2015, 11:45:51 AM
Quote from: Jay F on October 05, 2015, 11:11:04 AM
I hate full discs. The last track (or two or three) often don't rip to my computer. I like CDs to be 60 minutes or under.
?! What software do you use? I have never heard of this problem before.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on October 05, 2015, 12:01:04 PM
Quote from: Jay F on October 05, 2015, 11:11:04 AM
I hate full discs. The last track (or two or three) often don't rip to my computer. I like CDs to be 60 minutes or under.

That is likely an incompatibility with your disk drive, not the computer. External optical drives are cheap. Worth replacing it.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jay F on October 05, 2015, 06:47:46 PM
Quote from: Brian on October 05, 2015, 11:45:51 AM
?! What software do you use? I have never heard of this problem before.

iTunes. Is that software?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jay F on October 05, 2015, 06:49:23 PM
Quote from: bigshot on October 05, 2015, 12:01:04 PM
That is likely an incompatibility with your disk drive, not the computer. External optical drives are cheap. Worth replacing it.

Is "external optical drive" the same as "external hard drive"? I usually rip things to my C drive, then transfer stuff to my EHD. So it would be better to send it directly to the EHD?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Holden on October 05, 2015, 07:02:53 PM
Quote from: Jay F on October 05, 2015, 06:49:23 PM
Is "external optical drive" the same as "external hard drive"? I usually rip things to my C drive, then transfer stuff to my EHD. So it would be better to send it directly to the EHD?

Yes, most ripping programs will allow you to do this, including iTunes.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jay F on October 05, 2015, 07:27:20 PM
Quote from: Holden on October 05, 2015, 07:02:53 PM
Yes, most ripping programs will allow you to do this, including iTunes.

So I shouldn't rip to my C: drive, and should have two EHDs (I want to have a duplicate of everything)?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: aap1960 on October 06, 2015, 09:29:43 PM
Quote from: Brian on October 04, 2015, 03:41:04 PM
Why were you so disappointed? The Bernstein Symphony Edition and the Bernstein Orchestral Works & Concertos Edition are totally outstanding box sets - two of my very favorites. I'm eager for the upcoming Bernstein Opera & Choral Edition (ETA next year, I think).

It's more of me being selfish than really disappointed. I missed out on the classic LP days of the 50's & 60's (not born yet or too young) and even the 70's (too cool for classical music). I celebrate and enjoy each of the decades that passed me by with all of those boxes that come with their original LP cover and discmates. I even enjoy the small playing times of some of these reissues. I know I'm somewhat childish about this. I should just appreciate that I can still re-live Lenny's performances some 50 or so years later in much better sound.
Tony
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Pat B on October 07, 2015, 12:04:50 PM
Quote from: aap1960 on October 06, 2015, 09:29:43 PM
It's more of me being selfish than really disappointed. I missed out on the classic LP days of the 50's & 60's (not born yet or too young) and even the 70's (too cool for classical music). I celebrate and enjoy each of the decades that passed me by with all of those boxes that come with their original LP cover and discmates. I even enjoy the small playing times of some of these reissues. I know I'm somewhat childish about this. I should just appreciate that I can still re-live Lenny's performances some 50 or so years later in much better sound.
Tony

I don't think it's selfish or childish to have preferences or to state them! At the same time, yeah, you should enjoy the Bernstein regardless of format.

(FWIW I love the original artwork but I also generally prefer filled-up CDs -- a la the Mercury Living Presence boxes, the first Living Stereo box, and the Fricsay boxes -- but I have bought and enjoyed sets on either side of my happy medium. In the case of Bernstein, I just had too much of it separately to invest in those sets.)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on October 09, 2015, 07:01:57 AM
Quote from: Jay F on October 05, 2015, 07:27:20 PM
So I shouldn't rip to my C: drive, and should have two EHDs (I want to have a duplicate of everything)?

I doubt your C: drive is the problem, more likely it's the actual disc drive you're putting the CDs into that is defective in some way.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: bigshot on October 09, 2015, 09:33:13 AM
Quote from: Jay F on October 05, 2015, 06:49:23 PM
Is "external optical drive" the same as "external hard drive"?

An optical drive is the player you put your disks into. Your CD/DVD drive sounds like it is bad. If it's an internal drive, it's probably not worth the cost of fixing. Just get an external CD/DVD/BR drive at Amazon and connect it with USB.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Old Listener on October 28, 2015, 02:27:43 PM
I not usually a box set buyer.  By the time a box set with works and performers that interest me comes out, I've purchased much of the material that matters to me.  This set had enough that is new to me to make me a buyer.

[asin]B0069EOZT8[/asin]

Not much information in the Amazon listing.  Presto has more info

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Sony/88691911552 (http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Sony/88691911552)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 03, 2015, 02:33:56 AM
Where are Peter and Ken? :'( :'(
  Blathering about boxes is less fun without the old kings...

  Anyway, I celebrated a year of semi-abstention with a really nice binge.  I got the Hogwood Bach and Vivaldi sets.  I am only 1/4 of the way through each, but seem to be pure gold. 
  Also went nuts on the Amazon Italy prices and got two Ansermat boxes for great prices (Russian and French--I hardly need any more German high-classical cycles!!) and the final Leonhardt box. 
  Also got {from Amazon Britain} the Wand set Old Listener picked up (above)[so, apparently I DID need some more German high classical cycles ;D] and the Erato Martinon box.  Still waiting for most of those to arrive.  All I can say is I am not expecting any buyer's remorse.  Each set should be 5-star, and all were very reasonably priced. 
  I've said it several times before, but those of us fairly new to classical music can count ourselves incredibly lucky!! By a wild stroke of luck this box mania has been sprung, allowing us to collect the musical treasures of the past for a tiny fraction of what enthusiasts had to pay up until now. 
   My main regret is that I don't have enough time to listen to all of the great stuff I have. As far as regrets go, that is a pretty sweet one 8)
     I feel like a butterfly that was blown from the middle of the Sahara into the gardens of Versailles. 
   Thank you giant record conglomerates!! Even if you are run by soulless number-crunching suits, you have done me an incredible service.    In the long run unbridled capitalism will probably turn out to be a great evil, but for the present I count myself a pretty big fan :P
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: king ubu on November 03, 2015, 05:34:24 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on November 03, 2015, 02:33:56 AM
  I've said it several times before, but those of us fairly new to classical music can count ourselves incredibly lucky!! By a wild stroke of luck this box mania has been sprung, allowing us to collect the musical treasures of the past for a tiny fraction of what enthusiasts had to pay up until now. 
   My main regret is that I don't have enough time to listen to all of the great stuff I have. As far as regrets go, that is a pretty sweet one 8)
     I feel like a butterfly that was blown from the middle of the Sahara into the gardens of Versailles. 
   Thank you giant record conglomerates!! Even if you are run by soulless number-crunching suits, you have done me an incredible service.    In the long run unbridled capitalism will probably turn out to be a great evil, but for the present I count myself a pretty big fan :P

That sums it up nicely! I'm all with you there ... and my days would need around 100 hours or so in order to keep up. But then I'm building my own personal library and I'm going to enjoy all of these recordings for years to come!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: North Star on November 03, 2015, 05:36:19 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on November 03, 2015, 02:33:56 AM
Where are Peter and Ken? :'( :'(
  Blathering about boxes is less fun without the old kings...

Ken left in a huff. I hope Peter will resurface.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Another Carlos on November 20, 2015, 11:01:19 PM
Hello, new arrival in this whole forum, and I hope to see this thread continue.  Such a wealth of wonderful boxed reissues out there -- and I'd been resisting the large boxes until recently.  But now I've succumbed and I've really got the bug!

Right now I'm happily listening to the set of Brendel's solo Vox/Turnabout/Vanguard recordings -- I'd never been especially interested in the later Brendel but I find plenty of live and energy in these earlier recordings.  Awaiting attention is the 40-disc Alfred Cortot "Anniversary Edition," plus the EMI Schubert Lieder on Record set.

Please, I'd love any tips on finding the Sony Bernstein "Symphony Edition" at a reasonable price.  I've ordered volume 2 (with the concerti and non-symphony orchestral works) and am eagerly awaiting it -- but the symphony box seems pretty pricey these days.  I know the various Amazons, and importcds.com, and Presto and MDT . . . any other promising sites? 

Cheers and happy listening.

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 21, 2015, 04:37:00 AM
Quote from: Another Carlos on November 20, 2015, 11:01:19 PM
Hello, new arrival in this whole forum, and I hope to see this thread continue.  Such a wealth of wonderful boxed reissues out there -- and I'd been resisting the large boxes until recently.  But now I've succumbed and I've really got the bug!

Right now I'm happily listening to the set of Brendel's solo Vox/Turnabout/Vanguard recordings -- I'd never been especially interested in the later Brendel but I find plenty of live and energy in these earlier recordings.  Awaiting attention is the 40-disc Alfred Cortot "Anniversary Edition," plus the EMI Schubert Lieder on Record set.

Please, I'd love any tips on finding the Sony Bernstein "Symphony Edition" at a reasonable price.  I've ordered volume 2 (with the concerti and non-symphony orchestral works) and am eagerly awaiting it -- but the symphony box seems pretty pricey these days.  I know the various Amazons, and importcds.com, and Presto and MDT . . . any other promising sites? 

Cheers and happy listening.

Hi Carlos, and welcome!   I had no idea the original Columbia symphony edition price had shot up like that.  It was always cheap when it was in print.  The DG symphony Edition might be a pretty good substitute...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Another Carlos on November 21, 2015, 11:43:44 PM
Thanks Mookalafalas!   Yes, I've thought about the DG set, and I might very wind up getting it eventually.  But at this point I'm very attracted to the NYPO Mahler set in its so-called Carnegie Hall remastering, which is what I gather one gets with the Sony set.  Plus I have the general impression that Bernstein's younger-self renditions of most of the repertoire were sharper, more aggressive than his older-self versions, which appeals to me.  Do you have both sets?   ;)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 22, 2015, 12:22:17 AM
Quote from: Another Carlos on November 21, 2015, 11:43:44 PM
Thanks Mookalafalas!   Yes, I've thought about the DG set, and I might very wind up getting it eventually.  But at this point I'm very attracted to the NYPO Mahler set in its so-called Carnegie Hall remastering, which is what I gather one gets with the Sony set.  Plus I have the general impression that Bernstein's younger-self renditions of most of the repertoire were sharper, more aggressive than his older-self versions, which appeals to me.  Do you have both sets?   ;)

  Yeah, I have both.  Both are pretty damned good. If I had to have just one, it would be the New York.  The orchestra in the DG set has a fatter, richer, sound, but "sharper, more aggressive" sums up the NY pretty well.
   My problem is that I have about 80 box sets (literally) that I think are really good ;D I want to play everything, but...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mirror Image on November 22, 2015, 04:33:33 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on November 22, 2015, 12:22:17 AMMy problem is that I have about 80 box sets (literally) that I think are really good ;D I want to play everything, but...

Are any of those boxes the 'complete editions' of Rachmaninov on Brilliant Classics or Decca per chance?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 22, 2015, 05:32:02 AM
Quote from: Mirror Image on November 22, 2015, 04:33:33 AM
Are any of those boxes the 'complete editions' of Rachmaninov on Brilliant Classics or Decca per chance?

Yeah, I have the Decca box. I also have the Brilliant, but only on my hard drive--a friend of mine ripped it and gave me a copy to try out.  Embarrassingly, I have not heard a single disc of either one :-[
   If you want to know something about the boxes or tracks I can tell you, but nothing about the relative quality of the discs...
   By the way, I'm working my way through the Rattle CBSO box--about half way so far.  20th century city.  Seems right up your alley :) (Or, like a lot of folks, are you not much of a Rattle fan?)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mirror Image on November 22, 2015, 07:57:13 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on November 22, 2015, 05:32:02 AM
Yeah, I have the Decca box. I also have the Brilliant, but only on my hard drive--a friend of mine ripped it and gave me a copy to try out.  Embarrassingly, I have not heard a single disc of either one :-[
   If you want to know something about the boxes or tracks I can tell you, but nothing about the relative quality of the discs...
   By the way, I'm working my way through the Rattle CBSO box--about half way so far.  20th century city.  Seems right up your alley :) (Or, like a lot of folks, are you not much of a Rattle fan?)

Very nice. You should definitely lend your ear to those Rachmaninov sets at some juncture. Truth be told, I actually prefer the Brilliant Classics set as I think the Decca set contains some strange choices for performances. If you want me to get into specifics, then I'll be happy to PM you about it. Anyway, yes, I'm a Rattle fan actually. 8) I know a good many people think he's overrated and not a good conductor or whatever, but I've always been a fan. I'm not completely onboard with many of his recordings, but his CBSO years are his best years IMHO. His Szymanowski, Shostakovich, and Britten have impressed me the most of anything he's conducted. Not a fan of his Mahler or Sibelius and think he's not really a good conductor of Romantic (whether early, mid, or late period) music in general.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Another Carlos on November 23, 2015, 02:17:23 AM
Now I'm regretting "only" getting the 11-disc Decca set of the Rachmaninov piano works.  I gather this is just a piece of the truly complete Decca box.  I've been very pleasantly surprised by the Ashkenazy I've heard but I might have to at least get the Wild/Horenstein performances of the concerti separately. 

What do people think about the RCA 10-disc set of the great man playing his own and others' works?  I have an mp3 version of the big old box from the 90s, and the resulting compression of the sound bothers me.  (I'm fine with the age of the sound; in fact I usually listen more to historical recordings than modern.  Utterly charming by the way to hear Mr. R's Bach transcriptions.)  So the other day I was glad to see the set has been reissued (again on RCA and much cheaper) -- so I'd like to buy these discs, but one review says that they've been subjected to a bad noise-reduction process (more so than the 90s version it seems). . . . Decisions decisions!  And at risk is not only the monetary investment but also the hours of precious listening time!

Cheers and happy listening.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 23, 2015, 05:36:33 AM
Quote from: Mirror Image on November 22, 2015, 07:57:13 PM
Very nice. You should definitely lend your ear to those Rachmaninov sets at some juncture. Truth be told, I actually prefer the Brilliant Classics set as I think the Decca set contains some strange choices for performances. If you want me to get into specifics, then I'll be happy to PM you about it. Anyway, yes, I'm a Rattle fan actually. 8) I know a good many people think he's overrated and not a good conductor or whatever, but I've always been a fan. I'm not completely onboard with many of his recordings, but his CBSO years are his best years IMHO. His Szymanowski, Shostakovich, and Britten have impressed me the most of anything he's conducted. Not a fan of his Mahler or Sibelius and think he's not really a good conductor of Romantic (whether early, mid, or late period) music in general.

  You are definitely right about the Rach boxes. I'm actually a big fan, and know I would like them, but they just haven't made it into the queue.  I just got the Ansermet Russian box for a great price from Amazon.IT -- Should program an "all Russian" couple of weeks and just start soaking this stuff up.  However, still have a lot in the hopper just now...
   Speaking of, I am listening to Rattle's Sibelius now.  It's not the best, but it's still Sibelius.  I'm enjoying it well enough.  I really want to play every disc of this box before moving on. 

  And my local shop finally got this one in:
[asin]B0113A5A5K[/asin]

A must buy.  I finished a proof-reading job yesterday and the guy is supposed to wire me the fee tomorrow.  By coincidence, it is the exact same as the box costs :P
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mirror Image on November 23, 2015, 06:33:36 PM
Quote from: Another Carlos on November 23, 2015, 02:17:23 AM
Now I'm regretting "only" getting the 11-disc Decca set of the Rachmaninov piano works.  I gather this is just a piece of the truly complete Decca box.  I've been very pleasantly surprised by the Ashkenazy I've heard but I might have to at least get the Wild/Horenstein performances of the concerti separately. 

What do people think about the RCA 10-disc set of the great man playing his own and others' works?  I have an mp3 version of the big old box from the 90s, and the resulting compression of the sound bothers me.  (I'm fine with the age of the sound; in fact I usually listen more to historical recordings than modern.  Utterly charming by the way to hear Mr. R's Bach transcriptions.)  So the other day I was glad to see the set has been reissued (again on RCA and much cheaper) -- so I'd like to buy these discs, but one review says that they've been subjected to a bad noise-reduction process (more so than the 90s version it seems). . . . Decisions decisions!  And at risk is not only the monetary investment but also the hours of precious listening time!

Cheers and happy listening.

Hello Another Carlos,

The Rachmaninov Plays Rachmaninov set is of historical value only for me. I rarely spend money on these kinds of sets, but, from what I understand and have read, they're quite good for their time. Let your own ears be the judge here.

The Earl Wild/Horenstein performances of the PCs are in the Brilliant Classics Rachmaninoff Edition, which is a MUST BUY! No joke. One of the best box sets I've ever bought and certainly this set will be added to my "Favorite Purchases of 2015" list. Anyway, the Wild/Horenstein set is outstanding (I've only heard the 3rd, 4th, and Paganini Rhapsody from the cycle so far). I prefer these performances to either Ashkenazy cycle. My next listening task is to tackle the Stephen Hough/Litton cycle on Hyperion. Getting back to the Brilliant Classics set, I think there are stronger performances in this set than the Decca, but this is all a matter of subjectivity. There are several negatives I have about the Decca set in terms of choices in performances. First of all, Decca chose Walter Weller's Symphony No. 2 over Ashkenazy's. ??? I don't get it. Ashkenazy's performance is much better and the other two symphonies already have Ashkenazy conducting so why skip over his 2nd? The same thing happens in Decca's Scriabin The Complete Works box set where they chose Inbal's 2nd over Ashkenazy's and Ashkenazy is already conducting the 1st and 3rd (The Divine Poem) symphonies. Okay...back to the Rachmaninov Decca set, secondly, the choice of the Beaux Arts Trio in the Piano Trios wouldn't have been my first pick. Ashkenazy had recorded these works and they should have been included instead of the BA Trio's performances, which have an awfully dry sound quality --- not among the better performances I've heard. And my third, and last, point about the Rachmaninov Complete Works set on Decca is that they could've picked a better performance of Spring than Dutoit! Oh what a lethargic performance! The only thing good about that Dutoit performance is baritone Sergei Leiferkus.

Okay....rant over. Takes a deep breath. :)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mirror Image on November 23, 2015, 06:58:35 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on November 23, 2015, 05:36:33 AM
  You are definitely right about the Rach boxes. I'm actually a big fan, and know I would like them, but they just haven't made it into the queue.  I just got the Ansermet Russian box for a great price from Amazon.IT -- Should program an "all Russian" couple of weeks and just start soaking this stuff up.  However, still have a lot in the hopper just now...
   Speaking of, I am listening to Rattle's Sibelius now.  It's not the best, but it's still Sibelius.  I'm enjoying it well enough.  I really want to play every disc of this box before moving on.

Yes, I know all too well what it's like to have 'too many irons in the fire' so to speak. In fact, this expression was coined about people like me. ;) Yeah, just take your time. This Russian music will definitely have an effect on you and will leave you wanting more and more. Yeah, Rattle isn't that great in Sibelius as several others seems to think he is, he's certainly no match for the Finns: Vanska, Segerstam, or Berglund (to name a few who excel in Sibelius).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on November 24, 2015, 04:48:32 AM
Apparently the new DG Sibelius Edition contains recordings that DG licensed from...Naxos!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 24, 2015, 06:32:24 AM
Quote from: Mirror Image on November 23, 2015, 06:33:36 PM
Hello Another Carlos,

The Rachmaninov Plays Rachmaninov set is of historical value only for me. I rarely spend money on these kinds of sets, but, from what I understand and have read, they're quite good for their time. Let your own ears be the judge here.

The Earl Wild/Horenstein performances of the PCs are in the Brilliant Classics Rachmaninoff Edition, which is a MUST BUY! No joke. One of the best box sets I've ever bought and certainly this set will be added to my "Favorite Purchases of 2015" list. Anyway, the Wild/Horenstein set is outstanding (I've only heard the 3rd, 4th, and Paganini Rhapsody from the cycle so far). I prefer these performances to either Ashkenazy cycle. My next listening task is to tackle the Stephen Hough/Litton cycle on Hyperion. Getting back to the Brilliant Classics set, I think there are stronger performances in this set than the Decca, but this is all a matter of subjectivity. There are several negatives I have about the Decca set in terms of choices in performances. First of all, Decca chose Walter Weller's Symphony No. 2 over Ashkenazy's. ??? I don't get it. Ashkenazy's performance is much better and the other two symphonies already have Ashkenazy conducting so why skip over his 2nd? The same thing happens in Decca's Scriabin The Complete Works box set where they chose Inbal's 2nd over Ashkenazy's and Ashkenazy is already conducting the 1st and 3rd (The Divine Poem) symphonies. Okay...back to the Rachmaninov Decca set, secondly, the choice of the Beaux Arts Trio in the Piano Trios wouldn't have been my first pick. Ashkenazy had recorded these works and they should have been included instead of the BA Trio's performances, which have an awfully dry sound quality --- not among the better performances I've heard. And my third, and last, point about the Rachmaninov Complete Works set on Decca is that they could've picked a better performance of Spring than Dutoit! Oh what a lethargic performance! The only thing good about that Dutoit performance is baritone Sergei Leiferkus.

Okay....rant over. Takes a deep breath. :)

;D ;D
  It's all good.  With both boxes we'll have a deeper pool to plunge into.  I'm curious if I'll feel the same about the performances you don't care for.  I often like a less dynamic performance--instead of getting swept up in the excitement of the piece I end up listening more to musical lines or harmonic interplay.  It often sounds like something else altogether.  We are lucky to have both! (or X10). 
  I'm glad to hear you are a fan of Ashkenazy in this music.  I really like him, in general.  He's getting long in the tooth, but his recent Bach and Scriabin are both, IMO, exceptionally good.  I like his conducting, too. And I like him.  Like Ma, Perlman, Abbado, and Giulini, I just feel like he is a good guy that loves music and wants to make people happy. It colors the way I hear his (and the others') music. What a big, warm, open, embracing smile he has! 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Another Carlos on November 24, 2015, 08:09:06 PM
QuoteThe Rachmaninov Plays Rachmaninov set is of historical value only for me. I rarely spend money on these kinds of sets, but, from what I understand and have read, they're quite good for their time. Let your own ears be the judge here.

Thanks Mirror Image.  Well it turns out there's yet a third iteration of the R Plays R box, so I sprang for the most recent of the three this evening and will report back:

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51lFQ-MzYSL._SX355_.jpg)

It's so true that the historical sets are less satisfying sonically -- but I've deeply enjoyed some of them for the sake of the greater individuality that some of the performances carry.  Which reminds me, another recent piano/historical arrival in my living room (haven't explored it yet but I've loved some other Cortot Chopin discs):

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81Ebes1a22L._SY355_.jpg)

Only rather recently did I get some decent speakers in my living room, and as a result I'm freshly now discovering the joy of high-quality jump-in-your-lap sonics!  Heartily concur that this is a joy too, and certainly on the orchestral rather than solo front it's almost indispensable to have rich sound reproduction.  Can't wait til my Bernstein arrives!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 25, 2015, 12:59:21 AM
Quote from: Another Carlos on November 24, 2015, 08:09:06 PM
  Can't wait til my Bernstein arrives!

Say what?! Last I heard you couldn't find the Columbia and didn't know what to do.  So, which are you awaiting?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: kishnevi on November 25, 2015, 05:47:02 PM
Quote from: Another Carlos on November 24, 2015, 08:09:06 PM
Thanks Mirror Image.  Well it turns out there's yet a third iteration of the R Plays R box, so I sprang for the most recent of the three this evening and will report back:

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51lFQ-MzYSL._SX355_.jpg)

It's so true that the historical sets are less satisfying sonically -- but I've deeply enjoyed some of them for the sake of the greater individuality that some of the performances carry.  Which reminds me, another recent piano/historical arrival in my living room (haven't explored it yet but I've loved some other Cortot Chopin discs):

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81Ebes1a22L._SY355_.jpg)

Only rather recently did I get some decent speakers in my living room, and as a result I'm freshly now discovering the joy of high-quality jump-in-your-lap sonics!  Heartily concur that this is a joy too, and certainly on the orchestral rather than solo front it's almost indispensable to have rich sound reproduction.  Can't wait til my Bernstein arrives!

Be warned that the concerto recordings in the Rachmaninov box have some serious cuts.  I think they wanted to keep the playing time under a certain limit, since the original issues were on 78s.

The sonics are, er, historical.  Which is why I have no interest in the non concerto recordings.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mirror Image on November 25, 2015, 05:53:28 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on November 24, 2015, 06:32:24 AM
;D ;D
  It's all good.  With both boxes we'll have a deeper pool to plunge into.  I'm curious if I'll feel the same about the performances you don't care for.  I often like a less dynamic performance--instead of getting swept up in the excitement of the piece I end up listening more to musical lines or harmonic interplay.  It often sounds like something else altogether.  We are lucky to have both! (or X10). 
  I'm glad to hear you are a fan of Ashkenazy in this music.  I really like him, in general.  He's getting long in the tooth, but his recent Bach and Scriabin are both, IMO, exceptionally good.  I like his conducting, too. And I like him.  Like Ma, Perlman, Abbado, and Giulini, I just feel like he is a good guy that loves music and wants to make people happy. It colors the way I hear his (and the others') music. What a big, warm, open, embracing smile he has!

Quality Control Report -

I'm a bit hesitant to report this BUT I have received two bad sets of Rachmaninov Complete on Brilliant Classics from Amazon. There is a digital glitch on The Isle of the Dead (Disc 6) around the 17 minute mark. Both sets had the same defect, so please check your own set. I haven't read any reviews about any defects, but I'm going to do a bit more research. This is very disappointing, but it is what is. As a result of getting a full refund and having to send the box set back, I went ahead and bought the recordings in their original issues from the box. I thought at first that I wasn't going to send the set back and just see if I could get a partial refund, but I've decided that I can't accept a box set that has this kind of issue, especially twice in a row. I probably spent $20 more than I paid for the set trying to acquire the original issues, but I suppose that's the price you pay when something goes wrong and you really want these recordings in your collection.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Another Carlos on November 25, 2015, 05:54:09 PM
Quote
Say what?! Last I heard you couldn't find the Columbia and didn't know what to do.  So, which are you awaiting?

Oops, misleading message on my part:  the Bernstein I'm awaiting is Columbia/Sony's "volume 2" with the concerti and other non-symphonic stuff. . . .  I admit to being slightly embarrassed that I'm actively on the prowl for the volume 1 when I don't even have volume 2 in my clutches yet.  But Nature abhors an incomplete set!  (Doesn't she?)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 25, 2015, 07:11:02 PM
Quote from: Mirror Image on November 25, 2015, 05:53:28 PM
Quality Control Report -

I'm a bit hesitant to report this BUT I have received two bad sets of Rachmaninov Complete on Brilliant Classics from Amazon. There is a digital glitch on The Isle of the Dead (Disc 6) around the 17 minute mark. Both sets had the same defect, so please check your own set. I haven't read any reviews about any defects, but I'm going to do a bit more research. This is very disappointing, but it is what is. As a result of getting a full refund and having to send the box set back, I went ahead and bought the recordings in their original issues from the box. I thought at first that I wasn't going to send the set back and just see if I could get a partial refund, but I've decided that I can't accept a box set that has this kind of issue, especially twice in a row. I probably spent $20 more than I paid for the set trying to acquire the original issues, but I suppose that's the price you pay when something goes wrong and you really want these recordings in your collection.

  I got the most recent Brilliant Complete Bach, and it was a mess.  All the CDs opened from the wrong sides of the sleeves, and I have had two bad discs already--and I haven't played all that many of them.  The box is such an insane bargain (less than $1 a disc) that I didn't squawk.  Plus, as I am in Taiwan, the logistics of replacing something are quite a pain in the neck.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mirror Image on November 25, 2015, 07:58:07 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on November 25, 2015, 07:11:02 PM
  I got the most recent Brilliant Complete Beethoven, and it was a mess.  All the CDs opened from the wrong sides of the sleeves, and I have had two bad discs already--and I haven't played all that many of them.  The box is such an insane bargain (less than $1 a disc) that I didn't squawk.  Plus, as I am in Taiwan, the logistics of replacing something are quite a pain in the neck.

Hmmm...okay so this isn't just one isolated incident then, it's Brilliant Classics, in general, not creating quality products. Yes, I can understand how you being in Taiwan would be difficult to deal with Amazon or any online retailer for that matter.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 25, 2015, 08:42:53 PM
Quote from: Mirror Image on November 25, 2015, 07:58:07 PM
Hmmm...okay so this isn't just one isolated incident then, it's Brilliant Classics, in general, not creating quality products. Yes, I can understand how you being in Taiwan would be difficult to deal with Amazon or any online retailer for that matter.

For the record, I meant the Brilliant Bach, not Beethoven. 
    I got it when it just came out, so presumably they made some improvements in the interim.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Another Carlos on November 26, 2015, 02:51:02 PM
Quotetwo bad sets of Rachmaninov Complete on Brilliant Classics from Amazon

The Brendel Vox/Vanguard collection is also on Brilliant, and my copy of this arrived with TWO copies of disc 27 which is devoted to the four non-posthumous Schubert Impromptus and the Moments Musicaux.  Both copies jammed into the same paper sleeve.  I think this must mean that someone else's sleeve for disc 27 is empty. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mirror Image on November 26, 2015, 07:36:49 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on November 25, 2015, 08:42:53 PM
For the record, I meant the Brilliant Bach, not Beethoven. 
    I got it when it just came out, so presumably they made some improvements in the interim.

Yes, but regardless there's some quality control issues happening at Brilliant that need to be looked into.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Pat B on November 26, 2015, 10:56:15 PM
Quote from: Another Carlos on November 25, 2015, 05:54:09 PM
Oops, misleading message on my part:  the Bernstein I'm awaiting is Columbia/Sony's "volume 2" with the concerti and other non-symphonic stuff. . . .  I admit to being slightly embarrassed that I'm actively on the prowl for the volume 1 when I don't even have volume 2 in my clutches yet.  But Nature abhors an incomplete set!  (Doesn't she?)

I don't share the completist urge apparently felt by many GMGers. Enjoying volume 7 of something doesn't make me feel like I necessarily need to go out and get volumes 1-6. But in this case, no need for embarrassment. Bernstein was one of the greats. Get that box if you can find a decent price. (I don't have it, but I have enough of its contents to be confident about this.)

If you can't find a decent price on it, the Mahler and some of the other contents are available in different packages.

I've heard less of the DG stuff and done very little head-to-head comparison. With that disclaimer, I'd say it is pretty great but in a different way (and not just in slower tempi). It's not a substitute if the Columbia/Sony set is what you want.

As for the Rachmaninov, the amazon reviewer of the new release claims the sound is not changed from the '90s box. He does not consider that a good thing, but you might.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Que on December 12, 2015, 04:26:43 AM
Everybody ready?  ???  :D :D

[asin]B017MZ37H8[/asin]
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B017MZ37H8

Q
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on December 12, 2015, 04:29:01 AM
Quote from: Que on December 12, 2015, 04:26:43 AM
Everybody ready?  ???  :D :D

[asin]B017MZ37H8[/asin]

Q

  Wowie Zowie.  That's a serious organ Mama....
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: king ubu on December 12, 2015, 05:24:10 AM
Coincidentally, I just watched the one hour arte documentary about Olivier Latry and the Notre Dame organ - fascinating for sure!

Here's the booklet with full details:
http://www.brilliantclassics.com/media/1401237/95310-500-Years-Of-Organ-Music-COMPLETE-Organ-Specification.pdf

Didn't study it yet, nor have I really delved deeply into the organ recordings I've bought so far (most recent addition is the Alain box "L'Orgue Français"), but I'm intrigued!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on December 12, 2015, 03:53:41 PM
Quote from: Que on December 12, 2015, 04:26:43 AM
Everybody ready?  ???  :D :D

[asin]B017MZ37H8[/asin]
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B017MZ37H8

Q

Ready to run the other way, screaming in terror.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Que on December 13, 2015, 08:15:27 AM
Quote from: orfeo on December 12, 2015, 03:53:41 PM
Ready to run the other way, screaming in terror.

These mega box sets are scary indeed... even if you kinda like what is on it.... ::)  :D

Q
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on December 13, 2015, 12:32:35 PM
Yeah, well let's just say I'm not much of a fan of the organ.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Florestan on December 13, 2015, 12:34:05 PM
Quote from: orfeo on December 12, 2015, 03:53:41 PM
Ready to run the other way, screaming in terror.

Sort of +1...  ;D

Quote from: Que on December 13, 2015, 08:15:27 AM
These mega box sets are scary indeed... even if you kinda like what is on it.... ::)  :D

The only thing I hate about megaboxes is that no sooner I start listening to one than another one screams for my attention.  :D But honestly, the mere thought of listening to 50 CDs in a row of organ music makes my ear, mind and soul cringe in despair...  ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: kishnevi on December 18, 2015, 06:22:12 PM
Cross post from the main listening thread
Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on December 18, 2015, 06:16:41 PM
CDs 84/85:   Gustav Leonhardt playing Renaissance and Baroque organs from North Italy (although the music performed reaches to the 18th century and beyond, to Hummel)
[asin]B00KXJD58M[/asin]
The last pair of discs from an outstanding box (although not being keen about organs, I can't say I am as enthused about these last ones as others).  Some performance duds, but generally high quality throughout.  Two sequences of recordings stand out:
Couperin performed by an ensemble led by the Kuijkens, and a series of Bach for keyboard performed by Leonhardt.  Some of the latter has been budget-boxed here
[asin]B005TLWO6S[/asin]
Although that leaves out two discs of organ works and the English Suites.  The Couperin series is more problematic: some is available cheaply used, and the same performers went on to record more Couperin for Accent, but some seems unavailable except as part of this box.

I would anyone interested in the music of 1300-1800 to consider getting this box.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Holden on December 19, 2015, 11:05:11 AM
I'm vacillating over the Melodiya Sviatoslav Richter 50 CD box. I can't post a picture (not sure how to on an iPad) but while the contents are enticing, the price isn't.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Artem on August 27, 2016, 10:44:04 PM
Has there been any recent(isn) cd box sets that compile recording that were previously unavailable on CD?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on August 28, 2016, 12:30:40 AM
Quote from: Que on December 12, 2015, 04:26:43 AM
Everybody ready?  ???  :D :D

[asin]B017MZ37H8[/asin]
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B017MZ37H8

Q

Yes, that one is on my list as well--although, I am still only halfway through the 22 CD set L'Orgue Francais by Marie-Claire Alain and am on disc 7/10 of Famous Organ Music from Europe. I have various Muffat, Cornet, and Tunder that I still have not listened to.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: DaveF on August 28, 2016, 12:46:48 AM
Quote from: Que on December 12, 2015, 04:26:43 AM
Everybody ready?  ???  :D :D

[asin]B017MZ37H8[/asin]
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B017MZ37H8

Q

I briefly got excited by the $8.99 price tag for the mp3 on am.com - heck, that's roughly... £8.99 - but that's just Volume 1.   :(  (They've got it right on am.uk).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 05, 2016, 02:14:02 AM
Boxes galore!

   I splurged for this one today:

[asin]B0184JZ62K[/asin]

   A lot of the discs are super short (#2 is only 30 minutes), and yet I feel pretty happy about the purchase.  Each disc is a sort of event.  There is a big, handsome book, with a brief article about each one, and a full (giant, glossy) page for the track listing--like a program note.  I really feel sort of like I am going to the concert hall when I put in a disc...

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: The new erato on November 05, 2016, 02:16:25 AM
Quote from: DaveF on August 28, 2016, 12:46:48 AM
I briefly got excited by the $8.99 price tag for the mp3 on am.com - heck, that's roughly... £8.99 - but that's just Volume 1.   :(  (They've got it right on am.uk).
I play about 1 disc of organ music pr year so this box will last far longer than me.....
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on January 21, 2017, 06:09:45 AM
Shouldn't have, but with the British Pound so weak, I couldn't resist (UK Amazon).
  Should get here in a week or so.
[asin]B01GIUU9EM[/asin]
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Walt Whitman on February 09, 2017, 05:10:38 PM
Got mine Saturday!

Been admiring it on Amazon for months but never thought I'd buy it; I did not think Renaissance music would appeal to me. Was I ever wrong! The singing of the madrigals is angelic and the HIP instruments are brought so alive by the irreproachable recording of L'Oiseau Lyre.

This is a box I'll be savoring for a long, long time!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on February 16, 2017, 12:18:02 AM
Quote from: Walt Whitman on February 09, 2017, 05:10:38 PM
Got mine Saturday!

Been admiring it on Amazon for months but never thought I'd buy it; I did not think Renaissance music would appeal to me. Was I ever wrong! The singing of the madrigals is angelic and the HIP instruments are brought so alive by the irreproachable recording of L'Oiseau Lyre.

This is a box I'll be savoring for a long, long time!

  Funny thing happened to me.  While I was waiting for mine, I started seriously playing this--which I have had for a long time but didn't listen to much. 
[asin]B002HNA9LS[/asin]

I am so bowled over I haven't opened the L'Oiseau Lyre yet! I'm glad to hear you are loving it. I'll get to it soon.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: PerfectWagnerite on February 16, 2017, 05:36:10 PM
Quote from: ørfeo on December 12, 2015, 03:53:41 PM
Ready to run the other way, screaming in terror.
No kidding, I can't even take one CD of organ music.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 08, 2018, 12:15:55 AM
Searching for this shows "no results"--and yet here it is ;D

  Anyway, tons of interesting stuff out there. 

Amazon.de has the big New York Symphony box and the Vienna Philharmoniker boxes for 67 and 57 Euros each.  Crazy cheap.  And the new giant Arrau Box for 153 Euros. 

The Bach 2000 box has been updated, and is much cheaper-- $141 dollars for 153 disks...
[asin]B077QT18DW[/asin]

The Haydn box got an update as well, and is 10 disks closer to true completion...
[asin]B07511FB9L[/asin]

and this box, which is fantastic, is only 20 Euros from Amazon.de (less than 1/4 the US price).  Can't recommend it enough for top shelf HIP performers and performances.
[asin]B06XJGR3V1[/asin]
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: CB45 on April 13, 2018, 01:18:20 PM
All:

'Documents', with their 10 CD boxes, have been serving those of us who look to an earlier recording era quite well recently.

But there are some artists who don't seem to be well represented in box format.

These artists would include, among conductors, Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, and, among pianists, Myra Hess, Horszowski and Moiseiwitsch (variously available, largely on single CDs on Naxos and Testament).

If I have missed something, I'd very much like to be pointed in the right direction!

Good listening,

CB
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 07, 2018, 08:14:56 AM
I note that this thread has fallen into the realm of disuse over the last couple of years although Mookalafalas has triggered it once in a while. Are box sets on their way out or are people simply saturated with boxes in the basement? Is the market saturated?

(http://www.catster.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Maru-and-boxes-hero.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 07, 2018, 10:35:09 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 07, 2018, 08:14:56 AM
I note that this thread has fallen into the realm of disuse over the last couple of years although Mookalafalas has triggered it once in a while. Are box sets on their way out or are people simply saturated with boxes in the basement? Is the market saturated?

(http://www.catster.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Maru-and-boxes-hero.jpg)
I think the business has survived its shakeout and consolidation phase, so have less need of cash right now. So fewer boxes, fewer insane bargains.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Baron Scarpia on May 07, 2018, 10:48:19 AM
I think people have forgotten this thread and discussed boxes on other threads.

Seems like there are more premium boxes, and fewer ultra-cheap boxes. I've recently been seduced by the Arrau and Pollini complete editions, which are not super-bargain territory. But those very inexpensive "collectors editions" from Universal (or whatever they're called now) and ICONs from Warner (formerly EMI) do occasionally drop, perhaps not as often as they used to, but they may be running out of back catalog.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 07, 2018, 04:00:53 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 07, 2018, 08:14:56 AM
I note that this thread has fallen into the realm of disuse over the last couple of years although Mookalafalas has triggered it once in a while. Are box sets on their way out or are people simply saturated with boxes in the basement? Is the market saturated?

(http://www.catster.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Maru-and-boxes-hero.jpg)

Peter, is that really you!!? It's hard to believe. Hope you've been doing well this loooong while.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 07, 2018, 04:06:05 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 07, 2018, 04:00:53 PM
Peter, is that really you!!? It's hard to believe. Hope you've been doing well this loooong while.
Gained weight it looks.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 07, 2018, 04:09:07 PM
Quote from: Baron Scarpia on May 07, 2018, 10:48:19 AM
I think people have forgotten this thread and discussed boxes on other threads.

Seems like there are more premium boxes, and fewer ultra-cheap boxes. I've recently been seduced by the Arrau and Pollini complete editions, which are not super-bargain territory. But those very inexpensive "collectors editions" from Universal (or whatever they're called now) and ICONs from Warner (formerly EMI) do occasionally drop, perhaps not as often as they used to, but they may be running out of back catalog.

  I think this thread has been in decline because Peter bowed out for a while and I stopped buying boxes...there weren't that many other fans, were there?
   There have been (even still are) some incredible deals.  Amazon.de still has the big NY Sym box for 54 Euros, for example.  But to buy big boxes you generally need to be kind of new to buying classical CDs. If you already have a lot of what is IN the box, most will feel it is wasteful or overly extravagant to buy the box.  I've basically stopped because I can't live long enough to enjoy what I've already purchased.  For me, each new box is essentially an exercise in hoarding.  That said, i would LOVE to have the Pollini and Arrau boxes.  Just saw Pollini a couple of weeks ago, and was deeply impressed.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 07, 2018, 04:10:07 PM
Quote from: Ken B on May 07, 2018, 04:06:05 PM
Gained weight it looks.
;D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Baron Scarpia on May 07, 2018, 04:14:01 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 07, 2018, 04:09:07 PM
  I think this thread has been in decline because Peter bowed out for a while and I stopped buying boxes...there weren't that many other fans, were there?
   There have been (even still are) some incredible deals.  Amazon.de still has the big NY Sym box for 54 Euros, for example.  But to buy big boxes you generally need to be kind of new to buying classical CDs. If you already have a lot of what is IN the box, most will feel it is wasteful or overly extravagant to buy the box.  I've basically stopped because I can't live long enough to enjoy what I've already purchased.  For me, each new box is essentially an exercise in hoarding.  That said, i would LOVE to have the Pollini and Arrau boxes.  Just saw Pollini a couple of weeks ago, and was deeply impressed.

I'm trying to taper off. The Boulez Debussy/Ravel and Stravinsky boxes left a bad taste in my mouth because they turned out to be recordings I want to like, but don't really like. Would have been tempted by the Boulez Sony Box, except I have almost all of it in the individual editions released a few years ago. But other than those, I've generally been very pleased by the complete artist sets I've acquired (mostly ICON's) and various repertoire based boxes (complete X's of Y conducted by Z, or complete works of X).

Pollini was pure hording for me (I had almost all of it in various releases, re-releases and collections) but it was worth it to have it all in one place, organized. The Arrau Box I is only 25% duplication for me.


Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 07, 2018, 04:25:03 PM
I hardly ever play physical media now.  I have everything on a set of hard drives, so buying CD boxes seems extra silly to me--not that i don't go online and drool from time to time. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 11, 2018, 10:12:12 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 07, 2018, 04:25:03 PM
I hardly ever play physical media now.  I have everything on a set of hard drives, so buying CD boxes seems extra silly to me--not that i don't go online and drool from time to time.

Drooling is good!  Well, hmm, I must admit that there is a certain sense of saturation. After all there is a limit on how many copies of the warhorses that one can own (or listen to for that matter).  For some reason I think about the Bruckner 6 listening bonanza we had back in the summer of 2015.  That was fun.

So no more boxes for you Al?  No sweet temptations? Only drool on the screen or on the floor in the music shop?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 11, 2018, 10:12:48 PM
Quote from: Ken B on May 07, 2018, 04:06:05 PM
Gained weight it looks.

Meow!

(https://media.tenor.com/images/19aca28d028d597c0e1788c8cfd15136/tenor.gif)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 11, 2018, 10:14:48 PM
What about this musical morsel?

(https://d27t0qkxhe4r68.cloudfront.net/images/records/dg4799959.jpg?1520974452)

https://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/classical/products/8430816--rafael-kubelik-complete-recordings-on-deutsche-grammophon
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 11, 2018, 10:18:07 PM
Quote from: Baron Scarpia on May 07, 2018, 10:48:19 AM
I think people have forgotten this thread and discussed boxes on other threads.

Seems like there are more premium boxes, and fewer ultra-cheap boxes. I've recently been seduced by the Arrau and Pollini complete editions, which are not super-bargain territory. But those very inexpensive "collectors editions" from Universal (or whatever they're called now) and ICONs from Warner (formerly EMI) do occasionally drop, perhaps not as often as they used to, but they may be running out of back catalog.

How's the Pollini? I recall hearing some of the latest of his recordings and hearing a fair amount of breathing - reminded me of Gould for some reason (wonder why?). 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 11, 2018, 11:30:31 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 11, 2018, 10:14:48 PM
What about this musical morsel?

(https://d27t0qkxhe4r68.cloudfront.net/images/records/dg4799959.jpg?1520974452)

https://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/classical/products/8430816--rafael-kubelik-complete-recordings-on-deutsche-grammophon

  Correct me if I'm wrong,but don't you have the DG Kubelik box from 3 years back or so? Seems like with the Bernstein and Richter boxes, where they repackage essentially the same material, but more attractively.  If they would give me a trade in on the earlier box, I would consider it, otherwise I just feel they are trying to exploit their customers.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 11, 2018, 11:38:17 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 11, 2018, 10:12:12 PM
So no more boxes for you Al?  No sweet temptations? Only drool on the screen or on the floor in the music shop?

  Oh yeah, I think about it a lot.  I would love to have the Arrau, and the new Bach set (which looks excellent, and cheap at $150 for 153 CDs), but I know I will literally never have time to listen to them.  I have several boxes that still have the plastic on them...  That Russia box you just got is tempting, but I haven't heard back from you yet about the older recordings--and then I remember I have that 100 CD box of classic live recordings in the Meister Konzerte box... and the Great Moments at Carnegie Hall box, and the Vienna Philharmonic live box...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 11, 2018, 11:41:19 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 11, 2018, 10:18:07 PM
How's the Pollini? I recall hearing some of the latest of his recordings and hearing a fair amount of breathing - reminded me of Gould for some reason (wonder why?).

  I just saw Pollini a couple of weeks ago, and it was wonderful.  He staggers around like he's going to fall down, and then plays like a god.  If that box came down to a standard box price (like around $100), I'd pounce.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 12, 2018, 07:47:24 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 11, 2018, 11:30:31 PM
  Correct me if I'm wrong,but don't you have the DG Kubelik box from 3 years back or so? Seems like with the Bernstein and Richter boxes, where they repackage essentially the same material, but more attractively.  If they would give me a trade in on the earlier box, I would consider it, otherwise I just feel they are trying to exploit their customers.

Hmm, I don't recall a Kubelik box. Perhaps you are thinking about the two Fricsay boxes?   You are likely to already have Kubelik's Mahler and Dvorak?  Besides this new box matches your avatar!!!!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 12, 2018, 07:56:38 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 11, 2018, 11:38:17 PM
  Oh yeah, I think about it a lot.  I would love to have the Arrau, and the new Bach set (which looks excellent, and cheap at $150 for 153 CDs), but I know I will literally never have time to listen to them.  I have several boxes that still have the plastic on them...  That Russia box you just got is tempting, but I haven't heard back from you yet about the older recordings--and then I remember I have that 100 CD box of classic live recordings in the Meister Konzerte box... and the Great Moments at Carnegie Hall box, and the Vienna Philharmonic live box...

The Warner Bach edition?
https://www.amazon.de/Complete-Bach-Ltd-Curtis/dp/B077QT18DW/ref=sr_1_14?s=music-classical&ie=UTF8&qid=1526140238&sr=1-14&keywords=bach&refinements=p_n_feature_five_browse-bin%3A379148011

Hmm, yes, perhaps it is time to stop sleeping and listen more.  I can relate to the PMBS (post multi box syndrome). I'm starting to forget which boxes are behind the boxes that are behind the boxes. I need reorganization or a digital cloud approach, but is so nice to browse physically and to ponder the sleeves/booklets.....

My music room filled with cds!

(https://media0.giphy.com/media/13yNFN1TlNCjC0/giphy.gif)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 12, 2018, 10:00:42 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 11, 2018, 10:12:48 PM
Meow!

(https://media.tenor.com/images/19aca28d028d597c0e1788c8cfd15136/tenor.gif)

I love my cats.  I fed them sardines once and they went wild. But the smell... I don't think I love them enough to do it again!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 12, 2018, 10:03:20 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 07, 2018, 04:25:03 PM
I hardly ever play physical media now.  I have everything on a set of hard drives, so buying CD boxes seems extra silly to me--not that i don't go online and drool from time to time.

Did you rip your boxes or did you just abandon them?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: king ubu on May 12, 2018, 11:38:38 AM
Still buying them, but they stack up on the shelves for future listening. Recent acquisitions include the Telemann set above, the NY Phil (although half of it is available elsewhere and on my shelves already), the Harnoncourt/Leonhardt Bach cantatas cycle, the Warner Debussy box, the Tonhalle Orchestra 150 box ...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 12, 2018, 03:10:30 PM
Quote from: Ken B on May 12, 2018, 10:03:20 AM
Did you rip your boxes or did you just abandon them?

  the majority I downloaded from various internet sites, presumably from other people who had ripped them. I had most of my boxsets stored in boxes, but now have them stacked on bookshelves so I can look around and feel like Uncle McScrooge, as per Peter's image above...
   There is a great free software program, MusicBee. It will show all the covers on a grid, for any file, so the way I have my music stored in hard drives, I can click on a file and all the contents' covers are shown on my big TV.  It's pretty sweet. Unfortunately, it makes having to stand up and walk and open boxes and take out CDs and put them in the disk player--and then put them away!--seem terribly arduous ???  Occasionally I go through a period where I ONLY play CDs, and it feels almost like a return to nature, but then I drift back again to using the computer (I have a laptop mounted on a swivel on the arm of my easy chair).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 12, 2018, 03:14:38 PM
Quote from: king ubu on May 12, 2018, 11:38:38 AM
Still buying them, but they stack up on the shelves for future listening. Recent acquisitions include the Telemann set above, the NY Phil (although half of it is available elsewhere and on my shelves already), the Harnoncourt/Leonhardt Bach cantatas cycle, the Warner Debussy box, the Tonhalle Orchestra 150 box ...

  I actually LOST my Mercury Living Presence 3 box for about 6 months! I searched again and again. That is one of the key events that enabled me to break out of CDCDCD.  It was infuriating. It was actually just behind a stack of other boxes, but in a way that it seemed clear nothing as big as a box could possibly be back there (and yet it was...).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 12, 2018, 03:19:40 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 12, 2018, 07:47:24 AM
Hmm, I don't recall a Kubelik box. Perhaps you are thinking about the two Fricsay boxes?   You are likely to already have Kubelik's Mahler and Dvorak?  Besides this new box matches your avatar!!!!

  Actually, I DO confuse him with Fricsay, but I was referring to this box:
[asin]B00IZ11XA2[/asin]
   Actually, looking more carefully now, I see that this one is only half the size, but--good as it is--I never played all of this one, so I will take a pass on the new one.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 12, 2018, 04:10:29 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 12, 2018, 03:19:40 PM
  Actually, I DO confuse him with Fricsay, but I was referring to this box:
[asin]B00IZ11XA2[/asin]
   Actually, looking more carefully now, I see that this one is only half the size, but--good as it is--I never played all of this one, so I will take a pass on the new one.

Well, Fricsay and Kubelik DO look similar in appearance. Hmm, that one slipped through my fingers. It kind of looks like one of the many Decca Italy renditions/boxes. So was it the Warner Bach edition you were referring to earlier or am I confused?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 12, 2018, 04:42:21 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 12, 2018, 04:10:29 PM
So was it the Warner Bach edition you were referring to earlier or am I confused?

  Your link was to the box I'm thinking about--although in my mind it is the Teldec Bach (Seems to be a revised version of Bach2000, which I never had a physical copy of, though I have a digital version).

   But, lets get back to your Korean RUSSIAN box.  There are individualized sleeves for each disk? Apparently the disks themselves even have pictures. Nice touch.  I'm still waiting to hear from you something about the sound quality of the stuff from the 50s and 60s ;)  That is a handsome looking set, and a lot of new territory for me, but maybe not if the sound is unduly "historical."
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 12, 2018, 04:55:28 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 12, 2018, 04:42:21 PM
  Your link was to the box I'm thinking about--although in my mind it is the Teldec Bach (Seems to be a revised version of Bach2000, which I never had a physical copy of, though I have a digital version).

   But, lets get back to your Korean RUSSIAN box.  There are individualized sleeves for each disk? Apparently the disks themselves even have pictures. Nice touch.  I'm still waiting to hear from you something about the sound quality of the stuff from the 50s and 60s ;)  That is a handsome looking set, and a lot of new territory for me, but maybe not if the sound is unduly "historical."

I just listened to a few of LvB's piano sonatas performed by Richter. They were recorded in 1965, 1972 and 1975 and sounded great. Keep in mind that I don't listen with headphones.  I need to dig deeper into time and see how things are..
Yes, the sleeve and disc format are quite attractive and work pretty well. The image on the disc itself is a nice nod to us McScrooges!  :P
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 12, 2018, 04:55:43 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 12, 2018, 03:14:38 PM
  I actually LOST my Mercury Living Presence 3 box for about 6 months! I searched again and again. That is one of the key events that enabled me to break out of CDCDCD.  It was infuriating. It was actually just behind a stack of other boxes, but in a way that it seemed clear nothing as big as a box could possibly be back there (and yet it was...).
Wrong lesson Al. Right lesson: buy a spare.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 12, 2018, 05:00:21 PM
Spares are good. Let's see  - one for the car, one for work and one for home?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 12, 2018, 05:00:45 PM
Not to forget gifts!!!  8)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Baron Scarpia on May 12, 2018, 05:14:14 PM
I lost my Bilson set of Mozart Piano Concerti, it turned up in a box in storage, after I replaced it, of course.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 12, 2018, 05:16:17 PM
Quote from: Ken B on May 12, 2018, 04:55:43 PM
Wrong lesson Al. Right lesson: buy a spare.
;D ;D ;D :laugh:

  Some deals were so good I came close! The Harmonia Mundi "Opera Baroque" box, The Perahia Box, and a 60 disk set of wonderful Baroque masterpieces that sometimes goes down to $30...they are like sad abandoned puppies that beg to be rescued from neglect... (Actually, I did get a rescue puppy for a family xmas gift last year).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 12, 2018, 05:17:25 PM
Quote from: Baron Scarpia on May 12, 2018, 05:14:14 PM
I lost my Bilson set of Mozart Piano Concerti, it turned up in a box in storage, after I replaced it, of course.

  Ouch! You truly belong in this thread!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 12, 2018, 05:21:46 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 12, 2018, 04:55:28 PM
I just listened to a few of LvB's piano sonatas performed by Richter. They were recorded in 1965, 1972 and 1975 and sounded great. Keep in mind that I don't listen with headphones.  I need to dig deeper into time and see how things are.
Please let me know when you do.  That is not only a Super-duper bargain, but would actually give me a lot of repertoire I don't have. Also, the stack of boxes I have and haven't listened to yet look bored and lonely--some new blood might cheer them up.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 12, 2018, 07:07:16 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 12, 2018, 05:21:46 PM
  Please let me know when you do.  That is not only a Super-duper bargain, but would actually give me a lot of repertoire I don't have. Also, the stack of boxes I have and haven't listened to yet look bored and lonely--some new blood might cheer them up.

Boxes are gregarious and need lots of care!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 12, 2018, 07:08:26 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 12, 2018, 05:17:25 PM
  Ouch! You truly belong in this thread!

Clearly!!   :laugh:

I tend to duplicate books in my library, but I do have a few duplicate cd boxes (gift supply, of course!).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on May 13, 2018, 03:04:56 PM
From "Recordings You Are Considering":

Quote from: Brian on May 13, 2018, 03:03:59 PM
The Salonen/Sony Big Box is one of a small handful of recent Big Boxes that I am even considering purchasing. The others are Munch/Boston, Kubelik/DG, and oddly Ozawa/Philips. Perhaps I should cross-post to the Box Blather thread for people's opinions on these...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Biffo on May 14, 2018, 12:39:01 AM
Quote from: Brian on May 13, 2018, 03:04:56 PM
From "Recordings You Are Considering":

The Salonen box was reviewed on BBC Radio 3 Record Review on Saturday morning. The reviewer was generally enthusiastic though not about Salonen's Nielsen. The Stravinsky content was highly praised, as was the contemporary/avant garde recordings. Personally, the box contains too much that I own already or that I am not interested in. The programme should be available on BBC iPlayer, if you have access to it.

The Kubelik DG box is a complete non-starter for me as I own practically all of its content - needless to say I think it contains many wonderful recordings.

I already own some of the Munch box in a previous collection. The performances are fine but some of the recordings are a bit iffy. I was tempted but will probably give it a miss.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 20, 2018, 10:21:39 PM
Anybody excited about the upcoming Szell Collection?   0:)

(https://exlibris.azureedge.net/covers/0889/8547/1852/7/0889854718527xxl.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 20, 2018, 10:29:58 PM
I'm pondering Argerich's EMI recordings. I've mostly listened to her DG recordings over the last few years.

Hmmm.. a no-brainer? Thoughts?

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81yV7PJAqHL._SY355_.jpg)(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81AL4KFP4UL._SX425_.jpg)(http://www.lebigno.co.uk/img/61jtrv1gPnL.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Baron Scarpia on May 20, 2018, 11:04:34 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 20, 2018, 10:29:58 PM
I'm pondering Argerich's EMI recordings. I've mostly listened to her DG recordings over the last few years.

Hmmm.. a no-brainer? Thoughts?

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81yV7PJAqHL._SY355_.jpg)(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81AL4KFP4UL._SX425_.jpg)(http://www.lebigno.co.uk/img/61jtrv1gPnL.jpg)

It combines the Teldec and EMI recordings, some really superb things in there. I have the previous EMI collection (divided into four boxes) and most of the Teldec in the original releases, or it would be a no-brainer for me.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 21, 2018, 12:29:05 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 20, 2018, 10:21:39 PM
Anybody excited about the upcoming Szell Collection?   0:)

(https://exlibris.azureedge.net/covers/0889/8547/1852/7/0889854718527xxl.jpg)

that's a handsome and worthy box. BUT, since I have the Korea box from a few years ago, I will probably try to hold off. Exercise restraint, etc.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 21, 2018, 04:52:14 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 20, 2018, 10:21:39 PM
Anybody excited about the upcoming Szell Collection?   0:)

(https://exlibris.azureedge.net/covers/0889/8547/1852/7/0889854718527xxl.jpg)

Oh jeez. That is just about the only box that tempts me!

You are righ Al, this fish fellow is evil!  ;)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 21, 2018, 06:10:37 AM
the Kubelik box is 92 Euros if you get it from Amazon.de.   
   I have that and the Pollini box in my cart right now.
CDCDCD is strong with me tonight....

  I'm trying to fight it with my Tennessee whiskey, but for some reason it doesn't seem to be helping ??? ::)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 21, 2018, 07:00:34 AM
ended up with this for $79 from Am.de

[asin]B07532NFPB[/asin]
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Baron Scarpia on May 21, 2018, 07:47:24 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 20, 2018, 10:21:39 PM
Anybody excited about the upcoming Szell Collection?   0:)

(https://exlibris.azureedge.net/covers/0889/8547/1852/7/0889854718527xxl.jpg)

Actually for me this would be a no-brainer. When I started my classical music collecting, in the LP days, Columbia records was a a low point, producing very low quality vinyl compared to the European labels. Szell was ruled out, only DG, London (what they called Decca in the US) DG, Philips or Telefunken (what they called Teldec in those days) was considered. I had no Szell at all. The habit carried over to the CD era, and I have very little Szell.

Unfortunately, I am under CD austerity. I think I will pass until I can justify it as a Christmas gift. :(
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 21, 2018, 07:54:02 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 21, 2018, 07:00:34 AM
ended up with this for $79 from Am.de

[asin]B07532NFPB[/asin]

Good price. To me it is one of the "blended" boxes from the corporation - I prefer themes linked to an era, conductors, artists, or composers rather than solid mixes focused on instruments, an orchestra or the label. However, if the price is right I can change my mind!! I would definitely choose Kubelik or Pollini over the Decca piano box. If I recall correctly you began your CDCDCD journey with three label boxes (Erato, Das Alte Werk and Teldec)?     :P
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 21, 2018, 07:56:26 AM
Quote from: Baron Scarpia on May 21, 2018, 07:47:24 AM
Actually for me this would be a no-brainer. When I started my classical music collecting, in the LP days, Columbia records was a a low point, producing very low quality vinyl compared to the European labels. Szell was ruled out, only DG, London (what they called Decca in the US) DG, Philips or Telefunken (what they called Teldec in those days) was considered. I had no Szell at all. The habit carried over to the CD era, and I have very little Szell.

Unfortunately, I am under CD austerity. I think I will pass until I can justify it as a Christmas gift. :(

I'm in the same spot as you Baron! Very little Szell in my listening experience as well as collection so this fills a gap. After all Szell's name is legendary and his recordings seem to often be in the reference realm. Perhaps an early Christmas gift???   >:D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 21, 2018, 07:58:32 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 21, 2018, 06:10:37 AM
the Kubelik box is 92 Euros if you get it from Amazon.de.   
   I have that and the Pollini box in my cart right now.
CDCDCD is strong with me tonight....

  I'm trying to fight it with my Tennessee whiskey, but for some reason it doesn't seem to be helping ??? ::)

The whiskey whispers "Pollini Pollini Pollini Pollini Pollini...."  >:D

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Baron Scarpia on May 21, 2018, 07:58:50 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 21, 2018, 07:56:26 AM
I'm in the same spot as you Baron! Very little Szell in my listening experience as well as collection so this fills a gap. After all Szell's name is legendary and his recordings seem to often be in the reference realm. Perhaps an early Christmas gift???   >:D

That would disturb the situation of detente in the family. The arrival of a single CD could trigger the arrival of boxes from Europe containing fancy shoes.  :o  :laugh:
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Baron Scarpia on May 21, 2018, 07:59:26 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 21, 2018, 07:58:32 AM
The whiskey whispers "Pollini Pollini Pollini Pollini Pollini...."  >:D

The Pollini box is awesome.  >:D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 21, 2018, 08:01:08 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 21, 2018, 12:29:05 AM
that's a handsome and worthy box. BUT, since I have the Korea box from a few years ago, I will probably try to hold off. Exercise restraint, etc.

I missed the Korean box (lots of crying, but compensated by the Korean Westminster boxes). How was that Szell collection? Have you spent much time with them?  I wonder how the original Korean collection compare with the upcoming one? The new uses original covers so they are probably running 30-40 minute cds across the board?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 21, 2018, 08:02:11 AM
Quote from: Baron Scarpia on May 21, 2018, 07:58:50 AM
That would disturb the situation of detente in the family. The arrival of a single CD could trigger the arrival of boxes from Europe containing fancy shoes.  :o  :laugh:

Send it to your work address...    ::)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 21, 2018, 08:03:03 AM
Quote from: Ken B on May 21, 2018, 04:52:14 AM
Oh jeez. That is just about the only box that tempts me!

You are righ Al, this fish fellow is evil!  ;)

You need more music in your life, Ken!  8)

(https://thesaurus.plus/img/synonyms/164/enabler.png)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 21, 2018, 08:06:33 AM
Quote from: Baron Scarpia on May 20, 2018, 11:04:34 PM
It combines the Teldec and EMI recordings, some really superb things in there. I have the previous EMI collection (divided into four boxes) and most of the Teldec in the original releases, or it would be a no-brainer for me.

Tempting...very tempting...
It is interesting (and shameful) how the labels released so much of Argerich's recordings in portions (like DG/Universal released 4-5 mini-boxes followed by one huge one). It seems like Warner followed a similar approach. Evil!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 21, 2018, 08:13:35 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 21, 2018, 07:00:34 AM
ended up with this for $79 from Am.de

[asin]B07532NFPB[/asin]

This is a nice one (if you are into voice recitals that is). Good price in the UK!! 

[asin] B01CSLH35S[/asin]
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Baron Scarpia on May 21, 2018, 08:18:33 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 21, 2018, 08:06:33 AM
Tempting...very tempting...
It is interesting (and shameful) how the labels released so much of Argerich's recordings in portions (like DG/Universal released 4-5 mini-boxes followed by one huge one). It seems like Warner followed a similar approach. Evil!

The evil thing is that the complete Argerich Box contains one and only one recording that is not in the previous boxes, the Argerich/Rostropovich recording of the Chopin cello sonata. It got excluded because they limited the solo sonata box to Argerich/Kremer/Maisky, with filtered out the Rostropovich. I have it on an individual CD, but still, annoying.

The EMI is a bit of a hodgepodge because of the inclusion of some of those live from Lugano recordings, some of which are absolutely superb. But it becomes a 'collection' rather than a 'complete so-and-so' thing.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Baron Scarpia on May 21, 2018, 08:19:46 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 21, 2018, 07:00:34 AM
ended up with this for $79 from Am.de

[asin]B07532NFPB[/asin]

That one is a bit of an anathema to me, since I never was attracted to the "Decca Piano Sound." Generally too close and tubby.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 21, 2018, 11:32:48 AM
Quote from: Baron Scarpia on May 21, 2018, 08:19:46 AM
That one is a bit of an anathema to me, since I never was attracted to the "Decca Piano Sound." Generally too close and tubby.

However, I really liked the Decca Mono Years compilation. Some interesting recordings!
Samples and info at: https://www.deccaclassics.com/us/cat/4787946

[asin] B00QHL0V3C[/asin]

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: MickeyBoy on May 21, 2018, 11:38:00 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 20, 2018, 10:29:58 PM
I'm pondering Argerich's EMI recordings. I've mostly listened to her DG recordings over the last few years.

Hmmm.. a no-brainer? Thoughts?

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81yV7PJAqHL._SY355_.jpg)(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81AL4KFP4UL._SX425_.jpg)(http://www.lebigno.co.uk/img/61jtrv1gPnL.jpg)

Any word on whether there have been remasterings and, if so, do they represent an improvement?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Baron Scarpia on May 21, 2018, 11:44:15 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 21, 2018, 11:32:48 AM
However, I really liked the Decca Mono Years compilation. Some interesting recordings!
Samples and info at: https://www.deccaclassics.com/us/cat/4787946

[asin] B00QHL0V3C[/asin]

That, I have and enjoy (as well as the DGG mono box). Now you see why CD austerity was in order. :)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 21, 2018, 12:26:13 PM
Quote from: Baron Scarpia on May 21, 2018, 11:44:15 AM
That, I have and enjoy (as well as the DGG mono box). Now you see why CD austerity was in order. :)

Ha ha!  Hmm, I have removed the word austerity in my vocabulary and have replaced it with CDcornucopia.   :P
Thanks for reminding me about the DGG mono box!!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 21, 2018, 01:26:05 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 21, 2018, 07:00:34 AM
ended up with this for $79 from Am.de

[asin]B07532NFPB[/asin]

The dam bursts! Run for the hills!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 21, 2018, 06:12:33 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 21, 2018, 08:01:08 AM
I missed the Korean box (lots of crying, but compensated by the Korean Westminster boxes). How was that Szell collection? Have you spent much time with them?  I wonder how the original Korean collection compare with the upcoming one? The new uses original covers so they are probably running 30-40 minute cds across the board?

  The box was actually put out by Sony, but for Korea ::) Kind of weird.
    In many ways comparable to Fritz Reiner--extremely tight, disciplined, clear playing and sound.  Vigorous, great orchestra.  A lot of Non-symphony Mozart--which is terrific. But mostly warhorses--perhaps some of the best played, but you (we) already have so many, many excellent renditions :-\
   As with almost all my box sets, I actually have only played a little of it. I got it during my initial frenzy, and never really went back, although it is certainly deserving. I never got this onto my hard drive, which is probably why it has been so neglected. Maybe I'll load in 5 disks right now!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 21, 2018, 06:13:39 PM
Quote from: Ken B on May 21, 2018, 01:26:05 PM
The dam bursts! Run for the hills!

  No damn bursting, but I may well go and get the Pollini at my local show. Seems like it is going to go OOP rather than become dirt-cheap :'(
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 21, 2018, 06:20:27 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 21, 2018, 06:13:39 PM
  No damn bursting, but I may well go and get the Pollini at my local show. Seems like it is going to go OOP rather than become dirt-cheap :'(

In my experience DG boxes tend to increase in price or go OOP. Hmm, yes, the OOP specter is definitely plausible. To buy or not to buy...?
However, you probably already have excellent renditions of all the works found in the Pollini compilation. I guess it is a matter of paying tribute to the artist?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 22, 2018, 02:12:57 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 21, 2018, 06:20:27 PM
In my experience DG boxes tend to increase in price or go OOP. Hmm, yes, the OOP specter is definitely plausible. To buy or not to buy...?
However, you probably already have excellent renditions of all the works found in the Pollini compilation. I guess it is a matter of paying tribute to the artist?

Actually, I have almost no Pollini--well, by our standards. I have his LvB, and the 13 box set, and a couple of odds and ends.  Very little.
  Dropped by the CD shop, but the price was higher than I had anticipated. curses. Lowest I can find is $137 from Am.UK.  Still not what I had hoped...

BTW, Ken was sort of right.  Now that I started buying a little, I really do feel a strong urge to go nuts...Where's that little dutch boy when you need him :D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 22, 2018, 02:41:23 AM
OK. Ordered the Pollini.  Turns out I have some sort of credit card points that take $98 off the price.  Hard to beat. 

   Coincidentally, the Soviet box is almost exactly that same price, delivered to my door.  Coincidence, or is the universe prodding me ::)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 22, 2018, 02:46:39 AM
yes. I ordered the soviet box.  210 excellent discs for $220.  Nothing to be ashamed of there....although I am, a little bit :-[
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Baron Scarpia on May 22, 2018, 08:44:00 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 22, 2018, 02:41:23 AM
OK. Ordered the Pollini.  Turns out I have some sort of credit card points that take $98 off the price.  Hard to beat. 

Pollini is unique. Even if I don't prefer his performance of a given work, I want to hear what he does with it.

One week after I got the Pollini box, he releases a new record. Back on the treadmill...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 22, 2018, 09:30:29 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 22, 2018, 02:46:39 AM
yes. I ordered the soviet box.  210 excellent discs for $220.  Nothing to be ashamed of there....although I am, a little bit :-[

(http://reneweconomy.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/dam-breaking.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 22, 2018, 09:40:53 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 22, 2018, 02:46:39 AM
yes. I ordered the soviet box.  210 excellent discs for $220.  Nothing to be ashamed of there....although I am, a little bit :-[

Bravo! Bravo! Meow!

It reminds me that I need to get back to the Soviet box. Actually, most recordings in it are relatively recent (meaning not vintage - in the realm of mostly 80s and 90s).

(https://i.imgur.com/DDv1J.gif)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 22, 2018, 12:26:14 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 22, 2018, 09:40:53 AM

It reminds me that I need to get back to the Soviet box. Actually, most recordings in it are relatively recent (meaning not vintage - in the realm of mostly 80s and 90s).

  Right. That is why I got it.  It really does look like a super bargain.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Maestro267 on May 22, 2018, 12:33:22 PM
What Soviet box? You've aroused my curiosity now. Not that I could ever afford it.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 22, 2018, 12:40:23 PM
Quote from: Maestro267 on May 22, 2018, 12:33:22 PM
What Soviet box? You've aroused my curiosity now. Not that I could ever afford it.

This one.
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51-Z37nWupL.jpg)
available from Amazon Japan. 100 CDs for about 100 USD, shipped.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 22, 2018, 02:55:54 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 22, 2018, 12:26:14 PM
  Right. That is why I got it.  It really does look like a super bargain.

I keep getting distracted, but I intend to do a Soviet box listen bonanza soon.  We should have Soviet week! An annual event! At least I listened to Mravinsky's Shostakovich 10 today (from a different set). Ha ha!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 22, 2018, 02:58:14 PM
Quote from: Maestro267 on May 22, 2018, 12:33:22 PM
What Soviet box? You've aroused my curiosity now. Not that I could ever afford it.

Info and links here: http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,20.msg1147813.html#msg1147813
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 22, 2018, 04:56:49 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 22, 2018, 02:55:54 PM
I keep getting distracted, but I intend to do a Soviet box listen bonanza soon.  We should have Soviet week! An annual event! At least I listened to Mravinsky's Shostakovich 10 today (from a different set). Ha ha!

  Do you have the Ansermet Russian music box? I got that and the French box from Amazon Italy a couple of years back.  Shamefully, I've yet to do much damage to it, and it really is a marvelous box.
[asin]B00J498SOI[/asin]
   Any recommendations of what to play from that?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 22, 2018, 05:03:37 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 22, 2018, 04:56:49 PM
  Do you have the Ansermet Russian music box? I got that and the French box from Amazon Italy a couple of years back.  Shamefully, I've yet to do much damage to it, and it really is a marvelous box.
[asin]B00J498SOI[/asin]
   Any recommendations of what to play from that?
  And I love your "Soviet Week" idea.  I've never done that before.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 22, 2018, 05:06:26 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 22, 2018, 04:56:49 PM
  Do you have the Ansermet Russian music box? I got that and the French box from Amazon Italy a couple of years back.  Shamefully, I've yet to do much damage to it, and it really is a marvelous box.
[asin]B00J498SOI[/asin]
   Any recommendations of what to play from that?

I need to ponder it!   Begin with Rachmaninov's Isle of the Dead. That will set the mood!!!!    >:D

:D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Baron Scarpia on May 22, 2018, 07:31:08 PM
All three are required, French, Russian (Stravinsky and Rimsky Korsakov), and European Tradition. Ansermet's Brahms is very good. :)

Sadly getting all there does not give you complete Ansermet, they left out the Bartok (which is dreadful).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 22, 2018, 07:53:44 PM
Quote from: Baron Scarpia on May 22, 2018, 07:31:08 PM
All three are required, French, Russian (Stravinsky and Rimsky Korsakov), and European Tradition. Ansermet's Brahms is very good. :)

Sadly getting all there does not give you complete Ansermet, they left out the Bartok (which is dreadful).

Yes, I did a fair amount of listening in terms of the 'French' and the 'European Tradition' compilations, but neglected the Russian one. Worth revisiting. We need more time in the day. Sounds familiar?  :P

Hey - we should have an Ansermet week!  Al?   Scarpia?  :D


*dreams about Ansermet's Bartók*
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 22, 2018, 10:50:58 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 22, 2018, 07:53:44 PM
Yes, I did a fair amount of listening in terms of the 'French' and the 'European Tradition' compilations, but neglected the Russian one. Worth revisiting. We need more time in the day. Sounds familiar?  :P

Hey - we should have an Ansermet week!  Al?   Scarpia?  :D


*dreams about Ansermet's Bartók*
Actually, I skipped his "European Tradition"--I'm sure it is great, but I have literally 10 of each of those that are also "certified great".  If you want to do a French and Russian, I'm with you. Tell me what to put on, and I'll follow you. BTW, message from my mail carrier--the Russian Legends box should get here in about 48 hours >:(
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 22, 2018, 11:00:14 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 22, 2018, 10:50:58 PM
Actually, I skipped his "European Tradition"--I'm sure it is great, but I have literally 10 of each of those that are also "certified great".  If you want to do a French and Russian, I'm with you. Tell me what to put on, and I'll follow you. BTW, message from my mail carrier--the Russian Legends box should get here in about 48 hours >:(

Oh, that does sound like fun! BTW 48 hours for the Soviet box is fast - perhaps not from your location (?), but I was impressed with Amazon.jp delivering to the US in such a short time for no extra S&H!  AND great secure packaging (compared to their counterpart in Germany).  The overlap aspect with the European Tradition makes sense - our warhorses become an army.  Still, sometimes it is exciting to hear these core aspects of the canon performed in different ways. I have listened to some "standards" performed by Mravinsky(Leningrad PO) and they sound fantastic. The Leningrad Orchestra has a brass section that comes across quite differently to what I'm used to in the majority of European and American orchestras.  Like howling wolves in the forest! Check out the first movement of Shostakovich's 10th if you have the inclination?

https://www.youtube.com/v/oW0pXARZCg8
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 24, 2018, 02:09:44 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 22, 2018, 11:00:14 PM
Oh, that does sound like fun! BTW 48 hours for the Soviet box is fast - perhaps not from your location (?), but I was impressed with Amazon.jp delivering to the US in such a short time for no extra S&H!  AND great secure packaging (compared to their counterpart in Germany).
Not 48 hour from when I ordered, but from when I posted (however, it did arrive at my door in something like 60 hours, not too shabby for international)

Quote from: Moonfish on May 22, 2018, 11:00:14 PMThe overlap aspect with the European Tradition makes sense - our warhorses become an army.
;D ;D Nice line.

Quote from: Moonfish on May 22, 2018, 11:00:14 PMStill, sometimes it is exciting to hear these core aspects of the canon performed in different ways. I have listened to some "standards" performed by Mravinsky(Leningrad PO) and they sound fantastic. The Leningrad Orchestra has a brass section that comes across quite differently to what I'm used to in the majority of European and American orchestras.  Like howling wolves in the forest! Check out the first movement of Shostakovich's 10th if you have the inclination?
I have access to quite a lot of Mravinsky. What is the source of the disk you are listening to, if I may ask? I'd rather play the disk...

   And my soviet box just arrived.  It's been so long since I got a new box that I am quite delighted.  It's hefty, and seems well put together.  I actually like the little individual sleeves quite a bit.  First impression is very positive, but won't have time to listen for a while. BTW, Japanese Amazon could give US Amazon some serious lessons in packing! Arrived in pristine condition.

Addendum: I thought I was playing disk 1, but it is disk 50.  1978 recording of Kogan playing LvB Violin Sonatas.  1978 recording.  Age wise, this disk is probably about in the middle, or a tad older than average.  It's excellent. Clear and fine. Not sota, but extremely close, warm and immediate sound, favoring the violin a bit over the piano--and a fantastic performance. Then I heard a cough.  It's a live recording.  I've got my fingers crossed...if the rest of the box is on this level, I'll be in heaven.  I'm so excited to check out the other disks it is a hindrance--it is making it harder to concentrate on this one, and it deserves full attention.
  There is no book or documentation of any kind, which is OK with me, really--I never look at that stuff after the first day. 
   The most disappointing thing about the box so far, for me, is that the music is not particularly Russian heavy. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 24, 2018, 08:40:38 AM
Glad you like it (so far).

- Yes, it is Russian artists all the way, but all the works were listed in the links I provided.

- Agree with Japanese packaging - nice touch compared to their European counterparts!  Sometimes packages from Amazon.de and Amazon.fr arrive as crumpled dried croissants six weeks later and at other times pristine two days later with express DHL. Go figure!

- Neat sleeves! Very different from what I'm used to. There is a little puny number on the top corner of each one. Not obvious. Some of the sleeves have color combinations (font/background) making them hard to read.  >:(

- The Mravinsky Shostakovich disc I listened to came from:

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71xmBsWLyjL._SY355_.jpg)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mravinsky-Reissue-Evgeny/dp/B000V07IVS
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 24, 2018, 09:22:18 AM
Did Sutherland's Decca recitals go OOP?   ???

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81DETBYTrhL._SX522_.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mahlerian on May 24, 2018, 09:34:32 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 24, 2018, 02:09:44 AM
BTW, Japanese Amazon could give US Amazon some serious lessons in packing! Arrived in pristine condition.

Japan places a premium on quality of service.  Once at Narita Airport, I was sitting by a McDonald's (didn't eat there), and one customer had apparently left without picking up one item.  A server behind the counter announced that it had been left behind (as would be done in the US), but after no one claimed it, she went around the whole area of the terminal looking for the person.  Never found out what happened after that, but the incident stuck with me.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 24, 2018, 11:47:53 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 24, 2018, 08:40:38 AM
Glad you like it (so far)

- The Mravinsky Shostakovich disc I listened to came from:

  I have it! Will play it tonight--at whiskey o'clock :D

   Am playing the Petrov piano disks from the SOVIET INVASION box.  Recordings from '89, but sometimes a bit thin, especially on the lower end. Not nearly the eye-opener the Kogan violin disks have been, but I am still listening...

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 25, 2018, 02:30:56 AM
Moonie's pitch sold me on this :P

[asin]B079VRTWJS[/asin]
  I went to see if the Kubelik box had come in and got this on an impulse.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 25, 2018, 07:49:38 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 25, 2018, 02:30:56 AM
Moonie's pitch sold me on this :P

[asin]B079VRTWJS[/asin]
  I went to see if the Kubelik box had come in and got this on an impulse.
Good deal for $25 (you said?). Hmm, it is already released in Taiwan?

Anyways, I will always be here to support your purchases....  >:D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 25, 2018, 02:28:52 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 25, 2018, 07:49:38 AM
Good deal for $25 (you said?). Hmm, it is already released in Taiwan?

Anyways, I will always be here to support your purchases....  >:D

thanks for your support, Moonie. You warm the cockles of my heart :-* :-*
   And yeah it was right on the shelf, I didn't realize it wasn't supposed to be released for another month. Go figure.  Played two disks last night (Telemann and Vivaldi) and both were extremely satisfying, so a good beginning (I'd never heard of her til I saw your post).

  By the way, played the Shosty 10 from the Mrav box. Thrilling! Also may explain some 20th century music that I can't stand: composers were trying to sound like that, and failing.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 25, 2018, 03:17:39 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 25, 2018, 02:28:52 PM
thanks for your support, Moonie. You warm the cockles of my heart :-* :-*
   And yeah it was right on the shelf, I didn't realize it wasn't supposed to be released for another month. Go figure.  Played two disks last night (Telemann and Vivaldi) and both were extremely satisfying, so a good beginning (I'd never heard of her til I saw your post).

  By the way, played the Shosty 10 from the Mrav box. Thrilling! Also may explain some 20th century music that I can't stand: composers were trying to sound like that, and failing.

I'm looking forward to the Michala Petri - One has to support the Danish soloists!!!  ::)

The Mravinsky Shostakovich 10 is quite an experience - play it really loud so the the neighborhood cats gather around your house. It never fails....

(https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/cat-island-japan-tweet-food-donation-aoshima-10.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on May 25, 2018, 06:42:25 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 25, 2018, 03:17:39 PM

(https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/cat-island-japan-tweet-food-donation-aoshima-10.jpg)

Ooooooo. Kitties!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 26, 2018, 11:55:43 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 25, 2018, 02:30:56 AM
Moonie's pitch sold me on this :P

[asin]B079VRTWJS[/asin]
  I went to see if the Kubelik box had come in and got this on an impulse.

Al,
I think this might be you outside your neighborhood store considering another purchase? 
John Williams? Pollini? Szell? Berliner Philharmoniker? Kubelik? Solti? Westminster?

(https://cloud.lovinmalta.com/images/uploads/2016/09/_blogWide/scheming.gif?mtime=20160905141341)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 26, 2018, 03:33:54 PM
 :D :D
Not at all--because I have bought all those (most of them at my store)! I'm thinking more about the 20DVD concert boxes for $100 just now. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 26, 2018, 03:56:06 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 26, 2018, 03:33:54 PM
:D :D
Not at all--because I have bought all those (most of them at my store)! I'm thinking more about the 20DVD concert boxes for $100 just now.

Al,
Are you familiar with these at all? Does your Taiwan store carry them?


I figure that this perhaps belongs better in the box blather thread....

VINTAGE BOXES:

A Cluytens Opera Collection.....   0:)

(http://img.hmv.co.jp/image/jacket/400/67/9/5/737.jpg#_ga=2.152730875.397571430.1527376390-473197038.1525580471)

Page needs translation:
http://www.hmv.co.jp/en/artist_Classical-Collection-Boxed-Set_000000000088040/item_Cluytens-The-Collection-Vol-3-1948-1964-Opera-Recordings-56CD_6795737

They also carry Horenstein
http://www.hmv.co.jp/en/artist_Classical-Collection-Boxed-Set_000000000088040/item_Horenstein-The-Collection-1952-1964_7678617

(http://img.hmv.co.jp/image/jacket/400/76/7/8/617.jpg#_ga=2.153752826.397571430.1527376390-473197038.1525580471)

as well as Knappertsbusch
http://img.hmv.co.jp/image/jacket/400/76/7/8/617.jpg#_ga=2.153752826.397571430.1527376390-473197038.1525580471

(http://img.hmv.co.jp/image/jacket/400/78/1/6/327.jpg)

Anybody familiar with these?

What is the story with the Venias label? A pirate label?

I do have a few collections from them and the sound is quite good considering that they are mostly recordings from the 50s.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 26, 2018, 04:00:02 PM
Actually, I just responded in the other thread. I suspect they are like (or even another name for) Membran, using that European copyright-expiration rule.  Are they supercheap?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on May 26, 2018, 04:06:56 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 26, 2018, 04:00:02 PM
Actually, I just responded in the other thread. I suspect they are like (or even another name for) Membran, using that European copyright-expiration rule.  Are they supercheap?

I read somewhere that they are a Russian pirate, but I'm not sure. They are in the realm of USD 60-90+ depending on the number of cds (not including shipping).  I have a Markevich and an Ancerl boxes from them and the sound is better than Membran. By the way, Membran has improved immensely in sound quality over the last few years. Their newer sets are great for sampling vintage recordings.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 26, 2018, 06:32:47 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on May 26, 2018, 04:06:56 PM
I read somewhere that they are a Russian pirate, but I'm not sure. They are in the realm of USD 60-90+ depending on the number of cds (not including shipping).  I have a Markevich and an Ancerl boxes from them and the sound is better than Membran. By the way, Membran has improved immensely in sound quality over the last few years. Their newer sets are great for sampling vintage recordings.

I believe Membran's business model is based on a 50-year Copyright law. I suppose this means that their potential products' sound technology gets one year more modern every year...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on June 02, 2018, 12:52:54 AM
This box is a real winner. About 20% of the way through it, and it far exceeds my expectations.
   (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51-Z37nWupL.jpg)

Turns out it really is close to this one:
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41GD%2BwO8W0L.jpg)
   Apparently both Brilliant and Yedang licensed all the music from "Pipeline music." Supposedly everything in the Yedang has been remastered from the original tapes in "96kHz/24bit"--which is probably more marketing than meaningful. However, it all sounds really good.  The 1950s Richter is no worse than the 70s or 80s recordings. The main instrument is always brilliantly clear, but generally there is little separation among backing instruments.

    One unanticipated effect is that I have finally become a real Richter fan.  And Shostakovich.  I'd never heard his Violin Concertos.  Dark and powerful, as is the soloist.  Have you heard those, Moonfish?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on June 02, 2018, 10:17:13 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on June 02, 2018, 12:52:54 AM
This box is a real winner. About 20% of the way through it, and it far exceeds my expectations.
   (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51-Z37nWupL.jpg)

Turns out it really is close to this one:
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41GD%2BwO8W0L.jpg)
   Apparently both Brilliant and Yedang licensed all the music from "Pipeline music." Supposedly everything in the Yedang has been remastered from the original tapes in "96kHz/24bit"--which is probably more marketing than meaningful. However, it all sounds really good.  The 1950s Richter is no worse than the 70s or 80s recordings. The main instrument is always brilliantly clear, but generally there is little separation among backing instruments.

    One unanticipated effect is that I have finally become a real Richter fan.  And Shostakovich.  I'd never heard his Violin Concertos.  Dark and powerful, as is the soloist.  Have you heard those, Moonfish?

A Richter fan I am!    :)    Hmm, I still need to wander the dark paths of Shostakovich - still in the realm of the symphonies there and have much more exploration to do.   I have been in the Scriabin and Rachmaninoff realm lately - so definitely Russian music on the table!!!!! I need to return to the Soviet box. You have heard more of it than I have at this moment, but I agree with your sentiment: Very good sound and performances overall.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on June 02, 2018, 12:34:29 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on June 02, 2018, 10:17:13 AM
A Richter fan I am!    :)    Hmm, I still need to wander the dark paths of Shostakovich - still in the realm of the symphonies there and have much more exploration to do.   I have been in the Scriabin and Rachmaninoff realm lately - so definitely Russian music on the table!!!!! I need to return to the Soviet box. You have heard more of it than I have at this moment, but I agree with your sentiment: Very good sound and performances overall.

The best Shozz is (emphatically) not in his symphonies. The 6 concerti, quartets, and other chamber music, and the preludes and fugues for piano.  I especially recommend cello concerto 2, piano trio 2, preludes and fugues, Quartet 8.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on June 02, 2018, 01:33:35 PM
Quote from: Ken B on June 02, 2018, 12:34:29 PM
The best Shozz is (emphatically) not in his symphonies. The 6 concerti, quartets, and other chamber music, and the preludes and fugues for piano.  I especially recommend cello concerto 2, piano trio 2, preludes and fugues, Quartet 8.

Thanks Ken! I have the VC lined up with Oistrakh as the soloist...!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on June 02, 2018, 04:22:06 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on June 02, 2018, 01:33:35 PM
Thanks Ken! I have the VC lined up with Oistrakh as the soloist...!

  I know you've got lots of listening to do, but at some point, definitely check out some of the Victor Tretyakov violin stuff from the box. (disk 53 he plays Shosty VCs 1&2). Something about his sound and style is really gripping.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on June 02, 2018, 04:23:23 PM
Stop making that box sound so appealing you b*ggers!

:laugh:
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on June 02, 2018, 04:26:01 PM
Quote from: Ken B on June 02, 2018, 04:23:23 PM
Stop making that box sound so appealing you b*ggers!

:laugh:

(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c0/76/bd/c076bdb0afa6fc43e550240817c2736b.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on June 02, 2018, 04:48:49 PM
Quote from: Ken B on June 02, 2018, 04:23:23 PM
Stop making that box sound so appealing you b*ggers!

:laugh:

Which box? The one that's $95 for 100 disks, with no overlap with our collections? Actually, you might not like it, Ken. They are all live performances, so the playing doesn't have that controlled, stay-between-the-lines buttoned-down feeling we love from studio work... All that Russian passion running amok over the classics ??? No wonder the Western Amazons don't even carry it...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on June 02, 2018, 05:04:52 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on June 02, 2018, 04:48:49 PM
Which box? The one that's $95 for 100 disks, with no overlap with our collections? Actually, you might not like it, Ken. They are all live performances, so the playing doesn't have that controlled, stay-between-the-lines buttoned-down feeling we love from studio work... All that Russian passion running amok over the classics ??? No wonder the Western Amazons don't even carry it...

(https://t4.ftcdn.net/jpg/01/76/13/49/240_F_176134911_NGeddcLWJu16zcMecJhss6GcYl15BJ9O.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on June 02, 2018, 05:38:42 PM
Quote from: Ken B on June 02, 2018, 05:04:52 PM
(https://t4.ftcdn.net/jpg/01/76/13/49/240_F_176134911_NGeddcLWJu16zcMecJhss6GcYl15BJ9O.jpg)

??? ??? ??? ??? I had to call my dog over to protect me--and then he got scared and hit under the coffee table
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on June 07, 2018, 07:05:42 PM
Just came across this "old" article from 2013 discussing the overflow of new boxes of classical music...

https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/17/arts/music/classical-music-boxed-sets-multiply.html

If It All Doesn't Fit, Build a Bigger Box
Classical Music Boxed Sets Multiply


(https://static01.nyt.com/images/2013/11/17/arts/17SETS1_SPAN/17SETS1_SPAN-master1050-v2.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on June 08, 2018, 12:42:33 AM
You guys were definitely right about that Pollini! I thought you were just baiting me, but it is just sensational. I had no idea he was that good. Such clean articulation, great piano sound and recording, and such a grasp of the musical line and feeling for the pieces' inner workings.  He's like a perfectionist Gulda--but with a wide repertoire. I keep the volume up about 20% higher than usual, and don't do anything but listen. Like hearing everything for the first time (well, a lot of it IS for the first time, of course--a lot of 20th century repertoire mixed in--but you know what I mean).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on June 08, 2018, 06:36:52 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on June 08, 2018, 12:42:33 AM
You guys were definitely right about that Pollini! I thought you were just baiting me, but it is just sensational. I had no idea he was that good. Such clean articulation, great piano sound and recording, and such a grasp of the musical line and feeling for the pieces' inner workings.  He's like a perfectionist Gulda--but with a wide repertoire. I keep the volume up about 20% higher than usual, and don't do anything but listen. Like hearing everything for the first time (well, a lot of it IS for the first time, of course--a lot of 20th century repertoire mixed in--but you know what I mean).

I don't have that box.

You are an evil man.

Must be taking lessons from Moonfish ....

;)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on June 08, 2018, 06:46:10 AM
Jeez, Ken, sorry about that :-[
  Well, don't worry. It's an oldish box, and although it's cheap in some places, it's getting more expensive in most others, so probably going to go OOP soon--remove the temptation for you!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on June 21, 2018, 02:42:16 AM
Mr. Moonfish, I cannot thank you enough for bringing this to my attention.
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51-Z37nWupL.jpg)

  I am in your debt, and I mean that most sincerely.
  I have two 5-CD carousel load players, and just feed these disks into one of them regularly. And they are SOOOO good. I know my subscript reads "It's all good"--and I stand by that, but that is a far cry from "it's all sensational."  That's how I feel about this box. We know all of these Russian Soloists as stellar, but I think the reason this box is so good is that it catches them in their prime.  Anyway, I can't believe how excited I get--over each disk.  It's only June, but I am pretty confident this will be my "purchase of the year."
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on June 21, 2018, 09:21:53 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on June 21, 2018, 02:42:16 AM
Mr. Moonfish, I cannot thank you enough for bringing this to my attention.
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51-Z37nWupL.jpg)

  I am in your debt, and I mean that most sincerely.
  I have two 5-CD carousel load players, and just feed these disks into one of them regularly. And they are SOOOO good. I know my subscript reads "It's all good"--and I stand by that, but that is a far cry from "it's all sensational."  That's how I feel about this box. We know all of these Russian Soloists as stellar, but I think the reason this box is so good is that it catches them in their prime.  Anyway, I can't believe how excited I get--over each disk.  It's only June, but I am pretty confident this will be my "purchase of the year."

I need my angry cat picture

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on June 21, 2018, 01:33:09 PM
Is that a reissue of Brilliant's "Historic Russian Legends" box with Gilels, Richter, Kogan, Oistrakh, Shafran, Rostropovich, etc.? I listened to that constantly for a few years, not at all recently but it has some really great recordings of the core and Russian rep.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on June 21, 2018, 08:20:08 PM
Quote from: Brian on June 21, 2018, 01:33:09 PM
Is that a reissue of Brilliant's "Historic Russian Legends" box with Gilels, Richter, Kogan, Oistrakh, Shafran, Rostropovich, etc.? I listened to that constantly for a few years, not at all recently but it has some really great recordings of the core and Russian rep.

    It seems to be an overlapping box. It does have stuff by those guys, and I think some is the same. But it also has other performers (even a live disk of Arturo Rubinstein in Russia) and disks focusing on Conductors. For example, I'm listening to Rozhdestvensky conducting two symphony's by Roussel right now.   
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on June 23, 2018, 12:10:28 AM
Just saw a post by sometimes-GMGer "Holden Forth" on another site. He says there are 20 overlapping disks with the original box. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on June 24, 2018, 07:58:52 PM
Where can one buy the big Soviet set? I looked on Amazon.com, .de, and eBay and found not a trace of it anywhere.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on June 25, 2018, 12:10:40 AM
Quote from: XB-70 Valkyrie on June 24, 2018, 07:58:52 PM
Where can one buy the big Soviet set? I looked on Amazon.com, .de, and eBay and found not a trace of it anywhere.

It's only available through Amazon.jp      The good news is, they have cheap shipping and the box is only about $95.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on July 04, 2018, 04:23:22 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on June 25, 2018, 12:10:40 AM
It's only available through Amazon.jp      The good news is, they have cheap shipping and the box is only about $95.

And stellar superfast shipping to boot!    :D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on July 27, 2018, 12:47:01 PM
Bach 333 is coming.....    ???    *hides*

https://www.bach333.com/

https://www.amazon.de/Bach-333-Ltd-ed-222cd-1dvd/dp/B07D2Y539K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1532724128&sr=8-1&keywords=bach+333

https://www.youtube.com/v/oJ1bL-YWCVk

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81JheQNzYeL._SL1500_.jpg)
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/811BGqwGbFL._SL1500_.jpg)
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81IwMjYyBDL._SL1500_.jpg)
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/810iUT2tY4L._SL1500_.jpg)
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81EiIUuMGBL._SL1500_.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on July 27, 2018, 12:49:24 PM
Bach 333 has such an extreme blend of performers - kind of like a giant bowl of mixed nuts!

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on July 27, 2018, 04:33:44 PM
I had a brief moment of interest and then I saw just how many CDs of padding there are. "Traditions" being code for "let's flog them another old performance that doesn't have the sound quality to stand up on its own".

There's 24 extra discs of "vocal traditions" alone. 24. That's enough for a freaking box in its own right.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Pat B on July 30, 2018, 03:03:19 PM
Quote from: Madiel on July 27, 2018, 04:33:44 PM
I had a brief moment of interest and then I saw just how many CDs of padding there are. "Traditions" being code for "let's flog them another old performance that doesn't have the sound quality to stand up on its own".

There's 24 extra discs of "vocal traditions" alone. 24. That's enough for a freaking box in its own right.

Even outside of the "traditions" discs, there are 3 recordings of the Goldberg Variations and 2 of many other major works.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on August 20, 2018, 06:34:10 AM
Big new Szell box is out.  Anybody got it? Getting it?

[asin]B079VD2YRP[/asin]

  It's $180 here in Taiwan, not on sale. Supposedly it is available for similar prices at some on-line places in the states... It does look beautiful. I got the smaller Korean box a couple of years ago, so am finding myself able to resist. So Far. 


   I'm reading a Leonard Bernstein biography while listening to the two Sony Boxes I have.  The pleasure is very, very great. I originally skipped all of his own compositions--I was even a bit angry there were so many of them. However, I am now a big fan.  I like all of his stuff I've heard so far--very much.
  This box is crazy good. Is it really 3 years since it came out?
[asin]B00LL4U1TE[/asin]
I assume you guys are getting the new one?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Biffo on August 20, 2018, 10:51:29 AM
Not tempted by the Szell box as I have accumulated most of the contents over the years, mainly as box sets. I also have a box his Salzburg recordings not from Sony.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: SurprisedByBeauty on August 22, 2018, 01:46:12 AM
Here's some box-blather:

Big Boxes: Anatol Ugorski, The Great Bewilderer

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DlCdaoaW0AULD10.jpg) (https://www.classicstoday.com/review/big-boxes-anatol-ugorski-the-great-bewilderer/)

(Insider content, alas... Then again, what an opportunity to subscribe and shower David Hurwitz with wealth, please, so that he may continue to do his good/evil, whichever you prefer!  ;D)

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on August 22, 2018, 11:48:10 AM
Hurwitz is a good dude. Once I learned to ignore him on anything HIP before 1800 and that he gives an automatic 9-10 to any late romantic piece with 4+ percussion instruments, he has been a reliable guide to me and has actually answered all my grumpy reader emails. Gosh, it feels good to write long GMG posts again - because I had been meaning to tell you it is very good to see your byline with increasing frequency there. Life has dealt Dave some tough cards lately and it would be super cool to me (if unprofitable to you) if CT became a Jens vehicle.

A couple years ago Len rejected a review I sent him because he was having a big fight with the record label (Crystal Classics I think?) and refused to cover them. I sent it to Dave, but it was a piano recital, so he said that was Jed's turf. Naturally Jed never covered it  ::)

Anyway....


I want that Szell box! Just need somewhere to put it.

Also intrigued by a jumbo Alicia de Larrocha box coming soon on Decca.

And there ought to be a Previn/RCA complete box.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: MickeyBoy on August 23, 2018, 12:17:11 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on August 20, 2018, 06:34:10 AM
Big new Szell box is out.  Anybody got it? Getting it?

Today's Wall Street Journal has a review of the box by Allan Kozinn. Link here: https://goo.gl/gjyraK (https://goo.gl/gjyraK). There are some interesting comments. In the 60s the Cleveland and Szell were considered to be the top performers of Haydn and Mozart. Now, per Kozinn, "His Mozart, Haydn, and Bach, for example, sound a bit ponderous by today's standards." On the contrary, "Szell's specialty was the Romantic repertory." Hmmmm, but I do remember with great fondness his Sibelius Second with the Concertgebow.

"The discs are beautifully remastered, and packaged in sleeves that replicate their original artwork and liner notes, with period-correct labels and a hardcover book that details all the recording details." "Period correct" is, I presume, a sop to the HIP crowd.   :laugh:
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: JBS on August 23, 2018, 12:50:06 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on August 20, 2018, 06:34:10 AM
Big new Szell box is out.  Anybody got it? Getting it?

[asin]B079VD2YRP[/asin]

  It's $180 here in Taiwan, not on sale. Supposedly it is available for similar prices at some on-line places in the states... It does look beautiful. I got the smaller Korean box a couple of years ago, so am finding myself able to resist. So Far. 


   I'm reading a Leonard Bernstein biography while listening to the two Sony Boxes I have.  The pleasure is very, very great. I originally skipped all of his own compositions--I was even a bit angry there were so many of them. However, I am now a big fan.  I like all of his stuff I've heard so far--very much.
  This box is crazy good. Is it really 3 years since it came out?
[asin]B00LL4U1TE[/asin]
I assume you guys are getting the new one?

I have a whole bunch of Szell, so I will skip it as well.
I did just order the Ax RCA box after realizing the only recordings in there I have are his Beethoven cycle with Previn.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Daverz on August 23, 2018, 07:31:27 PM
Quote from: JBS on August 23, 2018, 12:50:06 PM
I have a whole bunch of Szell, so I will skip it as well.
I did just order the Ax RCA box after realizing the only recordings in there I have are his Beethoven cycle with Previn.

But they are supposed to have gotten the transfers "right this time", or so I've read on some forums.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: SurprisedByBeauty on August 24, 2018, 02:21:50 AM
Quote from: Brian on August 22, 2018, 11:48:10 AM
Hurwitz is a good dude. Once I learned to ignore him on anything HIP before 1800 and that he gives an automatic 9-10 to any late romantic piece with 4+ percussion instruments, he has been a reliable guide to me and has actually answered all my grumpy reader emails. Gosh, it feels good to write long GMG posts again - because I had been meaning to tell you it is very good to see your byline with increasing frequency there. Life has dealt Dave some tough cards lately and it would be super cool to me (if unprofitable to you) if CT became a Jens vehicle.

A couple years ago Len rejected a review I sent him because he was having a big fight with the record label (Crystal Classics I think?) and refused to cover them. I sent it to Dave, but it was a piano recital, so he said that was Jed's turf. Naturally Jed never covered it  ::)

Anyway....


I want that Szell box! Just need somewhere to put it.

Also intrigued by a jumbo Alicia de Larrocha box coming soon on Decca.

And there ought to be a Previn/RCA complete box.

Not looking to make anything my vehicle... but very glad to have gotten a new CD review home after Forbes.com bailed... and especially glad for it to be ClassicsToday... which, quirks and personality and all, is honest and the best such site around. Finally I get to write take-downs, too, which is massively good for my psycho-acoustic health!  ;D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: MickeyBoy on September 10, 2018, 09:35:40 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on July 27, 2018, 12:47:01 PM
Bach 333 is coming.....    ???    *hides*

https://www.bach333.com/

IMO this should at least have a option for a Blu-Ray edition, which would hold far fewer disks and enable - a dream - displaying the scores while playing the music-only CDs.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 11, 2018, 06:39:53 AM
The 90 disk Menuhin box is about $40 from Amazon UK.  I think it is $200 at Amazon US, so maybe it is just a mistake... still, pretty sweet deal.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: marvinbrown on September 11, 2018, 07:06:20 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on September 11, 2018, 06:39:53 AM
The 90 disk Menuhin box is about $40 from Amazon UK.  I think it is $200 at Amazon US, so maybe it is just a mistake... still, pretty sweet deal.

Well I'm in! Thanks! Ordered! But as you said, it could be a mistake.

  marvin

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 11, 2018, 10:20:19 PM
Quote from: marvinbrown on September 11, 2018, 07:06:20 AM
Well I'm in! Thanks! Ordered! But as you said, it could be a mistake.

  marvin

  I guess we'll eventually find out 8) By the way, their Arrau box is down to $108 as well.  I don't really need or want that one too badly, but couldn't hold back :-\
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: marvinbrown on September 12, 2018, 07:48:59 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on September 11, 2018, 10:20:19 PM
  I guess we'll eventually find out 8) By the way, their Arrau box is down to $108 as well.  I don't really need or want that one too badly, but couldn't hold back :-\

  I don't blame you.... I love Arrau's Chopin, especially the Nocturnes.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on September 12, 2018, 11:04:48 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on September 11, 2018, 10:20:19 PM
  I guess we'll eventually find out 8) By the way, their Arrau box is down to $108 as well.  I don't really need or want that one too badly, but couldn't hold back :-\

Go straight to his Debussy preludes...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 12, 2018, 04:10:18 PM
Whoa! Nice to feel all this Arrau love flowing.  I was actually thinking more about his LvB and Liszt, but your comments are upping my enthusiasm for the box overall.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on September 12, 2018, 05:56:38 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on September 12, 2018, 04:10:18 PM
Whoa! Nice to feel all this Arrau love flowing.  I was actually thinking more about his LvB and Liszt, but your comments are upping my enthusiasm for the box overall.

His Debussy and Chopin are top notch. And his Brahms concerti ...

The box comes with a bonus 4'33" ...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 12, 2018, 08:36:46 PM
Quote from: Ken B on September 12, 2018, 05:56:38 PM
His Debussy and Chopin are top notch. And his Brahms concerti ...

The box comes with a bonus 4'33" ...
I'm crazy about 4'33". I set it on auto repeat and play it all night while I'm sleeping.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on September 12, 2018, 08:50:32 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on September 12, 2018, 04:10:18 PM
Whoa! Nice to feel all this Arrau love flowing.  I was actually thinking more about his LvB and Liszt, but your comments are upping my enthusiasm for the box overall.

I know Arrau mainly the Beethoven and Chopin, which are among my favorites, but I bought the set for the stuff I did not covered, the Debussy, Schumann, Liszt. It is all superb.

The advertising copy does not make clear whether this set has been remastered. When I put the Debussy discs into EAC it identified it as a 1987 release. So it is clear that at least some of the content is based on the original Philips masters (which were very good, despite being done in the early days of the CD). Probably they only have new masters for things that have not made it to CD until now.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 13, 2018, 06:36:25 AM
Quote from: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on September 12, 2018, 08:50:32 PM
I know Arrau mainly the Beethoven and Chopin, which are among my favorites, but I bought the set for the stuff I did not covered, the Debussy, Schumann, Liszt. It is all superb.

The advertising copy does not make clear whether this set has been remastered. When I put the Debussy discs into EAC it identified it as a 1987 release. So it is clear that at least some of the content is based on the original Philips masters (which were very good, despite being done in the early days of the CD). Probably they only have new masters for things that have not made it to CD until now.

  I like Phillip's sound, and in general everything after 1955 sounds plenty good to me. I don't think I have a single physical Arrau disk (although I have a lot on my hard drive), so it will all be new and fresh as far as I'm concerned...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on September 13, 2018, 08:29:22 AM
I think you will enjoy it.

One interesting feature of the physical edition. On the cover photo Arrau is seen wearing a jacket with a distinctive pattern. The same pattern is used to decorate the box, the large booklet and the other packaging materials. Very nicely done.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 26, 2018, 12:50:49 AM
Quote from: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on September 13, 2018, 08:29:22 AM
I think you will enjoy it.

One interesting feature of the physical edition. On the cover photo Arrau is seen wearing a jacket with a distinctive pattern. The same pattern is used to decorate the box, the large booklet and the other packaging materials. Very nicely done.

  It is set to arrive any day. I am pleasantly excited.

     And a "Super Duper" cheap box for any interested, the Kubelik box from Amazon.co.uk is about $75, with very cheap shipping. The Kubelik Dvorak and Mahler is worth that price alone, IMO.  The Chailly is also just over $100.  Brilliant Symphonies, Brilliant Conductors, Brilliant prices...lots of warhorses. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on September 26, 2018, 03:46:33 PM
Have fun with the Arrau box, Al!   :P

Have you been diving into the Szell frenzy at all?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 26, 2018, 04:36:52 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on September 26, 2018, 03:46:33 PM
Have fun with the Arrau box, Al!   :P

Have you been diving into the Szell frenzy at all?

  I had the earlier Szell box from Korea, and I have a digital copy of the new box. Haven't been playing any of it, however, for quite a while. Been playing Harnoncourt, Bernstein, Decca Mono, Telemann, and the Russian box for the last 3 weeks or so, though playing Nathan Milstein right now (from a digital copy of a Korean box set of his work).
   What have YOU been playing lately?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on September 26, 2018, 04:47:53 PM
Sounds like you have your Szell quota covered for the ages (and beyond)!  Lately I have been a bit obsessed with Bach on the piano so there has been plenty of Andras Schiff performances over the last few weeks (WTC, Goldberg, French, Italian, the Partitas, Inventions and all that jazz...). Somehow I always gravitate back to Schiff even though there are many other recordings I enjoy.  Also - a bit of obsession with Rachmanninov's Preludes!  8)

Starting to dig into the Kubelik box that has been sitting around for a few weeks gathering dust.....

(https://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_500/MI0002/876/MI0002876234.jpg?partner=allrovi.com)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 27, 2018, 01:56:53 AM
Hmmm....that's a nice reminder.  I like Schiff, but have played far less than I should have--and I have his solo box.  I'll do some work on that soon--tomorrow, in fact. Thanks :)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Holden on September 27, 2018, 02:38:28 PM
This was my first WTC and try as I might I just couldn't get into it preferring to play those that I liked myself. Fortunately, versions by Jando and then Feinberg, Gulda and Richter were released on CD and I can now enjoy the whole 48. Schiffs rather academic and dry approach might certainly appeal to many but I like my Bach a bit more red blooded than that. For me, Richter is the one I turn to the most. ...and yes, no Glenn Gould.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on September 27, 2018, 02:56:24 PM
Quote from: Holden on September 27, 2018, 02:38:28 PM
This was my first WTC and try as I might I just couldn't get into it preferring to play those that I liked myself. Fortunately, versions by Jando and then Feinberg, Gulda and Richter were released on CD and I can now enjoy the whole 48. Schiffs rather academic and dry approach might certainly appeal to many but I like my Bach a bit more red blooded than that. For me, Richter is the one I turn to the most. ...and yes, no Glenn Gould.

Liking or not liking Schiff is a personal matter, but I'm surprised to see him described as academic. If I had to characterize his approach I would say clarity and lyricism. His WTC remains my preferred version on piano.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Dancing Divertimentian on September 27, 2018, 03:36:48 PM
Quote from: Holden on September 27, 2018, 02:38:28 PM
This was my first WTC and try as I might I just couldn't get into it preferring to play those that I liked myself. Fortunately, versions by Jando and then Feinberg, Gulda and Richter were released on CD and I can now enjoy the whole 48. Schiffs rather academic and dry approach might certainly appeal to many but I like my Bach a bit more red blooded than that. For me, Richter is the one I turn to the most. ...and yes, no Glenn Gould.

Hmm...I've never viewed Schiff's Bach as "academic". Far from it. I agree with Moonfish: good stuff.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on September 27, 2018, 07:40:36 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on September 27, 2018, 01:56:53 AM
Hmmm....that's a nice reminder.  I like Schiff, but have played far less than I should have--and I have his solo box.  I'll do some work on that soon--tomorrow, in fact. Thanks :)
You have Hewitt's box?

Her WTC is probably my favorite on piano, but Schiff is a contender for sure. I sold my Bernard Roberts. I liked his Beethoven a lot. Hated his WTC.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on September 28, 2018, 04:57:58 AM
How does MDG package box sets? Do they do space savers or do they slap a paper cover on all the jewel cases? I am considering Stefan Irmer's upcoming Rossini piano box since it's just $30 for 8 CDs at MDT.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on September 28, 2018, 07:12:05 AM
Quote from: Brian on September 28, 2018, 04:57:58 AM
How does MDG package box sets? Do they do space savers or do they slap a paper cover on all the jewel cases? I am considering Stefan Irmer's upcoming Rossini piano box since it's just $30 for 8 CDs at MDT.
I only have one. Cardboard sleeves, so a space saver. Great label.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: SurprisedByBeauty on September 30, 2018, 09:19:54 AM
Quote from: Brian on September 28, 2018, 04:57:58 AM
How does MDG package box sets? Do they do space savers or do they slap a paper cover on all the jewel cases? I am considering Stefan Irmer's upcoming Rossini piano box since it's just $30 for 8 CDs at MDT.

The new ones should be cardboard boxes, not just rewrapped jewel-cases (like their Reger Organ Works from eons ago).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 30, 2018, 06:38:52 PM
Quote from: Ken B on September 27, 2018, 07:40:36 PM
You have Hewitt's box?

Her WTC is probably my favorite on piano, but Schiff is a contender for sure. I sold my Bernard Roberts. I liked his Beethoven a lot. Hated his WTC.

  I hadn't heard it, but like her Goldbergs a lot. Working on getting a digital copy now...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 06, 2018, 07:57:24 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on September 26, 2018, 03:46:33 PM
Have fun with the Arrau box, Al!   :P

  It's starting to look like Amazon UK is going to stiff me on the Arrau box just as they did on the Menuhin.  After I ordered, the price went back up to double what mine cost. I was supposed to receive it by Oct. 2, but instead just got an apology letter for it's being late, and they would let me know it's real arrival date--but gave me an offer to cancel the order.   As the days pass, it has not been reshipped.  Screwing up like that once is understandable, but twice is just irritating, especially if they are just going to keep me waiting without owning up to their error. >:(
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on October 06, 2018, 08:41:18 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on October 06, 2018, 07:57:24 PM
  It's starting to look like Amazon UK is going to stiff me on the Arrau box just as they did on the Menuhin.  After I ordered, the price went back up to double what mine cost. I was supposed to receive it by Oct. 2, but instead just got an apology letter for it's being late, and they would let me know it's real arrival date--but gave me an offer to cancel the order.   As the days pass, it has not been reshipped.  Screwing up like that once is understandable, but twice is just irritating, especially if they are just going to keep me waiting without owning up to their error. >:(

Sit tight. It might come yet.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 07, 2018, 08:19:09 AM
Quote from: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on October 06, 2018, 08:41:18 PM
Sit tight. It might come yet.

   You could be right, but this pattern feels awfully familiar...    Fortunately, I think I have some other things to listen to in the interim :P
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on October 07, 2018, 04:45:31 PM
The new Andre Previn RCA/Sony box intrigues me. Not sure he did anything badly, and many of his specialties are things I need in my collection (like Walton). And the only Previn I have is RVW and the Telarc Rachmaninov.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on October 07, 2018, 05:04:55 PM
I got the pink thing out of self-storage.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on October 07, 2018, 07:28:03 PM
Quote from: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on October 07, 2018, 05:04:55 PM
I got the pink thing out of self-storage.
TMI
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Biffo on October 08, 2018, 01:35:37 AM
Quote from: Brian on October 07, 2018, 04:45:31 PM
The new Andre Previn RCA/Sony box intrigues me. Not sure he did anything badly, and many of his specialties are things I need in my collection (like Walton). And the only Previn I have is RVW and the Telarc Rachmaninov.

Like many of these big boxes it is superficially tempting but this one, like so many others, contains too much stuff I have already (mainly RVW ) and stuff I am not interested in. Also I have quite a lot of Previn on (EMI/Warner), LSO Live etc.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 08, 2018, 05:50:10 AM
Quote from: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on October 07, 2018, 05:04:55 PM
I got the pink thing out of self-storage.

  Baron, I'm quite confused. Is your main complaint that you have 144 disks of Artur Rubinstein, or that the box is Pink? Or that it is an offensively large amount of music?  I got my box when it went down to $125. I'd be happy to give you $125 and shipping fee if you'd like to mail it to me :-*
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on October 08, 2018, 05:53:30 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on October 08, 2018, 05:50:10 AM
  Baron, I'm quite confused. Is your main complaint that you have 144 disks of Artur Rubinstein, or that the box is Pink? Or that it is an offensively large amount of music?  I got my box when it went down to $125. I'd be happy to give you $125 and shipping fee if you'd like to mail it to me :-*

On the contrary, it's banishment has ended. I have a notion to listen to it. :)

P.S., $125, what kind of a rube do you take me for. I wouldn't take less than $1000  :laugh:
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on October 08, 2018, 07:53:40 AM
I found the receipt from the Pink Thing. Apparently I paid $96.43 to importcds.com in January 2014.
Title: Bach 333 anniversary from Universal Music
Post by: Ras on October 08, 2018, 11:16:40 AM
BACH 333 The New Complete Edition. Decca Classics 222cds + 1DVD    - price: 395£
This must be one of the biggest boxes ever released! :D

[asin]B07D2Y539K[/asin]

BACH 333 - The New Complete Edition
CD 1-48 SACRED CANTATAS Gardiner (c100), Suzuki (52), Koopman (12), Herreweghe (8), Kuijken (4), Coin (3) etc
CD 49-51 CHORALES Augsburger Domsingknaben/Vocalconsort Berlin/Kölner Akademie (ALL NEW RECORDINGS)
CD 52-72 MASSES/MOTETS/PASSIONS Gardiner (SJP1724, SMP, CO) Brüggen (MB-), Mortsensen (MB-), McCreesh (SMP) Suzuki (SJP1749) etc
CD 73-81 SECULAR CANTATAS Leonhardt, Goebel, Hogwood, Suzuki etc
CD 82-105 TRADITIONS 1: VOCAL Mengelberg & Scherchen (excs), Cantatas: Lehmann (2), RIstenpart (2), Richter (34 + 1958 SMP), Werner (3), Winschermann (4), Marriner (2), Norrington (3) + 3 x Arias discs (Schwarzkopf, Giebel, Krebs, Equiluz, Scholl, Hunt Lieberson etc)
CD 106-125 ORGAN WORKS Introduction; Free Works; Chorale Based Works Preston, Rübsam, Hurford, Koopman, Walcha, Weinberger, Bowyer etc plus 2 hours NEW RECORDINGS (Great "18" Chorales - Weimar versions/Chorale Preludes world premieres) by Christian Schmitt
CD 126-146 KEYBOARD WORKS Introduction; Works Rousset, Dreyfus, Verlet, Gilbert, Alessandrini, Suzuki, Leonhardt, Esfahani, Staier, Hantai etc plus 3 hours of NEW RECORDINGS by Justin Taylor
CD 147-158 PIANO [VERSIONS OF KEY WORKS] Perahia, Schiff, Hewitt, Brendel, Argerich, Freire, Grosvenor, Blechacz etc
CD 159-163 TRADITIONS 2: KEYBOARD 90 years of piano, harpsichord, clavichord and organ legends: Landowska, Schweitzer, Dart, Fischer, Lipatti, Tureck, Gould, Gulda etc
CD 164-174 ORCHESTRAL WORKS Goebel, Pinnock, Hogwood, Koopman, Dantone etc
CD 175-180 TRADITIONS 3: ORCHESTRAL Adolf Busch, Boyd Neel, Wenzinger, Harnoncourt, Antonini, Marriner, Dart, Abbado, Butt etc
CD 181-189 CHAMBER MUSIC Carmignola (NEW RECORDING OF SOLO VIOLIN WORKS], Watkin, Goebel, Sonnerie, Huggett, Hazelzet, Ter Linden etc
CD 190-193 CANONS & COUNTERPOINT Goebel, Aimard, Dantone, Moroney etc
CD 194-200 TRADITIONS 4: INSTRUMENTAL Casals, Fournier, Starker, Segovia, Bream, Williams, Holliger, Grumiaux, Milstein, Jansen, Hahn, Mutter, Mullova etc
CD 201-206 MUSIC BOOKS/SACRED SONGS W.F.Bach Klavierbüchlein, Anna Magdalena Notenbüchlein 1 & 2; Schemelli Gesangbuch
CD 207-214 BACH INTERACTIVE Bach as arranger, performer, family member, librarian: Reincken, Böhm, Pachelbel, Buxtehude, Vivaldi, Telemann, Pergolesi etc
CD 215-222 BACH AFTER BACH Bach as inspiration: transcribed/arranged from W.F. Bach to Busoni, Stokowski to Birtwistle, Jacques Loussier to Vikingur Olafsson
DVD: Bach: A Passionate Life. A 90-minute BBC film written and narrated by Sir John Eliot Gardiner
THE LARGEST, MOST COMPLETE, MOST AUTHORITATIVE & ENRICHED COMPOSER SET OF ALL TIME 333 years since the birth of Johann Sebastian Bach, the largest project of its kind in the history of recorded music is presented by Deutsche Grammophon in collaboration with Decca Classics, 30 other labels and the Leipzig Bach Archive. Bach 333 presents every known note from the great master and opens up his world – and his impact on our world – in a uniquely immersive way: through audio, visual, printed and online materials.

• Over 280 hours of music from 750 performers and 32 labels
• 10 hours of new recordings including 7 world premieres
• State-of-the-art historically informed performances (Cantatas by Gardiner, Suzuki etc)
• Over 50 CDs of alternative recordings
• Includes the latest research from the Leipzig Bach Archive's forthcoming BWV3 catalogue
• 16 CDs, "Bach Interactive" and "Bach after Bach", explore Bach's own influences and his unique impact on the world of music
• Limited, individually numbered edition

• 2 hardback books:
LIFE: Lavishly illustrated biography by Dorothea Schröder (new translation into English), with a Foreword by Sir John Eliot Gardiner; plus 13 new essays by leading Bach scholars
MUSIC: New essay by Christoph Wolff, 222 CDs of musical commentary by Nicholas Kenyon, many facsimiles and guide to online resources
• BWV/index book (each index with specific CD references): BWV numerical listing and chronology (informed by research for new BWV3 catalogue) Alphabetical work index Artist index
• 222 CDs in four compartments (Vocal, Keyboard, Orchestral and Instrumental)
• Colour-coded for easy navigation and ordered chronologically by genre
• 1 DVD: Bach: A Passionate Life. A 90-minute BBC film written and narrated by Sir John Eliot Gardiner

Decca Classics 222cds + 1DVD 4798000
Title: Re: Bach 333 anniversary from Universal Music
Post by: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on October 08, 2018, 11:19:55 AM
Quote from: Ras on October 08, 2018, 11:16:40 AM
BACH 333 The New Complete Edition. Decca Classics 222cds + 1DVD    - price: 395£
This must be one of the biggest boxes ever released! :D

Yikes, and the most expensive.
Title: Re: Bach 333 anniversary from Universal Music
Post by: Ras on October 08, 2018, 11:22:14 AM
Quote from: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on October 08, 2018, 11:19:55 AM
Yikes, and the most expensive.

Yep! - I am NOT buying this one I tell you that much!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 08, 2018, 12:14:17 PM
Quote from: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on October 08, 2018, 05:53:30 AM
On the contrary, it's banishment has ended. I have a notion to listen to it. :)

P.S., $125, what kind of a rube do you take me for. I wouldn't take less than $1000  :laugh:

I'm glad to hear it. That's a box that rewards attention. I don't think I've ever played anything from that set that I didn't enjoy. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on October 08, 2018, 12:27:17 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on October 08, 2018, 12:14:17 PM
I'm glad to hear it. That's a box that rewards attention. I don't think I've ever played anything from that set that I didn't enjoy.

Just looked inside. There is a big coffee table book in there with numerous fancy photographs. Cool. I'm liking it already.

Quote from: Ras on October 08, 2018, 11:22:14 AM
Yep! - I am NOT buying this one I tell you that much!

It is a remarkable set, in that it compiles recordings from many labels, although it is published by Decca.

The mix and match approach to performers doesn't appeal to me, so it's not a temptation (and I already have the Teldec and Hanssler Bach Editions). But if it makes money for them, all the better. Anything that delays their inevitable bankruptcy.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on October 08, 2018, 12:32:00 PM
Quote from: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on October 08, 2018, 12:27:17 PM
Just looked inside. There is a big cocktail table book in there with numerous fancy photographs. Cool. I'm liking it already.
Fun fact: the photo on the cover of that big book, which stares out at you whenever you open the box, makes Rubinstein look just like my (recently deceased) great aunt Maxine. I'm always a little bemused when I open it.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on October 08, 2018, 04:58:33 PM
Quote from: Brian on October 08, 2018, 12:32:00 PM
Fun fact: the photo on the cover of that big book, which stares out at you whenever you open the box, makes Rubinstein look just like my (recently deceased) great aunt Maxine. I'm always a little bemused when I open it.
Was it here at GMG we had the discussion about great aunt, grand aunt? I never hear grand aunt but a lady I know talks about her grand nephew. I never hear great nephew!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 08, 2018, 06:43:20 PM
Quote from: Ken B on October 08, 2018, 04:58:33 PM
Was it here at GMG we had the discussion about great aunt, grand aunt? I never hear grand aunt but a lady I know talks about her grand nephew. I never hear great nephew!

  I have a great nephew who is in his 20s. I can't wait for him to have a child so I can have a great-great nephew or niece. God willing, he/she will have little restraint and poor judgment, so I can have a great-great-great nephew/niece before I'm 70 8)
Title: Re: Bach 333 anniversary from Universal Music
Post by: Madiel on October 09, 2018, 01:33:52 AM
Quote from: Ras on October 08, 2018, 11:16:40 AM
This must be one of the biggest boxes ever released! :D

I'm sure there must be an elephant printed on it somewhere.

In white.
Title: Re: Bach 333 anniversary from Universal Music
Post by: Ras on October 09, 2018, 03:47:36 AM
Quote from: Madiel on October 09, 2018, 01:33:52 AM
I'm sure there must be an elephant printed on it somewhere.

In white.

Argh, we all know you are just jealous because you have to pay for a nuclear driven hangar ship to get it to Australia...  :P
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on October 09, 2018, 01:15:05 PM
Nej, det er ikke et problem.
Title: Re: Bach 333 anniversary from Universal Music
Post by: steve ridgway on October 09, 2018, 10:04:36 PM
Quote from: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on October 08, 2018, 11:19:55 AM
Yikes, and the most expensive.

It's a reasonable cost per CD although Bach fans willing to buy that much would presumably already have loads of it. But how would you work out what to listen to - keep a spreadsheet with notes?
Title: Re: Bach 333 anniversary from Universal Music
Post by: Mandryka on October 09, 2018, 10:30:18 PM
Quote from: Ras on October 08, 2018, 11:16:40 AM
plus 3 hours of NEW RECORDINGS by Justin Taylor
This is intersting
Title: Re: Bach 333 anniversary from Universal Music
Post by: Ras on October 10, 2018, 02:57:35 AM
Quote from: Mandryka on October 09, 2018, 10:30:18 PM
This is intersting

You need the damn box, Mandryka!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ras on October 10, 2018, 02:59:44 AM
Quote from: Madiel on October 09, 2018, 01:15:05 PM
Nej, det er ikke et problem.

So everybody here speaks Danish??  ::)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on October 10, 2018, 03:18:00 AM
Quote from: Ras on October 10, 2018, 02:59:44 AM
So everybody here speaks Danish??  ::)

Just me and the Danes.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: The new erato on October 10, 2018, 05:51:29 AM
Quote from: Madiel on October 10, 2018, 03:18:00 AM
Just me and the Danes.
Nej da, oss fjeldaber også!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on November 26, 2018, 01:01:34 PM
I think it might be a good idea to document some notes on the Big Boxes to force myself to listen more...and also to aid my aging brain in remembering what is worth hearing again...

SALONEN/SONY

[asin]B07765H5DK[/asin]

Here's what I've heard so far:

1. CD Bach-Transkriptionen - Stokowski: Toccata & Fuge BWV 565; Elgar: Fantasie & Fuge BWV 537; Webern: Ricercare aus "Das musikalische Opfer" BWV 1079; Schönberg: Präludium & Fuge BWV 552; Mahler: Suite für Orgel, Cembalo & Orchester nach den Orchestersuiten Nr. 2 & 3. Gross. I hated every minute of this. To be fair, I think I skipped a couple, but the Stokowski and Elgar are just nauseating. Not my thing at all. Never again.

2. CD Bartok: Konzert für Orchester; Musik für Saiteninstrumente, Schlagzeug, Celesta. Only listened to the Concerto here. Very dry, droll, technically correct but not much fun.

7. CD Debussy: Images pour Orchestre Nr. 1-3; La Mer; Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune. This disc is really quite wonderful. Excellent all the way through.

9. CD Grieg: Peer Gynt op. 23 (Auszüge). Terrific. Really the only complaint could be that Solveig's Song is here in both the instrumental, solo, and a cappella reprise versions, which is pretty repetitive. But Barbara Hendricks kills it and the orchestra, unsurprisingly, plays this piece to the hilt. I love having a version that cuts out all the scenes of dudes talking. The Naxos version has the divine Inger Dam-Jensen and a real Hardanger fiddler playing a real folk fiddle, but it also has a whole bunch of boring bits where Norwegian dudes just blab and blab. (EDIT: It has come to my attention that Inger Dam-Jensen is not in the complete Peer Gynt on Naxos - she sings Solveig's songs on a separate "orchestral songs" CD coupled with the Peer Gynt concert suites.)

10. CD Haydn: Symphonien Nr. 22, 78, 82. I had low expectations for this but it's really wonderful. Salonen has a great ear for Haydn's sense of humor, especially. Would it be too late to ask him to record a few more of the symphonies? Especially Il distratto?

13. CD Hindemith: Symphonie "Mathis der Maler"; Die vier Temperamente für Klavier & Streichorchester; Symphonische Metamorphosen. I didn't enjoy the Four Temperaments but the other two pieces are really powerfully, boldly played and in spectacular sound.

14. CD Larsson: Gott in Verkleidung op. 24; Violinkonzert op. 42; Pastoral-Suite op. 19. God in Disguise is a super cool late romantic hidden gem! Loved the voyage of discovery that work is, with some really luminous passages that make me want to learn more about Lars-Erik. The Violin Concerto is drier, more modern, and more academic in a way that I don't much enjoy.

32. CD Nielsen: Symphonie Nr. 1; Petite Suite für Streicher op. 1. Background music while writing a few weekends ago. Seemed plenty good.

36. CD Nielsen: Symphonie Nr. 5; Tänze aus Maskerade. Maskarade isn't as wild and crazy as some readings and Symphony No. 5 comes across quite grim and dry.

40. CD Prokofieff: Violinkonzerte Nr. 1 & 2; Strawinsky: Violinkonzert D-Dur. Only listened to Prok No. 2 but it's with Cho-Liang Lin so of course it is fabulous.

44. CD Salonen: LA Variations; 5 Images after Sappho; Giro; Mania für Cello & Orchester; Gambit. I like some of the pieces more than others (my fave is probably Gambit), but this is of course a must-have.

46. CD Schostakowitsch: Klavierkonzerte Nr. 1 & 2; Klavierquintett op. 57. With Yefim Bronfman. Excellent and essential.

48. CD Sibelius: Lemminkäinen-Legenden op. 22 Nr. 1-4; En Saga op. 9. Generally would rather spin the Mikko Franck disc with this program.

51. CD Strauss: Duett-Concertino für Klarinette & Fagott; Metamorphosen; Capriccio-Prelude. Excellent Richard Strauss album - another big surprise for me. Didn't realize Salonen had such a good Metamorphosen, but he and the Stockholm CO (see also: CD 10/Haydn) are intensely expressive.

60. CD Jolivet: Trompetenkonzert Nr. 2; Concertino für Trompete, Streicher & Klavier; Tomasi: Trompetenkonzert. Super fun. Between the Debussy and this, there should be more Salonen-Conducts-French.

61. CD A Nordic Festival - Alfven; Sibelius; Grieg; Leifs; Nielsen; Järnefelt. Entirely lovely and a charming encore. Well, okay, it was actually the first disc I popped in the player. But it's a nice little cherry on top of the box.

P.S. Compared to the usual snail's pace with which I get through Big Boxes, 16 CDs in just under 3 months feels like a really good effort!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: JBS on November 26, 2018, 04:41:49 PM
Oh dear! I love that Elgar transcription.
But I do have a soft spot for those "so wrong they are great" sort of things.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Pat B on November 26, 2018, 05:11:45 PM
Quote from: Brian on November 26, 2018, 01:01:34 PM
44. CD Salonen: LA Variations; 5 Images after Sappho; Giro; Mania für Cello & Orchester; Gambit. I like some of the pieces more than others (my fave is probably Gambit), but this is of course a must-have.

Why is it of course a must-have?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on November 27, 2018, 01:47:52 PM
Quote from: Pat B on November 26, 2018, 05:11:45 PM
Why is it of course a must-have?
Well, I guess I should clarify that it is a big deal for fans of contemporary music. A lot of the program is both "important" and actually good to hear. (Our own Senta is such a big fan of the LA Variations that once when she gave me a ride someplace she put it on blast in the car to make me listen...)

Personally my favorite Salonen compositions are on this DG CD -

(https://cdn.naxosmusiclibrary.com/sharedfiles/images/cds/hires/00028947906681.jpg)

Quote from: JBS on November 26, 2018, 04:41:49 PM
But I do have a soft spot for those "so wrong they are great" sort of things.
For some reason I have a way bigger fondness for "so wrong it's great" in literature (http://site.xavier.edu/polt/keeler/story.html) and movies (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhoom_3) than in music.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on November 27, 2018, 02:09:34 PM
Quote from: Brian on November 27, 2018, 01:47:52 PM
Well, I guess I should clarify that it is a big deal for fans of contemporary music. A lot of the program is both "important" and actually good to hear. (Our own Senta is such a big fan of the LA Variations that once when she gave me a ride someplace she put it on blast in the car to make me listen...)

Personally my favorite Salonen compositions are on this DG CD -

(https://cdn.naxosmusiclibrary.com/sharedfiles/images/cds/hires/00028947906681.jpg)
For some reason I have a way bigger fondness for "so wrong it's great" in literature (http://site.xavier.edu/polt/keeler/story.html) and movies (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhoom_3) than in music.

I have #44, and I think I even remember liking it. I also have your favorite DGG disc. I should listen to them again.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Daverz on November 27, 2018, 04:36:45 PM
Quote from: Brian on November 26, 2018, 01:01:34 PM
SALONEN/SONY

Thanks for the report. 

I don't have much Salonen: some Lutoslawski (he's really good here), some Messiaen (ditto), and a Stravinsky disc (Pulcinella and the Octet, excellent).  I'm also fond of a pre-Sony disc of Berwald's Symphonies 3 & 4, which was my first encounter with these works.  I have to give that Haydn disc a listen.

[asin] B000003Y01[/asin]

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Pat B on November 27, 2018, 08:52:03 PM
Quote from: Brian on November 27, 2018, 01:47:52 PM
Well, I guess I should clarify that it is a big deal for fans of contemporary music. A lot of the program is both "important" and actually good to hear.

Thanks for the clarification. I heard the VC on the radio one time, and didn't have the urge to go buy it. But I'm listening to some of the Sony disc on spotify.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on February 18, 2019, 05:58:47 AM
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61bedbe6KXL._SX522_.jpg)

This arrived last week and I've already gotten a head start with Barenboim's Liszt - first the CD with all the slow romantic stuff (Consolations, Liebesträume, Sonetti del Petrarca), and this morning on the drive to work I popped in the 23-minute "album" of the Dante Sonata and Rigoletto paraphrase. The romantic album is excellent, with Petrarca sonnets that are nearly as achingly poetic as Julian Gorus. It's a sleepy disc overall in terms of tempo/volume, just because of the works chosen, but it's wonderfully played and was perfect for a lazy Sunday morning. There are two live-in-concert "encores" added as bonuses, a repeat of the famous Consolation and a Valse oubliée.

The Dante Sonata is fast and precise, but Barenboim at the loudest, most Inferno-ish passages holds back a little bit, probably to show us that he is an artist rather than a banger of pianos. There's no shame in it, Daniel! It's the Dante Sonata! Still, there's overall a good bit to enjoy, and the Verdi paraphrase has even more goodness. This box and I will probably get along just fine - especially at $32 shipped. By the way, the set ships (at least from Amazon.de) inside another form-fitting cardboard box with a bar code, presumably to prevent damage to the box's lid, which protrudes just a little bit for grabbing with your fingers.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Todd on February 18, 2019, 06:02:57 AM
Quote from: Brian on February 18, 2019, 05:58:47 AM...and this morning on the drive to work I popped in the 23-minute "album" of the Dante Sonata and Rigoletto paraphrase.

That disc used to look like this:

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91ftiDgFUHL._SX425_.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on February 18, 2019, 06:09:02 AM
Wait...what happened to the sonata? (I see the answer to my question is available behind a paywall at ClassicsToday...but I am on the wrong side of the wall.)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Todd on February 18, 2019, 06:11:44 AM
Quote from: Brian on February 18, 2019, 06:09:02 AM
Wait...what happened to the sonata? (I see the answer to my question is available behind a paywall at ClassicsToday...but I am on the wrong side of the wall.)


Barenboim asked that it not be included.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: North Star on February 18, 2019, 06:30:39 AM
Quote from: Todd on February 18, 2019, 06:11:44 AM

Barenboim asked that it not be included.
Almost makes me curious to hear it...
https://www.youtube.com/v/COV1W2Nh3Eo
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on February 20, 2019, 07:52:21 AM
Quote from: Todd on February 18, 2019, 06:11:44 AM

Barenboim asked that it not be included.

Huh? I see DG makes no mention of this in their ad copy for "the solo recordings." Grrrrr.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: SurprisedByBeauty on February 20, 2019, 08:45:54 AM
Quote from: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on February 20, 2019, 07:52:21 AM
Huh? I see DG makes no mention of this in their ad copy for "the solo recordings." Grrrrr.

They wouldn't advertise that fact now, would they? Not the least for fear of offending Barenboim. If the person who wrote that copy even ever knew any of what was going on behind the scenes.

Quote from: North Star on February 18, 2019, 06:30:39 AM
Almost makes me curious to hear it...

...and precisely for that reason.  ;D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on February 20, 2019, 08:52:46 AM
Quote from: SurprisedByBeauty on February 20, 2019, 08:45:54 AM
They wouldn't advertise that fact now, would they? Not the least for fear of offending Barenboim. If the person who wrote that copy even ever knew any of what was going on behind the scenes.

...and precisely for that reason.  ;D

They could have called it "solo piano recordings" (omitting "the") and it would have been implicit rather than explicit fraud. Not that I would ever have bought it, Barenboim's best solo piano work was on EMI back in the 60's.

Was that Liszt Sonata ever on CD? I only see vinyl when I look on Amazon.

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on February 20, 2019, 09:12:49 AM
They should have snuck it in as an "Easter Egg."

"Hmmm, Fur Elise, 28 minutes, I know his Beethoven is slow, but...."
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: SurprisedByBeauty on February 20, 2019, 10:12:49 AM
Quote from: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on February 20, 2019, 08:52:46 AM
They could have called it "solo piano recordings" (omitting "the") and it would have been implicit rather than explicit fraud. Not that I would ever have bought it, Barenboim's best solo piano work was on EMI back in the 60's.

Was that Liszt Sonata ever on CD? I only see vinyl when I look on Amazon.

Just seems to make sense that they wouldn't include it if he disowned it.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on February 20, 2019, 03:23:20 PM
Quote from: SurprisedByBeauty on February 20, 2019, 10:12:49 AM
Just seems to make sense that they wouldn't include it if he disowned it.
He might have refusal rights. Curzon refused to release dozens of things.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on February 20, 2019, 03:29:54 PM
Quote from: Ken B on February 20, 2019, 03:23:20 PM
He might have refusal rights. Curzon refused to release dozens of things.

I'm sure he did have refusal rights, but it was released once. It may be that they have the right to release it but acceded to his wishes as a courtesy. My only issue is the lack of transparency.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on February 21, 2019, 02:09:44 AM
The box doesn't say it's complete.

I can understand why people would infer it, but these boxes do tend to actually use the word "complete" if that's what they mean.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: CB45 on February 21, 2019, 03:35:57 AM
Quote from: Ken B on February 20, 2019, 03:23:20 PM
He might have refusal rights. Curzon refused to release dozens of things.

Alas.....
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on May 16, 2019, 01:08:27 PM
Looks like DG's big Fournier and Kempff boxes are all gone. Ah well. Don't need to feed the CDCDCD beast...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on May 16, 2019, 01:20:16 PM
Quote from: Brian on May 16, 2019, 01:08:27 PM
Looks like DG's big Fournier and Kempff boxes are all gone. Ah well. Don't need to feed the CDCDCD beast...

Fournier's big box has been out of stock for a long time. I was tempted to get it out of reverence for Fournier, but really I already had most of the interesting stuff in individual releases and a prior box, and I think his later recordings are generally weak (Cello Sonatas accompanied by his unimpressive son on piano, classical and baroque trifles, etc).

Looks like the Kempff stuff is coming out again in those CD+blu ray boxes.
Title: Barenboim Liszt
Post by: Ras on May 16, 2019, 10:50:17 PM
There is also a recording on Elatus of Liszt's piano sonata by Barenboim:

https://open.spotify.com/album/4hH7rxa1tTVlWDeO9DpnKl?si=ZxhxzNuyRuCUJ3aAfeviwA
Title: Re: Barenboim Liszt
Post by: Pat B on May 17, 2019, 02:08:38 PM
Quote from: Ras on May 16, 2019, 10:50:17 PM
There is also a recording on Elatus of Liszt's piano sonata by Barenboim:

https://open.spotify.com/album/4hH7rxa1tTVlWDeO9DpnKl?si=ZxhxzNuyRuCUJ3aAfeviwA

That's probably the 1985 recording, originally on Erato. Warner bought Erato, and Elatus is a Warner imprint.
Title: Re: Barenboim Liszt
Post by: Ras on May 18, 2019, 12:33:34 PM
Quote from: Pat B on May 17, 2019, 02:08:38 PM
That's probably the 1985 recording, originally on Erato. Warner bought Erato, and Elatus is a Warner imprint.

I Think You are right Pat B
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on May 26, 2019, 08:07:24 AM
Due to an amusing printing error, the back cover of Sony's Classic Andre Previn CD 27 - Villa-Lobos guitar concerto with Julian Bream - is a reproduction of a totally different LP featuring Bream and John Williams in guitar duets.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on June 21, 2019, 01:31:58 AM
It bothers me that this thread does not come up in search, no matter what you do. Just as a test, I copy-and-pasted the thread name into the search box, and got "no matches".

   Anyway, after a long hiatus, I came back to this box.

[asin]B079967KGY[/asin]

  Apparently only available from Japan's Amazon. About $87 for 100 Cds.  It is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO good.  Sound is always fine. Not "historical".  Performers are top drawer.  Sometimes amazing conglomerations of stars.  Right now I am playing the Shostokovich PCs, played by Shostokovich himself. Where violin is required, it is David Oistrakh. It is such a treasure trove. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: mc ukrneal on June 21, 2019, 01:48:24 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on June 21, 2019, 01:31:58 AM
It bothers me that this thread does not come up in search, no matter what you do. Just as a test, I copy-and-pasted the thread name into the search box, and got "no matches".

Odd. I tried typing it in and copy/paste and it is the first one to come up on both tries. Are you doing the search from the main page (meaning the first page of the forum)? 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on June 21, 2019, 01:52:56 AM
Do you mean from the home page? I don't think so. I tried it on whatever page I happened to be on at that time.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: mc ukrneal on June 21, 2019, 01:57:39 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on June 21, 2019, 01:52:56 AM
Do you mean from the home page? I don't think so. I tried it on whatever page I happened to be on at that time.
Try it from the home page. I think it searches within that page (and subpages). So if you are in the wrong part of the forum, it might not come up.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on June 21, 2019, 02:13:44 AM
Quote from: mc ukrneal on June 21, 2019, 01:57:39 AM
Try it from the home page. I think it searches within that page (and subpages). So if you are in the wrong part of the forum, it might not come up.

   Thanks for the info. I've actually been frustrated a number of times with GMG's search.  If general searches only work from "the top of the tree" it will explain a lot.  I would complain at the backwardness of the digital architecture, but since they actually rejected my $ contribution when I tried to give one, I will just say "how interesting!"
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on June 21, 2019, 07:53:03 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on June 21, 2019, 01:31:58 AM
It bothers me that this thread does not come up in search, no matter what you do. Just as a test, I copy-and-pasted the thread name into the search box, and got "no matches".

   Anyway, after a long hiatus, I came back to this box.

[asin]B079967KGY[/asin]

  Apparently only available from Japan's Amazon. About $87 for 100 Cds.  It is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO good.  Sound is always fine. Not "historical".  Performers are top drawer.  Sometimes amazing conglomerations of stars.  Right now I am playing the Shostokovich PCs, played by Shostokovich himself. Where violin is required, it is David Oistrakh. It is such a treasure trove.

Evil tempter.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on June 22, 2019, 12:22:39 AM
Quote from: Ken B on June 21, 2019, 07:53:03 AM
Evil tempter.

  Friendly recommender 8) 
     Friends don't let friends shun this box...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: JBS on June 22, 2019, 10:55:38 AM
The temptation contains its own remedy. The Amazon link leads to "page not found".
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on June 22, 2019, 02:44:08 PM
Quote from: JBS on June 22, 2019, 10:55:38 AM
The temptation contains its own remedy. The Amazon link leads to "page not found".
Only at Amazon.jp
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on June 22, 2019, 06:44:42 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on June 22, 2019, 02:44:08 PM
Only at Amazon.jp
Fortunately they don't ship abroad. They don't even ship outside Tokyo I hear ...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on June 24, 2019, 06:30:40 AM
Quote from: Ken B on June 22, 2019, 06:44:42 PM
Fortunately they don't ship abroad. They don't even ship outside Tokyo I hear ...

  They ship anywhere, and are extremely cheap and FAST.
    However, as with Amazon Italy (if I recall correctly),  you have to make a new account with them--they won't recognize the US Amazon password etc, automatically, like British and German Amazons.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on June 24, 2019, 06:43:21 AM
I wonder what the overlap is between the "Legendary Soviet Recordings" box and the "Historic Russian Legends" box...

[asin]B000T2ONOI[/asin]

One of the reviews mentions that there is some overlap, which I would expect. However:

Quote from: Mookalafalas on June 21, 2019, 01:31:58 AM
Sometimes amazing conglomerations of stars.  Right now I am playing the Shostokovich PCs, played by Shostokovich himself. Where violin is required, it is David Oistrakh. It is such a treasure trove. 

There's no Shostakovich playing Shostakovich in my Brilliant box, and where violin is required, it's a mixture of Oistrakh, Kogan, Tretiakov, and Kremer. (including a potential GOAT Tchaikovsky concerto from Kogan which I really oughta listen to again sometime.)

Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I pulled out that Brilliant box at all...

EDIT: I just found your tracklist/contents translation on the Other Classical Music Forum and am reading that to check for overlap.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on June 24, 2019, 07:02:14 AM
Quote from: Brian on June 24, 2019, 06:43:21 AM
I wonder what the overlap is between the "Legendary Soviet Recordings" box and the "Historic Russian Legends" box...

[asin]B000T2ONOI[/asin]

One of the reviews mentions that there is some overlap, which I would expect. However:

There's no Shostakovich playing Shostakovich in my Brilliant box, and where violin is required, it's a mixture of Oistrakh, Kogan, Tretiakov, and Kremer. (including a potential GOAT Tchaikovsky concerto from Kogan which I really oughta listen to again sometime.)

Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I pulled out that Brilliant box at all...

EDIT: I just found your tracklist/contents translation on the Other Classical Music Forum and am reading that to check for overlap.

  Brian, someone in the other forum went through the whole set to compare it with the old one. As I recall, there was very little overlap. I want to say between 5 and 10 disks, although it may have been more.
   Right now listening to the Gilels& Shafran. Another gem.  All the sleeves are stamped 96/24 remastering. I originally assumed it was marketing BS. After all "Yedang entertainment company" for under $1 a platter....however, even the Mono Carnival of Animals from 1951 sounds marvelous. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on July 01, 2019, 10:14:07 AM
Any owners of the Boston Symphony DG box on here? I am somewhat intrigued.

Ditto the DG Paul Badura-Skoda box of old Westminster recordings.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on July 04, 2019, 03:51:05 AM
This is $89.99 at Amazon.  I'm curious what reason people give for not buying this.  If you have all the disks, obviously that is an excellent reason. But only having half is a terrible reason, IMO. Hating pre-classical era music is a good reason, but sort of thinking you may not like pre-classical era music is a terrible reason because once you play a few minutes of pretty much any of these disks you'll change your mind very quickly...

[asin]B0765S8NY4[/asin]
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on July 04, 2019, 05:07:34 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on July 04, 2019, 03:51:05 AM
This is $89.99 at Amazon.  I'm curious what reason people give for not buying this.  If you have all the disks, obviously that is an excellent reason. But only having half is a terrible reason, IMO. Hating pre-classical era music is a good reason, but sort of thinking you may not like pre-classical era music is a terrible reason because once you play a few minutes of pretty much any of these disks you'll change your mind very quickly...

[asin]B0765S8NY4[/asin]
Hmmm, that is a good question. I've never been shamed into buying CDs! There are only about 20 CDs in there that currently interest me, but that still works out to a relatively good $4.50 per. Am amused by the Amazon reviewer who did not actually buy the set, just looked at the preview images, and decided incorrectly that there are 14 (!) discs of English harpsichord music.

I'm thinking about the Sony Tafelmusik box because that's a band whose sound and approach I consistently enjoy. It's on Amazon DE for like US $45.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Biffo on July 04, 2019, 05:45:21 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on July 04, 2019, 03:51:05 AM
This is $89.99 at Amazon.  I'm curious what reason people give for not buying this.  If you have all the disks, obviously that is an excellent reason. But only having half is a terrible reason, IMO. Hating pre-classical era music is a good reason, but sort of thinking you may not like pre-classical era music is a terrible reason because once you play a few minutes of pretty much any of these disks you'll change your mind very quickly...

[asin]B0765S8NY4[/asin]

No, it is a very good reason, especially if you are not interested in the other half. Having an interest in pre-classical music, and I have, doesn't mean you have to like every thing from that era.

Several of the works I already have in multiple versions and I am not currently interested in having more. £70 (the UK price) could be better spent on more focused buying. Yesterday I spent over £30 pounds on discs I actually want (Charpentier, Schutz, Bach) and want to listen to and absorb those before buying any more.

Realistically, I probably would never listen to 100 discs, even working through them gradually; some people seem to be able to listen dozens of discs a day, I can't. I am still working my way the the large HM Baroque Opera box I bought months ago.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: mc ukrneal on July 04, 2019, 05:55:35 AM
Quote from: Brian on July 04, 2019, 05:07:34 AM
Hmmm, that is a good question. I've never been shamed into buying CDs! There are only about 20 CDs in there that currently interest me, but that still works out to a relatively good $4.50 per. Am amused by the Amazon reviewer who did not actually buy the set, just looked at the preview images, and decided incorrectly that there are 14 (!) discs of English harpsichord music.

I'm thinking about the Sony Tafelmusik box because that's a band whose sound and approach I consistently enjoy. It's on Amazon DE for like US $45.
Discs 84-97 are indeed English Harpsichord music. That part is not incorrect.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on July 04, 2019, 06:05:20 AM
Quote from: mc ukrneal on July 04, 2019, 05:55:35 AM
Discs 84-97 are indeed English Harpsichord music. That part is not incorrect.
But disc 85 is "Carnival in Venice" with a choir and orchestra...and disc 89 is French trios...etc.??
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on July 04, 2019, 07:48:01 AM
Yeah, just disk 84 is English Harpsichord music.  You got some bad info there, MC. 85-97 is a crazy eclectic mix.

  Anyway, I was initially only interested in a minority of these disks--but mostly because I only have a passing knowledge of a lot of this repertoire.  Unlike some of you guys, I have alternate versions of very few of these, so for me it is a gold mine.  I keep putting in disks with no particular expectations and then being delighted.  Certainly the technical standards in playing and recording are very high. 
   I also must admit, I have a lot of listening time. I play 10-12 disks a day. Those of you with a huge backlog and limited listening time...well, that is a good reason not to buy a big box.

   And Brian, the Tafelmusik box is fantastic. Good as this is, I would get that one first. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on July 04, 2019, 07:53:59 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on July 04, 2019, 07:48:01 AM
Yeah, just disk 84 is English Harpsichord music.  You got some bad info there, MC. 85-97 is a crazy eclectic mix.

  Anyway, I was initially only interested in a minority of these disks--but mostly because I only have a passing knowledge of a lot of this repertoire.  Unlike some of you guys, I have alternate versions of very few of these, so for me it is a gold mine.  I keep putting in disks with no particular expectations and then being delighted.  Certainly the technical standards in playing and recording are very high. 
   I also must admit, I have a lot of listening time. I play 10-12 disks a day. Those of you with a huge backlog and limited listening time...well, that is a good reason not to buy a big box.

   And Brian, the Tafelmusik box is fantastic. Good as this is, I would get that one first.

My excuse is I have all the contents already, in the form of the earlier boxes, including the Tafelmusik. All splendid stuff. Mook is right.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: mc ukrneal on July 04, 2019, 08:46:43 AM
Quote from: Brian on July 04, 2019, 06:05:20 AM
But disc 85 is "Carnival in Venice" with a choir and orchestra...and disc 89 is French trios...etc.??
You're right. There is a break right before the English Harpsichord music, so it appears on a quick glance that the next discs are harpsichords. My bad!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Muzio on July 04, 2019, 02:14:32 PM
If one has the DHM-100 set and the Tafelmusik set, is the 30-disc Naxos "The Early Music Collection" box a worthwhile purchase?

(https://i.postimg.cc/ydpFMgVz/Album-cover-Naxos-the-early-music-collection.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: JBS on July 04, 2019, 06:31:07 PM
Quote from: Muzio on July 04, 2019, 02:14:32 PM
If one has the DHM-100 set and the Tafelmusik set, is the 30-disc Naxos "The Early Music Collection" box a worthwhile purchase?

(https://i.postimg.cc/ydpFMgVz/Album-cover-Naxos-the-early-music-collection.jpg)

I have the Naxos set on backorder at Arkivmusic.
1) I already have some of the CDs included in the set, and all of them are good performances.
2) Most of the music in the Naxos set is pre1600, so there is only a slight overlap in the music presented. And the Naxos recordings are by different performers even when they do overlap.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on July 05, 2019, 12:18:05 AM
Quote from: Brian on July 04, 2019, 05:07:34 AM
Hmmm, that is a good question. I've never been shamed into buying CDs! There are only about 20 CDs in there that currently interest me, but that still works out to a relatively good $4.50 per. Am amused by the Amazon reviewer who did not actually buy the set, just looked at the preview images, and decided incorrectly that there are 14 (!) discs of English harpsichord music.

I'm thinking about the Sony Tafelmusik box because that's a band whose sound and approach I consistently enjoy. It's on Amazon DE for like US $45.
I would not get the big box. It is very odd mix of some very good stuff, some fairly obscure recordings like early 1970s Collegium Aureum, lots of run-of-the mill HIP recordings from the 80s-00s that will often have been surpassed by others. So unless one is a big fan of baroque music and also interested in the last 50 years of historically informed performance practice, I think it is bound to collect dust on most shelves.
The Tafelmusik box seems far more attractive to me. I have heard/owned about a dozen of their discs. They are usually very good, while usually not being the last word in expression. I.e. compared to more excentric musicians like Harnoncourt, Jacobs, Savall, Minkowski, even Brüggen, they usually remain within the polite and well behaved anglo-tradition of baroque music. Which could be read as praise or as damning with faint praise. I also find some of the choral stuff with Weil a bit on the (sonically) "thin" side.
But  there are also some fairly rare repertoire like Mozart's symphonies after serenades or Gazzaniga, Geminiani etc.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Muzio on July 05, 2019, 03:50:13 AM
Quote from: JBS on July 04, 2019, 06:31:07 PM
I have the Naxos set on backorder at Arkivmusic.
1) I already have some of the CDs included in the set, and all of them are good performances.
2) Most of the music in the Naxos set is pre1600, so there is only a slight overlap in the music presented. And the Naxos recordings are by different performers even when they do overlap.
Thanks very much.  Into the cart it goes!  :)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on July 05, 2019, 05:44:59 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on July 04, 2019, 03:51:05 AM
This is $89.99 at Amazon.  I'm curious what reason people give for not buying this. 

1. Because it's Amazon, and there are a whole lot of issues wrapped up in that particularly for ordering in Australia.

2. Because spending $90 (more in my own currency) is not a bargain unless you actually want the thing you are purchasing and value it at more than $90. If you don't value it at all you've just wasted $90.

3. Because I don't want to drown in an ocean of stuff.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on July 05, 2019, 05:53:32 AM
Quote from: Jo498 on July 05, 2019, 12:18:05 AM
I would not get the big box. It is very odd mix of some very good stuff, some fairly obscure recordings like early 1970s Collegium Aureum, lots of run-of-the mill HIP recordings from the 80s-00s that will often have been surpassed by others. So unless one is a big fan of baroque music and also interested in the last 50 years of historically informed performance practice, I think it is bound to collect dust on most shelves.
The Tafelmusik box seems far more attractive to me. I have heard/owned about a dozen of their discs. They are usually very good, while usually not being the last word in expression. I.e. compared to more excentric musicians like Harnoncourt, Jacobs, Savall, Minkowski, even Brüggen, they usually remain within the polite and well behaved anglo-tradition of baroque music. Which could be read as praise or as damning with faint praise. I also find some of the choral stuff with Weil a bit on the (sonically) "thin" side.
But  there are also some fairly rare repertoire like Mozart's symphonies after serenades or Gazzaniga, Geminiani etc.

Thanks for this very helpful and perceptive post. The 100 CD box did seem like a grab bag to me and while I love some of the performers (like Tafelmusik, Hengelbrock, Oni Wytars) others don't have that appeal (e.g. not the biggest La Petite Bande fan). Your assessment of Tafelmusik seems right too. I own a great deal of Savall and all of Brüggen's Haydn, and a gigantic Freiburg Baroque box would be a very appealing purchase, but Tafelmusik did such a huge range of repertoire, and never badly.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: staxomega on July 05, 2019, 05:54:25 AM
Are there any must hear Mercury recordings that are not in their volume 1 to 3 boxes? This is a label I did not have much from besides their great recordings like the piano concerti Byron Janis recorded and some other symphony works that were more readily distributed on CD prior to those boxes coming out.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on July 05, 2019, 06:37:07 AM
Anybody know this one?

(https://d27t0qkxhe4r68.cloudfront.net/images/records/hyperioncds443714.jpg?1285153959)

It's only $13 at Presto.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Pat B on July 05, 2019, 04:31:57 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on July 04, 2019, 03:51:05 AM
This is $89.99 at Amazon.  I'm curious what reason people give for not buying this.  If you have all the disks, obviously that is an excellent reason. But only having half is a terrible reason, IMO. Hating pre-classical era music is a good reason, but sort of thinking you may not like pre-classical era music is a terrible reason because once you play a few minutes of pretty much any of these disks you'll change your mind very quickly...

I have a conflict between my awareness that my current collection is probably sufficient for the rest of my life, and the long length of my wishlist. I already have some of the contents of that box. I would probably enjoy much of the rest, but I have no shortage of CDs I enjoy. So I have given myself a monthly budget, and I try to spend it on things I specifically want.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Pat B on July 05, 2019, 04:47:13 PM
Quote from: Jo498 on July 05, 2019, 12:18:05 AM
The Tafelmusik box seems far more attractive to me. I have heard/owned about a dozen of their discs. They are usually very good, while usually not being the last word in expression. I.e. compared to more excentric musicians like Harnoncourt, Jacobs, Savall, Minkowski, even Brüggen, they usually remain within the polite and well behaved anglo-tradition of baroque music. Which could be read as praise or as damning with faint praise.

I agree that they tend not to make daring interpretive decisions. That might be good or bad, depending on listener preference. They execute that approach at a very high level, not just in terms of technical precision but also with energy. I would not call them "polite" which I read as nearly synonymous with "tame," worse than faint praise.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Pat B on July 05, 2019, 04:51:43 PM
Quote from: staxomega on July 05, 2019, 05:54:25 AM
Are there any must hear Mercury recordings that are not in their volume 1 to 3 boxes? This is a label I did not have much from besides their great recordings like the piano concerti Byron Janis recorded and some other symphony works that were more readily distributed on CD prior to those boxes coming out.

Are you looking at vinyl? I believe the boxes have everything that has been officially digitized.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: André on July 05, 2019, 05:30:16 PM
Quote from: Brian on July 05, 2019, 06:37:07 AM
Anybody know this one?

(https://d27t0qkxhe4r68.cloudfront.net/images/records/hyperioncds443714.jpg?1285153959)

It's only $13 at Presto.

I listened to the samples and immediately put it in my cart. This sounds just perfect, with a nice bounce to the rythms. Thanks for the tip.  :)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on July 06, 2019, 12:28:56 AM
Quote from: Pat B on July 05, 2019, 04:47:13 PM
I agree that they tend not to make daring interpretive decisions. That might be good or bad, depending on listener preference. They execute that approach at a very high level, not just in terms of technical precision but also with energy. I would not call them "polite" which I read as nearly synonymous with "tame," worse than faint praise.
I realize that my comment sounded more negative than intended. The only disc of theirs I found rather pale and tame and would not recommend is the Biber chamber music where Goebel is simply on a different level. I kept their Handel Fireworks/Watermusic etc. which means something in such a crowded field.
I used to have Weil's "Paris symphonies" and while very good and not tame they were a little too much on the "lean and mean" side for me, so I got rid of them. For reasons of space I got rid of three Paris sets I consider very good and commendable, namely Wolff ("beaten" by Marriner for elegant modern chamber, although it was a very close call), Weil and Kuijken (beaten by the more daring HIP performers Brüggen, Fey and Harnoncourt). Weil might be even more recommendable in the other symphonies recorded because there is less competition.

The Haydn choral music is very probably the best with a boy's choir and certainly deserves consideration. Still because of Weil's very "lean" approach and said boy's voices it is also with some caveat.

(I have not heard any of the Bach or Vivaldi but these are even more crowded fields.)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Pat B on July 08, 2019, 07:37:43 AM
I can't disagree or even quibble with any of that. I don't have any other Harmonia Artificioso-Ariosas but will check out Goebel's.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on July 08, 2019, 02:02:38 PM
Quote from: Pat B on July 05, 2019, 04:31:57 PM
I have a conflict between my awareness that my current collection is probably sufficient for the rest of my life, and the long length of my wishlist. I already have some of the contents of that box. I would probably enjoy much of the rest, but I have no shortage of CDs I enjoy. So I have given myself a monthly budget, and I try to spend it on things I specifically want.

   Yeah, this is actually why I put off getting it for a year or so.  I, too, already have a lifetimes worth of great music. Buying more is just gravy, or gravy on top of gravy.  But I simply still can't get my head around how great all these deals are.  And how good the music is.  I spent so many years as a young music lover where buying a single disk was a serious economic decision that meant cutting back in other areas (like food and clothing!).  The record companies were so mercenary. I used to pay about $15 for a single disk of popular music, when I made $3.35 an hour, before tax, and now these are $.80--for true genius.  It's like for a modest outlay I can put the aural equivalent of a wing of the Louvre in shoe-box sized space on my bookshelf :o
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: staxomega on July 10, 2019, 02:17:38 PM
Quote from: Pat B on July 05, 2019, 04:51:43 PM
Are you looking at vinyl? I believe the boxes have everything that has been officially digitized.

Thank you, I didn't know those boxes were entire catalog dumps. I am digital only.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on July 18, 2019, 08:55:10 AM
Well, the Tafelmusik brick arrived and is gorgeous and tantalizing.

The only remaining Big Boxes I'm considering are the Robert Casadesus and André Cluytens. Both are artists who have tremendous appeal to me. The big difference is that NML and other streaming services have uploaded a ton of the Casadesus box, but almost none of the Cluytens.

Anyway, I'd appreciate any words from happy or unhappy owners of the Casadesus and Cluytens sets. Been streaming some of the Casadesus mono recordings this morning...they sound pretty great.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: JBS on July 18, 2019, 09:58:05 AM
Quote from: Brian on July 18, 2019, 08:55:10 AM
Well, the Tafelmusik brick arrived and is gorgeous and tantalizing.

The only remaining Big Boxes I'm considering are the Robert Casadesus and André Cluytens. Both are artists who have tremendous appeal to me. The big difference is that NML and other streaming services have uploaded a ton of the Casadesus box, but almost none of the Cluytens.

Anyway, I'd appreciate any words from happy or unhappy owners of the Casadesus and Cluytens sets. Been streaming some of the Casadesus mono recordings this morning...they sound pretty great.

I have some Cluytens, and am rather meh about his recordings.  Is the big box remastered? One reason I am meh is that the sonics did not impress me.

Casadesus otoh I have some...mostly in the Sony white budget boxes, and it's all good. The fact that I have some of it, and the current price, is why I haven't gotten it. If you can swallow the price, get it. If you can find a good price, get it and let me know so I can get it too!


....went to look...hmm, there is actually not a lot in that Cluytens box I have, other than the Beethoven symphony cycle.  So I sort of withdraw my remark. But I would still check on the sonics, and go for Casdesus first.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on July 18, 2019, 10:49:14 AM
I have too much of the Casadesus I want already. Most/all had been available in a French Sony Casadesus edition but were rare/hard to find otherwise/internationally.
E.g. Sony stupidly left some or most of the mono Mozart out of the white box, I think (while they included the two or three mono recordings by Szell in the Szell Haydn cardboard box).

Interestingly, I picked up about 3 or so intermittently rare Casadesus CDs from that French edition used last year, so maybe someone got rid of them because they had the new complete box (or knew that it would come out).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on August 01, 2019, 03:06:12 PM
Quote from: Brian on July 18, 2019, 08:55:10 AM
Well, the Tafelmusik brick arrived and is gorgeous and tantalizing.

The only remaining Big Boxes I'm considering are the Robert Casadesus and André Cluytens. Both are artists who have tremendous appeal to me. The big difference is that NML and other streaming services have uploaded a ton of the Casadesus box, but almost none of the Cluytens.

Anyway, I'd appreciate any words from happy or unhappy owners of the Casadesus and Cluytens sets. Been streaming some of the Casadesus mono recordings this morning...they sound pretty great.

The first big section of the Cluytens box is mono, and then moves into stereo.  Some of the earlier stuff is a bit "historical" sounding, although, as I recall, quality improves pretty quickly as you move through the box.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on August 01, 2019, 03:15:43 PM
Amazon.co.uk has some crazy good box bargains right now, especially if you live outside of Europe (they remove the VAT, shipping is good, and the pound is weak).

  The big Harnoncourt box is 55,  the Ashkenzy chamber box is 59.50, a new 40 disk Chandos box and several DG boxes are also dirt cheap. I bought the Stoltzman box for 44, the new Kuijken box from the ACCENT label, and the big Bernstein original labels 100 disk box for about 50 each--and those prices are before the VAT is removed.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: JBS on August 01, 2019, 06:21:50 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on August 01, 2019, 03:15:43 PM
Amazon.co.uk has some crazy good box bargains right now, especially if you live outside of Europe (they remove the VAT, shipping is good, and the pound is weak).

  The big Harnoncourt box is 55,  the Ashkenzy chamber box is 59.50, a new 40 disk Chandos box and several DG boxes are also dirt cheap. I bought the Stoltzman box for 44, the new Kuijken box from the ACCENT label, and the big Bernstein original labels 100 disk box for about 50 each--and those prices are before the VAT is removed.

Which Kuijken box do you mean? Amazon US lists several smaller boxes, but only for which $50 could be called a bargain price...this one
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61bM9goWpML.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Wakefield on August 01, 2019, 07:25:07 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on August 01, 2019, 03:15:43 PM
Amazon.co.uk has some crazy good box bargains right now, especially if you live outside of Europe (they remove the VAT, shipping is good, and the pound is weak).

  The big Harnoncourt box is 55,  the Ashkenzy chamber box is 59.50, a new 40 disk Chandos box and several DG boxes are also dirt cheap. I bought the Stoltzman box for 44, the new Kuijken box from the ACCENT label, and the big Bernstein original labels 100 disk box for about 50 each--and those prices are before the VAT is removed.

I don't know if I will buy something, but your excitement makes me feel alive!!!  ;D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on August 02, 2019, 04:25:17 AM
Quote from: JBS on August 01, 2019, 06:21:50 PM
Which Kuijken box do you mean? Amazon US lists several smaller boxes, but only for which $50 could be called a bargain price...this one
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61bM9goWpML.jpg)

  Actually, in comparison to the others, the Kuijken is not comparatively cheap, per disk, anyway. It is the chamber music box, 20 disks. However, IMO the Accent label is deliciously good, and I am a big Kuijken fan. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on August 02, 2019, 04:36:52 AM
Quote from: Gordo on August 01, 2019, 07:25:07 PM
I don't know if I will buy something, but your excitement makes me feel alive!!!  ;D

;D ;D  We are lucky men, Gordo. We know how to enjoy life.
   I just took my family on a 17 day vacation.  I spent a fortune on good food. I don't regret it, exactly, but after 45 minutes, a delicious meal is gone, and I gained 4 kilos.  CDs, however, can be enjoyed forever, and are calorie free 8)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Wakefield on August 02, 2019, 05:17:44 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on August 02, 2019, 04:36:52 AM
;D ;D  We are lucky men, Gordo. We know how to enjoy life.
   I just took my family on a 17 day vacation.  I spent a fortune on good food. I don't regret it, exactly, but after 45 minutes, a delicious meal is gone, and I gained 4 kilos.  CDs, however, can be enjoyed forever, and are calorie free 8)

I fully agree! Even some extra kilos are nothing compared to the warm human contact provided by a good family meal.  :)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Que on August 02, 2019, 12:25:06 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on August 02, 2019, 04:25:17 AM
However, IMO the Accent label is deliciously good, and I am a big Kuijken fan.

Good for you!  :)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on August 26, 2019, 06:33:12 AM
I've been curious about this for a long time, but not enough to chomp. However, a brief super-cheap window opened up on it at Amazon UK and I now own it. 
[asin]B01N9C9DMH[/asin]

   To my surprise, after browsing and playing a little, I am very excited by it.
 
   Brian posted earlier in the New Releases thread that so many of the Big Boxes cover the same material.  Actually, Peter went on about that a lot, complaining about whole boxes of "War Horses."  And I couldn't agree more.
    Anyway, what is great about the Stoltzman is how gloriously eclectic it all is. I have almost none of this material. It ranges from LvB and Brahms to Messiaen and Stravinsky to Stoltzman's own crossover stuff (which, frankly, I could do without). The recording quality is SOTA.  RCA really took care of him.  It's really fun putting on disks that are all fresh and surprising.
    It reminds me of when I got this, soon after I started listening to classical music
[asin]B00EDXH116[/asin]
   and I was constantly off-balance, going "WTF" :o
       I can't say my enthusiasm has waned in the interim, but it's good to once again be shocked and delighted by the unexpected again.
   Perhaps because I really love the sound of the clarinet.  I wonder if a super-duper Oboe box will ever come out?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: vers la flamme on August 27, 2019, 03:36:07 PM
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71PDnKWugsL._SL1417_.jpg)

I bought this earlier in the month, my first big, big box, 20+ discs... I've got a couple with 9, 10, 12 discs, full symphony cycles and what not, but this is different, a big compilation of recordings from a single artist. Anyway, I bought it because it was dirt cheap, less than $1 per disc brand new. Of course, I'm now beginning to remember that I'm not much of a Furtwängler guy to begin with, go figure. I guess I will either wait for some of these recordings and performances to grow on me, or sell it for a small profit ;D

There are a few things so far I have liked: the Eroica on here with the VPO is one of the best I've heard, and the Mozart 40th is pretty damn good too, the first movement is nice and fast, just how I like it. I have not yet heard the famous Tristan und Isolde, which I look forward to (the Prelude sounds great!). Unfortunately, I just can't look past the awful sound much of the time. Good interpretation or not, there's just always going to be a limit to my appreciation if I can't hear everything in the orchestra due to shoddy sound.

Did anyone else pick this up recently when it was on sale at ArkivMusic? Any opinions?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on August 28, 2019, 12:18:04 AM
I have only a few of these Furtwängler recordings, so I cannot comment on the box. As for the sound, best advice is probably get used to it. That said, they are not the best sounding recordings of these conductor. Some of the DG studio is almost as good as it gets soundwise for the period, e.g. Schumann 4th, Haydn 88th, Schubert 9th (although unfortunately the older live wartime recording is far more exciting).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on August 28, 2019, 03:57:08 AM
I bought the big 107 disk Membran Box of Furtwangler. One of my first purchases, and one of the only boxes I regret buying. There are a few great things, but many more that are muffled sound punctuated by lots of coughing.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on August 28, 2019, 05:07:42 AM
With Membran you get of course stuff from "grey sources", usually not the best possible SQ. But obviously for recordings between 1930s and early 1950s the sound is rarely going to be great in the first place.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on August 28, 2019, 06:37:29 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on August 26, 2019, 06:33:12 AM
I've been curious about this for a long time, but not enough to chomp. However, a brief super-cheap window opened up on it at Amazon UK and I now own it. 
[asin]B01N9C9DMH[/asin]

   To my surprise, after browsing and playing a little, I am very excited by it.
 
   Brian posted earlier in the New Releases thread that so many of the Big Boxes cover the same material.  Actually, Peter went on about that a lot, complaining about whole boxes of "War Horses."  And I couldn't agree more.
    Anyway, what is great about the Stoltzman is how gloriously eclectic it all is. I have almost none of this material. It ranges from LvB and Brahms to Messiaen and Stravinsky to Stoltzman's own crossover stuff (which, frankly, I could do without). The recording quality is SOTA.  RCA really took care of him.  It's really fun putting on disks that are all fresh and surprising.

Thanks, you big jerk! Now looking at this box with some interest. Appreciate your comments. I found a few albums on streaming and tried his "clarinet concerto" arrangement of the Prokofiev flute sonata - which is excellent. The orchestral accompaniment is a bit less purely exciting than the piano original, surprisingly, but the clarinet solo part is just terrific and totally convincing.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on August 28, 2019, 10:14:25 AM
I strongly dislike Stoltzman's tone but this is apparently a personal or a regional thing. Some people love his playing.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Muzio on August 29, 2019, 02:01:33 PM
Quote from: Jo498 on August 28, 2019, 10:14:25 AM
I strongly dislike Stoltzman's tone but this is apparently a personal or a regional thing. Some people love his playing.
Is there a clarinetist whose tone you would contrast with Stoltzman's?  Doing a little research, RS' tone is evidently characterized as "warm" or "lush."
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Daverz on August 29, 2019, 05:32:03 PM
Quote from: Muzio on August 29, 2019, 02:01:33 PM
Is there a clarinetist whose tone you would contrast with Stoltzman's?  Doing a little research, RS' tone is evidently characterized as "warm" or "lush."

Is there a missing "not" in that sentence?  Whatever it is, Stoltzman's tone is certainly not lush.  I would characterize it as "woody".
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on August 29, 2019, 11:42:08 PM
It's cold, un-lush and grating and he uses vibrato in music where it is IMO not appropriate. Admittedly the latter is a question of tradition and personal taste. I rather dislike the famous Reginald Kell for the same reason.

I'd prefer almost any clarinetist from the German/Austrian tradition, also Concertgebouw to Stoltzman: e.g. Wlach, Leister, Fuchs, Sabine and Wolfgang Meyer, Ottensamer family etc. Also many not exactly from that tradition like Sharon Kam or the Swiss Eduard Brunner (Switzerland as often is between German and French traditions). Actually, I prefer almost everybody I heard on records (except Goodman in classical (although I keep one CBS disc with music written for him, half of which is jazz-like and fits his tone and style) and maybe some of these British ladies on ASV/Hyperion) to Stoltzman. He may be brilliant and original and in many respects better than the ones named but I simply could not bear the tone quality and I got rid of the one or two recordings I had (Brahms sonatas and maybe another one I forgot).

Again, woodwind sound is almost as personal as singer's timbre and I don't want to claim that Stoltzman's fame is totally unfounded. But I will not listen to him if I can avoid it.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on August 30, 2019, 12:21:08 AM
Interesting. I do like the clean sound of Sabine Meyer and the Ottensamers, but I like Stolzman's sound at least as much, and perhaps for the same reason some of you don't. I like grit, and to hear the materials of the instrument. For example, I love Jordi Savall and the Kuijkens' string sound, where you know you are hearing something dragged across strings to make an old wooden box resonate. If there is some stridency and creakiness, that's all to the good. Sugar ruins coffee, IMO; there is supposed to be a little bitter bite to it.
   Speaking of a rougher textured musical sound, I'm playing from this box as well.
[asin]B07J35QFQZ[/asin]
    For being relatively expensive, it is not a lovely package. The disks come in generic paper sleeves, and the booklet is pretty spartan.  But, that said, I love the sound and playing enormously--so far, anyway.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Muzio on August 30, 2019, 03:25:02 AM
Quote from: Daverz on August 29, 2019, 05:32:03 PM
Is there a missing "not" in that sentence?  Whatever it is, Stoltzman's tone is certainly not lush.  I would characterize it as "woody".
I was interested because I never thought much about differences in tone among several types of wind instrument families, e.g., clarinet, bassoon, oboe, flute.  Once the player achieves a certain level of technical competence, clarinetists (for example) begin to sound more and more alike, with the key difference being interpretive skills -- or so I've assumed.

Of course, one can find anything on the internet, but For Stoltzman, here are some of the tone-related opinions my research (::)) turned up:

Both Stoltzmans sang in a church choir where Richard would cue off-pitch singers with his clarinet, trying to make it sound like a voice. He later credited this experience for his distinctively warm tone quality.
(Note: I believe that this is part of a profile that is used on several sites, e.g. Spotify, Tidal...)
https://www.soundhound.com/?ar=200485386270098388 (https://www.soundhound.com/?ar=200485386270098388)

His [Stoltzman] interpretation of Mozart's "Stadler Quintet," was astounding. The artist's signature tone quality – chocolaty dark in the low register with sensitively controlled high tones – was warmed by gentle vibrato. Gossamer ornaments, many added by the soloist, tastefully embellished the work. Delicate phrasing and astounding breath control highlighted the "Larghetto," a movement showing Mozart at his melodic best.
— The Salt Lake Tribune  (quoted on Stolzman's website in the "Press" section)

Stoltzman's lush clarinet tone was particularly appropriate for the gospel phrases of "Come Sunday" and Bernstein's soaring lyrical melodies.
LA Times (1999 review)
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-aug-09-ca-63964-story.html (https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-aug-09-ca-63964-story.html)

The Bach "Sonata in G Major" was originally written for the Viola da Gamba, a progenitor of the cello, and its mercilessly nimble notes were a little too taxing for Stoltzman's tongue out of the gate. But the Brahms and Schumann showed off his big, warm tone, often with a tinge of melancholy. (2012)
https://austinchambermusic.org/reviews/richard-stoltzman-michelle-schumann-review-austin-american-statesman/ (https://austinchambermusic.org/reviews/richard-stoltzman-michelle-schumann-review-austin-american-statesman/)

While Richard was learning clarinet, he and his family sang in a choir whose inner voices were insecure. Richard would sit among the altos and tenors, playing the clarinet to give a steady pitch to the singers, and learning how to make the instrument sound like a voice. He credits this experience for his approach to tone. He does not like the standard tone-quality of the classical clarinet, having heard through his father's recordings the rich, flexible sound of the jazz greats. In addition, one of his early teachers was from India, and taught that all instrumental music should aspire to a vocal quality. He taught Richard to sing the music first, in the tone of the instrument.
(Note: from current bio on Qobuz.  I'm thinking that "vocal quality" indicates warmth, although some voices are not particularly warm...??)

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on August 30, 2019, 04:47:15 AM
Wow, Muzio. A lot of research.  And nice job of keeping a warm "tone" yourself :) Not always easy to do when you are disagreeing w/someone in a site like this.

   I'm playing the Brahms piano/clarinet disk right now, and have been trying to figure out what there is to not like about Stoltzman's sound.  My aural-image of a clarinet is that it has a buzzing sound, that can almost honk--like a delicate cousin of the saxophone. I think other clarinetists try to reduce that, going for a clearer, more piercing sound, like a more muscular cousin of a transverse flute.  Someone mentioned Stoltzman's vibrato, which I am not hearing, but he is not afraid of the vibration of the reed, which adds that harsher, buzzing sound. To me, that is what a clarinet is supposed to sound like. But I can easily see why some avoid it. He doesn't have that light, clear, dancing sound that many achieve, and is certainly beautiful...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: André on August 30, 2019, 11:05:14 AM
My preference is for a liquid, seamless sound. My favourite clarinet disc is that of the Brahms sonatas with George Pieterson (longtime first clarinet in the Concertgebouw Orchestra). There can be many different approaches to sound emission, and some will work better than others depending on the work at hand. But in general that's what I like to hear.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on August 30, 2019, 09:52:23 PM
Tried one of the crossover jazz disks. But it's not crossover. It's Muzack ??? ??? ??? May have to ask the bishop to come over and exorcise my man-cave.
   I will try not to judge.  Stoltzman is American. Perhaps all of his loved ones suddenly needed bone-marrow transplants, and mortgaging his house and selling his cars wasn't enough to cover the expenses.  It is not a sin to sell your soul to save your children :(
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on September 01, 2019, 01:56:05 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on August 30, 2019, 09:52:23 PM
It is not a sin to sell your soul to save your children :(

Depends on the children.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on September 24, 2019, 09:20:25 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on August 30, 2019, 12:21:08 AM
Interesting. I do like the clean sound of Sabine Meyer and the Ottensamers, but I like Stolzman's sound at least as much, and perhaps for the same reason some of you don't. I like grit, and to hear the materials of the instrument. For example, I love Jordi Savall and the Kuijkens' string sound, where you know you are hearing something dragged across strings to make an old wooden box resonate. If there is some stridency and creakiness, that's all to the good. Sugar ruins coffee, IMO; there is supposed to be a little bitter bite to it.
   Speaking of a rougher textured musical sound, I'm playing from this box as well.
[asin]B07J35QFQZ[/asin]
    For being relatively expensive, it is not a lovely package. The disks come in generic paper sleeves, and the booklet is pretty spartan.  But, that said, I love the sound and playing enormously--so far, anyway.

Al,
Wasn't there a huge Accent box released in South Korea a few years ago? I think I just missed the train on that one...     :'(
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 24, 2019, 11:15:59 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on September 24, 2019, 09:20:25 PM
Al,
Wasn't there a huge Accent box released in South Korea a few years ago? I think I just missed the train on that one...     :'(
Peter, if there was, I didn't see it.  I live in Taiwan, and my shop has Korean releases, but maybe just for more commercial items (Solti boxes, Giulini, Szell, Westminster).
   The box I got has great music--but generic blank paper sleeves? Not an impressive aesthetic effort, packaging-wises.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on September 25, 2019, 08:02:41 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on September 24, 2019, 11:15:59 PM
  Peter, if there was, I didn't see it.  I live in Taiwan, and my shop has Korean releases, but maybe just for more commercial items (Solti boxes, Giulini, Szell, Westminster).
   The box I got has great music--but generic blank paper sleeves? Not an impressive aesthetic effort, packaging-wises.

Ah, this one. An Accent box w/ 55 cds

https://www.amazon.co.jp/アート・オブ・アクサン-アクサンの芸術-Accent-55CD-直輸入盤/dp/B00O7LONP6/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=B00O7LONP6&qid=1569427251&s=music&sr=1-1

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91B9Itv5ePL._SX679_.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on September 25, 2019, 08:15:58 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on September 25, 2019, 08:02:41 AM
Ah, this one. An Accent box w/ 55 cds

https://www.amazon.co.jp/アート・オブ・アクサン-アクサンの芸術-Accent-55CD-直輸入盤/dp/B00O7LONP6/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=B00O7LONP6&qid=1569427251&s=music&sr=1-1

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91B9Itv5ePL._SX679_.jpg)
Porn!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 26, 2019, 02:40:44 AM
Quote from: Ken B on September 25, 2019, 08:15:58 AM
Porn!

Indeed! That would have been sweet. Although, in 2014, maybe even 2018, I never would have thought to consider it. Now I'll remember it as the one that got away :'(
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on September 27, 2019, 12:24:33 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on September 26, 2019, 02:40:44 AM
Indeed! That would have been sweet. Although, in 2014, maybe even 2018, I never would have thought to consider it. Now I'll remember it as the one that got away :'(

I know....

:'( :'( :'(

(https://media0.giphy.com/media/4uVyQiFGLicuI/giphy.gif)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 27, 2019, 06:29:02 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on September 27, 2019, 12:24:33 PM
I know....

:'( :'( :'(

(https://media0.giphy.com/media/4uVyQiFGLicuI/giphy.gif)

  :laugh:

   I've been in a spending mood lately. Will swing by the record store later and see if they have the new Erato box (Pailliard?). Just for a looky-look. I actually am buying some stereo equipment for my office and plan to get 2-3 new dressers cuz the fam has clothes piling up everywhere...so will probably maintain restraint even if they have it (some things are released much earlier in Taiwan than in the states). 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on September 28, 2019, 12:33:04 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on September 27, 2019, 06:29:02 PM
  :laugh:

   I've been in a spending mood lately. Will swing by the record store later and see if they have the new Erato box (Pailliard?). Just for a looky-look. I actually am buying some stereo equipment for my office and plan to get 2-3 new dressers cuz the fam has clothes piling up everywhere...so will probably maintain restraint even if they have it (some things are released much earlier in Taiwan than in the states).

Dressers are good for storing cds........
Just saying!

>:D

Yeah, I'm already getting the Paillard from Amazon.fr.    I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff..... I admit it! I do like the Erato label!

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 28, 2019, 06:34:03 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on September 28, 2019, 12:33:04 PM

Yeah, I'm already getting the Paillard from Amazon.fr.    I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff..... I admit it! I do like the Erato label!

  I love Erato! And the Paillard sounds like a real winner, too. I plan to have it one day.
     About box storage, Had mine stacked in a kind of "wall" on the tops of my bookshelves (and in bookshelves, too, of course). I have a LOT of books and bookshelves. However, I started migrating tons of books to my office, so am actually opening up lots of space. I do 90% of my reading on a kindle now, so really don't need to live in a library anymore.

   By the way, listening to Ruzickova now. Did you get her box?  I generally prefer harpsichord in small doses, but she is pretty wonderful, IMO.
[asin]B01JQV81P4[/asin]
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on September 30, 2019, 08:08:24 AM
(https://d27t0qkxhe4r68.cloudfront.net/t_900/rca19075831672.jpg?1537543725)

Here are my notes on the Andre Previn RCA/Columbia box so far...

CD 1 - Gershwin Piano Concerto
One of the all-time great performances, basically definitive. Super exciting, much more so than Previn's relatively sleepy EMI remake.

CD 2 - solo Hindemith, Barber, Martin
Cool recital. My girlfriend haaaaaaates the Barber piece and banned it from the stereo  ;D

CD 3 - solo Poulenc and Roussel
Another really nice recital. I'm a little sad there isn't more solo Previn in here.

CD 4 - Shostakovich / Poulenc concertos
It's Lenny. It's good.

CD 6 - Copland Red Pony / Britten Sinfonia da Requiem
Previn's first conducting appearance on CD is self-recommending if you like the eccentric repertoire choices.

CD 8 - Rachmaninov concertos with Leonard Pennario as soloist
Probably not my favorite versions of these, to be honest, but they have merit and sound pretty good. Previn keeps the orchestra lively and engaged.

CD 9 - Khachaturian piano concerto with Lorin Hollander
I don't know who Lorin Hollander is, but this is a fun performance of a work that I do enjoy hearing once every three years or so.

CD 10 - Shostakovich Symphony No. 5
A famously great LSO performance.

CD 11 - Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 2
A less-famously great LSO performance. Really tremendous fun, and the Liadov folksong encore is nice to have as well. Exhibits just how good Previn could be when he took something Hollywoody and played the daylights out of it.

CD 12 - Rachmaninov Symphony No. 2
An excellent performance besmirched by the senseless cuts which were once standard in this piece.

CD 14 - Walton Symphony No. 1
Da Champ. I know there's some disagreement about this performance in the Walton thread, but there isn't disagreement with me. Previn and Karabits reign supreme for sheer excitement, drama, and physicality.

CD 15 - Nielsen Symphony No. 1
A fun disc. There are maybe marginally livelier performances out there, but this is enough to make me wish there was more Previn Nielsen. (Dude seems, in general, to have bounced between composers with a short attention span during his RCA years. I mean, look at the last six writeups here!)

CD 16 - French music for oboe and small orchestra
Love this one. Very happy to have the Francaix and Ibert performances in my collection, and with such good performers. De Lancie is maybe not as expressive as some of today's best oboists, but his tone works well in neoclassical stuff.

CD 17 - Leontyne Price jazz songs
Woof. Ack. Yikes. Okay, first of all, if Andre Previn's jazz recordings were fair game for this box, where are the rest of them? Why don't we get the trio stuff with Shelly Manne? Instead, we're stuck with this clunker, where Leontyne Price proves that having an oozingly gorgeous voice isn't going to get you far if you can't express anything. Especially when the lyrics - as with many old jazz numbers - range from sentimental to stupid. "A Sleepin' Bee"? WTF. This CD would be very highly recommended if you did NOT speak English and you could focus on the beauty of sound without having to trudge through the actual words.

CD 19 - Mozart's "The Impresario"
Sung in English with a new libretto by Previn's then-wife, this is a goofy curiosity with a superstar cast of voices. (Raskin! Grist! Milnes!) Silly enough for a listen.

CD 20 - Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade
It's funny to read the liner notes on this one, which vigorously defend Scheherazade against all the critics and musicologists who insist that it sucks. Did people really think that?? What a bunch of boogerbrains. This performance cooks with gas. It is intense and good.

CD 21 - Lalo Symphonie espagnole / Ravel Tzigane
Itzhak Perlman in music perfectly suited to his strengths and weaknesses.

CDs 22, 23, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32 - Vaughan Williams symphony cycle
What is there to say that hasn't been said? David Hurwitz thinks 4 and 6 lack a bit of ferocity, but that's okay by me because those are my least favorites (for now). I prefer 2, 3, and 5, which by coincidence are exactly where Previn shines brightest. Since this is spread out over 8 CDs by the "Original Jacket" format, rather than the 5 it could easily have been, it's nice that Previn recorded such cool fillers, including the tuba concerto, Wasps overture, and "The England of Elizabeth."

CD 24 - Richard Strauss, Rosenkavalier suite and Don Juan
The headliners are good performances, and it's nice to have all 8 French horns blasting away in Don Juan. The bonus, the world premiere recording of a waltz called "München," is meh. It's only been recorded a handful of times since, by completists like Neeme Jarvi.

CD 27 - Julian Bream plays Villa-Lobos guitar works
Self-recommending. This is obviously gonna be good, and it is.

CD 28 - Joseph Kalichstein plays Mendelssohn piano works
I keep mistyping his name as Jerome for some reason. But this is good too. Nicely varied disc since it starts with the First Concerto and then moves on to the Sonate écossaise and the Variations sérieuses, which are played very sérieusly.

CD 33 - Ponce and Previn guitar concertos with John Williams
I like the Ponce piece, of course. Previn's guitar concerto is one of those polystylistic works that I sometimes have a hard time with; my least favorite bits are in the finale, when an electric guitarist in the orchestra noodles away playing what sounds like some totally different piece, in a pretty clear attempt to add dissonance/complexity to a movement which was otherwise lacking it. Maybe Previn wanted to prove his bonafides while still trying to please the crowds.

CD 34 - Mendelssohn Symphony No. 4 / Prokofiev Symphony No. 1
A nice disc. Not gonna set records for either piece, but now that I have it, I'm not gonna throw it out or whatever.

CD 37 - Chopin and Saint-Saens Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 2
The young Cecile Licad appears. Both performances are solid.

(At this point in the box, there's a whole ton of completely unnecessary Beethoven. I don't really ever plan to listen to it.)

CD 53 - Poulenc Sextet, Saint-Saens Septet, Milhaud La creation du monde
What a great program for a CD. I haven't listened to it yet, but seriously, what a sweet program.

-

Listening to 27 CDs out of 55 is pretty tremendous progress for me since I have owned this box for only 4 months. It's indicative of how much I've enjoyed everything so far - and also of how eclectic, even eccentric, Previn's repertoire was. Any time I want to reach for a big splashy orchestral work to fill the house with noise, I've been reaching for the Previn box. Pity about all the useless Beethoven (if only it had been a few more quirky solo recitals of 20th century repertoire, or the jazz stuff, instead), but otherwise, there's little to complain about.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: San Antone on September 30, 2019, 08:36:52 AM
LOL

QuoteEspecially when the lyrics - as with many old jazz numbers - range from sentimental to stupid. "A Sleepin' Bee"? WTF.

I agree with you about the Price CD being included whereas his other, better, jazz recordings were left out.  I guess because she was a classical artist.  But the song "A Sleepin' Bee" was written by Harold Arlen and Truman Capote for the musical House of Flowers (1954) and has a context which makes the lyrics have more sense.  It's been a jazz evergreen ever since, but received its quintessential recording (IMO) by Nancy Wilson with Cannonball Adderley's Quintet.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 30, 2019, 03:50:54 PM
Thanks for putting this up, Brian.  This wasn't really a box that I'd thought much about, but now it's on my radar. I have virtually no Previn, except for some things he did with Ashkenazy (which I like a lot).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on September 30, 2019, 06:09:05 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on September 30, 2019, 03:50:54 PM
Thanks for putting this up, Brian.  This wasn't really a box that I'd thought much about, but now it's on my radar. I have virtually no Previn, except for some things he did with Ashkenazy (which I like a lot).
Slacker.



;)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on September 30, 2019, 07:08:39 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on September 30, 2019, 03:50:54 PM
Thanks for putting this up, Brian.  This wasn't really a box that I'd thought much about, but now it's on my radar. I have virtually no Previn, except for some things he did with Ashkenazy (which I like a lot).

Not enough time for Previn. Third tier for me.  Now, if it goes for $30 sometime....maybe, maybe.  Besides, I'm not a fan of the mid/late 20th century repertoire.   I rather dwell on the Cluytens box or equivalent.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on September 30, 2019, 07:11:32 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on September 28, 2019, 06:34:03 PM
  I love Erato! And the Paillard sounds like a real winner, too. I plan to have it one day.
     About box storage, Had mine stacked in a kind of "wall" on the tops of my bookshelves (and in bookshelves, too, of course). I have a LOT of books and bookshelves. However, I started migrating tons of books to my office, so am actually opening up lots of space. I do 90% of my reading on a kindle now, so really don't need to live in a library anymore.

   By the way, listening to Ruzickova now. Did you get her box?  I generally prefer harpsichord in small doses, but she is pretty wonderful, IMO.
[asin]B01JQV81P4[/asin]

I do indeed have that box, but she has to move up on my listening list. I noted that a biography on her life was published recently. A very colorful and intense life during the war years and beyond.
https://smile.amazon.com/One-Hundred-Miracles-Memoir-Survival/dp/1408896834/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=ruzickova&qid=1569899436&sr=8-2

(https://static01.nyt.com/images/2019/09/14/arts/13harpsichord2/13harpsichord2-articleLarge.jpg?quality=90&auto=webp)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 04, 2019, 03:46:58 AM
The New Erato Paillard box is, indeed, at my local shop. A bit steep at $165 or so...although for 133 disks, it is pretty petty to complain about the price :-*
   I was planning on waiting on it, but tomorrow is my birthday, and I've only bought myself a few expensive items so far...
   I asked about the Previn box, too, and the shop owner is going to order a copy. I'm sort of with Peter that I'm not a big fan on late 20th century (or anything past "early" for the most part), but am still highly intrigued. Both boxes look very well put together and attractive in their own right...I'll probably pounce.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: André on October 04, 2019, 05:36:19 AM
Happy birthday !  :)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 04, 2019, 05:44:50 AM
Quote from: André on October 04, 2019, 05:36:19 AM
Happy birthday !  :)
Thanks :-[
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on October 04, 2019, 10:58:54 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on October 04, 2019, 03:46:58 AM
The New Erato Paillard box is, indeed, at my local shop. A bit steep at $165 or so...although for 133 disks, it is pretty petty to complain about the price :-*
   I was planning on waiting on it, but tomorrow is my birthday, and I've only bought myself a few expensive items so far...
   I asked about the Previn box, too, and the shop owner is going to order a copy. I'm sort of with Peter that I'm not a big fan on late 20th century (or anything past "early" for the most part), but am still highly intrigued. Both boxes look very well put together and attractive in their own right...I'll probably pounce.

Your little local shop seems to carry almost possible box available (at least when released!). The Paillard is affordable from Amazon.fr (on its way) minus the VAT.  Hmm, not so sure about the Previn...hmmm, hmmmm......hmmmmmmmm

Anyways, you deserve it. Splurge, buy a carrot cake, cds and enjoy your birthday with your family!    :)

https://www.youtube.com/v/MGgZRLpGorU

The explosion at the end is probably related to your cd shelves suddenly collapsing!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on October 04, 2019, 11:11:35 PM
I'm pondering this Scribendum collection....
The Art of Ataúlfo Argenta

http://www.scribendumrecordings.com/our-shop/4583959841/sc815-22cd---the-art-of-ata%C3%BAlfo-argenta/11376224

(http://www.scribendumrecordings.com/_imgstore/1/4012584761/page_our-shop_15_11_mainimage/wu0BWtxeuFGJuA56mqsjiUiwJ1g.png)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on October 04, 2019, 11:48:40 PM
Quote from: Brian on September 30, 2019, 08:08:24 AM
(https://d27t0qkxhe4r68.cloudfront.net/t_900/rca19075831672.jpg?1537543725)

Here are my notes on the Andre Previn RCA/Columbia box so far...

......

-

Listening to 27 CDs out of 55 is pretty tremendous progress for me since I have owned this box for only 4 months. It's indicative of how much I've enjoyed everything so far - and also of how eclectic, even eccentric, Previn's repertoire was. Any time I want to reach for a big splashy orchestral work to fill the house with noise, I've been reaching for the Previn box. Pity about all the useless Beethoven (if only it had been a few more quirky solo recitals of 20th century repertoire, or the jazz stuff, instead), but otherwise, there's little to complain about.

Thanks for all those great notes about the music, Brian.  You are right - there are a lot of gems there. I think I have mislabeled Previn in my mind's eye for some reason although I have always enjoyed his VW cycle (my first VW exposure). Other reviewers mostly rave about this collection as well.

Is it really true that this is your last box purchase EVER?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on October 05, 2019, 07:26:37 PM
Quote from: Moonfish on October 04, 2019, 11:48:40 PM
Is it really true that this is your last box purchase EVER?
I'm done purchasing box sets that currently are on the market! (Around the same time as the Previn, I also bought the Charles Munch RCA...shhh, don't tell...) But future releases could tempt me. I'll probably grab the Monteux box of complete Decca recordings that's arriving next month, and the smaller Firkusny box from Sony. There are some hypothetical future releases that I would buy if they ever happen: a big Markevitch box from DG/Decca, the complete EMI/Virgin Leif Ove Andsnes, maybe Peter Serkin on Sony. Gonna wait for those. :)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on October 05, 2019, 10:39:54 PM
Quote from: Brian on October 05, 2019, 07:26:37 PM
I'm done purchasing box sets that currently are on the market! (Around the same time as the Previn, I also bought the Charles Munch RCA...shhh, don't tell...) But future releases could tempt me. I'll probably grab the Monteux box of complete Decca recordings that's arriving next month, and the smaller Firkusny box from Sony. There are some hypothetical future releases that I would buy if they ever happen: a big Markevitch box from DG/Decca, the complete EMI/Virgin Leif Ove Andsnes, maybe Peter Serkin on Sony. Gonna wait for those. :)

So there is still hope....?

Hmm, a Markevitch box.... *dreams*.  I suspect that there will be plenty of smaller boxes floating through here over the next year.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Biffo on October 06, 2019, 01:20:32 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on October 05, 2019, 10:39:54 PM
So there is still hope....?

Hmm, a Markevitch box.... *dreams*.  I suspect that there will be plenty of smaller boxes floating through here over the next year.

DG issued a 'small' Markevitch box (9 CDs) in 2003 in their Original Masters series. There must be more stuff in their archive that hasn't been reissued.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on October 06, 2019, 11:06:16 AM
I think virtually everything by Markevitch has been on CD at some stage, but often only briefly or not internationally. It was also among EMI (they had an Icon box, no idea how complete, some of these contents had earlier been on Testament) and the Polygram/Universal labels (DG, Philips, sometimes under the Decca label. The original masters box is very good, one of the best of that series.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on October 06, 2019, 12:25:16 PM
Quote from: Jo498 on October 06, 2019, 11:06:16 AM
I think virtually everything by Markevitch has been on CD at some stage, but often only briefly or not internationally. It was also among EMI (they had an Icon box, no idea how complete, some of these contents had earlier been on Testament) and the Polygram/Universal labels (DG, Philips, sometimes under the Decca label. The original masters box is very good, one of the best of that series.

I presume you are referring to this box?
[asin] B010RQBBJA[/asin]
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on October 06, 2019, 12:30:23 PM
Actually, I got this Markevitch collection (Veritas) from HMV.jp a few years ago. Veritas has some interesting boxes for sure....
https://www.hmv.co.jp/en/artist_Classical-Collection-Boxed-Set_000000000088040/item_Markevitch-The-Collection-1952-1964-33CD_6650863
The page has the contents as well (as long as you allow Google to translate it)

(https://img.hmv.co.jp/image/jacket/400/66/5/0/863.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 16, 2019, 07:14:22 PM
They make weird photo choices with Markevitch, eh? First pick looks like comical joker, second pic looks like they wanted him to replace Christopher Lee in a C grade vampire flick...

    Anyway, due to Brian's post, I found myself unable to resist getting the Previn box.
   Thanks, Brian >:D >:D >:D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on October 16, 2019, 07:34:35 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on October 16, 2019, 07:14:22 PM
They make weird photo choices with Markevitch, eh? First pick looks like comical joker, second pic looks like they wanted him to replace Christopher Lee in a C grade vampire flick...

    Anyway, due to Brian's post, I found myself unable to resist getting the Previn box.
   Thanks, Brian >:D >:D >:D


Hmm, yes, he is a bit "charismatic"!    :P

Brian is evil!!!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Muzio on October 18, 2019, 10:06:18 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on October 16, 2019, 07:14:22 PM
They make weird photo choices with Markevitch, eh? First pick looks like comical joker, second pic looks like they wanted him to replace Christopher Lee in a C grade vampire flick...

Look at Markevitch's photo, then see Mookalafalas' avatar... ???
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on October 18, 2019, 04:24:10 PM
Quote from: Muzio on October 18, 2019, 10:06:18 AM
Look at Markevitch's photo, then see Mookalafalas' avatar... ???

:D :D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: j winter on October 18, 2019, 07:04:10 PM
Quote from: Muzio on October 18, 2019, 10:06:18 AM
Look at Markevitch's photo, then see Mookalafalas' avatar... ???

(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/24/0d/22/240d22bf3aeda750fca5c00d2dfbf72a.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 18, 2019, 11:10:21 PM
Quote from: Muzio on October 18, 2019, 10:06:18 AM
Look at Markevitch's photo, then see Mookalafalas' avatar... ???

??? ??? ??? :laugh:

   Nice spotting, Muzio!

BTW, for big box fans, the big Harnoncourt box is 54 pounds at Amazon.co.uk, before the VAT is removed. I got that for 85 pounds quite a while back and considered it a steal.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: listener on October 23, 2019, 06:16:22 PM
I've just become aware of
Mendelsohn's Der Onkel aus Boston  (written at age 14)
it is now available (in a 56 -cd set)   https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/felix-mendelssohn-bartholdy-felix-mendelssohn-bartholdy-edition-2019/hnum/9446214  .     I think I do not need it but . . .
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Florestan on October 24, 2019, 02:57:23 AM
Quote from: listener on October 23, 2019, 06:16:22 PM
I've just become aware of
Mendelsohn's Der Onkel aus Boston  (written at age 14)
it is now available (in a 56 -cd set)   https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/felix-mendelssohn-bartholdy-felix-mendelssohn-bartholdy-edition-2019/hnum/9446214  .     I think I do not need it but . . .

Strange they don't include Die Hochzeit des Camacho as well..
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: staxomega on October 24, 2019, 07:21:48 AM
An interesting Horowitz box that came out recently. The big Carnegie Hall box and Unreleased Recordings set (concert dates before his playing deteriorated too much) have given me quite a bit of listening pleasure so this one is pretty interesting to me. The way Horowitz often has that almost improvisatory way of playing in his prime causes my ears to perk up when listening to his live recordings.

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/A1DbUz5SUGL._SL1500_.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 27, 2019, 02:56:05 AM
It seems like Horowitz is to classical what Hendryx is to rock or Charlie Parker to jazz-- a legend with so many "lost" recordings that no matter now long he has been in his grave, he can continue to steadily release "new" material.

  Lately I'm playing a lot from this:
[asin]B07Q8Q6WVN[/asin]

  Everyone loves his Scarlatti (well, except for one person here at GMG ::)), and yet people hardly ever mentions his other releases--so I had sort of assumed he was a one-trick pony.  Recently got this Bach set and am more than happy. Not precious, tinkly harpsichord. Reminds me of an old SNL skit suggesting that Mozart was an early rock&roller, and would "put his ear up against the frets and play his harspichord as hard as he could" and his mother would come in and yell at him.  Ross plays some very virile Bach.  Perhaps might scare some ;D really loving it, myself.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Papy Oli on October 27, 2019, 03:25:20 AM
The complete Bach boxset is on the Scott Ross youtube channel if people want to sample it first :

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kWjf8pvAbBdQbpDYfS04p7vNT9QU7DCHw (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kWjf8pvAbBdQbpDYfS04p7vNT9QU7DCHw)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 15, 2019, 12:34:06 AM
Peter, are you still around?? I'm very curious about your feelings regarding the Palliard box.  Did it just go onto the shelf, or have you been delving deeply?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on November 17, 2019, 09:26:45 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on November 15, 2019, 12:34:06 AM
Peter, are you still around?? I'm very curious about your feelings regarding the Palliard box.  Did it just go onto the shelf, or have you been delving deeply?

Oh, I'm still here, just busy with work so I don't post much right now. :)
Yes, I'm probably about 15 discs in. It is an interesting journey. Sound quality is a bit boxy so far (1950s) and the recordings are of course not in the HIP realm, but it is quite enjoyable. So far it would not be my first choice to really "listen" to a work, but great to explore with (if that makes any sense). Are you listening to it as well or are you pondering the enterprise? Impressions?

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 18, 2019, 04:59:25 AM
Quote from: Moonfish on November 17, 2019, 09:26:45 PM
Oh, I'm still here, just busy with work so I don't post much right now. :)
Yes, I'm probably about 15 discs in. It is an interesting journey. Sound quality is a bit boxy so far (1950s) and the recordings are of course not in the HIP realm, but it is quite enjoyable. So far it would not be my first choice to really "listen" to a work, but great to explore with (if that makes any sense). Are you listening to it as well or are you pondering the enterprise? Impressions?
I ended up not getting it. I saw it at my local shop, but when I went back with cash in my pocket, it was gone. I took it as an omen, and haven't pursued it--although I still think about it from time to time...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on November 18, 2019, 02:09:57 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on November 18, 2019, 04:59:25 AM
  I ended up not getting it. I saw it at my local shop, but when I went back with cash in my pocket, it was gone. I took it as an omen, and haven't pursued it--although I still think about it from time to time...

Ah, a temptation out of sight!  I got it from Amazon.fr as they had a decent price at the time. :)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: André on November 18, 2019, 05:31:12 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on November 18, 2019, 04:59:25 AM
  I ended up not getting it. I saw it at my local shop, but when I went back with cash in my pocket, it was gone. I took it as an omen, and haven't pursued it--although I still think about it from time to time...

That's the spirit! When I miss on an item I covet, I just shrug it off as it was not meant to be. Another temptation is waiting around the corner  >:D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Ken B on November 18, 2019, 06:04:54 PM
Quote from: André on November 18, 2019, 05:31:12 PM
That's the spirit! When I miss on an item I covet, I just shrug it off as it was not meant to be. Another temptation is waiting around the corner  >:D
I never wanted to date Kim Basinger anyway.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 19, 2019, 05:36:03 AM
Quote from: André on November 18, 2019, 05:31:12 PM
That's the spirit! When I miss on an item I covet, I just shrug it off as it was not meant to be. Another temptation is waiting around the corner  >:D

  Speaking of...the Callas BIG box is $70, including shipping, from Amazon UK (or was 2 days ago...).  I bought one for $97 and considered it a steal.  I do not consider myself a philistine if I profit from art, so am just waiting for it to go OOP and then resell it. (sorry, Peter :-X)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Moonfish on November 19, 2019, 10:30:15 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on November 19, 2019, 05:36:03 AM
  Speaking of...the Callas BIG box is $70, including shipping, from Amazon UK (or was 2 days ago...).  I bought one for $97 and considered it a steal.  I do not consider myself a philistine if I profit from art, so am just waiting for it to go OOP and then resell it. (sorry, Peter :-X)

Heresy!  *image of Al consumed in the flames of the opera demons*


I got two boxes just in case I wear out the first one!   >:D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on February 15, 2020, 04:00:40 PM
Couldn't resist any longer on the Paillard box. Price went down in UK, so got it, w/shipping for $137, or almost exactly a dollar a disk.
[asin]B07VBH5BMB[/asin]

  What pushed me over the edge was going back to this gem
[asin]B00EDXH116[/asin]
   And playing the Paillard disks.  Suddenly his big box seemed a no-brainer.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on March 17, 2020, 10:24:29 PM
Alas, box enthusiasm has plummeted :(

    I've been selling quite a few items on Ebay (like the big Furtwangler)...but also buying some, especially when irresistibly cheap. I have very little WAM outside of the symphonies and PCs, and saw this for $111 with shipping from Amazon.UK
[asin]B00L2SQVVQ[/asin]

    However, I was a little disappointed by some of the upgrades from this earlier box, such as jettisoning Klara Wurtz for the piano pieces.
[asin]B000A0HFZS[/asin]
    What is a serious collector to do? Well, I checked the Used sets on Amazon.de, and someone was selling it for 30 Euros. Hard to beat a price like that...so got both 8)
   Looks like 2020 is going to be a WAM year for me.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: j winter on March 18, 2020, 10:11:07 AM
I got the older (red) Brilliant Mozart box many moons ago, and have honestly never gotten close to hearing the whole thing.  You're right that the Klara Wurtz sonatas are worthwhile, and I've always liked Jaap Ter Linden's PI symphony set -- to my ear it's got considerably more oomph than Pinnock...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on March 18, 2020, 11:57:09 AM
I'm excited for this big guy:

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81tKNzbNHbL._SL1500_.jpg)

Also for some time I've been debating the big Alicia de Larrocha box on Decca and the big Boston Symphony box on Deutsche Grammophon. Right now, the two of them are $171 shipped, together, from Amazon DE (compared to about $250 on Amazon US). 98 CDs combined. Should I do it?!?!

And I made myself a little "dream list" of hypothetical future box sets that I'd snap up:
- Leif Ove Andsnes complete EMI/Virgin
- Igor Markevitch complete DG
- Leonard Slatkin complete RCA
- Eric Heidsieck everything that's not Beethoven??
- Eugene Ormandy complete recordings currently held by Sony

Past boxes that I regret missing: the Reiner big box
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: vers la flamme on March 18, 2020, 12:39:15 PM
^I'm surprised that there has not yet been an Ormandy/Sony box. It would be massive, but surely worthwhile. I always enjoy his conducting.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: j winter on March 18, 2020, 12:55:07 PM
Quote from: vers la flamme on March 18, 2020, 12:39:15 PM
^I'm surprised that there has not yet been an Ormandy/Sony box. It would be massive, but surely worthwhile. I always enjoy his conducting.

+1  They may be having the same problem with Ormandy that I presume they've had with Bernstein -- there's literally too many recordings to fit into a box.  Amazon would have to deliver it on a pallet...  :laugh:
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: JBS on March 18, 2020, 04:03:34 PM
Quote from: Brian on March 18, 2020, 11:57:09 AM
I'm excited for this big guy:

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81tKNzbNHbL._SL1500_.jpg)

Also for some time I've been debating the big Alicia de Larrocha box on Decca and the big Boston Symphony box on Deutsche Grammophon. Right now, the two of them are $171 shipped, together, from Amazon DE (compared to about $250 on Amazon US). 98 CDs combined. Should I do it?!?!

And I made myself a little "dream list" of hypothetical future box sets that I'd snap up:
- Leif Ove Andsnes complete EMI/Virgin
- Igor Markevitch complete DG
- Leonard Slatkin complete RCA
- Eric Heidsieck everything that's not Beethoven??
- Eugene Ormandy complete recordings currently held by Sony

Past boxes that I regret missing: the Reiner big box

How available is Heidseck's Beethoven now? I have it as part of a cheapo EMI France set that I think is OOP.

ETA
This is the set
[asin]B000NA2PCS[/asin]

Other big box comment:

I recieved the Naxos Complete Beethoven set today. It turns out that they included the three sonatas Boris Giltburg recorded for them (IIRC) last year in place of Jando's recordings. So now I have one more duplicate CD and an incomplete Jando cycle.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: André on March 18, 2020, 04:14:56 PM
Quote from: j winter on March 18, 2020, 12:55:07 PM
+1  They may be having the same problem with Ormandy that I presume they've had with Bernstein -- there's literally too many recordings to fit into a box.  Amazon would have to deliver it on a pallet...  :laugh:

They could make it in installments:

- The Minneapolis years
- The Philadelphia years (mono)
- The Philadelphia years (stereo) I : orchestral works, and II: concertos / vocal works.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: T. D. on March 18, 2020, 06:40:36 PM
Quote from: JBS on March 18, 2020, 04:03:34 PM
How available is Heidseck's Beethoven now? I have it as part of a cheapo EMI France set that I think is OOP.

ETA
This is the set
[asin]B000NA2PCS[/asin]

...
I made an effort to find that set. Through US Amazon it was only available through momox, a seller I don't trust. French Rakuten had lots of sets, used  quite inexpensive, but my credit card company denied efforts to purchase and I tired of the hassle. Wound up purchasing Heidsieck's 32 through Discogs, though not as cheaply as the 50-disc Chefs d'Oeuvres de Beethoven would have been from Rakuten.fr. French Rakuten still looks like a source for the big box if you can conveniently shop there.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: JBS on March 18, 2020, 07:01:42 PM
Quote from: T. D. on March 18, 2020, 06:40:36 PM
I made an effort to find that set. Through US Amazon it was only available through momox, a seller I don't trust. French Rakuten had lots of sets, used  quite inexpensive, but my credit card company denied efforts to purchase and I tired of the hassle. Wound up purchasing Heidsieck's 32 through Discogs, though not as cheaply as the 50-disc Chefs d'Oeuvres de Beethoven would have been from Rakuten.fr. French Rakuten still looks like a source for the big box if you can conveniently shop there.

Quick check  suggests Heidseck's sonatas are the only important segment of the 50CD set not available in some other form.

And it is a very cheap set, in terms of materials.  The "box" is actually just a paper sleeve around 50 CDs in paper envelopes and the track listing booklet.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on March 19, 2020, 01:47:17 AM
It is very cheaply done, both in materials and presentation. But while available separately the Violin (Ferras), Cello sonatas (Tortelier/Heidsieck) and the string quartets (Hungarian) are also quite desirable and the piano and string trios are quite good and I am not sure if these are easily available separately. When that Beethoven box sold for about 40 Euros it was a fantastic bargain.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on March 19, 2020, 02:17:42 AM
Quote from: Jo498 on March 19, 2020, 01:47:17 AM
It is very cheaply done, both in materials and presentation. But while available separately the Violin (Ferras), Cello sonatas (Tortelier/Heidsieck) and the string quartets (Hungarian) are also quite desirable and the piano and string trios are quite good and I am not sure if these are easily available separately. When that Beethoven box sold for about 40 Euros it was a fantastic bargain.

  I got this Sony complete LvB box for a similar price a couple (few?) years back, and it is also terrific.  The one "New" one at US Amazon is $599, but used ones are still about $60. Having this, I was never tempted to get another.
[asin]B000NDEMAI[/asin]
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on March 20, 2020, 08:50:14 PM
I don't know so much about the merits of the recordings in the Naxos Beethoven 250 box, but I think it's worth saying that the website for it is exemplary.

Rarely have I seen a large box where it's so easy to view the contents. And furthermore, if you click on individual works, it will duly show you in another window the original single album that the recording comes from.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: JBS on March 21, 2020, 06:44:21 AM
Quote from: Madiel on March 20, 2020, 08:50:14 PM
I don't know so much about the merits of the recordings in the Naxos Beethoven 250 box, but I think it's worth saying that the website for it is exemplary.

Rarely have I seen a large box where it's so easy to view the contents. And furthermore, if you click on individual works, it will duly show you in another window the original single album that the recording comes from.

The chief attraction for me is all the stuff no one ever talks about.
At the moment, I am listening to CD 72, which includes
--the complete music to The Ruins of Athens, Op 113, including pertinent bits of dialogue and narration--never heard this in full before
--the March from the Ruins of Athens, Op 114, in its version as a completely independent work
--the Consecration of the House Overture Op 124
--two choruses for The Consecration of the House, Hess 118 and WoO 98,  respectively.--I didn't even know these existed until now.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on March 21, 2020, 08:31:20 PM
In the past couple days I've ordered a couple big boxes as "shelter in place" entertainment: the DG box of almost all their recordings of the Boston Symphony - god it's annoying that they forgot two CDs, but the box still looks like quite a trove of stuff - and Vladimir Ashkenazy "artist's choice" retrospective of solo, chamber, and lieder recordings. Each a little over 50 CDs. Should keep me busy for a few months, especially since I'm still going through an earlier 2020 purchase, the Andre Cluytens box.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on March 21, 2020, 10:52:02 PM
Quote from: Brian on March 21, 2020, 08:31:20 PM
In the past couple days I've ordered a couple big boxes as "shelter in place" entertainment: the DG box of almost all their recordings of the Boston Symphony - god it's annoying that they forgot two CDs, but the box still looks like quite a trove of stuff - and Vladimir Ashkenazy "artist's choice" retrospective of solo, chamber, and lieder recordings. Each a little over 50 CDs. Should keep me busy for a few months, especially since I'm still going through an earlier 2020 purchase, the Andre Cluytens box.

  Is the Ash box this one?
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41TV06BF7SL.jpg)
   If so, that's a beauty.  They top off each disk essentially with another disk. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on March 22, 2020, 05:01:03 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on March 21, 2020, 10:52:02 PM
  Is the Ash box this one?
   If so, that's a beauty.  They top off each disk essentially with another disk.
Nope, it's this one, just a bit bigger and also all original jacket (but without fillers because many of the discs are newer and longer I think):

(https://www.europadisc.co.uk/images/products-190/1502448203_4832182.jpg)

The conceit is that the artist personally selected all the recordings he wanted in the box to represent his best work. Really diverse repertoire, from Bach's WTC to Shostakovich's preludes and fugues (and trios...and viola/cello sonatas...and piano quintets...and songs) with a big helping of all the other Russian composers, Brahms chamber music, the Scriabin sonatas, helpings of Mozart and Chopin, etc.

EDIT: I looked up the contents of your 50th box to see what the overlap is. Prokofiev solo piano music, the Franck/Brahms chamber CD with Perlman, Rachmaninov preludes, suites for two pianos, and Sonata 2, all the Ravel solo/chamber stuff + one Debussy miniature, Shostakovich P&F, and Beethoven Diabelli Variations are notable overlaps. There are Schumann recordings in both boxes but he recorded them twice and they might be different - I believe that the purple one has earlier 60s recordings. The purple box obviously doesn't have anything involving an orchestra, and also doesn't have any Beethoven piano sonatas (but cello sonatas yes).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on March 22, 2020, 08:04:45 AM
Quote from: Brian on March 22, 2020, 05:01:03 AM
Nope, it's this one, just a bit bigger and also all original jacket (but without fillers because many of the discs are newer and longer I think):

(https://www.europadisc.co.uk/images/products-190/1502448203_4832182.jpg)

The conceit is that the artist personally selected all the recordings he wanted in the box to represent his best work. Really diverse repertoire, from Bach's WTC to Shostakovich's preludes and fugues (and trios...and viola/cello sonatas...and piano quintets...and songs) with a big helping of all the other Russian composers, Brahms chamber music, the Scriabin sonatas, helpings of Mozart and Chopin, etc.

EDIT: I looked up the contents of your 50th box to see what the overlap is. Prokofiev solo piano music, the Franck/Brahms chamber CD with Perlman, Rachmaninov preludes, suites for two pianos, and Sonata 2, all the Ravel solo/chamber stuff + one Debussy miniature, Shostakovich P&F, and Beethoven Diabelli Variations are notable overlaps. There are Schumann recordings in both boxes but he recorded them twice and they might be different - I believe that the purple one has earlier 60s recordings. The purple box obviously doesn't have anything involving an orchestra, and also doesn't have any Beethoven piano sonatas (but cello sonatas yes).

   Actually, I have that same box, and not the Decca one I mentioned above. I got it together with the companion box from Amazon.de
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41p4VjeD9IL.jpg).  You're going to be very happy, I think. The blue concerto box probably has some overlap with your Previn box, and has tons of duplicates (LvB, etc). I bought them because there was an incredible sale price, but so fell in love with his playing that I sussed out the Decca to see if there was enough extra material to make it worth acquiring that one as well. (There's not--but if the price was comparable, it would be the thriftiest choice of the 3.)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: André on March 22, 2020, 09:07:50 AM
[.quote author=Mookalafalas link=topic=23088.msg1275841#msg1275841 date=1584893085]
   Actually, I have that same box, and not the Decca one I mentioned above. I got it together with the companion box from Amazon.de
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41p4VjeD9IL.jpg).  You're going to be very happy, I think. The blue concerto box probably has some overlap with your Previn box, and has tons of duplicates (LvB, etc). I bought them because there was an incredible sale price, but so fell in love with his playing that I sussed out the Decca to see if there was enough extra material to make it worth acquiring that one as well. (There's not--but if the price was comparable, it would be the thriftiest choice of the 3.)
[/quote]

I thought Ashkenazy was the most recorded pianist alive, but much to my surprise I didn't find a Grieg or Liszt PC with him. I would have thought his style eminently suited to these works, but he surely knows better than me.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on March 23, 2020, 04:31:26 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on March 22, 2020, 08:04:45 AM
     You're going to be very happy, I think. The blue concerto box probably has some overlap with your Previn box, and has tons of duplicates (LvB, etc). I bought them because there was an incredible sale price, but so fell in love with his playing that I sussed out the Decca to see if there was enough extra material to make it worth acquiring that one as well. (There's not--but if the price was comparable, it would be the thriftiest choice of the 3.)

Thanks! I'm excited for it since I own zero of the recordings in the box somehow. And now that global shipping of leisure and non-essential goods has slowed to a crawl, I have several weeks of anticipation before it arrives. All this time at home has really helped me do a deeper dive into the albums in all these box sets. Lots of listening.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on March 24, 2020, 03:04:47 AM
Quote from: Brian on March 23, 2020, 04:31:26 PM
Thanks! I'm excited for it since I own zero of the recordings in the box somehow. And now that global shipping of leisure and non-essential goods has slowed to a crawl, I have several weeks of anticipation before it arrives. All this time at home has really helped me do a deeper dive into the albums in all these box sets. Lots of listening.

   It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good 8)
       Working my way through the concertos box, I found that he had worked quite a bit with Previn. I was guessing that you had hit upon some of those in that box, which you've praised highly, and that was sort of the inspiration for buying this one. Not so? 
   And I'm curious about your later feelings of the Barenboim box. You also spoke very positively about that after you had gotten it, but I haven't noticed comments about it since. Did it continue to hold your interest and meet your approval?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on March 24, 2020, 05:17:56 AM
The Previn box I have is his RCA/Sony recordings - no crossover with Decca or EMI and no Ashkenazy. I'd like another big Previn box with the LSO EMI recordings from the 70s... But the Sony one, yeah, still tremendous fun, my earlier comments still hold up.

Still exploring the solo Barenboim rather slowly. He's rarely my favorite performer in any piece but the guy has integrity, and was generally blessed with very nice instruments and recorded sound that help flatter him. I got it for like US $40 so I can't possibly complain about it  ;D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on March 24, 2020, 08:12:44 AM
Quote from: Brian on March 24, 2020, 05:17:56 AM
The Previn box I have is his RCA/Sony recordings - no crossover with Decca or EMI and no Ashkenazy. I'd like another big Previn box with the LSO EMI recordings from the 70s... But the Sony one, yeah, still tremendous fun, my earlier comments still hold up.

Still exploring the solo Barenboim rather slowly. He's rarely my favorite performer in any piece but the guy has integrity, and was generally blessed with very nice instruments and recorded sound that help flatter him. I got it for like US $40 so I can't possibly complain about it  ;D

   Yeah, I got it from Amazon.de for $25. I couldn't pass it up, but to be honest, I haven't even opened it. I have a lot of respect for Barenboim over all, but I have sooo many fantastic piano sets to listen to...he's pretty far down the list.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 01, 2020, 09:35:30 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on March 17, 2020, 10:24:29 PM
Alas, box enthusiasm has plummeted :(

    I've been selling quite a few items on Ebay (like the big Furtwangler)...but also buying some, especially when irresistibly cheap. I have very little WAM outside of the symphonies and PCs, and saw this for $111 with shipping from Amazon.UK
[asin]B00L2SQVVQ[/asin]

    However, I was a little disappointed by some of the upgrades from this earlier box, such as jettisoning Klara Wurtz for the piano pieces.
[asin]B000A0HFZS[/asin]
    What is a serious collector to do? Well, I checked the Used sets on Amazon.de, and someone was selling it for 30 Euros. Hard to beat a price like that...so got both 8)
   Looks like 2020 is going to be a WAM year for me.

  A funny thing happened on my way to 340 disks of WAM. I chickened out and canceled the new $111 box, deciding 1/2 the price for a similar collection would be good enough. However, the seller cancelled that, and now the low-priced new box is gone, too. Justly punished by the CD gods for dabbling in moderation and good judgment :'( :'( :'(
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: MusicTurner on April 01, 2020, 11:02:04 PM
I have the red box, due to a completist urge, got it for around just 4 Euros at a sale, one CD with some symphonies missing. The recordings of the Serenades/Divertimenti are good rivals to Vegh, I often quite like Wurtz in the sonatas, and some chamber music recordings are nice too. Plus you have a lot of lesser known vocal and instrumental music etc.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 02, 2020, 05:01:37 AM
Quote from: MusicTurner on April 01, 2020, 11:02:04 PM
I have the red box, due to a completist urge, got it for around just 4 Euros at a sale, one CD with some symphonies missing. The recordings of the Serenades/Divertimenti are good rivals to Vegh, I often quite like Wurtz in the sonatas, and some chamber music recordings are nice too. Plus you have a lot of lesser known vocal and instrumental music etc.

4 Euros! Wow.
   The big Green Box seems to be going OOP. Perhaps the next iteration is on the horizon?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: MusicTurner on April 02, 2020, 05:08:01 AM
Brilliant Classics certainly has big ressources and access to various recordings, it seems.

Or maybe Membran will produce something similar, albeit in older material, and probably not complete.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 02, 2020, 08:26:12 AM
Quote from: MusicTurner on April 02, 2020, 05:08:01 AM
Brilliant Classics certainly has big ressources and access to various recordings, it seems.

Or maybe Membran will produce something similar, albeit in older material, and probably not complete.

Funny you mention Membran. I was just listening to disks from the huge "Meister Konzerte" box--100 legendary live performances for $100.  Terrific stuff.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: MusicTurner on April 02, 2020, 08:36:39 AM
Membran has been great in making rare historical recordings more available, for sure.

I've got some of of their 4x-10x-17x etc. CD boxes & am thinking of the one you mention too, as well as the big Furtwängler box, but so far I have fought the urge ...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 02, 2020, 05:28:12 PM
Quote from: MusicTurner on April 02, 2020, 08:36:39 AM
Membran has been great in making rare historical recordings more available, for sure.

I've got some of of their 4x-10x-17x etc. CD boxes & am thinking of the one you mention too, as well as the big Furtwängler box, but so far I have fought the urge ...

   I just sold the Furtwangler.  3 out of 4 disks I pulled out had miserable sound, and/or so much coughing it sounded like the recording was made in a TB sanatorium. The Meister Konzerte box recordings are all a bit "historical" but not enough that it impairs my enjoyment.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on April 24, 2020, 12:57:57 PM
When you have the Charles Munch Boston box and the DG Boston box side by side, the resulting overall picture - over 100+ CDs - is of one of the most absolutely astonishing, engaging, exciting, vividly recorded, interesting-in-repertoire, and consistently rewarding legacies of any orchestra anywhere. Wowzers. I'm madly in love with both of these big boxes!

EDIT: I have had a slightly different first impression with the Ashkenazy box so far I must say - his artistry is consistent but man, in the 80s and even in the 90s Decca saddled him with some really unflattering engineering :( It's much better on lower-quality TV and car stereos than over good headphones.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: JBS on April 24, 2020, 03:40:06 PM
Quote from: Brian on April 24, 2020, 12:57:57 PM
When you have the Charles Munch Boston box and the DG Boston box side by side, the resulting overall picture - over 100+ CDs - is of one of the most absolutely astonishing, engaging, exciting, vividly recorded, interesting-in-repertoire, and consistently rewarding legacies of any orchestra anywhere. Wowzers. I'm madly in love with both of these big boxes!

EDIT: I have had a slightly different first impression with the Ashkenazy box so far I must say - his artistry is consistent but man, in the 80s and even in the 90s Decca saddled him with some really unflattering engineering :( It's much better on lower-quality TV and car stereos than over good headphones.

On behalf of Boston, thank you!

(The hospital where I was born is about 3/4 of a mile from Fenway Park. That hat in my Facebook avatar is but one of many Red Sox caps in my closet.)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 11, 2020, 05:48:13 PM
Quote from: Brian on April 24, 2020, 12:57:57 PM
When you have the Charles Munch Boston box and the DG Boston box side by side, the resulting overall picture - over 100+ CDs - is of one of the most absolutely astonishing, engaging, exciting, vividly recorded, interesting-in-repertoire, and consistently rewarding legacies of any orchestra anywhere. Wowzers. I'm madly in love with both of these big boxes!

EDIT: I have had a slightly different first impression with the Ashkenazy box so far I must say - his artistry is consistent but man, in the 80s and even in the 90s Decca saddled him with some really unflattering engineering :( It's much better on lower-quality TV and car stereos than over good headphones.

  Wow, that's some Boston enthusiasm! About a third of the disks are Ozawa. Are you equally enthusiastic about his recordings? I've not listened to much of his stuff and know reviews at GMG are somewhat mixed (as they are about Munch, whom I love).
  I also have a non-musical question about the Munch box. I have a digital copy, but not a physical one. I am thinking about getting it anyway, but am wondering if you can tell me about the CD sleeve quality thickness. There are 3 types: 1. spine is flat on the back, like a paper back book with name clearly printed (like disks in the Rubinstein box). 2. cardboard is heavy enough that names can be printed small on the back where the cardoard is folded over (Bernstein boxes) 3. there is nothing that can be called a spine or printed on (most DG and Harmonia Mundi disks). Hope that's clear! Thanks.

   And that's too bad about the Ashkenazy sound.  I've not noticed it, myself, but am in my 50s and not particularly sharp-eared. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on May 11, 2020, 06:27:11 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 11, 2020, 05:48:13 PM
  Wow, that's some Boston enthusiasm! About a third of the disks are Ozawa. Are you equally enthusiastic about his recordings? I've not listened to much of his stuff and know reviews at GMG are somewhat mixed (as they are about Munch, whom I love).
  I also have a non-musical question about the Munch box. I have a digital copy, but not a physical one. I am thinking about getting it anyway, but am wondering if you can tell me about the CD sleeve quality thickness. There are 3 types: 1. spine is flat on the back, like a paper back book with name clearly printed (like disks in the Rubinstein box). 2. cardboard is heavy enough that names can be printed small on the back where the cardoard is folded over (Bernstein boxes) 3. there is nothing that can be called a spine or printed on (most DG and Harmonia Mundi disks). Hope that's clear! Thanks.

   And that's too bad about the Ashkenazy sound.  I've not noticed it, myself, but am in my 50s and not particularly sharp-eared.
Hey man! Glad to help. Going in reverse order:

1. Listened to a couple of the early 60s Ashkenazy discs today. Those sound really good. It really seems to be only the early digital 80/90s stuff that sounds glassy to me.

2. Munch is like the Rubinstein and Szell and Casadesus boxes. The typeface is like on the Rubinstein, skinny rather than bold like the other two.

3. My impression from reviews and comments and stuff is that Ozawa has decided strengths and weaknesses. Mostly, in this box, he plays exactly to his strengths, which are super splashy 20th century and French music. I think because his recordings can be so, well, fun, they can create skepticism from more serious minded people.

Today I listened to the Mozart concerto album, eh it's okay, but he was quite smart to avoid Beethoven and Brahms and Schumann and those guys and instead focus on complete ballets, Ravel, Poulenc, Takemitsu, Berg, stuff like that. The only dud so far has been the Symphonie fantastique, and even that's more just "okay" than bad.

I've listened to almost half the box in just a month or so. I'll try to post a log tomorrow similar to the one I posted for the Previn box. That should be a fun activity!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 11, 2020, 09:01:41 PM
Thanks, Brian, I appreciate it :) 
   First, that makes sense about the Ashkenazy.  The early digital era is rather notorious for sound problems, apparently due to the learning curve of the move from analog to digital. That is probably why there is still a school of "analog is more accurate than digital" die-hards, and crazy over-priced DACs...
   And that's good news on the CD covers. I recently got the Bruno Walter box, and there is a strange pleasure (for me, anyway) in having solid, well made sleeves and clear printing and artwork. The Japanese often say that beautiful dishes make food taste better, and I feel a little bit like that about well crafted CD materials. I know its superficial, but if the packaging is attractive and first-rate, I'm a bit better disposed towards the contents even before the first note comes out of the speakers. Putting on a CD feels little more like an event. And the opposite can be true. I love the L'oiseau Lyre box sets, musically, and yet every time I take out one of the disks there is a "Really?! You couldn't spend an extra 50 cents a box to use real cardboard for the sleeves? >:("  Perhaps that is why I almost never play them...

   And I'm curious if you have, or have listed to much of the Mercury Living Presence sets.  Those have good sound (especially for their age) but are particularly fun for the wide range of music. They are relatively light on warhorses, and sometimes eye-opening in their unusual choices (less common pieces by Spanish and American composers, and oddball stuff like balalika, flamenco, Civil War band music, etc) and conductors (I really like Paul Paray and Dorati). Seems like something you might like.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on May 12, 2020, 06:39:32 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 11, 2020, 09:01:41 PM
   And I'm curious if you have, or have listed to much of the Mercury Living Presence sets.  Those have good sound (especially for their age) but are particularly fun for the wide range of music. They are relatively light on warhorses, and sometimes eye-opening in their unusual choices (less common pieces by Spanish and American composers, and oddball stuff like balalika, flamenco, Civil War band music, etc) and conductors (I really like Paul Paray and Dorati). Seems like something you might like.
As a food writer I agree with the Japanese  ;D and I do think that presentation in box sets matter...in fact I have been thinking about creating a Box Blather guide outlining the differences between Decca, DG, Sony, Warner, etc. box sets. Decca boxes have been annoying me lately because the paper sleeves don't have tracks/timings.

I have and love 3-4 Mercury Living Presence discs and have streamed several more. All of them are SO good. And conductors like Paray and Dorati can do little wrong in my eyes. But I didn't buy the big box sets fast enough and they're sold out or super expensive now. Darn! A regret  :(
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on May 12, 2020, 07:48:41 AM
Just listened to the Ashkenazy "Diabelli Variations" from the Decca big box. Really wonderful. Maybe one of the more enjoyable listens to this huge work that I've ever had. However, one of the tracks glitched out and went straight to the next one (no skipping, even). I'll have to inspect the disc and try it on another system.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on May 12, 2020, 08:02:13 AM
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61fRFXWyJSL._SL1200_.jpg)

Here are my notes on the DG Boston Symphony box set so far...

CD 1 - Debussy, Ravel, Scriabin / Abbado
Basically flawless, one of the highlights of Abbado's career. My favorite Debussy "Nocturnes," razor-sharp, glorious playing.

CD 2 - Tchaikovsky Symphony 1 / Tilson Thomas
It's interesting that they started recording MTT so young, he was only 25 at this session. This is almost a great recording of a not-so-famous symphony; the finale's fugue section is a little too slow and stodgy. But apart from those 2 minutes, everything else measures up to the finest recordings of Tchaikovsky 1. (Reference: Jurowski/LPO)

CD 3 - Strauss Zarathustra, Holst Planets / Steinberg
A classic. One of the greats.

CD 4 - Ruggles Sun Treader, Schuman Violin Concerto, Piston Symphony 2 / Tilson Thomas
I like them in that order: the Ruggles weirds me out, the Schuman is thorny but interesting, the Piston is REALLY good.

CD 7 - Stravinsky Rite, Le roi des etoiles / Tilson Thomas / Hindemith Mathis der Maler Symphony / Steinberg
I didn't listen to Rite yet, but the short Stravinsky piece with chorus is spooky and fun. The Hindemith is blazing (like 7 minutes faster than Salonen), virtuosic, passionate, amazing.

CD 8 - Mozart 41, Schubert Unfinished / Jochum
It's Jochum. It's really solid.

CD 9 - Symphonie fantastique / Ozawa
Relatively fast, relatively well played, but relatively uninteresting.

CD 13-15 - Ravel complete orchestral music / Ozawa
So far I've only listened to Bolero here. Good Bolero. Hurwitz says this is the best Ravel cycle recorded outside France.

CD 16 - Bartok Concerto for Orchestra + Miraculous Mandarin / Kubelik
Really good, but don't take my word for it; in the extensive booklet, there are a series of quotes from BSO members about their experiences in the recording sessions, and one musician singles this out as the best Bartok CfO interpretation she ever played for in her tenure with the orchestra. Hurwitz points out rightly that this is one of the few where you can hear slithering snarling horns in the first 45 seconds or so of the finale.

CD 17 - Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 2 (Rostropovich) / Falla El Sombrero de Tres Picos (Berganza) / Ozawa
Rostropovich! Berganza! Like...of course this is great. Someone here on GMG told me this is their favorite recording of any Shostakovich work.

CD 21 - Tchaikovsky Symphony 5 / Ozawa
Good, but not special. Interpretation is average, orchestra is stellar, which seems to be the story with all the relative disappointments of the Ozawa years.

CD 23 - Respighi Pines, Fountains, Festivals / Ozawa
Special. Or at least, as good as these pieces get. That said, there are a few really great Roman trilogies...anyway, this is one.

CD 24 - Respighi Ancient Airs and Dances / Ozawa
There aren't so many great recordings of these pieces. This is one - and it's apparently the only one for full symphony rather than chamber orchestra.

CD 25 - Liszt Faust Symphony / Bernstein
Lenny!! A crackling performance, super fun...I do think that the piece as a whole gets less interesting when people start singing, but you can't fault anything about this interpretation. Thriller. Listened yesterday.

CD 28 - Berg and Stravinsky violin concertos (Perlman) / Ozawa
I wished I liked this music enough to comment knowledgeably. Seems fine? Perlman is really good. Sorry, I am not one of the cool kids who is hip to Berg or most post-Petrushka Stravinsky. :(

CD 31 - Mozart clarinet and bassoon concertos, Takemitsu two pieces / Ozawa
The BSO's principals play the concertos. They are...fine. Nothing special. Clarinet tone is not as gorgeously soloistic as, say, Sabine Meyer or Martin Frost. The Takemitsu is good for Takemitsu fans, I guess? Not really my cup of tea. I preferred the shorter of the two works (13 minutes vs. 16). Quatrain features guest stars Tashi (Richard Stoltzman, Peter Serkin, Ida Kavafian, Fred Sherry).

CD 32 - Faure orchestral music / Ozawa
The Faure orchestral disc by which all others are judged. Period. Lorraine Hunt Lieberson cameo to make it extra-perfect.

CD 35 - Liszt piano concertos and Totentanz (Krystian Zimerman) / Ozawa
Hell yeah. Pedal to the metal! As good as this music gets.

CD 37 - Poulenc Gloria and Stabat mater / Ozawa
Great playing and singing (Kathleen Battle!). More or less definitive for these pieces, though there are a lot of other good recordings (avoid Paavo Jarvi on DG).

CD 41 - Mendelssohn Midsummer Night's Dream / Ozawa
I posted my thoughts in the listening thread a while ago, but the summary was that Judi Dench recites her first poem so quickly it's a blemish, and then she settles down and everything else about the CD is perfect. Best Dream suite on disc is still Szell/Cleveland imho, but this is the best complete edition. There is a lot of talking.

CD 44 - Rachmaninov Piano Concertos 1 and 2 (Krystian Zimerman) / Ozawa
The performance of No. 1 is really good. No. 2 Zimerman's intro was so painfully, stupidly slow that I turned it off in rage and put Hough on instead. Don't know how the remaining 30 minutes of it are because I doubt I will ever listen to it. On the other hand, since I only listened to 30 seconds, I can't call this an outright failure.

CD 50 - Shostakovich Symphony 6 / Nelsons
New recording from 2017 as part of Nelsons' ongoing cycle. This was recorded while they were making the box set and released on single CD after the box set was released, so CD 50 is just the 6th Symphony, only about 30 minutes long. The individual CD release includes a Seventh Symphony recorded after this box was put together, so the Seventh is technically not an omission. Really really good Sixth btw. Nelsons is good in Shostakovich. My girlfriend came in from a run during the scherzo and her comment was that she really liked it. I look forward to the other Shosty in here: 5, 8, 9, 10. Huh. Nelsons really went for the popular ones first.

CD 52 - "American Chamber Music" with Boston Symphony Chamber Players (Carter, Ives, Porter, Dvorak)
I've only listened to the Ives (a romantic miniature, not the crazy Ives many of us know and love/hate) and the Dvorak, which is the String Quintet Op. 77 with the optional intermezzo added. Seemed to be a really good recording until my CD started hopelessly skipping in the finale. I need to try it on a different player. There does appear to be a scratch on the outside edge. I'd be sad if I couldn't play this, as I love Op. 77 dearly. :(

CD 54 - Schoenberg, Berg and Webern arrangements of Johann Strauss waltzes + Stravinsky Octet, Pastorale, Ragtime, Concertino - all with Boston Symphony Chamber Players
On the way to get some takeout tacos, I played two Strauss waltzes (super great, and nice to hear the harmonium) and "Ragtime", which uhhhhhh does not sound like ragtime  ;D

CD 57 - a rediscovered session they forgot to release? Brahms Symphony 2 + Rossini Semiramide overture + Paganini Moto perpetuo (all Ozawa)
The Brahms is somewhat on the relaxed/pastoral side (21' first movement) but overall fine. Spirited finale and good Rossini. The Paganini is kind of an annoying piece of music but can't blame the performers.

MISSING FROM THE BOX: DG forgot two discs. They omitted Ozawa's Franck Symphony in D minor, and a Gidon Kremer violin CD coupling Schumann's cello concerto (re-orchestrated by Shostakovich and re-soloed by Kremer) and Shosty's VC 2. I have no idea why they did this. The 150 page booklet makes it clear that they hired a researcher and involved a number of BSO employees. They for sure knew about the Franck because the couplings are in the box, now on a different CD! Somehow everyone goofed badly. Ultimately, this is incredibly annoying to me but not a dealbreaker since it's still great value and full of classics. I have other good Franck Symphonies, notably in Martinon's Erato box. I could someday buy the complete Gidon Kremer box if I really wanted to. But like...come on, guys. Get your poop together.

BOX PRESENTATION: Elite level. The white tiled box depicted in online photos is actually a slipcover; the real box is a blue-green shade and has photos of every conductor, the orchestra, and the concert hall. The CD spines (just for you Mookafalakas) do NOT have content listings, but the back covers of each sleeve list tracks, timings, years recorded. The BSO Chamber Players discs have the names of every musician. The booklet is a beaut; English, German, and Japanese essays by Andris Nelsons, a longtime DG record producer, and the BSO publication manager, plus full recording provenance info, about a dozen BSO musician quotes about their favorite recording sessions, a billion photos, and a composer index. In summary, this box set is exactly how Big Boxes should all be done...except for the part where they forgot two CDs!!!

YET TO LISTEN: I know from a sample clip that Ozawa's Mahler 1 will be fun (CD 27). His Ravel is supposed to be great. Later today I will dive back into the Nelsons Shostakovich (CD 47, a Tenth with rather slow track timings). Kubelik's Smetana (CD 6) is obviously gonna be good. (Man, they had some good guest conductors.) There is a very long Sofia Gubaidulina piece called Offertorium (CD 40) and I don't know if it will be interesting or intolerable. I heard John Williams' TreeSong on the radio at age like 16 and thought it was a weird sweet-sour combo of crowd pleasing and crowd antagonizing; but I'm twice as old now so maybe I'll appreciate it better (CD 45). Most of the BSO Chamber Players albums are Schoenberg, of whose work I really like the first Chamber Symphony (which is here), but I am excited for the highly regarded Debussy sonatas album (rounded out with a chamber arrangement of "Afternoon of a Faune" for string quintet, flute, oboe, clarinet, piano, harmonium, and TWO "antique cymbals" players!! That is a lot of antique cymbal crashing!). I've never heard Stravinsky's Soldier's Tale and a John Gielgud narrated version looks like a posh place to start.

QUESTION: If CD 52 really is scratched, who do I contact? Someone at DG? I don't want a whole new box. Just like a replacement of that CD. And uhh maybe if they could mail me the Franck and Kremer...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: André on May 12, 2020, 08:14:34 AM
No Hindemith Music for Strings and Brass ? It was on the B side of the Steinberg/Hindemith LP.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on May 12, 2020, 08:21:21 AM
What about Faust and Romeo and Juliet with Ozawa, weren't these Boston recordings as well?

Which ones contained in the box have never been available internationally or at all on CD? The Brahms 2nd, and probably some of the chamber players? (I might have bought a small box with all of the BSO chamber players DG recording.)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 12, 2020, 08:25:54 AM
Wow! Quite the review! Thanks, Brian.  I have spent a big chunk of this evening going through my collection to see how many of these disks I have so I don't have to buy the box.  I don't want to buy another...
(I've sold almost 30 box sets on Ebay, generally at a modest profit. I was excited and figured I'd parted with most, but I counted and it turns out I've still got 102 left. How did that happen?)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on May 12, 2020, 09:41:12 AM
Quote from: André on May 12, 2020, 08:14:34 AM
No Hindemith Music for Strings and Brass ? It was on the B side of the Steinberg/Hindemith LP.
Sorry, yes, it's there and it's great!

Quote from: Jo498 on May 12, 2020, 08:21:21 AM
What about Faust and Romeo and Juliet with Ozawa, weren't these Boston recordings as well?

Which ones contained in the box have never been available internationally or at all on CD? The Brahms 2nd, and probably some of the chamber players? (I might have bought a small box with all of the BSO chamber players DG recording.)
I don't know the answer to your CD availability question, but the answer to Faust and R&J is that they are there, they are not listed there only because I have not yet listened to them.

Mookalafalas - you have 102 big boxes?! Wow. How many CDs does a box have to contain in order to count as a big box? Maybe I'll count mine  ;D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: MusicTurner on May 12, 2020, 09:46:48 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 12, 2020, 08:25:54 AM
Wow! Quite the review! Thanks, Brian.  I have spent a big chunk of this evening going through my collection to see how many of these disks I have so I don't have to buy the box.  I don't want to buy another...
(I've sold almost 30 box sets on Ebay, generally at a modest profit. I was excited and figured I'd parted with most, but I counted and it turns out I've still got 102 left. How didthat[happen?)

Interesting, but why not. How do you define those boxes then?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 12, 2020, 10:21:30 AM
Most are 50-60. I didn't count the little clam-shell guys at all, but a lot are smaller, 20-30. "The Secret Labyrinth" is only 15, but I have 4 Membran boxes and a Harmonia Mundi that are 100 each, and a couple Brilliant sets and the Paillard that are well over a hundred.  I've got about 10 that I've never opened, that I'm just waiting to go OOP and then sell. (I just did that with the big Brendel box yesterday. Actually, I didn't even own that one. It's OOP, but my local shop still had it on the shelf for $250. I listed it on EBay for $625, and someone bought it. I had to run down to the shop and buy it before it disappeared.)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: MusicTurner on May 12, 2020, 10:31:53 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 12, 2020, 10:21:30 AM
Most are 50-60. I didn't count the little clam-shell guys at all, but a lot are smaller, 20-30. "The Secret Labyrinth" is only 15, but I have 4 Membran boxes and a Harmonia Mundi that are 100 each, and a couple Brilliant sets and the Paillard that are well over a hundred.  I've got about 10 that I've never opened, that I'm just waiting to go OOP and then sell. (I just did that with the big Brendel box yesterday. Actually, I didn't even own that one. It's OOP, but my local shop still had it on the shelf for $250. I listed it on EBay for $625, and someone bought it. I had to run down to the shop and buy it before it disappeared.)

That's a lot. Do you partly concentrate on boxes, or are single-double CDs just as plentiful? It's difficult selling stuff in Europe these days, possibly unless you wait for the items to be rare. They are worth very little, if I go to a shop here in Denmark, trying to sell them.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 12, 2020, 10:55:02 AM
I have about 3 classical CDs that weren't part of a box (lots of old jazz and rock, though). If I tried to sell anything at a second-hand shop, it wouldn't be worth it, I think. Ebay is pretty good, but they take a pretty big cut (about 13%), and then paypal gets some, too. And as I live in Taiwan, shipping cost a lot.

   Surprisingly, mega-boxes and ebay are what really got me into classical music. The first big box I saw was Miles Davis. I bought that, and then a Jazz set and couldn't believe I was getting great CDs for $2 a piece. I started looking on ebay to buy more, and saw some classical boxes going for really high prices (The big Heiffetz box, and the Red Mercury box). I saw them at my local store and bought them and sold them on ebay without opening them. I had no idea what kind of music was inside, but was curious. At about that time, my store got the Phillips box in. It was $100 for 55 CDs. I bought it as an impulse buy, started playing the music and...you know the rest ;D.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: MusicTurner on May 12, 2020, 10:59:57 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 12, 2020, 10:55:02 AM
I have about 3 classical CDs that weren't part of a box (lots of old jazz and rock, though). If I tried to sell anything at a second-hand shop, it wouldn't be worth it, I think. Ebay is pretty good, but they take a pretty big cut (about 13%), and then paypal gets some, too. And as I live in Taiwan, shipping cost a lot.

   Surprisingly, mega-boxes and ebay are what really got me into classical music. The first big box I saw was Miles Davis. I bought that, and then a Jazz set and couldn't believe I was getting great CDs for $2 a piece. I started looking on ebay to buy more, and saw some classical boxes going for really high prices (The big Heiffetz box, and the Red Mercury box). I saw them at my local store and bought them and sold them on ebay without opening them. I had no idea what kind of music was inside, but was curious. At about that time, my store got the Phillips box in. It was $100 for 55 CDs. I bought it as an impulse buy, started playing the music and...you know the rest ;D.

OK, so customers for the bigger boxes - is there a geographical pattern? I've sold some smaller stuff and LPs via Ebay.co.uk to many parts of world, Japanese and Korean collectors being among the best ... but postage and customs can be a hindrance when selling abroad ... guess the customer group in the US is large enough ...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 12, 2020, 11:23:00 AM
Quote from: MusicTurner on May 12, 2020, 10:59:57 AM
OK, so customers for the bigger boxes - is there a geographical pattern? I've sold some smaller stuff and LPs via Ebay.co.uk to many parts of world, Japanese and Korean collectors being among the best ... but postage and customs can be a hindrance when selling abroad ... guess the customer group in the US is large enough ...

   Amazon UK ships incredibly cheaply, but apparently comparable rates aren't available to citizens, so yeah, that will hit you pretty hard {at least mailing to Taiwan. I have no idea about in the EU}.  The stuff I've sold has mostly been to the US, but some in Japan, one each in Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany, The UK, and Finland. I sold to a guy in England, but he said he got hit with a brutal import tax.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on June 12, 2020, 12:40:37 AM
Got these two cheaply from Am UK.  Am Veeeery happy. Gorgeous sound and playing.

[asin]B07XGSC351[/asin]

Am US says this won't be released til August 7!! Weird.
[asin]B083XVDXXD[/asin]

  It's teaching me to be a chamber lover.  I keep replaying disk 2, WAM's "Spring" and "The Hunt". I've never been able to get very excited about string quartets, except for LvB. I don't really understand them very much, and tend to find them rather homogeneous.  Same is kind of true for this, and yet I keep playing it and don't get tired of it ???  Weird.  Recorded in 1976.  If I close my eyes I can almost believe they are in my room...
   Set comes with 8 DVDs. 7 are LvB cycle from 1989, which is also included on CD, which is a tad unfortunate (I initially assumed it was another cycle).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on August 09, 2020, 02:15:34 PM
META DISCUSSION

I thought it might be useful to discuss the presentation of the big box sets by the various different labels, and to air compliments and complaints about each label's general style.

Sony Classical/RCA/Columbia. Probably the most comprehensive label out there in terms of mining its catalogue and presenting rarities in new boxes? There's a difference between their Super Big Boxes and the smaller ones - the big ones are made of sturdier material and have sturdier sleeves, including spines with tiny text telling you what's on the CD, so you can look at all the spines and find what you want. (They did this with Szell, Rubinstein, Munch, etc. but oddly not Salonen.) With LP-era materials, Sony not only does a charming "fake LP" look to the physical CD itself, but adds the original back cover of the album to the back cover of the CD sleeve. I've got good prescription glasses so I can read that stuff, but some of the older folks here have mentioned pulling out magnifying glasses. The CD-era stuff, by contrast, has less helpful sleeves: track numbers, work, that's about it, no full track listings/timings.

There seems to be a sincere attempt to really dig through the archives and find all sorts of stuff, and a nerdy completism I really enjoy. Like it's rare for a Sony box to come out and people to say things like, "It says it's the complete Szell, but they forgot the 1939 LP of Liszt's Preludes" or whatever. Whereas Decca and DG are remarkably bad at that. (In fact one time Sony forgot a Lenny recording and literally taped an extra CD to the outside of the boxes for shipment in order to avoid the embarrassment of being "incomplete.") Usually the booklet has a full discography section, too. I especially appreciate the series of smaller boxes dedicated to just about every pianist who ever recorded for Columbia or RCA, ranging from famous names like Freire and Watts to now-obscure folks like Brailowsky and Masselos. It feels like they're being very purposeful about reviving historical material.

Wishlist: I look forward to buying the eventual giant Ormandy box, and I'm also hoping for Slatkin/RCA and Fiedler/Boston Pops boxes. Conversely, I'm sad I missed buying the Reiner megabox. There are probably many more soloists to come, as well. Sony feels like the only label where there are whole chunks of back catalogue that I don't know about at all that they might spring on us as a total surprise. Hurwitz also interestingly lobbies for a reissue of Dick Hyman's Scott Joplin series, which apparently included a discussion disc with Eubie Blake talking you through how to do ragtime properly. Heck yeah.

Warner/Erato. My favorite presentation style of the major labels. I love the outrageous OCD level of detail printed on the back of each CD sleeve: tracks, timings, artists, recording dates, licensing info, it's all there on each one. And I really enjoy the attention to high-quality artwork which has been shown in the complete Berlioz (all Turner!) and complete Debussy, and probably soon the complete Ravel. Unlike Sony, Warner combines the "original jacket" mentality with a desire to shove more stuff on there - I love how the Roussel Edition has the original album artworks on the sleeves, but then adds a bunch of filler to the ends of each. (They did forget Le marchand de sable qui passe, but whatever...) So for presentation and style points, these are tops. Even the new generic budget line is handsome, even though many of the boxes are rehashes of the same catalogue staples that they've already published in 4 previous box sets.

Erato especially has been enterprising in republishing historic out-of-print stuff, but EMI has already reissued its back recordings about 8092357508935 times over the last 20 years, which means they've basically run out. Still, given the neatness of the presentation, I like to have the new versions.

Wishlist: Ideally, instead of doing shit like "Previn: The LSO Years" with 10 random discs excerpted from the whole, they'll do the complete Previn LSO years. (Decca is even worse about this.) I will buy the complete Leif Ove Andsnes box, for sure.

Deutsche Grammophon. I've noticed serious differences between the DG boxes in terms of presentation. Glossy or matte finish, regular side opening or flip-top opening, lots of detail on the CD sleeves or no detail at all, paper slipcover over the whole thing or none, DG does it all. It makes it really hard to predict how desirable an edition will be before you buy it. The Boston Symphony box is probably the handsomest and loveliest in design in my whole collection: paper slipcover, nicely designed box featuring photos of the orchestra and its conductors, full detailed listings of tracks and recording dates on each sleeve, a great booklet full of reminiscences by orchestra members...and then they forgot two whole albums!! Inconsistency. I wish I knew more about DG boxes before buying them.

You'd expect German precision with this label, but DG's complete editions forget stuff and their presentation is erratic. Still, they have an undisputable legacy of good old stuff. I mean, complete editions of Jochum, Fricsay, Kubelik, it's hard to say no to that. There is some duplication. They issued a series of Argerich boxes, then a giant box of all the Argerich; more recently, they issued solo, chamber, and concerto boxes for Maria Joao Pires, and this fall they're doing...the complete Maria Joao Pires. Surely that's time they could have wasted on something else?

Wishlist: Now that I've got the Boston Box, I want another collection of Deutschamerikana: the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. And how about a complete Igor Markevitch collection?

Decca. Ugh, I hate Decca boxes. The CD sleeves are what bothers me: They just list the works on the disc, the artists, and that's it. No timings, no track listings, if you want information, look in the damn booklet. Half the time it doesn't even say "CD 6" in the corner. And they wouldn't be caught dead doing spines with summaries, like Sony does. Decca has some tempting stuff - I bought the Ashkenazy Artist's Choice with the pianist's favorites from his own work, and I'm kinda eying the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. But the missing attention to detail bothers me. For some reason their HIP Haydn Symphonies cycle, collecting Bruggen and Hogwood and Dantone, is an exception - the one time someone in charge actually cared?

Even worse is Decca's tendency to do "The _ Years" or "The _ Legacy" box sets that aren't actually the complete recordings available from the group/era in question. Like, they have a Blomstedt box, and I could probably enjoy a Blomstedt box...but it's not complete. Ditto their Kertesz box - not complete. The new ASMF is a "highlights" box, but with some record exec choosing the highlights, which is why there's a bunch of stuff with Joshua Bell instead of a deep dive into Marriner's 20th century neoclassical repertoire. I'd love a 20th Century Hogwood box, but if they ever did a Hogwood box I bet it would be "here's 25 Mozart and Haydn albums and like 5 modern things selected at random." Occasionally something unusual and rare and cool will make it into production, like the complete Cecile Ousset.

Naxos. Naxos is another label that has way different approaches to their different boxes. My complete Grieg piano works and complete Haydn masses are cap-tops, where most of the box comes off and you have a bunch of CD sleeves in a little stand. The Grieg sleeves all have pretty, over-colorized pictures of fjords; the Haydn is just track listings on a gray background. There's usually a pretty decent booklet. I'm a little curious about the complete Beethoven, which uses pride-rainbow colors to distinguish the composer's different genres against an all-white background, and the collected Maggini Quartet British music recordings. Hey, what happened to the Maggini Quartet?

Alpha. If the lack of track details on Decca CD sleeves make me a grumpy cat, you can only imagine how I felt getting Alpha's "Splendeurs de Versailles" box and discovering the sleeves have...literally nothing written on them except the program title. Boo. Stylish design, of course, because everything Alpha makes looks kinda cool.

Dacapo. You can tell that when this label makes a box set, it's a source of cultural/national pride and they put effort into making it handsome, well-notated, and generally worth your time.

BIS and Supraphon. Good booklets, utilitarian cheap paper sleeves for the CDs.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on August 09, 2020, 02:22:53 PM
Quote from: Brian on May 12, 2020, 08:02:13 AM
CD 52 - "American Chamber Music" with Boston Symphony Chamber Players (Carter, Ives, Porter, Dvorak)
I've only listened to the Ives (a romantic miniature, not the crazy Ives many of us know and love/hate) and the Dvorak, which is the String Quintet Op. 77 with the optional intermezzo added. Seemed to be a really good recording until my CD started hopelessly skipping in the finale. I need to try it on a different player. There does appear to be a scratch on the outside edge. I'd be sad if I couldn't play this, as I love Op. 77 dearly. :(
Also a quick update to this note on the Boston SO box. The problem was with the CD player - this disc is 82 minutes and my cheaper player goes on the fritz after 80. The better one played it just fine. And last week I listened to Ozawa's complete Daphnis and it is grreeeeeaaaat, 10/10, maybe my new favorite over Monteux?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: André on August 09, 2020, 03:22:34 PM
Good stuff, Brian !  Very useful info  :).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: JBS on August 09, 2020, 07:12:48 PM
Quote from: Brian on August 09, 2020, 02:15:34 PM
META DISCUSSION

I thought it might be useful to discuss the presentation of the big box sets by the various different labels, and to air compliments and complaints about each label's general style.


Naxos. Naxos is another label that has way different approaches to their different boxes. My complete Grieg piano works and complete Haydn masses are cap-tops, where most of the box comes off and you have a bunch of CD sleeves in a little stand. The Grieg sleeves all have pretty, over-colorized pictures of fjords; the Haydn is just track listings on a gray background. There's usually a pretty decent booklet. I'm a little curious about the complete Beethoven, which uses pride-rainbow colors to distinguish the composer's different genres against an all-white background, and the collected Maggini Quartet British music recordings. Hey, what happened to the Maggini Quartet?


Naxos boxes.
The Beethoven box is very barebones. Any details you need to refer to the booklet. To be fair, some CD are so packed with fragments, ephemera, and short pieces that a CD back cover would not have space for a track listing.  Worst things about the contents: instead of Jeno Jando's complete sonata cycle they have 29 sonatas by Jando and the three sonatas Boris Giltburg recorded a couple of years ago; and the Grosse Fuge is performed by the Fine Arts Quartet on a CD devoted to miscellaneous fugues and canons instead of being performed by the Kodaly Quartet as part of the string quartet cycle.

The fact that those are the two worst things I can say about it should lead you to correctly infer I think it's a very good box. It's supercomplete: just about every note Beethoven wrote that has been preserved is included.  Some tracks are less than ten seconds long.  The liner notes concentrate on LvB's development through each genre rather than extended discussions of individual works.

The Maggini box CDs have the front and back covers of the original CDs printed on cardboard sleeves, and the liner notes collected into the booklet.
For some reason, the bulk of the box is taken up by composers whose name started with B. Perhaps they intended a comprehensive series but ran out of steam by the time they got to the letter C?  At any rate I think it's also a good box.

The Maggini Quartet is apparently still active. .Or at least has a website. 
http://maggini.net/wordpress2/

The original 2nd violinist, David Angel, died suddenly in 2017 (heart attack) and was succeeded by a gentleman named Ciaran McCabe. They have recorded for Meridian Records. The website mentions a recording of two of Beethoven's Op 18 quartets to be released this year, but the date on the announcement is 2016, so I don't know what impact Angel's death had on that.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on August 10, 2020, 05:35:06 AM
Quote from: Brian on August 09, 2020, 02:15:34 PM
Dacapo. You can tell that when this label makes a box set, it's a source of cultural/national pride and they put effort into making it handsome, well-notated, and generally worth your time.

The Holmboe string quartets box fails to have any track listings or information on the individual sleeves or the actual discs, beyond a CD number. All of the details you have to find in the booklet.

The 2 Nielsen boxes I have do not suffer the same problem.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on August 10, 2020, 12:45:58 PM
Thanks for the comments and info so far, JBS and Madiel. Very interesting start to this discussion.  8)

Wonder why on earth Dacapo veered from their normal standard for the Holmboe.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: staxomega on August 29, 2020, 08:15:38 AM
Anyone here pick up the Alban Berg Complete Warner set having problems playing the DVDs, and are they region 0? One reviewer on Amazon said some of the discs won't play. Thanks.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on September 06, 2020, 01:40:43 PM
Confession: currently tempted by the Zubin Mehta Los Angeles Decca box.

Quote from: Brian on August 09, 2020, 02:15:34 PM
Sony/RCA Wishlist: I look forward to buying the eventual giant Ormandy box, and I'm also hoping for Slatkin/RCA and Fiedler/Boston Pops boxes. Conversely, I'm sad I missed buying the Reiner megabox. There are probably many more soloists to come, as well. Sony feels like the only label where there are whole chunks of back catalogue that I don't know about at all that they might spring on us as a total surprise. Hurwitz also interestingly lobbies for a reissue of Dick Hyman's Scott Joplin series, which apparently included a discussion disc with Eubie Blake talking you through how to do ragtime properly. Heck yeah.

Warner Wishlist: Ideally, instead of doing shit like "Previn: The LSO Years" with 10 random discs excerpted from the whole, they'll do the complete Previn LSO years. (Decca is even worse about this.) I will buy the complete Leif Ove Andsnes box, for sure.

Deutsche Grammophon Wishlist: Now that I've got the Boston Box, I want another collection of Deutschamerikana: the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. And how about a complete Igor Markevitch collection?

Decca Wishlist: Blomstedt San Francisco complete recordings, not highlights.
Update: DG will be releasing a Markevitch Big Box in 2021.

Here's an idle thought: what about a Grumiaux Decca/Philips/DG big box? That could potentially be quite the enjoyable doorstop.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on September 06, 2020, 06:41:49 PM
Quote from: Spotted Horses on September 06, 2020, 01:55:03 PM
Are you you using a freeware ripping application that retrieves track info from a free server? I'd so, you might try iTunes, which will access the real gracenote database.

Um... I'm playing the CDs and literally talking about the CD covers and the booklet. Everything I said was clearly about physical objects. Why does ripping come into it?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on September 13, 2020, 06:36:57 PM
Had a dream that I was thinking about buying the Complete Beethoven Naxos box and looked down at the floor and there it was!

This may be what they call a "sign".
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Todd on September 13, 2020, 06:39:44 PM
Quote from: Brian on September 13, 2020, 06:36:57 PM
Had a dream that I was thinking about buying the Complete Beethoven Naxos box and looked down at the floor and there it was!

This may be what they call a "sign".


A good sign.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Que on September 14, 2020, 12:51:27 AM
Quote from: Brian on September 13, 2020, 06:36:57 PM
Had a dream that I was thinking about buying the Complete Beethoven Naxos box and looked down at the floor and there it was!

This may be what they call a "sign".

You must have a lot of shelf space! Or a big garage...  :D

Q
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on September 14, 2020, 05:13:02 AM
Quote from: Que on September 14, 2020, 12:51:27 AM
You must have a lot of shelf space! Or a big garage...  :D

Q
the opposite sadly - no garage at all! The big Charles Munch and Robert Casadesus boxes live in a closet behind my shirts  ??? ???
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: staxomega on November 06, 2020, 06:42:30 AM
Samson Francois' new Erato Complete Recordings - does anyone know if there is any additional music on it compared to the old L'Edition Integrale? Or are the additional 18 CDs on the former due to the discs being shorter to preserve the original jacket theme?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on November 06, 2020, 07:02:38 AM
I have a hard time imagining they could have found even more music. The old integral included quite a bit of odds, ends, live recordings (I don't think I ever listened to the whole thing, I should make it a long term project like with the Rubinstein box....). But I don't know the answer.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: staxomega on November 06, 2020, 08:29:18 AM
Quote from: Jo498 on November 06, 2020, 07:02:38 AM
I have a hard time imagining they could have found even more music. The old integral included quite a bit of odds, ends, live recordings (I don't think I ever listened to the whole thing, I should make it a long term project like with the Rubinstein box....). But I don't know the answer.

From a classical thread on another hifi forum it looks like there are two concerts from 1969, 1970 and a DVD documentary. As much as I love looking at that old LP art I think I'll stream those concerts to see if I'm missing much but will more than likely stick with my old L'Edition Integrale.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on November 17, 2020, 02:52:27 PM
(https://www.europadisc.co.uk/images/products-190/1518524543_9029580172.jpg)

Nobody has mentioned this recent release, probably a third string in the "Guitar Big Box" sweepstakes behind the Julian Bream and John Williams megaboxes. I just bought it, though. It revives the long out-of-print 60s-70s Erato series dedicated to guitar music, including a lot of (then-)contemporary works, played by a bunch of prizewinners from that era, many of whom are no longer especially famous. But when I saw that they hired Leo Brouwer to do three LPs, all included in the box - Brouwer Plays Brouwer, a disc of music by his fellow Cubans, and his transcriptions of Scarlatti - I more or less immediately hit purchase. Brouwer is one of our great living musical minds, in my eccentric opinion.

There is a bonus disc including obligatory Rodrigo concertos for no particular reason; it wasn't part of the original series. 25 CDs for $50, if any guitar or Brouwer megafans are out there. My copy should arrive in 2ish weeks, along with the new Szell/Warner and Hurwitz's recommendation of the Theodore Kuchar Brilliant box.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on November 28, 2020, 06:18:01 AM
Seeing clearance sales on three EMI box sets featuring clarinetist Sabine Meyer in a variety of concertos and woodwind chamber music. The sets were released 2012-14 and are 5-7 discs each. It's tempting to grab them at the rock bottom prices - but then I get to thinking, does this mean that Warner will soon be releasing a Sabine Meyer Complete box set? It would be somewhere around 20 discs, totally manageable.

To buy the current boxes, or gamble on a future big one...  :-X 8)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: JBS on November 28, 2020, 06:29:36 AM
Quote from: Brian on November 28, 2020, 06:18:01 AM
Seeing clearance sales on three EMI box sets featuring clarinetist Sabine Meyer in a variety of concertos and woodwind chamber music. The sets were released 2012-14 and are 5-7 discs each. It's tempting to grab them at the rock bottom prices - but then I get to thinking, does this mean that Warner will soon be releasing a Sabine Meyer Complete box set? It would be somewhere around 20 discs, totally manageable.

To buy the current boxes, or gamble on a future big one...  :-X 8)
I have the 2 concerto boxes and part of the 3rd box as a 3CD set devoted to Mozart. I suggest getting them now, if they do contain all her EMI recordings.
Plus you don't know that there will be a Complete Recordings set.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on November 28, 2020, 07:40:12 AM
Meyer's are recordings mostly from the 80s and 90s, if I am not mistaken? (It would have helped to post at least one link or picture...)  Meyer and friends recorded a lot of stuff probably only hardcore clarinet/woodwind enthusiasts will want, which reduces the attractivity of a complete box. So if the repertoire in the smaller boxes appeals to you, I'd get what you want. You also never know if the next step is complete box or gone forever (or 2nd copies).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: JBS on November 28, 2020, 06:35:12 PM
Quote from: Jo498 on November 28, 2020, 07:40:12 AM
Meyer's are recordings mostly from the 80s and 90s, if I am not mistaken? (It would have helped to post at least one link or picture...)  Meyer and friends recorded a lot of stuff probably only hardcore clarinet/woodwind enthusiasts will want, which reduces the attractivity of a complete box. So if the repertoire in the smaller boxes appeals to you, I'd get what you want. You also never know if the next step is complete box or gone forever (or 2nd copies).

This is the chamber music set.
[Asin]B00E6F12B6[/asin]

ETA
Which btw I just ordered. That way I won't be tempted by the Complete Recordings box.
The concertos in the other two sets seem fairly mainstream.  The most recherche composer included is probably Krommer.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on November 28, 2020, 11:37:44 PM
Who but a hardcore clarinet fan would want two full discs with Stamitz concerti?
The Harmoniemusik would be more appealing to me but I'd also say that about half of it is rather niche woodwind lover repertoire. It also seems to me that Meyer's recordings were well marketed and distributed at least in Germany, so it is usually not a problem finding older single issues on the 2nd hand market, if one is looking for a particular item.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: MusicTurner on November 29, 2020, 04:47:17 AM
Quote from: Jo498 on November 28, 2020, 11:37:44 PM
Who but a hardcore clarinet fan would want two full discs with Stamitz concerti?
The Harmoniemusik would be more appealing to me but I'd also say that about half of it is rather niche woodwind lover repertoire. It also seems to me that Meyer's recordings were well marketed and distributed at least in Germany, so it is usually not a problem finding older single issues on the 2nd hand market, if one is looking for a particular item.

Stamitz certainly isn't among the most interesting of composers, but much to my surprise, I really enjoyed the clarinet concertos series on Naxos, partly available on Brilliant too, in their great value Clarinet Concertos box.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on April 07, 2021, 12:44:47 PM
For Todd, me, and some other folks who preordered the complete Arthur Grumiaux big box, a warning in an Amazon.de customer review:

"discs 44&45 are exactly the same! Universal should do something about this!!!! Namely the Beethoven concerto with Colin Davis and Concertgebouw Orchestra is missing!!!!"

(44 is the Galliera/Philharmonia Beethoven, 45 is supposed to be the Davis/Concertgebouw)
Title: Re: Box Blather: Complete Ormandy/Philadelphia Recordings
Post by: Cato on April 07, 2021, 05:22:06 PM
I just came across this: it is high time!

SONY is releasing its Columbia archive, over 200 CD's, of the complete Eugene Ormandy - Philadelphia Orchestra performances.  120 CD's of the monaural recordings will be released first.


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QRXT715/?tag=thesecdis-20 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QRXT715/?tag=thesecdis-20)


Quote

"...The Columbia Legacy, fully authorized by the Philadelphia Orchestra, is dedicated to Ormandy's mono recordings made for Columbia Records through 1957; his subsequent stereo albums beginning in 1958 number over 200.  While Columbia parent Sony has released various boxes of Ormandy material over the years, this is the first large-scale effort to chronologically collect all of his Columbia recordings with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Philadelphia "Pops" Orchestra in order.  (Some years back, Sony Japan surveyed a few dozen of his stereo LPs in remastered editions.)  The set is in "original album" format, and Sony has also retained the material from the original albums even when Ormandy wasn't conducting; hence, the inclusion here of a number of recordings conducted by Andre Kostelanetz, Bruno Walter, George Szell, and others.  (Note that the 1954 album of Schumann's Concerto in A Minor for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 129 featuring cellist Pablo Casals and the Prades Festival Orchestra is absent.  Ormandy conducted the orchestra but was uncredited on the LP.)

These seminal works represent the flowering of Ormandy's Philadelphia Sound, well-known for its lush strings.  While the advent of stereo was a boon for classical orchestras, bringing an even more lifelike sound and splendor into living rooms everywhere, these earlier interpretations are favored by some Ormandy enthusiasts for their energy and power. ..."




One of those would be Ormandy's performance with the Philadelphia Orchestra of Rachmaninoff's  Isle of the Dead.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Karl Henning on April 07, 2021, 05:34:45 PM
Quote from: Cato on April 07, 2021, 05:22:06 PM
I just came across this: it is high time!

SONY is releasing its Columbia archive, over 200 CD's, of the complete Eugene Ormandy - Philadelphia Orchestra performances.  120 CD's of the monaural recordings will be released first.


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QRXT715/?tag=thesecdis-20 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QRXT715/?tag=thesecdis-20)




One of those would be Ormandy's performance with the Philadelphia Orchestra of Rachmaninoff's  Isle of the Dead.


Sacrée vache!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: staxomega on April 11, 2021, 05:49:11 AM
Quote from: Brian on April 07, 2021, 12:44:47 PM
For Todd, me, and some other folks who preordered the complete Arthur Grumiaux big box, a warning in an Amazon.de customer review:

"discs 44&45 are exactly the same! Universal should do something about this!!!! Namely the Beethoven concerto with Colin Davis and Concertgebouw Orchestra is missing!!!!"

(44 is the Galliera/Philharmonia Beethoven, 45 is supposed to be the Davis/Concertgebouw)

Yes indeed, there is a discussion about it on another hifi forum. The latest news is Universal Music have acknowledged the problem so that is (hopefully) a good sign.

I'm really pleased with this box set so far with the performances I haven't heard before from Grumiaux.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: staxomega on April 25, 2021, 03:31:51 PM
Regarding the Grumiaux box, I started a thread on another board as there were a bunch of us there that bought it: https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/arthur-grumiaux-complete-philips-recordings-program-for-replacement-cd-45.1082991/
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 18, 2021, 04:05:57 AM
Brian, I remember your great enthusiasm for the earlier Previn box. Is this on your menu?
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81kPIfhl39L._SX522_.jpg)

  I recently moved to Japan, and don't have much music with me (my goods will eventually arrive, but now things are minimal). Saw this at the store for a good price, but don't know how this tranche of his work stacks up.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on May 18, 2021, 07:04:00 AM
Already bought it  ;D have had it for two weeks and listened to maybe 15-16 CDs. The really great asset is that he continually worked with great brass sections and encouraged them to really blow their lungs out. The Pittsburgh horns sound great in Mahler 4, the London horns and trombones are awesome in The Perfect Fool and their trumpet shines in Lieutenant Kije, etc.

There are some pretty random discs throughout which fall on the far edge of the repertoire. He plays Joplin ragtime with Itzhak Perlman (kind of odd but artistically perfectly executed), Victorian "pop" ballads and parlor songs on two CDs (not sure I will ever listen), a Ravi Shankar concerto (same), and even an Elgar Cockaigne overture conducted by Ted Heath, the prime minister. Poor old fart nearly falls asleep after a couple minutes and the performance takes eons, but the LSO still very charitably give it their all and play their hearts out. It must have made him very happy.

Anyway - great Shostakovich 4-6, 8, and 10, great Prokofiev 1 and 5 (I am excited to get to the complete Cinderella and R&J), legendary Rachmaninov complete orchestra set including The Bells. I haven't heard any duds yet, although the Hurwitz, who just posted a detailed video about this set, says the Planets and Manfred Symphony are duds. I have low expectations of the Beethoven.

Note that there are like 8 CDs with Perlman so if you got his box there will be overlap. But if not, Perlman is great so it's a plus.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on May 18, 2021, 12:38:24 PM
Hurwitz apparently has a 90 minute video praising the new Ormandy Giant Mono Box. That is really testing the limits of how much YouTube I will watch.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 18, 2021, 02:39:33 PM
 :D :D
   Thanks for the review, Brian. I reckon I'll have to pick it up.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on May 18, 2021, 03:14:50 PM
You should ;D only real complaint so far is they didn't fully match the red tints on the box and lid.

Oh and I'm glad to have a Saint-Saens piano concerto set on CD (with Collard in the box) but the set that I have on hi-res download with Louis Lortie on Chandos is definitely superior for sound, quick tempos, and orchestral excitement.

1980s recordings are not remastered, some others are remastered from 95-2010 ish, and some that are rare or little known are remastered 2017 by Warner Japan or brand new for this box. It's a hodgepodge if you are concerned about that. I am happy as a buyer for sure.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: André on May 18, 2021, 03:33:15 PM
Quote from: Brian on May 18, 2021, 12:38:24 PM
Hurwitz apparently has a 90 minute video praising the new Ormandy Giant Mono Box. That is really testing the limits of how much YouTube I will watch.

But before that, he has a 45 minute video on how not to review that box, in which he demolishes the Gramophone review by Richard Osborne (« Shame on you Mr Osborne! »).  :P

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tAb0B1_NIA&feature=youtu.be (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tAb0B1_NIA&feature=youtu.be)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 19, 2021, 01:14:45 AM
Quote from: Brian on May 18, 2021, 03:14:50 PM
It's a hodgepodge if you are concerned about that. I am happy as a buyer for sure.

I LIKE a hodgepodge. That's a plus for me. I expect to be happy.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 19, 2021, 01:24:59 AM
Quote from: André on May 18, 2021, 03:33:15 PM
But before that, he has a 45 minute video on how not to review that box, in which he demolishes the Gramophone review by Richard Osborne (« Shame on you Mr Osborne! »).  :P

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tAb0B1_NIA&feature=youtu.be (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tAb0B1_NIA&feature=youtu.be)

  I acquired digital downloads of about 20 disks of the Ormandy box.  Sound is fine, but I'm finding the performances rather stolid. I was hoping it would be like the Walters box, but with more range. So far (for me at least), Walter wowed me far more--with what I had expected to be tired warhorses--than Ormandy has with more exotic gems.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on May 19, 2021, 06:20:52 AM
Quote from: André on May 18, 2021, 03:33:15 PM
But before that, he has a 45 minute video on how not to review that box, in which he demolishes the Gramophone review by Richard Osborne (« Shame on you Mr Osborne! »).  :P

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tAb0B1_NIA&feature=youtu.be (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tAb0B1_NIA&feature=youtu.be)

Good grief! On vacation and unable to watch this week, but I did read the Gramophone review and it seemed like a candid and honest assessment by the writer?

Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 19, 2021, 01:24:59 AM
  I acquired digital downloads of about 20 disks of the Ormandy box.  Sound is fine, but I'm finding the performances rather stolid. I was hoping it would be like the Walters box, but with more range. So far (for me at least), Walter wowed me far more--with what I had expected to be tired warhorses--than Ormandy has with more exotic gems.

Did you acquire that piece called "The Squares of Philadelphia"? It's such bad "music" that I burst out laughing when the narrator entered with his ridiculous poetry.

Don't talk me into getting the Bruno Walter box too, now  >:( (well maybe do ... any favorites in it?)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 19, 2021, 02:53:05 PM
Quote from: Brian on May 19, 2021, 06:20:52 AM

Don't talk me into getting the Bruno Walter box too, now  >:( (well maybe do ... any favorites in it?)

  I wouldn't recommend it to you at all, Brian. You'd appreciate its qualities, but would soon find it a chore, I think. "Well, yeah, this is a particularly delicious brussels sprout, but you know..."
   You should go to the ebay web site and type in "Mercury Living Presence Box".  Second hand, those are very reasonable, and would bring you more joy, IMO.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: staxomega on May 21, 2021, 06:44:41 AM
I've been making my way through the Ormandy. I'm not sure I'm as enthusiastic about it as Hurwitz. Most of the performances are perfectly fine, but rarely would I say something is a definitive version based on my listening so far. Also the recording quality ranges from below average to average, Columbia were not great in the mono era. I'd say the main appeal of it for me is hearing more of the Philly Orchestra, they really are quite wonderful.

The Bruno Walter Complete Album Collection on the other hand is one of my desert island boxes, it has some of the very finest performances of numerous symphonies and usually in good to above average recording quality. Content wise I don't think there is much difference from the earlier The Bruno Walter Edition box, but I got rid of that one after hearing how much they killed the sound of the high end. This new box sounds much higher fidelity/truer to the tapes. In both box sets they are mostly using Sony's remixes that are well done and sound better to me than the original US LPs.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on May 24, 2021, 06:51:43 PM
I've been streaming samples from the Ormandy mono and Walter big boxes online and mostly agree with hvbias. The Ormandy mono is in such blah sound that, at least to my pedestrian ears, it sounds like any performance by any orchestra. Only the unusual repertoire is interesting, but even then, I started listening to some piece, forget which one, and then thought "but the sound is so much better on Naxos and the playing sounds the same." But the Walter stuff...holy cow. Supercharged Barber, amazing stereo Bruckner 4 with flawless truly romantic phrasing, rather formal but nice Haydn, ridiculously fast Dvorak 8, lovely Brahms choral stuff...ugh yeah I might need that one.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: The new erato on May 25, 2021, 12:18:25 AM
I'm mostly done with big boxes as they usually contain too much repertoire I usually already own in good (and too many) performances, but have bookmarked these 4 for purchases as they contain interesting repertoire and/or artists or genres of particular interest to mei :

(https://d1iiivw74516uk.cloudfront.net/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJwcmVzdG8tY292ZXItaW1hZ2VzIiwia2V5IjoiODkwNjM3NS4xLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTAwfSwianBlZyI6eyJxdWFsaXR5Ijo2NX0sInRvRm9ybWF0IjoianBlZyJ9LCJ0aW1lc3RhbXAiOjE2MTc5OTIxMjR9)
(https://d1iiivw74516uk.cloudfront.net/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJwcmVzdG8tY292ZXItaW1hZ2VzIiwia2V5IjoiODkxNDk0My4xLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTAwfSwianBlZyI6eyJxdWFsaXR5Ijo2NX0sInRvRm9ybWF0IjoianBlZyJ9LCJ0aW1lc3RhbXAiOjE2MTkxOTU5NzF9)
(https://d1iiivw74516uk.cloudfront.net/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJwcmVzdG8tY292ZXItaW1hZ2VzIiwia2V5IjoiODkwNTkyNi4xLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTAwfSwianBlZyI6eyJxdWFsaXR5Ijo2NX0sInRvRm9ybWF0IjoianBlZyJ9LCJ0aW1lc3RhbXAiOjE2MTcyMDYyNzN9)
(https://d1iiivw74516uk.cloudfront.net/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJwcmVzdG8tY292ZXItaW1hZ2VzIiwia2V5IjoiODkwMzIzNC4xLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTAwfSwianBlZyI6eyJxdWFsaXR5Ijo2NX0sInRvRm9ybWF0IjoianBlZyJ9LCJ0aW1lc3RhbXAiOjE2MTc4MTcxNDN9)

Waiting for 3 of them to be released and will put them in a single order form presto.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 25, 2021, 01:31:58 AM
Quote from: Brian on May 24, 2021, 06:51:43 PM
I've been streaming samples from the Ormandy mono and Walter big boxes online and mostly agree with hvbias. The Ormandy mono is in such blah sound that, at least to my pedestrian ears, it sounds like any performance by any orchestra. Only the unusual repertoire is interesting, but even then, I started listening to some piece, forget which one, and then thought "but the sound is so much better on Naxos and the playing sounds the same." But the Walter stuff...holy cow. Supercharged Barber, amazing stereo Bruckner 4 with flawless truly romantic phrasing, rather formal but nice Haydn, ridiculously fast Dvorak 8, lovely Brahms choral stuff...ugh yeah I might need that one.

  Wow, I didn't think you'd get into the Walter. I thought you had long since burned out on the core repertoire stuff.  Well, if anyone can bring it back to life, it's old Bruno.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Que on May 25, 2021, 10:39:26 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 25, 2021, 01:31:58 AM
  Wow, I didn't think you'd get into the Walter. I thought you had long since burned out on the core repertoire stuff.  Well, if anyone can bring it back to life, it's old Bruno.

QFT    8)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Roasted Swan on May 25, 2021, 12:57:00 PM
Quote from: Brian on May 18, 2021, 07:04:00 AM
Hurwitz, who just posted a detailed video about this set, says the Planets and Manfred Symphony are duds.

Just for a change Hurwitz's sweeping generalisations are wrong - the Planets is very good.  Perhaps Manfred doesn't blaze in the way you might have expected Previn and the LSO to do in this repertoire.  Neither would br my top choice but neither could possibly be termed a dud.  Probably Hurwitz doesn't like them because he can't hear enough gongs
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: André on May 25, 2021, 04:23:10 PM
Previn's Planets are indeed very good. Just not the same as Boult. Hurwitz is indeed wrong here.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on May 25, 2021, 05:10:43 PM
I should look up Peter Power Pop's Planets ranking. My preferred version is Steinberg/Boston. Also like Mehta/LA, Levine/Chicago, Jurowski/LPO.

Oh, here's his ranking: https://petersplanets.wordpress.com/

Previn is a respectable 35, just ahead of Karajan/Vienna (!), and well ahead of my favored Steinberg at 48.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mirror Image on May 25, 2021, 05:53:24 PM
My favorite Planets (in no particular order): Bernstein/NYPO, Groves/RPO, Mehta/LAPO, Karajan/Wiener and Boult/LPO. I haven't heard Previn/LSO, but I'd like to change this as I do like this conductor very much.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Roasted Swan on May 26, 2021, 02:22:14 PM
Quote from: Brian on May 25, 2021, 05:10:43 PM
I should look up Peter Power Pop's Planets ranking. My preferred version is Steinberg/Boston. Also like Mehta/LA, Levine/Chicago, Jurowski/LPO.

Oh, here's his ranking: https://petersplanets.wordpress.com/

Previn is a respectable 35, just ahead of Karajan/Vienna (!), and well ahead of my favored Steinberg at 48.

Levine/Chicago was released around the time of Dutoit/Montreal and got rather overshadowed - not wholly fairly I would say.  Personally I would take "Petersplanets" with a big pinch of salt.  Just because a guy is fixated on a work doesn't mean he has special insight - Kaplan/Mahler 2 springs to mind!!!  Quite often he references flaws (tuning/ensemble/splits) which I literally cannot hear - and I'm picky!  It feels like he's saying stuff for the sake of finding something to say......
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mirror Image on May 26, 2021, 06:05:42 PM
Quote from: Roasted Swan on May 26, 2021, 02:22:14 PM
Levine/Chicago was released around the time of Dutoit/Montreal and got rather overshadowed - not wholly fairly I would say.  Personally I would take "Petersplanets" with a big pinch of salt.  Just because a guy is fixated on a work doesn't mean he has special insight - Kaplan/Mahler 2 springs to mind!!!  Quite often he references flaws (tuning/ensemble/splits) which I literally cannot hear - and I'm picky!  It feels like he's saying stuff for the sake of finding something to say......

This is quite an astute opinion. I, too, took Peter's Planets list with a grain of salt. For example, he ranked Mehta/LA Phil. in the #11 spot? This is in my 'Top 3'! Anyway, this just proves your point. Also, the fact that Dutoit is his favorite also caused me to fluff off his rankings. I agree that a fixation on one work doesn't make one an expert, but I don't think Peter ever claimed to be, but it does make me wonder if he's bothered to listen to Holst's other works? If not, then I think he's done a great disservice to the composer.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on May 26, 2021, 06:29:57 PM
I guess I fall in the middle...PPP has heard way more planets than I have and he's a valuable resource in that way, and his bottom 10 are probably safe to skip, but obviously different people have different taste. Like any review. I know to skip Dutoit because of a personal dislike for 80s Decca sound quality.

Don't understand at all how a project focused on one work is a disservice to a composer's other music. Maybe someone else should make an Egdon Heath website!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mirror Image on May 26, 2021, 06:50:16 PM
Quote from: Brian on May 26, 2021, 06:29:57 PMDon't understand at all how a project focused on one work is a disservice to a composer's other music. Maybe someone else should make an Egdon Heath website!

If you put an intense amount of focus into one work, especially of the magnitude of Holst's The Planets, which has a ridiculous amount of recordings anyway, you've done this composer a disservice because this is exactly the work that has eclipsed his other output. You don't have to be a Holst expert to make this comment as it has cursed him since every Tom, Dick and Harry has decided to make a recording of it. To be honest, as awesome as The Planets is, it's not one of Holst's best works, IMHO.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: staxomega on June 23, 2021, 04:37:30 AM
If anyone bought the Barbirolli Complete Warner would you care to say how it is?

I'm not really a huge fan of most English music and this comprises a large portion of the box, I don't dislike this music, I'd just rarely go out of my way to hear it. I'm open to reading more about these Barbirolli performances. Additionally like a quarter of the box is sourced from 78 rpm recordings. I did download the newer Art & Son transfers of Mahler (my main interest in this box) and they sound better than the original EMI CDs and Abbey Road ART remasters, these are finally starting to have the fidelity of the good sounding LPs. Unfortunately I highly doubt Warner are going to release these new transfers separately.

Thanks.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Spotted Horses on June 23, 2021, 04:54:52 AM
Quote from: Brian on May 26, 2021, 06:29:57 PM
I guess I fall in the middle...PPP has heard way more planets than I have and he's a valuable resource in that way, and his bottom 10 are probably safe to skip, but obviously different people have different taste. Like any review. I know to skip Dutoit because of a personal dislike for 80s Decca sound quality.

Don't understand at all how a project focused on one work is a disservice to a composer's other music. Maybe someone else should make an Egdon Heath website!

My second favorite "Planets" is 8th from the bottom, Maazel, Orchestra de Paris. (Take that with a grain of salt, I've only ever heard 4 versions of the planets; someone who has heard many more than that is not to to be taken seriously.) I didn't get it because I surveyed 100 alternatives, I like Maazel, I like the Orchestra de Paris, no brainer. (I've owned it since 1989.) All of the planets recordings are listed, albeit in random order. Other than that I find no value in the list.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Biffo on June 23, 2021, 05:06:11 AM
I bought the set several weeks ago and I have listened to about 80% of it so far. One of my reasons for buying it was to hear the English music newly remastered and I haven't been disappointed. I haven't listened to all the Mahler yet so can't comment. The Warner remastering of Symphony No 5 doesn't sound very different to the final EMI version.

The 78 rpm material is interesting but I can't imagine listening to it very often.

I hesitated before buying such a large box but don't regret doing so.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Spotted Horses on June 23, 2021, 07:05:30 AM
Quote from: Biffo on June 23, 2021, 05:06:11 AM
I bought the set several weeks ago and I have listened to about 80% of it so far. One of my reasons for buying it was to hear the English music newly remastered and I haven't been disappointed. I haven't listened to all the Mahler yet so can't comment. The Warner remastering of Symphony No 5 doesn't sound very different to the final EMI version.

The 78 rpm material is interesting but I can't imagine listening to it very often.

I hesitated before buying such a large box but don't regret doing so.

Which box are you talking about?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Biffo on June 23, 2021, 07:35:34 AM
Quote from: Spotted Horses on June 23, 2021, 07:05:30 AM
Which box are you talking about?

The Warner/Barbirolli box mentioned by hvbias
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Spotted Horses on June 23, 2021, 08:16:07 AM
Quote from: Biffo on June 23, 2021, 07:35:34 AM
The Warner/Barbirolli box mentioned by hvbias

I got that box too. Haven't managed to listen to a single bit of it yet. :(
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: staxomega on June 23, 2021, 08:29:06 AM
Quote from: Biffo on June 23, 2021, 05:06:11 AM
I bought the set several weeks ago and I have listened to about 80% of it so far. One of my reasons for buying it was to hear the English music newly remastered and I haven't been disappointed. I haven't listened to all the Mahler yet so can't comment. The Warner remastering of Symphony No 5 doesn't sound very different to the final EMI version.

The 78 rpm material is interesting but I can't imagine listening to it very often.

I hesitated before buying such a large box but don't regret doing so.

Thanks, I listened to Symphony 5 and Five Ruckert Lieder and thought it sounded better than the EMI Great Recordings of the Century (Abbey Road ART) transfer, this one has a bit too much modulation in the upper frequencies.

What are the highlights as far as the English music goes? Most of this box should be up for streaming.

Also any complaints with the Halle Orchestra? When I was streaming some of this I didn't think they were awful, but they weren't playing at the level of good or excellent orchestras.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on July 09, 2021, 12:07:24 PM
Quote from: hvbias on April 25, 2021, 03:31:51 PM
Regarding the Grumiaux box, I started a thread on another board as there were a bunch of us there that bought it: https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/arthur-grumiaux-complete-philips-recordings-program-for-replacement-cd-45.1082991/
Just today (months later) got an email from Decca saying that Grumiaux replacement CDs are on their way now. Also included a 10% off code for the Decca Classics online store.

Catching up on previous conversation: Previn's LSO Planets is really good, by the way. Saturn is too slow for me maybe but I enjoyed everything else a great deal, including a not very pompous Jupiter and absolutely ferocious Mars.

My copy of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra box set is preordered to arrive August 21.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on August 30, 2021, 09:41:41 AM
Quote from: Brian on July 09, 2021, 12:07:24 PM
Just today (months later) got an email from Decca saying that Grumiaux replacement CDs are on their way now. Also included a 10% off code for the Decca Classics online store.
Never got this, by the way.

Looking forward to the Markevitch (DG/Philips), Kocsis (Philips), and Falla (Warner) big boxes.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: staxomega on August 30, 2021, 02:04:57 PM
Quote from: Brian on August 30, 2021, 09:41:41 AM
Never got this, by the way.

I received mine just recently, it was postmarked 11/6/2021 from the Italian Universal branch. I'm going to assume that was June 11, 2021 and it wasn't mailed from the future  :laugh:

Others in Europe received them months ago. I don't think many Americans on that music forum have received it yet.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: The new erato on August 30, 2021, 07:17:48 PM
Yes, in Europe we use the logical day month year sequence.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on August 30, 2021, 09:43:44 PM
Quote from: The new erato on August 30, 2021, 07:17:48 PM
Yes, in Europe we use the logical day month year sequence.

Also, the home team is first in sporting fixtures.  ;)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: staxomega on August 31, 2021, 01:24:14 PM
That was some not very good dad humor, I know that doesn't translate well on the internet (thought adding the  :laugh: might have helped). I've lived in Republic of Ireland for seven years and am generally well travelled.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 25, 2021, 05:42:35 AM
Quote from: Brian on July 09, 2021, 12:07:24 PM

My copy of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra box set is preordered to arrive August 21.

  Perhaps you've talked about this in other threads? I'd be curious about your impression.  I love what little I've heard by them. I really like stripped down performances (Listening to Cafe Zimmerman right now).
 
   BTW, I moved to Japan with my family. In a MUCH smaller house. With no man cave, I can't really enjoy music like I used to--I played 8-10 hours a day back in my old house.
  However, my school gave me a huge private office. I have to keep music down low, so I'm going to go the headphone route, and just got some deluxe cans. Thinking about the Orpheus box as something fresh to break them in on...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: DavidW on September 25, 2021, 05:55:37 AM
I'm going the other way.  I'm moving into a much larger place and will have a room just for listening to music.  And no across the wall neighbors (like in my current tiny apartment) to force me to keep the music quiet.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Que on September 25, 2021, 07:37:06 AM
Quote from: DavidW on September 25, 2021, 05:55:37 AM
I'm going the other way.  I'm moving into a much larger place and will have a room just for listening to music.  And no across the wall neighbors (like in my current tiny apartment) to force me to keep the music quiet.

You're lucky!  :)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on September 25, 2021, 02:46:27 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on September 25, 2021, 05:42:35 AM
  Perhaps you've talked about this in other threads? I'd be curious about your impression.  I love what little I've heard by them. I really like stripped down performances (Listening to Cafe Zimmerman right now).
Karl has listened to almost two-thirds of the box and he is going in order - go through his comments in the listening thread. I've listened to 28 CDs in full and parts of 6 more (including, on the Saint-Saens cello album with Mischa Maisky, everything except "Le cygne"). Generally speaking, everything has been fabulous. The worst performances I've heard aren't bad, they're just normal, this-is-fine type performances. (Cough, Rodrigo, cough.) The best...well Orpheus has several amazing qualities. One is the precision and energy which they achieve without a conductor. The playing on albums like Rossini overtures, all things Stravinsky, and the Bartok Divertimento/Dances is totally virtuosic, exciting, witty, and fun, without any leader "whipping them into shape."

Generally speaking their Haydn has incredible wit and sparkle and sensitivity. It sings and chuckles and although the playing is much too professional and American to be described as "rustic" or "rough and ready" or similar, it also never becomes genteel or fuddy-duddy. Probably my favorite performance of 80 ever, and 80 is my favorite Haydn symphony. The Mozart recordings have totally rejuvenated my interest in Mozart. I listened to the disc with the two Sinfonias concertante today and holy cow - absolutely the best in modern instrument Mozart. Somehow they strike the same balance as in Haydn, avoiding the sleepy "baby loves Mozart" preciousness and hero-worship of some performers while playing the music with absolutely ridiculous beauty.

What else...the Gil Shaham album has me thinking I should get the Gil Shaham complete box. (Naturally, the price tag on that has shot up.) The Weber/Rossini clarinet disc is total joy, and Patrick Gallois is absolutely amazing in the Vivaldi flute concertos. The Kodaly Summer Night and Hungarian Rondo were total amazing surprises to me. Their Copland is correctly legendary. There is some debate about the Handel recordings since they are decidedly not HIP, but they are stylish, tasteful, and showcase all the soloists well. Plus I already have Savall for Water/Fireworks Music and Pinnock for Op. 6. Unfortunately I did not enjoy the disc of premiere recordings of music from the 1980s. As mentioned, the Rodrigo is eh-whatever, as are the English and French albums.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 25, 2021, 03:30:50 PM
Quote from: Brian on September 25, 2021, 02:46:27 PM
Karl has listened to almost two-thirds of the box and he is going in order - go through his comments in the listening thread. I've listened to 28 CDs in full and parts of 6 more (including, on the Saint-Saens cello album with Mischa Maisky, everything except "Le cygne"). Generally speaking, everything has been fabulous. The worst performances I've heard aren't bad, they're just normal, this-is-fine type performances. (Cough, Rodrigo, cough.) The best...well Orpheus has several amazing qualities. One is the precision and energy which they achieve without a conductor. The playing on albums like Rossini overtures, all things Stravinsky, and the Bartok Divertimento/Dances is totally virtuosic, exciting, witty, and fun, without any leader "whipping them into shape."

Generally speaking their Haydn has incredible wit and sparkle and sensitivity. It sings and chuckles and although the playing is much too professional and American to be described as "rustic" or "rough and ready" or similar, it also never becomes genteel or fuddy-duddy. Probably my favorite performance of 80 ever, and 80 is my favorite Haydn symphony. The Mozart recordings have totally rejuvenated my interest in Mozart. I listened to the disc with the two Sinfonias concertante today and holy cow - absolutely the best in modern instrument Mozart. Somehow they strike the same balance as in Haydn, avoiding the sleepy "baby loves Mozart" preciousness and hero-worship of some performers while playing the music with absolutely ridiculous beauty.

What else...the Gil Shaham album has me thinking I should get the Gil Shaham complete box. (Naturally, the price tag on that has shot up.) The Weber/Rossini clarinet disc is total joy, and Patrick Gallois is absolutely amazing in the Vivaldi flute concertos. The Kodaly Summer Night and Hungarian Rondo were total amazing surprises to me. Their Copland is correctly legendary. There is some debate about the Handel recordings since they are decidedly not HIP, but they are stylish, tasteful, and showcase all the soloists well. Plus I already have Savall for Water/Fireworks Music and Pinnock for Op. 6. Unfortunately I did not enjoy the disc of premiere recordings of music from the 1980s. As mentioned, the Rodrigo is eh-whatever, as are the English and French albums.

Whoa! That was fast, and a sweet summary.  A cautious thumbs up, then? :P  I've seen some of Karl's comments, which is part of what put (and kept) it on my radar. I'm a Karl fan, but was interested in corroboration.  I have more-or-less sworn off buying anything new til I buy a house with a listening room, but the Orpheus does seem like a must buy.
    Interesting that you mention Gil Shaham. I've been playing his Prokofiev PC disk (with Previn) lately. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Karl Henning on September 25, 2021, 03:40:22 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on September 25, 2021, 03:30:50 PM
Whoa! That was fast, and a sweet summary.  A cautious thumbs up, then? :P  I've seen some of Karl's comments, which is part of what put (and kept) it on my radar. I'm a Karl fan, but was interested in corroboration.  I have more-or-less sworn off buying anything new til I buy a house with a listening room, but the Orpheus does seem like a must buy.
    Interesting that you mention Gil Shaham. I've been playing his Prokofiev PC disk (with Previn) lately. 

Or, overall a thumb's-up with the understanding that there will perforce be a bit of dross.  Brian is absolutely right viz. Haydn and Mozart, it's all energetic, clean, gracious and witty.  I knew what I was getting into viz. Haydn, and the fact that all the Mozart & Mendelssohn is up to the same standard has been gravy by me. I've not yet reached the "meh" content, so I'm simply "happy as a tick on a dog's ear."
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: JBS on September 25, 2021, 05:54:01 PM
I'll add my concurrence to Karl and Brian. I too am going in order, at a slightly slower pace than Karl, so I have yet to reach Rodrigo. (The box is mostly but not completely alphabetical by composer.)

Some of these are in sets you have: the Schumann CD (with Maisky in the 'Cello Concerto) is also in one of the DG Argerich boxes (original jacket style, so everything on the original release is included; in this case it's the Schumann chamber works she recorded with Maisky). Some of the Stravinsky was included in DGs Complete Stravinsky. Etc.

But there's only one CD I haven't liked so far, and that's because of the composer: I'm a non-fan of Ives.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 25, 2021, 11:03:16 PM
Thank you, all, for the nice feedback. I knew I could count on you...to convince me to buy another box of CDs :D

  Turns out I have a disk of them playing Haydn 78 & 102.  Playing that now. [edit: and enjoying it quite a bit...]
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Wanderer on September 25, 2021, 11:14:22 PM
Quote from: Brian on May 18, 2021, 12:38:24 PM
Hurwitz apparently has a 90 minute video praising the new Ormandy Giant Mono Box. That is really testing the limits of how much YouTube I will watch.

Ugh, kindly keep that idiot contained in his own thread, thank you. 🤨😀
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on September 26, 2021, 12:27:25 AM
I like most of what I heard of the Orpheus CO but I have not and will not get the box and from what I have listened to would only give a qualified recommendation. Firstly, I already have most of the few of their recordings I was interested in. My two favorite discs are the ones with Haydn 80/22/63 and Bartok divertimento/Stravinsky Pulcinella etc. (I do not have the original couplings). If I didn't already have their clarinet concerto, the Mozart wind concerti collection would be another one somewhat enticing to me but I cannot muster too much enthusiasm for the other wind concerti to need another recording.

Secondly, overall their repertoire is an odd mix of standards I am well provided with and niches/bonbons I am hardly interested in.

Thirdly, I think they are in fact most of the time (at least a bit) too neutral, impersonal, whatever. This aspect is of course disputed (some people don't care at all for most of what they recorded) but even their fans will edit: NOT completely deny it. (This is IMO enhanced by the dryish sound, at least in their earlier (1980s) recordings.)
I have not heard their Haydn 102 (which was considered far too small scale by some) but I found the 48+49 too tame and it's their only disc I got rid of again.

Finally, despite owning only one or two of their discs back then, I have a considerable nostalgia for their DG discs. They were desirable but unaffordable (or not important enough to justify the expense) for me as a teenager in the late 1980s coming new to classical music and for me are one representation of that first age of tidy, shiny silver compact discs in perfect sound in plastic jewel cases with slightly cheesy covers. This is purely aesthetic nostalgia, I have it for Abbado's Mahler recordings with the "Feather" covers although I never owned any of these discs and even today the only one I have is a later issue with a Klimt cover of the 7th. So IF I wanted them, a box would not do but only the original discs.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 01, 2021, 12:35:46 AM
This is now about $110 from Amazon.  A super-duper cheap bargain at $2 a disk for this level...I'd list it over there, but am too lazy. 

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61aaNNfZXwS._SX522_.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Spotted Horses on October 03, 2021, 10:14:55 AM
I took it for granted I am getting this pair:

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81OHcvo-77L._SX522_.jpg)
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81oPjzzouOL._SX522_.jpg)

Now I'm getting concerned. The Deutsche Grammophon volume is showing "out of stock" everywhere I look in North America and disappeared from importcds.com. Can it be out of print already? Some European internet sellers say it is releasing on October 15, but I thought it was already released. What's the deal? Did I miss it, or is it not released yet?

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mirror Image on October 03, 2021, 11:11:54 AM
Quote from: Spotted Horses on October 03, 2021, 10:14:55 AMNow I'm getting concerned. The Deutsche Grammophon volume is showing "out of stock" everywhere I look in North America and disappeared from importcds.com. Can it be out of print already? Some European internet sellers say it is releasing on October 15, but I thought it was already released. What's the deal? Did I miss it, or is it not released yet?

Amazon UK shows a release date for the DG set of October 15th, you might as well take this as a sign that you didn't miss it. ;)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Igor-Markevitch-Deutsche-Grammophon-Legacy/dp/B09FYBDRM3/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Igor+Markevitch&qid=1633288241&s=music&sr=1-2 (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Igor-Markevitch-Deutsche-Grammophon-Legacy/dp/B09FYBDRM3/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Igor+Markevitch&qid=1633288241&s=music&sr=1-2)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on October 03, 2021, 11:40:27 AM
Going through the Markevitch listings I apparently managed to get almost all I am interested in separately (or in smaller older boxes, like DG original masters or the Philips Tchaikovsky), the main missing desired item being Haydn 103/104 (which was with Beethoven 1 available once in France and Japan on disc) Maybe with many people buying the boxes one will get some older single issues more easily or maybe some people will split up boxes and sell the contents separately.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Spotted Horses on October 03, 2021, 11:48:47 AM
Quote from: Mirror Image on October 03, 2021, 11:11:54 AM
Amazon UK shows a release date for the DG set of October 15th, you might as well take this as a sign that you didn't miss it. ;)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Igor-Markevitch-Deutsche-Grammophon-Legacy/dp/B09FYBDRM3/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Igor+Markevitch&qid=1633288241&s=music&sr=1-2 (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Igor-Markevitch-Deutsche-Grammophon-Legacy/dp/B09FYBDRM3/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Igor+Markevitch&qid=1633288241&s=music&sr=1-2)

Yes, Amazon UK was one of the European internet retailers I saw listing an October 15 release date. (I guess with Brexis Amazon UK is "European" anymore.) What struck me as peculiar and somewhat worrying is that Amazon.com did not list it as pre-order, but out-of-stock, which usually implies that the item has already been released. Also, importcds.com had previously had it for sale and now does not list it. And of course Deutsche Grammophon's web site does not list the release at all (because it is an Eloquence release, I suppose). It amazes me that record labels like DG can't even provide a reliable listing of the products they offer for sale.


Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mirror Image on October 03, 2021, 12:33:13 PM
Quote from: Spotted Horses on October 03, 2021, 11:48:47 AM
Yes, Amazon UK was one of the European internet retailers I saw listing an October 15 release date. (I guess with Brexis Amazon UK is "European" anymore.) What struck me as peculiar and somewhat worrying is that Amazon.com did not list it as pre-order, but out-of-stock, which usually implies that the item has already been released. Also, importcds.com had previously had it for sale and now does not list it. And of course Deutsche Grammophon's web site does not list the release at all (because it is an Eloquence release, I suppose). It amazes me that record labels like DG can't even provide a reliable listing of the products they offer for sale.

It seems strange to me what has been happening on Amazon US for the past year or so (perhaps even longer). They've had box sets, single recordings, etc. listed one day only to find that they're no longer available or appearing to be OOP the next day. I don't know what is happening at the Amazon HQ, but they're certainly dropping the ball in their current classical listings. Like for example, I preordered the new Martinů recording on Supraphon and I was supposed to get it two days after its initial release, but it's now showing up like it's OOP. ??? I just have no idea what the hell is going on over there. As for the European Amazon sites, which, yes, I do include the UK, it seems they're a pretty good indicator of what is going to come out. I use either Amazon DE or Presto Classical in finding new releases --- they seem to be the most reliable.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Spotted Horses on October 03, 2021, 06:18:16 PM
Quote from: Mirror Image on October 03, 2021, 12:33:13 PM
It seems strange to me what has been happening on Amazon US for the past year or so (perhaps even longer). They've had box sets, single recordings, etc. listed one day only to find that they're no longer available or appearing to be OOP the next day. I don't know what is happening at the Amazon HQ, but they're certainly dropping the ball in their current classical listings. Like for example, I preordered the new Martinů recording on Supraphon and I was supposed to get it two days after its initial release, but it's now showing up like it's OOP. ??? I just have no idea what the hell is going on over there. As for the European Amazon sites, which, yes, I do include the UK, it seems they're a pretty good indicator of what is going to come out. I use either Amazon DE or Presto Classical in finding new releases --- they seem to be the most reliable.

I've never found the listings at Amazon to make much sense, even for books, which are supposed to be their signature product. For anything but a new release I find myself unsure of what I am buying (a deluxe hardcover edition and a $1.99 trade paperback from 30 years ago will be conflated together). Where they excel is in their fulfillment. I've frequently ordered things in the afternoon and had them arrive the next day for free shipping.

I regret that internet retailers that actually focus on classical recordings been largely marginalized or put out of business entirely, due to inability to compete with Amazon. The latest tragedy seems to be arkivmusic.com. Their drill-down listing system was invaluable, but now it seems like their databases have become corrupted and the results are garbled.


Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Spotted Horses on October 03, 2021, 06:22:41 PM
Quote from: Jo498 on October 03, 2021, 11:40:27 AM
Going through the Markevitch listings I apparently managed to get almost all I am interested in separately (or in smaller older boxes, like DG original masters or the Philips Tchaikovsky), the main missing desired item being Haydn 103/104 (which was with Beethoven 1 available once in France and Japan on disc) Maybe with many people buying the boxes one will get some older single issues more easily or maybe some people will split up boxes and sell the contents separately.

What I am interested in is the stuff that has not been widely available and the whole point of the complete sets is the avoid the lifelong wild goose chase of trying track down all those releases individually.

My gripe is that I want both of them, not just one, and I don't want to buy one and find out that I'm not going to be able to get the other. I want them to both be available at the same time. And the things that makes me nervous is that importcds.com, my preferred non-amazon retailer, listed both at one time and now the DG volume has disappeared. By the time the DG volume appears the Philips volume may be out-of-print, or I might buy the Philips volume to find out that the DG volume is not coming back. Perhaps I should save myself some money and forget about both of them.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on October 03, 2021, 07:13:36 PM
Quote from: Spotted Horses on October 03, 2021, 06:22:41 PM
I want them to both be available at the same time.
I could buy myself two copies each and then when I visit Houston in February, bring the extras to you so that they are arriving in your own life at the same time. This is only partly a joke!

Hurwitz might actually be a good source of knowledge here. There may be a production delay of some kind, like they spotted an error? (He says still waiting on a replacement CD from the Grumiaux box.) Last year there was a big DG box that was delayed for like 4-5 months but eventually did come out...I think the Kempff edition. (Which still ended up leaving out a recital.)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mirror Image on October 03, 2021, 07:49:01 PM
Quote from: Spotted Horses on October 03, 2021, 06:18:16 PM
I've never found the listings at Amazon to make much sense, even for books, which are supposed to be their signature product. For anything but a new release I find myself unsure of what I am buying (a deluxe hardcover edition and a $1.99 trade paperback from 30 years ago will be conflated together). Where they excel is in their fulfillment. I've frequently ordered things in the afternoon and had them arrive the next day for free shipping.

I regret that internet retailers that actually focus on classical recordings been largely marginalized or put out of business entirely, due to inability to compete with Amazon. The latest tragedy seems to be arkivmusic.com. Their drill-down listing system was invaluable, but now it seems like their databases have become corrupted and the results are garbled.

Yes, you're quite right. Amazon's websites are riddled with mismatched listings and, in general, dead end links. Also, in many cases, they'll have the same recording under three or four different listings, which makes for much confusion as you don't know exactly what version of the recording you're buying. But I must say that even with all of these complaints, they've been pretty reliable for me and are really one of the only sources for classical recordings I've encountered. It does seem like Arkivmusic's website isn't as "friendly" as it was in the past. I have had much better luck with Presto Classical the last few times I've used them. They seem to have stepped up their game big time, which is always nice to see as they're one of the only reliable classical webstores that are left that provide good service. JPC is another one I've used several times, but, honestly, their shipping times make a turtle look like a roadrunner. ;D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Spotted Horses on October 03, 2021, 08:35:48 PM
Quote from: Brian on October 03, 2021, 07:13:36 PM
I could buy myself two copies each and then when I visit Houston in February, bring the extras to you so that they are arriving in your own life at the same time. This is only partly a joke!

Hahaha, I won't take you up on that. But if you're rolling down i-45 in February maybe you can drop me a line and make a pit stop somewhere between Conroe and Spring and we can grab a coffee. :)

I'll probably get the Philips box now that it's around and keep fingers cross on the DGG volume.

Quote
Hurwitz might actually be a good source of knowledge here. There may be a production delay of some kind, like they spotted an error? (He says still waiting on a replacement CD from the Grumiaux box.) Last year there was a big DG box that was delayed for like 4-5 months but eventually did come out...I think the Kempff edition. (Which still ended up leaving out a recital.)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Spotted Horses on October 03, 2021, 08:39:16 PM
Quote from: Mirror Image on October 03, 2021, 07:49:01 PM
Yes, you're quite right. Amazon's websites are riddled with mismatched listings and, in general, dead end links. Also, in many cases, they'll have the same recording under three or four different listings, which makes for much confusion as you don't know exactly what version of the recording you're buying. But I must say that even with all of these complaints, they've been pretty reliable for me and are really one of the only sources for classical recordings I've encountered. It does seem like Arkivmusic's website isn't as "friendly" as it was in the past. I have had much better luck with Presto Classical the last few times I've used them. They seem to have stepped up their game big time, which is always nice to see as they're one of the only reliable classical webstores that are left that provide good service. JPC is another one I've used several times, but, honestly, their shipping times make a turtle look like a roadrunner. ;D

I end up getting a bunch of household items items from Amazon just because you can get free shipping even on a small purchase. For classical music it is mostly marketplace orders of used items from thrift shops and goodwill locations, which can be very good value.

I still fondly remember some of the retailers I used to frequent before amazon became so dominant, cdworld.com, cdnow.com, crotchet.co.uk, mdt.co.uk. I've done some substantial trade with prestoclassical, but almost exclusively lossless downloads (as well as eclassical.com).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mirror Image on October 03, 2021, 08:53:08 PM
Quote from: Spotted Horses on October 03, 2021, 08:39:16 PM
I end up getting a bunch of household items items from Amazon just because you can get free shipping even on a small purchase. For classical music it is mostly marketplace orders of used items from thrift shops and goodwill locations, which can be very good value.

I still fondly remember some of the retailers I used to frequent before amazon became so dominant, cdworld.com, cdnow.com, crotchet.co.uk, mdt.co.uk. I've done some substantial trade with prestoclassical, but almost exclusively lossless downloads (as well as eclassical.com).

I just miss being able to go into a CD store and converse with people about music. Not to go on a tangent, but everything is just so impersonal nowadays. Unfortunately, it was heading in this direction long before COVID disrupted things.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Artem on October 04, 2021, 02:24:21 AM
I wonder how North America compares to Europe in relation to CD shops. In Helsinki, for instance, there're plenty of music shops where you can find interesting stuff.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Spotted Horses on October 04, 2021, 06:43:48 AM
In retrospect, the amount of significant stuff in the Markevitch DG Legacy box that I don't already have is pretty small, and not worth the cost. (I have the "original masters" box and a number of individual releases.) I only really need the Philips box. A lot of drama for nothing. :)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on October 04, 2021, 07:23:59 AM
The DG has almost all been either on singles for "originals" or a similar historical series or in the Original masters box. I think I am missing only the "Russian bonbons", the St Cecilia mass, one of the Coronation mass recordings (not interested anyway) and Harold en Italie (having the Damnation, one of the greatest recordings of anything, on an earlier cheapo issue without the filler).
As for the Philips, I am not interested in the Spanish stuff, have the Tchaikovsky, the Soldier's Tale, Symphony of Psalms, most of the Beethoven, and the only one I'd like to have (but not gonna pay more than a single disc) is Haydn 103/104.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on October 04, 2021, 07:39:20 AM
Quote from: Spotted Horses on October 03, 2021, 08:35:48 PM
Hahaha, I won't take you up on that. But if you're rolling down i-45 in February maybe you can drop me a line and make a pit stop somewhere between Conroe and Spring and we can grab a coffee. :)
Definitely!

Is there still a classical CD shop in downtown Spring? It used to be Joel's Classical right near Rice, so I bought a lot of CDs there as a student. (Well, "a lot" is relative to my income at the time  ;D ) After Joel passed, they moved to Spring with a new name to get lower rent.

EDIT: Google Maps shows them open with new photos uploaded as of May 2021.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mirror Image on October 04, 2021, 07:56:05 AM
Quote from: Brian on October 04, 2021, 07:39:20 AM
Definitely!

Is there still a classical CD shop in downtown Spring? It used to be Joel's Classical right near Rice, so I bought a lot of CDs there as a student. (Well, "a lot" is relative to my income at the time  ;D ) After Joel passed, they moved to Spring with a new name to get lower rent.

EDIT: Google Maps shows them open with new photos uploaded as of May 2021.

Looks like a cool little shop:

https://classical-music-of-spring.business.site/#gallery (https://classical-music-of-spring.business.site/#gallery)

I wish we had something like this in the town I live in, but unfortunately, for many here, their idea of high culture is going to the local art museum that consists of one narrow hallway with doodles from amateurs hanging on the walls. :D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Spotted Horses on October 04, 2021, 08:11:08 AM
That's interesting, there is an "old town" Spring. I think of Spring as great expanses of concrete, big box stores and strip malls. I also stumbled on "old town" Tombull, on the way to the Target store in the concrete, big box and strip mall district. Quaint old food frame houses and storefronts, and the occasional broken down tractor. Remind me of where I used to live and work, Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo California.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on October 04, 2021, 08:15:49 AM
If you're a carnivore, the BBQ place in old town Spring (Corkscrew BBQ) is also very good. I'll definitely want to visit the classical shop for old time's sake and grab a few souvenirs.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Spotted Horses on October 04, 2021, 08:13:26 PM
Quote from: Brian on October 04, 2021, 08:15:49 AM
If you're a carnivore, the BBQ place in old town Spring (Corkscrew BBQ) is also very good. I'll definitely want to visit the classical shop for old time's sake and grab a few souvenirs.

Sounds like a plan, although my schedule is to a large extent out of my control. Keep me updated when you'll be coming through.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on October 06, 2021, 02:08:45 AM
From my perspective, Amazon has basically transformed itself from a big seller into a less reliable version of eBay.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brahmsian on October 09, 2021, 05:52:56 AM
I'm unsure if this is the right place to air our "wish list" of future box sets, but here are a few of mine:

Complete recordings of the Kronos Quartet (I know they are still going)

Rowicki Dvořák symphonies set reissued.

Complete Kertesz box set (I know there is a London SO box set, but it isn't complete)

If there is a specific "Box Set Wish List" thread, I couldn't find it.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on October 09, 2021, 07:55:11 AM
Quote from: OrchestralNut on October 09, 2021, 05:52:56 AM
I'm unsure if this is the right place to air our "wish list" of future box sets, but here are a few of mine:

Complete recordings of the Kronos Quartet (I know they are still going)

Rowicki Dvořák symphonies set reissued.

Complete Kertesz box set (I know there is a London SO box set, but it isn't complete)

If there is a specific "Box Set Wish List" thread, I couldn't find it.
No, this is a perfect place for it! And a complete Kertesz Decca box would be on my list too. It was very silly that the Kertesz/LSO box was an incomplete sampling...Decca did the same thing with an incomplete Blomstedt/SF box.

I posted a wishlist in summer 2020 in this thread (https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,23088.msg1311840/topicseen.html#msg1311840), and some of the things have come true: complete Markevitch, complete Previn/LSO, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Ormandy (mono).

Still on my wishlist with Kertesz: Ormandy stereo, Slatkin/RCA, Andsnes/EMI, Dorati/Decca (I know it would have to be enormous and super-expensive to contain all the Haydn), the labels other than Supraphon that have a bunch of Mackerras in their archives, A. Schiff/Decca, Blomstedt/SF/Decca, Takacs Quartet/Decca...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Spotted Horses on October 10, 2021, 07:54:20 AM
Quote from: Brian on October 09, 2021, 07:55:11 AM
No, this is a perfect place for it! And a complete Kertesz Decca box would be on my list too. It was very silly that the Kertesz/LSO box was an incomplete sampling...Decca did the same thing with an incomplete Blomstedt/SF box.

I posted a wishlist in summer 2020 in this thread (https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,23088.msg1311840/topicseen.html#msg1311840), and some of the things have come true: complete Markevitch, complete Previn/LSO, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Ormandy (mono).

Still on my wishlist with Kertesz: Ormandy stereo, Slatkin/RCA, Andsnes/EMI, Dorati/Decca (I know it would have to be enormous and super-expensive to contain all the Haydn), the labels other than Supraphon that have a bunch of Mackerras in their archives, A. Schiff/Decca, Blomstedt/SF/Decca, Takacs Quartet/Decca...

My big wish-list item came true, Complete Barbirolli/Warner (which encompasses some labels absorbed by EMI, such as Pie). I think that includes some recordings made by Mercury under license to EMI.

On my big box wish list would be complete Decca recordings of the Orchestre de la Société des concerts du Conservatoire, particularly the old mono recordings under Monteux, Wolf, Desormiere, Ansermet, etc.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 12, 2021, 01:41:42 AM
Quote from: Brian on October 09, 2021, 07:55:11 AM
No, this is a perfect place for it!

  absolutely!! "Box Blather" is not "thoughtful box ruminations".

  I acquired a digital version of the Grumiaux.  I keep playing things from it randomly, and it is all hit and no miss. It is a little like the Rubinstein piano box that way. Nothing really leaps forward as spectacular or definitive, but I never tire of dipping back in. (This is on my home system. At work I am mainly playing Orpheus and Previn--from their respective boxes).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Spotted Horses on October 16, 2021, 09:21:57 AM
I pair of boxes I just noticed have gone out of print (and I missed them). The Emerson Quartet on DG, and Volume I of the complete Fricsay on DG. The Fricsay, in particular, I had some notion of getting at some point.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on October 16, 2021, 08:20:55 PM
Quote from: Spotted Horses on October 16, 2021, 09:21:57 AM
I pair of boxes I just noticed have gone out of print (and I missed them). The Emerson Quartet on DG, and Volume I of the complete Fricsay on DG. The Fricsay, in particular, I had some notion of getting at some point.

  Yeah...I'm often a bit relieved when one goes oop that I didn't buy--a temptation moved beyond my control. That Fricsay box was around for ever for a good price (issued in 2014!). Might I say that if you didn't get it at that time, you probably didn't really want it that bad?  If it keeps nagging at you, there might be a second chance. Brian raved about the Boyninge Ballet box. It sounded good, but I kept putting it off and then it was OOP. However, I just ordered a good ("like new"?) second hand copy from the UK for a very reasonable price.   

   And to keep blathering, I'm binging on the Orpheus box right now. What stupendous recording quality! Incredibly clean. Some were recorded by Wolf Erichson, a favorite of mine.  The Copland sounds so good I almost forgave its being Copland ???
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Spotted Horses on October 16, 2021, 09:37:04 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on October 16, 2021, 08:20:55 PM
  Yeah...I'm often a bit relieved when one goes oop that I didn't buy--a temptation moved beyond my control. That Fricsay box was around for ever for a good price (issued in 2014!). Might I say that if you didn't get it at that time, you probably didn't really want it that bad?  If it keeps nagging at you, there might be a second chance. Brian raved about the Boyninge Ballet box. It sounded good, but I kept putting it off and then it was OOP. However, I just ordered a good ("like new"?) second hand copy from the UK for a very reasonable price.   

   And to keep blathering, I'm binging on the Orpheus box right now. What stupendous recording quality! Incredibly clean. Some were recorded by Wolf Erichson, a favorite of mine.  The Copland sounds so good I almost forgave its being Copland ???

You're quite right, I passed on Fricsay when it first came out, and reviewing the contents, for good reason, too much which is repertoire that is too well represented in my collection already. The Markevitch DG Legends is still a minor temptation. It is a weird limbo, I thought it was out already, then amazon.com said "unavailable" and amazon.co.uk said "releasing October 15" and now it seems to be "temporarily unavailable." Maybe production delay.

I was almost freaked out, "Oh no, the Monteux/Decca box is out of print! Hold on, I have the Monteux/Decca box."

Glad you're enjoying the Orpheus box. I have and enjoy a lot of their recordings, too many to justify getting the box.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on October 17, 2021, 12:06:25 AM
The two large Fricsay boxes infuriated me because I had almost everything in there I wanted acquired with a lot of effort over many years and thus they were not that attractive, but I am still missing some bits and pieces almost impossible to get separately. When they came out I realized that this or downloads was now the main/only way older recordings would be made available again.

In case of the Emerson quartet a lot is still buyable separately but I am also surprised how much is oop. DG apparently sees no need to keep some of the most highly regarded quartet recordings of the 1990s in their catalogue, despite not having any recent quartet recordings. They used to have one major quartet (like Amadeus in the 60s-70s, Melos in the 70s-80s) and one or two for "specialities" (like the LaSalle) or an up and coming ensemble (like Hagen and Emerson in the 1980s who then stayed for a long time with them).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Spotted Horses on October 19, 2021, 06:45:46 AM
To extend the saga a bit more, I had seen this mysterious release:

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71x56Sfe5CL._SL600_.jpg)

which seems to imply that there are Markevitch recordings of Beethoven Symphonies 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9. on DG. This was one of the nagging reasons I was tempted to get the Markevitch Deutsche Grammophone Legacy set, which I assumed would have these recordings.

But I looked at the DG Legacy set listing which I found on the Eloquence web site and these recordings are not there.  The mysterious set of Beethoven recordings pictured is mostly Philips recordings, included on the Markevitch Philips Legacy set.

So I seem to be approaching the conclusion that between the Markevitch original masters release and the various individual CDs I have collected over the years the DG Legacy set is almost completely redundant.

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71+t+CyRpzL._SL600_.jpg)

To make it a bit more confusing, the Original Masters set, which bears only the DG logo, includes a few Philips recordings.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mirror Image on October 19, 2021, 07:04:26 AM
Even after all these years, there's still not a "Schoenberg Edition" from any of the major labels.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on October 19, 2021, 07:08:51 AM
Beethoven 1,5,8,9 are Philips/Decca, I think, 3, 6 and the ouvertures DG. If I am not mistaken the Egmont ouverture is missing from the DG original masters which is annoying because it would have fit with a slight redistribution or a 78 min disc. But I am not losing any sleep about missing that one.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Spotted Horses on October 19, 2021, 07:45:55 AM
Quote from: Jo498 on October 19, 2021, 07:08:51 AM
Beethoven 1,5,8,9 are Philips/Decca, I think, 3, 6 and the ouvertures DG. If I am not mistaken the Egmont ouverture is missing from the DG original masters which is annoying because it would have fit with a slight redistribution or a 78 min disc. But I am not losing any sleep about missing that one.

Right. Irritating that they mix DG and Philips on releases that bear only the DG logo. I think I can't avoid making a spreadsheet of the DG Legacy track listing to check off what I have and what I don't.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: geralmar on October 22, 2021, 09:29:36 PM
(https://i.postimg.cc/pT8HvLQf/19439757482-300x300.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)

Bought it (120 monophonic CDs).  Doubt I'll live long enough to listen to all of it.  Seriously.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: staxomega on October 23, 2021, 04:21:00 AM
Quote from: geralmar on October 22, 2021, 09:29:36 PM
(https://i.postimg.cc/pT8HvLQf/19439757482-300x300.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)

Bought it (120 monophonic CDs).  Doubt I'll live long enough to listen to all of it.  Seriously.

I made it all the way through listening to roughly a disc a day which isn't too bad when they're LP length. Went from a peer pressure purchase/indifferent at best to Ormandy to really liking Ormandy :)

I didn't grow up with 78s/LPs so I only had his CDs which were all from his stereo recordings.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Spotted Horses on October 25, 2021, 06:33:49 AM
Is it to early to talk about a complete Haitink from Decca/Philips?

I'd like to see a complete van Beinum from Decca/Philips. I've never heard a van Beinum recording I didn't like, and many are not easy to find.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 02, 2021, 02:01:46 AM
Quote from: Spotted Horses on October 25, 2021, 06:33:49 AM
Is it to early to talk about a complete Haitink from Decca/Philips?

I'd like to see a complete van Beinum from Decca/Philips. I've never heard a van Beinum recording I didn't like, and many are not easy to find.

I'm with you on the van Beinum, but is there that much out there? I think his Haydn is sadly underrated. It sparkles.

   BTW, anyone thinking about this?
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71WbpzDaTxL._SX522_.jpg)

   I'm light on this type of old school approach.  I got Karajan's 60s box, but must admit I wasn't crazy about it...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Spotted Horses on November 02, 2021, 08:35:44 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on November 02, 2021, 02:01:46 AM
I'm with you on the van Beinum, but is there that much out there? I think his Haydn is sadly underrated. It sparkles.
Quote

His Tragic Overture is amazing, and I'd like to have the rest of his Brahms. Most of his recordings were in the Mono era.

Quote
BTW, anyone thinking about this?
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71WbpzDaTxL._SX522_.jpg)

I think this set mostly has recordings when Bohm was past his prime. I'd say his Decca set would be more interesting.

Quote
I'm light on this type of old school approach.  I got Karajan's 60s box, but must admit I wasn't crazy about it...

That surprises me, it contain's Karajan's best work, I think.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: André on November 02, 2021, 01:21:35 PM
The Böhm box covers all his recorded output on DG, from the mono days until his death. Orchestral only (including concertos). No choral or operatic works.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 03, 2021, 04:19:39 AM
Quote from: Spotted Horses on November 02, 2021, 08:35:44 AM
I think this set mostly has recordings when Bohm was past his prime. I'd say his Decca set would be more interesting.

That surprises me, it contain's Karajan's best work, I think.

  Past his prime? That surprises me. I thought Bohm was...always Bohm-like--and steadily became even more so :D I will look for some of his earlier work to sample. Thanks for the heads up.

   Regarding the Karajan...I think it is considered his best (which is why I bought it). I like a lot of things, but it often suffers from gigantism. He throws the whole orchestra at everything--which can be thrilling, but gets tiresome.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 03, 2021, 04:21:10 AM
Quote from: André on November 02, 2021, 01:21:35 PM
The Böhm box covers all his recorded output on DG, from the mono days until his death. Orchestral only (including concertos). No choral or operatic works.

  From Mono era? That's interesting. I imagine there will be a lot duplication.

   By the way, this is Orchestral Works 1, presumably meaning there will be at least one more.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on November 03, 2021, 04:58:26 AM
There is not that much duplication, a handful of Mozart and Beethoven symphonies, Brahms 1+2, Schubert 5,8,9. And almost all is stereo and the recordings Böhm is famous for; so despite him being around 70 for most of them, it might be considered his discographic "prime".
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Spotted Horses on November 03, 2021, 06:13:34 AM
The DG set does indeed go back to the Mono era, but I don't recall there being a lot, some Strauss symphonic poems. Ein Heldenleben is impressive. The Mozart complete symphonies and serenade, etc, (from the 60's) strikes me as stodgy. The Beethoven cycle makes a similar impression. The complete Schubert cycle is better in my memory, though I sold it at some point. The one thing he did which I really love is the Brahms symphony cycle with the WPO.

I looked at the Decca set more carefully and a big fraction of it is some old Opera recordings, which don't really appeal to me. There are some Decca recordings of Mozart, etc, from the early 50's, but not as much as I thought. I wish they would have separated the orchestral from the opera, in this case.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on November 03, 2021, 06:40:08 AM
I am not a fan of (the fraction I know of) Böhm's orchestral Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert either.
To me it seems he was best in opera (even though here some of his studio efforts seem a bit stodgy to me as well) and/or live, and I think he overall was a better conductor in Wagner/Strauss than in non-operatic Mozart/Beethoven.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: André on November 03, 2021, 06:51:03 AM
As I pointed out in another thread the box is not quite complete. Missing are the concerts Böhm gave with the WP in Tokyo in the mid-late seventies. They were issued by DGG in Japan but don't seem to be available here. I have 3 of them. Great performances of Brahms 1 and Schubert 8 and 9. And, surprisingly, Stravinsky's Firebird suite.

Basically what this new box offers duplicates two earlier boxes. What's new apart from the Strauss mono works and those mentioned by Jo are all his BP Mozart serenades and concerti, plus the non-Mozart Pollini concerti (Brahms and Beethoven).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: staxomega on November 03, 2021, 07:34:39 AM
I bought the Bohm DG and Decca boxes from Amazon.fr. I wanted to get in preorders for the Fou Ts'ong Chopin Sony (I really wish this contained all Sony owned recordings) and Zoltan Kocsis Philips box before they sold out (something tells me both will get a short pressing run) and these two were cheap enough. I'll have duplication with the DG and only have one or two of his Decca Bruckner recordings.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on November 03, 2021, 07:43:05 AM
Some of the mono stuff might be new to (international) CD but I am pretty sure the Mozart serenades were on CD in the 1990s, and the Pollini certainly was, probably in several incarnations (I have them in different DG midprice/cheapo series).
I don't know the live recordings André mentioned but their inclusion as Japan only items would have the box made far more collectable, I believe.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Spotted Horses on November 03, 2021, 07:49:02 AM
Back in he days when I had a turntable I had a few LPs that looked like this.

(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/8kwAAOSwOc5fpQQM/s-l1600.jpg)

That's the sort of thing I'd like to have on CD.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on November 03, 2021, 07:55:35 AM
I think some of the 1950s Decca were on Australian eloquence?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: ritter on November 03, 2021, 08:04:46 AM
I am a great admirer of late (and I mean very late Böhm). The Mozart symphonies (only a handful, alas) he recorded with the Vienna Philharmonic are vastly superior to their earlier counterparts with Berlin (in the complete cycle), and have a wonderful warmth (even a glow, I'd say) that makes them very special.  Same applied to the Masonic Funeral Music. Old-school Mozart, obviously, but top-quality IMHO.

The late concerto recordings (Mozart and Beethoven) with Pollini are also outstanding. There was a special connection between the then young Italian pianist and the old Austrian conductor that yielded impressive results.

And then there's the widely derided (due to its slow tempi), valedictory Beethoven Ninth. I see it as a superb achievement, a recording for the ages, and a worthy conclusion to an illustrious conducting career.

I won't get these boxes (i.e., the DG, on one side, and the Decca+Philips, on the other) as I have almost everything they contain, after years of painstaking collecting and searching. Only major stuff missing is the Decca Così, Magic Flute, and Die Frau ohne Schatten (I have the live counterpart of the latter -released by Orfeo), and suppose I can eventually find them second-hand at a decent price.

In any event, there's wonderful stuff in the DG box (as well as the other one), and some of the recordings it contains are jewels in my collection.  :)

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Spotted Horses on November 03, 2021, 08:45:42 AM
Quote from: ritter on November 03, 2021, 08:04:46 AM
I am a great admirer of late (and I mean very late Böhm). The Mozart symphonies (only a handful, alas) he recorded with the Vienna Philharmonic are vastly superior to their earlier counterparts with Berlin (in the complete cycle), and have a wonderful warmth (even a glow, I'd say) that makes them very special.  Same applied to the Masonic Funeral Music. Old-school Mozart, obviously, but top-quality IMHO.

I agree heartily about the Masonic Funeral Music.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: André on November 03, 2021, 02:40:26 PM
Quote from: Jo498 on November 03, 2021, 07:43:05 AM
Some of the mono stuff might be new to (international) CD but I am pretty sure the Mozart serenades were on CD in the 1990s, and the Pollini certainly was, probably in several incarnations (I have them in different DG midprice/cheapo series).
I don't know the live recordings André mentioned but their inclusion as Japan only items would have the box made far more collectable, I believe.


Indeed most have never left the catalogue, but it's the first time they are all offered in a box. That's what I meant.  :-\
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: André on November 03, 2021, 03:00:12 PM
Quote from: Jo498 on November 03, 2021, 07:43:05 AM
Some of the mono stuff might be new to (international) CD but I am pretty sure the Mozart serenades were on CD in the 1990s, and the Pollini certainly was, probably in several incarnations (I have them in different DG midprice/cheapo series).
I don't know the live recordings André mentioned but their inclusion as Japan only items would have the box made far more collectable, I believe.

(https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jpg?c=iBD0R4Ctrp0REc7R-kMkSypQg_7iAU1wjqLgK_xGXts=&f=4)
(https://content-jp.umgi.net/products/uc/uccg-4488_YxX_extralarge.jpg?12052017115648)
(https://img.hmv.co.jp/image/jacket/400/52/7/3/852.jpg)

There are others, but some works are duplicated, as they were played in different concerts. The NHK recorded them all. I miss LvB symphonies 4 and 7.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Maestro267 on November 11, 2021, 01:34:45 AM
So I've ordered a box of Beethoven chamber music. Complete violin sonatas, cello sonatas, string trios and piano trios.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on November 11, 2021, 02:52:01 AM
Quote from: Maestro267 on November 11, 2021, 01:34:45 AM
So I've ordered a box of Beethoven chamber music. Complete violin sonatas, cello sonatas, string trios and piano trios.

Which recordings?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Maestro267 on November 11, 2021, 06:23:18 AM
It has arrived now.

Zukerman, Du Pre, Barenboim, Perlman, Harrell etc.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: classicalgeek on November 12, 2021, 01:38:08 PM
An Ansermet box ("Ernest Ansermet - The Stereo Years") set to release in February 2022:

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/stereo-years/hnum/10767645

No cover yet - JPC is the only place I've seen it. There's a lot of overlap with his French Music, Russian Music, and European Tradition boxes that were released several years ago. But there's a lot of mono recordings in those boxes that won't be included in the new one. Which begs the question: is Decca planning to release an Ansermet mono box as well?

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 13, 2021, 04:25:03 PM
Quote from: classicalgeek on November 12, 2021, 01:38:08 PM
An Ansermet box ("Ernest Ansermet - The Stereo Years") set to release in February 2022:

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/stereo-years/hnum/10767645

No cover yet - JPC is the only place I've seen it. There's a lot of overlap with his French Music, Russian Music, and European Tradition boxes that were released several years ago. But there's a lot of mono recordings in those boxes that won't be included in the new one. Which begs the question: is Decca planning to release an Ansermet mono box as well?

88 cds. Pretty robust.  I have the French and Russian boxes, so will be steering clear of this one. Probably :-\
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: classicalgeek on November 29, 2021, 03:04:02 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on November 13, 2021, 04:25:03 PM
88 cds. Pretty robust.  I have the French and Russian boxes, so will be steering clear of this one. Probably :-\

I missed out on those boxes when they were first released, so I'm at least considering the 88 CD stereo box. The OSR may not have been among the world's best orchestras, but they have a distinctive timbre that really works well in a lot of these pieces.

The Zoltan Kocsis Decca box (it's been covered in this thread) apparently will now be released on February 4: https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/zoltan-kocsis-complete-philips-recordings/hnum/10686774

And there's a Heinrich Schiff Decca box slated for mid-February: https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/heinrich-schiff-collection-ltd/hnum/10770089 - I think Warner needs to issue an H. Schiff box too. His Bach Cello Suites on EMI were my go-to recording!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mirror Image on November 29, 2021, 03:12:12 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on November 13, 2021, 04:25:03 PM
88 cds. Pretty robust.  I have the French and Russian boxes, so will be steering clear of this one. Probably :-\

+1
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: JBS on March 29, 2022, 09:31:35 AM
Cross post from WAYLT2

TD
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31d4WcVbTnL._SY780_.jpg)

CD 107
Elgar
Dream of Gerontius Part II

Live recording (mono) Manchester 23 March 1951
Barbirolli conducting Halle Orchestra and Chorus
Marjorie Thomas contralto
Parry Jones tenor

Tape hiss, a passage from which three bars are missing, audience noise, and the unexplained absence of Part I probably explain why it's never been released before.

This is effectively the last CD of the box: CD 108 is a collection of rehearsal excerpts, CD 109 audio "documentary" about Barbirolli, neither of which I am very interested in hearing.

I think the box is worth getting. If you don't want the whole shebang, I recommend getting the new remastered sets of Barbirolli conducting Sibelius, Mahler, & Elgar, plus the RVW recordings, the three operas (Dido & Aeneas, Madama Butterfly, Otello), the Brahms piano and double concertos, and the Janet Baker recordings of Mahler, Berlioz, and Ravel song cycles.
The remastering is sufficiently good enough to justify getting them even if you have previous issues.

[Of course, by the time you buy all that, you'd probably be spending the price of the complete set anyway.]
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mirror Image on March 29, 2022, 10:26:46 AM
Quote from: JBS on March 29, 2022, 09:31:35 AM
Cross post from WAYLT2

TD
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31d4WcVbTnL._SY780_.jpg)

CD 107
Elgar
Dream of Gerontius Part II

Live recording (mono) Manchester 23 March 1951
Barbirolli conducting Halle Orchestra and Chorus
Marjorie Thomas contralto
Parry Jones tenor

Tape hiss, a passage from which three bars are missing, audience noise, and the unexplained absence of Part I probably explain why it's never been released before.

This is effectively the last CD of the box: CD 108 is a collection of rehearsal excerpts, CD 109 audio "documentary" about Barbirolli, neither of which I am very interested in hearing.

I think the box is worth getting. If you don't want the whole shebang, I recommend getting the new remastered sets of Barbirolli conducting Sibelius, Mahler, & Elgar, plus the RVW recordings, the three operas (Dido & Aeneas, Madama Butterfly, Otello), the Brahms piano and double concertos, and the Janet Baker recordings of Mahler, Berlioz, and Ravel song cycles.
The remastering is sufficiently good enough to justify getting them even if you have previous issues.

[Of course, by the time you buy all that, you'd probably be spending the price of the complete set anyway.]

It looks like a lovely set, Jeffrey, but there's repertoire in it that I have zero interest in and not to mention all of the duplication I'd have. But, if someone is coming to Barbirolli's recordings for the first-time and end up loving his conducting by doing some sampling online, then I can see it being a worthy addition to someone's collection. His Mahler, Sibelius, RVW, Elgar and Delius are some of the best out there.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Karl Henning on March 29, 2022, 10:47:06 AM
Quote from: JBS on March 29, 2022, 09:31:35 AM
Cross post from WAYLT2

TD
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31d4WcVbTnL._SY780_.jpg)

CD 107
Elgar
Dream of Gerontius Part II

Live recording (mono) Manchester 23 March 1951
Barbirolli conducting Halle Orchestra and Chorus
Marjorie Thomas contralto
Parry Jones tenor

Tape hiss, a passage from which three bars are missing, audience noise, and the unexplained absence of Part I probably explain why it's never been released before.

This is effectively the last CD of the box: CD 108 is a collection of rehearsal excerpts, CD 109 audio "documentary" about Barbirolli, neither of which I am very interested in hearing.

I think the box is worth getting. If you don't want the whole shebang, I recommend getting the new remastered sets of Barbirolli conducting Sibelius, Mahler, & Elgar, plus the RVW recordings, the three operas (Dido & Aeneas, Madama Butterfly, Otello), the Brahms piano and double concertos, and the Janet Baker recordings of Mahler, Berlioz, and Ravel song cycles.
The remastering is sufficiently good enough to justify getting them even if you have previous issues.

[Of course, by the time you buy all that, you'd probably be spending the price of the complete set anyway.]

An entirely worthwhile investment, I agree, although as yet I am only in the 40s.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: JBS on June 10, 2022, 07:04:51 PM
I've now completed a run through of the Erato Georges (Gyorgy) Cziffra Complete Studio Recordings set.
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51iU2XHjbLS._SY780_.jpg)
Since I had shortly before done a run through of the Erato Samson François Complete Recordings set,
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41Ofc1EpEfL._SY780_.jpg)
I thought I would do a barebones comparison.
TL:DR
The Francois set is preferable to the Cziffra

First off, there's more in the SF set (54 CDs and a DVD vs 41 CDs).
Second, the SF includes a good deal more in concert recordings (no doubt reflected in title not limiting itself to studio recordings in the way the GC set does).
The GC set includes in its 41 CDs a CD and a half of orchestral recordings conducted by Georges Cziffra Jr, a conductor who died young. These are solidly performed but not the sort to be sought after for their own sake.
The GC set is organized by composer and work for the solo piano works, so all the Liszt is together, etc. Concertos are grouped in the back. This approach makes apparent how often Cziffra re-recorded some works, and also how limited his repertoire was: Liszt is the biggest component.
The SF set is arranged chronologically over the pianist's career, so repeated recordings are spaced out. Francois's repertoire had a wider reach, although not as Liszt focused and not as concerto heavy.. He also composed music, including a film score whose recording is included in the set.
The GC has a significant drawback: there is no track listing or index of works performed, so to find a particular recording requires going through the CDs one by one if you want to listen to a particular work.
The SF does not have this problem.
Sonics obviously vary within each set depending on.the age of the recording.

Finally, a highly subjective point: I prefer SF to GC as pianists. SF was (to me) more poetic, GC more flashy. SF did more Chopin and was in the middle of a complete traversal of Debussy's piano works at the time of his death. GC's Debussy was.limited to just a few works. The best Debussy in the GC set in fact is the La Mer conducted by Cziffra fils.

I would advise getting the SF box if interested in these pianists, but only the small set of Cziffra's Liszt
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51fFmuurj-L._SY780_.jpg)
Although that means forgoing the first recordings of works recorded more than once (most important, the Hungarian Rhapsodies).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on June 11, 2022, 12:19:38 AM
I am not sure about availability but I'd also recommend the 5-disc Chopin-Box with Cziffra. He is very good in the etudes and the 4th ballade and the rest is worthwhile. As I had these 5 CD Chopin and Liszt as well as an Introuvables box, I gladly skipped the big box that would not have added anything I really wanted.

I got the earlier version (only 36 discs but almost all the contents except for a few live pieces and DVD they added, I think) of the Francois box. I have since concluded that I would not have needed that one. It's nice to have but there were/are easily available boxes of the "essential" Francois, i.e. Chopin, Debussy, Ravel although one usually gets only one version in these composer boxes while Francois recorded often several (mono/stereo/live). I don't think I ever got through the big Francois box although I have had it since 2011 or so.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on July 10, 2022, 09:21:48 AM
now $45 at Amazon US and 55 euros at Amazon DE:

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61-K-wrDlbL._SL1200_.jpg)

Hurwitz video discussion detailing the full contents/performers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KExT3YX-66g)

expandable photo showing the sleeve art style depicting original costumes:

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FNlRJWOUYAEVZLO.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on July 11, 2022, 04:33:01 AM
Quote from: Brian on July 10, 2022, 09:21:48 AM
now $45 at Amazon US and 55 euros at Amazon DE:

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61-K-wrDlbL._SL1200_.jpg)

Hurwitz video discussion detailing the full contents/performers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KExT3YX-66g)

expandable photo showing the sleeve art style depicting original costumes:

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FNlRJWOUYAEVZLO.jpg)

Ohhhh, I'd forgotten about that. Thank you for the reminder.

*goes to watch Hurwitz video*
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on August 04, 2022, 12:28:40 PM
In possession of the Ballets Russes Warner box now, and I'm marathoning my way through 6 CDs of it today while working from home, having a blast of a time. (Just listened to Auric's fun, but very loud, "Les Facheux", featuring the very French 1970s Monte Carlo orchestra under Igor Markevitch, licensed from something called "Guild Internationale du Disque.")

One amusing note - which has absolutely no effect on the overall quality of the set, and is purely a diversion - is that Warner clearly reordered all the works on different discs late in the planning process. The physical CD 21 lists three works, two of which are on it and one of which is on CD 20 instead. And on the wallet of CD 19, the back cover track listing (admirably detailed - all the CD wallets tell you the premiere date and location of the ballets, in addition to the names of each track) goes from 1-11, then it loses count and starts over again at track 5 instead of proceeding to the number 12  ;D .

Like I said, no real detriment to the experience. But fun to observe.

Today's full playlist:

N. Tcherepnin: Narcisse et Echo. Residentie Orch & Chamber Choir, Gennady Rozhdestvensky
Weber/Berlioz: Invitation to the Waltz. Conservatoire Concerts Orch, Andre Cluytens
Prokofiev: Chout suite. London SO, Claudio Abbado
Ravel: Daphnis et Chloe. Rene Duclos Choir, Conservatoire Concerts Orch, Andre Cluytens
[lunch break]
[not from the box] Stanford: Two Fantasy Pieces. Britten Quartet with Thea King
Prokofiev: The Prodigal Son. Sao Paulo SO, Marin Alsop
Auric: Les Facheux. Monte Carlo Opera Orch, Igor Markevitch
Milhaud: Le Train bleu. Monte Carlo Opera Orch, Igor Markevitch
Satie: Jack in the Box. Royal Opera House Orch, John Lanchbery
Stravinsky: The Firebird. Boston SO, Seiji Ozawa

EDIT: Oh, they spelled "Lanchbery" wrong. That is more annoying than the track number thing.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: JBS on August 04, 2022, 07:18:13 PM
What recording do they use for the Swan Lake? Previn?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on August 05, 2022, 02:16:58 AM
Quote from: JBS on August 04, 2022, 07:18:13 PM
What recording do they use for the Swan Lake? Previn?

Yes.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on August 05, 2022, 02:23:56 AM
Quote from: Brian on August 04, 2022, 12:28:40 PM
In possession of the Ballets Russes Warner box now, and I'm marathoning my way through 6 CDs of it today while working from home, having a blast of a time. (Just listened to Auric's fun, but very loud, "Les Facheux", featuring the very French 1970s Monte Carlo orchestra under Igor Markevitch, licensed from something called "Guild Internationale du Disque.")

One amusing note - which has absolutely no effect on the overall quality of the set, and is purely a diversion - is that Warner clearly reordered all the works on different discs late in the planning process. The physical CD 21 lists three works, two of which are on it and one of which is on CD 20 instead. And on the wallet of CD 19, the back cover track listing (admirably detailed - all the CD wallets tell you the premiere date and location of the ballets, in addition to the names of each track) goes from 1-11, then it loses count and starts over again at track 5 instead of proceeding to the number 12  ;D .

Like I said, no real detriment to the experience. But fun to observe.

Today's full playlist:

N. Tcherepnin: Narcisse et Echo. Residentie Orch & Chamber Choir, Gennady Rozhdestvensky
Weber/Berlioz: Invitation to the Waltz. Conservatoire Concerts Orch, Andre Cluytens
Prokofiev: Chout suite. London SO, Claudio Abbado
Ravel: Daphnis et Chloe. Rene Duclos Choir, Conservatoire Concerts Orch, Andre Cluytens
[lunch break]
[not from the box] Stanford: Two Fantasy Pieces. Britten Quartet with Thea King
Prokofiev: The Prodigal Son. Sao Paulo SO, Marin Alsop
Auric: Les Facheux. Monte Carlo Opera Orch, Igor Markevitch
Milhaud: Le Train bleu. Monte Carlo Opera Orch, Igor Markevitch
Satie: Jack in the Box. Royal Opera House Orch, John Lanchbery
Stravinsky: The Firebird. Boston SO, Seiji Ozawa

EDIT: Oh, they spelled "Lanchbery" wrong. That is more annoying than the track number thing.

I'd be interested to hear how you feel about the sound quality. I'm still sampling recordings via iTunes (because while the box is CD only, the great majority of recordings have been made available online including some of the old albums being released just in the last year or two).

Nothing sounds terrible, but some of the older recordings do feel like they show their age with a certain thinness or background hiss. Markevitch, Cluytens, and even Martinon a little.

Interestingly I sampled Irving in the Carnaval orchestration, and it's a 1959 recording but it sounded really good.

Again, nothing sounded BAD, and it was quieter passages where I noticed anything at all, but I don't typically go for recording older than about the mid-1960s and quite a bit of the box is older then that.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: JBS on August 05, 2022, 04:37:44 AM
Quote from: Madiel on August 05, 2022, 02:16:58 AM
Yes.

Thanks. I have that one already.
The more I learn about this box, the less I want it.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on August 05, 2022, 08:39:58 AM
Quote from: Madiel on August 05, 2022, 02:23:56 AM
I'd be interested to hear how you feel about the sound quality. I'm still sampling recordings via iTunes (because while the box is CD only, the great majority of recordings have been made available online including some of the old albums being released just in the last year or two).

Nothing sounds terrible, but some of the older recordings do feel like they show their age with a certain thinness or background hiss. Markevitch, Cluytens, and even Martinon a little.

Interestingly I sampled Irving in the Carnaval orchestration, and it's a 1959 recording but it sounded really good.

Again, nothing sounded BAD, and it was quieter passages where I noticed anything at all, but I don't typically go for recording older than about the mid-1960s and quite a bit of the box is older then that.
The sound varies pretty significantly. It comes from a number of labels - EMI, Erato, Guild Internationale du Disque, Chandos, Marco Polo, Naxos, etc.

I don't much mind the older stereo sound in recordings like Martinon and Cluytens. Partly that's taste, of course, and partly that's because of a post Spotted Horses made a year or two ago which had a transformative effect on my thinking. (I don't think I've ever properly replied to it or thanked him, so hopefully he sees this.) He talked about how the Cluytens Big Box appealed to him because although contemporary recordings offer great sound, virtuosity, and a variety of conducting choices, the orchestras all sound very similar. Consequently, he said, he was mostly only spending Big Box money on the opportunity to hear completely different, now-extinct orchestral sounds. I thought of that a lot yesterday while listening to the Cluytens Daphnis et Chloé, which really is a time warp to another era - HIP, I guess you could say. There's so, so much woodwind and brass vibrato compared to today, in addition to differences in tone. The sound quality just kind of goes along with that. I did notice some percussion bits which were muffled or concealed in the sound picture, but overall it felt like stepping in a time machine.

There was one recording which made me sit upright and take note of how poor the sound was, and, surprisingly, it was a 1970s stereo recording (the Auric and Milhaud featuring Markevitch). Shrill, blatty, and with trumpet notes that make you wince. This is one of the rare instances in the box where no remastering info whatsoever is listed. Many of the CD debuts are newly gone-over.

I have only listened to one mono selection so far (the Tommasini/Scarlatti arrangement "The Good-Humoured Ladies"). It was fine. More colorful than many mono.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on August 05, 2022, 02:38:45 PM
Thanks!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Karl Henning on August 05, 2022, 03:01:42 PM
The Naxos Alsop/Prokofiev box: Jewel-cases or (hopefully) not? Anyone know?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Spotted Horses on August 05, 2022, 07:34:43 PM
Quote from: Brian on August 05, 2022, 08:39:58 AM
The sound varies pretty significantly. It comes from a number of labels - EMI, Erato, Guild Internationale du Disque, Chandos, Marco Polo, Naxos, etc.

I don't much mind the older stereo sound in recordings like Martinon and Cluytens. Partly that's taste, of course, and partly that's because of a post Spotted Horses made a year or two ago which had a transformative effect on my thinking. (I don't think I've ever properly replied to it or thanked him, so hopefully he sees this.) He talked about how the Cluytens Big Box appealed to him because although contemporary recordings offer great sound, virtuosity, and a variety of conducting choices, the orchestras all sound very similar. Consequently, he said, he was mostly only spending Big Box money on the opportunity to hear completely different, now-extinct orchestral sounds. I thought of that a lot yesterday while listening to the Cluytens Daphnis et Chloé, which really is a time warp to another era - HIP, I guess you could say. There's so, so much woodwind and brass vibrato compared to today, in addition to differences in tone. The sound quality just kind of goes along with that. I did notice some percussion bits which were muffled or concealed in the sound picture, but overall it felt like stepping in a time machine.

There was one recording which made me sit upright and take note of how poor the sound was, and, surprisingly, it was a 1970s stereo recording (the Auric and Milhaud featuring Markevitch). Shrill, blatty, and with trumpet notes that make you wince. This is one of the rare instances in the box where no remastering info whatsoever is listed. Many of the CD debuts are newly gone-over.

I have only listened to one mono selection so far (the Tommasini/Scarlatti arrangement "The Good-Humoured Ladies"). It was fine. More colorful than many mono.

Thanks for the appreciation. I'm always pleasantly surprised when someone takes me seriously. You have described my view pretty well. I've noticed I get less value from yet another technically flawless recording of yet another immaculately executed performance of a familiar work. The old orchestras had performance styles which could be uniquely colorful and engaging, if you can tolerate the audio limitations. I've tried to train myself to imagine what actual sound would be required to produce what I am hearing through those old microphones recorders.

One of the things I admire is the ability of the brass sections of the French Orchestra to create an atmosphere of excitement without playing too loudly, maybe a combination of their instruments and performance style. Markevitch/Lamoreaux is good for this. And a real French French horn section is something to be treasured! :)

Some of the more interesting stuff is from the Mono years, not long after the orchestras had reconstituted themselves after the war. That Cluytens set has a remarkable recording of Ravel's Pavane pour une infante défunte from 1950 (very prominent horn vibrato) and a barn burning Schumann 4 from the same year (Paris Conservatory and Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Francaise, respectively).

BTW, is the Tommasini/Scarlatti selection the old Desormiere recording on Decca?

(https://i.discogs.com/7sxJ_gVTyQoDkmJEjo0qF4O8okA7pH1HZoeH8927A5I/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTg2ODQz/NDQtMTQ5NDcwODAz/MC0zNjE1LmpwZWc.jpeg)

How I wish Eloquence would come out with a complete Decca/Paris Conservatory box.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on August 06, 2022, 06:57:51 AM
Quote from: Spotted Horses on August 05, 2022, 07:34:43 PM
Thanks for the appreciation. I'm always pleasantly surprised when someone takes me seriously. You have described my view pretty well. I've noticed I get less value from yet another technically flawless recording of yet another immaculately executed performance of a familiar work. The old orchestras had performance styles which could be uniquely colorful and engaging, if you can tolerate the audio limitations. I've tried to train myself to imagine what actual sound would be required to produce what I am hearing through those old microphones recorders.

One of the things I admire is the ability of the brass sections of the French Orchestra to create an atmosphere of excitement without playing too loudly, maybe a combination of their instruments and performance style. Markevitch/Lamoreaux is good for this. And a real French French horn section is something to be treasured! :)

Some of the more interesting stuff is from the Mono years, not long after the orchestras had reconstituted themselves after the war. That Cluytens set has a remarkable recording of Ravel's Pavane pour une infante défunte from 1950 (very prominent horn vibrato) and a barn burning Schumann 4 from the same year (Paris Conservatory and Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Francaise, respectively).

BTW, is the Tommasini/Scarlatti selection the old Desormiere recording on Decca?

How I wish Eloquence would come out with a complete Decca/Paris Conservatory box.
I will dig out that Cluytens Schumann 4 soon, thanks. And you convinced me to buy the Cluytens box with that argument, which resulted in me becoming obsessed with his Conservatoire orchestra, the Lamoureux performances under Munch, and other similar stuff. (Really, it should have been an easier/more obvious sell for me since I so dearly love the Czech Philharmonic's specific sound under Ancerl.)

A complete Decca Conservatoire box would be huge but immensely worthwhile.

The Tommasini/Scarlatti selection is with Igor Markevitch and Philharmonia in 1957 mono. The amount of Markevitch in the Ballets box is maybe its best feature, since I didn't pick up the EMI Icon box for him.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: The new erato on August 06, 2022, 07:44:29 AM
Wrong thread, deleted.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on August 06, 2022, 08:19:13 PM
Horses - have you gotten the Desormiere Decca complete recordings set on Aussie Eloquence? It's $17 plus shipping at Europa now.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Spotted Horses on August 07, 2022, 01:20:48 PM
Quote from: Brian on August 06, 2022, 08:19:13 PM
Horses - have you gotten the Desormiere Decca complete recordings set on Aussie Eloquence? It's $17 plus shipping at Europa now.

I do have that one, although it is a bit underwhelming, only 4 discs and not the most exciting repertoire. He made some recordings for EMI and Capitol Full Dimensional Sound that are a bit more interesting, but perhaps hard to find. It is unfortunate that Desormiere's career was cut short by a neurological condition.

A Decca artist that recorded with the Paris Conservatory but who is largely forgotten is Abert Wolff.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Biffo on August 08, 2022, 06:33:05 AM
Quote from: Spotted Horses on August 07, 2022, 01:20:48 PM
I do have that one, although it is a bit underwhelming, only 4 discs and not the most exciting repertoire. He made some recordings for EMI and Capitol Full Dimensional Sound that are a bit more interesting, but perhaps hard to find. It is unfortunate that Desormiere's career was cut short by a neurological condition.

A Decca artist that recorded with the Paris Conservatory but who is largely forgotten is Abert Wolff.

My introduction to Albert Wolff was a second hand LP of Tchaikovsky 4 with the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra - I recently bought the CD version. Decca Eloquence released a couple of twofer albums of his recordings - Overtures in Hi-Fi and Invitation to the Dance, not sure if they are still available. There is also a Testament disc of Massenet plus some of the same overtures as the Eloquence disc.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: The new erato on August 08, 2022, 06:44:09 AM
The only box I wuld be interesed in paying serious money for at this time, would be if Hyperion were too box up their Romantic Piano Concertos series. I think they have passed the 80 mark, what about boxing up the first 60 volumes?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on August 08, 2022, 06:50:38 AM
Quote from: The new erato on August 08, 2022, 06:44:09 AM
The only box I wuld be interesed in paying serious money for at this time, would be if Hyperion were too box up their Romantic Piano Concertos series. I think they have passed the 80 mark, what about boxing up the first 60 volumes?
I wonder how many pages the accompanying book would be  ;D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: MusicTurner on August 08, 2022, 07:03:35 AM
Quote from: The new erato on August 08, 2022, 06:44:09 AM
The only box I wuld be interesed in paying serious money for at this time, would be if Hyperion were too box up their Romantic Piano Concertos series. I think they have passed the 80 mark, what about boxing up the first 60 volumes?

Yes, however their budget releases also tend have rather limited price reductions. Maybe-maybe it will be around 12 Euros or so per disc ...

Also, I might get their Liszt Complete Piano Music/Howard 2nd hand some time, if found sufficiently inexpensive (since after all, one has a good deal of the piano works already).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on August 08, 2022, 08:11:48 AM
I think it more likely that some of the older volumes of the "romantic piano concerto" will be offered for a lower price. As "series" it spans about 150 years from Moscheles and Weber to the mid-20th century, with lots of different pianists, so I don't know if a box would be so attractive.

(Not for me anway; I count the Brilliant box of the older Vox etc. recordings of similar repertoire as a rather bad buy despite having been dirt cheap (around 1-1.50 EUR/disc) and I only got a few of the hyperion series and got rid of at least one of them again, namely Moscheles.)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: MusicTurner on August 08, 2022, 08:17:23 AM
Quote from: Jo498 on August 08, 2022, 08:11:48 AM
I think it more likely that some of the older volumes of the "romantic piano concerto" will be offered for a lower price. As "series" it spans about 150 years from Moscheles and Weber to the mid-20th century, with lots of different pianists, so I don't know if a box would be so attractive.

(Not for me anway; I count the Brilliant box of the older Vox etc. recordings of similar repertoire as a rather bad buy despite having been dirt cheap (around 1-1.50 EUR/disc) and I only got a few of the hyperion series and got rid of at least one of them again, namely Moscheles.)

I quite like much of the Brilliant-Vox stuff. As for the Hyperion set, there are often other recordings too. I don't know, but maybe I've got 3/4 or 2/3 of those Hyperion works, mostly in other recordings.

The old Vox recording of a single Moscheles concerto with Ponti is good, IMO.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on August 08, 2022, 08:29:06 AM
The hyperion recording was also pretty good. I think a lot of the music from these series was deservedly (almost) forgotten; I cannot imagine wanting 60 CDs of that stuff, although it's a rather broad range of music from the early 19th until the mid-20th century.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: MusicTurner on August 08, 2022, 09:12:24 AM
Yes, one can get tired of it, when they get too predictable and un-original for their time. The Ries cycle, which I have on Naxos, is one example of such, often not really so exciting works. Not to mention Field's. On the other hand, for many, exploring the piano concerto genre is how they start to like classical music, and a more or less completist take can be an ambition for some; it is only recently, that I've started to look at newly found, really obscure 19th century works with a little less interest, after decades of otherwise  collecting them ...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: LKB on August 08, 2022, 11:31:21 AM
Quote from: Madiel on August 05, 2022, 02:16:58 AM
Yes.

Pity they couldn't come up with the Rozhdestvensky Swan Lake, which used to be an EMI/Melodiya release.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Que on August 08, 2022, 02:01:54 PM
Quote from: LKB on August 08, 2022, 11:31:21 AM
Pity they couldn't come up with the Rozhdestvensky Swan Lake, which used to be an EMI/Melodiya release.

A smashing recording!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on August 09, 2022, 03:55:14 AM
Quote from: LKB on August 08, 2022, 11:31:21 AM
Pity they couldn't come up with the Rozhdestvensky Swan Lake, which used to be an EMI/Melodiya release.

Well, all the reviews I've seen of the Previn Swan Lake have been highly positive. And pretty much for his Sleeping Beauty which is also in the box.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on August 09, 2022, 04:55:09 AM
I like them, but I also bought the Previn Big Box so it is duplicated.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: LKB on August 10, 2022, 07:04:07 PM
Quote from: Madiel on August 09, 2022, 03:55:14 AM
Well, all the reviews I've seen of the Previn Swan Lake have been highly positive. And pretty much for his Sleeping Beauty which is also in the box.

I have the old EMI two-cd ( or is it three? It's been a while... ) set with the three Tchaikovsky ballets conducted by Previn, and l agree that they're all quite good.

However, the Rozhdestvensky is regarded as a legendary recording, and ( imho ) rightly so. It isn't perfect, as the brass blares at times and the oboe soloist is rather horrid. But the violin soloist is outstanding, and Rozhdestvensky's choices throughout are rock-solid.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on August 10, 2022, 11:17:46 PM
The older Previn box? or single issues had some small cuts in "Sleeping Beauty" to fit it on two discs, I think. (I only have one of these, in a red or purplish cardboard box.) Supposedly this was fixed in the most recent issues that might have an additional disc or use a bit of the space left on the Nutcracker discs.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Madiel on August 11, 2022, 05:57:13 AM
Quote from: Jo498 on August 10, 2022, 11:17:46 PM
The older Previn box? or single issues had some small cuts in "Sleeping Beauty" to fit it on two discs, I think. (I only have one of these, in a red or purplish cardboard box.) Supposedly this was fixed in the most recent issues that might have an additional disc or use a bit of the space left on the Nutcracker discs.

Correct, the cuts have been restored, including in the Ballets Russes box.

I understand it's only a couple of numbers that aren't likely to be anyone's highlights, but still it's nice to know they've considered the issue.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: staxomega on August 11, 2022, 02:42:02 PM
Quote from: Spotted Horses on August 05, 2022, 07:34:43 PM
Thanks for the appreciation. I'm always pleasantly surprised when someone takes me seriously. You have described my view pretty well. I've noticed I get less value from yet another technically flawless recording of yet another immaculately executed performance of a familiar work. The old orchestras had performance styles which could be uniquely colorful and engaging, if you can tolerate the audio limitations. I've tried to train myself to imagine what actual sound would be required to produce what I am hearing through those old microphones recorders.

One of the things I admire is the ability of the brass sections of the French Orchestra to create an atmosphere of excitement without playing too loudly, maybe a combination of their instruments and performance style. Markevitch/Lamoreaux is good for this. And a real French French horn section is something to be treasured! :)

Some of the more interesting stuff is from the Mono years, not long after the orchestras had reconstituted themselves after the war. That Cluytens set has a remarkable recording of Ravel's Pavane pour une infante défunte from 1950 (very prominent horn vibrato) and a barn burning Schumann 4 from the same year (Paris Conservatory and Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Francaise, respectively).

BTW, is the Tommasini/Scarlatti selection the old Desormiere recording on Decca?

(https://i.discogs.com/7sxJ_gVTyQoDkmJEjo0qF4O8okA7pH1HZoeH8927A5I/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTg2ODQz/NDQtMTQ5NDcwODAz/MC0zNjE1LmpwZWc.jpeg)

How I wish Eloquence would come out with a complete Decca/Paris Conservatory box.

I find your posts very helpful as well, on other boards you can like a post which shows some appreciation or agreement.

I agree with you on what is special about some of these orchestras, I find it so with some of the conductors of that era as well. I was making a comment on another board that I'd probably see the BSO more if we had Yannick Nézet-Séguin, but thinking about it more is he really that different from Nelsons? It's all that sort of corporate safeness across the board with the odd exceptional or unique performance here and there.

I streamed the Richard Bonynge box to see if I wanted to buy the Decca box when it was available. I'm not sure if I'll ever get onboard with most ballets, in general they feel overly long to me with some vague narration we're supposed to piece together in our head; rarely any repeated themes, melodies or narratives so it just sounds like a huge ADHD fest. I think the list of ballets I like would be even smaller than the number of operas I like. From the point of view of listening to these with complete undivided attention and not as background music, I do quite like when they're cut down as suites or excerpts, ie two acts from Giselle is hell of a lot more palatable for undivided listening then the entire ballet.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: LKB on August 18, 2022, 11:19:59 AM
For those still unaware who may be interested, the Netherlands Wind Ensemble complete recordings on Philips are available as a set.

Here's a bit of Krommer:

https://youtu.be/kME48Hhk0qo
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Maestro267 on December 01, 2022, 05:11:41 AM
What are people's recommendations among the CPO complete symphonies boxes?

I've got Toch and Wellesz, with Atterberg arriving tomorrow.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Papy Oli on December 01, 2022, 05:27:53 AM
Quote from: Maestro267 on December 01, 2022, 05:11:41 AMWhat are people's recommendations among the CPO complete symphonies boxes?

I've got Toch and Wellesz, with Atterberg arriving tomorrow.

It's been a very long while since I listened to either, but beside Atterberg, I also remember liking the Ture Rangstrom set.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on December 01, 2022, 12:31:47 PM
Quote from: Maestro267 on December 01, 2022, 05:11:41 AMWhat are people's recommendations among the CPO complete symphonies boxes?

I've got Toch and Wellesz, with Atterberg arriving tomorrow.
What else is there? Krenek maybe, if you like a bit more adventurous stuff than the three mentioned.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Maestro267 on December 01, 2022, 12:51:52 PM
Quote from: Jo498 on December 01, 2022, 12:31:47 PMWhat else is there? Krenek maybe, if you like a bit more adventurous stuff than the three mentioned.

Of the ones I can see, I'm certainly interested in Krenek, along with Isang Yun and Darius Milhaud. Maybe Benjamin Frankel too? I've already collected some individual volumes of the Pettersson cycle so that box is out of the question.

Others I've seen: Ture Rangström, Wilhelm Petersen-Berger, Felix Draeseke, Theodore Gurvy, Andrzej Panufnik
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on December 12, 2022, 08:14:10 PM
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on March 29, 2022, 10:47:06 AMAn entirely worthwhile investment, I agree, although as yet I am only in the 40s.

Karl, did you make it to the end?
    Mine just arrived. I'm on disk 1. A long journey ahead!
          I expected it to be fairly unlistenable (1928). However, it's just fine. I grew on LPs (and LPs burned onto cassettes), so the background crackle just gives it a bit of nostalgic seasoning...

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71khnMTRBUL._SX522_.jpg)

  I got this box along with the giant Muti. Too much, I know, but I have virtually nothing of either, and they are very cheap now, so why not.
    Merry Christmas to me ;D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Karl Henning on December 13, 2022, 07:13:00 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on December 12, 2022, 08:14:10 PMKarl, did you make it to the end?
I need to resume. Merry Christmas, Al!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on December 13, 2022, 08:23:49 PM
Merry Christmas to you, too!
   I'm on disk 4. I wonder if these early disks, even with poor sound, might be more fun than the later ones. I'm enjoying the strange mixes popular and obscure-- lots of composers I've never even heard of. I suspect many were crowd pleasers at the time--light, but lively and fun. I'm actually on my second run through 4, but suspect I will lose momentum later in the set, with Sibelius 1-7, etc...

   Interestingly, the early disks of the Muti box and Barbirolli box are mostly recorded in the same place--Kingsway Hall, London. No similarity at all, however ;D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on December 19, 2022, 03:06:31 AM
Up to 13 in Barbirolli. It's fun. I love the historical aspect of it. From 1928 to just about 1950. It's like a time-warp through the evolution of recording technology. The music choices are educational, too. Bax, Rubbra, and lots of Elgar. I'd never been that crazy about any of them, but for some reason, in this kind of chronological approach, they make more sense to me. Actually, I'm really liking Elgar a lot, especially the Enigma variations, which I actually heard a lot when I was younger, but then sort of forgot about.
  I noticed that towards the end of the box time goes backwards again--with lots more from the 1920s. Not that excited about that, to be honest...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: JBS on December 19, 2022, 07:58:10 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on December 19, 2022, 03:06:31 AMUp to 13 in Barbirolli. It's fun. I love the historical aspect of it. From 1928 to just about 1950. It's like a time-warp through the evolution of recording technology. The music choices are educational, too. Bax, Rubbra, and lots of Elgar. I'd never been that crazy about any of them, but for some reason, in this kind of chronological approach, they make more sense to me. Actually, I'm really liking Elgar a lot, especially the Enigma variations, which I actually heard a lot when I was younger, but then sort of forgot about.
  I noticed that towards the end of the box time goes backwards again--with lots more from the 1920s. Not that excited about that, to be honest...

The time skip is because the box puts the vocal/opera and choral recordings in their own segments after the purely orchestral stuff, also arranged chronologically.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: AaronSF on December 19, 2022, 05:20:16 PM
Classical Select World is selling Warner Classics 30-CD, Vaughn-Williams box set for $99.99 (marked down from $119.99).  It's mostly a reissue of EMI's Collector's Edition from 2010.  I don't know if this is a great price or not, but I think it might be.  This is far more Vaughn-Williams than I want to own, but others of you may find it desirable.  It looks like everything VW composed.

Vaughn-Williams box set (30 cds) (https://www.classicselectworld.com/products/vaughan-williams-the-new-collectors-edition-30-cds?syclid=cegh0h37k04c40ela660&utm_campaign=emailmarketing_144811262202&utm_medium=email&utm_source=shopify_email)

The symphonies are performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vernon Handley.  I don't know these interpretations so cannot comment on them.

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on December 19, 2022, 09:36:56 PM
Quote from: JBS on December 19, 2022, 07:58:10 AMThe time skip is because the box puts the vocal/opera and choral recordings in their own segments after the purely orchestral stuff, also arranged chronologically.


Ah, that makes sense. I suppose I would have found it out, eventually, but would probably have taken a couple months ;D
   Thanks.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: geralmar on December 19, 2022, 10:23:24 PM
(https://i.postimg.cc/MpLR8Cs9/R-40.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)

Just ordered from U.K.



I found his review after I bought the box and so have no opinion.  Useful for contents of box.


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xRWgIsGN3vo


Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: j winter on December 20, 2022, 11:51:43 AM
Just FYI, it looks like this is releasing shortly... probably mostly the same recordings, not sure if they've remastered anything...

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/WEBP_402378-T2/images/I/51O8RANdKtL._SY300_SX300_QL70_FMwebp_.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on January 20, 2023, 09:14:04 PM
On 40 in Barbirolli. He was just churning stuff out in secon half of '50s, and it is sooooo good. From 1956 sound is excellent. Dare I say this section of the box is up there with the Reiner and Szell sets? Wonderful interpretations and playing.

And just splurged on a box I don't need.
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81gmxyRXmaL._SX425_.jpg)

  I've got all the Bernstein, which is a huge chunk of this--but then there are a bunch of other goodies. Here in Japan the price is down to $65. Couldn't resist...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on February 01, 2023, 06:32:21 PM
There are some complains on European Amazon websites about:

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81uE4CTYySL._SL1500_.jpg)

Apparently the remasterings of CDs 1-6 feature severe distortion, a digital "ringing" sound just above middle C.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on March 02, 2023, 03:47:59 AM
Has the whole "Big Box Era" sort of run it's course? For several years, there was so much exciting and wonderful stuff coming out, I couldn't control myself. Now it seems a bit like the well has run dry.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Todd on March 02, 2023, 04:46:40 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on March 02, 2023, 03:47:59 AMHas the whole "Big Box Era" sort of run it's course?

Probably.  Some boxes will return again and again (eg, Glenn Gould), but even the classical world has moved on to streaming as the primary delivery method for recordings.  As aged consumers die off and younger consumers enter and dominate the market, their buying preferences will properly be catered to.  There will always be some boxes here and there.  Why it took so long for a Gieseking box to arrive is something of a mystery.  Well, not really.  He died almost seventy years ago, and compared to even twenty years ago, no one really mentions him anymore.  Most celebrities of the past will fade into oblivion, and current celebrities may never need or receive big box treatment.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on March 02, 2023, 05:57:34 AM
The average big box seems to be moving more towards niche/smaller audiences. A few years ago, we were getting Reiner, Bernstein, Karajan boxes; now we're getting Robert Craft, Claudio Abbado, Trevor Pinnock boxes. One exception is the upcoming "Solti in Europe" but it sure seems like many of the biggest of big boxes have been done already.

There are still many more one can imagine! My personal list includes the complete Kertesz/Decca, Mackerras/EMI, Mackerras/Decca, Andsnes/EMI, and the remaining Dorati legacy (the Detroit box coming out this spring suggests they will do Dorati as a series of smaller boxes).

I also just looked up Hurwitz's video from June 2020 where he begged for 12 big box sets. Status report:

They've been released: Abbado/LSO, Markevitch/DG, Previn/EMI, Ormandy [mono only], Mitropoulos, Eduard van Beinum, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Rodzinski

No sign of a box yet: Scott Joplin/RCA, Slatkin/RCA, Ormandy [stereo], Paris Conservatoire as an institution, Arthur Fiedler/Boston Pops

So in the span of just two and a half years, 8 of his 12 wishes have been granted.

Edit: Istvan Kertesz died 50 years ago this year and the labels love using anniversaries as excuses for big boxes, so I wouldn't be surprised if the Kertesz Big Box appears this fall.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Todd on March 02, 2023, 06:26:58 AM
Quote from: Brian on March 02, 2023, 05:57:34 AM...and the labels love using anniversaries as excuses for big boxes...

They do, so I am hoping this year for a Big Rach box (with artists that interest me) and a Big Byrd box (yes, I saw the phrase as I wrote it).  2027 should hopefully see big boxes denied us in 2020.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on March 02, 2023, 08:53:15 PM
Quote from: Brian on March 02, 2023, 05:57:34 AMThe average big box seems to be moving more towards niche/smaller audiences. A few years ago, we were getting Reiner, Bernstein, Karajan boxes; now we're getting Robert Craft, Claudio Abbado, Trevor Pinnock boxes.

  But is that a new trend, or just the inevitable result of the "giants" aleady having been represented (or in the cases of Richter, Bernstein, Karajan, Callas, etc., milked completely dry)? There is bound to be a giant Klemperer at some point, but I can't think of another really biggy (well, perhaps an original jackets Kempff).
  I bought a lot of boxes in the past just because they reached bargain basement prices (I got several high quality 50 CD box sets for $67 each), but that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. I have mixed feelings about that ;)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: DaveF on March 03, 2023, 06:11:11 AM
Quote from: Todd on March 02, 2023, 06:26:58 AMThey do, so I am hoping this year for a Big Rach box (with artists that interest me) and a Big Byrd box (yes, I saw the phrase as I wrote it).  2027 should hopefully see big boxes denied us in 2020.

I first misread that as a big Bach box... aren't there one or two of them already :-[ ?  Regarding Byrd, I can't see a big collection being a possibility, given how the available recordings are spread around the labels - Andrew Carwood's complete Latin music half on ASV, half on Hyperion, Davitt Moroney's keyboard music on Hyperion, David Skinner's (ongoing) English music on his own Inventa label, the English anthems and services here, there and everywhere... I hope you're wrong, but remain pessimistic.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Todd on March 03, 2023, 06:58:30 AM
Quote from: DaveF on March 03, 2023, 06:11:11 AMRegarding Byrd, I can't see a big collection being a possibility,

I'm hoping for something like Michael Noone's out of the blue ten-disc Victoria box from a decade or so ago. 
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on March 05, 2023, 05:34:19 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on March 02, 2023, 08:53:15 PMThere is bound to be a giant Klemperer at some point
Dude...you need to buy a lottery ticket because

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81c1hiEe-4L._SL1500_.jpg)

Just published on Amazon.de with a release date of June 2. 95 CDs.

I agree that it seems super bargain prices on these big boxes are becoming slightly less common. (Or maybe it's because the boxes are so much bigger. $1.50 per disc adds up after 95 discs!) One exception is Universal's "Center Stage" store in the US, which usually has clearance prices if you're willing to wait 1-2 years. I am cynically waiting on a couple recent Decca and DG boxes hoping they show up in their after-Christmas sale next year.

Also 100% agree that they are moving to more niche artists because the most famous ones have been "done". One more artist I thought of: I have loads of Zino Francescatti thanks to the Szell, Bernstein, and Casadesus boxes, but there's probably enough more to justify buying his own box?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Todd on March 05, 2023, 05:49:54 AM
Quote from: Brian on March 05, 2023, 05:34:19 AMI have loads of Zino Francescatti thanks to the Szell, Bernstein, and Casadesus boxes, but there's probably enough more to justify buying his own box?

Zino who?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Spotted Horses on March 05, 2023, 05:02:05 PM
Quote from: Brian on March 05, 2023, 05:34:19 AMDude...you need to buy a lottery ticket because

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81c1hiEe-4L._SL1500_.jpg)

Just published on Amazon.de with a release date of June 2. 95 CDs.

I'm ripe for that one because I have only a smattering of Klemperer.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on March 05, 2023, 06:29:20 PM
Quote from: Brian on March 05, 2023, 05:34:19 AMDude...you need to buy a lottery ticket because
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81c1hiEe-4L._SL1500_.jpg)
Just published on Amazon.de with a release date of June 2. 95 CDs.

  If I hadn't bought each of those little "clamshell" style boxes as they came out, I'd be all over this.

  As it is, I bought a second hand Ozawa, complete Phillips box over the weekend. For $40, it was an easy choice. I have a ton of his Boston era stuff I haven't played, so am planning an Ozawa binge in the not too distant future (when I finish the Munch box, perhaps).

 Spotted Horses, I think you'll be very happy. They gave him a star producer/recording engineer, and the recording quality is very high. Actually, i need to go back and replay a lot of this stuff myself...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on March 05, 2023, 06:48:01 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on March 05, 2023, 06:29:20 PMAs it is, I bought a second hand Ozawa, complete Phillips box over the weekend. For $40, it was an easy choice. I have a ton of his Boston era stuff I haven't played, so am planning an Ozawa binge in the not too distant future (when I finish the Munch box, perhaps).
Wow! How? I just checked Amazon US and the Ozawa complete Philips box is $300 there. Having heard Ozawa's work in the Boston Symphony DG box, I would be interested in a copy of the Philips one. His Boston work is really, really good and the orchestra is spectacular. They clearly had a very close and beneficial relationship that brought the best in each other. The Ozawa/Warner box is still available relatively cheaply and I know it has an incredible, bass-prominent Lutoslawski Concerto for Orchestra in Chicago.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Hans Holbein on March 05, 2023, 09:09:29 PM
I wonder if Universal will ever do a complete Hogwood box. How huge would it be? The Mozart and Haydn symphonies plus the Bach family recordings add up to 71 CDs, and that's barely scratching the surface.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on March 06, 2023, 02:24:50 PM
Quote from: Brian on March 05, 2023, 06:48:01 PMWow! How? I just checked Amazon US and the Ozawa complete Philips box is $300 there. Having heard Ozawa's work in the Boston Symphony DG box, I would be interested in a copy of the Philips one. His Boston work is really, really good and the orchestra is spectacular. They clearly had a very close and beneficial relationship that brought the best in each other. The Ozawa/Warner box is still available relatively cheaply and I know it has an incredible, bass-prominent Lutoslawski Concerto for Orchestra in Chicago.

I'm glad to hear you are a fan. More insentive to dig in.  $300 for the 25 disk Philips box??!! That's nuts. Just someone hoping to get lucky, probably, rather than a real indication of the going price. The copy I got was from a Japanese seller (I live in Japan, so cheap shipping), but I found one in the states for a similar price.

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on March 06, 2023, 05:19:33 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on March 06, 2023, 02:24:50 PMI'm glad to hear you are a fan. More insentive to dig in.  $300 for the 25 disk Philips box??!! That's nuts. Just someone hoping to get lucky, probably, rather than a real indication of the going price. The copy I got was from a Japanese seller (I live in Japan, so cheap shipping), but I found one in the states for a similar price.



Whoops ::)  ::)  ::)  :-[  :-[  :-[  I just bought the Warner box, not the Philips.  BTW, I think you have most of the other box in your "Boston Symphony Box."  Huge overlap there, as I recall...
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on April 16, 2023, 01:20:39 PM
Forthcoming Big Boxes and their release dates (on Amazon.de; release dates in other countries may be a lot different. I didn't choose Amazon USA because it's not good at listing classical music future releases)

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81F2IWVz31L._SL1500_.jpg)

April 21

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91ZsKV-sCDL._SL1500_.jpg)

April 21

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71mawa11DOL._SL1179_.jpg)

April 28

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71njAZRa0OL._SL1500_.jpg)

April 28

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61+W2uvxRIL._SL1200_.jpg)

May 5

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/915r8WUsT3L._SL1500_.jpg)

May 5

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91zjZvg22XL._SL1500_.jpg)

May 19

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81c1hiEe-4L._SL1500_.jpg)

June 2

(https://store.deutschegrammophon.com/assets/asset_300x300/P0028948637898_1.jpg)

June 16

-

Unrelated: A thought I had yesterday after listening to William Steinberg's Planets. How much Steinberg would make up a big box from the complete Universal catalog? The Beethoven symphonies have recently been reissued, and the Boston Holst, Strauss, and Hindemith records are classics, but how much more Steinberg is there? Does he have a whole history of stuff that never got reissued? Or would it pretty much be those 8ish CDs?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: ritter on April 16, 2023, 01:37:59 PM
Quote from: Brian on April 16, 2023, 01:20:39 PM...
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91zjZvg22XL._SL1500_.jpg)

...
That Robert Craft set now appears at 180€ (both in German Amazon and on JPC). Still expensive IMO for 44 CDs, but better than the prerelease price of above 300€ that I saw somewhere recently... :o
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: JBS on April 16, 2023, 05:49:44 PM
The Naxos website says that Rachmaninov set won't be available in the US.
Copyright reasons I'm assuming to be why.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on April 17, 2023, 03:37:22 AM
Quote from: Brian on April 16, 2023, 01:20:39 PMForthcoming Big Boxes and their release dates (on Amazon.de; release dates in other countries may be a lot different. I didn't choose Amazon USA because it's not good at listing classical music future releases)


  Those are irritatingly tasty looking. Irritating because I'm on "no big boxes diet." Still, I'll be monitoring them to see if their prices plunge into "super-duper bargain" territory.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on April 19, 2023, 06:16:52 PM
Guesswork time! Let's see how much I can guess about the future release schedule of some Big Boxes that have not yet been produced.

My logic is that most of the Big Boxes tie into an anniversary of some kind. They don't need to - we'd buy 'em anyway - but they do, and it has been a consistent pattern across maybe two-thirds or three-quarters of all Big Boxes. So with that in mind, I looked at what anniversaries are coming up.

Performer Editions

2023
Istvan Kertesz (50th anniversary of his death; his 100th birthday is in 2029)
Pablo Casals (50th anniversary of his death; his 150th birthday is in 2026)
Michel Plasson (90th birthday)
Andras Schiff (70th birthday)

2024
Michael Tilson Thomas (80th birthday)
Leonard Slatkin (80th birthday)
Nelson Freire (80th birthday)

2025
Cho-Liang Lin (65th birthday)
Stephen Kovacevich (85th birthday)

2026
Truls Mork (65th birthday)
Krystian Zimerman (70th birthday)

2027
Colin Davis (100th birthday)
Zino Francescatti (125th birthday)

2028
Mitsuko Uchida (80th birthday)

2029
Thomas Beecham (150th birthday)
Christoph von Dohnanyi (100th birthday)
Arthur Fiedler (50th anniversary of his death)
Charles Mackerras (100th birthday)
Walter Weller (90th birthday)

Composer Editions

2024
Bruckner (200th birthday)
Faure (100th anniversary of his death)
Schoenberg (150th birthday)
Puccini (100th anniversary of his death)

2025
Shostakovich (50th anniversary of his death)

2026
Britten (50th anniversary of his death)

2027
Beethoven (200th anniversary of his death)

2028
Janacek (100th anniversary of his death)
Schubert (200th anniversary of his death)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Franco_Manitobain on April 24, 2023, 04:14:49 AM
Just out of curiosity, does anyone know what the biggest classical music box set is? How many discs? In circulation or OOP.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Florestan on April 24, 2023, 04:37:24 AM
Quote from: Franco_Manitobain on April 24, 2023, 04:14:49 AMJust out of curiosity, does anyone know what the biggest classical music box set is? How many discs? In circulation or OOP.

Top five:

The Complete Mozart Edition on Philips, 180 discs.

The Complete Bach Edition on Haenssler, 172 discs.

The Complete Mozart Edition on Brilliant Classics, 170 discs.

The Haydn Edition on Brilliant Classics, 162 discs.

The Complete Bach Edition on Brilliant Classics, 142 discs.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: ritter on April 24, 2023, 04:39:04 AM
Quote from: Franco_Manitobain on April 24, 2023, 04:14:49 AMJust out of curiosity, does anyone know what the biggest classical music box set is? How many discs? In circulation or OOP.
The biggest I'm aware of is the Karajan on DG (330 CDs, 24 DVDs, and 2 BDs), followed by the Abbado (257 CDs and 8 DVDs), also on DG:

(https://i.discogs.com/M8wgHnJqD4zQ65UOwRZZGrjQn6-eQVtWt3ZViB_bjQw/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:337/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTE0ODk5/ODEzLTE2MTg0Mjgx/ODEtNDYyOS5qcGVn.jpeg)

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41EzrS4EjdL._SX300_SY300_QL70_ML2_.jpg)

As far as composer-centred sets, it would be AFAIK the "Bach 333" (225 discs) and the "Mozart 225" (200 discs) sets:

(https://static.fnac-static.com/multimedia/Images/ES/NR/f3/2e/48/4730611/1540-1.jpg)

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61shEdQHfYL._SX522_.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Florestan on April 24, 2023, 04:40:21 AM
I was thinking in terms of composer-centred boxes only, but even so my information was outdated.  :D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: ritter on April 24, 2023, 04:44:40 AM
I know it's not polite to brag about such things, but my boxes are bigger than yours!  ;D

Good day, Andrei.  :)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: DavidW on April 24, 2023, 04:47:23 AM
I wonder if at some point DGG goes "screw it!  The complete DGG catalog box set." ;D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on April 24, 2023, 04:49:25 AM
Quote from: DavidW on April 24, 2023, 04:47:23 AMI wonder if at some point DGG goes "screw it!  The complete DGG catalog box set." ;D
It arrives in a shipping container so you can store it outdoors if necessary  ;D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Franco_Manitobain on April 24, 2023, 04:51:29 AM
Wow, over 300 discs (Karajan box) is insane!  :o
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Florestan on April 24, 2023, 04:51:48 AM
Quote from: ritter on April 24, 2023, 04:44:40 AMI know it's not polite to brag about such things, but my boxes are bigger than yours!  ;D

Well, as a Wagnerite you surely like it big.  ;D

QuoteGood day, Andrei.  :)

Good day, Rafael.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: ritter on April 24, 2023, 04:52:10 AM
Quote from: DavidW on April 24, 2023, 04:47:23 AMI wonder if at some point DGG goes "screw it!  The complete DGG catalog box set." ;D
They'd probably have to offer a storage hall in some business park as a bonus to the set... ;D

(https://www.jll.es/images/emea/emea-nave-industrial-almacen.jpg.rendition/cq5dam.web.1280.1280.jpeg)

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Florestan on April 24, 2023, 04:53:01 AM
Quote from: DavidW on April 24, 2023, 04:47:23 AMI wonder if at some point DGG goes "screw it!  The complete DGG catalog box set." ;D

Quote from: Brian on April 24, 2023, 04:49:25 AMIt arrives in a shipping container so you can store it outdoors if necessary  ;D

You can be sure that Harry would jump at the opportunity.  :D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Franco_Manitobain on April 24, 2023, 04:57:37 AM
Quote from: ritter on April 24, 2023, 04:39:04 AMThe biggest I'm aware of is the Karajan on DG (330 CDs, 24 DVDs, and 2 BDs), followed by the Abbado (257 CDs and 8 DVDs), also on DG:

(https://i.discogs.com/M8wgHnJqD4zQ65UOwRZZGrjQn6-eQVtWt3ZViB_bjQw/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:337/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTE0ODk5/ODEzLTE2MTg0Mjgx/ODEtNDYyOS5qcGVn.jpeg)

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41EzrS4EjdL._SX300_SY300_QL70_ML2_.jpg)


In this photo, Karajan looks like he is flexing his muscles as if to say to Abbado: "See, mine is bigger than yours!" 🤣
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: DavidW on April 24, 2023, 06:06:06 AM
Quote from: Florestan on April 24, 2023, 04:53:01 AMYou can be sure that Harry would jump at the opportunity.  :D

Well he probably already checked that he already has everything in the box!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Franco_Manitobain on April 24, 2023, 06:19:10 AM
Quote from: ritter on April 24, 2023, 04:52:10 AMThey'd probably have to offer a storage hall in some business park as a bonus to the set... ;D

(https://www.jll.es/images/emea/emea-nave-industrial-almacen.jpg.rendition/cq5dam.web.1280.1280.jpeg)



You mean.....this isn't Harry's storage shed?  :P
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: JBS on April 24, 2023, 07:15:08 AM
Quote from: Florestan on April 24, 2023, 04:37:24 AMTop five:

The Complete Mozart Edition on Philips, 180 discs.

The Complete Bach Edition on Haenssler, 172 discs.

The Complete Mozart Edition on Brilliant Classics, 170 discs.

The Haydn Edition on Brilliant Classics, 162 discs.

The Complete Bach Edition on Brilliant Classics, 142 discs.

The Teldec Complete Bach is 154 CDs.

The Complete Artur Rubinstein box is 142 CDs plus 2 DVDs. Anyone know if there's a bigger performer-who-is-not-a-conductor set?
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Holden on April 24, 2023, 02:43:20 PM
Quote from: JBS on April 24, 2023, 07:15:08 AMThe Teldec Complete Bach is 154 CDs.

The Complete Artur Rubinstein box is 142 CDs plus 2 DVDs. Anyone know if there's a bigger performer-who-is-not-a-conductor set?

As far as pianists go I believe that this is it and am happy to say that I own it. I'm trying to think of a pianists who were alive and performing long enough to do that many recordings and the closest I can get is Cziffra with 41 CDs.

The Karajan is not surprising as he was prolific in the recording studio.

EDIT: I forgot Horowitz who went well past the 70 CD mark but no record company has obtained the rights to republish everything he recorded or played live. His live Carnegie Hall Box has 41 CDs and the Original jacket recordings (Sony) is 70 CDs but I don't know how many of those overlap. Then you have everything he recorded for DGG which is a further 7 CDs and then there is HMV and a few other labels as well. While he might get close to or surpass the 142 of Rubinstein there are bound to be some overlaps so I guess that Rubinstein is king. Regardless, if you are a pianophile and only owned the complete recordings of AR and VH that's a hell of a lot of listening.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: JBS on April 24, 2023, 03:19:22 PM
Quote from: Holden on April 24, 2023, 02:43:20 PMAs far as pianists go I believe that this is it and am happy to say that I own it. I'm trying to think of a pianists who were alive and performing long enough to do that many recordings and the closest I can get is Cziffra with 41 CDs.

The Karajan is not surprising as he was prolific in the recording studio.

EDIT: I forgot Horowitz who went well past the 70 CD mark but no record company has obtained the rights to republish everything he recorded or played live. His live Carnegie Hall Box has 41 CDs and the Original jacket recordings (Sony) is 70 CDs but I don't know how many of those overlap. Then you have everything he recorded for DGG which is a further 7 CDs and then there is HMV and a few other labels as well. While he might get close to or surpass the 142 of Rubinstein there are bound to be some overlaps so I guess that Rubinstein is king. Regardless, if you are a pianophile and only owned the complete recordings of AR and VH that's a hell of a lot of listening.

Isn't there some monster Richter box from Melodiya? His Decca/DG/Philips Complete box is 51 CDs, and on top of that there are EMI, Sony, and Teldec boxes, plus all the stuff recorded live or by Melodiya. That might surpass Horowitz.

The Samson Francois box is 54 CDs plus a DVD.

ETA

Vladimir Ashkenazy is at Rubinstein level or more
Decca Complete Solo Piano Recordings--89 CDs
Decca Complete Concertos--46 CDs plus 2 DVDs
And there's no complete set of his chamber music recordings, nor of course of his recordings as conductor.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Todd on April 24, 2023, 03:25:20 PM
Quote from: Brian on April 24, 2023, 04:49:25 AMIt arrives in a shipping container so you can store it outdoors if necessary  ;D

I'll take it!


Quote from: Holden on April 24, 2023, 02:43:20 PMI'm trying to think of a pianists who were alive and performing long enough to do that many recordings and the closest I can get is Cziffra with 41 CDs.

There's Perahia with 68 CDs and 5 DVDs on Sony. 

For flute, there's always Galway:

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81+1CBMBK7L._SX450_.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Todd on April 24, 2023, 03:34:23 PM
For pianists, there's also the Arrau Really Big Box (80):

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51MECaHyaYL._SY425_.jpg)

For fiddlers, you got Heifetz (104) and Grumiaux (74).  I don't know which has the longer playing time.

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71q4ukDk-IL._SY425_.jpg)

(https://i.discogs.com/fUpQ2Zj5dur9TV5CXK8M0ge6Pm_mz22bOYYC8P7PQP4/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:596/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTE4MDY0/NzE0LTE2NjgwMjgw/NTAtNzQ1MS5qcGVn.jpeg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: DavidW on April 24, 2023, 03:37:23 PM
Don't forget Isaac Stern (75) and DFD (107).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Todd on April 24, 2023, 03:43:46 PM
Quote from: DavidW on April 24, 2023, 03:37:23 PMDon't forget Isaac Stern (75)

Kinda want to forget that one.

And who could forget Leslie Howard's 99 disc passion project:

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81MpBBF+Z3L._SX522_.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on April 24, 2023, 03:44:33 PM
The Pavarotti big box is around 100. I'm surprised opera singers are not occupying the top spots, since operas tend to be long.

More improbably there is the 130 CD and 4 DVD megabox dedicated to Idil Biret (https://www.naxos.com/CatalogueDetail/?id=8.501303).

Of course, all the pianists are waiting for their true king, the Jeno Jando megabox.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: JBS on April 24, 2023, 03:45:36 PM
The Menuhin Century set is 80 CDs plus 11 DVDs, and states flat out that it is only a selection from 300 CDs worth of recordings he made for HMV/EMI as violinist or conductor. [That would not, it seems, include recordings made for other labels now in the Warner stable.]

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51fid6MPwXL._UF1000,1000_QL80_FMwebp_.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Todd on April 24, 2023, 03:52:41 PM
Quote from: Brian on April 24, 2023, 03:44:33 PMMore improbably there is the 130 CD and 4 DVD megabox dedicated to Idil Biret (https://www.naxos.com/CatalogueDetail/?id=8.501303).

In terms of total timing, that has got to surpass the Rubinstein box.


Quote from: Brian on April 24, 2023, 03:44:33 PMOf course, all the pianists are waiting for their true king, the Jeno Jando megabox.

But how does he compare to Charles Segal?


Quote from: JBS on April 24, 2023, 03:45:36 PMThe Menuhin Century set is 80 CDs plus 11 DVDs, and states flat out that it is only a selection from 300 CDs worth of recordings he made for HMV/EMI as violinist or conductor.

The Warner website cites 300 works, not discs.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: JBS on April 24, 2023, 03:59:04 PM
Quote from: Todd on April 24, 2023, 03:52:41 PMThe Warner website cites 300 works, not discs.

The Amazon blurb says "300 discs", but 300 works does sound more likely.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Todd on April 24, 2023, 04:05:36 PM
Quote from: JBS on April 24, 2023, 03:59:04 PMThe Amazon blurb says "300 discs", but 300 works does sound more likely.

Amazon definitely botched it.  From Warner's site:

"Lasting for nearly 70 years, Lord Menuhin's contract with EMI was the longest in the history of the music industry. In November 1929, at the age of 13, he made his first recordings for the Company in London, and he made his last recording shortly before his death in 1999, when he conducted the Sinfonia Varsovia in Beethoven's Piano Concertos with François-René Duchâble as the soloist.

In total Menuhin recorded over 300 works for EMI as both violinist and conductor. Menuhin's range was unique, including all of the main classical works for violin as well as collaborations with Stéphane Grappelli and Ravi Shankar.
"
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Spotted Horses on April 25, 2023, 09:14:19 AM
Quote from: Holden on April 24, 2023, 02:43:20 PMAs far as pianists go I believe that this is it and am happy to say that I own it. I'm trying to think of a pianists who were alive and performing long enough to do that many recordings and the closest I can get is Cziffra with 41 CDs.

Ciccolini's complete EMI box came in at 56 discs (which I value highly).

Counting discs can be deceptive because some editions pack the discs to ~70 minutes each and some are "original jacket" with one LP per disc, about 40 minutes per disc.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Franco_Manitobain on May 19, 2023, 05:55:28 AM
I would like a Karajan size 300+ disc box set of classical guitar repertoire please.  ;D  8)

Guess it probably only be Naxos or Brilliant Classics that might be able to pull that off.  Or Warner, since they practically own almost everybody now!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Spotted Horses on May 19, 2023, 06:03:04 AM
Quote from: Franco_Manitobain on May 19, 2023, 05:55:28 AMI would like a Karajan size 300+ disc box set of classical guitar repertoire please.  ;D  8)

Guess it probably only be Naxos or Brilliant Classics that might be able to pull that off.  Or Warner, since they practically own almost everybody now!

I do not purposefully own a single disc of classical guitar music. I probably have something I am not aware of in a box set (Villa Lobos, perhaps).
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Franco_Manitobain on May 19, 2023, 06:16:24 AM
Quote from: Spotted Horses on May 19, 2023, 06:03:04 AMI do not purposefully own a single disc of classical guitar music. I probably have something I am not aware of in a box set (Villa Lobos, perhaps).

I was pretty much in your boat until I dug into the Manuel de Falla box set a few months ago and the guitar transcriptions included in it.  Since then I have been down the classical guitar music discovery rabbit hole.  There is very little hope in me resurfacing anytime soon.  ::)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Florestan on May 19, 2023, 08:36:00 AM
Quote from: Franco_Manitobain on May 19, 2023, 05:55:28 AMI would like a Karajan size 300+ disc box set of classical guitar repertoire please.  ;D  8)

I'm with you all the way, Ray. The guitar is a marvelous instrument, melancholy and gentle or jocular and cheerful by turns, and intimate in both cases. Sanz, Mudarra, de Visee, Corbetta, Lhoyer, Carulli, Paganini, Giuliani, Sor, Mertz, Regondi, Tarrega, Barrios, Torroba, Rodrigo etc etc etc --- lots of wonderful composers and works to caress one's soul and delight one's ears. What's not to like? (I even decided, following advice received here on GMG, to learn playing it)

One of the best recitals of anyone and anything I've ever attended was the Polish guitarist Marcin Dylla. It was a mesmerizing experience.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Franco_Manitobain on May 19, 2023, 08:49:30 AM
Quote from: Florestan on May 19, 2023, 08:36:00 AMI'm with you all the way, Ray. The guitar is a marvelous instrument, melancholy and gentle or jocular and cheerful by turns, and intimate in both cases. Sanz, Mudarra, de Visee, Corbetta, Lhoyer, Carulli, Paganini, Giuliani, Sor, Mertz, Regondi, Tarrega, Barrios, Torroba, Rodrigo etc etc etc --- lots of wonderful composers and works to caress one's soul and delight one's ears. What's not to like? (I even decided, following advice received here on GMG, to learn playing it)

One of the best recitals of anyone and anything I've ever attended was the Polish guitarist Marcin Dylla. It was a mesmerizing experience.

Andrei, why don't you ever post in the guitar recordings thread?!?! :o  ;D

That is fantastic that you are learning to play! Huge kudos to you.  :)

Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Florestan on May 19, 2023, 08:56:34 AM
Quote from: Franco_Manitobain on May 19, 2023, 08:49:30 AMAndrei, why don't you ever post in the guitar recordings thread?!?! :o  ;D

Is there such a thread? I guess it just flew under my radar, there are only a handful of threads where I post regularly. I will post there very soon, stay tuned.

QuoteThat is fantastic that you are learning to play! Huge kudos to you.  :)

Well, the first step is to buy a suitable guitar. Luckily, my Spain-living paternal aunt is visiting Bucharest together with her Soanish husband, a passionate and knowledgeable amateur guitarist, so I'll ask hims to assist me in this respect. As for truly learning to play it, it's a long way ahead --- but the day when and if I'll be able to play even Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star will be one of the happiest days of my life.  ;D
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on May 26, 2023, 11:41:13 AM
Buyers, beware: the much-delayed Ansermet Stereo edition is drawing negative reviews online because the Brahms German Requiem contains a faulty/buggy track, and also two of the discs (37 and 40) were accidentally printed with identical audio contents, and also one of the cardboard CD sleeves contains the correct CD, but the sleeve claims it is from the Zoltan Kocsis edition and lists track timings for Wagner/Liszt piano transcriptions!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Todd on May 27, 2023, 04:35:04 AM
Quote from: Brian on May 26, 2023, 11:41:13 AMBuyers, beware: the much-delayed Ansermet Stereo edition is drawing negative reviews online because the Brahms German Requiem contains a faulty/buggy track, and also two of the discs (37 and 40) were accidentally printed with identical audio contents, and also one of the cardboard CD sleeves contains the correct CD, but the sleeve claims it is from the Zoltan Kocsis edition and lists track timings for Wagner/Liszt piano transcriptions!

Very serious problems all.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on July 09, 2023, 05:15:20 AM
In his Klemperer megabox video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggnwz-osgP0), Hurwitz says he has confirmation that Sony will be releasing two great big boxes to accommodate Eugene Ormandy's stereo Columbia legacy. So the full Ormandy Columbia discography will take up three big boxes. No word on RCA.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Atriod on August 17, 2023, 03:37:30 PM
I wonder if Universal will start doing mega boxes for Hyperion? I might buy one for Marc-Andre Hamelin, it's rare for me to buy his recordings. Florestan Trio depending on how much I'm missing.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Brian on September 01, 2023, 07:34:38 PM
@Mookalafalas any Stoltzman box thoughts? It's US $45 here for the weekend, and at barely more than a dollar a disc I am somewhat interested. Looks like it includes a lot of non-classical/"crossover" stuff, so not sure whether to go for it.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on September 09, 2023, 11:14:08 PM
Quote from: Brian on September 01, 2023, 07:34:38 PM@Mookalafalas any Stoltzman box thoughts? It's US $45 here for the weekend, and at barely more than a dollar a disc I am somewhat interested. Looks like it includes a lot of non-classical/"crossover" stuff, so not sure whether to go for it.

   The non-classical (as in "crossover") stuff is really bad. really bad. I assume he just needed cash to pay off his house or something.  I like his Mozart and traditional stuff a lot-- beautifully recorded, and strong ensembles.  The "experimental" stuff with TASHI? I'm guessin you'll like that, although I lean more towards early and baroque than modern, myself, but it's certainly really good.
    The key thing might be his sound. Perlman and Stern and Cassals leave some creak and squeak in their string playing. I like that, I like the extra timbre and color. Stoltzman often has a clarinet equivalent, with some honkiness and...what? splutter? In a thread here someone described him as having "ugly tone."  I assume they prefer the more liquid sound of people like sabine Meyer and Ottensamer (who are both awesome, BTW). That would be the only dealbreaker, I'd say, if you don't like that tone.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Jo498 on September 10, 2023, 12:24:53 AM
I never liked Stoltzman's sound but some people either like it or think the artistry is more important. I'd rather get single issues of TASHI and other material of interest than a Stoltzman box, unless one really likes the guy's work.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on November 10, 2023, 07:38:29 PM
I've been out of the box market for quite a while, but I may make an exception for this. Relatively puny, at 13 disks.
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91HZVEybn9L._SY355_.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on December 10, 2023, 12:06:56 AM
Time travelers delight. This is OLDY city-- 1929-1949 But disks are loaded, and a lot of really tempting things (to me, anyway). I'm going to go ahead and copy and paste the contents. Sorry for your scrolling finger.

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T1/images/I/81sD00F4nvL._SX425_.jpg)

CD 1
ANTHONY BERNARD
Delius: Sea Drift (with Roy Henderson)
Walton: Overture 'Portsmouth Point'
New English Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

SIR WILLIAM WALTON
Walton: Façade (with Edith Sitwell, Constant Lambert); Viola Concerto (with Frederick Riddle)
London Symphony Orchestra

CD 2
SIR HAMILTON HARTY
Walton: Symphony No. 1
Haydn: Symphony No. 95
Berlioz: Overture 'Le Roi Lear'; Marche troyenne (Les Troyens)
London Symphony Orchestra

CD 3
SIR HAMILTON HARTY
Handel–Harty: Suite in Five Movements
London Symphony Orchestra

SIR HENRY WOOD
Purcell–Wood: Suite in Five Movements
Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on Greensleeves; Overture 'The Wasps'; Symphony No. 2 'A London Symphony'
Queen's Hall Orchestra

CD 4
SIR HENRY WOOD
Coates: London Suite; London Bridge – March
Elgar: Enigma Variations
Queen's Hall Orchestra

WILLEM MENGELBERG
J.S. Bach: Concerto for Two Violins (with Louis Zimmermann, Ferdinand Helman)
Gluck: Overture 'Alceste'
Concertgebouworkest

ALBERT COATES
Mussorgsky: A Night on the Bare Mountain; Gopak (Sorochintsy Fair)
London Symphony Orchestra

CD 5
ALBERT COATES
Rimsky-Korsakov: Snegurochka – Suite
National Symphony Orchestra
Rimsky-Korsakov: Le Coq d'or – Suite
London Symphony Orchestra
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 'Pathétique'; Romeo and Juliet – Fantasy Overture
National Symphony Orchestra

CD 6
VICTOR DE SABATA
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 'Eroica'
Berlioz: Overture 'Le Carnaval romain'
Sibelius: Valse triste
Wagner: Ride of the Valkyries (Die Walküre)
London Philharmonic Orchestra

CD 7
VICTOR DE SABATA
Sibelius: En saga
London Philharmonic Orchestra

ROGER DÉSORMIÈRE
Bizet: Ouverture 'Patrie'; Jeux d'enfants – Petite Suite
Chabrier: Habanera
Debussy: Marche ecossaise
National Symphony Orchestra
Opera Arias – Gounod, Offenbach, Thomas, Proch, Charpentier (with Janine Micheau)
Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire

CD 8
GRZEGORZ FITELBERG
Wagner: Overture 'Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg'
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 2 (with Eileen Joyce)
London Philharmonic Orchestra

CD 9
GRZEGORZ FITELBERG
Borodin: Polovtsian Dances (Prince Igor)
Rimsky-Korsakov: The Tale of Tsar Saltan – Suite
London Philharmonic Orchestra

WILHELM FURTWÄNGLER
Brahms: Symphony No. 2
London Philharmonic Orchestra

CD 10
CARLO ZECCHI
Rossini: Overture 'La Scala di Seta'
Pizzetti: La Pisanelle – Suite
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 (with Clara Haskil)
London Philharmonic Orchestra

PIERO COPPOLA
Grieg: Symphonic Dances Nos. 1, 2 & 4
London Symphony Orchestra

CD 11
PIERO COPPOLA
Schumann: Symphony No. 1
National Symphony Orchestra

GEORGE ENESCU
Schumann: Symphony No. 2
London Philharmonic Orchestra

CD 12
ERNEST ANSERMET
Debussy: Petite Suite
Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire
Debussy: La Mer
Ravel: Alborada del gracioso (Miroirs)
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Ravel: Shéhérazade (with Suzanne Danco); La Valse
Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire

CD 13
CLEMENS KRAUSS
Beethoven: Overture 'Fidelio'
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Brahms: Academic Festival Overture
London Symphony Orchestra
Strauss: Tod und Verklärung
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Strauss: Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche
Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala

PAUL VAN KEMPEN
Wagner: Overtures, 'Tannhäuser' & 'Der fliegende Holländer'

CD 14
SIR MALCOLM SARGENT
Handel: Messiah, Israel in Egypt, Semele, Alexander's Feast, Solomon, Serse – excerpts; Zadok the Priest
(with Kathleen Ferrier, Richard Lewis, Trevor Anthony)
Royal Choral Society
London Symphony Orchestra

CD 15
SIR MALCOLM SARGENT
Handel–Harty: Music for the Royal Fireworks – Suite
National Symphony Orchestra
Holst: The Perfect Fool – ballet music
London Philharmonic Orchestra

EDUARD VAN BEINUM
Elgar: Overture 'Cockaigne'
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Britten: Four Sea Interludes & Passacaglia from Peter Grimes
Concertgebouworkest
Arnold: Overture 'Beckus the Dandipratt'
London Philharmonic Orchestra

CD 16
EDUARD VAN BEINUM
Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (with Eugenia Zareska)
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Bruckner: Symphony No. 7
Concertgebouworkest

CD 17
HANS KNAPPERTSBUSCH
Wagner: Overture 'Rienzi'; Tannhäuser – Overture & Venusberg Music; Lohengrin – Prelude to Act III; Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg – Prelude to Act III, Dance of the Apprentices, March of the Guild
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Wagner: Lohengrin – Prelude to Act I
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich
Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg – Prelude to Act I
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande

CD 18
ERICH KLEIBER
Handel: Andante larghetto (Berenice)
Mozart: Symphony No. 40
Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 'Pastoral'
London Philharmonic Orchestra

CD 19
ERICH KLEIBER
Josef Strauss: Sphärenklänge
Johann Strauss II: Overture 'Der Zigeunerbaron'
Dvořák: Overture 'Carnaval'
London Philharmonic Orchestra

JEAN MARTINON
Tchaikovsky: Da, čas nastal! ... Prostite vï, kholmï, polya rodnïye (The Maid of Orléans) (with Eugenia Zareska)
Chabrier: Suite Pastorale
Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin
London Philharmonic Orchestra

CD 20
LEO BLECH
Humperdinck: Prelude 'Hänsel und Gretel'
Haydn: Symphony No. 94 'Surprise'
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande

SERGIU CELIBIDACHE
Mozart: Symphony No. 25
London Philharmonic Orchestra

CD 21
SERGIU CELIBIDACHE
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5; The Nutcracker – Suite
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on February 28, 2024, 09:56:35 PM
Weird sales popping up and then disappearing around the various Amazons.
  Got the Ormandy Mono for $100 (UK), and am loving it.
Heard this was available for $70 from Amazon Spain and ordered it a couple days ago. Thought I'd post it here for you guys, but see the price has doubled since then :o  Anyway, for those interested, it might be worth keeping an eye on...
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/8126qej8pNL._SL1500_.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on March 10, 2024, 12:41:49 AM
In a different classical web site, memebers assert this has come back into print. It sold out and went OOP very quickly upon release, several years back.
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71X2bZM+CXL._AC_SL1500_.jpg)
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Karl Henning on March 10, 2024, 11:49:24 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on March 10, 2024, 12:41:49 AMIn a different classical web site, memebers assert this has come back into print. It sold out and went OOP very quickly upon release, several years back.
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71X2bZM+CXL._AC_SL1500_.jpg)
A nice set!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Atriod on March 10, 2024, 02:00:02 PM
I'm seven discs into the Copland/Copland box and enjoying it more than I expected. This was as the yoots say a YOLO purchase without any streaming of the performances I hadn't heard before. I tend not to explore much Copland having long time favorites for the popular works. Like the Sony Stravinsky box it gives an interesting insight from the composer's hand.

Sony just need to release a Koussevitzky box and we'll be incredibly spoiled for a Boston legacy.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: JBS on March 10, 2024, 05:45:48 PM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on March 10, 2024, 12:41:49 AMIn a different classical web site, memebers assert this has come back into print. It sold out and went OOP very quickly upon release, several years back.
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71X2bZM+CXL._AC_SL1500_.jpg)

Amazon US Marketplace lists one new copy available for about $210, one used copy for a couple of dollars less, and some other listings for much higher prices.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on March 10, 2024, 06:15:22 PM
Quote from: JBS on March 10, 2024, 05:45:48 PMAmazon US Marketplace lists one new copy available for about $210, one used copy for a couple of dollars less, and some other listings for much higher prices.

  Yeah, I just checked, $207. For some reason, it now says they have 2 new copies. This is one of the few box sets I let get by me, back when I was snapping up everything. I waited for the price to come down, and then it just went OOP.
Odd that they would bring it back, and make so few copies available. Amazon Japan doesn't show it at all.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Que on March 11, 2024, 08:09:35 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on March 10, 2024, 06:15:22 PMYeah, I just checked, $207. For some reason, it now says they have 2 new copies. This is one of the few box sets I let get by me, back when I was snapping up everything. I waited for the price to come down, and then it just went OOP.
Odd that they would bring it back, and make so few copies available. Amazon Japan doesn't show it at all.

Germany is usually the first place to find new releases:

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/complete-edition/hnum/5145674

So, the stories of a re-release are true: mid-March, €120.
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Mookalafalas on March 12, 2024, 12:11:27 AM
Quote from: Que on March 11, 2024, 08:09:35 AMSo, the stories of a re-release are true: mid-March, €120.


Whoa! That's a pretty good price!
Title: Re: Box Blather
Post by: Que on March 12, 2024, 12:27:15 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on March 12, 2024, 12:11:27 AMWhoa! That's a pretty good price!

I know...right?  :D 

Although I'm usually not into conductor focused box sets, which are usually not limited to the niche or niches the conductor excelled in and contain the same "iron repertoire" over and over again, in this case I'm tempted...